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Two very special Belizeans have been selected as national finalists in the 2009 First Caribbean International Bank's Unsung Heroes Competition. Nurse Judith Cuellar-Krieg and Paul Bradley were recognized at a ceremony held Wednesday , October 21, 2009at the Biltmore Plaza Hotel, Belize City.
"Nurse Judy", as she is affectionately known, runs the Equity House Clinic in Hopkins Village. She was born and raised in Belize City but moved to the USA to make a life for herself in the field of nursing. Five years ago, the Registered Critical Care Nurse moved to Hopkins along with her husband and young daughter to retire… but duty called. There was a need for medical care in the area and that is when Nurse Judy sprang into action and opened Equity House which provides healthcare to residents of Hopkins and the surrounding villages. Nurse Judy doesn't have working hours; she is on call all day and all night. She is the "go to" person for us here at Hamanasi Resort! But Judith says that doesn't make her a hero. She says she is just doing what comes naturally and what her mom, who also was a nurse, taught her. She also works closely with the doctors and nurses at the Southern Regional Hospital, the Ministry of Health and the community she serves.
The two local finalists will now compete in the Regional Unsung Heroes Competition against finalists in all the other countries and territories in which the bank operates. The region winner will be announced in December.
Congratulations and Good Luck to our very own Nurse Judy!!!


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OTA Antenna Tuning
In the US receiving ATSC (HDTV) signals OTA is a popular option. It's free and with a little bit of time investment very reliable. I've put together this antenna tweaking guide based on my experiences with OTA ATSC.
For this guide I'm going to reference my setup. This guide works well for other cards too. The key to making this easy is to have a laptop and somewhere to monitor signal strength from the laptop while you're at the antenna making adjustments. If you can monitor on multiple tuners at once you'll complete the job much faster.
Here is my equipment list
- Attic mounted CM 4228
- A laptop with wireless access
- HD HomeRun ATSC tuner
- Mapping compass and black marker
- Printed table of DTV station information from http://www.antennaweb.org and http://www.tvfool.com
Antenna Attic Placement
A good directional antenna like the CM4228 can be fickle to setup. Moving the antenna just a few feet in any direction can have a large effect on signal quality. When placing the antenna in the attic try to avoid pointing it out the shingles of your roof. Nails and water running down the roof shingles tend to play havoc with signal quality I've found. My best results cam from pointing the antenna out a flat side-wall.
If you're really not sure where the best spot is you can choose a temporary mount point to start with. Mount the antenna on the mast and try securing the mast in a small Christmas tree stand. This may not work depending on the type and size of antenna you have. Or you can do what I did and just screw the antenna mast to the floor with an L-Bracket and clamp. Once you have a location chosen mark it on the floor with a marker. If it's a good spot you want to remember exactly where it was later on.
Once you have the mount point you need to know the direction to point the antenna. Use http://www.antennaweb.org and http://www.tvfool.com to get an idea of the direction from you to the broadcast tower. For me, all the stations I cared about were in the same direction between 132deg and 123deg. If that's not the case for you then ask the mythtv-users list for advice on how to pickup stations using multiple antennas and combining signals.
Getting the Initial Readings
Before tweaking you need some baseline readings. Without these you won't know if the changes you're making are for the better or worse. Start with a channel scan to identify the frequency for each station you care about. Put these into a table along with the initial signal strength and signal to noise numbers:
- Run
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF scan 0 /tmp/ota_initial_scan.txt
- From the
/tmp/ota_initial_scan.txtfile record the frequency, channel, signal strength, and signal noise of each station you care about
FRQ STATION Scan ===================================== 707 5.1 WRAL DT CBS 61/56 719 17.1 NBC17HD NBC --/-- 683 50.1 WRAZ HD FOX 67/63 701 11.1 WTVD HD ABC 70/69
Channel scan on the HDHR doesn't always accurately show the signal strength and signal noise. I recommend you tune to each station and watch the status output for about 20 seconds to get an accurate picture of signal strength and signal noise.
- Run:
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/channel 8vsb:707000000
- Run:
watch -n 1 hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF get /tuner0/status
- Keep an eye on the signal strength (ss) and signal noise (snq) for about 20 seconds. You want them to be as close to 100 as possible. Add this info to your table Use CTRL-C to stop the watch command.
FRQ STATION Scan 132deg ===================================== 707 5.1 WRAL DT CBS 61/56 65/62 719 17.1 NBC17HD NBC --/-- 43/04 683 50.1 WRAZ HD FOX 67/63 65/62 701 11.1 WTVD HD ABC 70/69 77/69
Notice my initial readings indicate that NBC17 isn't coming in well. On the channel scan the HDHR saw it but didn't get a good SS/SNQ reading. On the manual tune I was able to see some SS but had a very poor SNQ reading. Everythign else isn't to bad however ideally we would see SS/SNQ closer to 75/80 on all channels. Also, watch for wild fluctuations in SS and SNQ. If you see that chances are you are experiencing a multipath signal problem and will need to move the location of the antenna
Making Adjustments
Here is where the laptop comes in handy. You should head into the attic with the laptop, marker, and mapping compass. Connect to your system where the hdhomerun_config program lives (or install a copy on the laptop!) and tune in the weakest channel in the table from your initial scan. Turn the antenna until you see a SS/SNQ of 75/80 or there about. I've had good results with any station showing 70/75 SS/SNQ or better as long as it doesn't fluctuate much!
- Start by tuning weakest channel with
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/channel 8vsb:719000000
- Monitor for 20 seconds with
watch -n 1 hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF get /tuner0/status
- Turn the antenna making small adjustments and note the change in real time
- Record the new information in your table. Use the mapping compass to get an idea of the direction in case you want to use it again later.
- Repeat the first three steps for each channel until all channels are showing a good SS/SNQ reading that is stable
FRQ STATION Scan 132deg 128deg ============================================= 707 5.1 WRAL DT CBS 61/56 65/62 78/88 719 17.1 NBC17HD NBC --/-- 43/04 69/85 683 50.1 WRAZ HD FOX 67/63 65/62 71/88 701 11.1 WTVD HD ABC 70/69 77/69 60/69
Improving Signal Strength
If you live in a marginal reception area or would like to get away with a smaller antenna that fits in the attic better you will need an amplifier. There are several different types available but the best one is a in-line amplifier. This style places the amplifier right at the antenna connector and feeds power to it through the coax. No extra wiring needed. Try to avoid the styles that place the amp at the capture card. The main disadvantage is that coax cable has losses and and once the signal is lost the preamp cannot recover it. This is also where an in-line amp shines. If you can find one, a model with adjustable gain can prove useful. Please note that this advise only applies to receiving a signal OTA with an antenna. Cable users wanting more signal (usually because they are splitting to many sets in their house) will want to use a amplified splitter which just makes up for the losses in the splitter. Using a amp designed for antenna use will cause overload and distortion and will degrade the signal rather than improve it.

subset: commoncrawl


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Economic losses from weather below average
Economic losses from severe weather are well below average so far in 2014, fueled mainly by the quietest year for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in seven years, according to an analysis by German reinsurance firm Munich Re, the world's largest.
Calling it a year dominated by a "strange weather pattern," Peter Höppe, head of Munich Re's Geo Risks research department, said insured losses from natural disasters in the USA this year have totaled $9.1 billion, below the average of $11 billion for the first six months of 2000-2013.
However, harsh winter weather caused much more damage than usual, he said, with $2.4 billion in losses. A ferocious snowstorm in early January caused $1.7 billion in damage alone, the world's third costliest weather event this year.
"The harsh winter in the Midwest and on the East Coast once again exposed the vulnerability of infrastructure in the U.S," said Tony Kuczinski, president and CEO of Munich Reinsurance America. "In many cases, there were power outages for long periods, and economists estimate that the cold winter also significantly contributed to strongly negative economic growth in the first quarter."
The extended winter caused a slow start to the U.S. tornado season, which typically peaks from May to July. Losses this year from such weather — about $6 billion — are the lowest level of insured tornado and severe thunderstorm loss since 2007, Höppe said.
Japan also endured an unusually harsh winter, including a series of storms in February that ended up as the costliest natural disaster worldwide in the first half of the year.
"These extremes — with heavy winter conditions in North America and Asia and the extraordinarily mild winter across large parts of Europe — were due to significant and lengthy meanders in the jet stream," Höppe said. The jet stream, a river of fast-moving air high above the Earth, affects weather patterns at the surface.
"Scientists are still having intense debates about whether such sustained changes to patterns in the jet stream might increase in the future due to climate change," Höppe said.
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, a developing El Niño climate pattern — defined by warmer-than-average water in the tropical Pacific Ocean — should be the main driver of weather in the USA and worldwide. El Niño tends to diminish hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean but increase tornadoes in the USA.
During the first half of the year, Munich Re reports that 2,700 people died worldwide as a result of natural disasters, far fewer than normal. Typically more than 53,000 people die from natural disasters from January-June each year, many in big earthquakes, of which there have been none this year.


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Departing passengers
Check in online with your airline, use our self service check in machines at the airport, or check in at the airport.
Once you've checked in, you'll need to drop your bags. Some airlines use self-service bag drop off, and some airlines use bag drop desks.
Get airside quicker by preparing for airport security, or upgrade to our fastTRACK security security lane.
Arriving passengers
Unless you are catching another flight, your first stop will be passport control.
Baggage reclaim is located in the arrivals hall.
Hire a car, Book a taxi, order currency get picked up by family or friends, or learn about bus & coach services from Edinburgh Airport.


text: Cleaning, DIY, Home, My Work How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent (A Picture Tutorial) Homemade laundry detergent is one of those things that is both easy to make and can save your family a lot of money at the grocery store. Today I wanted to share with you my recipe for homemade laundry detergent. Making homemade detergent is easier than you might think and the cost comparison makes it worth the small amount of effort required to make this. Walmart challenged me to take on a fun Spring project and today I want to share with you a recipe and some ideas for spring cleaning your laundry routine by making your own homemade laundry detergent. How Much Does It Cost to Make a Homemade Batch of Laundry Detergent? Homemade detergent is made up of three ingredients: Fels-Naptha or Ivory Soap, Washing Soda, & Borax. The current pricing on these three ingredients is: Fels Naptha Soap- $.97 per bar Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (55 ounce box)- $3.24 Borax (76 ounce box)- $3.38 One batch of laundry detergent takes one cup of the borax, one cup of the washing soda, and one bar of soap. Dividing the total materials required to make one batch of soap means that it would cost $1.81 total to make a batch. At one to two tablespoons per load, it comes in at a mere $.04, compared to $0.17-.0.21 per load like the other name brands. That's a pretty impressive savings! When you multiply that savings by a billion loads a week (if you live in our house), that is some serious savings! Where Do You Find Borax, Washing Soda, & Fels Naptha Soap? These supplies are all right in a row in at your local Walmart and are located on the opposite side of the laundry detergents, over by the stain removers! Why am I sharing this information? Simply because I could not find it and wanted to save you the trouble of walking up and down the detergent aisle like a lost little child like me! Is Laundry Detergent Hard to Make or Time Consuming? Some of the most time-strapped people I know are making their own detergent. I was able to make a triple batch of this soap in about fifteen minutes and that is along with taking pictures for this tutorial. The real time-consuming process of it is grating the soap, but if you have a food processor, that can be accomplished in no time at all. How Do you Grate the Soap? You can definitely use an old-fashioned cheese grater, but the soap can clump up and not completely dissolve in your load unless you grate it extremely fine. I allow my food processor to do the work for me because it is much easier to do and gives you the opportunity to also double or triple your batches of laundry detergent, in no time flat. The process of grating the soap is easier than it sounds. You simply want to cut your bars of soap in half lengthwise so that you can feed them through the shoot of your processor. Assemble the processor with your cheese grater attachment and feed your soap in slowly and gently through the top shoot. Once all the soap has been grated, dump it into a bowl and remove the cheese grater attachment. Reassemble the processor with the basic blade and then put the grated soap back in. Spin it again until the soap resembles fine small pellets. That is it! Your soap is ready to be incorporated in your laundry detergent! Is Homemade Detergent Safe to Use With High-Efficiency (HE) Washers? The true beauty about this homemade detergent is that it doesn't have a lot of suds. The main reason you can't use laundry detergents not made for HE washers is because of the suds factor. Thanks to the small amount of suds and the minimal amount of soap you need to use to wash your loads, it is the perfect detergent to use with your HE washer! You can use this homemade laundry detergent with confidence! Is This Homemade Laundry Detergent Septic Friendly? The ingredients in this soap contain zero phosphates and zero fillers (like montmorillonite clay) that cause commercial powder detergents to clog lines. I am sure other items that you have lurking in your home are less septic friendly than this one so this is a perfectly safe product to make and use. Now that you know all about it, let's get started on our project! Supplies Needed: 1 box of Borax 1 box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 1 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap (or more if you plain to double, triple, or quadruple your batch) Measuring cups Jar for Storage (found in the kitchen supplies) Coffee Scoop (found in the kitchen supplies aisle, optional, but is great for perfect measuring of your detergent) How to Make Your Detergent 4.8 from 5 reviews Print Homemade Laundry Detergent Prep time: 15 mins Total time: 15 mins Homemade laundry detergent can be made with just three ingredients! Try this simple recipe and enjoy the savings! Ingredients 1 bar (or 4.5 ounces) of shaved bar soap (Ivory, ZOTE, Fels-Naptha) 1 cup of borax 1 cup of washing soda Instructions Shred your bars of soap as shown in the tutorial above. Mix one cup of borax, one cup of washing soda and the grated soap in a large bowl until incorporated well. Use 1 tablespoon per load (or 2 tablespoons for heavily soiled loads). Store in a glass jar or well-sealed plastic container. 2.2.1 Do you make your own laundry detergent? What is your winning recipe for the perfect homemade laundry detergent? Feel free to share your tips! Pin It Published April 15, 2013 by: Amy Allen Clark is the founder of MomAdvice.com. You can read all about her here.


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MB Madaera
Lost 31.7 lbs fat
Built 11.7 lbs muscle
Chris Madaera
Built 9 lbs muscle
Keelan Parham
Lost 30 lbs fat
Built 4 lbs muscle
Bob Marchesello
Lost 23.55 lbs fat
Built 8.55 lbs muscle
Jeff Turner
Lost 25.5 lbs fat
Jeanenne Darden
Lost 26 lbs fat
Built 3 lbs muscle
Ted Tucker
Lost 41 lbs fat
Built 4 lbs muscle
Determine the Length of Your Workouts
Evaluate Your Progress
Keep Warm-Up in Perspective
"Doing more exercise with less intensity,"
Arthur Jones believes, "has all but
destroyed the actual great value
of weight training. Something
must be done . . . and quickly."
The New Bodybuilding for
Old-School Results supplies
MUCH of that "something."
This is one of 93 photos of Andy McCutcheon that are used in The New High-Intensity Training to illustrate the recommended exercises.
To find out more about McCutcheon and his training, click here.
Mission Statement
H.I.T. Acceptable Use Policy
Privacy Policy
Ellington Darden, Ph.D.
Is RIB-CAGE Expansion Possible?
Many trainees believe you can't increase the size of your rib cage through exercise. When I started exercising at age 15, I experienced remarkable growth in my rib cage. It's time to separate fact from fiction — and learn a few well-kept secrets. The following questions and answers also will be posted on T-Nation.com.
by Ellington Darden, Ph.D.
This 1967 photo of me was taken with a Polaroid camera by Dan Ilse. Ilse helped me master this chest pose, which involved a back arch, rib-cage thrust, and stomach vacuum. Many old-time strongmen and muscle-control artists understood and practiced this feat.
Q: Your "Lost Training Tips" article on T-Nation (2/14/07) got me fired up about doing squats and pullovers. But at 30 years of age, can I really expect to expand my rib cage?
A: Rib-cage expansion has long been a controversial topic in bodybuilding. To explore bone-growth basics, I decided to consult with someone who understands anatomy from both the outside and the inside.
MB Medaera, M.D., specializes in complex surgery of the brain, spine, and chest. He's a precise micro surgeon and a fact-filled educator. Furthermore, he has trained with weights for more than 25 years and he's utilized breathing squats and pullovers.
I wanted his critical analysis of this protective structure surrounding heart and lungs that's called the RIB CAGE — and whether or not a 30-year-old male could expand it with weight training? .
"The ribs," Dr. Medaera said, "are flat, curved bones that are attached to the spine in back and to the sternum in front. The rib cage has remarkable elasticity, which is primarily due to the costal cartilages. Costal cartilages (shown in yellow in the illustration) are strips of dense tissues that serve as connectors of the long ribs to the sternum. Rib-cage growth during childhood and adolescents occurs primarily in the costal cartilages.
Here's a front view of the bones that make up the rib cage. The sternum is dagger shaped in the middle. In yellow are the costal cartilages, which connect the sternum and the ends of the ribs.
"During the early twenties, in the vast majority of males, the costal cartilages ossify or become fixed. After ossification occurs, weight training, forced breathing, and stretching are going to have little effect on increasing the size of the rib cage.
"An older trainee can still, however, increase slightly the thickness of his ribs with progressive-resistance exercise. And pullovers will have a significant effect on the hypertrophy of the involved muscles: the latissimus dorsi, intercostals, pectoralis major, diaphragm, and seratus anterior."
What about between the ages of 15 to 20 years of age?
"Teenagers," Dr. Medaera continued, "who perform breathing squats and pullovers progressively for many months can expect from 1 to 2 inches of rib-cage growth — and even more on the surrounding muscles. Certain people, with unusual genetics — such as yourself — can exceed those expectations."
I had just shown Dr. Medaera several old photos of me at age 15, after a summer of weight training that included breathing squats and pullovers. The after pictures revealed I had added 5 inches (from 38 inches to 43) to my chest circumference measurement.
Flash-forward from 1959 to 1967: At age 23, my chest circumference had progressed to 48 inches and I weighed 200 pounds (see the opening photo). In eight years, I had added 10 inches to my chest measurement and 65 pounds to my bodyweight.
How much was due to rib-cage expansion and how much was due to growth of the related muscles?
"I'd say 3 inches of that display was rib cage," Dr. Medaera answered, "and the remaining 7 inches was related to your chest/back muscles. Of course, you started at the right time — age 15 — to take advantage of the natural growth processes. Plus, you had unusual flexibility in your spine and knew how to execute that chest pose advantageously."
Dr. Medaera was right. In the 1960s, I had studied and applied a number of old-school flexibility and posing tips, which I'll discuss in the next question and answer.
In summary, beyond normal, rib-cage expansion or growth — usually from 1 to 2 inches in circumference — can occur during the teenage years. But after the growth plates are sealed in the early twenties, the ribs and other bones can only increase slightly in thickness, not in length.
Q: Several years ago I remember looking through some old muscle magazines and seeing a side-chest pose of you that was amazing. Can you share some of your personal guidelines with me on exactly how you performed your pullovers and how you were able to expand your rib cage so dramatically?
A: According to Dr. Medaera, approximately 30 percent of my side-chest development was related to my rib cage. The remaining 70 percent was muscular growth, flexibility, and posing ability. I also must reinforce that what I'm going to recommend may not work for you as well as it worked for me — unless you are a teenager and have similar genetic potential for rib-cage growth, muscular development, and flexibility as I had.
In trying to locate unsuccessfully the published photo you were talking about, I came across the opening Polaroid picture that was taken in Austin, Texas, in 1967 by Dan Ilse. Dan won Mr. Texas in 1961 and prior to that visited the original Muscle Beach in California. While in California, he worked out with Mel Williamson. Williamson entered several Mr. America contests in the 1950s and was Mr. Muscle Beach in 1956.
If you look through some of the Joe Weider magazines in 1957 and 1958, you'll find some impressive side rib-cage shots of Williamson. One in particular showed him with a water glass being balanced on top of his inflated chest.
A 20-year-old Mel Williamson, in 1956, took the prize for rib-cage thrust and flexibility. Williamson was a firm believer in breathing squats and pullovers.
Ilse picked up two practices from Williamson and passed them on to me.
The first tip was to become skillful at doing a backbend and the second one was to perfect the stomach vacuum. The mechanics of each are below.
Backbend on Floor
This exercise will help to stretch the torso and to contract the muscles of the lower and middle back. It will also assist you in projecting your rib cage during a side chest pose. Important: Attempt this movement very cautiously at first — and if you experience any unusual pain, discontinue it immediately.
Lie face down on the floor. Look toward the ceiling and begin to arch your neck and middle back. With your hands in a push-up position under your shoulders, gradually straighten your elbows as you extend and arch your middle and lower back more and more.
When you reach the highest-possible position, bend your knees and try to touch your feet to your head. At the same time, push your head back further by extending your arms. Ease out of the top position and return smoothly to the floor. Repeat several times. Few people initially will be able to touch their feet to their head, but many can work up to it in several months.
Another shot of Mel Williamson, who was 5-feet 8-inches tall, weighed 194 pounds, and had a 48-inch chest. Look closely and you'll see the pronounced arch in his middle and lower back, performed while holding a stomach vacuum.
Stomach Vacuum
Here's a movement that will help you control your breathing, as well as some of the smaller muscles that surround your rib cage. It was a favorite of many of the Golden-Age Mr. Americas, such as John Grimek, George Eiferman, John Farbotnik, Red Lerille, and Casey Viator. And it contributed greatly to my ability to project my rib cage during my chest poses.
George Eiferman, 1948 AAU Mr. America: Eiferman had a large rib cage and some of the thickest pecs of all time.
Red Lerille, 1960 AAU Mr. America: I met Red in 1962 and I was very impressed by his posing and his ability to display his rib cage and lats.
Reg Park, 1951 NABBA Mr. Universe and Steve Reeves, 1950 NABBA Mr. Universe: Both Park and Reeves were famous for their chest poses. Park, in particular, had a deep rib cage.
Other bodybuilders who impressed me with their rib cages and vacuum displays in the late 1960s were Reg Park, Mike Ferraro, Mike Katz, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
To perform the vacuum, lie on your back on the floor. Make sure your stomach is relatively empty. Place your hands across the bottom of your rib cage and the top of your abdominals. Take a normal breath and forcibly blow out as much air as possible. This should require about 10 seconds. Now here's the challenging part: Suck in your stomach to the maximum degree — while not taking in any air during the process. If you're doing it properly, you'll feel a concave formation — which is called a stomach vacuum — under your lower ribs.
You won't be able to hold the vacuum very long. Try it several times while lying down. If you feel a little light-headed, that's normal. Rest a little longer between repetitions.
Stand now and try the vacuum in front of a mirror. Remove your shirt so you can see what's happening. At first, the vacuum is more difficult to do standing than lying, but with a little practice you should be able to master it in a standing position. Then, you'll want to apply it while contracting your arms and chest, as well as other muscle groups. That's not easy to do initially, so you'll have to practice it repeated for several months.
Rib-Cage Thrust
As you're working on the backbend and the stomach vacuum, you'll also need to practice your side-chest pose. Soon, you'll want to combine them all into the dynamic rib-cage thrust. That was my variation on what I gathered from Dan Ilse — as well as observing and talking with Red Lerille and others.
To practice the rib-cage thrust: Stand, interlace the fingers of both hands, and extend your arms to the front of your torso. Draw your hands smoothly under your rib cage and pull up slightly. Raise your rib cage by inhaling deeply.
Here's the challenging part, which requires a lot of concentration.
Ease into a stomach vacuum while pulling the ribs higher with your hands and wrists, as you simultaneously arch your mid-back and thrust your rib cage forward even more. The entire process (vacuum, pull, arch, and thrust) requires about 5 seconds to perform. Properly initiated, the full-thrust position from the side appears as if the chest has expanded another 2 to 3 inches.
Practice, practice, and more practice are the ways you master this display.
The pullover exercise also requires some guidelines and variations.
Pullover: Three Variations
In my training, I applied three types of pullovers: straight-arm pullover with one dumbbell held in both hands while lying crossways on a low bench, straight-arm pullover with one dumbbell in both hands while lying crossways on a high bench, and the Nautilus pullover machine. Here's how to do each one.
Straight-arm pullover on low bench: This was my bread-and-butter movement because there was usually a low bench available. Lie across a low bench that's approximately 18-inches tall. Hold a dumbbell on one end with your thumbs on the inside and your fingers on the outside. Position your head slightly off the middle of the bench with the dumbbell over your chest and your arms straight. Lower the dumbbell behind your head toward the floor. As the dumbbell is lowering, drop your buttocks and keep your legs relatively straight. Ease into the bottom stretch very carefully. Return smoothly to the over-chest position.
Important: Viewed from the side, the bottom position of the pullover requires an arch to your middle and lower back. Given that you have healthy shoulders and back, as you get stronger and stronger that arch should get more and more pronounced.
Straight-arm pullover on high bench: I discovered this variation by accident. As a teenager in high school I took metal shop and built a lot of my benches and racks for my garage gym. An attempt to build a combination leg-extension/leg-curl machine bombed badly and it never worked properly. The top of this bench was 36 inches by 24 inches and the height was 36 inches. And there stood this tall wide bench in the middle of my parents' garage with a non-functioning contraption at one end. Fortunately, it was across from the squat racks, which did function correctly.
One day after doing squats, instead of lying across a nearby low bench and performing pullovers, I placed a quilt for padding across the top of the 36-inch-tall bench and did my usual set of pullovers there. Wow, I thought afterward, what a great way to get even more stretching throughout my middle and lower back. Again, if you picture such a movement from the side, you can imagine what I'm talking about. The wider and taller bench allowed for greater stability, which was needed for greater stretching to occur. But be careful. You must first be used to doing the low-bench pullover before you attempt the high-bench version. Also, be sure that whatever high bench you adapt is well built and stable.
Nautilus pullover machine: During the late 1970s, the Nautilus pullover machine was a basic piece of equipment found in most fitness centers. Because of machine's rotary resistance, a trainee has a much greater range of motion than is possible with a dumbbell pullover. If you're lucky enough to have access to one, be sure and apply it.
Sit in the machine. Make sure the top of your shoulder lines up with the axis of the movement arm. Adjust the seat bottom appropriately until it does. Fasten the seat belt tightly across your hips. Leg press the foot pedal until the pads on the movement arm are about chin level. Place your elbows on the pads and you're ready to begin.
Remove your feet from the foot pedal and slowly rotate your elbows back into a comfortable shoulder and upper-back stretch. Pause for a few seconds and stretch even more. Rotate your elbows forward and downward smoothly until the bar touches your midsection. Return slowly to the stretched position.
The Nautilus pullover machine, shown here in 1975, supplied more than 240 degrees of rotary resistance directly to the upper arms. Notice the arching of the middle back and the stretching of the rib cage.
Q: How do you apply the pullover variations in your weekly workouts?
A: Given that you have access to the Nautilus pullover machine, I'd recommend that you alternate the pullover machine with either the low-bench or high-bench variation. In other words, one rib-cage training day do squats immediately followed by the Nautilus pullover. The next rib-cage training day, do squats immediately followed by either the low-bench or high-bench pullover. Perform one or the other, but not both on the same training day.
Pullovers were responsible for a lot of the muscular development and flexibility that I achieved in my upper torso and rib cage. Bruce Robinson took this shot, the day after I won the 1970 Mr. South. Brenda Robinson, Bruce's sister, was seated on the bench.
If you don't have access to a Nautilus pullover machine, then start with the low-bench pullover. After a couple of months, and if you can rig up an appropriate bench, you may progress to the high-bench version.
Regardless of your age, however, you should definitely add the pullover to your bodybuilding arsenal.
It's time for the almost-lost art of rib-cage expansion and rib-cage display to make a comeback!
For more Golden-Age training guidelines, see Dr. Darden's latest book, The New Bodybuilding for Old-School Results. For more information, click HERE.
Casey Viator and Arthur Jones, pictured on the front and back covers, and Ellington Darden is an experienced team to reawaken . . . old-school training.
Over the last 65 years, Arthur Jones has seen many men, who had outstanding chest development. QUESTION: Who takes Jones's award for the most impressive rib cage? First correct answer that's posted wins an Old-School Iron t-shirt.
Ellington Darden
Texas, USA
Mississippi, USA
Florida, USA
Hawaii, USA


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Have You Heard About… Chasing the Moon
… the end of the world as we know it? In Chasing the Moon, A. Lee Martinez shows us just how funny things can be when the world is about to end. Diana finally finds the perfect apartment – reasonable rent, furnished in her style, even utilities are included. It turns out to have one small catch in the form of Vom the Hungering, an ancient entity who lives in the apartment's closet. Diana can't leave the apartment until she opens the closet door, but when that happens, Vom will come out and eat her. On the bright side, as long as she is Vom's warden, she won't age, grow sick, or die by conventional means. On the down side, even the best apartment gets boring after a while. Fortunately for Diana, she turns out to have a knack for dealing with this sort of problem, because Vom isn't the only monster in the world.
A. Lee Martinez has a way of turning anything from fantasy wars to robotic noir into absolutely insane humor, and eldritch horrors are no exception. Sure there are unspeakable monsters everywhere, but most of them are just regular guys, waiting for another rift in space and time to open up so they can go back to their home dimensions. They may cause a little damage while the wait, but the universe will work around them and get things more or less back the way they were. Usually. Most people won't remember the differences anyway, so it doesn't matter all that much, right?
One of my favorite quotes (from p. 65):
"… it always gets better. One way or another."
"One way or another?"
"Oh, you know. Crossword puzzles. Pornography. Video games. Knitting. Madness. Death. We all find a way of coping, Number Five."
Reviewed by Fran (staff)


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Right to Abortion -- can the movement match the opposition?
national | rights, freedoms and repression | feature Monday February 18, 2013 11:06 by Diarmuid Breatnach - Personal Capacity
The anti-abortion movement is well funded and militant -- the right to abortion movement will need to match them in militancy
The anti-abortion movement was not cowed by the outcry over Savita's tragic death nor by the huge popular response marching in November. The Government plans legislation only to allow abortion when the woman's life is danger and the criteria for establishing that are not yet known. All opinion polls on the subject show a huge majority in favour of liberalisation of the laws -- a majority which is also rising over the years. The abortion rights movement has been publicly quiet for some time now while the opposition is loud and in public view. Can the movement for abortion rights summon the necessary militancy to achieve its objectives?
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The Death of Savita Halappanavar - Some Thoughts |
The tragic death of Savita Halappanavar, dying in an Irish hospital during a miscarriage after being refused an abortion, shocked the nation. It might have been thought that the outcry then, followed by the protest demonstration of at least 20,000 in November in Dublin, along with other protests in Ireland and abroad, would have put the anti-abortion movement on the back foot. On the contrary, they have been on the offensive since.
Comments (13 of 13)
by Baby Brains Fri Feb 15, 2013 03:10
by Lewis Sat Feb 23, 2013 20:20
It might not be big enough to legalize the abortion in this country, but yes, the movement for the legalization of abortion (i find the words "pro-life" and "pro-choice" rather silly so I will avoid using them) already matched the very well funded organizations backed by the church, wealthy individuals and the 2 biggest parties of this country.
by Bobby Sun Feb 24, 2013 09:21
I think only a male would really say this. Some women find it offensive when males give their opinion beyond being supportive of her/their ability to make a decision about her/their body.
by Rational Ecologist. Mon Feb 25, 2013 12:05
To say that men are not entitled to an opinion on abortion is nonsense; of course they are. If your wife/girlfriend/partner wants to have an abortion, then of course that affects you and you are entitled to an opinion. As regards the male saying he is a feminist, fair play to him. Any man brave enough to express his solidarity with women in such a manner is to be applauded not castigated. The division between men and women is an artificial one, for the most part.
by Bobby Wed Feb 27, 2013 13:45
Yep, only a man could possibly say all of this. Amazing. If something is happening inside a womans body, a male, such as myself, has absolutely no say over what happens next. A male should have no say - whatsoever - in what happens inside a womans body. I get these ideas from my feminists comrades. Your opinion means nothing unless it becomes pressure. Fine, you could say 'I think it's a bad idea'. Anything else is typical patriarchal nonsense.
by Rational Ecologist. Wed Feb 27, 2013 14:10
I think you need to have a chat with your feminist comrades about listening and respect. I have numerous feminist friends and colleagues who would totally and utterly disagree with your "feminist comrades", whatever that means.
by fred Thu Feb 28, 2013 21:49
Bobby, Ecologist, you are clearly both supportive women's rights. Please stop the divisive bunfight and get back to helping to challenge the real enemies of women's rights in our society. :-)
by Bobby Thu Feb 28, 2013 23:19
I wanted to stop reading after the first word, 'nonsense'. I guess I've been listening to men all my life telling me women are 'talking nonsense when it comes to any issue be it small and silly, or large and damaging. I don't think you should apologies for calling yourself pro-feminist, I do too. As for the little jives about ''feminist comrades'' and mentioning Soviet Russia, I think it's childish and I didn't really want to respond to it (I see you say 'whatever that means' when referring to the word comrade, do you really not know what a comrade is? It happens through working together and building mutual trust. I would like to point out that I gathered my ideas through personal experiences, and more importantly, through meeting feminist activists wherever I go, and I engage with them in a capacity they expect/request. I'm upset that a male, self-defining pro-feminist in Ireland decided to use 'Nonsense' as their headline word. By the way, put any thought into the comparison of a white American radical calling themselves black nationalist? If a black activist asked a white activists not to use certain terms, I don't think it's 'robbing' your right to an opinion, as you so grimly suggested I am doing.
by Rational Ecologist. Fri Mar 01, 2013 09:50
I didn't intend to drag the tone down and I do concede some of my comments were not helpful and I apologise sincerely for that. I think we have a lot more in common than I gave credit for.
by Diarmuid Breatnach - Personal Capacity Fri Mar 01, 2013 17:44
I wrote my article as a contribution towards practical action and I find it sad that so little of the comments contributed any further in that direction. Let's hope the 'silent' readers are getting on with the action.
by MandyDandy Tue Mar 05, 2013 05:09
"I am pro-choice because I have a penis and abortion will never affect me." - Bobby
by Rational Ecologist. Tue Mar 05, 2013 09:50
I just want to ask MandyDandy to explain the following sentence: "A society where women claim privilidge and right's in every area, even those to which they have not earned admission". I'd really love to know what is meant by this.
by fred Wed Mar 06, 2013 01:41
As I look around me, I don't see women progressing forward much, but rather a systematic media campaign promoting the undermining and objectification of women bearing a bumper crop of fruit in the current generation.


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10 Wisconsin Cheeses You Should Try
Wisconsin has a long history of cheesemaking. For over 160 years farmers and cheesemakers have been turning excess milk, a benefit of the state's wonderfully grassy farmland, into all kinds of delicious cheese. From American classics like Colby to European styles like Limburger, there are few cheese styles you can't find here.
What started off as a small scale industry has grown to 2.6 billion pounds of cheese per year—that's 25 percent of all domestic cheese. Though the process has changed a bit from the early 1900s, the big industry cheese is starting to focus back on small-batch farmstead practices.
On a recent trip to Wisconsin, I visited many cheese factories both big and small. The cheese scene in Wisconsin is very interesting; you have just about every type of cheese maker represented from the old-school guys like Joseph Widmer, who has been making a couple kinds of cheese in his family for three generations. On the other hand you have large factories like Roth Käse that produce many distinct varieties that cater to a variety markets. No wonder Wisconsinites are called cheeseheads, right?
I ate a lot of cheese on this trip, some so delicious I could eat it for days while others, though delicious, were so strong they are best eaten sparingly.
Check out the slideshow to see my 10 favorites from the trip.
10 Wisconsin Cheeses You Should Try
Uplands Cheese: Pleasant Ridge Reserve
Widmer's: 8-Year-Old Cheddar
Uplands Cheese: Rush Creek Reserve
Widmer's: Foil Aged Brick
Crave Brother's: Petit Frere with Truffles
Widmer's: Brick Spread
BelGioioso: Manteche
Roth Käse: Gran Queso
Roth Käse: Moody Blue
Country Castle: Limburger
Thank you to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board for sponsoring this cheese-filled trip.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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LAC-MÉGANTIC/MONTREAL — The Sûreté du Québec has raised the confirmed death toll of Saturday's rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic to 20 people, and lowered the total number of people missing or dead down to 50 from an earlier estimate of 60.
Also Wednesday, the coroner's office announced it has identified a first victim. Spokesperson Geneviève Guilbault refused to make the victim's name public, saying the family had just been informed. Guilbault said this first identification, coming within a few days of the July 6 disaster, shows that work is progressing well at the site.
The remains of 20 people have been found at the site, she said during a joint news conference with the SQ.
SQ spokesperson Michel Forget said police were able to determine the exact number of victims through interviews and investigative work that put people missing, and now presumed among the dead, at the site of Saturday's train derailment and explosion. Forget said police met Wednesday with the families of the 50 people now considered "in all likelihood" dead. "It was a very emotional moment," he said. Also at the meeting were representatives from the coroner's office, chamber of notaries and social service agencies, he said.
Police may take the families of the 50 presumed dead into what they are calling the Red Zone, the area hardest hit by the explosion and fire, Forget confirmed.
He would not comment on Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway chairman Ed Burkhardt's visit to Lac-Mégantic Wednesday, other than to confirm that police had met with the head of the railway whose 72-car, crude-oil-laden train derailed and exploded at the heart of the picturesque Eastern Townships town. Asked what police had asked Burkhardt, Forget said he would not comment. In response to questions from media, Forget denied that Burkhardt had received any police protection. "Not a single agent," he said.
Forget also refused to comment on what kind of crime police were investigating at what he called the "crime scene."
Guilbault said the coroner's office has four forensic specialists working at the site. She would not discuss their work in any detail, suggesting that the pulverized, incinerated site was enough of a clue to the kind of work being done. She said families have helped with identification by bringing items with DNA and dental records to help in identifying victims.
Victims' remains are being taken to the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale in Montreal, where a team of pathologists and dentists are trying to match DNA and dental records to those reported missing.
Earlier Monday, Forget had told the media that the estimated number of missing hovered around 60. He asked for caution in naming publicly anyone as a likely victim, "out of respect for the families."
Unofficial lists containing names and in many cases photos of people believed to have perished have been circulating, on social media and elsewhere.
The provincial prosecutors' office is being kept advised as the investigation continues, Forget said. He specified that any decision regarding possible charges — including criminal negligence — would be made by prosecutors, not the police.
On Tuesday 1,200 people were allowed back into the homes they had to evacuate shortly after the fire early Saturday.
Lac-Mégantic Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche said Wednesday that the reintegration of those residents went well, and reiterated the town's precautionary measure of asking people to boil their drinking water at least a minute before using.
Thanks to donors who have flooded the Red Cross with money, a coupon program has been established whereby evacuees can get vouchers every day for food and other supplies.
A public security spokesperson said the Red Cross is setting up a more structured program.
Adam Kovac, Jan Ravensbergen and Anne Sutherland contributed to this report


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For a console with an impressive install base of more 86 million, you might think that Nintendo wouldn't have any regrets about the Wii. But Nintendo's CEO says he does have one regret, one that he intends to address in the future.
"I now regret that we didn't tie up with someone outside the company to market the Wii," said Satoru Iwata at a recent investor conference, speculating that the "fate of the Wii might have been different." Based on Reuters report, Iwata did not appear to specify exactly what type of "tie ups" Nintendo might pursue.
"Now I am aware that we should not rely too much on ourselves," he added. "You will see what I mean by this when we market the 3DS and the Wii in the future."
Nintendo has in the past tied itself with McDonalds on a number of promotions. It revealed earlier this year that it would partner with AT&T to provide wireless hotspots to Nintendo 3DS owners.
Nintendo CEO: alliances with other firms may be needed [Reuters]


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Even as the Hollywood establishment runs from former box-office star Mel Gibson, there's at least one big name director who thinks there's hope for his career.
"Projects are developed slowly, and over the course of weeks, months, there will be projects, and I am sure many of them will want to have Mel Gibson in them," said Oliver Stone in an interview with London paper The Sun.
The mastermind behind "Platoon" and "Wall Street" thinks that if the right role comes along, Gibson will still get a casting call.
U.S. & World
"Everyone is supposed to have an opinion, but most director's don't work that way," he said.
Gibson is currently fighting for his acting life in the wake of a weeks long scandal which centers around a series of audiotapes released by his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. The recordings capturing the star in a series of profanity-laden rants in which he both berates and threatens Grigorieva with physical harm.
The story may have taken a new turn upon the news that police were investigating Gibson's claims that his ex attempted to extort money from him.


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Gallery > Album
Bridport Hat Festival 2014
Dogs in hats, hat hurling, hat judging, homemade hats... it can only be Bridport Hat Festival! Did Abby snap you there?
And a big thanks to Kevin from Funtime Balloons for the fabulous Wessex FM headpieces... http://www.funtimeballoonsweymouth.co.uk/
Showing images 1 to 10 of 83.


text: Corporate Partners We have established close ties to leading international corporations and organizations that act as our corporate sponsors and practice partners . Corporate Sponsors This cooperation includes interactive workshops, lectures, invitations to visit their offices and attractive international internships. The SIM programme thanks its corporate sponsor The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for its valuable support. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) The Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, they help their clients with total transformation- inspiring complex change, enabling organizations to grow, building competitive advantage, and driving bottom-line impact. BCG has a global presence with over 90 offices in more than 50 countries. In Switzerland, there are two Boston Consulting Group offices, located in Zurich and Geneva. Further information about BCG in Swizerland