Completely Barking Mad

Status: Currently, sniggering over George Takei's Facebook Page,www.facebook.com/georgehtakei

2012-01-16T20:38:00.001-07:00

I had to post thisFunny Poster I saw at the Vet's office

2012-01-07T10:21:00.001-07:00

Heidi Fournier
Sent from my iPhone

The skating pond down the street

2012-01-06T16:29:00.001-07:00

Heidi Fournier
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HalloweenSupper @ Magpie & Stump

2011-10-29T18:36:00.001-06:00

Halloween!

2011-10-29T18:00:00.001-06:00

At the hot springs in a historic swim costume

Getting ready to head out for our party tonight.

Spruce Meadows & Bragg Creek

2011-09-25T14:27:00.001-06:00

Had a great time taking Jessie out today. She is now smoking in the back seat. I could use a nap as well!

Heidi Fournier
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Sylvan Lake

2011-09-18T13:46:00.001-06:00

Jessie had a really good day. Pretty sure she'll sleep like the dead on the way home.

Kameko's Stagette

2011-09-01T19:10:00.001-06:00

Now I am so sad I didn't buy a shirt. But the girls said they fit weird & the store was in Banff so I erred on the side of caution. Oh, I erred, damn!

The Amazing Katya!

2011-08-27T16:51:00.001-06:00

For one night only!

IMG_2349.MOV Watch on Posterous

Funny story. Mom says she learned this from a YouTube video.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

2011-08-16T12:01:00.001-06:00

This just might be the funniest thing I've seen in weeks. Course, I loved the first book. And by funny coincidence yesterday Mark said we should go to firing range since I've never fired a gun before. I said it would be good to learn how to do headshots for the oncoming zombie apocalypse. Mark said I'm not supposed to mention that to the guys at the range. Guess they'll just have to learn to survive without advanced warning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1JdPvyy93I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Heidi Fournier
Sent from my iPhone

Tour with Donald the DuckMaster at the Peabody Orlando

2011-08-14T17:49:00.001-06:00

I was very lucky to get a wonderful tour from Donald, the DuckMaster, at the Peabody Orlando. He was a very lovely & knowledgable man. He has been taking care of the ducks for just over a year. I understand this is quite a sought after job as there are only 3 DuckMasters in the world. So competition can be fierce. The Orlando ducks (the Memphis & Little Rock hotels have ducks as well) are 5 yrs old & can live 12 -15 years. When the ducks are 5 they are released back into the wild. Sort of like completing a tour of duty. There are always 5 mallards at the hotel, one male & 4 female. They are a family & bonded for life. Donald says that if one of them gets sick or has to go to the vet the group misses them terribly. Contrary to what I thought there are a couple of groups of ducks that rotate through the hotel. Because of this they only spend a few months of the year at the hotel taking their 'vacation' as Donald says. They get grouchy if they stay too long. One can only get so many spa treatments I guess ;-).

When not at the hotel the ducks are at a farm where they live in a way that is close to being in the wild. This way they can learn to look after themselves & are better prepared for when they are released. Although Donald says they often say close to the farm after being released. Which sounds about right for some adult children I know.

This is the duck house at the top of Mallard Tower where they live while on vacation.

The inside is completely made out of marble & cost $100,000 when it was built in 1986. When the ducks are at the fountain from 11am-5pm it get a very good cleaning, no chemicals are used in the ducks water at all.

On Saturday Donald marched the ducks as part of a Hindu wedding ceremony. He says they are in demand for any number of public events & he often takes them on the road for very special events. Lucky ducks!

This is Donald & I with the ducks.

If you are in Orlando, Memphis or Little Rock & want to march with the ducks Donald says to contact the hotel right away & reserve your spot. They fill up fast as I learned. I had a great tour & was very impressed with how nice & knowledgeable Donald was. It was a fantastic experience! I am so happy I got the chance to meet him & learn more about the ducks.

Peabody Ducks

2011-08-11T18:13:00.001-06:00

The Peabody where I am staying in Orlando is best known for a custom dating to the 1930s, when the General Manager of the time, Frank Schutt, having returned from a weekend hunting trip in Arkansas, he & friends amused themselves by leaving 3 of their live English Call Ducks decoys in the hotel fountain. I guess guests loved the idea, and since then, 5 ducks have played in the fountain every day.

In 1940, a Bellman volunteered to care for the ducks. He was given the position of "Duckmaster" and served in that position until 1991. As a former circus animal trainer, he taught the ducks to march into the hotel lobby, which started the famous Peabody Duck March; every day at 11:00 a.m., the Peabody Ducks are escorted from their penthouse home, on the Plantation Roof, to the lobby via elevator. The ducks, accompanied by the King Cotton March by John Phillip Sousa, then proceed across a red carpet to the hotel fountain, made of a solid block of Italian travertine marble. The ducks are then ceremoniously led back to their penthouse at 5:00 p.m.

I tried SO HARD to get signed up for the duck walk, but it is all booked for the days I am here - le sigh! But I'm on the wait list. But just in case that food poisioning I am praying for doesn't strke the people signed up for tomorrow, here is what I would look like leading the ducks.

duckmarch.wmv Watch on Posterous

F$cking Orlando. So fabulously trippy.

Untitled

2011-08-10T19:43:00.001-06:00

This morning I did something totally against every instinct I have, I got up at 6am. Well actually it was 8am in Orlando, but since I am not fully acclimatized yet, it was still 6am to my body. I rushed out of my room in a panic to get to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as soon as it opened. I had spent last night reading up on how to get into Ollivander's as fast as possible (the longest line in the park) and how to skip to the front of line for the Forbidden Journey (the second longest line). If you are planning on going check out these two links, they were invaluable, http://www.orlandoinformer.com/wizarding-world-harry-potter-guaranteed-ways-b... and http://www.orlandoinformer.com/harry-potter-forbidden-journey-book-1/. Everything they suggested turned out to be absolutely true. The biggest secret revealed? Don't bring a bag. And be willing to use the singles line. All you have to do is let the kindly attendant to know and presto you are past the crowd and minutes from the front of the line. Worked every time.

It rained bags for the first hour I was there, hence all the rain parkas in the pictures, but after that the sun came out and it was hot! I managed to get my wand, a Marauder's Map for Mark and a few other things. All in all I had a blast.

IMG_2305.MOV Watch on Posterous

IMG_2248.MOV Watch on Posterous

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Hiking in Banff

2011-08-06T14:54:00.001-06:00

A pretty cottage in town. Two different lenses it it a very different look.

Mark at Surprise Corner

Banff Springs from Surprise Corner. Again two different lens for two different looks.

Waterton

2011-08-01T10:57:00.001-06:00

August Long Weekend in Waterton National Park. We went hiking at Cameron Lake.

Waterton

2011-08-01T10:56:00.001-06:00

August Long Weekend in Waterton National Park. We went hiking at Cameron Lake.

A penis picture is worth a thousand words???

2011-07-31T19:24:00.001-06:00

Seriously? Appalled for all single friends who have been receiving pictures of the penises of their possible intendeds. God Damn, but that is vulgar and low class! And one has to wonder, maybe a poor marketing strategy as well? I mean Google is pretty easy to use to look for comparisons. But before you sharpen those pitchforks boys, and yell at me about girls sending pictures of their boobs, there is no such thing as Boys Gone Wild yet. But I sure Grandma Mae and Auntie June will love to tell their friends how you were so sweet as a boy before you turned to the porn. Such happy memories waiting to happen! In the meantime girls, I suggest sending those pictures to the boy's mother. I'm sure she's up for a reminder on why she should be SO proud. And then find someone who respects yo

The real reason we couldn't get a room in Waterton tonight!

2011-07-30T21:50:00.001-06:00

Mark watching the fireworks at Thunder in the Valley

2011-07-17T00:05:00.001-06:00

It was amazing!!! I am officially in love with Blairmore!

My name is spoiled spoiledly-son

2011-07-13T13:27:00.001-06:00

I'm the most spoiled cat in the world after Leona Helmleys dogs that inherited $2 million each.

Heidi Fournier
Sent from my iPhone

Hot Neville

2011-07-12T22:08:00.001-06:00

Check out Neville Longbottom! All grown up! Tall & handsome. This kid grew into his face. http://www.laineygossip.com/mobile/SmartDetail.aspx?Id=20678&CatID=0&CelID=0

SASSY GAY FRIEND - Eve

2011-07-12T17:34:00.001-06:00

I laughed my a$$ off at this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQhkzYVlLl8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

SASSY GAY FRIEND - Eve

2011-07-12T17:13:00.001-06:00

I laughed my a$$ off at this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQhkzYVlLl8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Katya & I Painting up a Wednesday Night

2011-06-29T19:46:00.001-06:00

Heidi Fournier
Sent from my iPhone

Katya & I in Elkwater

2011-06-27T17:13:00.001-06:00

She was very proud of the sand castle she made.

Medicine Hat Jazzfest

2011-06-24T14:34:00.001-06:00

Enjoying the sun on the roof of the Esplande listening to jazz with Jill & Mom

Heidi Fournier
Sent from my iPhone

Mark Para-Sailing

2011-06-16T13:41:00.001-06:00

In Puerto Vallarta. RUI Vallarta.

Heidi Fournier
Sent from my iPhone

Victoria - May Long Weekend

2011-05-25T19:32:00.001-06:00

Thanks to my lovely friend Christine for putting me up again. I even got my own room in her swanky new pad!

Heidi Fournier
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James Ellroy's LA: A Man, his imaginary Police Dog, & Crime

2011-04-19T14:06:00.001-06:00

I have been watching James Ellroy's LA: City of Demons on iTunes and am addicted to the man they call the Demon Dog. He has a vocabulary that could sink a ship. I am not even sure how he manages to turn out all the words he seamlessly utters. It seems like each has 15 letters. Add to this the fact that Ellroy invites along Barko the corrupt - and imaginary - police dog, and you have something very strange & addictive.

Check it out if you are a fan of his LA Quartet of novels, or if you are just looking for something sort of weird, but so watchable. Even if it is just to hear him talk. Because that is a performance in and of itself.

Watervalley Saloon

2011-04-16T13:22:00.001-06:00

We decided we just couldn't spend another Saturday in the house. F#cking weather. So Mark took me to Watervalley which seems to be in some sort of snow belt, as everything is still hip deep here. Then we decided to have lunch at the infamous Watervalley Saloon. And let me tell you, there must have been good times had here last night, because the smell of lysol is almost overwhelming.

Heidi Fournier
Sent from my iPhone

Ryan Gosling Not Endorsing ShitHarperDid.com

2011-04-14T12:42:00.001-06:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

Clever. Very clever. They has me at Rita McNeil.

My new chair & flowers from Mark. My two pretty things!

2011-04-14T10:20:00.001-06:00

I've not been feeling well since Sunday. So, I decided to take a day off & Mark sent me these beautiful flowers. Seriously.made.my.day!

Heidi Fournier
Sent from my iPhone

In the Dark. Mark & his iPhone during our blackout

2011-04-09T21:24:00.001-06:00

I must say, this sound fabulous! Forget Tony & Tina - http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=3824

2011-04-07T10:33:00.001-06:00

The Sheep Have Arrived

2011-04-03T13:12:00.001-06:00

Every spring baby sheep are born at the College. Anyone can go see them & it is a very popular activity. So much so, they have laid out rules so that the babies aren't overwhelmed by the number of visitors. Today there was just one other person besides us. As you can see they are very cute & friendly.

Heidi Fournier
Sent from my iPhone

Just a Man & His Cat

2011-04-02T16:15:00.001-06:00

We know who Mushu loves most. Next they are going for a picnic together.

Heidi Fournier
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Master Retreat / Terri Symington, ASID

2011-04-02T10:42:00.001-06:00

It's been decided this is the look we are going to try to recreate for our bedroom.

We have bought the mirrored tables & the glass lamps. Now we need the headboard & the curtains. Unfortunately, we don't have the height for this type of chandelier so I think I will go with a drum shaped fixture with crystals like this Debbie Travis one at Canadian Tire, http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/0520378P/no-debbie-travis-charlotte-3-light-chrome-chandelier-reviews/reviews.htm.

I also found this How-To Guide on how to create a tufted headboard,

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/01/diy-simple-tufted-headboard/ & think I'm going to give it a try. I like the height. The other ones I've seen online all seem too low given we have a pillow top mattress that is quite high.

What do you think?

Check out this photo from houzz.com

Sent with Houzz for the iPad

A little April Fools Fun, http://mail.google.com/mail/help/motion.html

2011-04-01T09:28:00.001-06:00

Bathroom Art

2011-03-06T00:23:00.001-07:00

Great day in Banff. Celebrated Anne's birthday. Then had some fun at the Rose & Crown. Finally, had to catch up on the bathroom stall art at the Pump & Tap. All in all a good day!

Heidi Sent from my iPhone

The Cows, the cows!

2011-03-04T21:57:00.001-07:00

We had a great breakfast today then Mom forced me to shop until I almost died. Had steak sandwiches for supper at one of the noisiest pubs in town. This was our conversation,

What?
What?? WHAT?!?

Before deciding to head back to our room play with all our new booty.

My New Boots

2011-03-03T21:24:00.001-07:00

Mom & I had a great day in Banff. We hiked Johnson Canyon, which as deserted, so we pretty much had it to ourselves. Then we hiked the trail along the Bow River and stopped by the Waldhaus at the Banff Springs for supper. Finally, we finished off the day with a little shopping. I splurged & bought myself a pair of red Hunter rubber boots. I am SO wearing them out Saturday night.

Heidi Sent from my iPhone

Excellenct Case Study

2011-02-11T11:59:00.001-07:00

For all those teachers out there looking for a great case study on a Social Media Fail, check out the blog post below. Also, I think it is an excellent show case for how corporate avarice is being combated by new technology.

Social Media Fail

Nearly every business owner knows by now that they should probably have a Facebook page. The trouble is, many of them don't know why.

Most will say that it's to help their consumers learn more about their brand, or that it might in some vague way enable their consumers to spread their (the company's) brand messages. Or they simply want one because their competitors have one.

While none of this is untrue, the most important thing to remember is that it all starts with a strategy. Like any marketing activity, a Facebook page must fit with the overall brand message and be integrated into all of the other marketing activities.

Furthermore, any social media marketing activity must have a plan for when things go south.

Witness the recent activity on the Facebook page for ski resort Sunshine Village. It has been gathering interest for the wrong reasons.

Click here for more info

Happy Birthday Flickr!

2011-02-10T10:30:00.001-07:00

Flickr is 7 years old today!
http://blog.flickr.net/en/2011/02/10/happy-birthday-flickr-3/

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/big-book/
http://www.westelm.com/?cm_type=gnav

When Small is Better

2011-01-29T09:47:00.001-07:00

When Mark and I lived in Banff we heard from a number of our friends that they just couldn't imagine living in such a small house. Unfortunately, Banff is an expensive place and buying an actual house (we own a townhouse in Banff) is out of the reach of most. But it's not just price that's the issue, it's the fact that Banff has no new building space. As a National Park the townsite has been regulated to a small footprint. If you have ever experienced Banff National Park you can sympathise, when you have a majestic view you don't want to hide it in smog or behind high rises. Yet, there are many who would. Progress and urbanization aren't dirty words to everyone. My father (bless his free market soul) would drain the Vermillion Lakes, just west of town, to put in multiple-family housing. In fact, he is aggrieved it hasn't been done yet.
But all these factors have conspired to do one wonderful thing for Banff - they have made it a walkable town. In 15 minutes you can walk anywhere. Take that in - anywhere. Any restaurant, the gym, the bank, the grocery store, all can easily be accessed by using bipedal motion. Even in a town of 8000 people. The next time you are stuck in traffic ask yourself how valuable that is. Would you walk if you could?

Because according to Maclean's Magazine we spend an average of 63 minutes a day in traffic. Which equals a staggering 32 days a year spent in traffic. I'm sure some of you are starting to question if you can continue to live that way. While you stew behind the wheel you can't help but imagine a life without gridlock. I know we did and it was one of the main reasons we decided to take positions with a small rural college, where we could live in a small, if not totally walkable community. The drive from our new house in Didsbury to Olds College takes us 9 minutes and doesn't even include traffic light. We made the decision to live small. This seems to be an idea that is catching on for a number of reasons. I think the video below gives some great explanations.

I think The small living movement has come along because an increasing number of people caught in the endless in their car are starting to weigh in on what lifestyle means. Is it a big house in the suburbs with a huge commute? Because as some said, our place in Banff was small, but it was but we made adjustments and found we actually liked that it was easier to clean, cheaper to heat and was located in a smaller, but eminently livable town. It makes me wonder if people would be willing to spend more for less space if they could reduce their commute time?

I won't lie when we moved to Banff we were appalled that we would be living in a MUCH smaller space then we had before, except in University. That's not the dream. The McHouse is the dream. A garage, master suite, room for kids and toys; and where are you going to get it? Unfortunately, for most, a long ways from either the city core or their job. So it seems that if you want to spend less time in the car, hopefully, even walk more and embrace a less cluttered lifestyle, you have two choices: move closer to your work which will most likely mean high costs for smaller space, or move to a smaller community that can offer you a job and lifestyle that is more balanced. I know this is not for everyone, but there are more and more companies that have sprung up to provide those who live in smaller spaces with the furniture, idea and accouterments they need to make that 400-800 sq ft place a palace of livable space. If your interested check out some of my favourite sites

http://www.calgaryherald.com/mobile/iphone/story.html?id=4187087

They Aren't Asking for Enough

2011-01-28T17:27:00.001-07:00

But you have to wonder - is this kid even self aware enough to understand what be has done to these people's families? Let alone what his actions have now brought down upon his own. I wonder if his classmates at U of Vic understand what sort of person they are sharing a class, meal or party with? Hope none of them make him unhappy.

Ice Magic Festival at Lake Louise

2011-01-23T21:34:00.001-07:00

Heidi Sent from my iPhone

Avalanche Are Not Toys, for Entitled Snot Nosed Youths

2011-01-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

Last year people die in avalanches in Alberta's back country. Warnings abound. Education on safety is everywhere and still people risk their own lives and others by going off trails and into unsafe territory. What makes me mad about this is not just thoughtless endangerment, but when those who are hired to protect people from such things get punished for doing their jobs. Check out these two article and read the comments section after the Sun Article. As for entitled little brats who wish to risk their lives and those of others in avalanche areas, they should be tried and jailed the same way drunk drivers are.
http://tinyurl.com/5s2gxch

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/More+staff+firings+Sunshine+Village+after+patrollers+stage+protest/4142375/story.html

If this pisses you off too, you can join the protest, http...://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_128223313911058

Tucker & Dale vs Evil

2011-01-08T09:39:00.001-07:00

I just laughed my ass off watching the trailer for Tucker & Dale vs Evil about to dudes who buy a cabin as weekend vacation place and get mistaken for Ax Murders by a bunch of college kids.

I just love Allan Tudyk from Firefly, and Tyler Labine from another, cancelled before its time, show Reaper. This look like a really funny send up of every Evil Dead, Jason, Cabin in the Woods type of horror movie.

Heidi Schempp Fournier

San Diego Day 7 - SeaWorld

2010-12-27T19:21:00.001-07:00

At SeaWorld.

Heidi Sent from my iPhone

San Diego Day 6 - Coronando Island

2010-12-25T18:34:00.001-07:00

Mark at the Ferry Landing and at Imperial Beach at the Coronado Hotel.

Heidi Sent from my iPhone

San Diego Day 5 - At Midway

2010-12-24T18:03:00.001-07:00

Mark had a great time touring the ship and having his picture taken with all the airplanes.

Heidi Sent from my iPhone

San Diego Day 4 - Balboa Park

2010-12-23T18:58:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how HUGE Balboa Park is. We barely saw 1/4 of the sites and spent hours there. Midway tomorrow!

Heidi Sent from my iPhone

Big Diego

2010-12-22T23:42:00.001-07:00

In tribute to Jules in Cougar Town, I have named my giant wine glass Big Diego. Salute!

Heidi Sent from my iPhone

San Diego Trip Day 3

2010-12-22T16:04:00.001-07:00

Mark waiting for the trolley

Heidi Sent from my iPhone

Nailing that Interview

2010-12-07T14:31:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago a friend of mine emailed me regarding an exciting interview she had gotten. She wanted some tips on how to close the deal. I was happy to share my knowledge. However, once I started typing out my thoughts, even I was surprised by how much I do to prepare for an interview. Because of this I thought it would be information worth sharing. Hopefully, this helps with your next big interview. If it does, let me know, I would love to get feedback.

Some of you may not know that I have been through close to 20 interviews since I left college and embarked on my (so far) thirteen year career. I have also moved five times to pursue my or my husband's career goals. If there is any advice I would give to a job seekers it would be these two things: don't think you can give a good interview without preparation and don't be afraid to move for the right job. Before I address the first piece of advice let me deal with the second. Over the course of my career I have often met people who are victims of golden handcuffs. Work situations they perceive as so good, due to hours, pensions, pay etc. that they can't bring themselves to move on. I would argue that there is never a good enough reason to stay someplace you are miserable, but experience has shown me that this is not how a lot of people react. These people would rather gut it out everyday in a job they are bored by or loath. Usually, when you ask why they stay the answer is they just don't want to move. Whether that means jobs, houses or cities. Now I don't doubt that moving a family is not that much fun. But it isn't that much fun struggling to get out of bed every morning to go to a job you just can no longer face either.

However, every once and a while someone wants to take that plunge, and to those people I say, bravo! Go after your happiness! So now you need to go back to my first piece of advice, prepare to land that new opportunity the moment you get the interview. To do this, I have put together a list of all the things I do to prepare. It is very rare that I don't get an offer for a job I interview for. This is not just because I have good skills and experience, lots of people have those, but rather I prepare for an interview with a ruthless focus. I would say I easily spend 3-5 hours preparing for an interview, if not more. If you think this seems like a lot of time, think of it this way: if you are offered a job where you make $10,000 more, then those hours are worth $2000 each. Now is it worth it?

Below is the process I following, and I have to say I have been very successful with it. In the past 4 years there have only been 3 times when I did not get offered the job I had applied for, and in each one of those situations there was an internal candidate I was up against. So I don't consider this my failure by any measure. But this does bring me to one word of caution, it has been my experience that it is not usually worth the effort to interview for jobs where there are strong internal canidates, especially, if the company is unionized. Now I am not saying don't ever take an interview in this situation, but experience has taught me to be cautionous. As I said above I spend considerable time to prepare for an interview, and I don't like it when that preparation is for nothing. When I get an interview, one of the first questions I ask is if there is an internal canidate interviewing as well. If there is, I then I ask myself how badly I want the job. I have turned down interviews where there have been internal candidates. Let's face it, sometimes interviews are just set up to follow union rules and the successful candidate is a forgone conclusions. There is a lot of pressure to hire people who have essentially been doing the jobs on contract for a number of years. To de-seat someone like that you have to double prepare and have a management team that is willing to make changes. This isn't always the situation, so be sure you really want the job or don't mind giving up the prep time.

Today, most interviews are behavioural interviews. This means that the interviewers generally ask questions designed to illicit strong responses. They are trying to dig down to your core and see what makes you tick. So it doesn't hurt to do some research on this type of interview so you understand the process, and therefore how to answer the questions. Hiring the wrong person can cost a company a lot of time and money, so they want to find out if you are going to be a good fit. Usually most behavioural interviews use a cross section of 50 common interview questions. You can find these online by Googling. I have my husband go through these with me a couple of times before an interview. That way I rarely get hit with questions I don't know how to answer.

Over the years I have accumulated reference letters from previous employers so I always bring a copy of my three best. I find handing them over at the end of the interview usually cuts through the reference issue and it is a de-facto way of saying, hey, I'm so great you don't even have to check my references, I brought them to you. Usually, I find most employers don't call my references because of this. If you have never asked for a reference letter when leaving a job, be sure you do so from this point on. I would even encourage you to ask for one if you still have a good relationship with your previous employers.

Lately, I have also been bringing a portfolio of my work. I find it usually gets a good reaction and proves that I can do what I say. I have stuff in there like papers I have written, curriculum I have designed, presentations I have given, and any awards I have received, etc. Find out more about how to put together a great portfolio here.

Then, of course, there are the small things, I always shake all the interviewer's hands when I come in and when I leave. I make a point of smiling and being relaxed through the whole interview. I constantly try to remind myself to keep my hands still, keep a relaxed smile on my face, sit up straight, and to take my time answering questions so that I don't just jabber stuff. I tend to talk over people, so I try to be hyper aware of this, and not to interrupt by mentally slowing my reactions down.

I also constantly remind myself to make and maintaining eye contact with each person I am talking to, as well as making eye contact with everyone else in the interview. I find eye contact is important. People feel they have a better connection to you and tend to trust you more when you make good eye contact.

I always bring three questions with me to ask at the end of the interview. It shows you are prepared and are interested in the job and the company. Usually, I do some research on the company to figure out what questions to ask. But I also research the company so I can answer any questions regarding what they do, or why I am interested in working for them. If I know who the interviewers are I will also research them so that I can be sure to hit on topics I know they are interested. Usually, you can ask the HR department who will be interviewing you, most don't mind giving out this information. Then I always send a thank you note after my interview, it keeps you fresh in the minds of the HR people.

Finally, and I think this might be the most important thing in an interview, always get the right time slot. I ALWAYS ask for the first interview of the day. As anyone who has ever done interviews can tell you, people begin to blur into each other over time. If your first up you can set yourself up at the person to beat. You have the power to create a strong impression that everyone who comes after will need to combat, and you will have the benefit of staying crisp in the interviewer's mind. But sometimes, someone else beats you to that spot, in that case you are best to ask for the final spot of the day. If you can't set the bar, then your best chance is to is to leave a strong impression at the end of the day.

Good luck!

Your Highness

2010-11-17T11:15:00.001-07:00

This looks hilarious. I had heard about this movie before, but had not envisioned it this way. Thought it would be more pretentious period movie. Might replace Hot Tub Time Machine as my go to comedy.

Its an RV World

2010-11-12T13:55:00.001-07:00

It has occurred to me since we have moved to the Corridor (the area between Calgary to Red Deer) that Mark and I are being judged on the fact that we do not own an Recreational Vehicle (RV).

On the street we live everyone has an RV parked on their lot. And by everyone I don't mean every second house, I mean EVERY house. Looking for a house in this area we had no idea how important RVing was, it is one of the main items listed on the MLS sheet. Buy a house and at the same time buy a parking space for your mobile house. Which begs the question: why do you need a mobile house?

RV's are one of life great conundrums to me. It just doesn't make sense. If you want to go camping, then, by all means, go camping, but do it in the way you were meant to - in a tent. If you are taking your massive RV out to a camping spot your not really camping, your renting a very small acreage. An RV that has all the amenities of a home is in no way roughing it or anyway communing with nature. You have just moved a smaller version of your house to a more secluded, yet not necessarily quieter, place.

Mark has been showing me around the area between Red Deer and Olds and twice now we have come across these huge RV communities on lakes. These parks are made up of lot after lot of traditional or park model RV's. All these RV's just packed into the space. Right now it is very quiet, as they are closed for the season, but I can imagine in the summer exactly how loud and busy these places become. This doesn't seem relaxing to me. It seems like I am replacing one noisy, busy place for another. This is exactly why Mark and I didn't buy a lot we were looking at 40 Mile Dam a few years ago. The lot was actually half the size of the lot our house sat on. We would be forever in our neighbour's business. We wanted a quiet retreat and when we saw the size of the lot we knew we would be better off to just fix up our own backyard. We would have more privacy. But that is what you get at these places and they certainly don't seem to be hurting for those wanting a spot.

But I have to ask, what about the money? Most of these RV's start at around $25,000 and I am told go up exponentaly from there. A park models start at $75,000. Do you know how many all inclusive vacations that is? For your minimum $25,000 investment that is 2 all inclusive, 1 week vacations a year for six years. Six years. Are you going to use your RV that long? Now factor in the cost of these fun 'camping' weekends: gas, camping fees, food, liquor, and any other toys you have brought that need gas or service. Now look at an all-inclusive: nothing except any extras you want such as excursions or shopping. If you never leave your resort you can get away with $50 for tips. That includes all your food and liquor and most of your entertainment. Now let's compare the hassle tax with an RV: maintenance, parking (if you don't live in the Corridor and have to store it), buying and preparing all that food everyone eats, cleaning up after everyone eats, and cleaning out the thing when you get back. For an all inclusive: packing to get there, flying, and unpacking when you get home. While you are there, you do nothing, but sit and drink Mai Tais, eat out and sun yourself. Which sounds like the better deal?

But don't forget camping is fun.

http://vids.perezhilton.com/plugins/player.swf?v=68d41336db01a&p=vega4-wi..."/>http://vids.perezhilton.com"/>

Try Not Grooving Along to This!!

2010-11-11T16:39:00.001-07:00

Yearly Rant

2010-11-10T08:51:00.001-07:00

Woke up yesterday at 4am. Today at 5am. Thank you Daylight Savings Time (DST). Every year I rant about this, and as you have guessed, this year ain't going to be any different. But mostly besides my utter disdain for DST, I have to ask why do we still do this. No, really, why? I never speak to anyone who says, 'thank God for that extra bit of light in the morning, I don't mind all the dark on the other end - totally worth it!' I mean, do you?

So this just lead me to the inevitable question: who would be upset if we got rid of DST? Nobody that I know of. So why do we still use it?

poll by twiigs.com

Check out my HipstaPrint

2010-11-06T10:47:00.001-06:00

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone using the new Dali Package.

Sent from my iPhone

Fantastic Presentations

2010-11-01T12:58:00.001-06:00

Slide Share announced their Best Presentation Contest, . I am trying to encourage my students to submit work.

This was one of the winners from last: Shift Happens, .

Heidi Schempp Fournier

Why Creeps Are Ruining Flickr

2010-10-27T16:45:00.001-06:00

I love using Flickr. I have used it to house my photos for almost 4 years. I love the fact that I can share photos with family and friends scattered all over the world. I am also happy that I can upload good quality pictures and video and store them on Flickr. I never keep my photos on my laptop, I keep everything on Flickr. It saves me hard drive space and I can access pictures from anywhere.

Over the years I have been charmed by the fact that people all over the world have favourited, used, and commented on photos I have put up. I have had really good conversations with people I have never meet about the slave cabins my mother and I saw on a plantation tour we took while in New Orleans. My pictures have shown up along side recipes and articles in online magazines in a number of different countries. In fact, a few years ago a Brazilian reporter found the pictures from the Divorce Party I hosted for a girlfriend and I ended up being interviewed on the topic. All these things have proven the value of Flickr to me.

However, there are also been a couple of truly creepy things that have happened as well. Two years ago pictures of me snowshoeing were added to the favourites list of a S & M dungeon master in Germany. Yes, you read that right - snowshoeing. I really don't know why such a person would need this type picture of someone they don't know. But I'll let your imagination take fill in the blanks. Today, something even creepier. I get an email from Flickr that another person I don't know has favourited a bunch of pictures of me. Pictures of me on vacation, sweet pictures of me smiling in a pretty dress or bathing suit on the beach. These are not torrid pictures by any stretch of the imagination. But when I go to check out this person's photostream it is full of pornographic pictures. I am so not cool with this.

My first reaction was f%cking anger. Do I now have to remove these perfectly innocent photos because some creep I don't know has added them to their photostream? Then, why can't Flickr monitor this sort of shit better? I mean there is a warning right not this jerk's page before you enter his photostream. If users are hosting this type of content, why can't Flickr restrict their ability to favourite photos without the owner's permission? Then finally, so much for Creative Commons. I like to put content up for people to use and to share. This is one of the best things about Flickr in particular, the ability to share work with people all over the world. But if this kind of disturbing shit keeps happening, well then I am going to restrict all personal content to family and friends.

Now maybe this is something I should have done a long time ago. Maybe I should have just figured there are creeps all over the world and that it was foolish to think you can put a picture of yourself snowshoeing without them being added to an S & M photostream. But the lesson has been learned. Every single photo of a person I put on Flickr will not be restricted to family and friends. And this is why creeps are ruining Flickr.

Colour Splash

2010-09-28T21:16:00.001-06:00

A few pictures I created with my new app - Colour Splash. Pretty funky. I think I might be in love!

Sent from my iPhone

Hereafter Trailer

2010-09-11T22:10:00.001-06:00

I had heard of this movie, but I must admit, that besides the fact that it is directed by Clint Eastwook, I wasn't really interested until I saw this trailer.

Now I am dying to see it.

I Heart Talking Carl!

2010-09-09T21:31:00.001-06:00

I can't stop tickling him!
http://www.awyse.com/talkingcarl/TalkingCarl.html

The Good the Bad, and the Kobo

2010-09-09T21:16:00.001-06:00

For the last year I have been using my iPhone to read books. It was kind of a strange process really, because what I had wanted was a Kindle, and like so many good things, you couldn't buy one in Canada. Add to that the fact that we lived in a shoe box with no room for hardcover books, I knew something had to give. But to say I wanted to move to reading electronic books for just their space saving properties is not the full truth, I also wanted to pay a lot less for my books, a lot less.

But what are you going to do when you can't buy a Kindle (at the time it was the only eReader on the market, fast forward a year and suddenly everyone makes them (figures), and I was unwilling to shell out almost $400 for the Sony eReader. I started thinking about my iPhone. I mean didn't I already watch TV and Movies on the damn thing? Surf the net, email, text, and play games? And as Apple had been repeatedly telling me - there's an app for that - and guess what, there was! A number in fact. Most apps were however, focused on free books, those that had been out sooooo long that they were no longer subject to copyright. Which is not a bad thing, if you haven't read most of the classics, or have a desire to read the classics, or books written in 1916 about spy's who don't use gadgets or sleep with sexy agents who are not cleverly named - like, not at all. But it's not just that, there seems to be this whole subculture of snobs out there who feel that classics are the only thing worth reading. Sort of like those people who tell you they only listen to CBC. Right.

But luckily, for those of us who cherish reading trash, Barnes and Nobel had put out an eReader app. I fell in love and started downloading and reading like crazy on my iPhone. I can't tell you how much I love sitting on my couch and downloading a new book and then settling down to read. Now I have 3 eReaders on my phone and my favorite is Kobo from Chapters / Indigo. I have to tell you this surprises me, because it was pretty shitty when they first released it. It didn't have any of the bells and whistles I loved about Barnes and Nobles's eReader, but over the past 6 months or so they have worked steadily to improve it. Suddenly, they also seem to have the biggest selection of eBooks available as well. The last 5 books I have downloaded I have check all three of my eReader apps (the third being iBooks from Apple) and only Kobo has had them.

So when I decided I need to read Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series, they were the go to store. Honestly, there selection is amazing when you consider this triology is Young Adult. Then I downloaded two Alison Weir books (historical biography) and Tongues of Serpents (fantasy), and they again they were the only store that had them. Now this week they have released a desktop app so you can read your ebooks on your computer or iPhone. If you are thinking about getting an eBook app, this one is lacking a few fancy functions, but the book selection is the best.

Check it out here.

When Trash was Truly Trashy

2010-09-09T20:52:00.001-06:00

OMG! Do you remember the book, Lace by Shirley Conran? I remember reading this when I was about 14. Do you remember the goldfish scene? Like that would happen, but I was a tween and open to everything. The book was classic trash. It was the sort of trash that Jackie Collins' books aspired to be.

Then they came out with the TV Miniseries and it was HUGE. Of course, this was in the early 80's when all miniseries where must watch TV, thank you Roots. Below is a taste of the cheesy goodness that was the miniseries. I thought it would be nigh on impossible to find, but believe it or not, you can watch the entire miniseries on YouTube.com, in 25 ten minute segments! F#ck do I love YoutTube and the Internet - thank you Internet!

This was the classic scene they advertised the movie with it was tres risqué for the time. The use of the word 'bitches' was so damn brazen, and edgy. I mean you had to watch the minisereis, you had to find which one of these bitches was her mother. How could that happen? You suspected it had to do with illicet sex, or at least you really, really hoped it did.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jvZKJBIeArM?fs=1&hl=en_US</a>" />

Hanging with Kris & James

2010-09-05T13:03:00.001-06:00

September long weekend 2010.

Nieces & Nephews

2010-08-30T17:11:00.001-06:00

Pictures from our weekend celebrating Mom & Dads 40th Anniversary.

Sent from my iPhone

Moving Blues

2010-08-18T09:49:00.001-06:00

This morning I woke up and I was so sad. I have the moving blues. I actually think I miss the tourists crowding out the streets in Banff right now.

I am at that point when the excitement of the new job wears off and mostly you are just annoyed that you still can't find your favourite shirt. Or that you don't have your clothes 'really' put away anyway. Or that you need to find a new Doctor, Hair dresser, Esthetician, etc, so many people! It just seems so overwhelming. You miss the fact that you used to be able to call someone up and make an appointment, rather than go through the dance of Googling for someone, trying them out to see if they will work - usually, they don't - and having to again try with someone new. I wish moves came with a package that included the names of all these people - massage therapists, acupuncturists - that have been vetted and assigned to you and you can just go ahead and make an appointment anytime, and know you are getting great service. Of course, it doesn't help that most of the business owners in Olds don't have websites so that you can at least vet someone first. Or find their office hours. And for those who have Facebook accounts, but nothing on them, well, you can see how that wouldn't inspire confidence.

I'll get over it. Eventually. When I have found my favourite shirt in that pile of clothes by the bed that still needs to be put away.

Dragon Boat Races at Lake Minnewanka

2010-08-14T14:40:00.001-06:00

Sent from my iPhone

Websites not optional. Social Media, maybe

2010-08-07T17:04:00.001-06:00

So for those of you who are not in the know, Mark and I have recently moved to Bowden, Alberta. It is am SMALL town. We decided to rent in Bowden to facilitate my new (yipee!) position as a full-time communications instructor at Olds College. Olds, which is another, not so small, town, is about 10 minutes from Bowden. Since we don't know where Mark is going to end up working we though this a good spot. See we live in what is dubbed 'the corridor', which is a series of towns all about 10 minutes from each other that exist in the exquisite nexus of land that is between Calgary and Edmonton, which counts Red Deer (half way between Calgary and Edmonton) as its reason for existence. Red Deer is the third largest city in Alberta (I can hear all the people in Lethbridge hissing between their teeth) and a huge oil and gas town. Between Red Deer and Calgary are a series of communities that have steadily become more interesting to Calgary escapees, and those who wish to work in 'the Deer' and not live there, or rather, to live some place less expensive. Hence, Innisfail, Bowden and Olds have all boomed in the last ten years. Bowden definitely has seen the slowest growth, mainly due to the fact that is has a minimum security penitentiary and being the community furthest from Red Deer(the closest being Innisfail) and Calgary (the closest being Olds), but Mark and I feel there is a good chance that Bowden’s day is about to dawn,

But all that aside, lets get to what I really want to talk about, websites. First of all, Olds is not a large community as I said, about 15,000 people, and it swells when the students arrive, but still, we are still talking a large town. When we moved I did something horrific to my neck and have been in pain now a week straight. I needed a chiropractor, a massage therapist, and an acupuncturist. When I started to look for these things I did what about 75% of people do these days to find them, I Googled. And what did I find? Well I found 411.ca, and on line white page listings. Not one of these companies had a website. Not one.

But what shocked me is that two of them had Facebook Fan pages! These businesses couldn’t be bothered to invest in a basic website, which, let’s be honest is really all they needed: times open, rates, services, pictures of staff. Rather, they went with a content hungry, time consuming and possibly limiting medium to advertise their business. If I asked them why, they would most likely tell me that they were advised to by their kids, or that all the kids were doing it. If I asked them to tell me what sort of return they were getting from Facebook, they most likely wouldn’t be able to give me numbers of walk-ins or hits. I would surprised if they knew about Facebook Insight or how to use Google Analytics. And as most Facebook users know, Facebook requires constant updating to be really valuable. Who is doing this? Who is updating their Fan page with new info? Who is controlling the conversation happening on their wall? Probably, a revolving crew of people who do it ‘when they have time’. This just proves to me one thing, as a business has to have a website, it is a basic tool of business like a debit machine or business cards; however, business should seriously ask themselves why they think it would be better to go with a social media site, like Facebook. Have these business really considered what business problem they are solving by having a Fan page? Or have they simply created more work for themselves, and presented a less user friendly face to potential customers?

Footsie

2010-07-23T21:36:00.001-06:00

Nothing like playing footsie.

Old Spice Sends Personal Twitter Video Replies - Sweet

2010-07-15T09:49:00.001-06:00

via digitalbuzzblog.com

You all know I love this guy, on a boat, on a horse, or on a hog. But now Digital Buzz Blog is profiling how the Old Spice people have created a viral campaign our our favorite smelling guy by sending out individual videos to those who have tweeted or blogged about him. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get one two!

Samsung 3D Projection Mapping In Amsterdam

2010-07-15T09:39:00.001-06:00

This is very cool. We should try something like this in Banff. The tourists would love it

Sent from my iPhone

Doorway Trompe l'Oeil: Couture Deco

2010-07-14T16:01:00.001-06:00

via apartmenttherapy.com

Love this. Too bad they are so expensive.

Gen X Has a Midlife Crisis

2010-07-12T20:05:00.001-06:00

via nytimes.com

Love this article! Frightfully, dead on. Yeah, you know who you are, cool is so much easier.

@GeekStats: Correlation established between hormonal contraceptives and a high risk of female sexual dysfunction

2010-07-12T12:51:00.001-06:00

Why doesn't this surprise me?

Sarah Richardson (@GeekStats)
7/12/10 11:56 AM
Correlation established between hormonal contraceptives and a high risk of female sexual dysfunction | http://bit.ly/aW7npp

Sent with Twitter for iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

The Hottness

2010-07-10T18:01:00.001-06:00

It's the hat.

Completely Barking Mad

2010-07-08T14:49:00.003-06:00

I have just found out that for some reason all my posts to this blog have failed for the last month. If you have this site bookmarked, might I suggest that you change it to my Posterous blog at Completely Barking Mad? This site gets updated no matter what. I only keep this site because I know many people have it in their Favourites, but it doesn't publish my content as nicely as my new blog does. So how about a change? You might like it. :-)

Saturday Afternoon Walk

2010-06-05T15:08:00.001-06:00

Photo taken on the river trail in Banff.

Sent from my iPhone

Mark by Hipstamtic

2010-06-05T15:07:00.001-06:00

Candids of Mark. My favorite, & most unwilling, subject.

Sent from my iPhone

World Cup Video

2010-06-02T16:23:00.001-06:00

via youtube.com

I just don't know how you can't get excited about the world cup watching this video. Plus, I love K'naan and his song Wavin' Flag, and he kicks the song up to another notch here.

Drinks with Good Friends

2010-05-30T20:53:00.001-06:00

Jenny enjoying her meal at the Waldhaus.

Sent from my iPhone

4 Princesses

2010-05-30T12:43:00.001-06:00

Amethyst, Georgia, Katya & Gabby.

Sent from my iPhone

My Pretty Princess

2010-05-28T21:33:00.001-06:00

Katya in her birthday present we got her from the Bibbity Boppidy Boutique from Mark & I.

Sent from my iPhone

Voyageur's Hotel

2010-05-22T16:01:00.001-06:00

Voyageur's Hotel in Banff.

Banff Grave Yard

2010-05-22T15:12:00.001-06:00

Banff Grave Yard

2010-05-22T15:11:00.001-06:00

Hipstamatic Photos

2010-05-16T20:12:00.001-06:00

Mom the night before Mother's Day.

Mark & I out for drink.

Self Portrait

View from our deck

New comment on Why Every Woman Needs a Cabana Boy.

2010-05-16T15:27:00.001-06:00

Blog hate mail. I was going to delete it, but then thought, why deprive my meger readers of the grammatically incorrect joy? So entertaining! Consider that the post referred to is 3 years old. The only way to find it is to have searched in one of the terms in the title or to know when & where it was published. But then doesn't every man 'shout' a faithful woman?

Begin forwarded message:

From: Anonymous <noreply-comment@blogger.com>
Date: May 16, 2010 10:59:14 AM MDT
To:
Subject: [Completely Barking Mad] New comment on Why Every Woman Needs a Cabana Boy.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Why Every Woman Needs a Cabana Boy":
ur just dumb. all guys shout get women that are faithful and can keep their perverted fantacies off the computer go masturbate and get off the web.

Posted by Anonymous to Completely Barking Mad at 10:59 AM, May 16, 2010

Made to Stick: The Birth of a Sticky Idea | Fast Company

2010-05-16T15:14:00.001-06:00

What a great article! Tge authors couldn't have been more right when the say, 'people won't switch from Pepsi to water. They'll switch from Pepsi to Diet Pepsi.'
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/144/made-to-stick-the-birth-of-a-sticky-i...

Sent from my iPhone

Easy A

2010-05-14T11:11:00.001-06:00

via laineygossip.com

I am not a big Penn Bagley fan, can barely stand him on Gossip Girl, but he actually looks cool in this movie. Over all, Emma Stone seem charming and it looks like this could be a very fun movie.

The Hand Me-Up Generation

2010-05-12T09:43:00.001-06:00

<div style="width:425px" id="__ss_4069894"><strong style="display:block;margin:12px 0 4px">The Hand Me-Up Generation</strong></object><div style="padding:5px 0 12px">View more presentations from Heidi Fournier.</div></div>

I did this presentation for a local group of business women. The group was quite diverse, with some members being versed with some forms of social media and others being totally new to the concepts.

I wanted to appeal to their situation, as parents and grandparents, being pushed by their children and grandchildren, to learn to use some of these technologies.

Mother's Day Lunch at Lake Louise

2010-05-09T14:23:00.001-06:00

At the Post Pub after a nice hike around Lake Louise.

Sent from my iPhone

The Evolution of the Pockey Protector

2010-05-08T21:28:00.001-06:00

My father. The living embodiment of Red Green's immortal senitment, 'if women don't find you handsome they should find you handsome.'

Sent from my iPhone

http://www.fastcompany.com/1639776/your-dating-history-on-display-life-in-2020

Whose Afraid if the Future

2010-05-08T15:05:00.001-06:00

Wow. Can't decide whether I am exceitrd abouttjis or not.

Bring Out the Animal in Me

2010-05-07T15:36:00.001-06:00

More, more, more!!!

When Fathers Kill Their Kids - Page 1 - The Daily Beast

2010-05-06T13:49:00.001-06:00

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In the past nine months, 75 kids were murdered by their dads during custody battles. Cara Tabachnick of The Crime Report goes inside a horrific cycle of violence—and the family courts doing little to stop it.

Wyatt Garcia was born in April 2009. Nine months later, he was shot and killed by his father, who then turned the gun on himself.

It might have turned out differently—if a family-court judge had listened to Wyatt’s mother.

Stephen Garcia, 25, a Pinon Hills, California, contractor, had been allowed unsupervised visits with his son only a few days earlier by San Bernardino County Superior Judge Robert Lemkau, who was adjudicating a bitter custody battle between Garcia and the boy’s mother, Katie Tagle. The judge had refused to take seriously her repeated warnings of her ex-boyfriend’s violent and abusive behavior.

“Courts assume mothers are orchestrating misinformation, instead of trying to protect their children.”

Shortly after Wyatt was born, she left Garcia after he hit her so hard during an argument about his videogame addiction that “he knocked me out,” Tagle said. After she moved home to her parents’, her ex-boyfriend began harassing her and her family when he learned she was dating again, and he filed a motion for custody of little Wyatt. In turn, she filed three motions for an order of protection against Garcia, which were ignored. In the last motion, she charged that he had threatened to kill her and their baby.

Judge Lemkau, however, chose to believe her former boyfriend’s denials rather than the evidence she supplied of Garcia’s threats, including emails, text messages, and voice messages. Although no extenuating circumstances were raised in court transcripts of the case, the judge simply accused Tagle of lying, and ordered that she turn Wyatt over to his father—with fatal results.

Tagle, 23, says the odds against her and Wyatt were stacked the moment her case entered the emotional, chaotic world of the family-court system.

“I was treated like a criminal, like a complaining woman,” she says.

The story of baby Wyatt Garcia is, sadly, not unusual.

In the ten months between June 2009 and April 2010, 75 children were killed by fathers involved in volatile custody battles with their former partners, according to the Center for Judicial Excellence, a court advocacy organization that has been tracking news articles of such deaths around the U.S.

Some recent examples from the dockets of family courts around the country:

• Teigan Peters Brown (3 years old), shot to death by his father during a court-ordered visit. (Arizona, June 2009)

• Bekm Bacon (8 months old), killed by father, who then killed himself during overnight visitation. (Idaho, February 2010)

• Janiyah Nicole Hale (1 year old), father is charged with her death during an overnight visitation. He is a registered sex offender. (Alabama, July 2009)

How did a system set up to protect families and children allow this to happen?

Such tragedies are the consequences of family-court procedures that allow abusive spouses to manipulate the system and leave at-risk children at the mercy of prolonged, expensive court battles over custody. These battles end all too often with a parent forced to share unsupervised custody with an abusive spouse.

via thedailybeast.com

I don't usually like putting this stuff up, but I feel this is something everyone should be aware of.