Race for the Cure 5K

On Sunday, I ran the Greater Lansing Komen Race for the Cure 5K. I ran the 5K last year but I had trained and was running every day. Needless to say, I haven't been running every day and my time was a minute and a half off from last year. This year, I crossed the finish line with a time of 26:11 which isn't that bad. It turned out to be a beautiful day. I ran with Rob and Julie's team. Both Rob and I happened to show up at the Komen race with American Cancer Society shirts on! Represent! I did put the Komen shirt on for the race.

I think the wind was blowing in our face the entire race. At least that's what it felt like. I'm glad I ran again and perhaps next year I'll make it 3 years in a row.

I was happy with my time and think I did about as good as I could. I celebrated with a free yogurt, banana and bottled water, the lunch of champions. After that, I went to my first softball game of the year and hit my first in-the-park homerun of the year. It was a shot to rightcenter that just kept sailing and sailing.

Here are some pictures from the Komen event. I don't think I made the newspaper but at least I made it into a couple of pictures. I'm styling with the headband, sunglasses and backwards hat.

There I am! Julie is in brown on the left. Rob is behind me, you can't really see him, and his Mom ran, she is on the right, also behind me.

Here I am in all my glory.

My baseball shoes

Yes, it's true, I've designed my own baseball cleats. I'm a big dork but I don't care, I like them.I designed them on the Nike website. I just received confirmation that they are being built (that's what it said, built). Just think there are 3 or 4 little kids in Thailand putting my shoes together right now.

Check them out, they're metallic silver. Sweet!

This day in history (Your taxes are due)

This day in history - Death and Taxes Edition

Poland remembers Ghetto uprising today

Poland is holding events to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
Polish President Lech Kaczynski will host ceremonies at the Ghetto Fighters Monument alongside survivors and Israeli President Shimon Peres. Ceremonies will start with the lighting of candles at the site from where the Nazis sent thousands of Jews to the Treblinka death camp. The uprising was the largest act of Jewish resistance in the Holocaust.

For nearly a month in 1943, several hundred Jews, armed with pistols and home-made bombs, resisted German attempts to eradicate the Ghetto. By that time, the Nazis had sent 300,000 Jewish residents of the Ghetto to the gas chambers at Treblinka.

We are finding more and more Poles who want to work with us in preserving these cemeteries and synagogues and Jewish memoryMichael SchudrichPoland's Chief Rabbi The first clashes occurred at the start of 1943 as Ghetto residents took up arms to prevent more Jews being sent to the camp. The full-scale uprising began in April in response to Nazi plans to wipe out the 60,000 remaining Ghetto residents. Thousands of Jews died in the fighting as Nazi troops resorted to explosives to destroy the Ghetto the German occupiers had created in 1940.
The annual commemoration of the uprising is normally held on 19 April but has been brought forward to avoid clashing with the Jewish Sabbath.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7347856.stm

Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln died on this date after being shot the night before at Ford's Theatre in Washington DC. Dr. Samuel Mudd treated John Wilkes Booth's injured leg on this date before he was shot and killed on April 26, 1865 by a detachment of 25 Union soldiers from the 16th New York Cavalry Regiment. Booth was 26 years old.

Titanic

On this date in 1912, the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg the night before. The White Star Line passenger ship was on it's maiden voyage. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 people.

Sacco and Vanzetti

In 1920, Sacco and Vanzetti allegedly murder two security guards while robbing a shoe store on this date. These two anarchists were put to death for this crime that many experts believe they did not commit. It's also believed by many that they did not receive a fair trial due to anti-immigrant, anti-anarchist and anti-italian prejudice influenced the jury.

Also on this date,

In 1947, Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers becoming the first African-American major league baseball player.

In 1989, After Hu Yaobang's death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in China. They've come so far since then.....not really. Hopefully, less people lose their lives this time around.

In 1994, the World Trade Organization is begun. Let the protests begin.

In 1452, Leonardo di Vinci is born in Vinci, Italy outside of Florence. I was able to visit his birthplace while in Italy. It is an interesting site at the top of a hill with a great view of the landscape.

In 1889, A. Phillip Randolph was born.