Happy and sad

In many cases we don't control our lives. The sooner we realize that, the better for us. Sometimes things that are decided without our influence are good for us. Sometimes they are not good.

There was one thing that was decided for me and 4 million others, and as you can guess it, it was decided by politicians.

What I've learned at young age was that beside other things, it is politics that shapes our lives, wanted we that or not. My life was shaped by Dayton accord that was signed 15 years ago. This agreement brought peace to my home country, and allowed me to have more choice in regards to my life.

Majority of people don't know anything about Dayton accord - I could say that they are ignorant and foolish, but on the other hand, who has time today to worry about world politics anyway?

What matters is that people who were affected by this political agreement understand its value.

In nutshell, this accord stopped the war, divided the country and legalized genocide. Only good thing that came from it was the end of cataclysmic events that made even Leningrad siege short.

However, for me, this accord was the most important event of my life that I didn't control. It was signed far away from my home, in some foreign country that I only knew from movies and books.

There was this agreement that was signed on this very day 15 years ago, and there was this American diplomat who orchestrated whole event. This American Diplomat was Richard Holbrooke.

Mr. Holbrooke was remembered for engineering the end of the 1992-1995 Bosnia war — Europe's bloodiest conflict since the Second World War. He was instrumental in bringing peace to Bosnia. An unjust peace, but still a peace.

This peace helped me to feel "normal" life, to live normally, to get my education, to live without fear, to see sunrises and sunsets, and many other things. One of these things is this blog.

If there were no Mr. Holbrooke, I might have not been here at this moment. I know it is almost impossible to speculate, about "what if", but I know for sure that this man helped me indirectly through his politics.

I also know that politicians are not welcomed and valued because of all the valid reasons we experience and know today, but I know that Mr.Holbrooke helped me get my life.

It is so strange how strangers help us, and they don't know anything about it.

What is amazing is that Mr. Holbrooke died yesterday, one day short of celebrating his biggest diplomatic success - 15 years since Dayton accord.

It has been somehow bittersweet feeling today - when I am thinking about peace that I have gotten and when I am thinking about last 15 years, I am very happy.

When I think about Richard Holbrooke and his passing I am very sad.

It is amazing how all of us are connected in this world, and this was proven with my connection with Richard Holbrooke.

Declaration to incite violence

Dr. Thomas Flanagan, is a former senior adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He is a professor at University of Calgary.

On Nov. 30, 2010, 6:10pm EST, he made an appearance during a discussion panel on CBC news, during which he called for the assassination of Wikileaks director Julian Assange. Despite being given the opportunity to retract the statement, he charged ahead and stated that U.S. President Obama should 'put out a contract' on Assange, or 'use a drone'.

Dr. Flanagan has made it abundantly clear that "taking out a contract" on someone is OK by his moral standards.

I don't agree with his remarks.

I also believe that there will be darkness in this world if people like this are allowed to spread their dangerous ideologies.We have to fight them, and we have to bring the light, for new generations sake.

This is what I wrote to the "professor" Tom Flanagan, after I saw what he said on national TV.

Dear Professor,

I just saw on TV and YouTube what you said about Mr. Assange being assassinated. I also saw you took it back.

However, you called for the assassination of a journalist, on a major TV station, and there is nothing that you could do to convince me and thousand of others that you really wouldn't do it. I am actually sure you would do it, if you had enough power to do it.

Your ideology is very dangerous and hurtful. This very ideology has hurt Canadian positions in the world and made our country second rated.

Who do you think you are? This rhetorics belongs to the darkest period of our time, and you resemble Reinhard Heydrich.

Still, thank you for revealing what you really think about transparency, government abuse and freedom.

I advise you to take into account that there will be (and already are) thousands (and millions) of others who will continue what Mr. Assange started.

Are you going to assassinate them all?

regards,

Boris Bokov

How desperately low public discourse in Canada has sunk these days that this violent, authoritarian mode of thought is taken seriously.

What's next for those promulgating these monstrous ideas? Domestic paramilitary hit teams fighting crime the Guatemalan way? Predator drones over the ghettos? Death camps for dissenters? These are all consistent with the dubious philosophy of Flanagan and his ilk.

We have to fight for our survival.

Pitch Black Banff Winterstart

Beside the Death Race I only did one other race in which conditions are equal to the feeling that was produced by the movie "Pitch Black". If you are a science fiction lover, you probably remember this Vin Diesel flick in wich you don't want to spend even 1 second in dark.

The Death Race wasn't that hard, as somehow, there was always moonlight when I was doing night legs - perhaps I was just lucky.

However, this year's Banff Winterstart night race was a real 'Pitch Black' race. The race was an incredible adventure. It is freaking BLACK out once you leave the townsite of Banff (about 500 meters into the race and then it’s all by feel). I didn't have a headlamp, or any other light, so for me and many others, it was a real adventure to see where we were running. It was snowing at the top of the Tunnel Mountain hill, but only raining at the bottom. I also couldn't follow runners in front of me, as I wasn't able to see them!

I needed more than 35 minutes (and that was super sloooow) to conquer 8 km of Banff Winterstart course. I didn't feel confident before the race as I've been training last month with 'not right' right hip and right leg adductor muscles.

I did my 'warm up' on Tunnel Mountain, by doing a long loop, going around Banff Centre, where there were thousands of cars - I guess people were visiting the November festival. I was thinking, do they really need to come here by a car?

During the climb to the top, everything in my right hip felt wrong, as I was trying to warm it up. It was finally OK, once I was back, but then I was hungry, so I had to have some pasta.

This was not a real warm up for the race - I had to see how my hip would behave, so that I could get back some confidence.

Real warm up came around 6:30 PM when we headed to Banff Caribou Lodge, where was the start. Sweet Sugar was my 'labour' as always when I do my racing, as she was carrying dry clothes that I need after the race.

I felt better, and I felt warm, and I didn't feel my demanding hip. I stretched and I made sure my hip was ready for sprinting in the dark.

The race course is not too hard, except that total ascent is 160 meters, and majority of that comes after 2.5 km. So, you run uphill approximately for 1.5 km. And you do it in complete dark. Well, you do the whole race in complete blackness. I almost bumped into couple of runners who struggled running up the hill - they wore dark clothes, and there was no way to see them.

You should also be careful not to cross the median on the right hand side, as there was the end of asphalt, and beginning of a ditch. Some people 'got ditched'.

I felt great first 2.5 km, did it in less then 10 min, and then I was able to push through first half of the hill, but then somehow I started to fade. Good thing was that I didn't feel much pain in my right hip. I warmed up properly. Couple of people passed me on big curve on Tunnel Mountain, and one of them had at least 5 or 6 light bulbs on him, he looked like a Christmas tree! I decided to follow him, as he was giving me very much needed light.

Good thing was that there were no monsters. There was no Vin Diesel as well.

My descent was fast - I let gravity works for me, and pretty soon, I was at the bottom of Tunnel Mountain, and only had 2.5 km left.

Usually, when racing, I can push last 2 km, and I thought I could do it again, but somehow, I couldn't maintain my heart rate at level I wanted to. I had to slow down, as I felt I was running out of steam. That felt strange, as this was very short race, and I was already flat!

It was raining now considerably and strong head wind was working against my time (and everyone else time). I even felt that my bare knees were getting cold.

Couple of runners passed me, but I kept very close to them, as I was preparing for the last push, and that came some 200 m before the finish line. I was only able to pass one of them - others were pushing just fast as me.

When I finished the race, I felt relieved as after every race in the past. I felt good - it felt good, my pace, my heart, my lungs, my legs. Even my hip was OK, and both adductors were OK.

I was tired, I was wet, I was hot, and I was happy that I 'survived' in these Pitch Black conditions. I was happy that Sweet Sugar was happy as well.

Richard B. Riddick would be proud of me.