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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Dale County Sheriff Wally Olsen answers questions from the media about the close of the hostage crisis during a news conference late Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, in Midland City, Ala. Authorities stormed an underground bunker Monday in Midland City, freeing the 5-year-old boy and leaving his captor dead after a week of fruitless negotiations that left authorities convinced the child was in imminent danger. (AP Photo/AL.com, Jay Hare)

Federal and local law enforcement officers gather at their trucks after the hostage crisis ended in Midland City, Ala., on Monday afternoon, Feb. 4, 2013. Officials say they stormed a bunker in Alabama to rescue a 5-year-old child being held hostage there after his abductor was seen with a gun. (AP Photo/The Dothan Eagle, Jay Hare)

FBI Bureau Chief in Mobile, Steve Richardson, left, gives a statement to the media following the end of the hostage crisis in Midland City, Ala. on Monday afternoon, Feb. 4, 2013. Also pictured are Dale County Sheriff Wally Olsen, Dale County District Attorney Kirk Adams and State Trooper Kevin Cook. (AP Photo/The Dothan Eagle, Jay Hare)

Armed law enforcement personnel station themselves near the property of Jimmy Lee Sykes, Monday, Feb. 4, 2013 in Midland City, Ala. Officials say they stormed a bunker in Alabama to rescue a 5-year-old child being held hostage there after Sykes, his abductor, was seen with a gun. (AP Photo/AL.com, Joe Songer)

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) ? By all accounts, a 5-year-old in Alabama endured an unforgettable horror: Held for a week in a closet-size bunker underground, a captive of a volatile killer, his only comforts a Hot Wheels car and other treats passed to him by officers.

Yet after being whisked to safety by federal agents in a raid that left his kidnapper dead, the boy appeared to be acting like a normal kid: He was running around, playing with a toy dinosaur and other action figures, eating a turkey sandwich and watching "SpongeBob SquarePants," relatives and Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson said.

"We know he's OK physically, but we don't know how he is mentally," Betty Jean Ransbottom, the boy's grandmother, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. She added that she feared the ordeal would stay with the child, who turns 6 on Wednesday, the rest of his life.

Meanwhile, authorities grateful for a happy ending embarked on a careful investigation. Agents swept the 100-acre property for explosives for a second day as part of an investigation so painstaking that authorities had not yet removed the body of the abductor, 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, officials said.

FBI officials have offered few details publicly about the standoff and the raid that ended it. For days, officers passed food, medicine and other items into the bunker, which was similar to a tornado shelter and apparently had running water, heat and cable television.

Ransbottom said the family also had not been told much about what happened because of the ongoing investigation. An FBI agent had been staying with the family, and relatives learned of the child's rescue after another agent at the scene called the agent who was with them.

The family was relieved and grateful for all the support in a community where ribbons, fliers and vigils all symbolized the prayers for the safe return of the boy, whom law enforcement officials have identified by his first name, Ethan.

The boy's mother, in a statement released by the FBI, expressed her thanks for all the hard work of so many officers to bring her son home. The woman declined to be identified, the statement said.

"For the first time in almost a week, I woke up this morning to the most beautiful sight ... my sweet boy," she said. "I can't describe how incredible it is to hold him again."

On Monday, authorities said Dykes had a gun and appeared increasingly agitated, though it's unclear exactly how his behavior changed. Negotiations ? the details of which have not been made public ? were deteriorating. Agents stormed the bunker, whisking the boy to safety and leaving Dykes dead.

Neighbors said they heard what sounded like explosions and gunshots, though the FBI and local authorities would not confirm if shots were fired or explosives detonated.

A law enforcement official in Midland City, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Dykes was killed by law enforcement agents. The official requested anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.

However, Dale County Coroner Woodrow Hilboldt said Tuesday that he had not been able to confirm exactly how Dykes died because the man's body remained in the bunker. An autopsy was to be conducted in Montgomery once the body is taken away.

It also wasn't clear how authorities knew Dykes was armed, or what kind of surveillance they used to track his behavior and movement.

At the request of law enforcement authorities, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta had approved the provision of certain equipment that could be employed to assist in the hostage situation, according to a U.S. official who requested anonymity to discuss a pending law enforcement matter. It is not clear whether the equipment was actually used.

In Midland City, a town of about 2,400 nestled among peanut and cotton fields, residents were relieved that the boy was safely rescued from Dykes, a man neighbors described as an unstable menace who beat a dog to death and threatened to shoot trespassers.

Children and teachers were trying to get back to normal, though some children who were on the bus where Dykes killed the driver have not yet returned to school, said Donny Bynum, superintendent of Midland City schools. Counselors and clergy are at the school to help any distraught students.

Officials hope to eventually throw a party to celebrate the boy's 6th birthday and to honor the memory of Charles Albert Poland Jr., the slain bus driver. No date has been set, Bynum said.

Midland City Elementary School principal Phillip Parker said he stands at the entrance to the school every day as the children arrive. The boy is a friendly, energetic child who comes up, shakes his hand and then continues on into the school as if he's in a hurry, Parker said.

Officials said there was no indication that Dykes had harmed the boy. State Sen. Harri Anne Smith represents Midland City and bonded with the boy's mother during the ordeal. Smith said the mother was encouraged the day the boy was abducted because Dykes asked officers to bring fried chicken ? Ethan's favorite food.

"That was good news for her that Mr. Dykes was being kind to him," Smith said.

The boy gave his mother a big hug at the hospital, where officers gave the boy a teddy bear, Olson said.

"He's just a bundle of joy," Olson said.

For now, the boy's family just wants things to go back to normal ? for all the reporters to go home, for him to be like any other kid.

"He has gone through a terrible ordeal, and I don't know if he will ever get over it," said Debra Cook, the boy's great aunt. "I just want him to be all right."

___

Associated Press writer Phillip Rawls in Montgomery, Ala., and Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-05-US-School-Bus-Driver-Shot/id-68425affd4a24baabbeaa734fd91d2a1

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Encounter Books ? Computer Forensics - Finding Out What The Bad ...

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Source: http://ahmedrazu505.blogspot.com/2013/02/encounter-books-computer-forensics.html

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Monday, February 4, 2013

Lights out: Ravens beat 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? From blowout to blackout to shootout, Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens had just enough power to survive one of the most electric Super Bowls ever.

The outage flipped a switch for the San Francisco 49ers, but the Ravens used a last-gasp defensive stand to hold on Sunday night, 34-31.

America's biggest sporting event came to a half-hour standstill in the third quarter when most of the Superdome lights and the scoreboards went dark. By then, the Ravens had a 22-point lead.

Everything changed after that, though, and the 49ers staged a sensational rally before Ray Lewis and Co. shut it down. But there were plenty of white-knuckle moments and the Ravens (14-6) had to make four stops inside their 7 at the end.

For a Super Bowl with so many subplots, it almost had to end this way.

Flacco's arrival as a championship quarterback coincides with Lewis' retirement ? with a second Super Bowl ring no less. The win capped a sensational month since the star linebacker announced he was leaving the game after 17 Hall of Fame-caliber years.

The sibling rivalry between the coaching Harbaughs went to John, older than Jim by 15 months.

"How could it be any other way? It's never pretty. It's never perfect. But it's us," John Harbaugh said. "It was us today."

At 4 hours, 14 minutes, it was the longest Super Bowl ever. Among the most thrilling, too.

The loss of power delayed the game 34 minutes and left players from both sides stretching and chatting with each other. It also cost Baltimore whatever momentum it built, and that was considerable after Jacoby Jones' 108-yard kickoff return and game MVP Flacco's three touchdown passes made it 28-6.

Back came San Francisco (13-5-1) in search of its sixth Lombardi Trophy in as many tries.

Michael Crabtree's 31-yard touchdown reception on which he broke two tackles made it 28-13. A couple minutes later, Frank Gore's 6-yard run followed a 32-yard punt return by Ted Ginn Jr., and the 49ers were within eight.

Ray Rice's fumble at his 24 led to David Akers' 34-yard field goal, but Baltimore woke up for a long drive leading to rookie Justin Tucker's 19-yard field goal.

San Francisco wasn't done challenging, though, and Colin Kaepernick's 15-yard TD run, the longest for a quarterback in a Super Bowl, made it 31-29. A 2-point conversion pass failed when the Ravens blitzed.

Tucker added a 38-yarder with 4:19 remaining, setting up the frantic finish.

Kaepernick couldn't get the Ravens into the end zone on the final three plays ? there was contact on Crabtree on the final pass that appeared incidental, and Jim Harbaugh insisted it was pass interference.

Ravens punter Sam Koch took a safety for the final score with 4 seconds left. His free kick was returned by Ginn to midfield as time ran out.

In the first half, Flacco was as brilliant as Tom Brady, Joe Montana or Terry Bradshaw ever were in the NFL's biggest game. The only quarterback to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons ? his coach holds the same distinction ? was nearly perfect.

It was typical of Flacco and Baltimore's postseason run. The Ravens stumbled into the playoffs with four defeats in its last five regular-season games as Lewis recovered from a torn right triceps and Flacco struggled. Harbaugh even fired his offensive coordinator in December, a stunning move with the postseason so close.

But that ? and every other move Harbaugh, Flacco and the Ravens made since ? were right on target. Just like Flacco's TD passes of 13 yards to Anquan Boldin, 1 to Dennis Pitta and 56 to Jones in the first half, tying a Super Bowl record.

New Orleans native Jones, one of the heroes in a double-overtime playoff win at Denver, seemed to put the game away with his record 108-yard sprint with the second-half kickoff.

Soon after, the lights went out ? and when they came back on, the Ravens were almost powerless to slow the 49ers.

Until the final moments.

"The final series of Ray Lewis' career was a goal-line stand," Harbaugh said.

"It's no greater way, as a champ, to go out on your last ride with the men that I went out with, with my teammates," Lewis said. "And you looked around this stadium and Baltimore! Baltimore! We coming home, baby! We did it!"

It was a bitter loss for Jim Harbaugh, the coach who turned around the Niners in the last two years and brought them to their first Super Bowl in 18 years. His team made a similarly stunning comeback in the NFC championship at Atlanta, but couldn't finish it off against Baltimore.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lights-ravens-beat-49ers-34-31-super-bowl-035132878--spt.html

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Dot Earth Blog: A Closer Look at Moderating Views of Climate Sensitivity

| Live Updates below |
?Worse than we thought? has been one of the most durable phrases lately among those pushing for urgent action to stem the buildup of greenhouse gases linked to global warming.

But on one critically important metric ? how hot the planet will get from a doubling of the pre-industrial concentration of greenhouse gases, a k a ?climate sensitivity? ? some climate researchers with substantial publication records are shifting toward the lower end of the warming spectrum.

There?s still plenty of global warming and centuries of coastal retreats in the pipeline, so this is hardly a ?benign? situation, as some have cast it.

But while plenty of other climate scientists hold firm to the idea that the full range of possible outcomes, including a disruptively dangerous warming of more than 4.5 degrees C. (8 degrees F.), remain in play, it?s getting harder to see why the high-end projections are given much weight.

This is also not a ?single-study syndrome? situation, where one outlier research paper is used to cast doubt on a bigger body of work ? as Skeptical Science asserted over the weekend. That post focused on the as-yet-unpublished paper?finding lower sensitivity that was inadvisedly promoted recently by the Research Council of Norway.

In fact, there is an accumulating body of reviewed, published research shaving away the high end of the range of possible warming estimates from doubled carbon dioxide levels. Chief among climate scientists critical of the high-sensitivity holdouts is James Annan, an experienced climate modeler based in Japan who contributed to the 2007 science report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. By 2006, he was already diverging from his colleagues a bit. That?s when he?wrote this:

Climate sensitivity is 3C?. Plus or minus a little bit, of course. But not plus or minus as much as some people have been claiming in recent years :-)

The 3C, of course, is 3 degrees C. (5.4 degrees F.). The piece described the findings in his 2006 Geophysical Research Letters paper with Julia Hargreaves, ?Using multiple observationally-based constraints to estimate climate sensitivity.?

He?s reinforced his view in light of the latest research and temperature patterns. On Jan. 27, he posted a comment on Dot Earth that in the last few days has resurfaced in many places around the Web.?Here?s the most important line from Annan?s Dot Earth comment, in which he notes how recent events point to less warming from a given buildup of carbon dioxide:?

[T]here have now been several recent papers showing much the same ? numerous factors including: the increase in positive forcing (CO2 and the recent work on black carbon), decrease in estimated negative forcing (aerosols), combined with the stubborn refusal of the planet to warm as had been predicted over the last decade, all makes a high climate sensitivity increasingly untenable. A value (slightly) under 2 is certainly looking a whole lot more plausible than anything above 4.5.

And here?s an excerpt from ?A Sensitive Matter,? a must-read post on his blog on Feb. 1:

So, sensitivity has been in the climate blogosphere a bit recently. Just a few days ago, that?odd Norwegian press release?got some people excited, but it?s not clear what it really means. There is an?Aldrin et al paper, published some time ago ? which gave a decent constraint on climate sensitivity, though nothing particularly surprising or interesting IMO. We thought?we had sorted out?the?sensitivity kerfuffle?several years ago, but it seems that the rest of the world still hasn?t yet caught up. As I said to Andy Revkin (and he published on his blog), the additional decade of temperature data from 2000 onwards (even the AR4 estimates typically ignored the post-2000 years) can only work to reduce estimates of sensitivity, and that?s before we even consider the reduction in estimates of negative aerosol forcing, and?additional forcing from black carbon?(the latter being very new, is not included in any calculations AIUI). It?s increasingly difficult to reconcile a high climate sensitivity (say over 4C) with the observational evidence for the planetary energy balance over the industrial era.

If you care about this heated, consequential question, I encourage you to read Annan?s full post, which includes a section on a kind of tribalism that takes hold in situations like this and that, he says, could affect the conclusions of the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on the basics of greenhouse heating.

Of course, I may still be exhibiting ?reverse tribalism? even by digging in here, but at least I?m stating that up front.

The reason it?s worth working to clarify what?s going on is that a lower climate sensitivity could substantially expand the timescale on which decarbonization of humanity?s energy menu would need to take place to blunt climate change. This could raise the odds of a Thornton Wilder ending to our ?large-scale geophysical experiment.?

Over the weekend, William Connolley, the prickly and provocative author of the climate-focused blog Stoat, warned against overinterpretation of Annan?s comments?by climate ?septics? (his spelling). By e-mail I asked Connolley to offer his view of whether the high climate sensitivity estimates (often referred to as the ?long tail? of the range of warming possibilities) still had weight. He replied:

Thanks for asking. My personal opinion is that the ?long tail? should be given little weight. However, I should immeadiately say that I?m heavily influenced by James Annan ? I?ve known him (online) for years and have come to trust his opinions. I?d also be strongly influenced by Gavin [Gavin Schmidt of NASA and the Realclimate.org blog], too, but I don?t think they greatly differ ? but James can be rather more outspoken.
My feeling, on the ?policy? side, is that the ?long tail? remains rather convenient and people are reluctant to let it go.
James also identifies a possible problem in the way IPCC subgroups can come to ?own? a particular area, and find outside opinions ? even those clearly from within Science rather than the wackosphere ? unwelcome. I don?t know how serious that is: again, I?d be inclined to trust James Annan on this, but that?s all I?d be doing. Perhaps an investigative journalist might take an interest.

For the record, I am interested and have various queries out on how ?consensus? is determined in the climate panel?s writing process (something that?s been explored here before).

And, once again, don?t get me wrong. Even with almost no chance of the high end of climate sensitivity estimates being right, the odds of substantial, prolonged and disruptive climate change (and changes in ocean chemistry) are still plenty high enough to justify a sustained push toward an energy menu that works for the long haul.

And given the inherent wide range of people?s feelings of risk, I also don?t expect the evolving science to eliminate debate over how fast to push and how much to spend.

Finally, it?s especially important to keep pushing toward new energy norms given how little humanity has done so far to shift from unfettered fuel burning.

Anyone who?s ever gotten an extension on a tough homework assignment or paper knows how that can work out ? simply with a later all-nighter. (See?a 2005 discussion of climate policy in the context of homework here.)

The stakes here are far higher than in potentially flunking out of a course.

For these reasons, I can understand why some climate campaigners, writers and scientists don?t want to focus on any science hinting that there might be a bit more time to make this profound energy transition.?(There?s also reluctance, I?m sure, because the recent work is trending toward the?published low sensitivity findings from a decade ago?from climate scientists best known for their relationships with libertarian groups.)

Nonetheless, the science is what the science is.

Thus, this post.

12:05 p.m. |Update

Gavin Schmidt of NASA and the Realcimate blog sent this note as part of a group e-mail exchange:

Andy, I think you may be slightly misrepresenting where the ?consensus? on this issue has been. While there have been occasional papers that have shown a large tail, and some arguments that this is stubborn ? particular from constraints based on the modern tranisent changes ? there has always been substantial evidence to rule these out. Even going back to the 2-11deg C range found in the initial cpdn results in 2005, many people said immediately that the high end was untenable (for instance).
Indeed, the consensus statements in the IPCC reports have remained within the 1.5 ? 4.5 range first set by Charney in 1979. James? work has helped improve the quantifications of the paleo constraints (particular for the LGM), but these have been supported by work from Lorius et al (1991), Kohler et al (2010), etc. and therefore are not particularly radical.
By not reflecting that, you are implying that the wishful thinking of people like Ridley and Lindzen for a climate sensitivity of around 1 deg C is tenable. It is not, and James? statement was simply alluding to that. For reference, James stated that his favored number was around 2.5 deg C, Jim Hansen in a recent letter to the WSJ quote 2.5-3.5 (based on the recent Palaeosens paper), and for what it?s worth the CMIP5 GISS models have sensitivities of 2.4 to 2.7 deg C. None of this is out of the mainstream.

I sent Schmidt and the group this reply:

In policy circles, including popular calculations of emissions trajectories necessary to avoid a high chance of exceeding 2 degrees C. of warming, the hot tail has not been trimmed (unless I?m missing something?).
To me, that says the climate science community ? including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change science working group ? has not adequately conveyed the reality you state here.

Source: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/a-closer-look-at-moderating-views-of-climate-sensitivity/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Cambodia mourns as 'king-father' Sihanouk cremated

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) ? Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Cambodia's capital Monday awaiting the cremation of former King Norodom Sihanouk, the revered "King-Father," who survived wars and the murderous Khmer Rouge regime to hold center stage in the southeast Asian nation for more than half a century.

Cambodians from across the country flocked to Phnom Penh to pay their last respects as Sihanouk was given elaborate funeral rites ? mingling Hindu, Buddhist and animist traditions ? last seen 53 years ago with the death of Sihanouk's father, King Norodom Suramarit. And they may never be seen again in a rapidly modernizing country where monarchy has lost much of its power and glamor.

"I don't have any words to express the sorrow and suffering I feel when knowing his body will soon disappear," said a weeping, 79-year-old woman, Hin Mal, from the southern province of Takeo. "I love and respect King Sihanouk like my own father."

His body had been lying in state since he died of a heart attack in Beijing on Oct. 15 at the age of 89.

Following a procession through the streets of Phnom Penh Friday, his body was placed inside a temple-like, 15-story-high crematorium where his son King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath will light the funeral pyre.

The evening cremation will climax seven days of official mourning for Sihanouk, who was placed on the throne by the French as a teenager. Instead of proving the puppet the colonials had hoped for, Sihanouk went on to win independence, then rule the country both as monarch and head of state until ousted in a 1970 coup.

A charismatic figure regarded as a "God-King" by many of his subjects, a prideful Sihanouk sided with the Khmer Rouge against the U.S.-backed government, but after the victory of the ultra-communists in 1975, he and his wife were held prisoners in the palace. Five of his children died during the reign of terror.

A consummate survivor, Sihanouk emerged as a leader of an insurgency fighting a Phnom Penh government installed by the Vietnamese and went on to broker a peace accord that enabled his return to the throne in 1993. He abdicated 11 years later in favor of Sihamoni, a former ballet dancer who had spent most of his life in European artistic circles and has proven a low-keyed constitutional monarch overshadowed by strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Sihanouk's dark side, particularly his cooperation with the Khmer Rouge and his often brutal suppression of dissent, has been publicly ignored as loudspeakers broadcast eulogies and television stations show old clips of Sihanouk's triumphs and ebullient personality.

A larger-than-life character, Sihanouk directed films, composed music and led his own jazz band and palace soccer team. His appetite extended to fast cars, food and women, marrying at least five times, some say six, and fathering 14 children.

In the coming days, some of Sihanouk's ashes will be scattered near the confluence of the four rivers in Phnom Penh, while others will be put in an urn which, according to his wishes, will be placed on the grounds of the Royal Palace near those of his favorite daughter, Kunthea Buppha, who died at the age of three.

The funeral is being attended by French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Prince Akishino of Japan, leaders of neighboring countries and China's Jia Qinglin, a senior government adviser and former high-ranking Politburo member.

Representing the United States is Ambassador William E. Todd. The U.S. Embassy did not directly respond to explain such a relatively low-level representation given the long U.S. involvement in Cambodia.

Many Cambodians were upset when U.S. President Barack Obama was one of the only leaders attending a regional summit here in November not to pay his respects before Sihanouk's body. The president had a reportedly tense meeting with Hun Sen at the time, with Obama pressing him on Cambodia's worsening human rights record.

___

Associated Press reporter Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh contributed to his report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cambodia-mourns-king-father-sihanouk-cremated-065408963.html

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Celebrate Fatherhood: Life as a Work-at-Home ... - Sakura Haruka

Sakura Haruka is not a blog just about celebrating motherhood. It shares the joys {& frustrations!} of parenting and of families as a whole. Inspired by my hubby's thoughts on being a dad, Celebrate Fatherhood is thus a monthly series where daddies from all walks of life?share insights about?what fatherhood means to them, and how we can appreciate their role in a family too.

I sincerely thank all those who took the time to guest post for me. Most of those I approached were very supportive and enthusiastic about this new series, sharing my belief that being an involved dad, and getting the dads involved, is important in building a strong family. If you have a story to share, please email me at sakuraharuka {at} live {dot} com.

*****

When I was a young man, full of big plans and thinking about the future, I always pictured my family as two dogs and a wife who would be my partner-in-crime. Career-wise, I assumed I would simply continue doing what I was doing ? being a creative person in an ad agency.

Now many years later, I find myself blessed with the best wife and friend a man could have, dogs many times over and a bonus ? two beautiful daughters. As if inversely proportionate, on the job front I?ve gone from big international agency to local start-ups and my own studio to working from home.

I was neither downsized, nor was it a deliberate choice to work from home. It just gradually happened. As the needs of the children evolved from diaper changing to school and after-school activities, I found myself taking more flexible hours from the office to be with them when needed. Eventually, it simply made more sense to close the office and work at home. Working at home was nothing new as I was always bringing work home anyway ? too often projects that demanded the burning of midnight oil.

About a year ago, my main client underwent ?restructuring' which left several projects hanging and no new ones on the horizon. After a few futile attempts to pitch for new business, I started to apply for full-time corporate jobs ? with no success. Desperate, I combined my passion for cycling, love of teaching and need to pay the bills to embark on a new career and founded Singapore Bike School.

I no longer have a job, I have three! I currently have two businesses that I run from home ? one as a designer and the other as a cycling coach.

Coaching in the day and designing at night makes for some very long days. But overall, it's worked out well, although at times I really find it a struggle, especially if I had a full day of coaching in the sun and urgent design work to complete in the night. I try to schedule work during the day while the kids are occupied, in school, at tuition or playing by themselves and at night after tucking in the kids and spending some time with my wife. As a designer, this means I can?t lose myself in a project for hours like I did when I worked in an agency. For a perfectionist who takes pride in a job done well, it's frustrating to have to bang out work with what seems to me to be the minimum of standards. As a cycling coach, it's equally challenging to get adequate rest, keep fit, healthy and on top of my game when it comes to skills.

I believe working from home is more difficult than just working at one job. I?ve got to do ?dad stuff? like shuttle the girls around for tuition and enrichment classes, run errands (groceries, post office or bank) and do home repairs... and ?designer stuff? such as meeting with clients, writing proposals, conceptualizing and designing? and ?coach stuff? such as preparing lesson plans, scheduling sessions, maintaining the bikes and physical coaching. Add in answering emails, phone calls and other paperwork, and my plate can get rather full.

This is why I am sometimes defensive when my wife innocently asks, "So what did you do all day??. I?m constantly afraid that my wife thinks of me as someone who ?does nothing? at home. And because both businesses are still starting up, I also worry that she thinks I intentionally chose to burden her with the financial responsibilities of supporting a family while I pursue ?an easier path?.

Easier path or otherwise, I'm not free from the pressure that is on every man to earn money. It has been hard going from breadwinner to bread eater. The reduced income steam means a constant worry about money. I know this weighs very heavily on my wife as she is by nature, a worrier. However, she is the one who so admirably helps out and keeps me going with advice, affirmation and support. Still, when the bills come each month, it does take some measurable effort to stay positive that working-at-home is what?s best for the family.

When the going gets tough, moms often turn to one another for support in juggling work and family, but for dads, there is no support group. Occasionally, I meet another dad at school concerts, sports days and parent-teacher meetings, but dads with kids in playgrounds and at the supermarket are still rarities. Even if we meet, men are not known for openly sharing our feelings of insecurity, doubt, worry and self-criticism.

Knowing my wife appreciates what I contribute to the family makes it slightly easier. Right now, I focus on the fact that we're blessed to be able to have a parent at home and a parent at work. I am still sending out job applications because the money from a full-time job will come in handy, but in the meantime, I intend to enjoy the time I can spend with my children and doing what I enjoy to eke out a living. I know I need to make money, but I also want to be a father who is around for my girls and a husband who has time for my wife. At the end of the day, nothing will define me more as a person than who I was as a father and husband, not whether I was the one bringing home the lion?s share of bacon, right?

Apart from money issues, I have few complaints about my life right now. Generally I am healthier if not wealthier. When I coach, I get to meet interesting people (and little people) from all walks of life. I love the look of joy on a student?s face when they cycle for the very first time. When I am at home, I love the fact that I can take a work break and go see what the children are up to. I love being able to connect with them, spend time with them and play an active part in their lives all day long. I love the big hugs. I get to witness all the precious moments and precocious antics. I love having them sit and chat with me in the study while I work (except for when I am swamped). I love having them give honest critiques of my work. I love being able to fetch my wife from work every evening, instead of being stuck doing overtime in the office. I?d like to think that by working at home, I demonstrate to my children the importance of work and family ? that both are important.

I do think that all in all, this arrangement is good, and I?d love to have it continue at least until the girls are more independent and don?t need me around as much. But who knows what the future has in store.

*****

A designer and creative director for over 20 years, Kenneth now creates better and safer cyclists through Singapore Bike School, the country's first cycling school. When he's not designing, coaching, parenting or spending time with his wife, he rides Singapore's mountain bike trails, watches Adventure Time with his two daughters or potters about the garden.

Working from home definitely seems like the "ideal" system for parents but it is definitely not easy striking a balance and keeping both realms distinct from each other. It takes a lot of discipline and responsibility. However I think the important thing is no matter where we or our partners work, it is being done, and we need to appreciate each other for it. Working in a office doesn't mean you are working harder than someone working from home, and vice versa. It's not the environment, but the effort put in.

*****