I’m on the Board of International Political Consultants, a group of accomplished professionals who continue to challenge my brain. We are meeting this year in Istanbul and continue our quest to promote democracy. Here’s our subject and recipient of the year. Reports from there …
The Honorable Amr Moussa;
I serve as Chairman of the International Association of Political Consultants. The IAPC is an organization of several hundred high-level pro-democracy advocates from around the world who practice their profession in hundreds of countries. Each year the IAPC awards a Democracy Medal to the individual or individuals who, in the board’s opinion, have made the most significant contribution to democracy in the past year. In November of 2011 we will honor “the People of Arab Spring” with this award at our annual conference in Istanbul, Turkey.
We have been discussing who would be most appropriate to receive the award on behalf of the people who launched a democratic movement that has changed the world. It is the unanimous decision of the board that there would be no better representative than yourself. We would be extremely honored if you would join us in Istanbul to accept this award on behalf of citizen activists throughout the Arab world.
To that end, I am writing to officially invite you to Istanbul on the 20th November, 2011 for our Democracy Medal luncheon.

The award luncheon, at which we would like you to say a few words about the People of Arab Spring, is the penultimate event of the conference. Should you wish to attend any of our other conference meetings we would be pleased to accommodate you as our honored guest. My office will be available to help you with travel and hotel arrangements. We will also send logistical information to your office in the next 24 hours.
It has been some months since we spoke briefly about events in your great nation, I eagerly look forward to seeing you in person and speaking again at our conference.
Best personal regards,

Ben Goddard

What a big day for little guys. Lincoln transformed the courtyard and costumes have been lined up for a while. I was at school for a couple of hours juggling between two third grade classes then had 10 or so over for Halloween. It was a magical time for sure.

I was in Lincoln’s classroom and all 21 children had been handed WANTED posters to fill out about themselves.  To the question,  Last Place Seen, 20 children answered:  Staton Elementary School.  One very bright, very creative, very independent child wrote Last Place Seen: Bank of America. I mean what else would be on a Wanted poster. Of course that child was Lincoln.

Woke up with a special note from a new friend …

People like you who shine & smile~ make life so worthwhile~ touching Hearts along the way, A special Angel, to brighten the day~ Take Care my Friend, if you need anything just ask-

Nancy Todd www.NancyTodd.com www.TheHaydenScholarship.com www.PokerQueenofDiamonds.com www.PokerGives.org www.IAPC.org

Well I guess my posting I’ve been busy isn’t much of a post but lots of exciting things going on and much that interests me. Haven’t played too much but trying to get freed up to have some time later in the week. The loss of Austin has really hit me hard and just continues to weigh on me, what a terrible, terrible tragedy for yet another young life. God bless those he left behind.

I’m not easily rattled and that is probably an understatement. In the early 1980’s I shuttled between Baton Rouge, LA and Tallahassee, Fl, a straight 8 hour drive and campaign consulting offices in both places. My partner in Fl hired a young woman, Suzi Suarez, right out of FSU. She and I became fast friends. Hayden’s dad and I married first, the next year she and Pat married. We went through each others pregnancies together. Katy, born 18 months before Hayden was born in 1991 and Austin, 18 months after. When I divorced Hayden’s dad Hayden and I moved to a condo in Naples, We spent almost every weekend in Sarasota with the Shea’s. Pat took the boys to do climbing, biking and camping and the three girls went to chick flicks. Every single hurricane which hit south Florida Hayden and I packed up and headed to the Shea’s house to use their generator, pop popcorn and ride it out. The deal has been, in writing, with both of my husbands, that Suzi would raise my children should anything happen to us.

Monday, I learn, Austin, apparently, had had two small seizures, out of the blue, recently, the third one on Monday killed him. Reason unknown. I am just beyond grief at the senselessness of this and the disbelief that three children virtually raised together that two could be gone.

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.”

– T. E. Lawrence