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I have an announcement to make and then I am going to nag at some of you. That is your warning. If you simply cannot take it anymore, it is time to move to another page. My announcement is that Monday was the 10th anniversary of my first heart attack. I have squeezed 10 extra years out of this heart and I am grateful. If I am still around in July, I will celebrate the 10th anniversary of my bypass surgery. And I will be even more grateful for that.
I bet you know what I am going to say next, don't you? I am going to tell you that I just about killed myself on three separate occasions from March to July of 2004. Of course, those of you who know me know what I was doing to put myself out on that suicide ledge, don't you? Yup, I was smoking … still.
I will have to backtrack here to the first heart attack. I was not a cardiac patient at any hospital. On March 10, 2004, the ambulance took me to Newton where I was stabilized and sent on to a Wichita hospital. I caught the cardiologist on call. I had a heart catheterization and the good doctor carefully inserted two stents and parked me in an intensive care unit until dawn the following day. Before I was dismissed he came in to discuss my follow-up care. He had sheets of printed material with instructions for medications, diet, exercise, and many other topics including smoking.
I said to him, "So you will expect me to quit smoking now, right?" His response was, "Well, I know that is a hard thing for longtime smokers to do, so if you could just cut down, that would probably be ok." Woo-hoo! It sounded to me like I was on the road to kicking back with a cigarette whenever I wanted! Okay, take me home, I am ready to be checked out of here, I am dying for a smoke and then I will "just cut down." Sure.
Neither he nor anyone else told me that smoking is a sure way to make a stent fail. His statement about "cutting down" gave me the leverage I wanted to keep smoking while pretending I was not being really stupid.
A couple of months later I was a candidate for bypass surgery following my third episode and I at least knew to ask for a different cardiologist. The one I had was not tough enough on me and I was close to death because of it. I also was lucky enough to find myself first in the emergency room at St. Luke Hospital in Marion where the savvy physician's assistant on call said to me, "You might want to seek a second opinion" when I told her why I was still smoking.
After the bypass surgery and a week in a Wichita hospital, the surgeon who performed the operation told me on dismissal that if I ever had another cigarette … ever in my life … I would die. Well, that is a bit different from, "So if you just cut down, you will probably be ok," don't you think?
And I have not had so much as a puff. Do I miss it? Not anymore, but I did for a short while. If you quit, will you miss it? Probably, for a short while. However, you won't miss it nearly as much as you will miss drawing a breath on a great morning in the spring of the year, seeing your children or grandchildren take their first steps or graduate from high school, enjoying your life and activities way into the eighth or ninth decade of your life, and doing a thousand other things. Reasons to just suck it up and do it.
We are at the end of the nagging part. I have said all of this before and I will say it again, if you do not smoke, do not start. If you smoke, quit. If I could do it, you can do it.
Happy anniversary to me! I am grateful for 10 additional years. If you stop now, you could end up with 20, 40, or 50 additional years. Go for it. You will not be sorry.


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(Reuters) - Cboe Global Markets Inc CBOE.O said on Friday it was making changes to the auction process for its Volatility Index (VIX), known as Wall Street's fear gauge, which helped drive the exchange operator to record earnings in the latest quarter.
Billions of dollars in derivatives products are tied to the Cboe's VIX, which measures the expected 30-day volatility conveyed by benchmark S&P 500 options prices at a monthly auction. But some in the market say a flaw in the calculation of the VIX allows trading firms to manipulate the index by posting quotes for S&P 500 options without actually trading, leading to imbalances and oversized moves right at settlement.
Cboe has said the suspicions of manipulation are without merit, but acknowledged that more liquidity in the auction would improve the process.
"We have a variety of approaches that we're using, all with the sole goal of enhancing liquidity in the auction," Cboe President Chris Concannon said on a conference call with analysts after the company reported first-quarter results.
Cboe was enhancing the technology used for the auction, expanding distribution of messages to market participants about imbalances in the auction, and seeking to increase the number of market makers that provide buy and sell quotes for the auction, he said.
"We have been fielding inbound calls from our market makers and our end users that want to participate in those imbalanced orders because those are moneymaking opportunities for all market participants to offset."
A surge in market volatility in February and March, after a prolonged calm in 2017, led to turbulence and high turnover rates in markets worldwide, benefiting exchange operators.
Net income at Cboe rose to $117.3 million, or $1.04 per share, in the quarter ended March 31, from $15.1 million, or 16 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding one-time items, Cboe earned $1.38 per share, beating analysts' average estimate by 10 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Transaction fees at Cboe more than doubled in the period to $547.1 million, mostly due to higher options trading volumes.
Total company options average daily volume (ADV) rose 33 percent to 9.09 million contracts, while ADV for futures rose 44 percent to 368,000 contracts.
Cboe's net revenue rose by 70 percent to $328.5 million.
Shares of the Chicago-based exchange operator were down 1.8 percent at $103.63.
Reporting by Nikhil Subba in Bengaluru and John McCrank in New York; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Bernadette Baum

subset: commoncrawl


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I think any woman, given half the chance, would drop everything, including the 'other half' to spend some time away with their closest girlfriends. I know I did.
The Great Girls Getaway15 06 2011
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: beach, Eumundi markets, getaway, girls weekend, Hastings St, Noosa, Queensland holidays, Sunshine Coast, The Lookout Resort Noosa
Categories : Been There, Done That
Seeing U2 a dream come true9 12 2010
I was as giddy as a school girl after her first kiss… Perhaps that's how best I can explain the excitement I felt seeing one of my favourite bands in the world live tonight. I wasn't phased by the prospect of bad weather (predicted rain and possible thunder storms), as I entered Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium and was overwhelmed by the space-like stage arrangement that hovered high above me in the sky. U2's 360° tour was in town, and I – as a long-time fan – was eagerly awaiting the chance to get carried away with it! I had never seen them live, and I was living a dream.
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: 360 degree tour, Brisbane, Jay-Z, John Lennon anniversary, Suncorp Stadium, tribute to John Lennon, U2, Wednesday 8 December show
Categories : Been There, Done That, In My Opinion, Scene and Heard


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Valter Moto Black Fixed Rearsets Kawasaki ZX-10R 2006-07
£207.64 Price: £174.61 Inc VAT
Brand: VALTER MOTO
Code: VM-PEK53
ID: 5658Kawasaki Motorcycle Fixed Rearsets
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We welcome the opportunity to offer you any help, advice or assistance you require prior to purchase.
We offer a price match guarantee*
Fixed Type 1. Black anodised Ergal T6-7075, recessed and mounted higher than standard position. These are a racing product and like most rearsets do not allow for a mechanical brake switch, we can supply hydraulic switches for most bikes. Please add to basket if required.Click here to go back a page
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Ann Medis and Anthony Cordova
We have been professional peers for well over a decade. With nearly 50 years of combined reporting experience, both domestic and international, we have dedicated ourselves to providing dependable, high--quality court reporting services to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania legal community.
Our services include:
We are conveniently located in downtown Pittsburgh and we cover the states of Pennsylvania and West Virginia... or anywhere in the world.
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Phone: 412 . 288 . 5370
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Site Map • Privacy Policy • About Us
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Konkan Railway JE Electrical Recruitment
Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) invites applications from eligible land loser candidates for recruitment of Junior Engineer (Electrical) for filling up 08 (Eight) Candidates. Eligible Persons Apply on the prescribed format on or before 12th August 2014.
Some Details on the Indian RailwaysRailways were first introduced to India in 1853 from Bombay to Thane. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit, the Indian Railways, becoming one of the largest networks in the world. IR operates both long distance and suburban rail systems on a multi-gauge network of broad, metre and narrow gauges. It also owns locomotive and coach production facilities at several places in India and are assigned codes identifying their gauge, kind of power and type of operation. Indian Railways is the world's ninth largest commercial or utility employer, by number of employees, with over 1.4 million employees. As for rolling stock, IR holds over 239,281 Freight Wagons, 59,713 Passenger Coaches and 9,549 Locomotives (43 steam, 5,197 diesel and 4,309 electric locomotives). The trains have a 5 digit numbering system as the Indian Railways runs about 10,000 trains daily. As of 31 March 2013, 23,541 km (14,628 mi) (36%) of the total 65,000 km (40,000 mi) route length was electrified. Since 1960, almost all electrified sections on IR use 25,000 Volt AC traction through overhead catenary delivery. On the 23 April 2014, Indian Railways introduced a mobile app system to track train schedules.credits wiki
Konkan Railway Recruitment 2014 invites applications for the following posts:
Job Designation: Junior Engineer (Electrical)
Number of Vacancy: 08 General : 2, OBC : 2, SC : 1, ST : 03
Number of Vacancy: 08 General : 2, OBC : 2, SC : 1, ST : 03
Consolidated Salary: Pay Band-2 of Rs.29,300-34,800/- with Grade Pay of Rs..4,200/-
18 to 35 Years as on 01/01/2015 (Age Relaxation – 05 Years for SC/ST; 03 Years for OBC)
Job Designation: Deputy Finance Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer
Number of Vacancy: 03 (UR-01,OBC-01 and SC-01)
Consolidated Salary: Pay Band-4 of Rs.37,400-67,000/- OR Pay Band-3 of Rs.15,600-39,100/- as per suitability.
Age Criteria: 55 Years as on 01/01/2014
Eligibility Criteria:
(a) Land losers whose land has been acquired for Konkan Railway line Project (Self / Sons / Spouse / Unmarried daughters / Grand sons/ Unmarried Grand daughters only) are eligible.
(b) Other than Konkan Railway land losers, only ST candidates from Employment Exchanges with valid registration along Konkan Railway route within the jurisdiction of Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.(Raigad, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri Districts of Maharashtra; Goa State; and Karwar, Udupi and South Kannada Districts of Karnataka) are eligible.
(c) Employees/Trainees of Konkan Railway are not eligible.
Educational Qualifications:
Three Years Diploma in Electronics/ Applied Electronics/ Power Electronics/ Industrial Electronics/ Electrical from a recognized Technical Board/ University.
Selection Process:
The candidates will have to pass the prescribed medical examination as per railways
Konkan Railway Corporation Limited invites applications from Regular Central Govt. employees working in Railways and other Central Govt. Department and Central PSUs for appointment on Immediate Absorption basis against the regular posts in Konkan Railway Corporation Limited. Application on the prescribed format on or before 15th January 2014.
For more details you can visit the official website here . Or else keep visiting here for latest updates and news on Indian Railways. If you have any questions related to Konkan Railway Recruitment feel free to ask by dropping a comment below.


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Why not judge a book by its cover?
Ecological Fibers' cover materials have graced the covers of some of the best designed books and packages in global publishing and packaging industries. Consistently featured on most all best seller lists and in packaging galleries around the world, our products offer individuality, distinction, and creativity to luxury designers and global brands. As a pioneer in innovation and sustainability, Ecological has been recognized not only for our distinct product lines, but also for our environmentally-sound manufacturing practices and product sustainability. Browse through some of our featured projects and discover how your next design could be an award winner!
2015 Gold Ink Award - Pewter
Awarded by Printing Impressions Magazine in the Book Jacket category
2012 Gold Leaf Award
Awarded by the Foil & Specialty Efffects Association in the Book Cover/Jacket category
The project included multiple foil passes; 13 separate foil stamping dies and extremely critical register between passes
2012 Gold Ink Award - Silver
Awarded by Printing Impressions Magazine in the Book Covers category
2011 Gold Ink Award - GOLD
Awarded by Printing Impressions Magazine in the Book Covers category
Stream Club Member
Nashua River Watershed Association
In recognition for ongoing support in creating a healthier Nashua River.
Environmental Protection Agency - New England
Given in recognition of demonstrated commitment and significant contributions to the environment on the 25th anniversary celebration of Earth Day.


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You are here: Entertainment Options » Children's Workshops » Arts-and-Crafts-Entertainment » The-Happy-Crafts-Workshop
The Happy Crafts Workshop - West Yorkshire
The Happy Crafts Workshop for hire is a fun-filled workshop that children all of ages and abilities can enjoy and participate in. Our workshop will allow your children to make their very own piece of art to takeaway with them and treasure forever.
Our workshop involves decorating wooden cut outs to make their very own mosaic. The children then get to decorate their mosaic with a range of different coloured glitter, fabric and paper. This allows them to create something completely unique to their personality and style.
Our children's workshop will create an endless amount of fun for your kids. The Happy Crafts Workshop is the perfect entertainment option to hire for a wide range of events including; children's events, family fun days or picnic-themed events in London and across the UK.


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AirBoat Rides
Come ride with us for an airboat adventure of a lifetime! We at Loughman Lake Lodge offer private and group guided airboat tours. Our airboat tours are sure to thrill even the most experienced waterman. You will slide and skim across the waters of the St. Johns River at speeds of 30 mph into the natural scenic wetlands of Florida. Our US Coast Guard Certified captains will whisk across deep and shallow water into the highways of the swamp. Each airboat ride will offer a unique and exhilarating experience of it's own!
Book Your Next Adventure!
Great Food
Loughman Lake Lodge offers a full service, waterfront restaurant nestled into the banks of the St. Johns River. Guests will have an opportunity to see the natural Florida including wildlife from our waterfront seating. We have created a family friendly and fun environment for everyone to enjoy! Our menu includes many delicious entrees much of what the natives call "Florida Fixin's." We invite everyone to come out and enjoy live bands, beer and great food under the care of Florida's best.
Check Out Our Menu!
Loughman Lake Lodge
Mims, FL 32754
Tel: (321) 268-2277


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Smart-Clip v.5.03, S-Card v.3.10, SmartMoto v.4.24
New versions of Smart-Clip v5.03, S-Card v3.10 and SmartMoto v4.24 are out now!.
- Developed advanced flashing option for the following phones with NAND flash memory
- Motorola: EX112, EX115, EX122, EX128
- Alcatel: OT-800, OT-802, OT-802Y, OT-803, OT-803D, OT-806, OT-806D, OT-807, OT-807D, OT-808, OT-808G, OT-808M, OT-809, OT-810, OT-813, OT-813D, OT-818, OT-818D, OT-819, OT-819D, OT-828, OT-880, OT-888, OT-888D, OT-I802, OT-I880, OT-I898, OT-C819D
- Added restore backup from one phone with NAND flash memory type into another.
- Implemented autodetection and bad blocks marking during the flashing process of the phones with NAND chip.
- Added complete handling of NAND bit errors.
- Released direct unlock and read codes options for Alcatel OT-355D.
The same flash file can be flashed into NAND chips with different page sizes (either 512 or 2048 bytes per page), e.g.: OT-802.
Thus, phone's firmware will be upgraded.
This new feature helps to fix bad blocks that newly occurred in the phone's flash.
Single bit errors are corrected automatically. If there are any uncorrectable bit errors in phone or it's backup file SmartMoto will inform you. Also, SmartMoto prevents flashing of the backup file with uncorrectable bit errors.
This Dual-SIM model based on MT6223 has been added to the list of supported phones.
Flash files for those models will be uploaded to Smart-Clip section (folder mfw) at Boot-Loader v2.0 portal.


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It cost me an outrageous £13. The best £13 ever spent or what! Don't get me wrong - I do question whether it is an actual dress or whether I should throw it on just before snuggling up after 3 layers of duvets, but hell it's pretty! I think it makes for the perfect effortless romantic dinner outfit. If you've got the balls. Chuck it on with a pair of strappy heels, some red lipstick and a little black bag and BOOM!
✖Primark embroidered satin shirt dress (click here)
✖H&M strappy heels (sold out)
✖Aliexpress bag (buy here)
✖Bering men's watch (via WatchShop - buy here)
✖Silver vintage pendant of St Bernadette
✖Silver vintage rings
from Cityscape Bliss http://www.cityscape-bliss.com/2016/11/Embroidered-satin-shirt-dress-Primark.html


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ESPN analyst Ray Lewis might want to wait until he's off the air to check his phone.
It's not uncommon to see ESPN's Adam Schefter working the phones live on the air, trying to get the latest information from his sources. With all due respect to Ray Lewis, he's not exactly Schefter. So what was he doing during Monday Night Countdown?
The look Lewis has on his face when he puts the phone down is the same as a high schooler getting caught in class. He definitely wasn't supposed to be doing that.
Overall, it was a pretty rough show for Ray. He tried to make a play on words while giving his game pick but instead invented a new nonsensical phrase.
Ray Lewis, not great at puns: pic.twitter.com/OUjznNeoT6— SB Nation (@SBNation) September 22, 2015
• We quizzed Aussie NFL blogger Matt Cleary on football terms
- Dan Gartland
[via FTW]


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Participating in a Community Group is one of the best ways to connect with others in the church and walk life together. Groups gather in various locations and throughout the week. Contact us, and we'll help match you up with the opportunity that best suits your needs.
- This event has passed.


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Derulo gets some not entirely underserved flack because he's not so much a pop star as he is J.R. Rotem's pet studio ringer, but this joyful yet gracious breakup song is the closest he's ever come to displaying a personality. True, his autotuned vocals are a bit more vexing here than on "In My Head", especially during the last minute of the song, but he manages to sell the feelgood vibe of happiness and freedom quite convincingly, and the song is just too joyful and sweet not to like.
Verdict: Flawed, but oddly irresistible.


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CBDT issues Circular for Clarification relating to Chapter VI-A Deduction on Enhanced Profits
The CBDT has clarified that the deduction under Chapter Vl-A is admissible on the enhanced profits due to disallowance made under sections 32, 40(a)(ia), 40A(3), 43B, etc., as under:
CBDT Circular No. 37/2016 dt. 2 Nov. 2016 F.No.279/Misc./140/2015/ITJ
Chapter VI-A of the Income-tax Act, 1961 ("the Act"), provides for deductions in respect of certain incomes. In computing the profits and gains of a business activity, the Assessing Officer may make certain disallowances, such as
disallowances pertaining to sections 32, 40(a)(ia), 40A(3), 43B etc., of the Act. At times disallowance out of specific expenditure claimed may also be made. The effect of such disallowances is an increase in the profits. Doubts have been raised as to whether such higher profits would also result in claim for a higher profit-linked deduction under Chapter VI-A.
2. The issue of the claim of higher deduction on the enhanced profits has been a contentious one. However, the courts have generally held that if the expenditure disallowed is related to the business activity against which the Chapter VI-A deduction has been claimed, the deduction needs to be allowed on the enhanced profits. …contd… Please refer attachment for illustrative cases.
3. In View of the above, the Board has accepted the settled position that the disallowances made under sections 32, 40(a)(ia), 40A(3), 43B, etc. of the Act and other specific disallowances, related to the business activity against which the Chapter VI-A deduction has been claimed, result in enhancement of the profits of the eligible business, and that deduction under Chapter Vl-A is admissible on the profits so enhanced by the disallowance.
4. Accordingly, henceforth, appeals may not be filed on this ground by officers of the Department and appeals already filed in Courts/ Tribunals may be withdrawn/ not pressed upon. The above may be brought to the notice of all concerned.
CBDT Clarification on Chapter VI-A Deduction: Circular No. 37/2016 dt. 2 Nov. 2016


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Vol. LXIII, No. 27
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Sean Clancy was never worried about the fight in his Princeton 12-year-old Little League all stars.
Despite dropping three consecutive contests in the District 12 Little League baseball tournament, Princeton manager Clancy remained upbeat about his teams effort and performance.
Baseballs always a funny game sometimes you go out there and play a good, close game, and other times, the ball just doesnt seem to bounce your way, said Clancy, whose team played in Pool C of the competition.
The Princeton 12s got off to a promising start in the tournament when they rallied but fell just short in a 7-6 extra inning loss to HTRBA on June 29.
A night later, Princeton couldnt get its offense going, falling 10-0 to West Windsor. The squad ended pool play with an 8-1 defeat to Cranbury-Plainsboro last Friday.
Even after the disappointing loss to West Windsor, Clancy saw positives in Princetons effort.
I think that the one, two, and three hitters did a good job recognizing [starting pitcher] Sean OBriens breaking ball, said Clancy.
Brock [DeHaven] also had a good at bat. He was tough and stayed with it he never gave in.
For Clancy, DeHavens at-bat mirrored the mentality of his young, resilient club.
Thats the great thing about these kids, they never give up, Clancy said. And Im really proud of that.
Clancy suggested that his team wasnt well-suited for the bandbox field at which it played West Windsor.
Jeff Gleason plays in a bigger ballpark during the school year, said Clancy, referring to one of his top starting pitchers.
Hes primarily a fly ball pitcher. Unfortunately, fly balls here at Cranbury-Plainsboro Park end up across the street for home runs.
While Clancy was quick to acknowledge that baseball contests at all levels may be decided, in part, by factors out of players control, he was confident that his staff came up big in the only area of the game within their reach.
What the kids can control in these games is their effort going out there and giving it 100 percent, Clancy said. And these kids did that, last night and tonight. I think thats what is really important in these games.
Although Princetons positive mindset wont show up in any box score, Clancy was impressed with his teams cooperation and understanding.
The kids are great, said Clancy, insisting that he would take his entire roster home if he were given the chance.
They are hard workers, real smart kids, and theyre supportive of each other. Even with the tournament substitution rules, Ive never heard any of them complain about who has to sit and who doesnt.
While Princetons 0-3 record in the opening round of the tournament eliminated it from the competition, Clancy didnt lose sight of what he believes to be the true importance of Little League baseball.
The District 12 tournament is a good experience for the kids, asserted Clancy. The great thing about baseball is that these kids play their best and when they go home, they know that mom and dad still love them no matter what the score was.
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A thoroughgoing liberalism rules the Minneapolis Star Tribune from stem to stern with the exception of metro columnist Katherine Kersten — and one columnist who has asked us to protect his or her identity. S/he writes that s/he has become the self-appointed "Anti-Keillor" to rebut Keillor's liberal rubbish whenever it appears in the Star Tribune. This past Sunday Keillor provided his deep thoughts on matters related to the subpriime mortgage market. The Anti-Keillor writes:
In his latest column — "Why I Didn't Invest In Subprime Mortgages" — Garrison Keillor takes on the current mortgage "crisis," with predictable results:I sit in wonderment at the story of W. Lance Anderson, the president of NovaStar Financial in Kansas City, who while handing out subprime mortgages to any applicant wearing shoes and a shirt managed to sink the company's stock from $40 in June to $1.72. This is a man who earned $1.7 million in salary and bonuses last year, plus $711,386 in deferred compensation, plus more dough in various arrangements that dopes like me can't quite grasp….I myself would never invest money in a company headed by a man named W. Lance Anderson. The very name inspires distrust. What's the W for? Wolfgang? Whoopee? Weasel? A man who goes by W. Lance is likely to wear tinted glasses and two-toned shoes, smoke Kools, and have a gun fetish. Nonetheless, a small army of hopeful investors bought into the idea that you can make money on bad loans and now they are left holding the bag while W. Lance goes on toYou can almost see Keillor's face twitching, Inspector Dreyfuss-like, as he points out the usual suspects:
his next great idea…
* Rich White Guys ("This is a man who earned $1.7 million in salary and bonuses last year, plus $711,386 in deferred compensation …"),
* Unregulated Capitalism ("Nonetheless, a small army of hopeful investors bought into the idea that you can make money on bad loans …"),
* and The Unholy Trinity of W, Tobacco and Firearms ("What's the W for? Wolfgang? Whoopee? Weasel? A man who goes by W. Lance is likely to…smoke Kools, and have a gun fetish.").
The rest of his column caroms from topic to topic, from high school basketball played by pimply-faced farm boys, to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, to spongy woodpecker brains…down, like a pachinko ball, toward the inevitable conclusion that, whatever mess we may be in, it must be the fault of George W. Bush:The idea that time is wasting and our jets are idling and we must figure out the code and then we can take the great leap forward and fly up in the air — this is what inspires people to invest in the subprime mortgage business, or the Jerusalem artichoke, or the Florida time-share.If you don't recognize it, Keillor is playing that parlor game, wildly popular at Manhattan cocktail parties, "One Degree of George Bush." That's when you take any piece of bad news occurring anywhere on earth and link it directly to Bush.
It's what makes people see the Current Occupant as a conservative. He is no more conservative than I am Eleanor of Aquitaine. He saw an America of plodders and pluggers like me and he put the government at the service of the W. Lances among us and he appointed a whole regiment of W. Lances to high office and here we are, seven years later, holding the bag.
Presumably, liberals have a solution to the "mortgage crisis," if you define a situation involving about 0.5% of mortgages nationwide as a crisis.
To liberals, a government that can do anything should do everything, from providing free health care, to footing the bill for our retirement, to protecting us from making bad real-estate investments.
If most Americans are too stupid to understand that the "A" in ARM stands for "adjustable," and that mortgage rates can, in fact, adjust upwards…
…if our business leaders are too greedy to avoid making bad decisions …
…if we're all somehow left "holding the bag" for problems caused by the aforementioned stupidity and greed…
…then, the logic of Keillor and other Nanny State fans kicks in, like this:
a) We are smart, unlike you;
b) We are free from greed, unlike like you;
c) Therefore, we must save you from yourselves, by regulating more of your life.
Higher taxes? Less freedom? A sclerotic, French-style welfare state? These are but a small price to pay for a total absence of suffering, bad decisions, worry and fear.
Which brings us to a fundamental difference between conservatives and liberals. Conservatives want the freedom to pursue happiness on their own terms. Liberals think they have a right to happiness and that it should be delivered, like a pizza.
When you understand this, you understand why the liberal version of the American dream — no worries, free health care and a guaranteed income, among other things — would be like living in your parents' basement, for life.
Put another way, modern liberalism is exactly like modern art: Ordinary people take one look and say, "Blech," while its elite defenders say, "You don't understand — this is better than it looks."
Liberals still believe that, like Communism, the top-down economic planning of Carter and Clinton didn't succeed only because it wasn't given a fair chance. Which is why liberals so desperately want to try, try again to exercise command-and-control over our economy from 2008.
We elect them at our peril.
Our correspondent signs off as "the Star Tribune's other conservative columnist."
To comment on this post, go here.


text: Dear readers, The other day I was reading through John 3 when I noticed that Jesus changed to the plural second person pronoun. I think He began around verse 11 to address *Nicodemus* in the Plural? Any insights? Thanks for your time and eyes, Todd Sukany Pleasant Hope, MO 65725 E-mail firstname.lastname@example.com


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Different types of logos are used in all spheres of modern life. Today it becomes very hard to create the one that might look unique and would not violate anybody`s rights. At Farmtrac Logo one will find thousands of various logo examples that are related and can be used in all spheres, from business to different types of entertainment.Download Farmtrac Logo


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A highly regarded and successful accountancy practice based in the heart of London is seeking a Personal Tax Supervisor due to growth plans.
As Personal Tax Supervisor, you will be responsible for providing a range of compliance and advisory services to a portfolio of personal tax and trust clients.
The successful individual will have an extensive background in personal and trust tax (including familiarity and experience of offshore, domicile and residence issues) and be CTA qualified. ACA or ACCA is desirable.
In return, you will be working in a collegiate environment for a firm that genuinely values their staff. Almost all senior members and partners joined as trainees which is a true reflection of excellent staff retention and a credit to internal progression on offer.
To discuss further, please contact Dominic Watt on 0207 269 6310 or email firstname.lastname@example.com
The Pro-Recruitment Group consists of four distinct brands: ProTax, ProLegal, ProFinance and ProHR


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Transcribe audio into text for blog content. Interview format.
Budget $10-30 USD
I need 6 audio files transcribed into text. Interview format. Must be high quality articles.
- Not filler or fluff.
- Only 99% accuracy will be accepted.
- Must be written in perfect English, with perfect grammar and spelling.
- Each article must be proofread for spelling, errors, grammar and word count.
- You will have no right to reissue or reuse the work as all the copyrights would belong to me.
Awarded to:
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Frequently Asked Questions
On February 19, 2016, Weyerhaeuser Company and Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc. merged. The combined company retains the Weyerhaeuser name and continues to be traded under the WY ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange.
The FAQs below are specific to WY stock and shareholders.
Visit our Plum Creek Legacy Info section for details and FAQ for former shareholders.
We started out as the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, incorporated in the State of Washington in 1900, when Frederick Weyerhaeuser and 15 partners bought 900,000 acres of timberland. Today, we are one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands.
We have three main business segments: Timberlands; Real Estate, Energy & Natural Resources; and Wood Products.
Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol WY.
Information about Weyerhaeuser's board of directors and senior management team is located in the company section of this website.
For more than a hundred years, Weyerhaeuser has been building and enhancing a reputation for responsible corporate citizenship. We are committed to operating as a sustainable company and are listed on the Dow Jones World Sustainability Index. Each year we publish a Sustainability Report to provide an overview of our economic, environmental and social performance. To learn more about Weyerhaeuser's commitment to corporate social responsibility, visit the Sustainability section of our website.
Weyerhaeuser's transfer agent is Computershare. Computershare maintains the records for our registered shareholders and can help shareholders with a variety of issues at no charge. Registered shareholders can access their account information by contacting Computershare via internet, phone or email. For details, visit our Shareholder Services Transfer Agent page.
Please contact Computershare, the transfer agent.
Please contact Computershare, the transfer agent.


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08. 17. 2007
DaysAgo digital day counter is brilliant!
As much as I look forward to things (number of days until Friday), I'm realizing that I spend quite a bit of time looking backwards (number of days since I cooked that delightful casserole, #of days since I watered the plants, #of days left before my vacation, number of days since I first opened that jar of salsa . . .hummmmm). Enter my new best friend, the DaysAgo counter.
DaysAgo counter can be used to track time elapsed for up to 99 days. Battery operated and available with suction for sticking to smooth plastic or glass surfaces or magnetic for snapping to metal surfaces, DaysAgo is cheap, fast, and helps me keep track of my comings and goings.
If nothing else, the modest investment will keep me from wondering if that salsa is supposed to be tangy or if it's already Salmonella-ridden.
Price: $10 for 2-pack at Howmanydaysago.com
Posted by Mia
misc gadgets
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Dear teachers and students,
Good afternoon! Today I have important news to announce that our school will hold an innovative Thanksgiving quiz competition this month.
Nearly four hundred years ago, our forefathers explored to this land and lived on it after experiencing unimaginable frustrations as well as hardships. Because of their great efforts, life gets better and better. It is the history and culture that we should never forget. Therefore, to sustain our forefathers' tradition and bring you pleasure before the Thanksgiving holiday, our school will hold this Thanksgiving quiz competition.
This year the competition is based on an advanced way - the online quiz, which means that the competition can be held within flexible time, with more contestants and more pleasure, but less pressure. Next, please allow me to give you some detailed instruction.
About the time and place: because we hold this competition by the means of making an online quiz, you can do the quiz on our school's Website anytime from October 18th to 20th. This online quiz system allows hundreds of you to do the competition when you have time. It will save you out of the dilemma between your academic work and the competition. Compared with the traditional round-after-round quiz competition, it will cost much less time to do an online quiz.
Then, about some instruction of the quiz's content: this online Thanksgiving quiz competition will check your knowledge from various dimensions. You will be tested on Thanksgiving's history, custom, and so on. There will be 8 question types including true/false, multiple choice, sequence, click map, etc. Also some multimedia question will appear, such as the question with audio, Flash movie as well as video embedded. Besides, every contestant will get the randomized questions to avoid cheating.
Finally, this is a competition with cool prizes for top 50 winners with 5 the first award, 15 second award, and 30 third award. As for the score, you can know it immediately. Because it is a self-grading quiz, you can see your score once you finish the testing. Teachers will get all your results through the Quiz Management System. The more amazing point is that the results can be ranked by the scores and top 50 winners can be picked up shortly. It is quite efficient, isn't it? The exact name list of the winners will be declared on the website soon after the quiz competition.
Thanksgiving is a time when we can reflect upon this rich, Christian heritage, but it's a pity that many of us are often ignorant of our country's origins, so this Thanksgiving quiz competition based on online quiz would come as a booster for you to maintain the knowledge about this nation's foundations. I hope that you will not only take this quiz competition but also share the Thanksgiving quiz with others. I also hope that you will be encouraged to study more about the historical and traditional foundations of this country.
Dear students, welcome to the competition based on the online Thanksgiving quiz. Wish you good luck!


text: VR Bangers is an upcoming vr porn site that continues to progress all the time. They recently made the decision to start releasing 2 new videos a week. If they are true to this method than that will be 104 videos a year. That would make them the biggest vr porn site around. They now have 80+ videos that can be viewed over at vrbangers.com. The videos featured at VR Bangers host some of the most erotic content with some of the hottest porn stars to date like Riley Reid,…Read More


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Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Colors of the days
I'll lead with the pretty pictures and I can see now that a few of these need tinkering, but I'll stay my hand because these are the concentrates that I will work with, so a little bit goes a long way - even with my predilection for waste. I need to find a good sized disposable syringe, the turkey baster is too big.
While waiting for these to come up to room temp, I replaced the agitator dogs in the washing machine- the final phase of restoring it to useful life before having to knuckle under and buy a replacement. No washer = no dye season. Never mind clean clothes. I work from home. Clothes?
I followed this funny video and found it to be much like playing with Lego. Years ago I tore down and rebuilt the carburetor in our lawn mower and MANY years ago, swapped out the engine and tranny in my '63 Ford Fairlane. Most satisfying endeavors. The washing machine thing was not nearly as hard on the fingernails, but Kids, it's Nasty in there! Building computers from scratch is a joke by comparison. Hands-on feels good. What's next? And where the hell did I put last years seeds????
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by Gemina Ferrari In case you were wondering how I felt about a bunch of old white men making decisions about women's healthcare and...
Play it again Sam.
Colin modeled a bit when he was a baby. How could he not, as cute as this and he was a laughin' fool the minute anyone broke out a ...
writing I have been idly dreaming about having a small, vintage manual typewriter, as if that would help. I don't even know i...
I'm researching fish faces for a piece I'm working on. Ever take a close look at their eyes? I used to fish a lot when I was a kid ...
It's a Charlie Monday. We spend the whole day together working it out. He is a delightful tornado of life and love. There is no doin...
Mom's Christmas cactus is struggling. I have to find the right kind of soil and a decent clay pot it can become rootbound in. Any advi...


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Options Counseling
Many times, the difference between maintaining our independence within the setting of our choosing, or entering into a nursing home or institutional life style may be the lack of knowledge as to what resources are available to us in order to maintain our independence. In partnerships with the Aging & Disability Resource Consortium (ADRC), Options Counselors at Center for Living & Working strive to provide consumer-directed support to consumers, family members, caregivers and/or significant others in hospitals, nursing facilities, rehabilitation facilities, and community settings who are planning for long term services and supports.
Through the no wrong door model, our Options Counselors are here to actively listen to your concerns, and help to connect you to resources and supports within your community to help maintain your independence.
Option Counseling is a service provided at no cost to the consumer. For more information, you may email us at firstname.lastname@example.com or contact our Information and Referral Department at 1-508-798-0350 and request an Options Counselor.


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Raleigh Singapore first overseas project is a 3-week long community project Operasi Raleigh Batam in Riau Islands in 1996. The volunteers dug a reservoir to provide fresh water to the village, refurbished a school and built an access stairway down a cliff to the beach to allow children safe access among other things. In 1998, we retuned to Riau Islands for Operasi Raleigh Batam II. In the subsequent years after the 2 Operasi Raleigh Batam projects till now, we keep on expanding our overseas outreach to different countries such as Mongolia, Myanmar and Tibet.
Here's the list of past overseas projects we have organized.


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Junior Mission for All
The young people from Sydenham Methodist church learn about the worldwide church by reading the 'Rainbow' magazine and joining in activities in the church. They pray for the people they learn about and they serve by collecting and raising money for different projects.
JMA Promise: I promise to learn, pray and serve with the worldwide Church of Jesus Christ.
JMA activities are carried out as part of Kidzone.


text: Robertson Elementary School has received recognition for their efforts to support and improve the health of our children and our community. As part of their effort, healthy items are featured on their menus, and physical education and activity emphasized. Their efforts are part of the HealthierUSA School Challenge (HUSSC). HUSSC is a voluntary national certification initiative for schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. It recognizes schools that are creating healthier school environments through their promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. Sponsored by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the initiative encourages all schools take a leadership role in helping students to make healthier eating and physical activity choices that will last a lifetime. Robertson Elementary School received a Bronze Award and $500, in addition to a banner to display at their school, and their name listed on the Team Nutrition website (http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/HealthierUS/Washington.html) Congratulations staff and students at Robertson Elementary!!


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eCar PRO v1.03.20 Apk An OBD Bluetooth adapter that connects to your car's engine management / OBD port is required. Common adapters include BAFX, ELM327, OBDLink LX, & VGate and can be purchased on websites such as eBay.
DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Codes): Check & clear Check Engine Light. View confirmed, pending, and historic DTC. Continuous monitoring available for viewing engine fault codes as they appear in real time. Already have a DTC from another code reader? Then use the built in DTC SES Library to retrieve code descriptions.
Vehicle Sensors: Engine sensor data is displayed in real-time in Gauge, Graph, and Text formats. Enhanced gauges specific to each sensor are provided. Relevant sensor parameters are shown on each gauge including Min & Max values. Includes adjustable graph time axis.
Oxygen Sensors: View real-time O2 sensor values and monitor the health of the vehicle's catalytic converters. Performs a comparison of O2 sensors.
eCar PRO v1.03.20 Apk
- Download Now
- More info from Google Play Store


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NM Facile
Favorite Cover Version of a Song
Power of Love by Huey Lewis
Covered by
Early November
I never really liked this song when I was young.
The original by Huey Lewis
never appealed to me. In my opinion, the original version is just a toss away bubbly gum pop song that fits great as the song in Back to the Future, but the music is just over powers the lyrics. It's a quintessential 80's song; loud over the top drums and keyboard with passionless vocals. Even when Huey Lewis shouts the lyrics it still feels forced or theatrical.
The first time I heard this cover I was blown away. This is how this song was meant to be played. The mellowness of the cover gives the lyrics a chance to shine, bringing a deeper meaning to the song. I can connect to the cover in a way I never could with the original. It comes across as heartfelt and and more sincere than the original ever did. This cover made me see the song in a new light and it quickly became one of my favorite covers. Quite a surprise since it was done for an
80's tribute album by punk bands
I love discovering cover songs that are way different than the original. Any suggestions for me?
Day 6 in
365 days of music challenge
About NM
Amy's Memorial Video
Something I Hope to Never Have to Write About Again
Song By the Last Band I Saw Play Live
Song I Always Listen To At Least Twice In A Row
Song With My Favorite Guitar Riff
A Song That Reminds Me of One of My Parents
My Favorite Classical Piece
My Favorite Female Vocal Performance
A Song From My Favorite Movie
A Song That Makes Me Sad
My Favorite Male Vocal Song
First Song I Ever Heard (That I Still Listen to Regularly)
A Song I Absolutely Despise
Oldest Song I Love
Song I Like From a Musical or Children's Movie
A Song That I Would Sing on an Audition for American Idol
Another Song From a Top Five Favorite Band
Most Australian-Sounding Song I Like
Song That Reminds Me of My Most Recent Ex-boyfriend
A Song by One of My Top 5 Favorite Bands
No Music Just Cats
My Favorite Music Video
My Favorite Love Song
A Song That Makes Me Happy
My Favorite Female Vocal Song
The First Song I Heard by My Favorite Artist
A Song By My Favorite Band
A Song I Always Look for on Jukeboxes
My Least Favorite Song
Opening Theme Song For a Series Based on My Life
A Song That Reminds Me of My Childhood
Another Top 5 Favorite Song
Favorite Cover Version of a Song
Song With the Highest Play Count On My Playlist
A Song That I Listen to When I Travel
Another Top 5 Favorite Song
My Favorite Song with a Color in the Title
My favorite Song of All TIme
My Favorite Song Today
Visit to Where it All Began
Happy Holidays
A Few Poems From My Family
Message To Our Daughters
Appeal of the BBC
Ty's tattoos
King Arthur My Once and Future King
Reading Quirks
Can You Blog Better Than a 5th Grader?
Review, Interview, & Giveaway
Cure For Pain playlist set 14
Cure For Pain playlist set 13
Cure For Pain playlist set 12
Cure For Pain playlist set 11
Cure For Pain playlist set 10
Interview With Central Avenue Publishing
Cure For Pain playlist set 9
Cure For Pain playlist set 8
Cure For Pain playlist set 7
Cure For Pain playlist set 6
Cure For Pain playlist set 5
Cure For Pain is Available on Amazon
Cure For Pain playlist set 4
Cure For Pain playlist set 3
Cure For Pain playlist set 2
Cure For Pain Playlist set 1
Release Date
Bad News & Good News
Cure For Pain Trailer
Across the Hall in print
Mother's Day
Love Unspoken
Music for Across the Hall
My First Blog Post
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Staying in really is the new going out if you ask me. Gone are the days where I lived for the weekend just so that I could don a pretty party dress and hit the dance floor, nowadays I would much prefer to chill on the sofa with my nearest and dearest instead.
However, staying in raises the big question of snacks!
As lovely as good old Doritos and Pringles are, I love to cook up something a little more adventurous occasionally and these little wedges are truly delightful.
Simply take 1 medium potato per person (this recipe works for both Sweet Potatoes and the old fashioned kind too) and keeping the skins on slice into chunky wedges. Preheat the oven to around 200 degrees and place the wedges on a baking tray with a teaspoon of Coconut Oil.
Whilst your potato is in the oven take around 30 grams of Goats Cheese per person and dice into cubes and pop to one side.
Cooking times can vary dependent upon your interpretation of the term 'chunky' but mine usually take around 30 minutes. Keep tossing them every few minutes or so to ensure they don't stick and go a delicious golden brown colour.
Make sure you pop the wedges straight into a bowl once ready as you you will need the heat from them to melt the diced Goats Cheese a little. Simply sprinkle the cubes over the wedges along with a few teaspoons of pomegranate seeds.
Your wedges are now ready to serve and they take very little time, effort or money to make and will put a smile on all of your guests faces.
What are you go to snacks for cosy evenings in? Let me know below and I'll catch up with you again soon, until then though x
Some of these items may have been sent to me for review. Please see my disclaimer for more information.


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Join The Conversation With Mishpacha's Weekly Newsletter
Everyone is in denial about something; just try denying it and watch your friends make a list. But while it's potentially destructive, denial can provide temporary relief when facing a hardship, and some level of denial is essential in healthy relationships. When it helps, when it hinders — and how to tell the difference.
Whether you're planning a humble garage sale or an exclusive Chinese auction, here's a step-by-step guide to creating a successful fundraiser
In thanks to our teachers and principals, and as an apology for not always making it easy, the Sisters present a tribute to our years in Bais Yaakov.


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- Study protocol
- Open Access
- Open Peer Review
HealthKick: a nutrition and physical activity intervention for primary schools in low-income settings
© Draper et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2010
- Received: 1 May 2010
- Accepted: 6 July 2010
- Published: 6 July 2010
The burden of non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes, is growing in South Africa. This country has a complex mix of over- and under-nutrition, especially in low-income communities, and concerning levels of physical inactivity in children and youth. This paper describes HealthKick, a school-based nutrition and physical activity intervention in primary schools in these settings aimed at reducing diabetes risk factors.
This study includes schools within historically disadvantaged, low-income communities from an urban area close to the city of Cape Town and from two rural areas outside of Cape Town, South Africa. The three Educational Districts involved are Metropole North, Cape Winelands and the Overberg. The study has three phases: intervention mapping and formative assessment, intervention development, and outcome and process evaluation. Sixteen schools were purposively selected to participate in the study and randomly allocated as intervention (eight schools) and control (eight schools).
The primary aims of HealthKick are to promote healthful eating habits and increase regular participation in health-enhancing physical activity in children, parents and teachers, to prevent overweight, and reduce risk of chronic diseases (particularly type 2 diabetes); as well as to promote the development of an environment within the school and community that facilitates the adoption of healthy lifestyles.
The components of HealthKick are: action planning, toolkit (resource guide, a resource box and physical activity resource bin), and an Educators' Manual, which includes a curriculum component.
This study continues to highlight the key role that educators play in implementing a school-based intervention, but that developing capacity within school staff and stakeholders is not a simple or easy task. In spite of the challenges experienced thus far, valuable findings are being produced from this study, especially from Phase 1. Materials developed could be disseminated to other schools in low-income settings both within and outside of South Africa. Owing to the novelty of the HealthKick intervention in low-income South African primary schools, the findings of the evaluation phase have the potential to impact on policy and practice within these settings.
- Physical Activity
- Formative Assessment
- Physical Activity Intervention
- Intervention Mapping
- Life Orientation
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including type 2 diabetes, have become an increasing global concern. The burden of these diseases is growing in South Africa [1] in both urban [2] and rural [3] low-income communities. South Africa has a complex mix of over- and under-nutrition [4], especially in schools situated in low-income communities, and increasing levels of physical inactivity in children [5] and youth [6]. A recent study in a low-income South African setting reported on the co-prevalence of early stunting and adolescent obesity (in girls), and highlighted the concerning nature of these findings in light of obesity and adult short stature as risk factors for type 2 diabetes [7].
Barriers to the promotion of healthy lifestyles in schools in low-income communities include limited resources, the absence of policy relating to healthy lifestyles, and the availability of inexpensive foods of low nutritive value either from tuck shops or street vendors [8].
Physical education was phased out as a stand-alone subject in 2004, and placed in the 'Life Orientation' (LO) learning area as one of its four learning outcomes. Various challenges in implementing physical education within LO have been identified, and the need for capacity development in this area has been emphasised [9].
Substantial literature exists on school-based nutrition and physical activity interventions in a range of settings, and landmark interventions include The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) [10], Pathways [11] and Action Schools! BC [12]. These interventions have shown positive effects on children's diet and physical activity behaviours [10, 13], as well as psychosocial variables, such as self-efficacy, related to nutrition and physical activity [11]. In addition to these effects, these interventions have shown to be feasible, acceptable, and in some cases, sustainable interventions in the school environment [12, 14, 15].
While these interventions have been implemented in some low-income settings, there is very little literature reporting on school-based interventions in African settings [16–18]. Furthermore, the focus of these studies is the reporting of outcomes and not the description of intervention development and implementation. Such information would facilitate the sharing of lessons learned and could ultimately lead to the implementation of these interventions in other settings. A literature review on school-based interventions provided further focus on specific factors associated with successful interventions. These include a curricular component, physical activity, healthy food-service and family involvement [19].
This paper describes the development of HealthKick, a school-based nutrition and physical activity intervention in primary schools in low-income settings aimed at reducing diabetes risk factors.
Study setting and phases
This study is taking place in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Schools involved are from historically disadvantaged, low-income communities from an urban area close to the city of Cape Town and from two rural areas outside of Cape Town. These schools have all been classified by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) at the lower end of the poverty index, and fall within three educational districts (one urban, two rural).
This study has three phases, and these will be discussed in the paper:
Phase 1: Intervention mapping and formative assessment
Phase 2: Intervention development and implementation
Phase 3: Outcome and process evaluation
Although implementation forms part of Phase 2, the focus of this paper will be the description of the intervention.
Intervention aims
The primary aims of the HealthKick intervention are:
To promote healthful eating habits in children, parents and educators, as a means to reduce the risk of chronic diseases (particularly type 2 diabetes);
To increase regular participation in health-enhancing physical activity in children, parents and teachers, to prevent overweight, and reduce risk of chronic diseases (particularly type 2 diabetes); and
To promote the development of an environment within the school and community that facilitates the adoption of healthy lifestyles.
The secondary aims of the intervention are:
To build capacity of the school staff and stakeholders in the development, implementation and assessment of school-based lifestyle intervention programmes;
To apply best practice for school-based interventions in a low-resource setting; and
To present the findings to policy makers together with a plan of wider dissemination of the intervention.
Theoretical basis of HealthKick
Social Ecological model and HealthKick intervention
Social Ecological levels
Areas for intervention
Diet, choices and habits, knowledge, self-efficacy and beliefs, fitness levels, awareness
Priorities for parents, encouragement from family and peers, role models
Organisation (school)
Resources for physical activity and sport, opportunities for physical activity and sport, encouragement from teachers, implementation of curriculum
Socioeconomic circumstances, food insecurity, lack of resources for physical activity and sport, social norms around physical activity and nutrition
Phase 1: Intervention Mapping and formative assessment
Intervention Mapping
Intervention Mapping for the HealthKick intervention
Intervention Mapping Steps
Programme activities
1: Needs assessment
Formative assessment (described below)
Members of the different planning groups embarked on a series of brainstorming sessions to determine and prioritise the key health problem/s, the behavioural and environmental factors related to the problem/s, and the determinants of these factors
2: Matrices of change objectives
Behavioural and environmental outcomes of the intervention were identified
Performance objectives were specified (required actions for achievement of outcomes)
Personal and external determinants identified for each performance objective to develop change objectives
(Change objective = performance objective + determinants)
Examples of change objectives given in Table 3
3: Theory-based methods and practical strategies
These were identified for change objectives; example given in Table 4
4: Producing programme components and materials
Programme components and materials described under 'Phase 2' were developed, and include the action planning process and toolkit
5: Planning programme adoption, implementation and sustainability
This step is currently underway and consultation with the Western Cape Education Department is key to this part of the process
6: Planning for evaluation
This step is currently underway and is described under 'Phase 3'
Examples of behavioural outcomes and change objectives
Behavioural outcome: Increase learners' participation in physical activity during school time
External determinants
Performance objective:
Social support
Social norms
Access to resources
Organisational support
Be physically active during discretionary time, e.g. break time (recess)
Recognition and reward for those who participate in PA to the best of their ability
Appropriate context - fun, fair, non-judgemental, non-competitive, creativity around competition
Facilities and equipment are available, safe and accessible
Break time is not taken away as punishment
Encouraged by parents, peers and teachers to be active
Peers are active
Environment conducive to PA during discretionary time
Time for PA is not taken up by other school activities
Behavioural outcome: Increase the variety of foods eaten daily
Personal determinants
Performance objective:
Self-efficacy & Skills
Choose to eat a variety of foods according to the SA food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs)
List the health advantages of eating a variety of food in childhood as well as in adulthood (preventing CDLs)
Believe that obtaining macronutrients from a variety of foods is important for a healthy diet
Enjoy eating a variety of foods daily
Demonstrate the ability to create a daily meal plan that includes all food groups from the FBDGs
Show awareness of the importance of variety
Value the benefits of eating a variety of foods daily
Express confidence that a variety of food can be eaten every day
Know the macronutrients and their role
Example of methods and strategies
Performance objective
Choose to eat a variety of foods according to the food based dietary guidelines (FBDGs)
Demonstrate the ability to create a daily meal plan that includes all the food groups according to the FBDGs
• Modeling (Social cognitive theory)
• Teaching through different learning areas in the curriculum
• Skills training
• Skills practice in role plays and home work assignments
• Information
• Guiding educators to place the change objective in the curriculum
• Guiding educators to serve as models for healthy eating practices
Be physically active during discretionary time, e.g. break time, before school
Enjoy physical activity and believe that physical activity will make a difference in health and well-being
• Tailoring
Curriculum component that encourages activities such as dance as a means to increase levels of physical activity, and emphasises:
• Persuasive communication
• How physical activity will make a difference in learners' health and well-being (relating to relevant health issues in their community)
• That any physical activity is better than nothing
• That physical activity is important for boys and girls
Formative assessment
The formative assessment had the following components:
Situational analysis of the physical and policy environment relating to nutrition and physical activity in 100 randomly selected schools (50 rural, 50 urban) in the Western Cape. This included a structured interview with the school principal and completion of an observation schedule. The sample size calculation for the situational analysis was based on having a precision of not more than 10% for an estimated percentage of 50%. A sample of 100 schools gave the required precision when estimating the 95% confidence interval for the percentage.
Health risk assessment of teachers at 83 of the 100 schools (n = 517).
Health risk assessment of parents at four of the 50 urban schools (n = 50).
Small-group parent interviews at 22 of the 100 schools (n = 54) [21].
Questionnaire for Grade 4 learners at four of the 50 urban schools on physical activity and food preferences, perceptions of benefits of physical activity and barriers to school sport, and nutrition knowledge (n = 122).
Testing of Grade 4 learners (n = 887) from the eight intervention and eight control schools involved a questionnaire on their nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes and behaviour, an individual dietary intake assessment, anthropometric measurements and fitness testing. The questionnaire was developed by the research team, and was informed by questionnaires from Pathways [11] as well as previous local research, validating questionnaires concerning nutrition and physical activity knowledge and self-efficacy in primary school settings [22].
Formative assessment key findings
Top health priorities for learners, as identified by principals (n = 100)
Unhealthy diet
Lack of physical activity
Top health priorities for parents, as identified by principals (n = 100)
Substance abuse
Tobacco use
Unhealthy diet
Extent to which poverty and unemployment is a concern for learners at your school (n = 100)
To a great extent
Top barriers to adoption of health promotion programmes (n = 100)
Lack of financial resources
Inadequate facilities
Educators' health status (n = 517)
High waist circumference
High cholesterol
Low physical activity
HealthKick goals
The intervention mapping process (specified behavioural outcomes in particular), including the formative assessment findings, led to the development of the following HealthKick goals for the behaviour of learners, and have guided the intervention thus far. These goals align with the South African food-based dietary guidelines [23].
Eat a variety of foods every day
Eat more different kinds of fruit and vegetables every day
Eat less fat and oily food
Eat less sugar and sweet foods, such as cakes, doughnuts, sweets, etc.
Eat a regular healthy breakfast daily
Bring healthy lunchboxes to school as a daily routine
Be more physically active during school time
Be more physically active after school
Phase 2: Intervention development
Based on the analysis of the formative assessment data, and in consultation with educational authorities, sixteen schools were purposively selected to participate in Phase 2. These schools were randomly placed in intervention and control categories. Owing to the intention to develop capacity within school staff and stakeholders, this intervention has been developed in a way that the team facilitates rather than takes responsibility for the implementation of the intervention. Intervention schools are therefore referred to as 'co-implementation' schools, and control schools as 'self-implementation' schools. Co-implementation schools were asked to nominate a HealthKick 'champion' (an educator or other member of school staff) to act as a focal point for communication with the intervention team. Although the original intention was for this individual to promote healthy lifestyles in their school environment, very few of the champions were able or willing to take on this role. Self-implementation schools have been given access to some printed materials and resources, but the intervention team has not made themselves available to assist with implementing any of the suggestions given.
Intervention team and collaborators
The multi-disciplinary intervention team includes individuals from the South African Medical Research Council's Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle Unit, the University of Cape Town/Medical Research Council Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, and the South African Human Sciences Research Council. Areas represented include dietetics, exercise physiology, psychology, epidemiology, biostatistics, qualitative methodology, and physical education. Collaborators include the WCED (at provincial and district levels), the University of the Western Cape's School of Public Health, and the South African Heart and Stroke Foundation. In particular, the cooperation of the WCED district offices (specifically the educational psychologists who represented each of the three education districts) has proven to be invaluable both for the facilitation of the research process and support for the intervention.
Action planning
The action planning component of the HealthKick intervention has drawn heavily on Action Schools! BC Planning Guide for Schools and Teachers [24] and the Centres for Disease Control School Health Index: a self-assessment and planning guide [25]. The aim has been to guide the co-implementation school's HealthKick 'champion', principal, staff and individuals affiliated to the school through a process to assess areas for action related to nutrition and physical activity, identify priorities and set feasible goals.
The action planning process was originally designed to cover at least six 'zones':
Life Orientation (curriculum component)
Food and nutrition
Physical activity
Health promotion for staff
School policy and environment
Family and community involvement.
Action planning sessions began in the second half of 2008. The lengthy nature of these sessions and the perception of action planning as additional work by some educators (which emerged in preliminary process evaluation findings) resulted in limited cooperation from schools and educators. This hindered the implementation of the action planning process as it was originally intended. In particular, the HealthKick team found that very few educators were willing to commit to a plan of action, and even fewer attempted to carry out these actions.
Areas for action and examples of strategies
School physical and policy environment
Enlist the help of the SA Heart and Stroke Foundation, who have developed a tuckshop intervention to assist schools in the promotion of healthier foods
School nutrition and physical activity guidelines/policies
Develop a policy that prohibits the use of physical activity as a form of punishment
Develop a policy that stipulates the type of food to be sold at fund-raising events
School health committee
Form a representative health committee that helps to address issues relating to nutrition and physical activity (not just general health and safety)
Vegetable garden, outside or in containers
Enlist the help of the SA Department of Agriculture, who have a programme to assist schools in the planting and maintenance of vegetable gardens
Activities during break time, e.g. playground circuits
Use equipment from the physical activity resource bin provided to set up a physical activity circuit around the school grounds
Extra mural sport
Link up with the SA Gymnastics Federation to join their community-based rope skipping programme aimed at primary school children
Life Orientation curriculum
Design and make posters for poster event
Ask learners (Grades 4-6) to make posters that illustrate one or more of the HealthKick goals
Lesson period for physical activity
Ensure that the time allocated to physical activity is 'ring-fenced' for this purpose by drawing on lesson plans and activity suggestions in the resource box provided
Family and community involvement
Poster event
Arrange an event that learners' families and community members can attend to showcase the posters made in Life Orientation
Physical activity or sporting event
Arrange a fun walk in which learners' families and community members can participate to promote the importance of physical activity for health
Diabetes awareness
Denim for Diabetes day
Contact Diabetes SA to arrange this event where learners bring a small cash donation in order to wear denim to raise awareness about diabetes
Activity during International Diabetes week
During International Diabetes week (annually in November) arrange a guest speaker to come and speak on the importance of healthy lifestyles
Health promotion for staff was not included in the refined action planning process, but it was mentioned to the planning teams at each school that this could be one of the focus areas of the health committee. Furthermore, owing to the importance of intervening at this level, a separate intervention for educators is being developed, and will run parallel with the HealthKick intervention.
Instead of going through the action planning process, self-implementation schools received 'HealthKick tips for healthy schools' and the resource guide (explained below).
HealthKick toolkit
In order to assist schools with implementing strategies selected as part of the action planning process, co-implementation schools were given a HealthKick toolkit. The toolkit comprises a resource guide, a resource box and a physical activity resource bin. The resource guide is a printed manual containing information about existing resources from government, non-governmental organisations and industry about nutrition, physical activity and diabetes. The physical activity resource bin contains basic equipment such as skipping ropes, balls, bean bags, stopwatches and whistles. The resource box contains 6 magazine holders in a stow-away file box with the following contents, all of which are available locally or via internet access:
Nutrition lesson plans
Nutrition information
Physical activity lesson plans and activities
Physical activity information
Information on chronic diseases
School policy and health environment
Educators' Manual
The HealthKick Educators' Manual was developed as an essential component of the intervention. It aims to collate and present developed materials into a tool that can be distributed to schools. It constitutes the curriculum component of the HealthKick intervention and also contains information pertaining to the action planning process, the resource guide and various other resources, such as the South African food-based dietary guidelines.
Through Intervention Mapping, it became evident that to ensure sustainability, HealthKick would need to align with Life Orientation (LO). This was supported by formative assessment findings that identified educators' capacity as a barrier to the implementation of school-based health promotion programmes, as well as other research in this area [9].
Within South Africa's National Curriculum, LO has the following learning outcomes: health promotion, social development, personal development and physical development and movement (see Additional File 1). HealthKick goals for learners (mentioned earlier), in collaboration with a LO curriculum expert, were linked with assessment standards for these learning outcomes for Grades 4 - 6, such as 'Investigates menus from various cultures and suggests plans for healthy meals'. These were divided into knowledge, skills and values required to fulfil the assessment standards. Furthermore, activities (classroom and home-based) and assessments were suggested. During the course of 2009, workshops were held with educators from co-implementation schools to explain the relevance of HealthKick to LO, and indicate ways in which HealthKick supports its implementation.
In 2010, the curriculum documents compiled were consolidated and included in the HealthKick Educators' Manual. This manual is a vital outcome of this intervention as it has the potential to be disseminated by the WCED owing to its alignment with the LO curriculum.
Phase 3: Outcome and process evaluation
Outcome evaluation
Testing conducted with Grade 4 learners for the formative assessment was repeated to establish baseline data for the outcome evaluation. This testing will be repeated at 18 (Grade 5) and 24 months (Grade 6) on the same cohort. Both multi-level (repeated measures) and cohort analysis will be conducted with the Grade 4, 5 and 6 questionnaire data.
The sample size for the formative assessment and baseline testing of learners was based on the changes the HealthKick team hoped to be able to detect in response to the intervention. For example, in order to detect changes in leisure time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) similar to those demonstrated in other school-based interventions, we would require about 90 learners for the intervention and control groups, respectively [26]. Similarly, to be able to detect a significant improvement in nutrition and physical activity knowledge (~8%), at least 106 learners per group would be required [27]. All calculations were done for 80% statistical power at an alpha level of 0.05, suggesting that the study is sufficiently powered for detecting increased health knowledge, and increased minutes of leisure time MVPA.
Process evaluation
Process evaluation will include the evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of the action planning process and the extent of use of the toolkit (resource guide, resource box, physical activity resource bin) at these schools. At self-implementation schools, similar methods will be used to analyse the extent to which they used the resource guide and 'HealthKick tips for healthy schools'. In terms of the strategies selected by co-implementation schools, the reach, implementation fidelity, perceived success of strategy, and factors contributing to and/or hindering success of these strategies will also be assessed. A mixed methods approach will be used to conduct the process evaluation.
Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town (REC REF: 486/2005). In addition, approval for intervention in primary schools was obtained from the Western Cape Education Department. Written consent was obtained from all research participants (formative assessment, and process and outcome evaluations). Parental consent was obtained for learners participating in the research.
This paper describes the three phases of the HealthKick study that aims to develop, implement and evaluate a nutrition and physical activity intervention in low-income primary schools aimed at reducing risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes. The development of the HealthKick intervention was based on the Intervention Mapping process [20], and a formative assessment phase. This development process was largely iterative as the intervention has been adapted and refined as a result of interaction with schools throughout its implementation. It is likely that this continuous improvement approach will persist in the evaluation phase of the study.
Lessons learned
The Intervention Mapping approach provided a useful foundation for the development of the HealthKick intervention, particularly the development of the HealthKick goals. Furthermore this approach has contributed towards the integrity of the study and instruments that have been developed. However, we believe that the efficacy of the approach may require further interrogation in light of the time and effort taken to complete the process and the complexity it entailed. This experience is similar to others who have used components of the Intervention Mapping protocol in the development of school-based interventions [28–30].
This study continues to highlight the key role that educators' play in implementing a school-based intervention, but that developing capacity within school staff and stakeholders is not a simple or easy task. Throughout the development and implementation of the HealthKick intervention, the team has been constantly aware of the need to balance educators' sense of autonomy with the need to be prescriptive about what needs to get done. This has been particularly relevant during the action planning process and to some extent the nomination of champions.
While the team initially erred on a less prescriptive approach, giving educators a wide range of options, the need to see something implemented in the school environment has led to fewer options and a more prescriptive approach. Preliminary process evaluation results suggest that the original action planning process has therefore proved not to be feasible in co-implementation schools, although the more recent response from schools (in 2010) has been more encouraging and our perseverance with schools is beginning to bear fruit. However, the outcome of this process in terms of strategies is yet to be measured and the extent to which action planning will lead to changes within the school environment remains to be demonstrated.
Parents have played a very small role in the HealthKick intervention thus far, although this should change as a result of strategies to encourage family and community involvement such as poster events and fun walks. We will need to continue to take cognisance of the influence of the home environment on healthy eating and physical activity, bearing in mind the challenges of substance abuse, poverty and unemployment and the various health consequences and correlates of these issues. Plans are on the way to continue the work done with parents [21] and develop a cost-effective social marketing intervention to educate family and community members about the influences of media and marketing on children's food choices, and to use health communication to change the home environment as it relates to nutrition and physical activity.
In conclusion, in spite of the challenges experienced thus far, valuable findings have been produced from this study, especially from Phase 1. Materials developed could be disseminated to other schools in low-income settings both within and outside of South Africa. Owing to the novelty of the HealthKick intervention in low-income South African primary schools, the findings of the evaluation phase have the potential to impact on policy and practice within these settings.
This study has been sponsored by the World Diabetes Foundation. Additional funding support has been provided by the institutions represented by the authors. The authors would like to thank Erica April and Theresa Gogela for logistical support during Phase 2 of the study.
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Pre-publication history
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Generational branding may sound complicated at first, but it doesn't have to be.
Basically, generation branding is a fancy term for knowing your market and how to best reach them. For your non-profit healthcare brand, this could be the difference between spending thousands in traditional marketing or choosing to instead focus on social media to deliver your message. So it pays to know who you want to reach and how to best reach them. Each generation has specific characteristics and values that they pride themselves on. If you attune to these principles, you'll do a better job at connecting with them.
Baby Boomers for example, are a popular group for Healthcare marketing. They were born between 1946 and 1964 and may be caring for aging parents or having health concerns of their own. Often, they identify with redefining traditional values and are known to watch more TV than any other generation. They may use social media a little here and there, but it's not worth spending your marketing dollars there.
Generation X, otherwise known as gen-Xers, are those born between 1965 and 1980. This generation is reaching the 40-55 age demographic and are said to be reserved spenders – which means they won't spend the money if they don't see a rational need. A good way to connect to this generation is through an emotional connection that leans on their own experience. This generation uses social media more than the baby boomers, but mostly for reconnecting with past classmates and long distance family members.
Generation Y, or Millennials, are those born between the years 1981 and 1994. This is the generation of today's young adults. They don't mind paying high prices for good quality and they lean toward family, religious and community values. A good way to connect with them is a trustworthy source, especially if that source is someone they know. This generation created the social media empire and uses it for connecting with friends, businesses, schools, research, peer reviews, and so much more.
Cultural influences strongly affect what generations thrive on. What are common religious beliefs in your community? What is the socio-economic status of your community? This knowledge combined with your knowledge of generational characteristics will help you create a well balanced, strategic marketing plan.
If you're hoping to attract multiple generations, focus on life events that most people will experience. Like graduation, buying a car, getting married and having a baby. This will effectively blur those generational lines and hopefully establish an emotional connection between your healthcare brand and your community.