Biking to Work in Boston - My first time

It was 7:11 PM, and I just finished a delectable seafood pasta dinner. Perhaps not the smartest time to try riding my bike the 2 miles to work and back, but I felt the biking itch. After all, I am the head of the green team at work and I don't even drive a hybrid car (tsk, tsk).

May is, after all, National Ride Your Bike to Work Month, and gas prices are just going up. Why pay $4 a gallon when I can depend on my own fuel? I had to at least try riding my bike. I wanted to give it a test run before depending on the bike as my transportation in the morning and perhaps missing an important client meeting or being embarrassed by my co-workers seeing me fall off my bike on the way in.

So. I struggled to get the bike out of the basement, strapped my helmet on, and hopped on board.

The ride to work was a breeze. I concentrated on shifting, signaling, and avoiding potholes (my car could take them, but I don't know that my rear end could). I think it helped that most of the trip was downhill. I felt the breeze in my hair, sweat just a little at some tiny uphills, and thought, "wow, this isn't bad."

When a Prius passed me, I laughed. "You think you're green? Ha!"

I got to work safely. Believe it or not, the ride took just about the same amount of time as driving - I'd say about 10 minutes with traffic lights, etc. Maybe even quicker. After all, on my bike I can coast up to the front of every intersection. I had but a few drops of sweat on my brow. I would have felt comfortable throwing on my work clothes and heels without showering - I think I sweat more climbing the 3 flights of stairs to my office.

The ride back was a little more difficult. After all, I had to make it to the top of a hill that my car couldn't climb last winter. Make that several hills. I was holding onto my handle bars with a kungfu death grip. It felt like it took forever, but in actuality took about 14 minutes.

So. All in all, my test commute by bike was a success, and I would recommend it to anyone in the city.

If you're interested in riding your bike to work but are a little intimidated, check out these bike commuting tips or Mayor Menino's bicycling information site. Since next week (May 12 - 16, 2008) is official the Bay State Bike Week, there are many bike friendly events including "breakfast pit stops" in Cambridge and near Government Center. There's nothing like a little food to motivate you to ride.

This morning, though, I climbed in my car and drove. It's supposed to POUR today, after all!

Boston Bike Resources

• My bike was tuned up at Bicycle Bill's in Allston, and I got a nifty saddlebag to carry the essentials. Friendly service, fair prices.
  
• Not sure biking's for you? Pick up a used bicycle at Quad Bikes in Cambridge or rent a bike.
• On Friday, May 16th, join a biking convoy to work, or check out other Bike Week Events in Boston.
• Get some new duds (if you feel the need, they're not necessary) online at Sierra Trading Post.
• Join a biking group for some company while you pedal.
  

You don't have to look as professional as my cousin Tim here. Just make sure you have a helmet. Oh, and a bike.

Related Posts: Springtime, Gasoline, and a Solution, Make Boston Greener, and Green Tips for the New Year.

Photo of Boston bikers and Kick Gas logo courtesy of Bay State Bike Week.
Photo of my cousin Tim courtesy of, well, my cousin Tim.

Myanmar cyclones and what you can do to help

The most experience I have had with Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) was my culinary adventures at the tasty Allston Burmese restaurant YoMa. However, recently the country has been briefly mentioned in newscasts after reports of terrible cyclones in the region that have caused massive flooding and distruction.

At first, it was reported just 250 people died, then 22,000, but now it is believed that over 100,000 people have died [updated 5PM 5/7] and thousands of people are missing. If the same percentage of the total population of the United States were killed or missing in a disaster, it would represent over 550,000 people.

Point is, 100,000 people killed is a lot of people, and in a country I know practically nothing about. I didn't even know how to correctly spell "Myanmar." So, I looked up a map on Wikipedia:

It's a little smaller than Texas, a little bigger than Afghanistan, and the largest country in Southeastern Asia.

And then I read a little Burmese history. I knew the country was under some type of nefarious government, but I didn't know that it used to be a British colony back in the first half of the twentieth century. It was then briefly a Democracy before a military coup. For the past 10 years it has been run by a strict military regime not known for its humanitarian actions (and that's putting it lightly).

International sanctions are in place, people struggle to get their basic needs met, and they have very few personal freedoms.

The devastating cyclones are one event that the government doesn't want to keep under wraps... mostly because they're using it to show how "well" they treat their people. They're handing out a few blankets and some food, but the area really needs significant help. From the director of Mercy Corps' European office:

"Burma is a country that had great needs even before this emergency. Now those needs are magnified immensely, and it will require a response that's beyond the capacity of any one country to restore normalcy to people's lives."

If you're interested in contributing to the relief efforts, try one of the following organizations:

• Mercy Corps, which works to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression
• Red Cross, which shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters
• Foundation for the People of Burma, which has worked for nine years to provide humanitarian aid to Burmese residents regardless of religion or ethnicity
• Feed the Children, which brings bringing emergency aid to homeless and needy children and families
• Global Giving, which raises funds to help grassroots efforts internationally
  

A video from Aljazeera gives you a better idea of what's going on:



Please, help any way you can.

Related Posts: Chinese Earthquake: How to Help; Global Volunteering; Tornadoes, Cyclones, and Disaster Relief - Oh My!; Food Crisis - Get on the Seoul train

Numbers dead and missing taken from news reports citing the Myanmar government's estimated figures. Population statistics used to calculate the equivalent number of US victims taken from US census figures and Burmese population estimates as cited on Wikipedia.

Photos courtesy of the New York Times.

Hats off to Italian Home for Children

This past Saturday I went to the Derby Day event, which benefit the Italian Home for Children (IHC). This allowed me to do two things: One, to buy myself a ridiculously large flowery hat, and two, participate in a fundraiser for one of OYFP's partners.

This was my first time at the Harvard Club and the views it offers of downtown Boston were spectacular. Additionally, this was my first time to a derby event and it was fun to go around sipping mint julieps and admiring the creativity of other people with their hats.

My favorite hat was a lady who turned a baseball cap backwards, and put some flowers at the back (lid) of the hat. It's non-traditional of course, but I like people who think outside of the box. Jamie, my date was in the race for the best male hat. I think it was because he was one of three men there wearing hats, but I thought he looked very dapper in his hat.

In the Harvard Club, there were many flat screen TVs positioned around so you could watch the derby without straining your neck. When the horses were racing it was fun to see everyone cheer on the horse they thought had the best chance to win. It made you feel like you were at the clubhouse in Kentucky, cheering on the horses so they could hear it. And of course, we all knew that the tickets were going to support the Italian Home, which was reason enough to yell a little.

This event may not have been something you can afford but if you can, it is a spectacular event to attend that benefits an even more spectacular cause.

If you don't have any money to donate, but have the time, then come volunteer and play recess with the residents of the Italian Home for Children, Saturday May 17th, from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. After all, volunteering will make you happier in the long run...

Spots are limited so please RSVP quickly to reena.mathew@oyfp.org. More information is available on the OYFP website.

Think of it as a field day to help out children who have emotional and behavioral issues... oh and you get to play too.

To view more photos of Derby Day 2008, visit Boston.com.

Related posts: Move your Bloomin', How to be Happier, Who is Happier?

photo courtesy of me

graphic flyer courtesy of Erica

Give a little marrow for Mom

It's time for another Hallmark holiday! Mother's Day is Sunday, May 11, and who are begrudge our mothers a little "thanks for raising me and helping me become so awesome"we to recognition?

What do moms do best? They help. When you scrape a knee, she provided a band-aid and a kiss. When your high school band got its first gig, she lent you the family van. When you weren't sure what to wear to your first job interview, she took you shopping.

Now's your chance to help someone else - in the same spirit that your mom helped you. May 5 through 19 is the National Marrow Donor Program's "Thanks Mom" campaign. What if, instead of getting your Mom flowers or treating her to a spa day, you get screened for a bone marrow donation? On any given day, the doctors of more than 6,000 children and adults are searching the NMDP Registry for a life-saving donor.

During the "Thanks Mom" campaign, the first 10,000 people who register online will receive a free swab kit in the mail that will enable them to join the registry. It normally costs $52 to get swabbed - a cost many of us might not be willing to incur. I was inspired to register after hearing Erica's story about her battle with leukemia. It reminded me that funny people, pretty people, mean people, people with brothers and sisters, people with friends - any of them - could be in need of bone marrow, and their chances of finding a match increase with every person who joins the registry.

And, contrary to popular belief, the donation process is no longer painful. Seriously. It's just a week long, outpatient procedure.

I'll admit - it was a little disconcerting to put personal health information online, but it's a secure site, and there's really not much to the form (No, I don't have Hepatitis. Yes, I consider myself in general good health, etc). I didn't input a credit card number as the kit is supposed to be free of cost - I'll update this entry to let you know if that was the correct thing to do.

If you don't feel comfortable registering, perhaps you could give some money to the foundation to help out.

What are you waiting for? Thank you Mom by actually DOING something - helping others, like she helped you.


Related posts: Getting Cheeky - Erica's Story and Why You Should Get Swabbed

Photo of the boy with a bandaid courtesy of Ed in Ohio.
Photo of Erica courtesy of her friends.

Food Crisis - Get on the Seoul Train

Let's stick around the Asian continent for a bit..

In the past ten years, approximately 3 million North Koreans have died from a food crisis and other persecutions committed by their government. As a matter of survival, about 250,000 North Koreans have escaped to China - only to live in worse conditions there. Some women are subjected to lives as prostitutes or as brides to Chinese farmers. Men end up working as farmhands or living homeless in the woods, while children become homeless street kids.

If the North Koreans are are caught in China, the Chinese Government arrests and send these refugees back to North Korea (hundreds each month), directly violating international laws under which China is held liable as a member of the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees). Defecting from North Korea is a capital offense, and these repatriated refugees endure such abuses as concentration camps, torture, forced abortion, and executions.

Seoul Train* is a documentary aimed at raising awareness of the plight of these North Koreans and their only hope - an underground railroad reminiscent of those from the histories of America and Nazi Germany. Harvard's Asian Pacific American Society will be showing this documentary tonight, Friday, May 2nd at 5PM in Larsen G08 (on the campus of Harvard Graduate School of Education).

To find out more info about the film, the dire situation facing North Koreans and North Korean refugees, and how you can get involved, check out www.seoultrain.com.

*fyi: Seoul is the capital city of SOUTH Korea. Since the armistice ending the Korean war, only about 6,000 North Koreans actually have found freedom in the south. Most North Koreans travel via the underground railroad over thousands of kilometers of Chinese territory and head to Mongolia or Southeast Asia.


Photo courtesy of Eric Lafforgue.

An Olypmic Debate

I enjoy watching the Olympics. I like to cheer people on from my country and always am astounded by some of the great athleticism and skill that these athletes display in front of the world. These athletes have pushed their bodies to their physical limits all to be the very best in the WORLD in a particular sporting event.

In upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics, the athletes have taken second stage to the protests against the host country, China, and its treatment of Tibetans. Several world leaders have even said they will boycott opening ceremonies. This isn't the first time the Olympic games have been boycotted either.

The first recorded boycott was at the 1956 Melbourne summer Olympics. The countries Lichtenstein, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden boycotted the games in protest of the Soviet invasion of Hungary. Additionally, The People's Republic of China refused to participate due to the allowance of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to participate in the games. My question to you is this the right place for political activism?

Let me take a moment to say that I am all for the human rights and I think China's lack of respect for women, and treatment of Tibetans should not be something that is just shrugged off. In my opinion, the Olympics is not the place for political activism. These athletes work extremely hard and this may be their one and only chance to win that gold medal, after all athletes have a short time span these days.

Yet still are the Olympic Games an appropriate place for protest? That is why Sport in Society is hosting an event, Olympism vs the Olympics: A Sport in Society Roundtable Event this Tuesday, May 6, starting at 6pm at Northeastern University. It will provide you an opportunity to gather and dialogue about the power of sport and to what extent the Olympics actually promote peace and dignity.

The even will be feature panel discussions by:

• Nathaniel Mills, U.S. Olympic Speed Skater and Director of the Olympism Project
• Whitney Post, U.S. Olympic Rower and Women's Sports Foundation
• Jennifer Molina, Mexican Olympic Soccer Player and Sport in Society
• Eli A. Wolff, U.S. Paralympic Soccer Player and Sport in Society
• Andy Wise, U.S. Paralympic Powerlifter
• Roz Puleo, Right to Play
• Tina Noles, U.S. Olympic Alumni Association

Hope to see you there, and we can carry this discussion on further.

Olympic Flag courtesy of www.flags.net
Sports photo courtesy of 1956 Olympic Games images.beijing-2008.org