WALKING with the WOUNDED .

It's cold enough here in Austria , after a sunny day , to make me wonder ,
how much colder Antartica would be at the moment . It came as a surprise at the weekend to hear that the Race Element of the  Event , being contested by 3 separate Teams , had to be suspended .

Twitter ( @SO_SL   ) tonight disclosed a Facebook report , from one of the competitors :

https://www.facebook.com/SoldierOnSanslimites/posts/587883891267200

Essentially there were 3 Teams , at the outset of the walk to the South Pole , with the intention of creating a platform for additional FundRaising possibilities . In the first days , the British Team was in the lead , but the American and Commonwealth Teams were forcing the pace . As they had been delayed in South Africa because of Heavy Storm Activity , they had to spend days acclimatizing before going to the start line . It would appear that a Team Member was sent home for safety  in the first days due to trauma . At the weekend the 3 Teams were moved forward to a new start line for the 2nd section , where they then combined , with the intention of arriving at the South Pole by the 15th December .

Perhaps adding the Report here will provide further detail :

  "  “[Everyone is] able to enjoy the moment instead of just thinking we need to push harder, we need to get a kilometre ahead or need to do this. We all have competitive edges and spirits, so a little part of us was disappointed but on the bigger picture this is great. Now we are sharing it all together, instead of just the seven of our teammates.

Everyone is now encouraging each other, which we were, but it is a lot more personal and closer now, spending time together and having lots of laughs really.

It is starting to be where we are supposed to be: that is, making sure that all 12 of us wounded get to the South Pole and show the world that with the right support, attitude, opportunity and the chance that we can accomplish anything. Whether you are sick or ill, a wounded veteran or just anyone who is having a bad day or week, you can do it! You can just push yourself and put your mind to it and get to it. Now we get to share this all together and it is great. People aren’t afraid now to say when things are hurting or bothering them. There is no fear of letting the team down or slowing them down.

It was the right call. It was a good call and it has turned into even more of a trip of a lifetime. We are happy and only 63km or so to go till we are at the Pole. The emotions are starting to run but I am excited to get there. “

- Chris Downey, Team Soldier On

No doubt more reports will be forthcoming oin the next days .

Glad i am not ski trekking in -45C , cold enough in the next village of the Tirol , where i guess i will be tomorrow , hiking up the couple of kilometres to the top of the Ski Lift .

REPORT FROM EXPEDITION DIRECTOR & TEAM NOOM COACH :

http://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/southpole2013/2013/12/07/ed-parker-i-have-suspended-the-race-but-the-challenge-goes-on/

  "  We have had a tricky couple of days. The weather remains good but the terrain is very difficult, far harder than we were anticipating and because of various factors, I have decided to suspend the race.

The reasons for this are entirely safety based. I am looking at the three teams. They are going really well but people are beginning to get very, very tired. With our doctor here, who I am in constant contact with, we just feel we are beginning to push people a little too hard, so I have suspended the race.”

-Ed Parker, Expedition Director  and Team Noom Coach mentor

Part of a  Comment to the website :

  " “Planning is helpful. If you don’t know what you want, you’ll seldom get it. But, no matter how well you plan, you will fare better if you expect the unexpected. The unexpected, by nature, comes unseen, unthought, unenvisioned. All you can do is plan to go unplanned, prepare to be unprepared, make going with the flow part of your agenda, for the most successful among us envision, plan, and prepare, but cast all aside as needed, while those who are unable to go with the flow often suffer, if they survive.”
(― David W. Jones, Moses and Mickey Mouse: How to Find Holy Ground in the Magic Kingdom and Other Unusual Places)
Those interested in further events in the UK , need look no further than this :

Cities fit for Cycling : Comments to the " TIMES " , difficulties abound !

This may not surprise you ! During the period of the " Cities fit for Cycling " campaign , i have virtually daily tried to find the way to leave " comments " on The Times particularly encouraging people to read my blogs which are a series of articles on " Cycling and Road Safety matters " !

So far i have " pledged Support for the Campaign and even put the " Logo " on each blog , in the prime position ! Further i have commented to other well known Blogs to give the " Logo detail" so that they can copy and Paste to their blogs !

Reading : http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3309117.ece i see that it is not updated since the 4th Feb !

Some occasions whilst attempting to reach the " Comments " or the intro point to leave a Story , i get a box asking for £ 2 a month , guess what !
the times are seeking to turn this Campaign to their financial benefit !

Another time i saw that only those registered with the Times can access the " Stories " !

Perhaps someone will assist me to get my Point of View across since i am in Austria on a low Broadband access ( 16bits/sec ) and seeing the same story in a round the houses series is totally frustrating !

My blogs can be found by Googling : " Parrabuddy & Skippydetour " as can my Twitter.com/skippydetour and Farcebook " Skippy Mc Carthy "!

Please recommend my blogs to others since i am a supporter of " Adaptive Sport " and wish to see the roads become SAFER for ALL !

In conclusion i would add that  only 77 MPs attending the debate is an OUTRAGE !

Where and WHY were the remaining 500 + that were in good health and no doubt claiming " expenses " for their " Duties " yesterday ?




TO THE “TIMES ” , this is the normal situation i experience !

Visiting your paper to add comment results in frustration !

Visited the following page:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3327435.ece

On there is a box that says : “ Follow stories about “ Cities fit for Cycling” , clicked on and arrived at :

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/

Went to “ Most read “ clicked on :

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3329890.ece

Went there and clicked on :

“ Post your Comments “ and arrived at :

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/contact/

Back to the start so to speak , but then got to a box which announced a demand to pay £ 2 for access to “ The TIMES “ ! cancelled that box and went to :

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/

From there I went to :

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/contact/

Around and around the houses we go , where we are going , nobody knows !


WAKE UP " TIMES " personnel , Smell the roses !

YOU ARE RUNNING A SAFETY CAMPAIGN for Cyclists !

Not selling your On line services on the back of others misfortunes are you ? If you are , then , SHAME ON YOU !

This is one of the “ Box Ads ” !



The Times and The Sunday Times on your terms

Join and enjoy access to:
Latest news, comment and analysis from
The Times and The Sunday Times
The Times and The Sunday Times Tablet
editions and smartphone app
Times+ benefits worth over £100 every month


Cost me a couple of Megabytes to discover this , but I did not get to the story I had clicked on !

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/thunderer/The Times,

Do they really think I or others , are going to PAY for their opinion ?

Indistinct under the “ Sell Box ” was a newsy page , something other than the item I was seeking ! You think I want to look at something other than the item I clicked on and THEN PAY ?

FACEBOOK FRIENDS ?

New Years Resolution posted in December 2011 !

Posted in my Blog a request to “ Facebook Friends ” to post to their wall my “2012 New Years Resolution ” link here http://t.co/BkDS0l2j and encourage their “ friends ” to take similar action !

Fact is there are many people out there with a “ disability " and suffer “ discrimination ” in some form or other ! Blogs create statistics as a by product of the visits to the site and when you consider that Facebook reports that there are about 2500 “friends ” listed on my home page and there were fewer than 100 visits to the blog post then it is obviously a sign of an apathy of which I don’t want any part .

Each day I get requests from “ supposed friends ” to visit their “ photos ” via a link ! Of course these are outside Facebook control BUT I have recently been furnished by Facebook with a demand the read their following requirements ! Standards are necessary in any social interaction and I am NOT FORCING anyone to be my “ friend ” but those that wish to apply should consider that my only purpose for being on face book is to help “ Paralympic Sport ” ! Playing games , reading and viewing photos on others’ sites is time consuming and even clearing my email inbox takes considerable resources . In my post I had said that THOSE that do not wish to respect my views should “ unfriend ” themselves and judging by the lack of interest in that post then the greater majority of you should oblige me by doing me that courtesy .
Everyone knows the expression “ With friends like this , who needs enemies ”?

Living in a part of Austria at present that has such a slow Broadband detracts from my ability to enjoy the internet . Whilst typing this post there is 16bits/sec available up and down , but click on some Ad. and 2 or 3 MB will disappear at the snap of a finger , seems that advertising is more important than the consumers’ needs to these providers .

TO THE ADMIN of FACEBOOK !

I am here to help “ Paralympic Sport ” and for NO OTHER PURPOSE ! Whilst you choose to watch my every move you can filter out those that are canvassing me and remove “ proposals and even requests for “friending ”! People can join me on Twitter at @Skippydetour or email me at : Skippydetour@hotmail.com ! When you ban me for “ Helping Others ” and for requesting “ friend ”on a guy who has blogged about me and I have known for more than five years then something is seriously amiss ! George Christiansen had told me that he does not use Facebook when I recommended him to Twitter but in Dec2011 I saw a reference to an account in facebook in his blog and thus sought the link and earned a 48hr suspension !

Of course your admin people are so perfect you do not make mistakes SO there has been no apology !

For those of “ My Friends ” who wish to stick around :


Facebook community standards



Facebook is a global community where millions of people connect with each other. Each of these people represents unique opinions, ideals and cultural values. Out of consideration for this diversity, we work to foster an environment where everyone can openly discuss issues and express their views, while respecting the rights of others.
When millions of people get together to share things that are important to them, sometimes these discussions and posts include controversial topics and content. We believe this online dialog mirrors the exchange of ideas and opinions that happens throughout people's lives offline, in conversations at home, at work, in cafes and in classrooms.
As a trusted community of friends, family, coworkers and classmates, Facebook is largely self-regulated. People who use Facebook can and do report content that they find questionable or offensive. To balance the needs and interests of a global community we ask everyone to respect the following content standards:
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We want our members to feel safe on the site. Any credible threats to harm others will be removed. We may also remove support for violent organizations.
Promoting self-harm
Facebook is not a place for self-destructive behavior. To that end we don't allow the promotion of suicide, "cutting", eating disorders or illegal drug use. We take threats of suicide very seriously and will contact the relevant authorities when we become aware of them.
Bullying & harassment
As a community, we place a high value on respecting each other, and take reports of harassment very seriously. We take action when private individuals are bullied or persistently contacted against their wishes. While we encourage you to make meaningful new connections, please keep in mind that contacting strangers or people you've never met in person can be a form of harassment.
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Facebook does not tolerate hate speech. Please grant each other mutual respect when you communicate here. While we encourage the discussion of ideas, institutions, events and practices, it is a serious violation of our terms to single out individuals based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability or disease.
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While we are a platform for sharing events that take place in your life and around the world, any inappropriately graphic content will be removed when found on the site. Sadistic displays of violence against people or animals, or depictions of sexual assault, are prohibited.
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We have a strict "no nudity or pornography" policy. Any content that is inappropriately sexual will be removed. Before posting questionable content, be mindful of the consequences for you and your environment.
Theft, vandalism or fraud
We are trying to make the world a more open, connected and ultimately better place. Organising acts that harm others through theft, vandalism or fraud is a violation of our terms.
Identity & privacy
Facebook is a community where real people connect and share using their real identities. When you represent yourself accurately on Facebook, you are helping to build trust and safety for everyone. Claiming to be someone else, creating multiple accounts or falsely representing an organisation undermines this trust and violates our terms. Please also refrain from publishing other people's personal information.
Intellectual property
Before sharing content on Facebook, please be sure you have the right to do so. We ask that you respect copyrights, trademarks and other legal rights.
Phishing & spam
We take the safety of our members seriously and work to prevent attempts to compromise their privacy or security. We also ask that you respect our members by not contacting them for commercial purposes without their consent.
Reporting abuse
If you see something on Facebook that you believe violates our terms, you can report it to us. Please keep in mind that reporting a person, organisation or piece of content doesn't guarantee its removal from the site.
Because of the diversity of our community, it's possible that something could be disagreeable or disturbing to you without meeting the criteria for being removed or blocked. For this reason, we also offer personal controls over what you see, such as the ability to hide or quietly cut ties with people, Pages or applications that offend you.
Content that does violate our terms may be removed from our site and (in some cases) subject to legal or other action. ”

ONCE AGAIN THE LINK to my POST : http://t.co/BkDS0l2j

I hope that people will follow my wishes and help those with “ Disability” ! To you that choose to do so , I wish a Happy and Prosperous New Year !

FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK !

Helping others is so far down the priority list of my 700+ friends that I have only seen one response to the request to visit the blog post of June 2011 where I tried to stimulate interest in the 2012 Para Games in London !

Conti 4000s Road race tyres cost Euro 44 or so each and are perhaps the best available on the current market . Now I can see that asking people to take the time to look at the blog post is a bit of an ask but with only 500 characters allowed in the “ What’s on your mind “ I thought there would be many “friends “ that could find the link therein and then after a read even do me the courtesy of telling me how to make the proposed “ Competition “ more interesting . Not something I have done before so willing to listen to constructive comments and suggestions !

What I had hoped to achieve by this project was generate a list of “ Para Athlete Blog Sites “ from a variety of countries which would allow those interested in the Paralympic Games to follow their progress as they prepared to represent their country and achieve success in their chosen sport .

Having hoped for a better response I now will delay for another week activating this project . Had there been better response I would have spoken about this with the media at the “ World Championship Road Races “ in Copenhagen .

NOT EXPECTING 700+ visits to the blog post BUT

DON’T

leave it until tomorrow or neglect to tell your “ Friends “ to visit ! Of course I could use more support on Twitter also @Skippy detour !

BORING EUROSPORT

SPLIT screen technology has been used by Eurosport for some time but did they think to use it today ? No way Jose !

1600hrs is the advertised start of the Vuelta that cycle race they advertise constantly as if it is something of a triumph for them to be able to broadcast to their viewers . As it was we were treated to a delay whilst Snooker ran over and the commercials were shown . So now we are late going to the " Live Feed " and thus the ONLY ACTION of the week , yesterday's final kilometre does not get shown !

Every other day you are treated to a repeat of the previous day's finish but WHO decided that Cobo v Froome of yesterday ," was as boring as watching paint dry "? Looking at the picture of today's etappe as i am watching in an Austrian  bar w/out sound we reached the 39.8km mark and i decided to go for another ride to pass the time until the action became interesting . ASK Thomas Rohrregger the distance from Kramsach to Breitenbach via Seehof and Haus and return and he will tell you it is a shade under 20km  but i was back in time to see Paulino 36secs ahead at the 13km mark .

After a ride beyond Innsbruck to Brennero and return there was still a few kilos in the legs  . Not only that my beer didn't go flat whilst i was away . David Harmon is on the british commentary but i am unsure who was the German not that i would hear them or understand much of what they say . Regretably Paulinho was left to solo to the last few kilometres so that he had little to offer when overhauled . The result of Gavassi sprinting to the finish was no reflection of the day's racing .

 

LONDON RIOTS

ANARCHY and CHAOS are the order of the day in the United Kingdom once again ! Some years ago there was just this sort of behaviour and one wonders when this problem was being tackled then what the Authorities did about making sure that this could not happen again ? Surely after the violence died down then SOMEONE framed an Action Plan to see that should there be a reoccurence that resources be applied in a Systematic way to "Nip in the Bud " any reoccurence ? Shortly the UK will hear from the Prime Minister about what has taken place at the " COBRA " meeting this morning . Cameron has returned from his " Holiday " as have other " Senior " officials and will be playing catchup on an alarming situation that has been allowed to run out of control since Sunday Morning ! Personally i am at no risk but we are seeing TV images of residences burned out as a result of the fires set in Supermarkets and other business premises . Burnt out cars are one thing , dangerous as that can be BUT to see " Feral Rats " looting then torching buildings is quite a different story . My comment elsewhere : " Perhaps things could be cooled off IF the media was to stay home OR if they shot off photos that would help the Police identify the " Culprits " ! Fact is there are people out there in the last days thinking they can have " SOME FUN " , of course they are counting on not getting caught ! Cameron needs to have these " Miscreants " rounded up and shipped to the Outer Hebrides to work on " Work Gangs " behind barbed wire and sleeping in prefab huts as a first measure and then send the really bad ones to the Falkland Islands for the winter ! When these " feral rats " know what is on offer they will stop thinking about the " Cosy Holiday in British Prisons " that are so full already ! " Fact is the people who appear to be behind some of these incidents are likely to already have served their " Apprenticeship behind Bars " and now will think that the most serious problem they will encounter IF caught is another " Holiday CAMP visit " and on return to society they will think that their " Street Cred " will be stronger with their hoolligan mates ! Arising out of this chaotic situation there are some glimmers of hope , this article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8690418/London-riots-residents-use-Twitter-to-organise-clean-up.html was one i found and i hope this illustrates my point that the community as a whole is being dragged down by a " Violent Minority "! All "Legal rights " these " Miscreants " claim to have should be forfeited for the " Common Good ". Hopefully the " Tinder box Situation " will be contained quickly BUT please THIS time formulate the plans so that a repeat when it occurs again , as it will , can be contained the FIRST NIGHT and the perpetrators be seen to be shipped to the destination of " THEIR CHOICE ( an artic island )" the next morning !