This morning the long-awaited press conference was held at the University of Toronto, announcing that the Festival of Excellence is on for June 11 at the Varsity Centre.

Members of the press and several dignitaries were on hand to hear the genesis of the event, what events will be running, and which athletes will be competing. While Bolt is clearly the headliner (assuming he stays healthy and can avoid any more car accidents), the field of athletes is impressive: Priscilla Lopes-Sliep (bronze medalist in the 400 hurdles), Perdita Felicien, Bryan Clay, Christopher Tyler, Chaunte Howard, Mark Dillon, and others.



John Carson and I were on hand, and had the privilege of interviewing both Priscilla and her coach, as well as Canadian running legend, Bruce Kidd. Those videos will be up later today.




TSN will broadcast the Festival live on the evening of June 11, but there will be events through the day for school children, and live music during the afternoon up to showtime.

|

You won't find many poorer people anywhere in the world. But you won't find them any happier, either. Yes, this photo was staged. I asked them to jump. But truth be told, they did this almost all day completely unscripted. I watched the play in the school yard and at home, and these children were unfettered balls of energy and optimism. Only one of these five were wearing shoes, but none of them seemed to miss them.

Someone once said to "sing like no one is listening and dance like no one's around", and as good as this sounds in theory, I haven't met many who put it into practice. Maddie does it quite often, but the sad reality is that as she gets older she'll do it less and less. And that's sad, isn't it?

A spoke with a friend yesterday who had just written a big cheque to the government in payment of her taxes. Granted, paying alot means you made a lot, and for that she is grateful I am sure. But she was still a little depressed about the whole thing. We actually got back most of what we paid in taxes last year due to our relatively low income, thank you CRA, and as nice as it would be to earn more, we have learned to be pretty happy on our shoestring.

In Kenya, they live without even the shoestring most days. And I can't say they are worse off the lack of it.

|

Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortenson’s dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a thrilling read, it’s proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world .’ -Tom Brokaw

Many people talk about righting wrongs and making a difference in the world, and then there are others who actually do something. After a trip to Kenya, a friend of mine made personal sacrifices to help build a school, a medical dispensary and start a microcredit program. As I told his story, another friend recommended this book. Mortenson is commitment and resolve personified. His original objective, to repay a personal debt by building a school in Pakistan, has become a lifelong mission.

From the official website: In an early effort to raise money he wrote letters to 580 celebrities, businessmen, and other prominent Americans. His only reply was a $100 check from NBC’s Tom Brokaw. Selling everything he owned, he still only raised $2,400. But his efforts changed when a group of elementary school children in River Falls, Wisconsin, donated $623.40 in pennies, who inspired adults to begin to take action. The 283 foot Braldu Bridge was completed in 1995 and the Korphe School was completed in 1996. Since then, he’s established 78 schools. In pursuit of his goal, Mortenson has survived an armed kidnapping, fatwas issued by enraged mullahs, repeated death threats, and wrenching separations from his wife and children. Yet his success speaks for itself.

I only partway through, but this story is inspirational.

|

|

My poor blog has suffered lately. While I lavish my time and attention on Facebook and Twitter, Briantology has languished with neglect.

So I decided it was time for a change.

I didn't want to wait until New Years Day 2010 to make a resolution to do better by my blog, so I'll start today. If you're a recent follower from my Facebook family, welcome. I'll go into more detail here than I can on my status line, and I'll try to do so at least twice a week. If I don't, I likely had a good reason ;-)

And feel free to comment. It's what we bloggers live for. Just be nice. My daughters might be reading this.

|

Well, I'm off again. It's actually been a year and half since my last extended trip (Thailand), and this one has been talked about for a few months but is actually going to happen... tomorrow! My friend John Carson, invited me to be part of his Kenya trip this year to help tell the story that he has been a part of for several years now.

We'll be flying to London, and then into Nairobi, Kenya tomorrow. From there we drive a full day to Eldoret in the northwest, and then a bit farther to Kokwe, where we'll spend a little more than a week. We'll be hanging out with a group of Kenyan runners, Olympians in fact, filming how they train and telling their stories. A few of them will be traveling to Toronto this June to run in the Festival of Excellence featuring Usain Bolt, so this will help us tell the human interest side of the their story.

John has also been involved in a micro-enterprise program in the village, a school and a medical clinic. We'll be delivering 4 laptops, a few soccer balls and several cases of selenium, a naturally occurring mineral that has shown promise in treating HIV/AIDS, which affects 15% of adult Kenyans. I'm looking forward to shooting some video that tells a story or two and will be excited to share those when we get back on the 21st of March.

Oh yes, we're also going on a three day Safari in the Masai Mara Game Reserve at the end of our trip! Can't really go to Africa and not do that.

UPDATE: See my favourite Kenya pictures here!

|

Was given this great link today from Mike Shanks, and it confirms what I've known and seen coming for years. In fact I've had two conversations just today with people who are wanting to use video to make their websites more interactive.

Read through the articles when you get a chance and see what others are saying about video. They are commenting primarily on video in real estate, but the applications are far broader than that.

|

Now that I have your attention...really, she's leaving. After 17 years of marriage she has finally had enough.

OK, seriously.

Lynn's father is going to visit his brother and sister in South Africa for three weeks, and Lynn will be moving in with her mother while he's gone. She'll be able to help shovel snow (more is on the way) and help her mom deal with a few minor health issues. Plus, Lynn is convinced that our home will completely disintegrate without her, so she has challenged me to prove otherwise. Sounds like the basis for a reality TV show, doesn't it?

I've already bought 36 Happy Meals for the girl's lunches. They're in the freezer. We're using paper plates and cups, and we'll even wear these cool paper jumpsuits. No dishes OR laundry. What do you think of that?

So, you might want to check back a bit more regularly from January 7-27. Things could get interesting around here.

|

Thanks Uncle Jay!

|