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Absolutely brilliant day for my former colleagues at RFE/RL!!!

RFE/RL journalist Ihar Losik has been freed after more than five years in Belarusian detention on politically motivated charges. Losik arrived in Lithuania with 51 others following a thaw in US-Belarus relations.

Among those released on September 11 was Alena Tsimashchuk, who had worked at RFE/RL's headquarters in Prague as part of the Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship.

Read the full story here: rferl.org/a/33527840.html

Photo: BAJ

Amazing and welcome news!

RFE/RL Journalist Ihar Losik Freed After More Than 5 Years Of Brutal Detention In Belarus Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Ihar Losik has been freed after spending more than five years in brutal Belarusian detention on trumped up charges, the latest release of a political prisoner amid a thawing of relations between Minsk and the United States.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Well...maybe just 109 in this case.

Literally the only thing I took from my office in the Voice of America building during my final visit a week ago. This image of a stringer in the Kashmir region tells you everything you need to know about VOA journalists. What a crime it is to silence the reporting of the brave and men and women who often risk everything to share the truth with the rest of the world. It seems clear at this point that the people who are making these decisions are doing so with no knowledge of the perseverance and fearlessness of our journalists, and that is shortsighted and tragic. So this photo will now live in my home office, serving as a constant reminder that the work that is done to support them, is more important than ever.

First "run" of 2011 marathon training was a good one: 12 miles in 1:50 on a Fall-like morning here in DC. Capitol Hill...around Hains Point...across the Memorial Bridge...and back to the Hill.

Break the Tape Running Running Coach

Wanna qualify for the Boston Marathon? Here are the races you should consider running:

Boston Marathon Qualifiers - Most Popular Qualifying Marathons- 2009 MarathonGuide.com - the complete marathon resource and community. Complete directory of marathons, marathon results, athlete and race news, marathon history, training schedules, chat, email, marathoning humor - everything for the marathon runner and marathon fan.

The best new sports drink is...? Chocolate milk! Read this...and contact a running coach for more cool recovery tips!!

Cool Running :: Chocolate Milk: The new sports drink? During a 2004 Summer Olympics awash in controversies over steroids and supplements, one sportswriter wryly noticed that top American swimmer Michael Phelps was playing it safe -- he preferred to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast between races.