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For my sister's wedding almost four years ago, I began my battle of the bulge with 'Operation Megan Fox'. I was determined to look good for her special day and I didn't want to appear like a shlumpadinka in my dress. I stuck to it and dropped the weight using the Slim Fast Shakes and watching what I ate.I looked better and healthier too. I had intended on following through, but life always throws us some curve balls. In all honesty, I fell off and got back on the wagon many times since then. I couldn't figure out what the invisible force was that kept preventing me from accomplishing my goal of releasing my trapped thin self, until I did a detox earlier this year and discovered that unbeknownst to me, I was the invisible force, who kept poisoning my body with foods that I thought were healthy and good for me. While I had a silent allergy to them.
With this new-found knowledge of what foods weren't good for me, I gave away and threw out a lot of products to make room for foods that were nutritious for me. During the clean out, I also got rid of clothes I hadn't been able to fit into for a while, which served as a constant reminder of what I used to be and the intention of keeping them was to encourage me to get back into them, when all they did was depress the hell out of me, so I gave them to the needy. Throughout this process, I began to do a lot of reflecting. I looked within myself to see what baggage I had been holding on to and I found that I had quite a bit of unresolved issues, resentment and pain that had been weighing me down. It wasn't easy to let go of somethings because, it made me feel vulnerable and emotionally naked. I didn't like the feeling at first, because that's all I seemed to focus on and once I realized how much lighter I felt, I knew I had done the right thing.
Last Summer, I did a lot of growing up on my adventure to Central America as a chaperon for students and then visiting friends on the East Coast of the U.S. This summer, I decided it was time to face the problem head on and grab it by the horns. So, I booked my trip to a wellness spa retreat for 3 weeks in Slovakia, to reinvest in myself.
As the day of my departure grew nearer, I was excited but mostly nervous. I questioned myself and doubted my decision to do this. I could have gone to England and Ireland to see my family and friends for the money I was spending! How would I communicate with the people, they speak Slovakian and Russian mostly! The best I can do is count up to 4, say 'Yes' (Da) and Good bye (Dasvidanya)!
Thursday 24th July
I am up before the alarm clock and dashing around the house like the Tazmanian Devil from Loony Tunes, putting a few more items in my carry on and in my case. As well as making sure that I was leaving my flat in a decent condition for when I returned. At 7;45, I made my way downstairs and got into the waiting taxi to take me to Cairo International Airport. I sailed through the ticket counter and passport control. I met two acquaintances who we there traveling to enjoy their summers holidays. At 10am, I made my way to the gate and waited to board. The time came and the flight hadn't been announced. Travelers started to get nervous and began asking questions. 'The Flight has been delayed for maybe 40 minutes, they are preparing the aircraft' was the response from the men at the counter. A bad omen to the start of my trip, I wondered or am I being tested? The flight ended up being delayed for 2 hours and many passengers including myself were not at all pleased! It meant I would be arriving much later than expected and would lose out on my consultation with the doctors! The flight may have only been three and half hours to Vienna, but it felt like it took an eternity! When we finally landed, I whizzed through passport control, found my bag on the carousel and dashed out to find my chauffeur, who would drive the two hours or so hours to Piestany, in Slovakia. The ride was quite and long. The driver spoke very little English and it would have been difficult to make hand signals and explain myself that way, whilst he drove. So, I ended up just admiring the landscape and the green foliage until we arrived.
Thermia Palace is a large French like château on an island in the city/town of Piestany. The surrounding area around it was just so perfect and immaculate, I began to think I was on a movie set. It was so picturesque it could be on a postcard (I'm sure it is). I cringed at the thought of having to try to communicate with the hotel staff, but to my relief they spoke fairly good English. I checked in, was told my doctor's appointment would be at 10am the following morning and then I would receive my schedule of treatments and meet with the nutritionist. I got to my room and the first thing I did was take pictures of it before I unpacked and contacted my parents to let them know I had arrived safely. My phone for some bizarre reason hadn't automatically joined a network, so I had to depend on the hotel wi-fi to send messages.
After I had unpacked, I went for a leisurely stroll on the island to get my bearings. It was so nice to walk under the glow of street lamps and to the rhythm of rustling leaves in the summer breeze and not be harassed or gawked at by anyone. On my way back to the hotel, I held open the door for 3 women staying at the hotel and guess what…? 2 were from Egypt and 1 was from Lebanon!
Friday 25th July
I was up early after a much-needed rest. i dressed and went down for breakfast. I helped myself to the buffet, but chose my items wisely. After all, that's the whole purpose of the trip. Once I had finished, I went for a walk to see the island in the light. It was a warm day and everything was so fresh looking, like a crisp salad.
At 10am I went for my doctor's appointment, where I had my blood pressure measured, along with my waist, thighs and my height. My weight too! (how could I forget). After asking if I suffered from any pain, the doctor asked me to strip down to my undies to get a better look at me, (Talk about exposure, or so I thought). She checked my bone agility, my problem areas (tummy, waist, thighs) and feet. Once that examination was completed she had a brain storm while muttering in Slovakian an she finger pecked the keyboard all the treatments she wants me to do. The whole process took 20-30 minutes.
Once I got my schedule, I then visited the nutritionist, who gave me apple cider tablets to take with breakfast every morning and asked what I would usually eat, eating habits and if there where certain foods I didn't eat. When the meeting was done, I dashed back to my room, to grab my bathrobe and all the other items I would need for my afternoon of treatments.
First on the list was mud packs; sounds squidgy!
I get to the waiting area of where I need to be and a woman dressed all in white comes out and looks at my schedule and in a Slovakian accent asks me to wait one moment. Not long afterwards, I'm shown to a room, where, I am instructed to strip down to my skin and then I'm called into an adjoining room where, another woman also all in white, slabs down a cow pat of warm mud onto a bed covered in 3 different kind of sheets and instructs me to sit in it, while smearing mud on my tush. As I sit in the warm mud, I can feel it ooze into places, I wish I could prevent it from going to, I am then asked to lie down, where more mud is being generously applied on my problem areas; hip, knees and feet. As I'm being wrapped up like a new-born baby a cold metal ringed disk is placed on my chest and I am left for 20 minutes in dim lighting. Being cocoon with warm mud smeared on you, makes you drowsy. If it wasn't for the cold metal thingy-m'bob I think I would have turned into a soft-boiled egg. Every 5 minutes a person comes to check on you to make sure you're o.k and to wipes your face from sweat.
When the alarm goes off, after twenty minutes, you are unwrapped by two of the attendees and the mud is lightly scrapped off of you, so that you can get up. You are then led to a shower close by and left to wash off the mud. It's not as easy as it sounds. Just when you think you have gotten it off, you find more! (You'll find that when you take a shower later… more mud runs down the drain and for the life of you, you can't figure out where it had been.)
Once your cleaned off, you go back into your cubical where you are given a cup of sparkling water (Perrier) and then told to lie down and rest. Where you are wrapped up again and left to… rest. After a short length of time, the attendee comes in to unwrap you and declare the session over. You get dressed and she returns your schedule with a signature on it and with that, you're free to leave and make your way to your next treatment.
It's important you get there 5-10 min before your appointment and you have to take your schedule with you everywhere, they are very punctual when it comes to timing and won't allow you into a session if you don't have your 'card', schedule.
I have never really enjoyed the thought of someone's hands kneading my body like dough, until I had my first Thai massage in Gouna, so, I was looking forward to this. I know understand why people from Thermia Palace walk around in bathrobes. It saves them dressing and undressing several times. So, off come the clothes again and I lie on a bed in all my nakedness as a tall tanned short heard blond Slovakian woman massages my back for twenty minutes as I flinch when she works on the areas that are troubling me and then melt like butter when she massages the rest of my back with her oiled strong hands.
After the massage I am whisked into another room nearby, where I am asked to hop on to another bed and there's no need to take anything off. I lay on the bed and this plastic arch connected to a machine is slid and positioned above my mid-drift to allow magnetic waves to travel through my body. Again, I am left to drift off into the depths of my mind as the waves are left to do their work.
Behind door three, I am then asked to sit on a bed and put my foot on a stool. I am handed a funky pair of glasses to put on. The glasses remind me of the ones Doc and Marty wore in 'Back To The Future', except they were cooler and everything had a green tint to it. A gel was applied to a device that was then put to my Achilles heel as a woman with pale turquoise talon like nails rubbed it against my weak tendons on both feet for less that 5 minutes. When the machine sounded, my session was over. Now, I had some free time… before my last session of the day. What would I do?
I tried very hard to find the travel agency my mother ha d told me about when she had been here last summer because I wanted to rent a bicycle and see what day trips they offered to nearby cities and countries. I followed her directions to the 'T' but couldn't find the place. So, I decided to just walk. A past time I enjoy, but rarely do since the revolution, because Sexual Harassment was rampant on every street no matter how conservatively I dressed. While I'm here, I will be walking my little socks off until my butt cheeks wince in pain, begging me to stop! (I did, just that!)
Gymnastic Slim
I sat outside the room where the session was to be held on a hard wooden like bench. It was very reminiscent of films where students were sat outside the Headmaster or the Principles office when in trouble. Randa, the Lebanese woman whom I met my first night here was taking part in the class too. At precisely the time scheduled on the schedule, a small framed young girl came energetically up the stairs and opened the door. We waited a few moments for stragglers, but non came. We had our own private class. We each got an inflatable ball and sat on it as instructed. For a full 20 minutes, were bouncing on the ball waving our arms and hands and occasionally lifting our feet off the ground too. I had visions of one of us ending up like Humpty Dumpty, and going splat on the floor, just like the old children's nursery rhyme says, but we all made it to the end!
Wooohooo!! All sessions completed for the day!
After the session I had quite a bit of time to kill before dinner, so Randa and I got to chatting and we ended up walking across the Danube River and into town, as we talked about our lives and occupation. It was very pleasant to talk to someone who had been to Piestany many times before and someone from the region. After our walk I went up to my room to shower, change and read a bit before dinner.
As I entered the restaurant for the third time that day, the Manager of the restaurant informed me that it was assigned seating. Everyone had their own table for the entire duration of their stay. Which was new to me, but I just went with the flow. I was also told the nutritionist had sent down my meal program for the 20 days that I would be staying there. Having studied it while having dinner, I was impressed. They all sounded really tasty on paper, and I looked forward to trying each one!
Saturday 26th July
I awoke early and went down to breakfast early.My breakfast was quite a hearty and healthy one. A slice of toast, cottage cheese, slice of cold cut, one slice of Emmental Cheese, 2 boiled eggs, yogurt and on helping of raw oats, with a glass of fresh juice. Along with the two apple cider tablets, that I was instructed to take with breakfast. I was a stuffed dumpling after I was done. Seeing my first appointment wasn't until 9 am, I decided to help my digestive system and take a walk until it was time for my treatment. The calmness of the spa island is very relaxing. The stress I may have come with was no longer with me. The quietness, was deafening to my ears, they were not used to such quiet surroundings. I could actually hear my thoughts without the interruption of loud shouts coming from the street or the endless blazing of car horns and tire screeching from Cairo's bustling traffic.
In my robe, I sat in the waiting area of the pristine IRMA spa building, and waited to be called in for my appointment. I was asked to bare my back, lie face down and what looked like our rubber suction cups were placed on my back and as the attendee switched on the machine, the electric impulses began… I felt like Frankenstein! The current was strong and a bit uncomfortable to begin with, but I quickly got used to it and the sound of the machine lulled me into a light nap.
With an hour to spare I had enough time discover where the next session would be held. Once I had found the place I sat outside on a bench watching birds go about their life and the people passing by. When the time came for Water Gymnastics, the receptionist handed me a key and I followed the scent of wetness, until I found the changing room. They key was for a private vestier to leave my belongings in I quickly put on my swimsuit and made my way to the pool. As I rounded the corner and found the hook to hang my key and robe on, I couldn't help but gasp. The pool areas was of stunning architecture, it resembled an old fashioned conservatory or solarium, with a sky light. It would be something you'd expect to see in the hit TV series Downton Abbey. Being the photo junky that I am, all I wanted to do was run back and get my phone to take a picture and capture it. I resisted the urge and ascended into the warm water of the pool. I found a place to stand and followed the instructors motions and enjoyed the session. After changing out of my swimwear and was about to leave for the next session, I snuck back to the pool area, unseen and took a picture. ( I couldn't help myself!)
I was very excited about this session because it sounded like a form of dance. I thought it might be a combination of Tango and Flamenco, at the back of my mind I was fretting about whether my sneakers were appropriate shoes for the class. I was somewhat disappointed when I found out that it was not a dance class but another treatment session with mud. Only this time it wasn't messy! For this treatment I was only required to be half naked from the neck to the waist and to lie on my stomach as warm solid blocks of mud were placed on my back from the nape of my neck to the bottom of my spine for 15 -20 minutes. I must admit that the warm mud blocks were very soothing and I couldn't keep my eyes open. I didn't fight it and I enjoyed my little cat nap.
It may not have been a dance class but it certainly was enjoyable. I'm looking forward to my future sessions!
(I have no idea how this is meant to benefit me, but it was lovely)
At lunch time, I met the Lebanese woman in the restaurant where she informed me that it was her last day and she would be leaving tomorrow to spend some time in Paris. Before I headed back to my table, she said 'wait' and handed me a bag of Zaatar 'hadi ilik', which translates to 'this is for you' in the Lebanese dialect, she said as she handed it over to me. I was deeply touched. It was on our walk the previous day she learned how much I loved the herb mixture, when I told her that I had been in Zaatar heaven, when I visited Lebanon 2 years ago. I didn't want to insult her, by refusing the gesture, so I gladly accepted it. I was so touched by her generosity that I couldn't help but post about it on my Facebook page.
Mirror Pool
Unlike it's name there are no mirrors (Thank Goodness!), this experience might not be for everyone. The pool is filled with sulfuric water, that is naturally warm and full of minerals. It is said to be very good for your body. You may bathe in the pool with a swim suite on, almost everyone bathes nude. My mother who had come to Piestany last summer had told me, you didn't have a choice but to go in starkers, so I had enough time to mentally prepare myself to fully exposing my body and seeing other naked women as well. (The pools are segregated, so don't panic too much! I don't know if I could have summoned up the courage to have to see both genders in their birthday suites!) Coming from and living in a fairly conservative country, where kissing scenes are censored in films and T.V shows this was going to take some getting used to.
Lucky for me, I arrived early for my appointment, which was great because I had the pool to myself. I de-robed, took the necessary shower before entering the pool and ascended slowly into the water, to allow my body to get used to the temperature and not to slip on the stairs that are barely visible through the murky sulfur water. I checked the time on the large wall clock, so that I could time the 20 minutes that I was meant to stay in. The pool reminded me of the hot spring in Siwa Oasis, except it wasn't in the open air in the desert and I wasn't wearing a swimsuit. As I waded around and the nice warm water encompassed me, it felt like I was having a bath, but in an enormous tub. I began to wonder if this was how Cleopatra felt when she bathed in the hot springs? Before my time was up more women arrived to bathe in the pool. " Oh!Great!!" I thought to myself, "so much for getting in and out without anyone seeing me. I suppose, I'm just going to have to walk out gracefully and pray I don't slip, so that I don't draw attention to myself". That's precisely what I did and no one even batted an eye lid in my direction. After all we were all in the same boat and I suppose it was the respectful thing to do.
Once you leave the mirror pool, you shower off again and then go down to a resting area. I supposed it's so that your body can return to it's normal temperature gradually. The resting room reminds me of how dormitories were depicted in old movies. The Beds are separated by wooden partitions and have a small over head light and a side table. You're asked to hop on the bed and then you're wrapped up again.
By the time I got back to my room after all my sessions and treatments I was refreshed and relaxed but drowsy. I forced myself out for a walk around the town. I enjoyed admiring the little cafes, glancing at the display windows of little shops, the unique architecture, which I couldn't help but take pictures with my phone, so that I could upload them later on to instagram. I found my way to the little mall and got a few necessity items that I had put on my mental check list and then continued walking for a little bit longer.
At dinner time, I ate slowly in the hopes that I would see Randa again. She hadn't come by the time I had finished so, I placed a little thank you note on the table that she and her father sat at, if it wasn't for the bowl of Zaatar there, I may have placed the note with a small box of chocolate on the wrong table. I left the restaurant, full, tired and ready to turn in for the night.
There's More To Come! Keep a look out for part II 🙂
Students and teachers alike look forward to the longest holiday of the year, 'summer'.
In the past summers for me meant packing my bags with all that I would need and move down to Agami, a summer resort just outside of Alexandria on the Mediterranean Sea, where my parents had a beach house. There I would spend my days in shorts, t-shirt, swimsuit and flip-flops with my beach bag ready for the beach. Two to three months of swimming, tanning, reading, playing volleyball, running a summer camp for children and catching up with old friends whom I hadn't seen since the previous summer.
Times have changed and friends have moved on. I have not been back to Bianki since 2007. I miss the times, I had there during my teenage years. It is there where I made some of my most memorable memories and met some very interesting people and dear friends. To date, my summers are split between Alexandria and going abroad to various destinations to get away from the stress that the post revolution has left and the political roller coaster of electorial disappointments we have had to take part in, witness and accept the results of.
The beginning portion of my summer for the past two years has been spent in Alexandria with my parents. My mother and I have been motivating one another to get back in shape and eat healthy. (This as some of you may know has been an ongoing process for me. After 1.5 years of battling the bulge, I am 13Kg away from my target weight!) I would spend an hour working out at home, doing various crunches and sit-ups as well as using an elliptical bike and 3 hours of the day would be spent swimming laps and using various apparatus to help strengthen and tone my arms and legs. For a few weeks, I or we would go abroad.
To go abroad for me is a chance to recharge, re-evaluate, relax and look at things from a different perspective (the change in scenery and climate is also an added bonus). This year my mother and I ventured to London to visit briefly with my sister and to Ireland to attend a family wedding and strengthen family connection with our cousins, whom we had lost contact with over the past few years.
I am fascinated with our family genealogy, especially on the Irish side. I have found that not only do I look Irish, I have a lot of the Irish family traits in me and from listening to stories, I find I learn more and more about myself and why some of the members of our family are the way that they are.
As a young girl London never appealed to me, I had formed an image of it being a dark, grey and gloomy place, much like the Industrial time in England. My opinion changed quickly when I first visited 3 years ago. I look forward to my visits there now, not solely due to it's undeniable allure but because I actually feel normal there. I don't worry about what I'm wearing and if I'll be harassed as I walk down the street or how long it will take me to get to my destination. When I am there the stress of constantly having to be aware of the people around me and looking for signs of possible sexual harassers trying to invade my personal space drops from 100 to 1.
Time spent with my sister, her husband and other members of our family are precious and they always take priority. I try to spend as much time with them as I can, to keep our family bond strong and because I simply love being in their company. There is never a dull moment when we congregate! On extended visits I like to walk around and take in the sights, museums, shows, take pictures and of course shop! (One has to make a contribution to the economy of the country one happens to visit, no?)
It was also exciting to have been there pre-Olympic ceremony. To see the city decorated with flags of the different nations taking part in the games. The excitment and pride of the nationals to host the games. My mum and I missed the ceremony but watched many of the highlights and events once we had made it back to our hotel room and back to Egypt after our trip. The athletes are phenominal in their dedication and inspring!
I have always been very proud and patriotic of my Irish heritage. When I visit I can't help but be in awe of her beauty. Her beauty, in my opinion becomes more enhanced by her people, who have such a cheerful, friendly, helpful and funny disposition about them. I can't help but find so many similarities in them and the 'old' Egyptian culture that I grew up knowing, ( it saddens me to think that what remains of the 'old' Egypt, might soon be lost, if things are not sorted out soon).
During this trip to Ireland, I made sure that I would not be rushing through like a forest fire, but I would actually have time to walk the streets, visit historical landmarks, eat in pubs, shop and talk with the locals, as well as visit with family.
I can not tell you how much I enjoyed touring the capital, learning about how Ireland earned its Independence, driving through the grounds of Phoenix Park, visiting Trinity College and sitting in its grand library of ancient manuscripts and books that were written and read by some of the greatest minds on earth and where some members of my family attended. Although my connection to the country itself isn't strong, I think this journey has definitely strengthened it.
My cousin whom I had only reconnected with over the last three years and hadn't seen in twenty, invited my family and I to attend his wedding. The place in which the nuptials took place and the ceremony itself was unlike any wedding that I have ever been to or seen before. It was a Humanist Wedding/Ceremony, filled with spirituality, tradition and love. It was held on a bridge on a beautiful summer's day with beautiful landscape encompassing the couple and their families and friends. Nothing could have made it more magical, meaningful or beautiful in my opinion. The two-day event was packed with entertainment, food and great times. Most importantly it was shared with people who truly cared for the couple and genuinely wished them nothing but happiness in their future life together. It was at this event, where I made new connections and bonds with members of our family whom I had lost contact with and those I had never met before. (Now, I know where I get my energy, drive, motivation to succeed, love of learning, sense of humor and love of partying from, The McSorley Clan)
The third part of our trip was spent visiting the area of where my grandmother and generations before her had come from. In some strange way, Wexford, a small county by the sea reminded me of Alexandria. It is here where my mother attended boarding school as a young girl and where she spent many summers with her aunt, uncle and cousins at a nearby resort called Rosslare. As I walked the quay and breathed in the fresh Irish sea air and took in the scenic views, I couldn't help but be grateful for the opportunity to have traveled to the land of my ancestors, to see where half of me is from and to be able to pass down the stories that have been told to me by my aunt, mother and cousins, so, that our history isn't lost or forgotten.
In Wexford we strengthened existing ties with family we are in touch with. It was also a second opportunity for my mother to spend time her aged aunt of 97 years and to thank her for all the wonderful summers she had spent with them as a child and all the other things she and her late husband did for her growing up. (Moments like that should be seised, because they may never come again).
There is so much more for me to see and learn of Ireland but I have an itching desire to learn as much as I can about my family as I can. I hope to be able to go back there again soon in the near future.
Upon returning to Egypt I couldn't help but feel depressed. Ireland might be in dire straits economically but the people have the drive to rebuild the country to get it back on its feet again. Egypt, a nation of great potential and historical as well as cultural wealth seems to be sinking before our eyes and very few seem willing to get their hands dirty. I have said it before and I will say it again. I fear for Egypt's future and her children. I pray that I am wrong and that she will not suffer in the hands of men like Rasputin. Perhaps the Egyptian Olympians who preformed so well at the London 2012 games, might inspire their country men and women that hard work does pay off and that they can not only achieve great things but be recognised for them in the long run, if they pull together and move forward in rebuilding the country rather than pointing the finger of blame.
I am going to be completely honest with myself and whoever else is reading. For the past few years I have been dealing with lots of changes, recovering from heart breaks, disappointments, injuries to both feet, physio therapy and lack of confidence in my appearance. So, I took to self-medicating myself by eating my way to almost 90KG!! For a person of my height (5'4'') and build that is OBESE! I had always been fit and somewhere along the way I lost myself…
With my sister's wedding in April, I didn't want to be the frumpy maid of honor on the video or in pictures. So, my new year's resolution to myself was to get back in shape and to drop the pounds. So, I purchased an elliptical bike and took all my Mum's Slim Fast shakes and stuck to it for four months. I am proud to say I lost 10Kg (22Ibs)! I felt lighter, more energetic and for the first time in a long time I felt a bit attractive. I looked healthier and the best I had in years. I must confess that my Gillian self-made boot camp didn't continue past the wedding. Why, you might ask? Well, in the months that followed I was not only working full-time, but I was studying for my Masters comprehensive exam and finishing the academic year and writing up report cards. However, I was still wise in my food choices but my exercising went to pot!
Now, that I am on summer vacation I have no reason or excuses for not exercising. So, I stepped up to the plate and got back in to swimming after decades of not training. I am not going to lie, it was far from being easy, I started swimming at the beginning of July and I could barely complete two laps without gasping for air! Panting after only swimming two laps scared me. There is a history of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems in my family and I didn't want to fall victim to that if I could have a hand in preventing it. I went to a sports shop and bought two kinds of kicking boards to help me get back in shape, one to hold on to for just leg movements and the other one prevents me from using my legs and forces me to use just my arms. The first week was a killer and my shoulders and arms were killing me! It had been over a decade since I had actually used all the muscles in my arms. By the second week I could feel my strokes getting stronger and my stamina improving too. By the end of July I was able to swim 50 laps none stop!! I am so proud of myself for persevering!
I have gotten on the scale at home a few times and the scale hasn't budged, which is very frustrating! I eat lots of fruit, vegetables, yogurt, and grilled meat. I have cut out juice and soft drinks but I do drink LOTS OF WATER! I do occasionally indulge in a bar of chocolate or ice cream.
With Ramadan being here I thought this would be a perfect time to get my healthy eating habits back on track and get back on the Slim Fast regiment as well as swimming! I can tell you that after swimming laps without having had breakfast, by the time I'm done, I am HUNGRY and could eat a horse! By Iftar time, (the meal we eat at sunset after a day of fasting) I am more thirsty than I am hungry and when I'm eating I try my very best to watch my portion control and not to eat too many carbs.
So, why Megan Fox? You can't deny it; she does have a killer body! My target is to try to get myself back in to tip-top shape and looking as HOT as Megan Fox (not like Megan Fox, if that was my ultimate goal then I would have paid for cosmetic surgery) I need to fight my way back to bring 'ME' back. Justin Timberlake's song 'Bring Sexy Back' is my theme song to keep going!
So, what's my ultimate goal? I am presently stuck at 75 Kg I would love to lose between 10-15kg. I want to see my body toned, the flabby stomach reduced and my thighs slimmer. I have no set time for wanting to reach this but if I can reach it by December or by April! I am not going to rush the process, I want to do it at my bodies pace and healthily.
August 4th 2011- I was able to swim 70 laps none stop, alternating between different swimming boards and just swimming.
I will keep you posted on my progress over the coming weeks and months.
August 16th 2011- I finally was able to swim 80 laps, alternating between swimming boards. The scale is being discouraging and the needle isn't pointing south, it's actually stuck on 75Kg, which isn't reflecting what I'm seeing in the mirror. However, I tried on a cocktail dress I bought 2 years ago and I FINALLY fit in to it! I don't have to worry about a protruding tummy or love handles coming over the sides of the dress! I still have a stomach but it has shrunk a great deal and so have the unwanted ripples. I have till the 24th of August to reach my target of 100 laps, then I need to find a pool in the Heliopolis area of Cairo where I feel comfortable swimming for the next 3 months to keep on going with my efforts until the weather turns colder, then I may take up plates or yoga! If not that then back to Salsa dancing !
August 18th 2011, My goal was to increase my stamina and grow stronger, so that I could swim at least 100 laps before I head back to Cairo, to start the academic year of 2011/2012. There was an element of doubt in my mind, but I did as Dori in 'Finding Nemo' did and just kept on swimming. I am not going to lie, I use different swimming apparatus to help strengthen my arms and legs. I am proud to say that I didn't' just reach my target I exceeded it! I swam 110 laps in a 20 meter pool, none stop for 2 hours, alternating between swimming and using the different apparatus, without stopping once! I have to say, I feel lighter, fitter and toned. I can now look at myself in the mirror without having a deep cringe on my face! I just have to keep the momentum going once I'm back at work ! (fingers crossed)
Thursday, November 10th, 2011; It has been over 2 months since I last up dated you with my progress since I started work. I wish I could say that my exercise routine has been great, when the fact remains it has been none existent. Up on starting my new position at my place of employment I had hoped to be able to use the pool to keep up with my swimming but the building in which the pool is situated was declared unsafe and won't be functional till January (fingers crossed), my work keeps me on my feet till 4pm and by the time I get home I am too tired to lift a finger. I have been trying my darndest to watch what I consume and I had been doing very well up until 2 weeks ago when I had a MAD CRAVING FOR CARBS and Chocolate!! The cravings are subsiding and I am getting back in to my healthy habits of eating and eating more fruit and vegetables. I have made a conscious decision to make more of an effort to stop working late every day and to go to an exercise or dance class at least twice a week.
Saturday, November 12th; I am ready to get back on track to reach my goal weight and shape! I know that the final 10-15Kg are going to be the hardest to lose and I am going to have days where I would threaten to throw in the towel and just indulge in calorie and sugary sin, but I am at an age now, where I really need to treat my body as a temple and look after it as best as I can, because although in my mind I'm still a wee lass, my body is reflecting a different image. So, I am going to bring this mission to a new level; It is now Operation Megan Mila Kunis Fox (2 HOT women, with attitude). When I posted my intentions on my status a friend of mine commented and said; "Call it operation N E. You will be a healthy weight that will make you look your best." She does have a point, But I know I will never look like those two ladies, but I can be my own bombshell, which is what I am striving for… The real name of the mission is 'Improve My Health', but I think the one I go by sounds much cooler! I start exercising tomorrow morning… I'll keep you posted on how I do this week, keep reading!
November 22nd 2011; So, almost 2 weeks after Eid, I feel a difference in my figure! I had started an exercise routine and was doing well but report cards completely messed that up! I have been so stressed about them that I hardly slept. I went 4 days without sleeping and I am still recovering from the effects. I started back on SlimFast, which seems to be a bit of a waste of formula considering that my appetite has shrunk to less than the normal calorie in take a person should take. I think the break up I recently went through also contributed to my disinterest in nourishment too… . The current situation in the country, has just added to my worries and stress level and I can't think of exercising to be honest. I should use my elliptical bike to tear myself away from twitter, the net and TV just to keep the blood circulating! I'll let you know if I am able to get myself out of this slump… stay safe, stay healthy.
March 3rd, 2011:
It has been almost 4 months since I last updated my blog or my progress on my mission to regain control of my life again and get healthy. The slump that I faced back in November passed thankfully and I am back on track. I signed up for Zumba classes twice a week and was getting really in to them. I just LOVE latin beats and moves, that's the way I enjoy exercising and let me tell you I didn't hold back! After each class I felt rejuvenated and PUMPED! I would leave happy and my endorphins would be KICK'N! Unfortunately the instructor suffered some health problems and was instructed to take to her bed. So, a colleague at work, suggest that we walk around the track on the days that we would have been taking Zumba classes just to keep in the spirit of exercising. After hearing what happened to the female UN employee a few weeks ago, along with people trying to kidnap children out of their mother's arms in cars, I decided to add self-defence classes to my regiment! For 2 reasons, it's not just about the grueling boot camp style work out, it's also the knowledge and skill that I would need to defend myself that I am enjoying. The great thing about the walking and the self-defense classes is that they are all at where I work, so I can take my workout gear with me and not slack off, everything is right there and I don't have the excuse of being too tired after a long day at work or having to endure a long ride home.
In addition to working out regularly I am also watching what I eat at home, at work and when I go out to restaurants. I try to make healthy choices! Lots of Vegetables/Fruit for fiber and vitamins, protein (mainly grilled chicken or fish, occasionally I'll crave red meat) and I try to minimize my carb in take, but if I have a craving for it, it's usually brown pasta! As for my love of sweets…I have been fairly good, but it isn't easy to walk away from chocolate (cake, candy, ice-cream), so I allow myself some indulgence every once in a while.
In January at the school I work at, the idea of having a Biggest Loser challenge to help those drop the holiday pounds was brough up. I signed up for it. I weighed in at 77KG (12KG away from my goal weight), the second week of the way in I had dropped to 75.5KG!! (I have no idea how I did that!!) The weeks that followed were very discouraging I plateaued and lost nothing. 2 weeks ago I finally lost a quarter of KG! I am trying not to let this minor hiccup damped my spirit, but it is disheartening! I haven't taken a picture of myself recently, but as soon as I do, I will post it!
June 28th, 2012 ; The Biggest Loser Competition was nowhere near as challenging as the TV series. I wish Bob or Gillian had been included in the package. It just wasn't enough to motivate me and although I didn't win, that hasn't stopped me from continuing to eat healthy. I have to admit the last two months of work, I stopped exercising and that's when I lost my will power and let myself go slightly. The stress of work and deadlines had gotten to me and I began to indulge in many guilty pleasures, (I just can't resist Ice Cream and French Fries, just not served or eaten together). I got on the scale last week and I expected to read that I had put on a few Kg, but to my surprise, I had only put on 1Kg. That extra Kg, did feel like a lot more. It made me feel bloated, heavy and it really added extra strain on my joints. Now that School is out for the summer, I am seizing this opportunity to do what I did last summer and that is swim and work out daily. For the past 5 days (so far), I have been watching my daily in take and I am pleased to say that I haven't had a single carbonated drink, juice box, or anything with refined sugar! I am feeling a lot lighter, healthier and energetic. I wake up early in the morning and use the Ab Master that my parents have been using as a laundry rack and the Elliptical Bike which is used as a towel drier. Later in the morning, if the club that I swim at isn't being used as a venue for an event, I go and swim/exercise in the pool for 3-4 hours. Where I do laps, use different boards to strengthen my arms/legs and do some resistant exercises with my Mum. I had expected to be out of shape and back at square one again, where I could barly do 2 laps without gasping for air, but my exercising throughout the year, has helped. I was able to do 10 laps none stop, before I took a break. A big improvement from last year! I am hoping that by keeping this up for the next 3 weeks, I will be trimmer as well as toned before leaving to go on my summer holiday to England and Ireland to visit my family and attend a cousin's wedding.
August 11th 2012; From June 23rd- July 16th I kissed soft drinks goodbye and took up drinking water like my life depended on it. I have only had 2 soft drinks since then because I had an upset stomach. I can honestly tell you that it does make a world of difference. I feel the difference in my skin as well as my body. For food, I would eat healthy and regularly and not eat passed 8pm. For exercise, I needed to intensify it to make up for the months I had fallen off the wagon, so I put myself through my own self inflicted boot camp. I would wake up early and do several sets of crunches, sit ups, jumping jacks and use the toning elasticized bands and get on the elliptical bike for at least one hour. Then I would go to the pool for 2-3 hours almost daily. I was pleased to see that I hadn't lost all the strength and stamina I had gained the previous summer, but I wasn't able to complete 100 laps at the get go either. I kept pushing myself like this until my mother and I were due to leave on vacation. By the time I left, I could see traces of the 'old' me in the mirror, my waist line was shrinking, my arms were getting toned and my stomach was getting flatter and my appetite for junk food and sweet treats was also diminishing. I have to admit that I was worried that I would pile it all back on again while I was away, but to my surprise I was quite sensible in my food choices. I made a conscience effort to make sure I drank water, ate decent sized portions of vegetables and fruit and I didn't feel bloated when I got back. I didn't 'exercise' but I did do a lot of walking in London and in Ireland. While I was away I summoned enough courage to get up on to a scale that tells you not only your weight but how much body fat you have. I am happy to say that i am now down to 40% body fat and I have 13 Kilos to lose to reach my ideal weight! (this will be the hardest to lose, but I will by hook or by crook, within this year or the next!)
Having returned, I can't seem to get the momentum going, the temperature is not encouraging and they have heated the pool! (Don't ask! I'm still trying to figure out why ANYONE would heat the pool in August in Egypt! It is a conundrum, that I can not fathom!) The heated pool makes me feel heavier and really knocks the breath out of me. I can't do two laps without panting. The water is supposed to help cool your body down, but this does the complete opposite, it overheats it. The temperature outside of the pool is cooler than being in the water! I have 3 wedding to go to in the next 4 weeks, so I am being very tough on myself. I have come a long way from where I began and I don't want to roll backwards. When I'm back at work, I think that I will go back to self-defense classes as well as re-learn how to Salsa and take up a form of Yoga, once I have been to an Orthapedic Surgeon to make sure the pains that I have been getting in my hip and feet are nothing to worry about. As always, I will keep you posted on my progress, till then; Drop it like it's hot!
My before and after pictures thus far…
- October 21st 2011 dressed for a friend's wedding


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Long before it's talked about on the evening news, the most promising nutritional research first surfaces in peer-reviewed scientific journals, the ones nobody but doctors, scientists or grad students read. So once a month, AllStarHealth summarizes some of the most promising new findings in our Nutrition Research Roundup.
- Posted in Health, Nutrition and Science News
- 2 Comments

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The producers of Caprica had a fairly good idea from the start that their show would be a tough sell. The ending of their first season, which has turned out to be their last, proves they weren't really expecting to get a second season after all. Full of action and surprises, Caprica comes to an explosive conclusion, with an epilogue that will blow you away. The fans get far more closure than they might have expected, but this episode is hardly a showcase for the high calibre acting that has distinguished the series so far. At least one major character is unseen.
You didn't really expect Apotheosis to be as nice and shiny as Clarice told you, did you?
What follows is a recap and review of the Caprica finale, and therefore CONTAINS SPOILERS.


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tighter fiscal policy in the United States should be implemented gradually, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Tuesday as it predicted moderate economic growth next year.
Automatic government spending cuts and tax increases, known as the "fiscal cliff", are set to begin in early 2013, draining about $600 billion from the economy unless the U.S. Congress and Obama administration agree on a plan to soften the blow.
In its latest economic outlook, the OECD said while cutting the large budget deficit was necessary to put the nation on a sustainable fiscal path, this should be done gradually and in the context of a well identified medium-term consolidation plan.
"The pace of consolidation should be gradual so as not to derail the already weak recovery," the OECD said. "If unresolved, the fiscal cliff would generate a significant drop in activity in 2013."
The United States has run budget deficits topping $1 trillion for three straight years, and it is on course to do so for a fourth.
The Paris-based OECD forecast growth in the world's largest economy of 2.2 percent from the fourth quarter of this year to the fourth quarter of next year, up from a projected 1.8 percent this year. Output is seen expanding 3.2 percent in 2014.
Annual gross domestic product expanded by an average of 2.1 percent over the last two years. The OECD forecasts assume the reduction in the U.S. budget deficit is limited to 1.5 percent of GDP in both 2013 and 2014.
But it said economic headwinds will continue to blow from the debt crisis in Europe and slowing global demand.
"The potential credit market disruptions associated with the ongoing crisis in the euro area remain a major concern," the OECD said. "Growth in disposable income will continue to be restrained significantly by the withdrawal of fiscal support."
But with U.S. economic growth expected to accelerate next year, the output gap — the difference between the actual output and output at full capacity — should narrow to 2.5 percent by the end of that year, the OECD predicted.
The output gap is currently 5.9 percent. Underpinning growth this year and in 2014 will be increased household spending, reflecting a turnaround in the housing market, which until recently was the economy's Achilles heel.
"Household balance sheets continue to improve, with equity values recently returning to near cyclical highs and home prices showing a sharp and sustained upturn," the OECD said.
"The gains in net wealth, coupled with low interest rates and a continued easing in lending conditions, should contribute to a pick-up in aggregate demand going forward."
It forecast a gradual improvement in the labor market and projected the unemployment rate falling to 7.5 percent over the course of 2014 from a projected 7.8 percent average in 2013.
The jobless rate was at 7.9 percent in October and almost all the decline from a peak of 10 percent in October 2009 was because of frustrated people giving up the search for work.
Given the still considerable slack in the economy, inflation pressures are likely to remain contained, even though wages could see rapid growth as the labor market improves, the OECD said.
This should help the Federal Reserve to honor its pledge to keep interest rates near record low levels through at least mid-2015.
The OECD forecast the consumer price index rising 1.8 percent over the course of next year and picking up to 2 percent over 2014.
The U.S. central bank, which has held overnight lending rates near zero since December 2008 and pumped about $2.3 trillion into the economy through bond purchases, aims for a 2 percent inflation rate.
"With significant slack in resource utilization and inflation expectations appearing well anchored, this highly accommodative stance of monetary policy is warranted," the OECD said.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)
This story was corrected in the sixth paragraph to show that the 3.2 percent forecast is for 2014, not next year and to clarify the basis of growth forecasts


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Monday, August 08, 2005
our greatest critics
Finch calls one painting "stunning", another "lush", another "surprising" - and adds "as with all great curations, "Extreme Abstraction" compels you to re-examine artists you may dislike or ignore."
Wow! You guys are great! Super! The bar is set so high!
P.S. The Albright-Knox website lists one of the Extreme Abstraction artists as "Arthuro" Herrera. I have a funny related Arturo Herrera story. How elegant!
7 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Yes, its weird to reveiw a show based on a catalog. Charlie Finch is a rank, bloviating train wreck of a man. He also has no eye, is pretty sexist, and relentlessly gets his facts wrong so I really don't think it makes a lick of difference whether he saw the show or not. I don't know if he is considered a real critic or a gossip columnist.
Roberta Smith did write about that work and seems like the catalog got in the way of her seeing the show. It seemed like she was taking the curators to task for including all of those quotes from the artist which did to me sound pretty annoying. Some artist are better not quoted.
- Anonymous said...
Dear Martin,
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I'm thinking about gluing my photographs in a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store catalogue and mailing it to Roberta Smith and Charlie Finch to review. The exhibition will be the catalogue. No doubt they've never been to a Cracker Barrel and will find the mythological imagery fascinating and thus open the catalogue to discover that it's really an exhibition. I think we're in ground-breaking territory here that holds many advantages for artists – think of the savings to artists and low-budget art centers now that it's no longer necessary to spend money catering opening receptions that these art critics aren't going to attend anyway? Invitations as passe - catalogues are the wave of the future!
- Anonymous said...
uh..Roberta Smith did go to the exhibition before she reveiwed the show.
- Anonymous said...
Could there be any remaining question that current art criticism ranges between mere adequacy to sheer inanity? Kuspit drones endless connections so faint and obscure that they can be shared and enjoyed by perhaps 3 other people on Earth. Matthew Collings is at least conversational and readable, if somewhat fashion-bratty. And then there are all these lost in-betweeners, the Finches and Smiths, who are enough to turn Mr. Hand into Mr. Fist.
The few truly useful art critics remaining, for me, are the artist-critics, in particular Joe Fyfe, Chris Martin, and Stephen Westfall (does Westfall still write?), and, to some degree, Eleanor Heartney.
Bill Gusky
- Martin said...
Anonymous #2 - I think we understand that Roberta went to the show, just saying that the first half of the review is all about the catalogue and what a wanker the artist supposedly was. Who cares?
Bill Gusky - I agree, the artist-critics are generally my favorites. I knew Chris Martin was an excellent painter (thanks to James Wagner and Roberta Fallon) but hadn't known he was also an art writer - thanks! All three of those guys are good painters - Stephen Westfall's "Dogwood" at Lennon Weinberg was a recent Chelsea standout for me. Merlin James would be another one from that crowd - he recently reviewed Helion on artcritical.com.
Okay, that is four painters who also write art criticism - mostly about other painters. What about non-painters? Artists in other mediums?
When is artcritical going to update???
- Anonymous said...
What about female artist-critics? I hate this crowd of guys idea.
- Anonymous said...
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – What do you reach for when you have a really bad headache? Super strength pain meds that are supposed to make you feel better, faster?
So what do you buy? Labels that say 'extra strength', 'maximum strength' or 'longer lasting'? Picking one of these is enough to make your headache even worse. So what exactly do these terms mean?
According to pharmacist Gary Roberts, they could all really mean the same exact thing. He said, "Those are just marketing terms to try and catch your eye, so you think that their product is better than another."
A recent Consumer Reports article revealed that any products like these basically just contains more of the active ingredient. For example, Extra Strength Tylenol has more of the the active ingredient acetaminophen. If you take too much, you could exceed the daily dose. Or you may have a reaction because your not used to something so powerful.
"Especially you mentioned acetaminophen," Roberts said. "We are finding out more and more each day that we've been taking too much of it all along and it causes liver damage in the long term.So in a case like that it can be very serious. It can interact with other medicine."
Roberts said the best thing to do before you buy any new, over the counter medicine; walk to the back of the store and ask the pharmacist what's best for your symptoms.
"That's always best we think, and it really is because nowadays it's all about advertising and maybe the word gimmick is a little too much but again, they're trying to get your dollar," Roberts explained.
Something else you need to be leery of, 'combo medicines'. For example, cold and sinus medications. Make sure you read the label carefully and don't take aspirin or other pain relievers in addition to these medicines. They may already contain some of the same ingredients and you could end up exceeding the daily dose.


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Checking in on… the MAACPosted by rtmsf on January 29th, 2010
Ray Floriani of College Chalktalk is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.
JERSEY CITY , NJ – Siena took their unblemished MAAC record into Yanitelli Center on Thursday evening and edged St. Peter's 66-58 . The Peacocks had been riding a five-game win streak and Siena was without the services of injured senior forward and offensive threat, Edwin Ubiles. In addition, a crowd of 1,609, one of St. Peter's biggest this season, was animated and provided an intense and exciting atmosphere. Junior forward Ryan Rossiter was huge with a 21 point, 9 rebound night for the Saints. In the final minute Alex Franklin, nine points on the night, muscled his way in the paint for a crucial field goal for the Saints. Siena closed out the final seconds from the charity stripe. "We never gave up the lead (in the stretch) and we got stops when we needed to," said Siena coach Fran McCaffery. "We came in and prepared for a close game. St.Peter's is too good a team. You are not going to blow them out."
Player of the Week. Alex Franklin (F), Siena – Franklin averaged 24.5 PPG, 9 RPG and 2 BPG during the week. He scored a season high for Siena with a 27-point outing in the win over Manhattan.
Rookie of the Week. Rashard McGill (G), Iona – Hit for 9 PPG while averaging 5.5 RPG as the Gaels went 2-0 for the week. McGill scored a career-best 13 points and added 7 rebounds in the Iona win at Manhattan.
- Jeron Belin became the 29th player in St.Peter's history to hit the 1000 point mark.
- Ronald Moore of Siena inched closer to the all time and season record for assists. Moore is also targeting the all time MAAC assist total.
- With 15 wins, Iona coach Ralph Willard's Iona club already eclipsed the win total of the past two seasons.
Standings and tempo free breakdowns (courtesy of Basketball State). Only MAAC games are computed. Efficiency margin is the difference between offensive and defensive efficiency. Like a checking account, positive is good, negative not so good.
Team Breakdowns
- Canisius – Split with New Jersey based schools, defeating Rider before dropping a decision to St. Peter's. Progress! The Griff win over Rider was number ten of the season and fifth in the MAAC. Last season Canisius put the uniforms away with ten wins overall and just four in conference. The Canisius win over Rider saw the Griffs commit only seven turnovers and shoot 88 % from the charity stripe. Senior guard Frank Turner continued his torrid play averaging 19.5 PPG for the week.
- Fairfield – Split the last two games, defeating Marist and losing at Iona. Anthony Johnson had a double-double week with 16.3 PPG and 11 RPG . The Stag center has eight double-doubles on the season. Derek Needham continues his outstanding play at the point. A freshman, Needham is set to crack the school's top ten single-season list in assists. Fairfield held Marist to 50 points, the eighth time they have held an opponent under 60 points this season.
- Iona – Extended the win streak to six with victories at Manhattan and at home against Fairfield. Jermel Jenkins preserved the win at Manhattan with a late steal then matched his career high with 14 points and 7 assists against the Stags. Gael reserves outscored Fairfield's bench 50-5 in the 68-58 decision. Iona's 15 wins and .715 winning percentage is the highest among the fourteen Division I programs within a 30-mile radius of Madison Square Garden.
- Loyola (MD) – Finished a stretch of three road games in seven days with a win at Marist. That was just after taking Siena to the wire in a six-point decision. Loyola had a seven-point lead before the Saints closed out with a 17-4 run. Loyola did not score a field goal the last eight minutes in that contest. Senior Garrett Kelly was a surprise against the Saints . He entered the game with eight career points and no treys. Kelly scored 11 points and canned three beyond the arc. Against Marist the Greyhounds shot 58.6 % the first half and never looked back.
- Manhattan – The Jaspers close out January on the road. Manhattan has lost six of seven conference games in January but the first four by a combined total of 12 points. Guard Rico Pickett averaged 22 PPG for the week. Pickett hit 50% (8 of 16) from three and pulled down 4.7 rebounds per game. The rebounding leader is a guard — Darryl Crawford with 6.1 RPG. Crawford is also scoring 14.7 points per game. The Jaspers are the MAAC leaders, committing only 11 turnovers per game (a conference best 14.5 TO Rate).
- Marist – Dropped games to Fairfield and Loyola. Junior forward Corey Bauer set the pace with a 16 PPG and 7.5 RPG week. Bauer hit for 21 against Loyola which tied the high scoring game for a Marist player this season. Sam Prescott, Marist's freshman guard, also had 21. Ironically Prescott's performance was against Loyola on January 15th in Baltimore.
- Niagara – Dropped home games to St. Peter's and Rider. Tyrone Lewis was out both games with an injury. Sophomore Austin Conley got the starting nod in Lewis' absence. Conley had a career-high 13 points against Rider. Demetrius Williamson paced the Purple Eagles with a 20 PPG scoring mark over the two games. The loss to Rider left Niagara at 11-11. The last time they were 11-11 in late January was 2007 when they went on a 12-game winning streak that included a MAAC title and a first round NCAA Tournament victory.
- Rider – Lost at Canisius where they had won six of the last eight and won at Niagara where they hadn't in eight years. At Niagara, the Broncs erased an 11-point deficit and won on Novar Gadson's tip-in. Gadson finished with 11 points and 11 boards. Rider has played 15 of its first 22 away from home. They return to Alumni Gym to play six of their final nine regular season games. Junior Justin Robinson canned five three-pointers at Canisius. Robinson has hit 15 consecutive free throws. Earlier this year he hit 26 straight from the charity stripe.
- St. Peter's – Swept Canisius and Niagara on the road to improve to 13-7, their best record after twenty games in eight years. Balance is a key. Nick Leon and Wesley Jenkins are factors outside while Ryan Bacon mans the paint. Against Canisius however, the leading scorer was junior forward Jeron Belin with 16 points. Bacon tied a career high with 16 rebounds against Niagara. Leon had 19 in the game, 18 of which came in the second half.
- Siena – Entered the week on an eleven-game win streak, the second longest in program history and third longest current win streak in the country. Siena has a 32-game home winning streak and dominates virtually every statistical category in the MAAC. The only negative point to date is the medical report. Kyle Downey broke his foot on January 19th in practice and is out indefinitely. Edwin Ubiles missed several games with soreness in his back and shoulder and freshman guard Jonathan Breeden missed several contests with a migraine headache. Point guard Ronald Moore continues to excel with a gaudy 8.1 APG mark, the nation's best.
Upcoming games :
January 30 – Rider at Fairfield
January 31
- Niagara at Loyola
- Manhattan at St.Peter's
February 1 – Canisius at Iona
February 5
- Iona at Siena
- St.Peter's at Fairfield
February 7
- Iona at Marist
- Loyola at Manhattan


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The Detroit Auto Show was slightly less depressing than last year, thanks to an onslaught of, like, five unawful cars. Every car we covered can be found in the Jalopnik round-up below.
This year's North American International Auto Show was an interesting ball of wax. Detroit 2009 was a sad marriage of tradition and desperation. The year before that was an old-school, big-budget party. 2010 is somewhere in between; the excess pessimism is gone, but so is the wild-eyed optimism. With a few exceptions (*cough* GMC Granite *cough*), careful, intelligent moves were the order of the day. Here's the list of stuff that mattered.
GMC Granite: God Is In The Details
GMC's Granite concept is supposed to be professional grade. Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, the details are killer.
Ford Focus: The Comeback Kid
Ford's latest Focus marks one hell of a return to form. Coolest new car at the show, bar none.
VW New Compact Coupe: Like A Scirocco, Only Bigger, Less Sexy
According to rumor, the New Compact Coupe previews the upcoming Golf coupe. It's pretty, but we'd still rather have the Scirocco.
Delta Forced: First Lancia Rebadged As Chrysler
In its quest to revamp itself, Chrysler has badge-engineered a Lancia Delta into the Auburn Hills family. Take a mediocre Italian hatchback, slap a new skin on it, and use that to revamp a struggling American brand? Makes perfect sense.
Mini Beachcomber, We Do Not Understand You, But We Like You
The Beachcomber previews the upcoming Mini Crossman SUV. It's strange as hell, but that doesn't stop us from loving it.
Ford Goes Electric, Zaps Fun Out Of 2012
The 2012 Ford Focus is so attractive that we'll forgive the announcement of an electric version. That said, it is the car that helped kill Jay Leno's new talk show, so maybe it's not that bad.
2011 GMC Acadia Denali: Who The Hell Buys These Things
It may be the hottest Chevy Traverse you can buy, but it's also the most expensive. Sorry, GMC Acadia Denali: We're not just not that into you.
Chinese Unveil Electric Dong Car Covered In Bush
Every year the Chinese bring a car more representative of our favorite part of the human anatomy. Cover it in a bush? Even better.
The Toyota FT-CH Hybrid A Baby Prius That Doesn't Put Us To Sleep
Just because the "baby Prius" FT-CH doesn't seem as boring as its big brother doesn't mean that we don't want Toyota to abort it in favor of a baby FT-86.
The BMW Z4 sDrive35iS: Are You My M-ommy?
We may not get an M version of the Z4, but the over-named Z4 sDrive35iS is pretty close.
VW New Compact Coupe Debuts In Backstreet Boys Style
Not so much a concept as a production car gone flashy. One of the most finished concepts we've ever seen.
Audi Reveals Second E-Tron Electric Concept For "Idiots"
Audi's executives may think electric cars like the Volt are for people of lesser intelligence, but it doesn't stop them from launching sexy e-concepts every year.
BMW 740i and 740li Want To Six Up Your Life
If you don't know (or care about) the difference between six and eight cylinders, the 740i and 740Li are fast enough. For BMW, they're also an efficient way to help reduce emissions.
Honda CR-Z: 122 HP, 33 MPG Worst Of All Worlds
How much do we dislike the new Honda CR-Z? So much that we'll have to assail Honda with compliments if a non-hybrid version of the car ever sees production.
Bentley Series 51 Continental: Would You Spend $10,000 For Some Trim?
Bentley's Continental remains an object of desire for new money. Why mess with success when you can just gild the lily?
Bentley Mulsanne Speaks Softly And Carries A Big V8
Our favorite part of the Bentley display was the Mulsanne. All 9,000 square feet of it.
2011 Ford Mustang 5.0 V8: Rollin' In My Five-Point-Oh
How many times can we make a Vanilla Ice reference in a post about Ford's 5.0-liter V8? Many, many times.
Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: We Like Big, Powerful Butts
We cannot lie: The CTS-V coupe is exactly the kind of car that we love.
Chevy Aveo RS: Least Crappy Daewoo Starts Production In 2011
We've often wondered if it was possible to massage the Aveo platform into something appealing. They're getting warmer.
[gallery 5445781]
Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept The Cadillac Of Luxo-Barges
Admit it: The Ford Taurus SHO wasn't large enough for you, either.
2011 Lincoln MKX: No Buttons, All Nose
You may not love the MKX's nose, but at least it's got capacitive touch sliders in the interior. Granted, we're not sure we want them, but they're fun to play with.
Ford's 6.7-liter Powerstroke V8 Is Crazy Like A Fox
Engine pr0n? This early in the morning? If you insist. Check out Ford's latest diesel.
Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept When Two Become One
Replacing both the DTS and STS, the XTS concept is thinly veiled version of a car that everyone knows Caddy is going to make.
The Fastest Way To Electrocute You And Three Friends
The amphibious electric car sounds like a brilliant idea, doesn't it?
Commuter Cars Tango: First Drive
We've always been intrigued by the massively powerful electric Tango. After driving one, we're just pleased that we can wrap our hands around the top of it.


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What is a person to do when it is cold outside? Play around on the computer. Clearly a one handed gif is a little wobbly but you get the picture.
As promised weeks ago I am going to share a quick little project I squeezed in, in between cleanings and house viewings. These soap stones are not new to the crafting world but they are alot of fun to make and I love trying to replicate the felt roving strands to look as much like a beach stone as possible.
I have many little soaps I have received as gifts that I could never use up. My dad also brought me some lovely lavender soap from the south of France on one of his cycling trips. I have tons of the stone coloured roving around that I bought when our local knitting shop closed down. Helana used to make them for her pet pebbles. Combine them all and you have a little stone of soap ready to use or gift to a friend.
The oval soaps make a really authentic beach stone. The little eggs look so cute as little pebbles.
The centre image in each photo shows how you can just wrap up the stones loosely in the roving before their hot water treatment.
2 - loosely wrap the soap with grey first, then a few strands of the light brown and finally strips of the natural to create the veining.
3 - I ran some very hot water over my creation just to get an idea of how the placement is working
4 - all that fluffy roving attaches itself to the soap with a few dunkings.
5 - to really pack it down I put them in nylon sockettes and rubbed them
6 - I let them drain at the bottom of the kitchen sink
They make a nice little hostess gift. I'm thinking they might look good piled on in a bowl in our new powder room. I have about a year to plan that so I'll have to tuck these away in the pile of boxes that are amassing themselves all over the house.
Keep warm and toasty!


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November 3, 2008
Prescriptives AGLOW Look
How are you liking the Prescriptives AGLOW coverage so far today? I have a few more items to review for you but I'll get to them tomorrow!
For today I'll leave you with one of my completed looks!
For the look below I used:
Prescriptives Winter Reflections All Over Highlighter Pearls
Prescriptives Blush More or Less in Sonoma Rose (Review Coming Soon….)
Prescriptives Winter Reflections Cool Eye Color Quad
Prescriptives Colorscope Lipcolor in Winter Rose (Review Coming Soon….)


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Democracy has new life in Venezuela. Despite Pres. Hugo Chavez's efforts to rig the election system in his favor, to muzzle opposition media and to turn the government into a chavista election machine, the opposition obtained about half of the vote. Unless Chavez manages to solve during the remaining two years of his presidential term those huge problems like crime, inflation and an economic malaise which he's failed at during his last 11 years in power, then it appears likely he'll lose his reelection - in a fair vote.
But, from my three years living in Caracas and observing the country since, it sure appears to me that in his heart Chavez does not believe in democracy. He certainly does want to be legitimized by democratic means, but to make sure he wins elections he's used authoritarian methods, such as shutting down opposition media, controlling the court system and employing public institutions to electioneer for him. And, just look at democratic credentials of the sorts of folks he buddies up with - the leaders of Cuba, Iran, Libya, Belarus....
I suspect that, in Chavez's mind, the opposition's success is not democracy but interference by the 'empire' - just as his friend and advisor Fidel Castro stated.
Venezuela's weakened democracy was strengthened by this Sunday's vote, but it's still a close bet whether or not it will survive.
It is certainly important to Colombia that its neighbors have stable democracies with democratic and rational leaders interested in improving the lot of their peoples, not amassing power and spouting obsolete ideology. The evidence is clear: Neighbors Brazil and Peru have healthy functioning democracies, and neither has talked about war against Colombia or threatened to start an arms race. Neither has harbored Colombian guerrillas or closed down its borders. Venezuela, and to a lesser degree Ecuador, (which at this very moment looks like its government may fall) has done all that and more.
Blog written by Mike Ceaser of Bogota Bike Tours


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This is exactly how this whole company and brand started........Me getting some other local Eggheads together to save money on great charcoal. Over the course of seven years it evolved into a full blown charcoal company, now with the #1 brand on The Naked Whiz's website.
I cannot / do not really sell individual bags anymore, but I really enjoy shipping charcoal to a group buy......takes me back to my roots in charcoal. Thanks for the good feelings!
Guys, the cheapest carrier to CO is Vitran Express.......their depot is at:
Guys, just give me about 3-4 business days notice. It should only take 2 business days to get there; however, if you want it there on a certain day, it would be best to know at least 4 days ahead of time so we can time the pick up just right.
We'll be able to track it, then you'll get a call from Vitran Express when it's ready for delivery (or pickup at Henderson if that's still the plan.)
Whatever is easier for you guys. Just tack on $3 each to cover the fees if you want to do PayPal.
Let me double check with the shipper to make sure that quote is still accurate.


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IRVINE, CA -- Star Trac has definitely had a year of transition. The Irvine, CA-based manufacturer has undergone two rounds of layoffs, a change in presidents and a purchase of the company.
Rumors have been swirling around Star Trac for months—one being whether the company will file for bankruptcy. Recently, the company denied that rumor.
"Although this is a very challenging time for the fitness industry, the answer is no, Star Trac is not considering bankruptcy protection," the company said.
A series of turnovers began in May, when Steve Nero resigned as president, replaced by Mike Leveque. In June, Star Trac laid off 100 employees, and in August, it laid off 10 members of its sales staff.
Michael Bruno of Land America Health and Fitness Co., Xiamen, China, purchased Star Trac in July. Bruno later hired Nero as a consultant for one of his medical supply companies.
Since Bruno's purchase of Star Trac, the company says it has restructured operations to improve its products, distribution and customer experience.
"To achieve this high level of proficiency that our clients and vendors have come to expect, we have adapted our operational activities to reflect these goals," the company said in an e-mail. "This process includes re-engineering products and business segments, re-establishing vendor relationships and stabilizing the supply chain. We are also currently conducting good-faith negotiations with vendors in order to restructure outstanding payables."
"This process is an integral step towards repositioning the organization for long-term success," the company adds. "Our entire leadership team is committed to increasing our ability to provide the product innovation, quality reliability and customer service that have been the Star Trac brand legacy since 1988. We are determined to emerge as the global market leader in the commercial fitness industry."


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Welcome to the Center for Employer Services at Fulton-Montgomery Community College.
Community colleges, like FM, have a number of services and activities of which employers may want to take advantage. These include hiring graduates, providing internships, meeting space, and training of existing employees. However, sometimes it is difficult for someone outside of the College to know whom to call to access these services.
The Center for Employer Services is designed to be an employer's "one-stop shop" to access anything that they may need from FM. By contacting the Center for Employer Services your questions and needs will be met. You will have one contact person with which to work. While there may be several College employees who need to work on your project, your primary interface will be simple for you.
If you need us, just ask; I am sure that we will be able to help you.
Dustin Swanger, Ed.D.


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YouTube Offers a Diet Option for Pudgy PCs: "Feather"
Stuck with a slow computer or lousy broadband access, but still want your fill of dogs on skateboards? Check out YouTube Feather, a lightweight version of Google's (GOOG) video site.
YouTube is rolling out the option today, via its TestTube collection of beta trials. The idea is straightforward: Make the site work better for people who lack high-powered PCs or robust broadband.
Feather users get the same clips, but with fewer options; Feather doesn't appear to offer the "high-quality" large-screen option, for instance, and many commenting and sharing options have been removed or stripped down.
But if you're just interested in watching YouTube, none of that is going to matter to you, and you may very well not notice the difference anyway. I might try it whenever I have to use my slow and unreliable Sprint (S) wireless modem.
I don't think you'll be able to tell the difference by watching this embedded clip–pretty sure you have to opt-in to the beta for this to work–but worst-case, you get to see Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson chew up the furniture for the umpteenth time.


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Some days, the irony piles on top of irony.
Father Frank Pavonne put out a letter yesterday concerning the widespread misinterpretations of Pope Francis' interview with America magazine.
The irony?
Father Frank was with Pope Francis when the story broke.
In his words:
Is the pope saying we should talk less about abortion? Is he saying that the emphasis the Church has placed on this issue has been a mistaken emphasis?
When I first received these inquiries via emails and text messages, I was actually in the presence of Pope Francis, in the dining room of his residence. I had spoken just hours earlier, at the invitation of the Vatican, about the Church's defense of the unborn child, and about the clear and strong position of the Church, expressed in many documents, that the right to life is our first right and the foundation and condition for all the others.
Read the rest here.


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The Countryside Distinction
Creating places people love
History & Strength
A history of home-making
Countryside has been in the business of making homes since 1958. Our name can be found at the heart of many successful communities throughout the midlands and north west.
Whether it's a high-profile project such as Belgravia Gateacre or an affordable mix of homes at NGV Liverpool, everything we do shares the same vision: building places people love.
It's an approach that's been recognised with many prestigious awards – we hold more Housing Design Awards than any other home builder, including the North West Property Regeneration Award, Private Developer of the Year at the First Time Buyer Readers' Awards and Best Family Home at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards.
Built to be financially secure
Buying a new home is the biggest investment many of us will make. So it's important to know the people you're buying from value financial security just as much as you do.
As a FTSE 250 company, you can be sure that Countryside is strong, stable and secure, with over half a century of trading to our name.
It's this reliability that also makes us the first-choice partner for many big organisations, such as local councils and charitable trusts and we extend the same care to our customers.
Homes & Community
Making a place called home
No-one knows better than Countryside about what it takes to design and build a place called home. Working closely with communities at every stage, we take the time to understand the real needs and concerns of the people we're building for.
From landscaped surroundings to tree lined boulevards we create communities that people love to live in. In recognition of this, we've been proud to receive important awards such as House Builder Awards: Large House Builder of the Year 2017.
Don't just take our word for it
Our Customer Charter is here to make sure you're delighted with your new home, from the moment you make your reservation to the day you move in and beyond. The fact that 90%* of Countryside customers are happy to recommend us tells its own story.
And because we pride ourselves on offering only the best possible home-buying experience, we also provide a 2-year Customer Service Warranty. It's all part of the Countryside distinction.
Quality & Value
Sustainability built-in
All Countryside homes are built with sustainability in mind. We have an excellent track record of building high-quality new homes that are not only comfortable, but aim to improve our customers' quality of life.
Our homes come with multiple green technologies built-in as standard, such as energy efficient boilers and LED lighting. This means not only will you benefit from reduced running costs, but enjoy the peace of mind knowing that your brand new home is having a kinder impact on the environment.
Comes as standard…
At Countryside, we've got a home for everyone, whether you are a first time buyer, a family or looking to downsize. All our homes have one thing in common: a high level of specification.
Your home will be flooded with natural light from built in skylight windows and French doors, seamlessly connecting home and garden. A fully fitted open plan kitchen sits at the heart of your home catering for the way we live today. Our outstanding levels of specification mean that our homes come with no hidden costs.
All of this is what makes a Countryside home. That's the Countryside Distinction.


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Monica Puig defeated Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 to win the women's tennis gold medal on Saturday, accomplishing something no one representing Puerto Rico has ever done in the process.
The 22-year-old Puig became just the ninth athlete from Puerto Rico to win an Olympic medal in any sport — and in beating a Grand Slam champion for the third time in four matches she became the island's first-ever gold medalist.
After the victory, Puig was visibly overjoyed.
U.S. & World
"I just can't believe it. This is for them," Puig said of her fellow Puerto Ricans, though she lives in Miami. "This is definitely for them. They're going through some tough times right now and they needed this. I needed this. I think I united a nation and I just love where I come from."
Puig, ranked 34th in the world, was the upstart in every way, while Kerber, the Australian Open champion, was starting to look very comfortable in the role of favorite as the two entered Saturday's final.
Puig's underdog run to the final came amid a severe economic crisis that is devastating the U.S. territory, which fields its own Olympic team. Puig is deeply aware of what her triumphs mean.
"This Olympics isn't about me. It's about Puerto Rico, and I know how bad they want this," she said before Saturday's match-up. "The island is full of such bad news all the time so every time ... somebody from the island wins a medal, everything stops. I know how happy everybody gets."
Puig was so happy Friday after her back-and-forth 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova that her celebratory leap probably got enough hang time to earn points in the Olympic trampoline final. She dropped the first three games against the far more seasoned Czech, who was seeded 11th. Unfazed, Puig rallied to win the set, then regrouped again after taking just one game in the second.
Puig, who also upset French Open champion Garbine Muguruza in Rio de Janeiro, has never even been to a quarterfinal at a major.
In the men's semifinals Saturday, 2012 gold medalist Andy Murray beat Japan's Kei Nishikori, while the 2008 Olympic champion, Spain's Rafael Nadal, fell to Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro. Murray and del Potro will face each other in Sunday's gold medal match.


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To know something and to realize something are different things. I've known that I've changed, but today I realized how much. It happened slowly over the course of the two years since I graduated from college. When it happens like that it's easy not to notice.
I'm an ant in a jar in a mall. I eat crackers out of a coconut shell (it makes sense to me). This tiny, uninsulated room is excessive. I can't find much that's healthy about joining a "health club". When the sun comes out I go for a run because I need sun, and I can't get enough air.
I feel calm and more beautiful than I've ever felt. Perhaps it's the merlot, though I felt this way at 6am as well. This state of no longer being a slave to my body or a result of my mind lets me look out a cafe window and see and feel a town for what it is.
Some days I want to be a musician - to spend all day writing lyrics about life the way I've bore witness to it, the way it's made my heart lurch beat jitter jump sway and stay. Other days I want to be a bartender dressed in black, sexy and sleek and simple. Most every day I want to pick up a dirty needle off a dirty street and look over my shoulder as I walk from Camden to Phily. Always I want to believe in glory, and when I see the way the sun sets on a forest in winter, the way the browns and whites become bronze and gold and the mountains disappear from top to bottom, I do.
My heals hurt from my hiking shoes. But if you point to a peak I'll walk with you to the top. Home is somewhere up there, and though this spirit be prone to wander, it knows when it's home.
January 5, 2011
extra Ginger in that Tea, please.
0 comments Posted by Kendralee* on 6:38 PM
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So much for "open-ended QE driven recovery". Moments ago the March Non-farm payroll hit and it was a doozy, printing at 88K, below the lowest forecast of 100K, well below the expected number of 190K, and a tragedy compared to the February revised print of 268K (was 236K). This was the biggest miss to expectations since December 2009 and the worst print since June 2012. The unemployment rate declined to 7.6%, but this was due entirely to the collapse in the labor force participation rate, which declined by 20 bps to 63.3%, a new 30 year low.
And now the time to come up with excuses is here.
and its not just the US - Canada's employment collapsed the most since Jan 09...
From the report:
Total nonfarm payroll employment
edged up in March (+88,000). Over the prior 12 months, employment growth
had averaged 169,000 per month. In March, employment increased in
professional and business services and in health care, while retail
trade employment declined. (See table B-1.)
Professional and business services added 51,000 jobs in March. Over the past 12 months, employment in this industry has grown by 533,000. Within professional and business services, accounting and bookkeeping services added 11,000 jobs over the month, and employment continued to trend up in temporary help services and in several other component industries.
Job growth in health care continued in March, with a gain of 23,000, similar to the prior 12-month average. Within health care, employment increased by 15,000 in ambulatory health care services, such as home health care, and by 8,000 in hospitals.
Construction employment continued to trend up in March (+18,000). Job growth in this industry picked up this past fall; since September, the industry has added 169,000 jobs. In March, employment continued to expand among specialty trade contractors (+23,000). Employment in specialty trade contractors has increased by 128,000 since September, with the gain about equally split between the residential and nonresidential components.
Within leisure and hospitality, employment in food services and drinking places continued to trend up in March (+13,000). Over the past year, the industry added 262,000 jobs.
In March, retail trade employment declined by 24,000. The industry had added an average of 32,000 jobs per month over the prior 6 months. In March, job declines occurred in clothing and clothing accessories stores (-15,000), building material and garden supply stores (-10,000), and electronics and appliance stores (-6,000).
Within government, U.S. Postal Service employment fell by 12,000 in March. Employment in other major industries, including mining, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, state government, and local government, showed little change over the month.
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.1 hour to 34.6 hours. The manufacturing workweek decreased by 0.1 hour to 40.8 hours, and factory overtime rose by 0.1 hour to 3.4 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 33.8 hours. (See tables B-2 and B-7.)
In March, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls, at $23.82, changed little (+1 cent). Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 42 cents, or 1.8 percent. Average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees, at $20.03, changed little (-1 cent) in March. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for January was revised from +119,000 to +148,000, and the change for February was revised from +236,000 to +268,000.


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Since this blog is entitled "Teach Paperless" I thought I would make my first post about some great Web 2.0 resources for students that can help them get organized and study. These resources are very useful, and all free.
I am a huge user and fan of Google's many applications and their use in education. I use Blogger for this blog and my classroom blogs, Google Sites for my classroom site, Google Docs, Google Earth, iGoogle and much more with my students and for my own use. I show my students Google's applications because they are easy to use, useful, and free.
Google recently launched the Google Student Blog. This blog site is a great resource for students who use Google's products. It includes information, updates, how-to's, tips, and much more on how to use Google's applications as a student. If your students use Google's products, they should be reading the Google Student Blog.


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I'm curious as to how many women out there that have more guns or enjoy the shooting sports more than their husbands/boyfriends.
I remember meeting a couple once in which they told me that before they were married, she had more guns than her husband. For their honeymoon, it was the wife's idea to go to Montana to hunt prairie dogs. It was a remarkable conversation and couple that I'll never forget.
I had a girlfriend once that loved anything that went bang. There were a lot of times that she'd look at me adoringly and say, "Honey, let's go to the range and burn some powder."
Please withhold the comments about how stupid I was to let her go. I already know I was an idiot for that and don't need to be reminded.