by Rupe | May 3, 2008 | Military-Political
China has urged its citizens to be calm amid further anti-Western
protests in the country, focused on French supermarket chain Carrefour.
The official Communist Party newspaper, the People’s Daily, said patriotism should be expressed rationally. The protesters have been angered by disruption of the Olympic torch relay in Paris and London.
They also accuse the West of supporting Tibetan separatists, and the Western media of bias.
The official Xinhua news agency said more than 1,000 people carrying banners had gathered in front of a Carrefour store 
in the city of Xian, and there were also protests in Harbin and Jinan.
Xinhua added that police were monitoring the demonstrations in the three cities, which remained peaceful.
The protests came after Saturday saw hundreds of people demonstrating in cities including Beijing, Wuhan, Hefei, Kunming, and Qingdao – often outside Carrefour stores.
Protesters denounced French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s refusal to
confirm whether he would attend the opening ceremony of the Games.
Carrefour has restated its support for Beijing’s hosting of the Olympics this August, and denies the accusations by some protesters that it backs the campaign for Tibetan independence.
The front-page Sunday editorial in the People’s Daily called on Chinese people to cherish patriotism “while expressing it in a rationalway”.
It said: “As citizens, we have the responsibility to express our patriotic enthusiasm calmly and rationally and express patriotic aspiration in an orderly and legal manner.
“The more complicated the international situation is, the more calmness, wisdom and unity need to be shown by the Chinese people.”
The BBC’s Daniel Griffiths in Beijing says this is a clear sign that the Chinese government does not want to see any escalation in the protests….read entire article…
by Rupe | Apr 13, 2008 | Workout Log
Who’s Counting on You to Be at Your Best?
— By Mike Kramer, Staff Write
On March 28, (give or take) I’m going to become a dad for the first time. This thought is inconceivable to me, yet seems perfectly natural.
Friends and family promise me that I’m in for the biggest and best adventure of my life. In the next breath, they also warn me that I’m in for thousands of the craziest, most maddening days I’ll ever hope to see.
And I’m cool with that. Because there’s a thought that calms me down and pushes me forward every day – he (for sake of discussion) only wants one thing right now. And I know that I can give it to him.
Sure, he’ll need a house and a room and a place to sleep. He’ll need Halloween costumes, birthday candles and hidden Easter eggs. When he’s 16, he’ll need me to get out of the car so he can pick up his Homecoming date alone. When he’s 30, he’ll probably need me to babysit his kids.
But for now, he really only needs one thing from me – to be at the top of my game. He needs a Dad who’s fit enough, healthy enough and happy enough to do what needs done and have fun doing it. He needs a Dad with enough energy reserves to light up Sioux City, Iowa. He needs a Dad who’ll be playing on the floor more than lying on the couch. He needs a quick, clear thinker, a heavy lifter, and an all-around fixer of things mechanical and personal.
by Rupe | Apr 13, 2008 | Mad Musings
“Fall seven times, get up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” – John Quincy Adams
“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” – Chinese Proverb
“Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never.” – Winston Churchill
“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson
These quotes all say the same thing. No matter how many obstacles you run into, what matters is that you’re able to overcome each of them, one at a time.
“Two steps forward, one step back” is usually a negative term to describe someone who is having trouble making progress. But switched around, “1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward” means that instead of grousing or feeling guilty about a misstep, you can still come out ahead if you put your head down and push forward.
Steps back can take many forms: a family vacation, breaks in your routine, personal tragedies, injuries, or that lost weekend in front of the tube. A big mistake people make when trying to get healthier is that when they fall off a bit or something happens, they think they “have to start over”. Wrong! When missteps do happen, a better strategy is to simply take two steps forward. You’re still ahead of where you were before, far beyond the starting line.
(continued…)
by Rupe | Apr 12, 2008 | Workout Log
I did my spring PFA yesterday at Langley.
Well, I am not sure how to put it but…I was okay with the results; a little bit disappointed, as I could have done a bit better. At any rate, no need crying over spoiled milk though. I did well and that’s all that there is to that.
Also, for the first time I did the Elliptical. I have done the treadmill in the past; and even though at the time I was in pretty good shape, it was a beast to get to the end…it was quite the ordeal. This time around with the Elliptical, it was the opposite. I suppose owning an elliptical does have some merits to it. I did quite well…next time it will be outstanding…I promise. Here are my scores:
- Push ups: 82 (Not as good as I wanted to; thought I would be able to pump out some more – score 90)
- Curl ups : 72 (This was pathetic, in fact, if am being honest, I probably did 50% properly – score 68)
- Elliptical: 240 calories, the equivalent of 10:33 – score – 100
- Final grade – Excellent High.
Having missed the last 2 cycles, I can’t say I am totally disappointed, but I will definitely push for the outstanding next time. My goal for this summer:
- Push ups: 105
- Curl ups: 105
- Elliptical/Bike: 300 calories in 12 minutes
- Final Grade in Fall – Outstanding High
I have also started a couple of challenge groups to help in the motivation department. See you next post!
by Rupe | Apr 10, 2008 | Workout Log
Reach Other Goals by Starting With Your Self
— By Rebecca Pratt, Staff Writer
You’re a parent, school volunteer, Little League coach, and trusted assistant to your boss. You’ve been up since 6 a.m., made breakfast, packed lunches, cleaned the house, chauffeured the neighborhood kids, helped with homework, read bedtime stories, and finished extra work from the office. It’s 11:30. You’re exhausted. And, in about six-and-a-half hours you’ll begin the whole 24-hour cycle…again.
If you find yourself saying ‘Stop the merry-go-round, I want to get off!’ you’re not alone. Most of us—especially women, but men too (hey, there are reasons that men die younger than women)—have at some time found ourselves at the bottom of the heap when it comes to taking care of our needs.
The problem with that is that if we don’t take care of ourselves, sooner or later we won’t be of much use to anyone else—or to ourselves. Just as the airline attendant tells you to put on your own oxygen mask in an emergency before helping a child with theirs, you must take care of your own basic needs before you can attend to the needs of others. What’s more, being busy is not necessarily the same as being productive with meaningful activity. (Do the workaholics you know really accomplish that much more in proportion to the time they invest?)
If “putting yourself first†(a common admonition) sounds too selfish or too hard, try something simpler: put yourself on an equal footing with those you love and tend to. Do you insist that they get enough sleep? Start making that a priority for yourself too. Do you give them time for fun and socializing with friends? Then you do the same! Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: human beings must meet their basic needs before they can move on to higher-level goals.
Since most of us already know that we should take care of ourselves—but often have trouble figuring out how to do it, here are some guidelines for getting there:
- Preserve your physical health with adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition.
- Value your emotional health as much as the physical, with a support system of friends and a willingness to laugh—especially at yourself.
- Schedule fun activities on a regular basis—it’s just as important to plan pleasure as it is to plan work.
- Identify “busy behaviors†(or people) that drain your time and energy but aren’t really important, then dump ‘em, or at least minimize their hold on you.
- Kill two birds with one stone, combining family time with exercise, for example, which benefits everyone involved.
- Try to look at the problems in your life with new eyes to find solutions. If you’re a new mom, for instance, see if you can trade childcare with another new mom to get some time for yourself.
- Learn to say “No!†Your “yes†is valuable and should not be automatic. Instead, reserve it for the things that are most important to you.
- Don’t try to change every problem area in your life all at once. Start with one or two items, then expand as you get things under control.
Your life should be like a checking account, balancing out on a regular basis so that you always have assets to draw upon. By making even small deposits—taking care of yourself with a 10-minute walk or a nutritious meal—you’ll be amazed at the interest you’ll reap.
