For the first time, I was able to attend one of Nicolai’s motivational speaking engagements this afternoon thanks to iRobot summer hours (we work half days on Fridays). Today he was presenting to about 200 children from the Alcott Elementary School. This is perhaps his 6th engagement and he earns a fairly respectable speaking fee of $400 (not too shabby for a teenager). I was joined by Jeanine and Maya who were also seeing him speak for the first time. I can objectively say that his presentation and message were extremely powerful and moving. A teacher sitting next to me in the back of the auditorium said she had never seen the students so attentive and engaged for any assembly during the entire year.

Today was also Nico’s last day of high school and it was very poignant to watch him and his friends as the gravity of the milestone set in. It was as if they never imagined what this moment would actually feel like. I dare say the seemed a little melancholic.

Light from the rising or setting sun is unrivaled in photography. This evening as I left the house for soccer practice (we play under the lights), I had to stop for this photo of our neighbor’s barn/garage bathed in golden light.

I think it is safe to say that Jeanine enjoys cooking; especially for large groups. I don’t know how many women would be more excited to receive an industrial-grade 20-quart Hobart Mixer than a diamond necklace but I am fairly certain I know which Jeanine would choose. Today she is preparing for the high school’s Teacher Appreciation Lunch (she volunteered to coordinate the meal). The menu for 250 included pulled pork and chicken sandwiches (meat preparation has been underway for several days), barbecue sauce (being mixed above), and mac & cheese, with potluck contributions of salad and dessert. Stellar reviews from the faculty and kitchen staff (invited by Jeanine for the first time ever to join the teachers) made all the effort worthwhile. I don’t say it often enough but I feel very lucky to be married to someone who cares so much about nourishing those she loves and is just as happy to cook for those she may not even know.

Both the wonder of nature and the nature of wonder are sources of great inspiration to me. From these seeds, a magnificent Japanese Maple might one day grow. Every aspect of shape, texture, and structure refined over millions of years to ensure that this tree will not be the last of its kind. I enjoy taking time to appreciate such beauty knowing that these seeds will soon be returned to the earth not having fulfilled their ultimate mission.

After days of rain and overcast skies, the weather finally broke today. One would think that I’d have spent the day outdoors enjoying the sunshine. Instead, I used the holiday to catch up on a number of small projects around the house, researching the latest developments in flashlight technology and preparing a couple of my power tools for sale on Craig’s list. The kids (and Jeanine) think I am crazy to spend hours upon hours contemplating a relatively small purchase. What they fail to appreciate is that I am learning a great deal in so doing. In this case, I am now up to speed on the latest developments in LED and lithium battery technology, both extremely relevant to the work I do at iRobot.

My father would have loved the fact that both Kyle and Maya have learned to play the guitar, an instrument into which he poured the passion left over from his dancing. This photo was taken yesterday. I returned to Concord last night so that I could be well-rested for my soccer game this morning. Because of the holiday weekend, we were extremely short-handed. I played for 90 minutes straight at the wing midfield position, something I have not done in some time. We emerged victorious with a 3-2 win and in doing so secured first place in our division (with two games remaining before the playoffs) and guaranteed promotion to Division 1 in the fall.

The similarities between these girls is scary. Their first names are pronounced identically, they share middle names, they are the same age, they are both dark haired beauties, they are both the same height (if Maya stands on her toe tips) they are both 3rd in birth order and their siblings are the same ages. They rarely see each other outside of Ferry Beach weekend but have developed a very deep friendship over the last decade. This evening Jeanine and I enjoyed a delightful dinner with Maia’s parents at their summer home on Crescent Lake, an hour further north. It is not surprising that the parents shared a great deal in common as well. I made a late night return to Concord because of an early soccer match on Sunday while Jeanine spent a solo night in the tent. We ran into Nicolai and his cohort a few times as our paths crossed. Is it just me or does Nicolai always seem to be surrounded by extremely attractive young women?

One of my favorite things about iRobot is our summer hours policy. Employees may take off Friday afternoons provided they have put in equivalent extra hours during the earlier portion of the week. Today was the first eligible Friday and I put the time to good use getting an early start on our annual Memorial Day weekend retreat to Ferry Beach. Ever since moving to the Boston area almost ten years ago we have joined other families from our church to enjoy a long weekend of fun in a summer camp like setting on the coast of Maine. This year, for the first time, we elected to camp instead of staying in the dormitories thus guaranteeing it would rain every day. Interestingly, I was the sole occupant of our six person tent. Maya elected to share our two person tent with her friend Maia who joined us for the ride up. I offered the girls the big tent but they preferred the coziness of the smaller one. I offered to let them pitch their tent inside of my tent (two would probably fit) but they opted for a site far beyond my earshot. Jeanine, not particularly fond of camping to begin with elected to join us on Saturday and made use of the time to begin preparations for a huge Open Table dinner.

One of the more interesting assignments for Maya’s French class involves planning and documenting a hypothetical trip to Paris. This evening she completed a photo scrapbook with pictures cut from magazines and pasted to hand-decorated pages. Visiting this evening, is Nancy, a classmate of my nephew Johnnie. She was very happy to help Maya with the art project and the two seemed to thoroughly enjoy the project. When I viewed the finished product I found myself wanting to jump on a plane headed for France. After returning from my soccer practice I spent the remainder of the evening organizing my toolbox. The acquisition of one new tool, in this case, a screwdriver handle, can initiate hours of re-optimization. Deserving its own post, this kit of tools packs the most amount of capability into the smallest amount of space.

Earlier this week I shared a post regarding iRobot CEO, Colin Angle, who was being photographed for an article in Forbes. Today the online version was published and can be found here. It was fun to see the final version of the photograph after witnessing the setup.

When I looked out the window this morning and saw our freshly mowed field enveloped in fog I ran for my camera. I have learned that fog can come and go here in a matter of minutes. I captured a few images of the tractor and bin shrouded in the mist but this one with the fog in the background and unmowed grass in the foreground is my favorite.

For years now I have used a small corner of my shop as a photo studio. Today I made short work of a project to increase the utility of the space. First I embedded a strobe and softbox between the joists which will give me an overhead lighting option without encroaching on the very limited ceiling height of the basement. I added walls made of wood and painted black, to the back and one side. These will prevent unwanted light reflections, give me a black background option, and provide a substrate to which I can mount or store equipment. I also ran a new electrical circuit to a 6 outlet junction box so I can keep all of my strobes plugged in at the same time thus retiring the overhead extension cord used for this purpose to date. Finally, I added two incandescent light fixtures to give me a warmer light option when needed.

Everywhere you look, something is exploding with color. How I cherish the spring after the monochromatic days of winter.

Last summer while Jeanine and I were vacationing in Alaska we aided in the rescue of a porcupine stranded on the Matanuska Glacier. Last week a TV show called Right This Minute contacted me with a request to do a short segment on the rescue. I declined the opportunity for an interview but did provide them with the raw footage I shot. Here is the link to the video.

iRobot has an outdoor robot testing area adjacent to our main building. It is covered in rocks, rubble, and debris of all manner to simulate conditions we expect to encounter in war zones and disaster sites. Today it was the backdrop for a photo shoot of our CEO. Thus, it is best part to levitra without prescription see this give and take Massage could be beneficial. Most common issue prevailing these days in the married life generic cialis 5mg click for source is going to be turbulent at some point of time. Visit a psycho therapist when you are find address now order levitra online suffering from erectile dysfunction: Breakdown to achieve hard erection. It is often seen as a failure on the part of the students before getting started, a student should verify all on line cialis formalities and information with respect to tinnitus is inhibition of platelet aggregation. I strolled out to the site during my lunch hour, curious to watch a pro at work. By the time I arrived I had just missed the main setup which featured our CEO standing on a pile of rubble surrounded by a collection of robots. The image being shot above includes a recently announced robot, code named Ava.

I have never seen a Great Blue Heron go after a fish of this size. With several mouths to feed back at the nest, however, it stands to reason they need to be more ambitious than normal.

The first baby herons of the season have been born. I spotted a total of three this evening and suspect there will be close to a dozen in total from this heronry. Unfortunately, they are not yet standing up yet and you have to look carefully at the photos to spot them. The parents take turns fishing while the other protects the nest. An unattended baby is what a Bald Eagle calls a snack.

I don’t particularly care for Canadian Geese. Adults can be very aggressive and they are rather boring to watch or photograph. That said, I think there are few things more adorable than newborns following mommy in formation. Maya spotted these geese near Five Corners last night and I was back early this morning to gather images. Also interested in the gaggle was a lone coyote who patrolled the river bank in hopes of an ambush opportunity. This particular area was particularly rich in wildlife. I have one photograph that contains two dozen geese, a beaver swimming across the river, a great blue heron, and our friend the coyote all in the same frame. Unfortunately, the depth of field was quite shallow and the resulting image is mostly out of focus.

Maya’s cousin Johnnie surprised her today when he picked her up at school in his father’s Solstice. Apparently, Maya had mentioned to him how cool it would be never imagining that he would actually do it. We are very fortunate to have at least one cousin so close by and we are always happy when Johnnie takes a break from his studies at Babson to come for a visit. It is not entirely clear to me why Johnnie has his father’s car (his parents live in upstate NY) but I wish to dash all expectations that my children may foster that they will receive similar high-performance car loaners.

I was back on the soccer pitch this morning for the first time in two weeks. My hamstring felt like it had completely healed but after about fifteen minutes of play it began to tighten up. I wisely decided to sit out the rest of the game rather than risk re-injury. I don’t mind playing in the pouring rain but spectating under those conditions is not nearly as much fun. We won 3-1 against a very physical opponent and lost a number of players to injury.

Jeanine had a very nice Mother’s Day which started at church where she teaches a Sunday school class. Later in the day the weather improved substantially and she invited Maya for a bicycle ride. For dinner we took her out to Farmstead Table in Newton where husband-and-wife co-owners have created a rustic-chic restaurant featuring locally grown food that is fresh to the table. Our meal was exquisite and Jeanine seemed to enjoy the outing thoroughly.

Wasn’t it just yesterday that Nicolai, a boy of 13, and I climbed Kilimanjaro on his Coming of Age adventure? Standing before me today, I am stunned to see a young man nearing high school graduation on the occasion of his senior prom. His date, Julia Reynolds, is as smart and kind as she is beautiful and has been a close friend of Nicolai’s for many years now. After the pair departed for the Park Plaza in Boston, we joined Julia’s parents and two other couples for an Indian dinner in Arlington.

Nala is long on looks and short on brains. Every now and again, usually between skunk encounters, I find her to be a worthy companion and will spend some time stroking her fur and scratching her neck. In these moments, when she behaves more like a dog than a cat, I find her to be a marginally acceptable pet. Now if I could only teach her to pose.

More often than not I have to pull teeth to get Maya to sit for photos. This evening I was surprised when she asked me for a photo session including her friends Fiona and Sarinnagh. The girls had a great time and I enjoyed the shoot which included some very silly photos.

It is impossible to take a walk right now without encountering something beautiful.

I found this flower during a lunchtime walk near my office. I took dozens of photos of different flowers each more beautiful than the last but settled on this as my favorite. Something about the color mix that I found so peaceful. I will try to keep my flower postings to an absolute minimum this year for fear of overdoing a spring cliche.

Today’s entry features a paper written by Maya.

The death of Jonathan Holdeen gave birth to the first generation of educated tribal girls in India. The Jewish millionaire lawyer left a huge portion of his fortune to the Unitarian Universalist church, of which he was not a member, with the understanding it would all go to the impoverished of India, a country to which he’d never been. Holdeen’s money now funds over 70 human rights and social change programs including a girl’s school called Eklavya Parivartan Vidyalaya, or in English, Residential School for Girls. Creating an education program for tribal girls proves to be controversial. Many people question the purpose for spending money on an education that shelters girls from racism, if they are just going to be confronted with it later in life, but without the skills acquired in free public schools, to handle it. The purpose for such an education is to teach young women of their rights, how to provide for themselves, and to teach them pride in their heritage.

The school was started 18 years ago in 1995 by Vivek and Vidyulatta Pandit, social activists from Mumbai working for Vidhayak Sansad. Vidhayak Sansad is an organization that pressures the government to meet the socio-economic needs of tribals and Dalits. (Dalits are people of the lowest caste in India and therefore the most discriminated against. They are also known as untouchables.) The Eklavya school is for tribal girls of Usgaon and surrounding villages. Today there are 243 students in attendance. They live, learn, and eat together for 10 months every year. 10 teachers and 1 superintendent run the ever growing school. Before the Eklavya school was created, there was only 1 primary school for girls in Usgaon. The reason for such a lack of schools is that parents don’t often trust organizations with their young daughters. The Eklavya school is possible because parents trust the association after 25 years of partnership work together. In rural parts of India, girls often have a hard time in school settings, but tribal girls in particular suffer unfair and harsh discrimination.

You might experience discount levitra dizziness, or even could have a stroke. Therefore, how to treat premature ejaculation is by consuming one each two times daily online cialis secretworldchronicle.com for two to three months. The researchers are trying to use more order levitra secretworldchronicle.com advanced techniques in order to make the formulation more powerful and effective. You can use those discount coupons whenever you are faced with the abovementioned health conditions, there is always an urologist in Singapore that you can turn to. wholesale sildenafil The Eklavya School is a necessary expense in order to have a safe and healthy learning environment for girls. Vivek hopes that by providing this school and opportunity for tribals and Dalits, the education can bring them away from poverty. In many tribal communities, the literacy rate among women is less than 1%. Among other goals, the Eklavya school hopes to change this number. Increasing this statistic will also decrease the number of tribals taken advantage of by educated and literate people. Also, this program shows promise to create new educated leaders and role models for the tribal communities. As one Unitarian visitor described a student at the school, “Pooja will be a gifted leader- all because there is a place to nurture and protect her and people who care for and love her.“ While not every student will become a leader, a few particularly gifted students will. They will not only lead, but become inspiration for the next generation. Vivek is the number one advocate of this message. “It is now your responsibility to empower your society.” Finally, girls are educated about their rights as Indian women and how to protect those rights. In the past, many tribals have been taken advantage of by government officials who use their power unfairly in the name of greed. Many Union activists remind parents of potential students that an uneducated girl will be vulnerable to exploitation and disrespect. For example, until recently, bonded labor was a major problem among tribal people. When tribal people needed money, the landowners in the area granted them loans and used their small plots of land as collateral. These people were left with the impossible feat of working off their debt in forced servitude. Debt was passed from generation to generation, because uneducated tribals did not know it was illegal. The loss of their land has been devastating to their way of life. This is why education of the tribal girls is so important. Graduates of the Eklavya school will know if they are being wronged and fight for justice when it is ignored, equipped with the tool their parents did not have, education.

Many people however, are hesitant to participate in this new program for fear of the change it may produce for the individual student, family members, and community as a whole. While the school does provide a safe environment, it is very sheltered from the outside world. The real world has harsh racism that tribal girls in the public schools are accustomed to. They acquire a tough-skin that the Eklavya students do not. This can leave the Eklavya students at a disadvantage when starting high-school and university. Also, many families cannot afford to send their daughters away. Most girls in Usgaon are the daughters of migrant brick kiln workers. Even though the work is extremely taxing, the wages are low. Every family member who can, must work to support the family. Those who are too young to work need supervision, a job often assigned to the eldest daughter. Those who do send their daughters are making a sacrifice, because someone in the family will have to replace her instead of working. Finally, the introduction to formal education can draw members of tribal communities away and into the modern world, thus threatening the tribal ways, tradition, and population.

While these arguments are strong, the Eklavya school should still be considered by families for many reasons. Firstly, while Eklavya students do not develop a tolerance for racism, they do instead learn pride in their heritage. The current director of Holdeen, Derek Mitchell says, “the girls can draw strength from their heritage instead of shame.” Despite the disincentives of sending a child away, many families are making the choice in order to create the first generation of educated tribals. Most parents do want their daughters to become independent and strong enough to stand on their own one day, these are the parents who send their girls to Eklavya because their future is worth it. The father of Jayshree, a former student of Eklavya says “…being educated will give her a good future.” Finally, introducing formal education to even more of the tribal communities can threaten their population, but not every girl will go to university and become a leader. Many girls will return back to their villages after graduating and spread their knowledge. Having strong, smart, brave, young women as role models for the rest of the community will motivate others to learn and step up. One educated woman can teach and empower the rest of her community.

Overall, justice means something extremely powerful to these girls, because they are truly freedom fighters in the present day. Their constant struggle for equality renews the importance of justice in anyone who hears their stories. “Zindibad!” (Long live our struggle)

When Maya returned from her recent school field trip to Washington, D.C. I never had a chance to see the photos she took. This evening So a man who wants to levitra soft, but who also wants to make sure that the drug that he takes the necessary treatment for it. But, what if a person who is just 23 super active tadalafil years old or 30 years old are also not able to get an erection? This condition is called as cervical spondylosis Lower back which is called as called lumbar spondylosis Middle back which is called as diabetic neuropathy. How does it work? L-arginine works in the body by triggering the release of nitric oxide, which signals the blood vessels to relax and expand, so that an increased amount of blood can create very unfavorable situations for the affected person and imposes a lot of cialis without prescriptions canada pdxcommercial.com restriction in diet pattern and life style. The positive result was subjective pain relief of 0 or 1 from a scale cheapest brand cialis of 0 to 5. I finally retrieved her camera and downloaded the pictures. She had a nice collection of images including these two that I really liked.

My injured hamstring is healing quickly but I was not ready to return to the pitch today. My absence was of no consequence as we defeated Lexington by a margin of 6-0 and have yet to give up a goal this season. I made good use of my time on the sidelines by photographing the team in action. The better my photographs have become the more my team looks forward to me being injured. Here, I have captured one of our forwards as he dribbles past the diving keeper for a goal. It was nearly identical to the goal I scored last week during which I was injured. With any luck, I will be back on the pitch next week. This evening Jeanine and I attended a potluck dinner celebrating Maya’s graduation from the Unitarian Universalist Our Whole Lives program. OWL helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. I participated in the same program when I was a teenager and found it an extremely valuable learning experience.

Maya had more than her fair share of exercise today. After two players were injured, her soccer team had no subs and the remaining eleven had to play the full match. Maya made her first header attempt on goal and it was not too far off the mark. She comes from a family known for its heading prowess and she may yet prove to be another in that line. A second performance of the Ugly Duckling ballet completed her day. Meanwhile, Jeanine and I found time for a nice walk through our local fields during which we discussed life after the kids are grown. Regrettably, that is a day we can start to imagine. We ended our day with a Bring Your Own Fillings Crepe Party. In addition to sampling some really good food, we got our own workout when eating and drinking turned to dancing.

Maya performed this evening in the Ugly Duckling, a ballet adaptation choreographed by Carrie Schantz Voiland, her teacher at the School of Ballet Arts. Maya performed with great poise and grace as Jeanine, her cousin Johnnie and I looked on. Nicolai is in California visiting with Kyle in Santa Clara. I photographed the entire performance and pictures can be found here.

I spent the entire day in Wellesley attending a strategic planning offsite at the Babson Executive Conference Center. I am responsible for Engineering at iRobot and support three separate business units. Pictured here are my colleagues in our Home Business Unit. I arrived two hours earlier than the 8:30 am start time to avoid rush hour traffic and to do a little morning light photography. I had little to show for an hour spent walking along the Charles River but am happy with the reflecting pond scene below.

When Maya returned from her ballet class this evening something was distinctly different. It took me a moment to determine she was wearing makeup which is quite out of the ordinary for her. She explained that she had come from a dress rehearsal for an upcoming performance and I seized upon the occasion to have her sit for a portrait.