7 Quick Takes Friday #63

See more 7 Quick Takes Friday contributions at Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary.

Thinking back on this week, it has centered around the most curious thing (at least, for me): food. All kinds of different food has been on my plates this week.


1. Spaghetti dinner at the VFW. Saturday evening, Donnie, Doah, and I hopped on down to the San Ignatio VFW, just a couple of minutes, perhaps less, from where we live to attend a fundraising dinner for our priest, who has ended up in the difficult position of being falsely accused of sexual misconduct by a recently released criminal who has taken him to court. The diocese has essentially cleared him, as have the local police, and no one else has come forward, but the criminal found a law firm known to crusade against priests, and now there is a civil case, which is going to be expensive and take some time to get past, during which the diocese will not let him continue his ministry although it is giving him a place to live and his salary. The diocese is not paying for the defense, so our parish is doing a series of fundraisers to help our priest to pay for his defense. Saturday night was one of them, and it was the first at which he was able to come and be with us. Everyone was very happy to see him. He is frustrated, of course, but he was clearly happy to be among us.



2. BBQ. On Sunday, we entertained the senior managers from my office at a BBQ at our new house. Even with almost 30 people here, it did not seem crowded. I think it has to do with being on the top of a hill and being able to see in all directions. Once a year we have such a BBQ for my senior managers. Given the stress of our jobs and the fact that we all travel and so do not see each other for periods of time even though we work together constantly (thank goodness for computers and other kinds of modern technology), these annual events are team building and rejuvenating.



3. Monday movie night. The second Monday of every month our prayer group meets our house to watch a spiritual movie. Usually, people bring a dish to share, but this week I begged them not to. We had so much left over from the BBQ that we still had drinks in the cooler on the deck and the refrigerator was stuffed. It was great to have people around to help use it up before it spoiled. We also saw a great movie: the biography of St. Faustina, a saint about whom I had known almost nothing until Monday night.



4. Plane eating. No, that it is not a misspelling. On Tuesday, I headed to Omaha. I ended up all day on the plane, eating plane food. I was lucky, though, and ended up being upgraded to first class. So, the food I got had two advantages: it was pretty good and, more important, it was free!



5. Dinner with a friend. My first night in Omaha I was met by a friend from Nebraska who works in the Middle East. In fact, that is where I met her (the Middle East). She is back for the summer and, quite by lucky surprise, I had a business trip spring up this week which allowed us to spend some time together. She and her niece picked me up at the airport, and then we headed up to a deli for a light dinner, a rather unusual salad with fruits, nuts, and vegetables. The best part, though, was the company.



6. Wednesday at Saigon. Wednesday evening co-workers and I found a restaurant called Saigon Surface in downtown Omaha. We had great fun there, chowing down on Vietnamese food, which I love, plying our chopsticks, and tasting some unusual drinks, such as a rychee martini, which was not a martini at all but a very tasty drink that combined vocka and rychee (the whole fruit). Yum!



7. Afghan food, yes! Today was even yummier. We had a bigwig from Afghanistan (Kabul) visit us, and some of the Pashtuns who work with me made some Afghan food so that we could have a culturally appropriate working lunch. With that kind of food, the work, too, becomes quite pleasant!

And now I wish you a pleasant and plentiful weekend!

Tiger Woods

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods was born in Long Beach, Calif., December 30, 1975. Blood coursing through his already mixed juice. His father, Earl Woods, a half black but also white and Indian descent. His mother, Kultida, is one of Thailand with Thai and half-blood half-Chinese blood.

Tiger Woods famous and soared thanks to his prowess in playing golf. Tiger broke many records, in terms of the blows, the victory, and life achievement. But more should be observed is the mental attitude is incredible. He became a great player because of high motivation, "I want to be the best golfer of all time." he said.

Earl, his father. continue to strive to become the best player Tiger. Every after the game, he told what is right and wrong. Tiger listen and record it, so they can learn from mistakes. After Tiger's historic victory at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at a time when Tiger was 15 years old, "Son, you did something never done the descendants of blacks in the U.S.. For forever you'll be history." Earl said,

1994 Tiger won the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship. No one ever won the oldest golf tournament in the U.S. at the age of 18. Tiger toppled a record of legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus, who won the championship at the age of 19. Once he signed up as the first champion who came from African Americans.

At age 21, Tiger Woods decided to plunge into the world of professional golf. Tiger is indeed eventually become peneror for his opponents. Championship after championship won. Until 2007, the Tiger has won 12 Grand Slam championship class golf (The Masters in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005, the PGA Championship in 1999, 2000 and 2006, the British Open in 2000, 2005 and 2006, and the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2002). That outside golf tournaments other than the class of grand slams.

Forbes.com noted that he had earned U.S. $ 58 million (around Rp522 billion) from the results of his golf achievements. Exceed U.S. $ 12 million of its nearest competitor. It's not from advertising revenue.
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But Tiger is a true champion bermentalkan. Most of the money oxunation into social activities for the foundation named after him. He remains known as a polite, loving parents and wife, Elin Nordegren, whom he married in 2004. The American public had known him as a clever schoolboy. His last lecture at Stanford University. Not only the American public, the world also enjoy it.

We can imitate the good things of a Tiger Woods? No other of the discipline, morale and motivation high. We do not have to be like him. Because we've got their own personal and excess. However, to be able to develop ourselves, we can imitate the keys to success that has made ​​this legendary figure.     

Monday Morning Meditation

Oh, goodness, good morning, folks! I had an immensely busy weekend and slept right through the rising of the sun this morning, as well as the barking of the artificial dogs (the alarm ring I use because it annoys my cats, who then annoy me by jumping on me to get me to save them from the dogs they cannot see). I did get up after a significant amount of tapping on my face and pulling off of my blankets, especially by Murjun, our alpha cat. I will take some time for personal prayer, but I won't have time to share today because, although occasionally I will be late for work in order to fit in my contemplation time, I cannot do so today. We have an important guest whom I have to brief on our organization. So, I shall do what I have had to do in the past -- not a bad alternative, actually a good one -- and refer you to Fr. Austin's site. He never misses posting a Monday morning prayer.

Fr. Austin Fleming, priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and pastor in Concord, Massachusetts, posts a prayer each Monday morning that he calls "Monday Morning Offering." I enjoy his prayers very much. I think you also will find them inspirational. He has graciously given me permission to include a link to his blog on my Monday Morning Meditation posts. (During the week, he also posts great homilies and other thoughtful discussions. I enjoy reading those, too, as do readers of this blog who have taken the stroll over to his blog.)

For additional inspiration throughout the week, I would point out two sets of blogs: (1) the list of devotional blogs on my sidebar and (2) my blogroll, where I am following a number of inspirational priests and writers about spiritual matters. I learn so very much from all these people. I highly recommend them to you.

(Another, oh, goodness, I somehow replaced last Monday's MMM with today's. I have no idea how to retrieve a lost pot. Probably cannot. Golly, I hope the rest of the day goes better than its start!)

Spiritual Sunday #27: God's Trouble with His Children

For more Spiritual Sunday posts, I recommend that you wander over to the website of Charlotte and Ginger, who host the Spiritual Sunday meme.

Because I do not blog on Sundays -- keeping it as the sabbath, a practice started by Fr. Christian Mathis (Blessed Is the Kingdom) -- I use older posts (forgotten perhaps but hopefully still interesting) from one or another of my blogs that seem appropriate for this meme. It seems to work to bring out the older posts that many have not read before or ones from other blogs I maintain that readers of 100th Lamb may not know about.

This week I thought I would share something a little on the fun side: God's Trouble with His Children, which I posted a while back on my Clan of Mahlou blog. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Wishing you a peaceful Sunday!

7 Quick Takes Friday #62

See more 7 Quick Takes Friday contributions at Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary.

It is hard to believe that a whole week has passed, but it has. Now I sit on the sofa, as I do nearly every Friday night, with Murjan, my cat who refuses to be more than a few inches from me whenever I am home, beside me and my computer on my lap, the television running in the background. My, but we are creatures of habit even when we have irregular work lives! (Or, at least, I am.)

1. Surprise! Last Friday night as I finished up 7 Quick Takes, I was surprised by a knock at the door. It was a mother-daughter duo from our prayer group. They had just finished an evening of the rosary routinely said by a group from the Spanish Mass. (I attend the Spanish Mass at times, but the rosary group is a little challenging for my uneven Spanish skills -- reading, writing, and listening are no problem, but speaking is generally accomplished with some effort.) Lupe and Rosa, Donnie and I spent the next couple of hours, sitting on our deck as the sun dove behind the mountains and house and disappeared. I don't get much chance to just be lazy with friends, so it was a real treat.

2. On Saturday afternoon, I walked back out onto the deck again, having spent the morning cowering in the house while the sun beat down at the level of 110 degrees. Little worked for cooling off. Ice cream melted before I could get it into the bowl. So, I sat in front of the fan and spent my "found time" reading, another activity I don't get to do often enough. When I finally made it outside, I noticed that the large, 3-wick candle we had placed on the table on the deck was a molten pool with three wicks floating in it. Now, that's hot!

3. Sunday was just as hot, so once again we cowered inside during the day. After evening Mass with Doah, we were sopping wet with sweat because the air conditioning in the church we attended in Doah's nearby city had stopped working. (Our mission church has no air conditioning and needs none; it was built in the days when people knew how to make buildings that stay cool or warm based on their structure.) Feeling a real pull, therefore, toward an air-conditioned location, we decided to watch a movie. We chose Super Eight, a rather interesting science fiction flick. Ah, the wonderful feeling of cool air! When we walked out of the theater in the late evening, we were greeted by -- cool air! Yes!

4. On the Fourth of July, Shane and Lemony came over for a BBQ. It is always wonderful to see the grandkids, Nathaniel and Nikolina, especially since they both had problems at birth that required much medical care. Nathaniel will be out of the woods entirely in three years, and while Nikolina may never have all the internal organs that others have, she is doing very well: at age two, no one can tell from looking at her or watching her that she has any abnormalities at all. At the end of the day, we sat on our deck, high up on our hill, and watched the fireworks from our little town and from the nearby city. A satisfying end to a satisfying day!

5. Work, crazy work! That is all I can say about the rest of the week. I never even made it to my office on Tuesday and Wednesday. I had so many meetings in the headquarters building that by the time I was done, the day was also done. Thursday and Friday I was in my office, but for some reason every single appointment or meeting began late. The meetings this week, unlike the typical boredom I have to put up with, were fascinating, even if I did arrive late to every single one of them. As I explained to my secretary, the logistics of the days were totally out of kilter but the content of my days was marvelous.

6. Because of not making it into my office on Tuesday and Wednesday, I ended up working very late into the evening on Thursday, catching up. One of the last things I did was get into a discussion with one of the senior managers about the topic of humility (long story as to why that topic, related to one of his employees), and he told me about a Tolstoy story on the topic that he loves: "Otets Sergij" (Father Sergius). We spent a couple of minutes tracking it down on line, and he forwarded the URL to me. All the way home, I looked forward to sitting down with a cup of tea or can of tonic (soda to those not from New England and pop to those from the Pittsburgh area) and, relaxing, read the story. Alas, when I opened my computer to go to the URL, I found a note from someone I work with, reminding me a about a report due the next day, about which I had forgotten. With sinking hopes of a relaxing end to the almost-over evening, I sat down to write the report, then I decided to rebel. Enough is enough! I went to bed. For the first time in a long time, I got a full seven hours of sleep and woke up feeling pampered this morning!

7. NASA. As I sit here, reflecting on this week's high moments (well, the salient moments; they are not always "high"), I am simultaneously watching the history of NASA's shuttle from first flight to today's final flight on a show called "When We Left Earth." Seeing the faces of the astronauts and cosmonauts, and especially hearing their voices, is a treat and a sadness. I worked with many of them a decade ago, both on their Houston campus and in Star City, Russia, and one of the astronauts invited me, together with his family, to a private viewing of his launch from Cape Kennedy. Among these memories is the sad one of the disintegration of the Columbia over Texas. On that shuttle were four of my former colleague. To this day, I remember vividly what happened because one of the photos in my office, given to me when I left NASA, was a view from space, signed by the astronauts and cosmonauts with whom I worked, among them Rick Husband, the commander of the Columbia. Every day, I see his signature. It is impossible for me to forget this tragedy.

Well, I did not mean to end on a somber note. Let's all look forward to a joyful weekend!

Enemies: Feeding Them, Loving Them, Working with Them

I have spent much of my life living in the land of enemies, working with enemies (who turn out to be friends), and learning the languages of enemies. I have been reminded of this quite vividly during the month of June and especially this past month.

Our deck is quiet now. A week ago Saturday, however, it was home to running children and feasting parents. Visiting from one of our out-of-town branches was a colleague who is moving on to a new job and with whom I have had a wonderful working relationship these past two years. It wasn't always that way, though. My relationship with Walsh began in a very adversarial way. We served on the same committee related to providing a specific service to a group of clients. The clients were mine; the service was his division's. Unfortunately, I disagreed with some aspects of the way in which the service was provided and conducted some research on the effectiveness of the service. That research showed that the service was ineffective, but Walsh did not want to accept that and kept pushing his personal experience as the deciding factor in how things were to be done. I actually had greater experience than he did, but he did not know it, and I felt awkward about pointing that out either publicly or personally. I thought that the research results should speak for themselves. Ultimately, I talked to Walsh's supervisor and got the changes made that I felt were needed. Two years later, new research showed that the changes had produced much better results than had the initial service. Obviously, this was not the best way to win friends and influence people, as the saying goes.

Walsh ultimately moved on from that division, and life became calmer. Then, I learned we were being assigned a new project and, surprise!, the contact person with whom we had to work was in our Washington office, with the program being headed by Walsh, who had transferred there recently. Ulp! This was a very visible project and it had to go well. I decided to approach Walsh from the view that the old position and work was in the past and not related to the current work so we were "new" colleagues in this new endeavor. It worked. He had responsibility for weekly reports, and, while I initially had been reporting directly to the CEO on this project, once Walsh became the nominal head, I began filtering all my reports directly to him, and he would combine them with his own input. It was easier for the CEO that way. Everything worked smoothly. He let bygones remain in the past, as did I, and, perhaps not surprisingly, over time, we became very supportive colleagues, especially after we had taken a few trips together associated with this project to a few troubled areas of the world (e.g., the Middle East).

Walsh retired at the end of June and came back to his earlier haunts to say good-bye to old friends. I invited him to a BBQ at our house. At the end of the BBQ, he told me, with some barely restrained emotion, that he had truly enjoyed working with me on this project and was hoping our paths would cross again. Who says enemies cannot become friends?

This scene reminded me of a similar one two decades ago. Right after the fall of the Soviet Union, I traveled to the Humanities University in Minsk, Belarus to work with the academicians from the Belarus Academy of Sciences. While there, the president and vice president of the university took me to dinner. The VP, it turns out, was an officer in the Red Army, a specialist in American order of battle, at the same time that I was an officer in the US army, a specialist in Soviet order of battle. Counterparts! It left him speechless and attentive. At the farewell party thrown in my honor, he was unusually attentive, complimentary, and social, in contradiction to his typical introversion. Someone asked me what I had done to him. I said, "I did nothing to him, but he took an enemy to dinner." (The whole story, along with some other "enemy" stories, can be found here: Three Vignettes and One Thought about Enemies.

When I defended my dissertation years ago in Moscow, I ended the defense, as expected, with personal words. The words I used, though, were not expected, and I have heard that people who were there still cite them today. This was just weeks after the fall of the Soviet Union; most of my time in the USSR was spent there during the Cold War. (I can truly say that I am a veteran of the Cold War.) What I said was: "Twenty years ago, I came to this country to look upon the face on the enemy. However, in twenty years, I have found only friends."

My favorite movie of all time is probably not nearly as well known as many other sci-fi movies, but it is indeed a good one. The name is Enemy Mine. In it, Dennis Quaid plays an Earther in a dogfight with a Drak who crashes together with his enemy on a remote, inhospitable, marginally inhabited planet. They learn each other's language, work together to survive, and when the Drak, a hermaphrodite, dies in childbirth, Quaid raises the child. It is a very touching movie. If you have not seen it, I recommend renting it.

2011 BMW F800R Review

Attractive edge BMW F800R has finally arrived in America after 18 months of racing in Europe. 800R naked roadster is part of BMW's plan to capture a younger audience.

BMW Motorrad new ethos is to be more daring and state of the art, like the side of his BMW car and illustrated by S1000RR Superbike. Not only the RR to become the best selling BMW in the United States, the average age of owners just 34 years.

"A resounding success" is like Pieter De Waal, BMW Motorrad USA vice president, describes the S1000RR, especially given the current depressed market. "If the sale does not need anything to anybody," says De Waal, "you better give them a good reason to buy."

Then, in his quest for "younger, more aggressive riders," the futuristic city F800R is available to U.S. pilots for the first time, replacing the mechanical equivalent of the 2011 BMW F800S range. The 800ST unchanged.

The F800R is essentially a smaller version of the 800ST, which has earned our respect by beating Honda VFR800 Interceptor proficient in a sport-touring shootout.

Key distinctions beyond the obvious lack of 800R fairings are a double-sided swingarm to replace one side of the arm of ST and asymmetric double headlight bulbs H7 sports. ST low maintenance belt drive is replaced by a chain and sprockets in the same final drive ratio, and 4-6 gears are shorter. The sixth is the fifth report on the 800G.

At a list price of $ 9,950 (plus $ 495 destination), the F800R sells for about $ 1,000 less than the F800ST base MSRP is $ 10.990. Remove ST single sided swinger and belt drive with the price of R $ below that magic 10K mark. BMW officials say a belt system that costs more than a string.

Like a naked sport bike, is a decathlete F800R gender, able to barge his way through commuter traffic on Monday, then rip the canyons on the weekends. Comfortable upright ergonomics offers accommodating, with a piece handlebar just to go ahead - perfect.

Ergo fall a bit short with only marginal point seat room. The standard seat is sitting at a modest 31.5 inches, optional or no extra-charge get a seat-cm in both directions. Adjustable footrest would be a worthy addition to a versatile bike like this. The mirrors are mounted too low for easy rear views.

We need a new F800R updated to include the printed part of the interconnect device (MID) switches, where the laser creates a circuit and the conductors of plastic bags, instead of using individual cables for each circuit. This allows multi-function switch with compact size. For example, the functions of starter and kill switch is connected to a single switch.

A little more 'important information about the options: F800R is the last to abandon the German model of the BMW brand traditional three-button switch available to the combined indicators is the same right as all other bikes with the exception of Harley. All switches 800R feels accurate and smooth, and adjustable levers ensure a variable to reach.

BMW Roadster middleweight feel fine line between his knees, helped fuel tank, located under the seat. With a maximum of 4.1 gallons on board, R is said to weigh a reasonable £ 440.

FR fire easily and quickly installed in a slow motion. Its 798cc parallel twin, is well known for F800 owners with the firing order of 360 degrees even with a combustion event occurs with each rotation of the crank, the pistons move up and down together. This is the firing sequence same as used on BMW Boxer Twins, giving them a sound like the exhaust.

Despite an exhaust note without interest, the F800 engine is very efficient. BMW says it has more torque than anything else in its class and brings a strong effect of only 3000 rpm. The flexibility of the engine with the help of a gearbox fantastic - light, positive and transparent. Its only fault is a clutch that engages the end of his career in a fairly narrow area of ​​friction.

While the head design is similar to K1300-cylinder DOHC engines that use finger cam followers actuators, parallel twin is no screamer. It is a linear accumulation of power that will be strong at 6000 rpm, while its torque peak, run in front of the rear wheels of 80 horsepower, the climax, the measured 800ST The last time tested. BMW says to wait almost identical numbers.

New F800R is to use a variable system pressure of the fuel that feeds only the amount of fuel and timing based on the required power. This makes it more efficient than continuous flow, which varies only requires fuel, and the variance of the times, and eliminates the need and the fuel return hose. This refinement of the unit requires four times the processing power, and BMW says it offers better power delivery, better economy and lower emissions.

The F800 engine has already proven to be fuel efficient, on average, an excellent 48 mpg with our 800ST, although it requires premium fuel. BMW claims an average of 55 mpg for the 800R, which we were unable to check with our time limited places.

Perhaps the most adorable 800R is to set the chassis is very neutral in all situations in the corners. The address bars wide enough for a fast but safe Rake 25.0 degrees and 91 mm of travel, while a thin 59.8-inch wheelbase and a steering damper on the crown provides reassuring stability. It is a willing and able accomplice in a residential area on a mountain road sweeping.

Seventeen-inch wheels are equipped with semi-output to the valve stems, and are shod with 120/70 and 180/55 tires typical, open the bike up to almost any type of rubber. Our bike was a set of Michelin Pilot powers, and have no complaints with them.

In addition to a commitment is naked, while driving on the highway - an upright position and the lack of protection against the wind brings its own sacrifices. However, the F800R is paid pretty well. A slim waist and a fitting body color screens ($ 250) to manage the entire air flow directed to a broker, in relative terms.

As in the F800GS and 800ST, using a revolving line-Twin is running under the arm to counter the crankshaft vibration, an arrangement unique among motorcycle engines. Compensation rod up and down in the opposite direction of the pistons in a system that is quieter than chains or gears that drive conventional balance shafts.

However, some low amplitude generous feeling you experience at highway speeds. The engine turns about 5100 rpm 80 mph, which is just around the vibration seeps its way into the pilot. That said, the atmosphere is high frequency, so I'm not entirely embarrassing. Although there is no room for the legs, a saddle hours causing pain in the ass to zero.

Smoothed over by a highway around a generous 4.9-inch travel on both ends. No changes for 43mm forks, but the rear suspension has spring preload and rebound damping regulations, as well as manually adjustable dial. This is a compromise between effective control and comfort, which is suitable personalities R.

The brake 800R is provided by a pair of Brembo two-piece 4-piston calipers clamping on 320mm wafers. Feel is pretty well across lines non-bending steel brake. Our bike has been improved with an ABS system performance, a $ 900 option. As the HP2 Sport, the ABS uses a pressure sensor that provides additional higher threshold before surgery ABS computer. The system is smart enough not to interfere only when the brake pressure light is applied, for example when braking over bumps. It is remarkably transparent, which means admirable.

Instrumentation is a variant of the F800S other indicators, here in the analog speedometer sits atop the analog tach, adjacent to the Info panel LCD, which can be connected to different screens. For example, our test bike accessory connections for tire pressure monitor ($ 250) and heated (250 dollars) each have their own readings. Gear-position indicator is a convenient and easy to read - we want the same can be said of small numbers in the speedometer.

F800R is an attractive platform and versatile, and one of its advantages over its competitors on a wide range of accessories and build it to your taste. A good starting point is the premium package, which includes ABS brakes, heated, and the trip computer and $ 1,445.

Other options include a handy 12-volt accessory outlet ($ 50), alarm ($ 395), expandable side bags and the center stand. Added Cosmetics codon, radiator with cover plate and the vacuum pump. Akropovic titanium exhaust is the only performance of the component.

Conclusion

We have repeatedly extolled the virtues of sport bikes naked, believing that offer the best compromise of versatility, performance and value. Our time aboard the F800R only reinforce the views. Here's a do-almost-all bikes from a manufacturer of premium sold for less than $ 10,000. In addition to the desirable options to raise the price (as proof, our cost of nearly $ 12K), but we're happy so many people are available to customize for the pilot.

"This is a do-almost-all bikes with a high-end manufacturer that sold for less than $ 10,000."

A reservation of our commitment to the 800R is to note some competition brewing in other parts of the ancient world. BMW is not as glamorous as a Ducati Monster 796, and entertainment can not match the Triumph Speed ​​Triple chaotic. And do not forget the exotic Functional Aprilia Shiver. BMW three-year/36 0.000-mile warranty, he distinguishes.

That in itself is entertaining take on middleweight F800R Sport Roadster, with a clear advantage in the factory options. It remains to determine how it compares to its rivals class. Feel a shootout to come on