Mountain Mama: Candy Packing
Tonight our wee ones will get inundated with candy. Good luck prying it from their closed fists. It’s not that I’m a sweets Grinch, the opposite really, I’m a candy feign and it’s one bad habit I’d rather not pass on to my son.I stumbled on something that works for us this time of year when the candy to burning-it-off ratio is terribly skewed, and that’s hiking with candy treats.My son hated hiking. Ever since I stopped carrying him, his protests began as soon as we got to the trailhead. “My legs can’t carry me.” “I’m exhausted.” He’d even say that he needed to take a nap, which goes to show the extreme extents he’d go to avoid hiking. He considers sleep a weakness, naps something he outgrew along with diapers.This past summer the sailing captain who helped me earn my skipper’s certification, and his daughter, escaped the heat of Charleston to visit us in the mountains. We all hiked.At some point he said, “This isn’t what I would have expected from Mountain Mama’s kiddo.”Shame, red and hot, crept up my face. I wondered what I was doing wrong. Why was my kid whining and refusing to walk? He rolled around in mud puddles and then demanded to be carried. The worst part was, after exhausting all the ninja parenting skills I’d seen others use and trying to reason with my son, inevitably I caved.I searched blogs to find out how other parents got their kids to hike. I tried it all – calling it other names, making a game out of hiking, picking berries or finding treasures along the way.Then I read about a family who hiked the Appalachian Trail with their five-year old. Their secret turned out to be bribing him with mini-sized Snickers.On the eve of the full moon, I couldn’t resist a last minute backpacking trip to Black Balsam, less than a mile from the parking lot to our campsite. I packed my camelback for Tobin and then pretended he was the engine and needed coal to carry his load up the mountain. The coal was a piece of hard candy that kept him occupied all the way to the top, and then he stopped.I was worried I’d have to give him more, but instead he pointed to the clouds parting, unveiling a mountaintop and said, “Look at that pretty view.”He helped me pitch our tent and make a cozy nest and the next day hiked down without any prompting.He turned to me, “I love backpacking, and I didn’t even whine.”I was grateful that a little sweet treat was enough to get him to stop resisting hiking long enough to try it. Now he even walks to my neighbor’s house. We live halfway up a mountain and she lives on the top, a twenty percent grade between us and 15 curves. He walked all the way unassisted by me, no candy, no bribes.More from Mountain Mama:
1SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Chad Davis Chad Davis is Industry Sr Solutions Marketing Manger, F5 Networks, which is the leader in app security and multi-cloud management. He can be reached at c.davis@f5.com. Web: https://www.f5.com Details People have a complicated relationship with their smartphones. Those amazing mobile devices simultaneously offer a ready means to waste time and save it. They are both a distraction and a portal of productivity.As Google noted in declaring a “mobile majority,” based on a global survey finding that more people connect to the Internet through their phones than any other device, we have at our fingertips an instant source of information, entertainment, and social bonding. In a recent Forbes article, Brian Solis contends that their smartphones dictate the behaviors, expectations, and aspirations of “connected consumers.”“Pretty much anyone you want to do business with is obsessed with their mobile device,” Solis writes. “You can judge it or learn from it, but you can’t ignore it if you care about customer engagement.”It’s time to stop fretting about mobile devices as an addiction and start embracing opportunities to connect members with the financial solutions your credit union can deliver. For starters, one key actionable takeaway from Google’s business research is that 75 percent of smartphone aficionados says their mobile devices help them to be more productive. Enter the branch appointment app, which offers members a quick and easy way to book time with a financial professional at the office of their choice to consult on important financial decisions. At the same time, your credit union can use the information members provide in scheduling an appointment to be prepared in showcasing the products and services they want and need.As much as members have embraced mobile and self-service options for managing their money, many still prefer to talk directly with knowledgeable professionals about their most significant commitments, like buying a car or house, paying for home improvements, planning for retirement, or signing on for business services. Even as online options to open accounts or track down solutions to service issues become more common, your credit union can win over members who prefer to handle these tasks in person by inviting them to schedule an appointment to take care of business. Offering an appointment app also underscores that you know how valuable members’ time is and that you are ready to help them make the most of it. This efficiency cuts in both directions: Research with Kronos clients shows that the vast majority of members who make branch appointments keep them, and the up-front notice helps branch employees be better prepared to provide the best possible service and identify additional sales opportunities.These strategies can help your credit union build member relationships by delivering on their evolving expectations for their trusted financial advisor and improve operational efficiencies and bottom-line results: Let members decide how and when to connect. For all the attention that mobile and other digital channels receive, what many members value most is getting to choose among a full range of delivery options. Offering a mobile appointment app can underscore that your credit union is a full-service financial institution and underscore your commitment to convenient access. Even consumers who rely heavily on digital channels will appreciate the opportunity to schedule appointments when they need guidance from financial professionals on more complex matters.Optimize frontline resources to drive service and revenue. Inviting members to make appointments connects them with valuable financial expertise and simultaneously provides branch managers with valuable data for smarter scheduling. Branch employees trained to deliver specialized services can be scheduled to meet demand and ready to serve with the appropriate materials lined up in advance to streamline the interaction. You can also offer more specialized services on specific days and/or at certain locations. As a result, the organization can increase branch efficiency, improve productivity and decrease costs by optimizing staff resources.Take a data-driven approach to branch sales and service. Appointment scheduling tools and lobby tracking software provide useful information about what services members want and when they are most likely to visit a branch for the kinds of interactions that result in increased sales. Detailed information about branch traffic patterns can guide decisions about scheduling, sales training, and marketing based on demand for services at each location.Two additional statistics from business research support the benefits of an appointment app for members and your credit union. First, a survey from GetApp Lab indicates that 70 percent of customers prefer to book appointments online rather than by phone. Especially for members who are already comfortable booking everything from restaurant reservations to doctors’ appointments on their smartphone, an appointment app from their credit union would be a natural and much-appreciated service.Second, Google reports that mobile searches for “best” increased more than 80 percent in two years. To enhance your credit union’s standing as members’ best choice for financial services, a full range of service and channel options, including convenient appointments at their favorite branch, can help forge a strong and lasting connection.
Patton averaged less than two points a game, appearing in nine games over three seasons for the Timberwolves, Philadelphia and Oklahoma City.NFL-NINERS-KINLAW-AIYUK49ers sign first-round picks Kinlaw, Aiyuk to 4-year dealsSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have signed first-round draft picks Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk to four-year deals.The defending NFC champion 49ers made two trades during the draft, moving down one spot to take Kinlaw, a defensive lineman out of South Carolina at No. 14, and then up six spots to take Aiyuk, a wide receiver from Arizona State with the 25th selection. Oregon State President Ed Ray said the Civil War name “represents a connection to a war fought to perpetuate slavery.”Oregon athletic director Rob Mullins said former Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon raised the issue of the name. The football series between Oregon and Oregon State has been played 123 times and is the fifth-most contested rivalry in the country. This season’s game is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 28 in Corvallis. The men’s basketball series between the two teams has been contested 354 times. TIZ THE LAW-STUD DEAL NBA-PISTONS-PATTONPistons sign oft-injured center Justin PattonDETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons signed center Justin Patton on Friday, hoping the 2017 first-round pick can stay healthy to help the franchise’s turnaround.Patton had surgery for a broken foot in 2018 for the second straight year.The 6-foot-11 player was selected No. 16 overall three years ago by the Chicago Bulls, who traded him on draft night to Minnesota as part of the Jimmy Butler trade. — The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association say 16 players tested positive for coronavirus in the first wave of mandatory tests done in preparation for the restart of the season. Those 16 players were part of a pool of 302 tested on Tuesday. Tests are continuing for all 22 teams that will be participating in the restart at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida, next month. The league and the union announced today that they have finalized terms of the deal that will allow the league to restart.— The Carolina Hurricanes will begin “voluntary small-group training” at PNC Arena on Tuesday. The team says those sessions will be closed to the public and media. Sixteen players, divided into two groups, are expected to participate. Players and staff permitted inside the arena will be tested for COVID-19. The team says the arena has received “extensive cleaning” during the suspended NHL season and there will be “enhanced cleaning and sanitation efforts” going forward.— NHL MVP candidate Artemi Panarin (ahr-TEH’-mee pah-NAH’-rihn) says he has concerns about the health and safety of players if the season resumes and about finances beyond that. The New York Rangers winger posted a statement on Twitter saying he’s worried about the “long-term prosperity of the NHL.” His major concern is escrow payments made by players in recent years. The league and NHL Players’ Association are negotiating an extension of the collective bargaining agreement along with a potential return to play amid the coronavirus pandemic. Players have made varying degrees of escrow payments in recent seasons since a deal was struck with owners to split hockey-related revenue 50/50.— The Davis Cup men’s tennis competition has been canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and will pick up again in 2021. Matches were scheduled for this September and the Davis Cup finals were set for November in Madrid. Now the World Group I and World Group II preliminary matches will be played in various sites in either March or September 2021. The finals will be in Madrid during the week of Nov. 22, 2021. The International Tennis Federation says the 18 nations that already qualified for the 2020 finals will get a spot in 2021. The ITF has also scrapped the women’s Fed Cup finals for this year and says they will be played April 13-18 in Budapest, Hungary.— Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic (ee-van-EE’-seh-vihch) says he has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Croatian great is the coach of Novak Djokovic (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich) and says he tested positive after two negative tests in the last 10 days. Ivanisevic attended the exhibition series hosted by the top-ranked Djokovic in Serbia and Croatia. He says: “I would like to inform everyone who has been in contact with me that I tested positive and ask them to take extra good care of themselves and their loved ones.” Ivanisevic won his only Grand Slam title at the All England Club in 2001. Update on the latest sports Associated Press The picks help the 49ers fill two big holes created when star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was traded to Indianapolis and receiver Emmanuel Sanders left in free agency. Kinlaw was a first-team Associated Press All-American as a senior, when he had six sacks, 35 tackles and two fumble recoveries in 12 starts. COLLEGE FOOTBALL-CIVIL WAROregon, Oregon State drop ‘Civil War’ name for rivalryUNDATED (AP) — Oregon and Oregon State have agreed to drop the name “Civil War” for their rivalry games. The move Friday was made after discussions between officials at both schools and current and former student-athletes. The change also comes amid ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd while in police custody. Denny McCarthy told Golfchannel.com that he withdrew after feeling sick Thursday night and tested positive for the coronavirus Friday. Bud Cauley, who played with McCarthy Thursday, also withdrew before Friday’s second round. McCarthy became the third PGA Tour player to test positive for the virus since its restart and the second this week, joining Cameron Champ, who withdrew on Tuesday. Nick Watney withdrew just before the second round of last week’s RBC Heritage Championship. Webb Simpson, Graeme McDowell, Brooks Koepka (KEHP’-kuh) and his brother Chase also withdrew from the Travelers after coming into contact with people who had the virus.In other developments related to the coronavirus pandemic:— The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have finalized terms of the deal that will allow the league to restart the season at the Disney World campus near Orlando, Florida next month. The league and the union made the announcement Friday. Many of the details were already known, such as how “stringent health and safety protocols” would be in place for the 22 teams that will be participating, that no fans will be present and that games will be held in three different arenas at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. — Red Star Belgrade CEO Zvezdan Terzic said Friday he has tested positive for the coronavirus, days after the Serbian soccer champion played matches in front of thousands of fans despite the pandemic. Five Red Star players earlier this week tested positive for COVID-19 in the wake of their title triumph and a semifinal league cup match against rival Partizan. Serbia, along with the rest of the Balkans, is currently experiencing a peak in confirmed coronavirus cases. Serbian health officials lifted most lockdown measures in May, allowing large gatherings where social distancing or wearing masks are not obligatory. — Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán has tested positive for the coronavirus but a son says the retired fighter has had only mild symptoms so far. Robin Durán said on Instagram that his 69-year-old father was tested after going to a private hospital with cold-like symptoms. Durán had the nickname “Hands of Stone” as a boxer from 1968 to 2001 and held world championship belts in four different weight classes during his career. He is remembered for his resounding victory over American boxing idol Sugar Ray Leonard in Montreal in 1980.— Diamond League track meets in France and the United States have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers say the Sept. 6 event in Paris and the Prefontaine meet on Oct. 4 in Eugene, Oregon, cannot be held because of the current restrictions on mass gatherings and international travel. A meet in Gateshead, England, has been postponed from Aug. 16 to a possible date in mid-September. The next possible Diamond League meet is scheduled for Aug. 14 in Monaco.— Virginia says its football players can begin returning to campus on July 5 if they participate in a voluntary workout period under protocols set by the school’s health system. The school says all student-athletes and staff will receive COVID-19 specific education through a variety of print and video media, utilizing CDC and NCAA resources. The UVA Health System will administer and coordinate testing of student-athletes and staff. The voluntary workouts will go from July 5-14, followed by required activity for up to eight hours a week from July 15-25..— Tennessee’s athletic budget for 2020-21 assumes the Volunteers will have fans in the stands for football season but still includes a $10.1 million cut in overall revenues. University of Tennessee President Randy Boyd says reducing the number of fans further because of the coronavirus pandemic would have a “significant impact” on the budget. But Boyd said Friday that Tennessee is financially prepared to handle any problems. Tennessee projects a drop of 19.4% with $29.8 million in revenue from athletic ticket sales. The Volunteers won their final six games last season under coach Jeremy Pruitt. Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinRedditVIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS2 more players withdraw from TravelersUNDATED (AP) — Two more players on the PGA Tour have withdrawn from the Travelers Championship because of COVID-19. — The baseball Hall of Fame museum has reopened after being shut since March 15. The Cooperstown, New York, hall welcomed visitors on Friday. Face masks are required from all staff and guests. The shrine is selling tickets that permit visitors to reserve a specific date and time to enter, reducing congestion in the front lobby and throughout the museum. Some of the Hall’s bigger gathering spots will remain closed. The popular plaque gallery is open. The Hall announced earlier that this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremonies had been canceled because of the virus outbreak. Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker will be enshrined next year, on July 25, 2021.PGA-TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIPPositive COVID test leads to more withdrawals from TravelersCROMWELL, Conn. (AP) —Fifty-year-old Phil Mickelson was able to find fairways and make birdies and has the lead at the Travelers Championship. He fired a 63 to move to 13-under. A stroke back is Will Gordon, who shot an 8-under 62. Gordon is a 23-year-old Vanderbilt graduate playing his eighth PGA Tour event on a sponsor’s exemption. The Travelers field continued to shrink after Denny McCarthy tested positive for the coronavirus. McCarthy withdrew along with Bud Cauley, who tested negative for the virus, but had played with McCarthy on Thursday. There have been seven withdrawals from the tournament because of COVID-19. Belmont winner Tiz the Law lands future stallion dealVERSAILLES, Ky. (AP) — Belmont winner Tiz the Law will stand at Coolmoore America’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky when his racing career is over.The 3-year-old colt will continue to be owned by Sackatoga Stable while he races. Tiz the Law has won five of six career starts, including last week’s Belmont Stakes that opened the reconfigured Triple Crown series. His next scheduled start is the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 8.Tiz the Law will eventually join Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify at Ashford Stud. June 26, 2020
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana will address the opening of the eighth Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference on Sunday as he completes a visit to several Caribbean countries.It said that President Akufo-Addo will also engage in a number of activities on Saturday including a tour Seville Great House and Heritage Park in St. Ann and on Sunday will meet with the leadership of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and give a floral tribute at the shrine of National Hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey.A government statement said that the Ghanaian head of state, who arrives here on Saturday, will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Andrew Holness before addressing the media later that day.“The President will wrap his visit on Sunday by giving remarks at the Opening of the 8th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre,” the statement noted.Akufo-Addo is now in Barbados as part of a Caribbean visit that has so far taken him to Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.“The purpose of the official visit is to strengthen and deepen bilateral relations between Barbados and Ghana in areas of mutual interest,” an official statement in Bridgetown noted.It said he will also address Parliament in that country “in what will be an historic occasion as this will be the first time a foreign dignitary will speak in the Senate Chambers”.