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Characteristics of Blue Gourami
A Blue gourami is a great addition to a freshwater tank that is 30 gallons or more. These hardy fish are semi-aggressive so only one male should be kept per tank because the males will likely fight with each other. The females are slightly larger than the males and tend to be more peaceful. Trichopterus is the scientific name for this fish and comes from the Greek work trichias which means hairy and the Greek word pteron which means wing. This is in reference to their long hair-like pelvic fins.
The Blue Gourami has an elongated and somewhat compressed body shape. They are a beautiful blue color with rounded fins. They can sometimes have a patterned coloration. One interesting fact about these fish is that their blue coloration can lighten and darken depending on their mood. These fish will also have two dark spots on their body. Gourami may reach up to six inches in length.
The Blue Gourami is a labyrinth fish just like Siamese Fighting fish which means that it has a labyrinth organ that allows it to breathe atmospheric oxygen.
These fish are not picky eaters at all. They will eat flake food, frozen food, veggies, or even live food. This means that you will want to make sure that you are not keeping a gourami with small fish that are bite-size.
Water Conditions
Gourami do not appreciate a strong current in a tank. The water temperature should be between 77 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. This water temperature should preferably be close to the temperature of the room as the labyrinth organ may potentially be damaged otherwise. These fish prefer a pH between 6.0 and 8.8.
This fish will be more comfortable in a well planted aquarium as that is what their native habitat is like.
Blue Gouramis breed using a bubble nest. The male will first make the bubble nest before mating with the female. After the eggs have been fertilized, the female should be removed from the tank because the male may hurt her. The male will take care of the eggs until they hatch. After hatching, the male should be removed from the tank and the babies should be fed food specially designed for these fry.
Life Span
With proper care these fish should live between four and eight years in an aquarium.
These fish will add interest and beautiful color to your tank.

subset: commoncrawl


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Vineyard Caterers
Aquebogue, NY, 11931
Room Info:
- Contact: Catering Manager
- Room capacity cocktail reception: 300
- Room capacity dinner with dancing: 250
- Cuisine: Contemporary, International
- Price range per person: $85 and up
Venue Description: During a lifetime, the vast majority of days – while each holding small treasures- are typical and routine. But then there are special moments, and none more joyous than a wedding showered with love and the joining of two families. Helping people celebrate is what the wedding professionals at The Vineyard Caterers live and breathe. It's why they created so distinctive an environment…a special setting to celebrate those occasions that occur rarely in one's life. Nestled amidst a bucolic vineyard on Long Island's idyllic North Fork, the great hall stands majestically with dramatic wrought iron entryways and Corinthian columns providing a spectacular vista as your guests arrive. Once inside the beauty and magnificence is immediately apparent with sweeping staircases in the regal foyer. The newly fashioned grand ballroom with imported marble dance floor, coffered ceilings and digital light-painted wall washes overlooks the adjoining all season tented veranda.


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Posted: 16 November 2011. Updated: 16 March 2013
Anne, Europes oldest elephant, removed from the circus after devastating ADI exposé.
In March 2011, a daring ADI investigation exposed the sickening abuse of Anne the elephant and other animals at Bobby Roberts Super Circus winter quarters in the UK. The horrific images that ADI caught on film of Anne, chained and being beaten sent shock waves around the world. Within two weeks Anne was removed from the circus. A month later the circus gave up Monty the camel.
Anne was born in the wild in Sri Lanka in 1954 and has been with the Roberts family since she was a baby. ADI has monitored Annes life for over twenty years until 2001 she had elephants Janie and Beverly for company; then they both died suddenly at the winter quarters, leaving Anne alone.
In 2002 we became concerned by her condition and secured a veterinary inspection of Anne and our vet discussed improvements in her care with the Roberts. However they were unwilling to negotiate her release. It seemed that Annie was destined to die alone, crippled with arthritis, living in chains. Until ADI placed a camera in the winter quarters where Anne and the other animals were stored between November and March each year.
Over a period of three and a half weeks in January and February 2011, our field officers recorded activity inside the barn. Incidents captured on film include Anne being hit with a metal pitchfork and kicked around the face and body 48 times; workers hitting and kicking miniature ponies and horses; and spitting in the face of Monty the camel. The disturbing footage also shows Anne constantly chained for the entire period; often by her front and arthritic back legs only able to take one step forward or backwards. Her chains were only changed to different legs twice.
In the past, Bobby Roberts had claimed, We take good care of her, she is a family pet, and responded to criticism from ADI and other animal protection groups: How can they know better than us what is best for her? Roberts himself was captured on camera kicking Anne on the trunk during the undercover investigation.
The footage and media pressure, which swept around the world and opened the eyes of millions to hidden circus suffering, finally compelled Mr & Mrs Roberts to hand Anne over for retirement.
Anne & Monty Saved!
ADI backed a proposal for Anne to be handed over on a temporary basis to Longleat Safari Park, with the goal of her going to the best place possible for her care, once her health was assessed. It was important to move Anne to a place of safety as quickly as possible.
Annes condition has improved enormously in just a few weeks. Her arthritis medication has improved her ability to walk and her activity around the enclosure is getting better and better. She plays in the water in the small pool and dustbathes in a heap of sand, which, together with regular brushing and bathing by keepers, has improved her skin enormously. Anne also now plays with a soccer ball, a tractor tire and pushes a log around. Whereas she was chained to one spot 24 hours a day in the winter quarters, we have been assured that Anne is now only chained for veterinary and skin care about 30 minutes a day. ADI has visited her at Longleat and have witnessed that Annes life has changed immeasurably since she was removed from the circus.
It was acknowledged from the outset that facilities at Longleat were rudimentary they have not held elephants for over a decade and the building is outdated. Anne has a basic paddock and night quarters shared with a rhino.
Since the relocation, Anne has become a huge attraction at Longleat, with long lines of visitors. The public has donated $565,000 to Longleat so far to Annes lifetime care and there has been talk in the media of Longleat becoming a sanctuary for elephants. This would be welcome, but at this time there is a long way to go. Longleat remains a commercial exhibitor of animals. Plans for a new elephant facility have not been published yet and it is unclear whether this will phase out the use of bull hooks to control elephants the leading sanctuaries (and several zoos) have moved to protected contact because this removes the habit of physical control and intimidation of the animals.
It is also agreed that Anne needs to be assessed and that her future may be best served elsewhere. That is not to say Longleat is not the best short term/emergency location and might, with new facilities and other rescued elephants, provide a good home.
At this time, the ideal location would be ARK2000 in California (home of the first Bolivian lions we rescued) which specializes in the care of rescued circus elephants and which immediately offered ADI a home for Anne for life when we exposed her suffering. Here, she would have the best possible climate for her arthritis, wonderful facilities and space, staff with experience of elephants with her problems, and importantly a chance to have the companionship of other ex-performing elephants. However, its a long journey involving road travel and a flight of 12 hours or more, so we would have to be sure that an elderly lady like Anne would be fit for the journey. However, on the positive side, she is a complete survivor and has traveled all of her life.
We will do our best to ensure Annes best welfare is secured for the long term, monitoring the options inside and outside Longleat. For now, the sun on her back, a few logs, a shallow pool, a sandpit, and freedom to move must be paradise for her.
A storm of protests has followed the circus on its UK tour, as well as ADIs circus billboard; Roberts claims his business is down by 99%.
In May, Roberts handed over Monty the camel to a UK wildlife park. This means that Bobby Roberts Super Circus is now wild animal free but the ponies remain.
Meanwhile, our legal team is currently working on potential criminal prosecutions under the UKs Animal Welfare Act 2006. ADI is urgently appealing for funds for the prosecution.


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- Research
- Open Access
Impact of changes in television viewing time and physical activity on longevity: a prospective cohort study
© Keadle et al. 2015
- Received: 11 July 2015
- Accepted: 4 December 2015
- Published: 18 December 2015
Television viewing is a highly prevalent sedentary behavior among older adults, yet the mortality risks associated with hours of daily viewing over many years and whether increasing or decreasing viewing time affects mortality is unclear. This study examined: 1) the long-term association between mortality and daily viewing time; 2) the influence of reducing and increasing in television viewing time on longevity and 3) combined effects of television viewing and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on longevity.
Participants included 165,087 adults in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health (aged 50–71 yrs) who completed questionnaires at two-time-points (Time 1: 1994–1996, and Time 2: 2004–2006) and were followed until death or December 31, 2011. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate Hazard Ratios and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) with self-reported television viewing and MVPA and all-cause mortality.
Over 6.6 years of follow-up, there were 20,104 deaths. Compared to adults who watched < 3 h/day of television at both time points, mortality risk was 28 % greater (CI:1.21,1.34) those who watched 5+ h/day at both time-points. Decreasing television viewing from 5 + h/day to 3–4 h/d was associated with a 15 % reduction in mortality risk (CI:0.80, 0.91) and decreasing to <3 h/day resulted in an 12 % lower risk (CI:0.79, 0.97). Conversely, adults who increased their viewing time to 3–4 h/day had an 17 % greater mortality risk (CI:1.10, 1.24) and those who increased to 5+ h/day had a 45 % greater risk (CI:1.32, 1.58), compared to those who consistently watched <3 h/day. The lowest mortality risk was observed in those who were consistently active and watched < 3 h/day of television.
We confirm that prolonged television viewing time was associated with greater mortality in older adults and demonstrate for the first time that individuals who reduced the amount of time they spent watching television had lower mortality. Our findings provide new evidence to support behavioral interventions that seek to reduce sedentary television viewing in favor of more physically active pursuits, preferably MVPA. Given the high prevalence of physical inactivity and prolonged television viewing in older adults, favorable changes in these two modifiable behaviors could have substantial public health impact.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00340015
- Sedentary behavior
- Television
- Mortality
- Prospective cohort
The number of older adults (≥65 yrs) in the United States (US) is projected to increase from 40 million to 72 million over the next two decades [1], and individuals who reach age 65 are expected to live an additional 19 years [2]. Engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is an established component of healthy aging and initiating MVPA later in life can improve health and longevity [3–5]. However, older adults spend the majority of their waking day in sedentary behavior (i.e., sitting) [6]. Sedentary television viewing the most prevalent leisure-time sedentary behavior [7, 8], and on a given day nearly 90 % of older US adults watch television, for an average of 4.7 h per day [9]. Several studies have reported that television viewing is associated with increased risk of mortality, including 8 of the leading causes of death in the United States [10–17]. The discretionary nature, high prevalence and previously identified mortality risks from prolonged television viewing suggest reducing this behavior may have substantial public health impact, but key aspects of the television/mortality relationship remain poorly understood.
To date, prospective mortality studies have only measured television viewing at single point in time, and the magnitude of the risk estimates derived from these studies may be underestimated due to regression dilution bias [18]. Additionally, the impact of reducing or increasing time spent watching television and risk of mortality is not currently known. Such knowledge would help to estimate the effects of an intervention designed to decrease television viewing. Given the scarcity of randomized trials targeting television viewing and MVPA with mortality end-points, prospective studies with exposures measured at multiple time-points form a natural experiment that yield essential insights into the impact of changes in behavior on mortality risk. Accordingly, the purpose of this investigation, conducted within a large prospective study is to: 1) estimate the mortality risk associated with many years of prolonged television viewing, and 2) Evaluate the influence of changes in television viewing time on mortality risk. We also describe associations for MVPA over time and explore the independent and combined effects of changes in both television viewing and MVPA on longevity.
Cohort information and informed consent
The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study is a prospective cohort that was established in 1995–96 when 566,398 AARP members (aged 50–71 years) who lived in one of six states (California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania) or two metropolitan areas (Atlanta, Georgia, and Detroit, Michigan) responded to a questionnaire about their medical history, diet, and demographics (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00340015) [19]. Within six months, those without colon, breast or prostate cancer were mailed a Risk Factor Questionnaire that asked about sedentary behaviors and physical activity (n = 334,908). In 2004–2006, all participants were mailed a Follow-up Questionnaire that asked detailed questions about active and sedentary behaviors, and other risk factors (n = 313,835). Completion of the questionnaires was considered to imply informed consent. The Special Studies Institutional Review Board of the US National Cancer Institute approved the study.
Analytic study design and End point ascertainment
Assessment of television viewing and MVPA
A detailed description of our estimates of television viewing and MVPA are provided in our supplementary materials (Additional file 1). Briefly, we harmonized the self-reported television and MVPA responses into the most meaningful categories allowed by both measures and that ensured adequate cell sizes for change analyses. The categories were <3, 3–4, and 5+ hours per day (h/day) for television viewing and <1, 1–4, and 4+ hours per week (h/wk) for MVPA participation.
Studies reporting the reliability of television viewing questionnaires indicate moderate to high reliability (ICC = 0.78–0.93) [22–24] and are similar in general adults, unemployed and retired individuals (ICC = 0.76–0.93) [25]. Gardiner and colleagues showed reported sedentary behaviors were as responsive to change as the ActiGraph 100 count cut-point method to estimate sedentary time [22]. Criterion validity of these particular television viewing questions has not been evaluated, but the questions are similar to questions that have acceptable validity compared to behavioral logs (r2 = 0.61) [26] and an electronic TV monitor (r2 = 0.51) [27]. The MVPA questions used at Time 2 are nearly identical to questions that have been validated against physical activity diaries, R = 0.62 and 0.65, in the Harvard Cohorts [28, 29].
Participant characteristics by television viewing and MVPA participation at Time 2*: the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study
Television viewing (h/day)
MVPA (h/wk)
Age (y)
70.1 (5.4)
71.0 (5.2)
71.3 (5.1)
70.7 (5.4)
70.8 (5.3)
70.6 (5.2)
BMI (kg/m2)
26.1 (4.2)
27.0 (4.5)
28.0 (5.2)
28.0 (5.3)
26.9 (4.6)
26.1 (4.0)
Education-some college (%)
Married (%)
Race (% white)
Very good/excellent health (%)
Retired (%)
Sleep <7 h/night (%)
MVPA 4+ h/wk (%)
Television 5+ h/day (%)
Ever diagnosed with (%):
Coronary heart disease
Chronic condition
Degenerative disease
High Cholesterol
Statistical analyses
Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to obtain adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Follow-up time was calculated from the Time 2 questionnaire until death or December 31, 2011 (Fig. 1). First we estimated the HR and 95 % CI for television viewing at each time point. To evaluate the long-term risks associated with television viewing we then estimated HRs for those who reported maintaining the same amount of television viewing at Time 1 and 2 (i.e., no change). To estimate associations for increasing or decreasing television viewing, we fit models stratified by television viewing at Time 1, using those who maintained the same television viewing time at both time-points as the reference group. Parallel analyses were completed for MVPA participation. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for our main analysis to evaluate potential reverse causality by excluding the first year of follow up and excluding individuals with cardiovascular disease, cancer, renal disease or neurodegenerative conditions (i.e., Parkinson's Disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Multiple Sclerosis). We also compared the HR's for change in television and MVPA in men and women separately, by BMI status (<25 kg/m2 vs. ≥ 25 kg/m2) and in younger and older individuals based on median age at Time 2.
We examined the joint effects of changes in both television and MVPA. To preserve power for this analysis we evaluated only two categories for television viewing (<3 and 3 + h/day) and MVPA participation (<1 and 1 + h/wk) and set the highest risk group (i.e., those reporting high levels of television (3+ h/day) and low levels of MVPA (<1 h/wk) at both time-points) as referent. Spearman correlations were assessed for our measures of television and MVPA over time.
We tested for violations of the proportional hazards assumption in our primary analyses by comparing, using the likelihood ratio test, models with and without the log (time) by exposure group interactions [30]. Given evidence of minor violations for some of the models tested, we pursued secondary analyses where we allowed the effect of each exposure category to change at follow-up time of three years. The risk estimates for those who died within the first 3 years of follow-up (N = 6587) were slightly stronger than deaths occurring after 3 yrs (13,517) (Additional file 1: Tables S1–S2). However, the direction the associations for all of the models were consistent over time and did not warrant further stratification of results by follow-up time. SAS 9.3 was used for all analysis and statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.
Over 6.6 years of follow-up, there were 20,104 deaths. Participant characteristics at Time 2 are presented in Table 1. Those who watched more television and engaged in less MVPA tended to be less educated, less likely to report excellent or very good health and more likely to be retired and have received diagnoses of hypertension or depression. Those who watched more television also had higher rates of coronary heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol. Additional file 1: Tables S3–S4 show the participant characteristics across the 9-change categories for television viewing and MVPA, respectively.
Associations (HR [95 % CI]) between television viewing and MVPA participation and mortality at Time 1 and Time 2, the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study
Time 1 (1996–1997)
Time 2 (2004–2006)
Television viewing
<3 h/day
3–4 h/day
5 + h/day
<3 h/day
3–4 h/day
5 + h/day
N (deaths)
56385 (6061)
63278 (9191)
25420 (4852)
64275 (6688)
51615 (7547)
29193 (5869)
Age and sex
1.0 (Referent)
1.21 (1.17, 1.25)
1.53 (1.47, 1.59)
1.0 (Referent)
1.28 (1.24, 1.32)
1.71 (1.65, 1.77)
Fully-adjusted model
1.0 (Referent)
1.04 (1.01, 1.08)
1.11 (1.06, 1.15)
1.0 (Referent)
1.11 (1.08, 1.15)
1.29 (1.25, 1.34)
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
<1 h/wk
1–4 h/wk
>4 h/wk
<1 h/wk
1–4 h/wk
>4 h/wk
N (deaths)
32182 (6061)
37208 (5058)
75693 (9543)
31622 (6436)
47430 (6748)
66031 (6920)
Age and sex
1.0 (Referent)
0.80 (0.77, 0.83)
0.70 (0.67, 0.72)
1.0 (Referent)
0.70 (0.68, 0.72)
0.51 (0.49, 0.53)
Fully-adjusted model
1.0 (Referent)
0.92 (0.89, 0.96)
0.89 (0.86, 0.92)
1.0 (Referent)
0.82 (0.79, 0.85)
0.69 (0.66, 0.71)
Changes in television viewing and MVPA participation
Reduction in MVPA was also associated with higher mortality and increased MVPA was associated with lower mortality (Fig. 3, Panel b). For example, mortality risk was lower among individuals who increased their reported MVPA from < 1 h/wk at Time 1 to 1–4 h/wk (0.82 [0.77, 0.87]) and those who increased MVPA from < 1 h/wk to 4+ h/day (0.67 [0.62, 0.72]), compared to those who reported <1 h/wk of MVPA over time.
Sensitivity Analyses for association between changes in television viewing and mortality: the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study
Time 1
<3 h/day
3–4 h/day
5+ h/day
Time 2
No. deaths
<3 h/d
3–4 h/d
5 + h/d
<3 h/d
3–4 h/d
5 + h/d
<3 h/d
3–4 h/d
5 + h/d
1.0 (referent)
1.17 (1.10,1.24)
1.45 (1.32,1.58)
0.91 (0.87,0.96)
1.0 (referent)
1.14 (1.09,1.20)
0.88 (0.79,0.97)
0.85 (0.80,0.91)
1.0 (referent)
1.0 (referent)
1.21 (1.13,1.30)
1.39 (1.25,1.56)
0.94 (0.89,1.00)
1.0 (referent)
1.11 (1.04,1.18)
0.92 (0.81,1.05)
0.86 (0.80,0.94)
1.0 (referent)
1.0 (referent)
1.09 (0.98,1.21)
1.54 (1.32,1.79)
0.84 (0.77,0.92)
1.0 (referent)
1.21 (1.11,1.32)
0.82 (0.69,0.97)
0.84 (0.76,0.92)
1.0 (referent)
Normal weight
1.0 (referent)
1.16 (1.06,1.27)
1.43 (1.25,1.64)
0.87 (0.81,0.94)
1.0 (referent)
1.17 (1.08,1.26)
0.86 (0.74,1.01)
0.86 (0.77,0.95)
1.0 (referent)
1.0 (referent)
1.18 (1.09,1.28)
1.46 (1.30,1.64)
0.94 (0.88,1.01)
1.0 (referent)
1.13 (1.06,1.20)
0.89 (0.78,1.02)
0.85 (0.78,0.92)
1.0 (referent)
1.0 (referent)
1.14 (1.03,1.26)
1.56 (1.36,1.80)
0.92 (0.84,1.01)
1.0 (referent)
1.16 (1.06,1.28)
0.79 (0.65,0.96)
0.75 (0.66,0.84)
1.0 (referent)
1.0 (referent)
1.19 (1.11,1.28)
1.36 (1.21,1.53)
0.91 (0.85,0.96)
1.0 (referent)
1.13 (1.07,1.20)
0.91 (0.81,1.03)
0.89 (0.83,0.96)
1.0 (referent)
>1 yr Follow-up
1.0 (referent)
1.17 (1.10,1.24)
1.44 (1.31,1.58)
0.91 (0.86,0.95)
1.0 (referent)
1.12 (1.06,1.18)
0.87 (0.78,0.97)
0.85 (0.80,0.91)
1.0 (referent)
Excluding chronic conditions
1.0 (referent)
1.11 (1.01,1.21)
1.41 (1.22,1.62)
0.94 (0.87,1.01)
1.0 (referent)
1.12 (1.03,1.21)
0.88 (0.75,1.02)
0.84 (0.76,0.93)
1.0 (referent)
Combined effects of maintenance and changes in both television viewing and MVPA between Time 1 and Time 2, the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study
Television viewing
Maintain high (≥3 h/day)
Increased (<3 to ≥3 h/day)
Reduced (≥3 to <3 h/day)
Maintain low (<3 h/day)
Maintain low (<1 h/wk)
No. Deaths Hazard ratio (CI)
1700 1.0 (referent)
251 1.03 (0.90, 1.17)
330 0.91 (0.81, 1.02)
334 0.80 (0.72, 0.90)
Reduced (≥1 to <1 h/wk)
No. Deaths Hazard ratio (CI)
2257 0.91 (0.85, 0.97)
428 1.11 (1.0, 1.24)
502 0.79 (0.71, 0.87)
634 0.83 (0.76, 0.91)
Increased (<1 to ≥1 h/wk)
No. Deaths Hazard ratio (CI)
1684 0.77 (0.72, 0.82)
283 0.69 (0.61, 0.78)
400 0.71 (0.63, 0.79)
521 0.66 (0.60, 0.73)
Maintain high ( ≥1 h/wk)
No. Deaths Hazard ratio (CI)
5590 0.72 (0.68, 0.76)
1223 0.75 (0.69, 0.81)
1580 0.62 (0.58, 0.67)
2387 0.60 (0.56, 0.64)
Combined effects of maintenance and changes in television viewing and MVPA participation
To estimate the risk associated with various combinations of maintenance and change in television viewing time and MVPA participation we compared each behavioral category to a high risk referent group (i.e., those reporting high levels of television (3+ h/day) and low levels of MVPA (<1 h/wk) at both time-points); Table 4). Relative to the high-risk referent group, individuals who were active and watched little television at both time-points had the lowest mortality risk (0.60 [0.56–0.64]). Compared to those who did low MVPA and watched high amounts of television, individuals who maintained low levels of MVPA but watched low levels of television at both time-points had a 20 % reduction in risk (0.80 [0.72, 0.90]), while those who maintained high levels of television but consistently engaged in MVPA had a 28 % lower mortality risk (0.72 [0.68, 0.76]). Those who made positive changes in both behaviors (i.e., increased MVPA and decreased television viewing over time) had a 29 % lower mortality risk (0.71 [0.63, 0.79]), compared to those who engaged in little MVPA and watched more television at both time-points.
In this large prospective study of older adults we confirm and extend previous research by quantifying the adverse impact on mortality for higher levels of television viewing over many years. We also report, for the first time, that older adults who increased their amount of viewing over time had higher mortality, and that individuals who chose to reduce the amount of time they spent watching television had significantly lower mortality. While previous studies have demonstrated that older adults who increase participation in MVPA have lower mortality [3, 4, 31], until now it was unknown whether reductions in television viewing might also confer mortality benefits. Our findings suggest that reducing time spent in the most prevalent leisure time sedentary behavior in the US (television viewing) can improve health and longevity. Mortality benefits for increasing MVPA were robust and the greatest benefit was observed for those who watched little television and engaged in MVPA at least 1 h/wk. Given the high prevalence of physical inactivity and prolonged television viewing among older adults in the US and other western countries, favorable changes in these two modifiable behaviors could have a substantial clinical and public health impact.
Prior studies of television viewing and mortality evaluated excess risk at a single point in time [10–16] and these studies may have underestimated the true strength of this association due to regression dilution bias, or the failure to account for changes in behavior over time [17]. However, the risk estimate we observed for prolonged television viewing over many years, which relied on two measures of television viewing about 10 years apart, were largely consistent with the strength of association reported in earlier studies. A 2011 meta-analysis estimated a 13 % increase in mortality risk per 2-h of television viewing [13], while a 2015 meta-analysis showed a 22 % increased mortality risk in the highest vs lowest category of sedentary time (including television), with 12/14 prospective studies reporting positive associations [32]. In the present study, individuals who consistently watched television for 5+ h/day over many years had a 28 % higher mortality risk than those who consistently watched <3 h/day. This result has significant implications because the majority of older adults in the US watch television on a given day, and the average viewing time is nearly 5 h/day, indicating that a large proportion of older adults may be at increased risk due to prolonged television viewing.
We also demonstrated that adults who increased their viewing over time had a 17–45 % higher risk, and that individuals who chose to reduce their viewing time had an 12–15 % lower mortality, compared to those who maintained the same viewing patterns over time. In the only mortality studies of which we are aware to examine changes in sedentary behavior, Leon-Munoz reported that reductions in reported sitting time from 5+ to < 5 h/day over two years was associated with a non-significant 14 % lower mortality risk (0.86 [0.70–1.05]), compared to consistently sitting <5 h/day [33] and Lee et al., reported that women who reduced sitting had a 29 % lower mortality risk compared to those who maintained high levels of sitting [34] . Collectively, these data supports the idea that reducing sedentary behavior may have important mortality benefits and suggests that intervention strategies to reduce prolonged television viewing time could be an important behavioral approach to improve the health and longevity of older adults.
There are plausible behavioral and biological mechanisms that explain our findings. Television viewing is adversely associated with weight gain [35, 36], diabetes [13], glucose homeostasis [37], and other cardiometabolic risk factors [38]. In addition to the aforementioned metabolic risk factors, reductions in television viewing may also increase overall physical activity. A randomized trial found that a 2.9 h/day reduction in television viewing resulted in an increase in objectively measured physical activity of about 120 kcal/day [39], which is roughly equivalent to walking one mile per day. Prolonged television viewing also has been associated with lower cardiorespiratory fitness [40] and two weeks of imposed inactivity has been found to reduce cardiorespiratory fitness even in healthy young adults [41]. Although such data are unavailable for older adults, we hypothesize that the mortality benefits associated with reduced television time may be mediated by increased physical activity [43] and possibly greater cardiorespiratory fitness, a powerful determinant of mortality [42]. Our hypothesis is that sedentary television viewing is replaced with physical activity, which provides the mortality benefits observed for those who reported reducing television viewing. Future studies are needed to understand more completely the mechanisms underlying these associations, and to define the type and intensity of physical activity that may be providing the hypothesized replacement benefit. To fully understand the mortality associations between the different components of activity (i.e., sedentary, light, moderate) better measurements, such as previous day recalls [44] or activity monitors that capture total daily activity are needed in prospective studies. Future intervention studies that include robust measures are needed to determine how to effectively reduce sedentary television viewing, increase physical activity and determine the subsequent impact on health-related outcomes.
Strengths of our report include a study design that defined the temporal sequence between changes in behavior and mortality in a large cohort enabling precise risk estimates. We also took a number of steps to address the potential for reverse causation. First, the change analysis alleviates some concerns, as this potential bias is expected to be minimal when an individual who watches a lot of television at baseline subsequently reduces their television viewing, or when an inactive individual increases MVPA. We conducted a number of sensitivity analyses by different follow-up times and excluding those reporting any chronic disease (e.g., heart disease, cancer, renal disease, and degenerative neurological conditions) and our results remained consistent (Table 3, Additional file 1: Table S5–S6). In addition, we adjusted for important potential confounders including age, demographics, smoking, BMI, and reported health status and considered many others (e.g., sleep duration and diabetes) that did not change our results. It is important to note that the change results were adjusted for change in BMI and health status, both of which could be on the causal pathway between exposure and outcome, but also could be confounders thus we elected to provide a conservative risk estimate. Due to concerns about depression causing increases in television viewing, we adjusted for depression as well and the effect estimates were virtually identical.
The limitations of our study must also be considered. Television viewing has been associated with an unhealthy diet and while we could not control for recent diet in this study, we previously reported that diet quality was not a confounder of the television mortality association [10, 17]. We relied on self-selected maintenance or changes in behavior over time, rather than an experimental manipulation per se, therefore unmeasured residual confounding associated with these changes could have influenced our results. We do not know the types of activity that replaced sedentary television viewing for those who reported reducing this behavior. The measures of television and MVPA were both self-reported and the specific questionnaire has not been validated compared to a criterion measure. Reporting errors could introduce some bias in our results, particularly for the risk estimates for changing to an adjacent duration category. However, reporting errors are expected to attenuate the associations observed. For MVPA the recall period for the Time 1 (past 10 years) questionnaire was different than for Time 2 (past year), but our results for MVPA were similar in magnitude and direction to previous studies that have examined changes in MVPA and mortality risk among older adults [3, 4, 31] providing some reassurance that our harmonization efforts for MVPA were reasonable. Although we included those with preexisting conditions to increase both our sample-size and generalizability, our results are most applicable to older adults who are likely to live into their early 70's with similar behavioral, demographic and health characteristics.
In summary, our data provide further evidence that prolonged television viewing is associated with greater mortality risk and we demonstrate that older adults who chose to reduce their television viewing time had lower mortality compared to those who consistently watched more television. Collectively, our data provide clinicians and public health professionals with new evidence to support behavioral interventions designed to reduce sedentary television viewing in favor of more physically active pursuits, preferably more MVPA. Future studies are needed to confirm our findings for changes in television and mortality and experimental trials are need to better understand the behavioral and biological mechanisms that mediate the associations observed in this report.
We are indebted to the participants in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study for their outstanding cooperation.
This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program at the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health.
Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Authors' Affiliations
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Our staff will verify insurance coverage for both the facility and anesthesia fees prior to surgery. If your insurance policy does not provide 100% coverage of the planned procedure, please be prepared to make a deposit on the day of surgery for the co-insurance and/or deductible portion of the facility fee, and for the anesthesiologist's fee if you are having anesthesia.
100% payment is also required for any services that are not covered by any insurance policy. All quotes for procedures are estimates, and prior to your surgery date you will receive either a phone call or letter advising you of requested deposits. You may also call us to receive a quote of the estimated charges for your surgery. Please understand that actual billed charges are based on the doctor's operative report and actual surgery times.


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I made a connection to my career…
I believe I'm in the right profession, but what if I'm selling to the wrong crowd?
Being an entrepreneur is an up and down journey. I've learned so much about perseverance, clarity and being a continual learner. I can't do this alone and I'm finding out it's more about who you're connected to, rather than how much you know.
Sure, I have doubts when times are dry, but I bounce back when I envision what it can be.
I'm convinced I'm in the right profession based on my passion and commitment level. I'm most fulfilled when sitting with a client, listening to their story and trying to help them reach their goals. I know what I do provides value, but I haven't found the consistency I'm looking for yet.
As I reflect and strategize, I know that "great catch" isn't far off…
What's your journey? Please share your comments.


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The cleans and the dirties (21/07/17 22:33:19)
Clays and sands and oxides and alkoxides - useful substances - but what do the children learn in school?
Stuff to teach grandchildren.
Please grow up fast.
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Everything is handmade by me (Elizabeth) so if there is anything that you want included in your jewellery piece I would be happy to do this for you.
I had a lady approach me at one of my markets who had to have her precious dog put down. She asked if it could be possible for me to make a disk with resin that included her dogs photo.. she wanted this to go on the top of her walking stick. I made this for her. So all sorts of things can be done.
Some of the things that I make are the inserts for my pendants, bracelets, bangles, polymer clay mokume gane pendants, earrings, and am just about to release a whole new line of resin hand made ring and insert bowls, and handmade petri dish coasters.... New things are added weekly so keep an eye out..
I am always keen for a new challenge so come and talk to me if you have something in mind that you want made.


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Michael Beer (Perth Scorchers)
Luke Feldman (Sydney Thunder)
Kevin Peitersen (Melbourne Stars)
Tom Triffit (Perth Scorchers)
Brad Hodge (Adelaide Strikers)
Matthew Wade (Melbourne Renegades)
James Muirhead (Perth Scorcehers)
Mohammed Hafeez (Pakistan)
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
The Internationals
Kevin Pietersen (England)
Luke Wright (England)
The XI
1. Cameron White *
2. Luke Wright
3. Kevin Peitersen
4. Glenn Maxwell
5. Dave Hussey
6. James Faulkner
7. Tom Triffit +
8. John Hastings
9. Scott Boland
10. Michael Beer
11. Jackson Bird
The Squad
Luke Feldman – injured in last Shield match. Not sure when he will be available.
Marcus Stoinis – I'm hearing he has broken a finger no word on a replacement player as yet
Peter Handscomb – injured a finger and will be out for 3 weeks replaced by Tom Triffit from the Supplementary list.
Alex Keath
Clint McKay
Rob Quiney
Clive Rose
Daniel Worrall
The Analysis
Glenn Maxwell and probably Cameron White will be called up for ODI duty at the back end of the season, but it really shouldn't cause too much concern for the Stars given the depth and quality of their squad.
The Stars went all out in October announcing the signing Alex Keath, Marcus Stoinis and James Muirhead to multi year deals. In November they then traded 22 year old Muirhead to Perth Scorchers in return for 31 year old Michael Beer. It's been a topsy turvey year for Muirhead – selected to play for T20 Australia in January, World T20 in March, sign an extension at your club in October then be traded out in November. Bizzare.
The Stars have moved smartly on their internationals, and selected two English players, Luke Wright and Kevin Peitersen who are out of favour with the national set up and therefore will be available for the entire tournament. Luke Wright is a proven BBL performer add to that the Big Cheese, sorry, Big Dog, KP and it equals ego time at the MCG. Kevin is a winner so he will want to win the BBL, the World Cup will pale in comparison for Kevin, because Kevin is all about Kevin. Good luck! The loss of Brad Hodge probably won't even be felt with a middle order of KP, Glen Maxwell and Dave Hussey.
The squad is full of Australian representatives. Look for James Faulkner to be given extra responsibilities as the number one allrounder, and the back ups outside the XI are pretty handy too – Rob Quiney and Clint McKay for example.
Clive Rose is a handy back up spin option to Michael Beer. Jackson Bird is on the return form injury and Queensland Luke Feldman joins the sqaud – on his 4th BBL team in just 4 seasons: Hurricanes, Sixers, Thunder and now Stars – joins the squad.
I expect Dave Hussey to play the sinker role as perfected by Simon Katich – ie sinking down the order so that he doesn't bat and giving more oportunities to young bucks like Faulkner and Marcus Stoinis when he recovers from his broken finger
The wicket keeping position is the only one presenting any issues with Matthew Wade departing and Peter Handscomb a ready made replacement until he broke his finger. Former WA and Tasmanian keeper Tom Triffit has been drafted in as a replacement until Handscombe regains fitness.
The Prediction
With the amount of Australian representatives at their disposals the Stars have been big underachievers in the BBL despite regualrly being pre tournament favourites. This year with regular internationals I'm predicting they will improve but not enough to win the Big Bash.


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Justin is a familiar face in the SEO world and on social media. He is a certified Google partner. His personal goal is perfecting the science of manipulating and removing bad Google search results in favor of his clients. He specializes in identity restoration services and other forms of search engine optimization tactics involved in fixing the search results page on the world's biggest search engine.
Learn more about Justin's business, Traffic Source SEO, by visiting www.trafficsourceSEO.com.
1. How did you first become interested in SEO?
I started getting into search engine optimization because I just believe in the power of it. It's marketing that happens in live time, as the person is using a search engine and transcribing their thoughts into keyword phrases. It's at this moment, possibly right before the buying moment, that I want to be in front of the prospect with my product or service. Hence, search engine optimization.
2. What are some of the advantages for a small business when it comes to hiring one company to handle both web design and internet marketing, rather than working with separate firms for each?
I believe that most people in the internet marketing or web design industry generally prefer sticking to one specialty. It's pretty rare that someone is good at both. I personally specialize in SEO, and I have a designer to do all of the design aspects of my websites and ads, and a developer to bring it all to life. That's why I say we are so good at both. But my attention is on marketing. I let the website guys deal everything else.
3. I sometimes see people working hard on creating new content for their websites and not seeing results. What do you see as the secret sauce in terms of content being effective in gaining return visitors to a site?
I think you have to create content that adds value to the user. If they are not coming back, it is probably your fault for not getting their attention again. Did you retain their contact information when they visited your site? Are they part of your e-mail list? When you noticed a surge in traffic what was the source? Did you follow up with more high quality content down that avenue? Question everything, and monitor the results. Duplicate what works, and throw punches in bunches.
4. What added benefits to you bring to your business in being a certified Google partner?
It just verifies that I'm authorized by Google to have a high level of competence in various forms of marketing and how it is seen by Google and other professionals innovating the web. I think it just shows a validated credential. People like to know who they are doing business with. That's why I'm in business.
5. What else would you like readers to know about you and your work?
You can check out my website or call any time with questions on what we do and how it can help your business or organization. Also, check out our blog for updates and interesting topics in the search engine optimization industry.
Thanks, Justin!


text: Historic building in Oxford. Villa with service wing. Central square core built c.1830 for Charles Shillingford; remodelled 1862 for Owen Grimbly (of Grimbly Hughes grocery store in Cornmarket) with added verandah and extensions set back to either side, that to south providing new entrance front; billiard room added and service wing substantially rebuilt 1890s. Whitewashed stucco, with ashlar to ground floor of entrance front and cast iron verandah/conservatories to garden; concealed slate roof. Central corridor plan. Classical style.


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- Style Notes
The Longline Ballerina Cami will help build any outfit by adding extra flare under layers or to finish off a relaxed fit. Features include a scoop neck, wide supportive straps that sit just off the shoulder and invisible stitching. The soft, stretch fit fabric is super comfortable to wear, making this cami a wardrobe must have!
- Size & Fit
Model wears a size XS & is 175 cm in height. Centre back measurement- 68cm, 26.8".
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I am all for when taxis have a little jar of essence to make them smell a bit fresher but my god, when the smell makes you sneeze the whole ride and your eyes start tearing up, then it has gone a little bit overboard.
Just experienced one of those and couldn't wait to get out of it – lucky for me I had only a short way to go otherwise I think I might have suffered a severe allergy attack.
Talking about attacks, one of my friends had a very close encounter with a champagne glass yesterday…it got so bad she today had to have surgery. Haven't spoken to her after the operation but fingers crossed all went well.
Have a speedy recovery sweetie, and let me know if there is anything you need help with!


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It's been an entire week since your last confession and there's been a lot of good, solid sinning going on across the country. Check out the top 8 and don't forget to submit your misdeeds to our submission page!
At the end of the spring semester, we did the class of 2011 jersey orders on GoogleDocs where everyone who wanted one put their name and their size onto the document. I kept changing the fat girl's size to XL because she put her size as M. Well, I ordered a M as well, and when I got it, I realized I did her a service because there was no way in hell she could fit into a medium jersey. You're welcome.
Jay L. from Duke
I deleted all the songs on my roomate's iPod and replaced them all with Rebecca Black's Friday. Just cuz.
My two roommates decided to be jerks one day while I was in the shower. When I stepped out of the bathroom I was barely able to notice the vaseline on the tile floor in time. I stepped over it and steadied myself on the counter and noticed that they had put vaseline on that too so if I slipped and fell I wouldn't be able to catch myself. I heard them giggling in their room so I went back into the bathroom and decided that I needed to rescrub my buttcrack and a washcloth just wouldn't do. So I used their toothbrushes. After removing any trace hairs from the bristles I put them back. That was 9 years ago. The funny part is that these two guys are gonna be groomsmen in my wedding in two months.
Andy C. from DASOTA
I stole over $1000 from my roommates drug dealer boyfriend, and our third roommate was blamed. They never even suspected me. Didn't feel bad about it because the guy who got blamed dated my ex-girlfriend, had her move into our house, dropped out of school and spent all day cooking and having sex, all while not paying rent. Justice.
My roommate had a little trouble with stealing and grand larceny from work and his probation stated that he couldn't drink or do drugs. After he lost his next job, he would have a party every night, and even got a warning from the police for the noise. Around finals time, he refused to go out to a bar or another party, turn down the music, and not invite everyone in the world over. I was too tired to argue with him, so I called a noise complaint. He got fined and the citation noted that he was intoxicated. Two days later, his probation officer and a cop came over and he got arrested for breaking the terms of his probation. He also failed the drug test and got 3 Months. Then my landlord felt bad for me, and didn't make me cover his half of the rent. 2 Bedroom apartment was mine for the summer.
Anonymous from UAlbany
At first, I tried to get along with my roommate. I would ignore the fact that she talked on the phone with her boyfriend on the phone for 2-4 hours every night, she was crazy OCD and her mood swings could give people whiplash. During finals week, I was always out studying or working but I kept getting calls from her to come back and clean the room. The only things I had "out of place" were the clean clothes on my bed. I had enough of her nagging so I replaced her expensive face creams and washes with dollar store soap and lotion, put heavy cream in her soymilk (lactose intolerant) and made "moth holes" in all her silk, cashmere and wool clothes. She ended up moving out five days early. I ended up putting the beds together to make an awesome trampoline bed :] Basically, don't mess.
Sneakyyy D.
My roommate is my best friend. But a HUGE hypocrite. He loves to tell girls how healthy he eats, and that he doesn't eat pork, or beef. Doesn't use butter. Takes all these vitamins, and works out regularly. And basically just how healthy he is. Also he Never buys food except for khashi pizza. And he will buy one and eat the whole thing. If he happens to bring leftovers home, he asks me not to eat them. I grocery shop all the time because i cook all the time. And he eats EVERYTHING I BUY. He will go down in the middle of the night and binge and eat all my leftovers. Doesn't matter what kind of meat is in it, or how much butter i used, he eats it ALL. And he eats everything else i put in the pantry or fridge. Chips, Cookies. Shit, even a can of spaghetti o's i had in there for when i watch my niece, as she will sometimes want them. And i got fed up with it. So i purchased a mini fridge which i keep in my bedroom. When i cook i take half the leftovers and put them in My mini fridge. And for the past month all the leftovers in the kitchen i have been adding weight gainer powder to. And not a small amount. I purchased the flavorless powder and i mix it into everything. I will even buy things at the grocery store now that i dont want to eat, but i know he will scarf when no one is around. So i add weight gainer to that and leave it in the fridge. So far he has gained 15-20lbs. And it is all in his gut. And he wont admit to eating all the food i buy all the time. He says one of our friends was over and must have ate it. Not so much buddy. Keep eating everything and not chipping in on the grocery's, and i will keep assisting you gain weight. Its now summer and he NEVER takes off his shirt when we go to the lake or beach because he is embarrassed of his gut. The girl whom he started hooking up with says he has sex with a t-shirt on. Revenge is SWEET.
Scott C.
One day I walked into my apartment and found my roommate wearing my pants that I hung up in the bathroom. He wore it for 2 days straight. I didn't say anything. Why? 'Cause the day before I got more messed up than I've ever been in my entire life and on my way home I couldn't hold in my poop (ate 4 crunchwrap supreme from Taco Bell). And yes, I did number 2 in my pants. That's why it was in the bathroom and I was planning to get rid of it before you decided to wear it. So no, it wasn't just you that was smelling shit and no you didn't step in dog poop. You wore my pants that was covered in shit.
R F from SUNY Cortland


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Help get "The Fair Employment Act" to pass
Help Make History in Texas!
Dear friends,
make no mistake about it, history has already been made in Texas this session. An unprecedented number of bills have been filed in the Texas Legislature that are pro-LGBT. Additionally, for the first time in Texas history, "The Fair Employment Act" has actually had a committee hearing.
We have an opportunity here to make history again but it will take all of us working together to make that happen. We need "The Fair Employment Act" to get out of committee, onto the floor, and ultimately to pass this session and become law.
What is "The Fair Employment Act"? I'm glad you asked. Currently Texas is one of several states in which you are legally allowed to be fired, denied employment, or otherwise discriminated against in the workplace without haveing any legal leverage. "The Fair Employment Act" (Senate Bill 237, SB237) would provide legal leverage to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons who suffer from discrimination in the workplace.
Imagine one day, you log into facebook and you 'like' a pro-equality post by a friend and your boss infers from that post that you are a member of the LGBT community. The next day, you are fired and your boss tells you that it's because they think that you are gay. Currently, the only thing you can do is to clean out your desk and start looking for a new job. This bill aims to change that.
The Fair Employment Act would not allow anyone to sue their employer for employment discrimination. It would allow employees who experience employment discrimination to lodge a complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission, which would then investigate.
Employment Discrimination Statistics:
- An estimated 431,000 members of the Texas workforce identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
- 26% of transgender Texans report being fired solely based on their gender identity.
- 12% of lesbian and gay Texans report being fired because of their sexual orientation.
- 37% of gay and lesbian Texans report being harassed at work due to their sexual orientation .
The Action:
Right now, the bill is stuck in Senate Committee on Economic Development. At least 2 of the 7 members of the committee are ready to vote "yes". We only need to convince 2 more Senators on that committee to vote for the bill. We urge you to call the 5 members who are not yet "yes" votes and urge them to support it.
Here is a suggested script which you can modify to fit your message.
As a Texan, I believe that nobody should be fired from their job or denied employment for anything other than how well they perform their job duties. I agree with the 76% of Texans who support passage of SB237 and I am asking that you do everything in your power to make it law THIS SESSION.
If you are a business owner, a veteran, or a constituent you should also ensure that you let them know that but this call is not limited to those who fit in those categories.
Who to call:
Currently, these are the 5 senators that we need to call:
Sen. Bob Deuell – Chair
(R-N.Richland Hills)
(R-Horseshoe Bay)
GetOUT! GetACTIVE! GetEQUAL!


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Nielsen Audio Continues Fall '17 Ratings Delivery
January 12, 2018 at 1:01 PM (PT)
NIELSEN AUDIO delivered more ratings to diary-measured markets today (1/12), with these cities seeing results: AKRON; OMAHA; BAKERSFIELD; HARRISBURG; CHARLESTON, SC; YORK; MERCED, CA; SUNBURY-SELINSGROVE-LEWISBURG, PA; VISAILA-TULARE-HANFORD, CA; and WILLIAMSPORT, PA. Find the ratings for the subscribing stations in the in the ALLACCESS.COM NIELSEN AUDIO section after 2p (PT).
No markets are scheduled for MONDAY, JANUARY 15th in observance of MLK DAY! Coming TUESDAY, JANUARY 16th: SPRINGFIELD, MA; MONTEREY-SALINAS; LITTLE ROCK; GREENVILLE-NEW BERN-JACKSONVILLE; COLUMBIA, SC; DES MOINES; SPOKANE; CANTON, OH; HAGERSTOWN-CHAMBERSBURG, MD-PA; LANCASTER, PA; LINCOLN, NE; MYRTLE BEACH, SC; NEW LONDON, CT; and WILMINGTON, DE.


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Homemade Raspberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Try this healthier alternative dessert for Homemade Raspberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream!
- 4 cups of fresh raspberries
- two 15 ounce cans of unsweetened coconut milk
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Add all ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Next place ingredients into your ice cream maker or simply pour into a metal pan and freeze. Once frozen, use a fork to break up the ice cream. Serve cold.


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121' Luxury Superyacht Skippered Charter
The stylish Tango superyacht will delight all on board for a luxury private cruise on Sydney Harbour.
Tango boat is a superb super yacht with all the latest design and technology. She will create a magnificent setting for an exclusive charter or a party up to 49 guests.
Click any image to enlarge
Select Your Occasion
View Prices and Details of this boat for:
Party Boat Charter (this page)
49 Max Passengers
49 Cocktail Style
10 Overnight Charter
Includes skipper and crew
January - December
Public holiday surcharges apply
Pick up and drop off wharf fees apply
All prices in $AUS. and include GST
Prices are subject to change without notice
50% deposit required to confirm booking
No stiletto heels to be worn on board
• Length: 37 metres, 121 foot
• Multiple full screen TV displays and DVD player
• Full walk around enclosed decks
• BBQ on board
• Extensive separate sun lounge areas with seating
• Swim platform with full size ladder and hot cold shower
• Complete adjustable air conditioning, inclusive in all cabins
• Full size sauna and spa
Corporate Charters, Intimate Weddings, Luxury Private Charters
Please contact a Sydney Harbour Escapes team member on 02 93284748 to organise a tailored catering menu for your special event.
Please call the friendly Sydney Harbour Escapes team with your enquiries
Open 7 days 02 9328 4748
After Hours Emergency: 0438 177 283
Office Hours
We are open 5 days a week
Mon - Fri 9am - 7pm
Charter Hours: 7am - Midnight


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Cat Spotted On Car Roof Travelling At 100kmh On Busy Freeway
Incredible footage of a frightened cat stuck on the roof of a van travelling at around 100kmh on a busy US freeway has gone viral.
Ronda Rankin was in her car with her family when they noticed the grey and white kitty on the roof of another vehicle.
Rankin told KETV that her daughter first spotted the terrified animal, and she initially thought it was a raccoon.
'My daughter says, "There's a cat on that van," and I was like, "Oh, no, that's a raccoon."
'My husband's pulling up closer, and I'm like, "Oh, my God, no, that's a cat,"
'It looked really scared, like, "What the heck is going on?"'
They eventually alerted the van driver who was shocked to hear about the stowaway.
Rankin continued: 'I said, "There's a cat on your roof," and I keep saying, "A cat on your roof."
'Then, she looks at me, and she's like, "Oh, my God."
'She looks startled, and so, immediately, they slow down.'
The van soon pulled over, but the Rankins losing sight of it.
They are unsure what happened next, but hope the cat survived its terrifying ride.
The Nebraska Humane Society is also trying to find out what happened to the frightened feline.
Spokesman Mark Langan said: 'We have never seen a video like that before.'
'How that cat held on at high speeds like that is amazing. I want to know what happened to the cat.'
'People in Omaha want to know what happened to the cat. Let's find out what happened to this poor cat.'
This Cat Was Returned To His Owner NINE Years After He Went Missing


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Amid Kashmir crisis, Mehbooba Mufti to meet PM Modi today
| Updated On: 27 Aug 2016 5:21 AM GMT | Location :
The leaders will discuss the crisis of the state that has been paralyzed by protest, curfew and shutdown for the past 49 days following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani
Even as the situation in Kashmir gets grimmer, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to discuss the crisis of the state that has been paralyzed by protest, curfew and shutdown for the past 49 days following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
Earlier this week, J&K Opposition leader led by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had met PM Modi, during which Modi had expressed his "deep concern and pain" over the situation in the Valley and asked all political parties to work together to find a "permanent and lasting" solution to problems in the state. He emphasised that there has to be a dialogue.
Prime Minister, in his statement, had appreciated the "constructive suggestions" made by the opposition delegation during the talks and reiterated his government's commitment to the welfare of people.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also visited the violence-torn state recently following the PM's meeting with opposition leaders.
During a press conference along with Rajnath Singh on Thursday, Mufti had strongly defended security forces' action.
"People came on streets, we imposed curfew. Did the children go to Army camps to buy toffees (candy)? Was the 15-year-old boy, who attacked the police station at Damhal Hanjipora (in south Kashmir), going there to get milk," she had asked.
She had said: "Today 95 per cent who have been killed are youngsters belonging to poor families. They were killed in retaliation for attacking security camps... The situations of 2010 and present cannot be compared."
She claimed that 95 per cent of people want to resolve the Kashmir issue through political means and dialogue but five per cent people were resorting to agitation.


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The software uses advanced text-recognition algorithms to detect the headings, bullets, indentation levels, emphasized text, tables and ASCII art in the original text. The result is a HTML page that reflects the structure of the original. AscToHTM detects many types of headings which are then used to generate a hyperlinked contents list for your file. The detected headings may then be used to split large files into a set of smaller pages, or a linked set frames.
All URLs and e-mail addresses are converted into active hyperlinks, as are user-specified keywords via a Link Dictionary feature. Full HTML table generation is attempted on plain text tables. Comma-delimited tables are also supported. A table definition feature allows you to identify different types of tables, their structure and the formatting to be applied. For example, tables with numerical data can be displayed as series of bar graphs. You can define the title, colors, standard HTML headers and footers, style sheets and meta-tags to be added. You can customize your HTML by defining a number of standard fragments.


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The traffic supervisor: an increasingly popular solution beyond Eurovia
In 2002, an employee at the Eurovia Midi-Pyrénées Toulouse division was crushed by a truck backing up. Following this accident, safety and prevention became priorities at the Company's worksites. A simple and effective solution was implemented in 2003: a traffic supervisor wearing a red safety jacket whose responsibility is to direct truck traffic at the worksite. This award-winning initiative (2003 VINCI Innovation Awards, Management category) was renamed "l'homme trafic à la manœuvre" (traffic supervisor for worksite manoeuvres) was quickly disseminated regional level, then nationally in 2004 (with a manoeuvres guide featuring traffic signals) and finally at the international level. Traffic supervisor training starts as soon as a new employee is hired. In addition, vehicle-hire suppliers are provided with a checklist to ensure that worksite safety remains top of mind. The practice has won adherents outside the Company: Organisme professionnel de prévention du bâtiment et des travaux publics (OPPBTP) has published a manoeuvres guide and Institut national de recherche et de sécurité (INRS) has adopted the principle. However, the best indicator of this innovation's success remains the drop in accidents involving trucks backing up.
This technique received a Dissemination Prize in the Vendor Dissemination category.


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May 2nd is the last day to apply for the 2016-17 Gateway to Careers Internship class. Class seats are filling quickly. To apply, contact your guidance counselor or download the application at this link: /uploads/4/9/8/7/49872037/application__1_.pdf
Juniors - Time Is Running Out To Apply For 2016-17 Gateway to Careers Internship Class
Leave a Reply.


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There was a surprise winner and home success as Garthorpe's 2017 point-to-point season opened with the Cottesmore meet on Sunday.
Classy mare Popaway, ridden by Immy Robinson, upset the form books by winning the Ladies' Open race, ending a run of eight straight wins for favourite Palypso De Creek who struggled to compete.
The 12-year-old winner, trained by Pauline Harkin, almost pulled out of the race earlier in the day because the ground wasn't quick enough.
"She needed a race," the trainer said. "And she is just getting better with age. I think this is the best she has ever been."
Waltham-trained favourite Robin De Boss took the early spoils by winning the Members' race under Dale Peters.
The seven-year-old chalked up another win for trainer Tommy Morgan and is owned by a Rutland syndicate headed by Oakham solicitor Paul Browne.
The Men's Open race was contested over the shorter 2m4f distance and was won in some style by Silver Roque (H. Morshead).
The well-backed favourite wasn't challenged, beating Old Pride by about 12 lengths, making the long drive from the Cotswolds worthwhile for the Vestey team.
The bookmakers' woes continued in the second race of the day when another favourite, Golden Tobouggan (Claire Hardwick), made it three wins from three this season.
After a good challenge from En Passe (T. David) the six-year-old gelding pulled clear and showed he had plenty left to give.
The last three races of the day attracted the biggest fields.
The first of these, the Conditions race for nine-year-olds and upwards, was won by Hi Vic after the race had boiled down to a head-to-head with runner-up Helpston (G. Andrews).
Winning owner Nicholas Wright is the Cottesmore chairman and the horse was ridden by his son Archie.
The Restricted Race served up a three-way battle between favourite Teeton Power (D. Peters), Lord Golan (T. Strawson) and Tailspin (T. David).
Teeton Power had made the running, but Tailspin proved he still had reserves as the race developed. Lord Golan impressed in finishing second after a season off.
The meet culminated in the Maiden race which provided one of the best performances of the day by Emtidaad (D. Mansell).
The impressive four-year-old seemed to relish the dead ground to win well from Rainbow Bucks (J. Martin) and Le Fou Royal (A. Wright).
* The next meeting at Garthorpe is the Belvoir on Saturday, March 25.


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Gin and Tonic
Quinine-based tonics helped the Brits build an empire by warding off malaria in the sweltering topics. Sipped over ice, the classic gin cocktail has a spiky edge to it.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 cocktail
Gin and Tonic
- 1/2 tray ice
- 2 ounces dry gin
- 3 ounces tonic water, or to taste, preferably Schweppes
- 2 wedges fresh lime
- Fill an old-fashioned glass halfway with ice. Add gin. Top with tonic water. Rim the glass with a lime wedge and squeeze a few drops of lime into the glass. Stir lightly. Add a fresh piece of lime as garnish.


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Johnson Wins By A Hair
It was Clint Bowyers race, right up until Jimmie Johnson, with a little help from teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., nipped him at the line to win the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Super Speedway. It was an exciting ending with 6 cars three wide at the line. Johnson finished only 0.002 seconds in front of Bowyer, making it the closest margin of victory in a Sprint Cup Race since NASCAR began using electronic timing and scoring. After Bowyer, Jeff Gordon was third, followed by Earnhardt and Kevin Harvick. It was Johnson's 54 career win.


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Granite Lakes Estates
Rocklin, California
Foothill Associates provided regulatory permitting and biological services for the 80-acre Granite Lakes Estates residential development in Rocklin, California. The development consists of single family homes, open space, and a bicycle/ pedestrian trail along Secret Ravine.
Foothill Associates prepared U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nationwide Permit as required by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA); Water Quality Certification pursuant to CWA Section 401; and Streambed Alteration Agreement pursuant to the California Department of Fish and Game Code Section 1600. Foothill Associates prepared an Open Space Preserve Operation and Management (O&M) Plan for the 13-acre open space preserve as a condition of the Corps permit. The O&M plan is a long-term management plan for the preserved or mitigation wetlands and restoration areas, and the recordation of a Conservation Easement over these areas to protect them from further development.
An inactive granite quarry on the site will be used as a detention basin to help with storm water runoff to Secret Ravine. Foothill prepared the detention basin management plan in response to mitigation requirements of the project's Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and described maintenance issues as they relate to the National Discharge Pollution Elimination System permit, human and wildlife health concerns, and water quality.


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CSSC promotes health and well being and aims to help individuals achieve their sports and leisure goals. Have fun, get active, try out new hobbies and experience the great diversity of CSSC. Thousands of events, activities and benefits are organized for our members each year!
With over 60 different sports covering all ages and abilities, there's something for everyone.
Add a bit of zing to your life, experience theatre trips, spa days, murder mystery nights and much more in your area.
Get some friends together and have a go at something you've never tried before, from bread making to white water rafting.
Get unlimited access to over 300 sites, simply show your valid CSSC membership card on arrival. Valid for CSSC member, one other adult and up to six children.
Gain free unlimited entry for CSSC member, one other adult and up to three children. Simply show your valid CSSC membership card and photo ID on arrival.
Download your voucher and present together with your valid CSSC membership card and photo ID on arrival to discover these amazing royal palaces.
Download your free digital tastecard and enjoy 50% off the total food bill or 2-for-1 meals across the entire menu at over 6,500 UK restaurants.
Treat yourself and your family to a movie. Get your discounted cinema tickets and eCodes for all major chains from our online shop.
Get your fill of thrills and excitement with savings of up to 50% off the full on the day price at selected Merlin theme parks and attractions.
Save money on everything from your monthly shopping, car insurance to holidays at over
2 000 discount, cashback and voucher partners.
Get discounted rates at over 2,900 gyms, 25% off membership at CSSC's Roko gyms, or a flexible discounted multi-provider gym membership with MoveGB.
Download CSSC's free health and fitness app (iOS and Android) which incentivises and challenges CSSC members to be more active.
Take advantage of the financial help available to support you in achieving your sporting ambitions.
Our online video guide will show you where and how to access the above member benefits.


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As part of Veterans Day, the following was published as an opinion piece in the Nov. 6, 2007, Tomahawk Leader.
By Chris Bell
Thank you, sirs, for services rendered so valiantly during the Korean War, meritorious services for which you were awarded The Congressional Medal of Honor. Your price was very reasonable: a few dollars a month plus rations in exchange for saving the world, a contract signed in blood and sacrifice, served out on land, in the air and on the sea … all so we could enjoy freedom and democracy for generations to come. An extra two dollars a month from the paymaster for being a medal of honor winner was a bargain indeed, your modestly understated bonus for actions above and beyond the call of duty.
Your receipt stated that you were only doing your job; however, we of the succeeding generations of Americans nonetheless continue to feel an incalculable national debt for your services, as we are only now coming to grasp and appreciate the breadth and scope of your valor as the events of the Korean War fade further and further into distant history. We are fortunate to have so many of your national treasures with us still, men rained during the hard times of The Great Depression and World War II.
Thank you for selflessly thwarting those enemies who sought to take the lives of our best, and thank you for bravely saving the lives of our American soldiers, and securing the futures of their children, and their children's children .. all the families that would not exist if not for you. How do you calculate the bill for saving a best friend, a loving husband, a doting father, a favorite nephew or uncle, a dutiful son, a future grandfather? Thenceforth, your deeds have accrued interest, compounded each day a descendant is born.
Our President awarded you the highest honor this country can bestow upon a soldier of the United States Armed Services: The Congressional Medal of Honor. Thank you for services rendered for a medal you did not seek; a medal you would gladly trade for the lives of those comrades who were lost.
For the American people, the ledger continues to remain open, operating in the red for over a half a century, now in its national debt to you. Oh, you received your combat pay and your tickertape parades, possibly an audience with the President, and other flattering forms of recognition. But we cannot say "thank you" enough for exclaim, "We'll never forget" enough to erase our outstanding debt. The bill of sale will never be settled; the invoice for services rendered shall remain unpaid. If you will allow us to borrow against eternity, then, maybe we can someday pay you back – if the price of freedom, sacrifices and lives saved can even be measured. For now, our debt to you will leave us forever in arrears, with is okay, because the rest – your final reward – will surely be left to heaven.
(Editor's note: The above was submitted by Mardelle Ingman, Irma, whose husband, Einar, is the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his services during the Korean War.)
A national debt forever unpaid
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Wales' defeat to Costa Rica in the Gary Speed Memorial game Wednesday was a wonderful and emotionally charged occasion – the score excepted – in which Welsh football paid its last respects to a man who over the past twelve months had transformed the fortunes of the Wales national side. The maturity of Speed's sons, 14-year-old Ed and his brother, 13-year-old Tommy, was moving to witness and personified the class and dignity of their father, who tragically took his own life last November.
In his post-game press conference, new manager Chris Coleman, who attended this game as an observer to the Welsh squad following his appointment last month, spoke equally touchingly of Ed's addresses to the Wales players and to an assembled audience of more than 400 of Speed's former footballing friends, colleagues and mentors.
The whole event served as a fine and fitting occasion on which Welsh football can begin to draw a line under the Speed tragedy and move forward in its ambitions to continue its climb under the rankings and get back to pushing for qualification to major tournaments.
The problem is, Coleman may well find that progress difficult to sustain.


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PeopleYes folks the thing that will actually make or break your systems in the majority of cases will be the people. This means the talent of the people defining and delivering and the cultural changes in the wider organisation to accept and take advantage of the services effectively.
All too often in IT's obsession with technology we argue about the pointless and ignore the critical. If your SOA strategy and direction isn't centred around the people and practice changes, then it won't deliver the benefits you expect.
Technorati Tags: SOA, Service Architecture


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Arthur Becker is a real estate developer in New York, and he recently allowed some insight into his life via the desk in his office. The office space itself doubles as an art studio where he has his own sculptures and paintings. He is planning his own art exhibit at one of his renovated townhouses, and he has sold a number of art pieces to people on Wall Street.
Many of the contents of Arthur Becker's desk contain insights into his past or have a link to his business history. The cookies, for instance, are reminiscent of an investment he made in a macadamia nut field, the nuts of which he sold to Mrs. Fields' cookies for 6 million dollars. There are also collectibles- he began collecting binoculars when he was working on developing a specialized binocular, a business attempt that Arthur Becker dubs a failure. He also collects ancient currencies from Africa, which he then replicates in his art. He has origami made out of gold bars and dollar bills, as well as brick samples he kept when he began restoring old homes in Vermont.
Born in 1950, Arthur Becker received his Bachelors' of Arts at Bennington College before going to Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth where he graduated with his Masters'. Check out LinkedIn to know more.
Arthur Becker's work experience began with restoring old homes in Vermont, however, he then turned to business and was a Managing Partner at NaviSite, a tech company, for 5 years. After this he became the Chairman and CEO of Zinio, a large digital newsstand. He also was a senior advisor to Vera Wang, his estranged wife, for seven years. Arthur Becker made the switch from technology to real estate, and today he is a Managing Member at Madison Partners, LLC. He also continues to privately invest in technology as well as real estate. Currently he is investing and renovating three townhouses that he was given in exchange for his stake in a condo development project. It is reported that Becker will live in one of the townhouses and sell the other two.
See more: https://therealdeal.com/2016/08/30/tech-mogul-arthur-becker-gets-trio-of-townhouses-for-stake-in-soho-project/


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Want to know about the Le Meridian hotels located in various cities of India? Maps-India, one of the best guides for travel and tourism in India, offers brings you location map of Le-Meridien Group of Hotels across the country. This is not all, you can also get information and location maps of various other luxury resorts of India such as Wayanad Luxury Resort, Ernakulam Luxury Resort, Rajasthan luxury resorts etc.
Maps-India brings to you 7 new websites
under its umbrella, for providing all kinds of travel and tour
information on India. Please check out the links below for the
information on tours to India, hotels in India and flights to


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Motorists are warning others about parking at a spot on a road near Warwick Hospital which they had used regularly without being fined until recently.
Silvio Ciampa, of Southam, has visited the hospital regularly in recent months and has used the spot on Millers Road occasionally over the years.
But he received a ticket with a £35 fine for parking in the spot on July 31.
He said: "We're not just talking about 50 or 100 people who have used that spot to park in. We're talking thousands.
"I pass that spot regularly and I always see cars parked there. They have to put a sign up.
"If I had known I wasn't allowed to park there I would not have done so.
"It's straight forward really, people need to be warned."
Dan Kent has worked at the hospital for ten years and, like Mr Ciampa, has used the spot occasionally over this time.
He said he would usually park for free on Wedgnock Green nearby and is not able to get a staff parking pass because he does not live far enough away from the hospital.
He said: "I will be appealing because I have got nothing to lose but there should be signs up there to warn people."
A spokesman for Warwickshire County Council said that the tickets were being issued following a complaint from a concerned business in Millers Road.
Over a period of 15 days last month, enforcement officers issued 53 warning notices at the spot and since then 43 fines have been issued.
The spokesman added: "In accordance with legislation a double yellow line is enforceable at all times and no sign is required. The requirement for a 'no waiting at any time' plate was withdrawn in the 2002 revision to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions Act . The yellow lines have recently been repainted, making the restriction clear.


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apartment in Purvciems
Convert currency:
ID 1544: Riga, Apartment, 63.00 m², For Sale, bedrooms 2, rooms 3
3-roomed apartment for sale in Purvciems, str. Andromedas, GO PLANET.
The apartment is located on the 1st floor of a 5-storey building, not a corner. New Lithuanian project with a very comfortable layout, all rooms are isolated: 14, 25 m², 14.26 m² and 17 m², kitchen 6 m². Loggia with bars. The total area of 63 m² .. The apartment is warm.
Double-glazed windows, double entrance doors, one of them is metal, a new stove in the kitchen. At the request of the buyer, all furniture can remain. There is everything necessary for living. There is a basement belonging to the apartment. Clean entrance, combination lock.
Quick release.
Land in the property.
Convenient location, excellent infrastructure. Near the school, kindergartens, shops, public transport stops. Within walking distance is the Bikernieki forest.


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Giant and Liv are hosting demo days all around Australia and New Zealand, at some of the best mountain biking locations in the southern hemisphere. Come get dirty with us.
Come and try the latest 2019 mountain e-bikes out on your local trail network. We'll have the latest Trance-E+ and Liv Intrigue E+ e-MTBs and more for you to try. Bookings are strongly recommended to ensure you don't miss out.
You can book your bike(s) on this page. On the day, please ensure you have a valid driver's license, an Australian Standards approved helmet and your own pedals if not using flat pedals or Shimano mountain bike pedals. Also, a full water bottle and mobile phone with you on your demo ride. See you there!
Where: Sutherland Shire Cycling Club, Waratah Park Reserve, Rawson Ave Sutherland NSW, Australia.
When: Saturday 27/10/18.
Cost: There is no cost to book a demo bike.
Bookings: Bookings are highly recommended. Use the form below to book the bike(s) you want to ride.
Sutherland Shire Cycling Club
Waratah Park Reserve, Rawson Ave Sutherland NSW, Australia
Book your bike
Fill out the form below to lock in your ride(s). You will receive a notification email once you have completed your booking.
Select the Giant or Liv bike you would like to book for your demo
Not sure what size you are? Use this handy size calculator to get a good indication of the size that will best fit you. Note: this is an estimate only.
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Please select the date that you wish to book your demo bike for. If the date(s) you select are not available, your local Giant dealer will call and organise new dates with you.
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Please enter your contact details, so your local Giant dealer can contact you to confirm your booking request.
Giant Demo Day waiver
Giant Bicycle Co Pty Ltd - Bicycle Ride liability waiver form (Australia)
I acknowledge that cycling can be an inherently dangerous activity and I recognize that there are risks and hazards specifically associated with this activity, including the possibility of injury or even death and loss and damage to myself and my possessions. I am aware of the risks and the potential consequences if things go wrong and I have been given reasonable opportunity to consider whether or not to participate in the Ride.
I hereby release and forever discharge Giant Bicycle Co Pty Ltd (Giant), its employees, agents, contractors and volunteers from any and all claims, suits, demands, expenses, costs, actions and proceedings of any nature whatsoever, which I, my executors or administrators or any other person has or might assert against any of them arising from, in relation to, incidental to or by virtue of any injury, loss or damage suffered or sustained by me in connection with my participation in the Ride.
I hereby indemnify and hold harmless, and shall keep indemnified and held harmless, Giant, its employees, agents, contractors and volunteers from and against all claims, suits, demands, expenses, costs, actions and proceedings of any nature whatsoever arising from, in relation to or by virtue of:
a) Any injury, loss or damage sustained by me.
b) Any injury, loss or damage suffered by any other person as a result of any act, omission, neglect or default on my part, in connection with my participation in the Ride.
This waiver should be construed as a risk warning and is given as a risk warning in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Liability Amendment (Personal Responsibility) Act 2002. Bike riding can be a dangerous recreational activity that can involve risk of physical harm.
I understand that I must wear an approved cycle helmet at all times I am riding the bike and that Australian road rules apply at all times on classified roads, unclassified roads and forest roads. I also agree that Giant, its employees, agents, contractors and volunteers are not responsible for the conduct of other people or the conditions of any biking surface.
I certify that I am over eighteen (18) years of age. I have read and understand this form and agree to all of the above provisions. If under eighteen (18) years of age, I certify that my parent or legal guardian have read and understand this form and agree to all of the above provisions.
Thank you
We have received your Giant Demo Day booking request. You should also receive a confirmation email shortly. If you have any questions about your booking, please contact us below.
We had a little problem with your booking
Bookings have now closed
This event is now closed for bookings. You are still welcome to come and join us at the event, but we are unable to reserve any bikes for you. You may also need to wait until a bike becomes available, however we will do everything we can to accommodate you as quickly as possible.
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