text:
If there's one thing "Dirty Girl" has going for it -- and it's made abundantly clear even before the glittery title card, spelled out in swoopy, neon-lit letters like the name of a roller disco -- it's that it has attitude. The titular dirty girl is an Oklahoma teen named Danielle (Juno Temple) who acts out in class and sleeps around. She has an infectiously "fuck you" approach to just about everything, from her classmates, agog at her sexual promiscuity, to her soon-to-be stepdad (William H. Macy), to her teachers, who bump her down to a remedial class where the most pressing assignment is taking care of a bag of flour like it's an actual human baby.
But in the end, after the movie has worn out its welcome and all of its charms have dried up, "Dirty Girl," written and directed by Abe Sylvia, is all attitude and no heart. It's one thing to dress up a cute girl like Temple (so striking in Gregg Araki's vastly underrated, candy-colored "Kaboom") in faux period get-ups and have her talk in brash, Diablo Cody-esque one-liners, but it's another thing to make a movie (and a character) that's actually worth caring about.
At first you might be encouraged, imagining that the movie will be about how Danielle, empowered by her own sexuality and not afraid to use it, despite the outrage of her fellow students, would create a kind of mini-sexual revolution in her high school. The film is set in 1987 (more on that in a minute), the decade following some truly amazing accomplishments in the women's rights movement, and the film could have easily transferred that social consciousness into something like a smart, period version of "Mean Girls." But no. The whole thing about Danielle being this whirling, lip-glossed force to be reckoned with, as dangerous to the townspeople as any Oklahoma tornado, is quickly dismissed.
Instead, what we get is a strange, half-formed buddy comedy/road movie that doesn't quite hang together. Danielle befriends gay, chubby Clarke (Jeremy Dozier) in her remedial class and they're partnered in an assignment to "parent" their flour sack child. They don't get along at first, but outsiders usually stick together, and a bond quickly forms. When Danielle tells Clarke that she doesn't know who her father is (her mother, played by Milla Jovovich, was a dirty girl in high school too), they quickly investigate and discover his whereabouts – Fresno, California. So, at Danielle's urging, Clarke steals a car from his abusive father (Dwight Yoakam) and together they set out on a road trip to California.
If you're wondering if this is as dull as it sounds, the answer is yes, it is. A glimmer of hope pops up when the mothers of both children – Jovovich and Mary Steenburgen, playing Clarke's mom – team up to go retrieve their children. For a minute you think, "Oh, this will be interesting, the pairing of two disparate women, bonding over their children and creating a new friendship without the men in their lives." But no. The idea is explored more in that sentence than in the actual movie, even sadder since the actresses are so terrific.
As the movie wears on the general incompetence of writer-director Abe Sylvia becomes more and more apparent. For one thing, the movie is set in 1987, so what's with all the disco music (this is the year U2 released The Joshua Tree and Michael Jackson came out with Bad) and feathered hair? This was three years before 1990. Things in this movie look like they were set in the early 1970s, not even close to the approaching 1990s, and as such, the film creates a bewildering sense of time and place. (It's lazy about those details it does attempt to get right too – Jovovich clutches a can of TAB with a post-millennial recycling logo stamped on it). It's clumsily shot, with muted, muddy colors, and sequences play out without rhyme or reason. There's a scene where the kids and a drifter they've picked up are parked at a drive-in movie theater, but you can't even tell that's where they are until a bizarrely theatrical fantasy sequence, where Clarke is seduced by said drifter, starts to unfold. It would make much more sense if we saw where they were before the movie screen flickered to life and the stereos started to blare. As it is, it's just confusing.
Little regard is given to the rhythm or pace of the movie. Whole chunks of the film are simply based on what catchy pop song the film has got the rights to, snappily put together like a music video. Again: historical accuracy isn't exactly key here either, as several Le Tigre songs are utilized. Supposedly after the film premiered in Toronto last fall, Harvey Weinstein took his scissors to it and while the film is under 90 minutes, you feel like he could have kept on trimming. It feels less like a movie and more like the pilot to some "edgy" new show on Fox (if you felt the characters in "Red State" were too richly drawn – get ready for truly awful caricatures, including such staples as The Dumb Mormon Guy and The Homophobic Dad).
Temple is dynamite, but it's less of a revelatory performance if you've seen "Kaboom" – her character there is bolder and more atypical and sexier. And unlike in "Dirty Girl," for all its bad-ass posturing, you actually get to see some skin. ("Dirty Girl" is rated R for "graphic nudity," which means you see some naked men in Clarke's pornography collection.) The friendship between Clarke and Danielle always feels forced, not because you can't imagine her hanging out with a queeny gay kid, but because she's just so much cooler. She's a force of nature. He's too shy to even admit he's gay. But in the end, none of it really matters. "Dirty Girl" is over soon enough and you can go on with your life, forgetting all about its clumsy historical anachronisms, slipshod plotting, and thematic thinness. The film is all about a kind of shimmery swagger but what strikes you most, at the time you leave the theater, is how square it is. [D]
Kelly Neil | October 8, 2011 10:20 AM
I saw this movie last night at the ArcLight Hollywood, it was amazing! What a refreshing change from all the junk that is being released these days. I can hardly believe that critics don't like this. All I can think is that they are not comfortable with strong women and or gay males, what a shame in this day and age. The music is fantastic, I am going to buy the soundtrack. As one who was raised in the mid-west during the 80"s the hairdo's and outfits were spot on! It was a walk down memory lane, I laughed through the entire movie as did the entire audience . If you are up for some great humor, I highly recommend this movie.
Teresa Champness | October 7, 2011 3:29 AM
I would have liked to see 'Dirty Girl' get a nationwide release. It has an interesting cast and it deserves better than to go unnoticed by the public during its release.


text:
Sony Centre
Opening times
Open All Year
Not only does the Cabot Circus Sony Centre provide you with the widest choice of Sony products available, it also makes sure you always get the best value for money. With staff that are Sony trained experts, not only can you expect great service and knowledgeable advice when you're in store, but you'll also enjoy efficient and attentive after sales service.
What's nearby
Premier Apartments Cabot Circus
Serviced apartments located in Quakers Friars, Bristol's premium shopping quarter.0.1 miles away
Future Inns Bristol Cabot Circus Hotel
Contemporary hotel, with spacious rooms, located adjacent to the Cabot Circus shopping complex0.1 miles away
Holiday Inn Bristol City Centre
Offering an unbeatable location perfect for easy access to the all of Bristol's central attractions, business centres and shopping.0.14 miles away
Alderman Apartments - Cabot Mews
Located just minutes from the fashionable Cabot Circus shopping centre with its eclectic mix of restaurants, bars, top of the range shops...0.21 miles away
Bristol Marriott Hotel City Centre
A great family hotel in the centre of Bristol which has a large amount of rooms which have with two double beds, suitable for families. The...0.22 miles away
Premier Inn Bristol City Centre (Haymarket)
City centre hotel located right next to Bristol's central bus station and the Cabot Circus shopping complex0.24 miles away
Cleyro Serviced Apartments
High quality Deluxe apartments situated in a prime location for exploring all the sites Bristol has to offer.0.32 miles away
Alderman Apartments Hamilton Court
Alderman Apartments offer budget to luxury serviced apartments in 6 prime locations of your choice in Bristol.0.33 miles away
Rock and Bowl
The Rock N Bowl Motel, located right in Bristol's buzzing City Centre, is the perfect choice for backpackers, groups and individuals alike,...0.35 miles away
The Grand by Thistle
Located on Broad Street in Bristol, the four star Grand Hotel (formerly Thistle Bristol) features luxury hotel rooms and suites which...0.37 miles away
SACO Bristol - West India House
These 4 star city centre waterfront apartments are an ideal alternative to hotels, offering twice the space and comfort of a similarly...0.46 miles away
Brooks Guesthouse Bristol
The stunning refurbished Brooks Guest House Bristol is a boutique guesthouse, the most contemporary in central Bristol. We are situated...0.47 miles away
Hotel du Vin & Bistro
Hotel du Vin & Bistro is housed in the former Sugar Factory, making it one of Bristol's most special places to stay. The collection of...0.47 miles away
Mercure Bristol Brigstow Hotel
City centre hotel featuring great dining and views of the river0.5 miles away
Hilton Garden Inn Bristol City Centre
Contemporary 167-room hotel, with an excellent restaurant, located near Bristol Temple Meads railway station0.5 miles away
Bristol Serviced Lettings @ Beaufort Court
Selection of luxury one, two and four bedroom serviced apartments conveniently close to Cabot Circus - perfect for a getaway to Bristol.0.52 miles away

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Skip to main content
Simplifying the Business while providing passengers with personalized choice of products and services
Why closing gaps in the Tokyo Convention will be a deterrent to unruly passenger behavior.
The trusted source to prepare and document dangerous shipments in compliance with international regulations.
Improve baggage performance. From quick wins to strategical options, custom solutions for airlines, airports and ground handlers.
We're adding new IATA training centers, partner locations and distance learning options to bring our training closer to you.
Join airlines' CFOs in Abu Dhabi 17-18 Sept to discuss latest trends in Revenue Accounting, Treasury, Fraud Protection & Risk Management
In his State of the Industry address, Tony Tyler shared his reflections on the 100th anniversary of civil aviation
This is a read-only copy of the discussions. To view the original, where you can reply, go here. For info on how to log in, please see the instructions.
Dear Mohamed Amine,
In general, we encourage you to migrate to SIS at the earliest possible time. However, depending on your internal system and business development, you may choose to migrate to SIS at any time after go-live.
Please visit the Key Dates section on the SIS website, which should provide you with an overview of the various deadlines and important dates in implementing SIS.
Kind regards
From: HADJAHMED MohamedAminePosted At: Friday, September 30, 2011 6:32 AMPosted To: SIS Forums - Mobilization & Implementation SupportConversation: Migration PlanSubject: Migration Plan
Hello team, Please, what can we do if we did not steal sign the participation agreement. Best Regards
Hi Mohamed Amine,
In addition to my previous post, please see the September bulletin – issue 3, which contains detailed information on the setup that can be done for members that cannot get the IS Participation Agreement signed in time but would still like the effective date to be at SIS go-live.
I trust you will find the information on this document helpful.
© International Air Transport Association (IATA) 2014. All rights reserved.


text:
Most Endangered River
Environmentalists named the Snake River as the nation's most endangered river and called for the removal of four dams on the lower… read more
Environmentalists named the Snake River as the nation's most endangered river and called for the removal of four dams on the lower Snake because they had driven runs of salmon in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon to the brink of extinction. Following their remarks they answered questions from reporters. At the end of the briefing actors portraying Lewis and Clark spoke. close
People in this video
- Faber, Scott Director American Rivers, Inc.->Public Policy
- Martin, Jim Official Department of Fish, Wildlifeand Conservation->Oregon
- Sampson, Don Executive Director Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Cmsn.
- Udall, Tom U.S. Representative [D] New Mexico
- Wodder, Rebecca President American Rivers, Inc.
Hosting Organization
Related Video
Endangered Rivers
Environmentalists released a report on America's most endangered rivers ranking thirteen rivers threatened by…
U.S. Endangered Rivers
After the release of a report on U.S. endangered rivers, the participants talked about water quality and endangered…
Endangered Rivers
Participants talked to reporters about their report of the most endangered rivers in America. They focused on…
Agricultural Runoff and Polluted Bays
Participants released a report on the impact of agricultural runoff on the nation's most polluted bays and the…


text:
Whether you're baking gifts for the holidays or your family is suffering from chronic sweet tooth, these little quick breads are great for all occasions. The breads can be glazed or eaten just so. Loaves that aren't glazed can be wrapped in aluminum foil, bagged, and frozen for later.
Yield: 3 mini loaves
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 2/3 cup butter, chilled
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup crystallized ginger chunks, chopped
- rind and juice from medium orange
- milk (see instructions)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- .
- 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
- water
- Grease 3 mini loaf pans. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
- In large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Cut butter into thin slices and add to bowl. Break butter into mixture with fingers until mixture is crumbly. Stir in brown sugar. Chop 3/4 cup crystallized ginger chunks and add to mixture. Grate the rind off of one medium orange. Add rind to the mixture. Cut orange in half and squeeze juice out into bowl. Remove any seeds from juice. Pour orange juice (it should be about 1/4 cup) into liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to the orange juice to make 3/4 cup. Pour orange juice and milk into mixture. Add eggs and stir. Batter should be thick but not dry. If necessary, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time.
- Scrape batter into three greased mini loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until done. Turn loaves out and let cool on rack.
- In small bowl, add enough water to confectioner's sugar to make a thin icing. Drizzle icing over loaves.


text:
Guru: Information retrieval for reuse (1994)
Download Links
|Landmark Contributions in Software Reuse and Reverse Engineering. Unicom Seminars Ltd
|3 - 0 self
author = {Yoelle S. Maarek and Gail E. Kaiser and Daniel M. Berry},
title = {Guru: Information retrieval for reuse},
booktitle = {Landmark Contributions in Software Reuse and Reverse Engineering. Unicom Seminars Ltd},
year = {1994},
publisher = {Prentice Hall}
Although software reuse presents clear advantages for programmer productivity and code reliability, it is not practiced enough. One of the reasons for the only moderate success of reuse is the lack of software libraries that facilitate the actual locating and understanding of reusable components. This paper describes a technology for automatically assembling large software libraries that promote software reuse by helping the user locate the components closest to her/his needs. Software libraries are automatically assembled from a set of unorganized components by using information retrieval techniques. The construction of the library is done in two steps. First, attributes are automatically extracted from natural language documentation by using a new free-text indexing scheme based on the notions of lexical a nities and quantity of information. Then, a hierarchy for browsing is automatically generated using a clustering technique that draws only on the information provided by the attributes. Thanks to the free-text indexing scheme, tools following this approach can accept free-style natural language queries. This technology has been implemented in the Guru system, which has been applied to construct an organized library of Aix utilities. An experiment was conducted in order to evaluate the retrieval e ectiveness of Guru as compared to InfoExplorer, ahypertext library system for Aix 3 on the IBM RS/6000 series, as well as to two other indexing schemes. We followed the usual evaluation procedure used in information retrieval, based upon recall and precision measures, and determined that our system retrieved more e ectively than the others. 1


text:
Ryan Center hosts NCAA women's regional
University of Connecticut junior Caroline Doty looks for an opening around the Penn State defense during Sunday's NCAA regional semifinal in the Thomas M. Ryan Center. Teresa Kelly | Cigar
There are big events and there are "big" events. Sunday night at the Thomas M. Ryan Center the biggest event in all of collegiate athletics, the women's NCAA basketball tournament, put Kingston in the national spotlight.
As the doors opened an hour before the tipoff of the first game, the fans, some more zealous than others, began to trickle in and fill the upper seating.
Though the Ryan Center has certainly been loud, nothing compared to the noise of the building when the Penn State versus University of Connecticut game tipped off.
The UConn fans, per tradition, rose up and cheered from the opening tip until the Huskies scored their first points. It took 13 seconds before junior Caroline Doty drove left and laid the ball up and in.
The ensuing cacophony of volume swept through the arena and enveloped everything in its path.
The Penn State fans could only sit idly by and watch the Huskies open up a quick 10-point lead and eventually defeat the Nittany Lions 77-59 in the first regional semifinal.
Doty scored another basket 18 seconds after her first and the Huskies were off to the races.
Sophomore guard Bria Hartley dropped in six of her game-high 20 points during the first five minutes of the game.
"We run a great offense," Hartley said. "People were able to set screens. [Sophomore] Stefanie [Dolson] was setting screens for me and [junior] Kelly [Faris]. I was able to knock down some shots tonight."
UConn extended the lead to 24-10 at the 9:52 mark before the Lions rallied. Senior Maggie Lucas netted five points as she keyed a 9-0 Nittany Lion run that closed the gap to five and quieted the pro-UConn crowd.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma took a timeout with 8:43 to go in the half to calm the team.
"That timeout was because we started becoming a pass twice and shoot team," Auriemma said. "If you keep them on defense a little bit longer it makes it harder for them to keep up that transition game. I think that changed the game no question."
Whatever Auriemma said worked as the Huskies ended the half on a 19-10 run to expand the gap to 14 points and never looked back.
Senior Tiffany Hayes and Dolson finished with 10 points apiece. Faris finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and a game-high three steals.
"I think I am playing better than I have been throughout the season," Faris said. "Sometimes your role changes depending on how your opponents play you and how they guard your teammates, but at the same time I have a whole team who can score pretty much anytime they want. We did a great job tonight of getting everyone open."
Penn State head coach Coquese Washington praised her team for a quality season and said that UConn's experience in big games helped them adapt to the environment.
"I thought UConn played relaxed because they've been here before," Washington said. "When we get into this situation next year we'll be better for it; we'll be a lot better for it. It's a great experience that we've had."
Upon returning to the arena for the second match, the vibe was completely different. Gone was the high-energy intensity of thousands of crazed UConn fans and in its place were a few thousand University of Kentucky and Gonzaga University fans cheering on their respective squads.
After a tentative first minute Kentucky's Bria Goss connected on a three-point field goal. That would be a recurring theme throughout the game as the Wildcats connected on 12 of 21 three-point shots as they ended Gonzaga's Cinderella run 79-62 in the nightcap. The win advanced Kentucky to its third Elite Eight in school history.
"We have always believed in our players and in our shooting," head coach Matthew Mitchell said. "Everyone who made one today has always been capable of making them."
The second-seeded Wildcats jumped out to a nine-point lead seven minutes into the game but were unable to shake the Bulldogs. Senior Kayla Standish nailed a jump shot with nine minutes left in the first half to cut the deficit to two points.
Aided by four three-pointers, Kentucky ended the half on a 22-9 run to quiet the Gonzaga contingent and open up some breathing room at halftime.
"We knew what was on the line today," Kentucky's Keyla Snowden said. "We all got mentally prepared and we knew that Gonzaga was going to be a tough team so knocking down shots was important today."
Snowden came off the bench to pump in a team-high 17 points including five three-point shots. Sophomore Samarie Walker also had a fine performance off the bench registering a double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds) in 20 minutes of action.
Walker, who transferred to Kentucky from Connecticut, said that UConn may be good, but they can be beaten.
"Like I said, they are a really good team, but all we have to do is do us," Walker said.
Gonzaga made a run midway through the second half and closed the deficit to eight, but eight Kentucky points in 83 seconds buried the Zags for good. For the 11th-seeded Bulldogs the seasons and the careers end for five seniors who had advanced to three Sweet 16s in their career.
Head coach Kelly Graves was quick to praise his team and especially his graduating class.
"I'm proud of this basketball team," Graves said. "I thought this was a great group. 115 wins and 12 tournament wins so I'm really proud of them."
Standish, with emotion in her eyes, reflected on her years as a Bulldog.
"It means everything," Standish said. "I'm proud of what we've done; the obstacles we've overcome. Our senior leadership really stepped up this year. Our team is awesome. Our coaches are awesome."
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
From Around the Web
More The Good 5 Cent Cigar News Articles
- Baseball team wins two games in past two days
- Men's Basketball falls to St. Joseph's
- Former URI student, Giants bandwagon fan's faux pas brings YouTube fame
- Men's basketball wins in overtime, defeats UMass Minutemen for first time in...
Recent The Good 5 Cent Cigar News Articles
Discuss This Article
FMS holds spring fashion show By Audrey O'Neil
Zombies overrun campus in class exercise By Hensley Carrasco
- Former URI basketball player charged with first-degree murder
- Alumni serve community through campus cleanup
- Student Alumni Association to host 24th annual Oozeball
- Public relations UnClassroom experience helps publicize theater
- Event to bring attention to sexual violence on campus
- URI student honored at State House
- The Big Event Indian Festival
- Family-Friendly Programming Storms The Weather Channel
- Carrageenan: Sustainability From Farm to Table
- Every Room Tells a Story if You Set the Stage
- Guiding Treatment of Advanced Breast Cancer Using Subtypes
- Taking the High Road to Scotland
- Fall Foes: Watch out for These Stinging Insects
- Supporting Arts in Education
- Fishing and Boating are Great Activities for the Entire...
- Don't Get Blindsided by the Sticker Shock of College
- Your Online Reputation: Handle With Care


text:
The Seahawks signed Matt Flynn last offseason with the intention of him becoming the team's starting quarterback, but now they'll have to make a trade to give him that opportunity. The team is open to doing that, according to NFL.com's Ian Rappaport. Russell Wilson beat out Flynn in the 2012 preseason, and is now firmly entrenched as the franchise quarterback.
That leaves the Seahawks with two quarterbacks that they like on the roster, but Flynn could become unhappy pretty quickly in a backup role. With Alex Smith bringing two draft picks to the 49ers in a trade with the Chiefs, Seattle could stand to benefit greatly from dealing Flynn.
The former Aaron Rodgers understudy threw just nine passes last season after signing a deal that will pay him $5.25 million in 2013. He caught the NFL's eye when he threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns against the Detroit Lions in the 2011 season finale.
With so many quarterback-starved teams around the league, it's likely there will be more than a few squads that will jump at the chance to trade for Flynn.
More in the NFL:
• NFL Mock Draft: Post-Combine and trade edition
• Trade rumors: Where's Darrelle Revis headed?
• 10 takeaways from the NFL Combine
• The hardest thing to do in sports
• NFL Combine's biggest winners and losers
• The best (and we mean worst) quotes from the Combine


text:
Uga IX is Coming
Sonny Seiler says "2 or 3" finalists for next Uga. Plan to announce on Picture Day, unveil at season opener.— AJC UGA (@ajcuga) April 13, 2012
During today's pre-G-Day festitivies, Sonny Seiler announced that they have " two or three" candidates selected, and the new Uga will be revealed on picture day. (Usually in August.) UPDATE: To clarify, Seiler said that the new Uga would be "announced" on Picture Day, and that he would be officially unveiled before the Buffalo game. So Uga IX won't actually be at Picture Day, apparently.


text:
Entrepreneurs and executives alike want to share their ideas. Over time, leaders who learn to talk less and listen more, become great. Shutterstock
We tend to think that listening comes naturally since most of us were born doing it. But it's overlooked in the art of business communication. Entrepreneurs and executives alike want to share their ideas, and over time, leaders who learn to talk less and listen more, become great. Listening allows an executive to:
But can you actually measure how well you're listening? For my recent book, Likeable Business, I had the honor of talking with Verne Harnish, the founder of Young Entrepreneurs Organization (now EO), the author of Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, and one of the great business leaders of our time.
Of the 11 principles of a likeable business, he believes listening is far and away the most important. Verne told me he's seen a direct correlation between the experience level of listeners and their ability to listen. He's even used data to prove this, tracking time spent listening by young entrepreneurs compared with time spent listening by more senior entrepreneurs.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
Sign up for the latest business news, opinion and analysis from Upstart and get the best the site has to offer each week day.


text:
You are viewing the Short Vowel Word Families Collection
Short Vowel Sounds: "U"
Topics : First Grade, Phonics
Give your first grader a reading boost by teaching him about word families. Word families contain words with the same ending and end sound, and understanding them helps kids decode words faster. Get on board by practicing word families featuring a short u sound, as in -un or -ut.
Updated on Jun 19, 2012


text:
Is the McWrap McDonald's secret weapon?
The new offering from the fast-food chain is another attempt to match Chipotle's and Five Guys' fresh products.
At least that's what a four-page spread from Bloomberg Businessweek would like you to believe. The thesis behind this tome is that the April 1 release of the Premium McWrap -- a 10-inch, white-flour tortilla wrapped around three ounces of chicken (grilled or "crispy"), lettuce, spring greens, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and cheddar jack cheese that McDonald's has been working on for two years -- will win McDonald's the love of the coveted millennial market and fend off Five Guys, Chipotle (CMG) and Subway.
After all, even McDonald's says so, with an internal memo obtained by Ad Age noting that Mickey D's doesn't even rank among millennials' top 10 favorite restaurants and that the "Subway buster" McWrap "offers us the perfect food offering to address the needs of this very important customer to McDonald's."
Except that McDonald's has already tried this approach with Snack Wraps, Chicken Selects, burritos, salads, Angus burgers and other "premium" items.
The overwhelming majority of those have been kicked off the menu by franchise owners who say the items are slowing down their kitchens. The premium "value menu," meanwhile, has been replaced by the cheaper dollar menu in hopes of wooing back customers who've been picked off by other, more traditional fast-food chains.
Yum Brands' (YUM) Taco Bell is offering waffle tacos as part of a new breakfast menu and testing a new value menu packed with $1 items. Burger King (BKW) is basically cloning the McRib boneless rib sandwich while offering delivery service in major cities.
Where Bloomberg and certain factions within McDonald's see the McWrap as a strength, even the company's chief executive, Don Thompson, suggests embracing delivery and all-day breakfast may be the better route to customers' hearts and stomachs. The "breakfast after midnight" menu the company is testing in select markets is already pushing that notion.
Despite trying those ideas, menu tweaks like popcorn chicken and suggestions that employees be kinder to customers, same-store sales declined 1% in the first quarter even as McDonald's share price rose. It wasn't that long ago that McDonald's was much better at this, fending off upstart competitors like Jamba Juice (JMBA) and Starbucks (SBUX) with its own McCafe smoothie and coffee offerings.
When it came to countering the fresh offerings of Chipotle and Panera Bread (PNRA), however, feeble efforts like Fish McBites have fallen flat. Even the long-abandoned McDLT of the 1980s with its separate compartments for the burger and its fresh toppings was closer to the mark than what McDonald's is offering now.
McDonald's has spent too long trying to be everything but the fast-food chain it is. By outwardly playing catch-up with smaller competitors and losing ground to fast-food companies it no longer deigns to consider rivals, McDonald's looks very uncomfortable in its own skin. Even if it follows its CEO's advice and plays to its strengths, it's not clear if the chain knows what those strengths are anymore.
My sig other and I rarely go to McDonald's anymore. We like the wraps, but I find that their burgers don't taste like meat... a lot of their items have no flavor, they screw up in the drive thu line a lot, and when you call and complain they say there going to send you coupons for free value meals but they never did. My 6 year old doesn't even ask to go there anymore... he'd rather go to Burger King, Perkins, or a local restraunt so he can get pancakes even though we go there for dinner, lol.
I'd rather pay a few bucks more and get a good tasting burger from a local restraunt, or Gilly's, etc.... heck, even Kwik Trips burgers are better! I think they need to focus on making their food taste better to get customers back.
Copyright © 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Morningstar Inc. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Morningstar Inc. Quotes delayed by up to 15 minutes, except where indicated otherwise. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by Morningstar Inc.
[BRIEFING.COM] The stock market ended the Thursday session on an upbeat note with blue chips showing relative strength for the second consecutive day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.4%) and S&P 500 (+0.3%) settled ahead of the Russell 2000 (+0.2%) and the Nasdaq Composite (+0.1%). It is worth mentioning the benchmark index posted its fourth consecutive gain, registering a new record closing high at 1992.38.
Equity indices climbed out of the gate thanks to early strength among ... More
More Market News
New legislation is allowing foreign companies to finally invest in the country's vast oil reserves.
- Shared
- Commented
- Viewed
- Video: Easy DIY smoked meats at home
A charcuterie master shares his process for cold-smoking meat at home.
- Jetpacks about to go mainstream
- Weird things covered by home insurance
- Bing: 70 percent of adults report 'digital eye strain'


text:
December 28, 2004
Albany -- In one week, a Dougherty County police officer will deploy as a National Guardsman with the 48th Mechanized Infantry. He is enjoying the holidays with his daughters, before he has to head out.
6-year-old Jessica and 5-year-old Samantha Duncan got what they wanted for Christmas. Jessica said "A game boy."
And their father Charles Duncan had the Christmas he wanted, before deploying in one week. "Just trying to spend as much time with my little girls and my wife, as possible."
After 17 years in the Army, Duncan has been a member of the Georgia Army National Guard since 1996. He deployed to Bosnia in 2000, and January 4th deploys again, most likely to Iraq. "We go to Fort Stewart, and from there I don't know."
A Sergeant in the National Guard, Duncan is a Mortar Platoon Squad Leader. While he hates to leave his family, he supports the U.S. involvement in Iraq. "People should be free, and I believe in that."
A Patrol Officer for the Dougherty County Police, Chief Don Cheek said Duncan is a special man. Chief Cheek said "we are going to miss him, for more than just losing an officer off the street."
The Dougherty County Police pledge their support of Duncan's family while he is gone. Charles says he sees a link between his police job and National Guard service. "I think it's about like policing, except on a different scale. That's how I'm looking at it."
Duncan reports January 4th, then leaves January 7th for training. Until then he spends time with his daughters, making the most of the holidays.
Charles Duncan and the 48th Mechanized Infantry are scheduled for three months of training, then move overseas for duty.
They are scheduled to return at least by June 2006.
posted at 4:07 PM by firstname.lastname@example.com
P.O. Box 3130
Albany, GA 31706
(229) 446-1010
FCC Public File
(229) 446-4005
EEO Report
Closed Captioning


text:
We thought we'd share this hilarious Viral Video with you.
Some guy named Rahat the Magician Prankster has released a new series of drive-thru pranks, that you'll definitely want to share with your friends.
Using only a car seat costume, Rahat lets people's faces and reactions do the rest. Enjoy.
Click here if you want to watch it on your mobile phone.
Copyright 2013 WFIE. All rights reserved.
1115 Mt. Auburn Road
Public File Contact:
FCC Public File
Local News
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2014 WorldNow and WFIE. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.


text:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A Purple Heart recipient from Prior Lake will get the 15,000th grant awarded by the Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund.
The nonprofit on Friday will honor Spc. Kristopher Francisco with a grant for $10,000 for his service and sacrifices.
The 2005 graduate of Apple Valley High School was wounded in an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2010. His unit came under heavy fire and it took several hours to evacuate them. He endured more than a dozen surgeries for a serious leg injury that happened when heavy equipment landed on him. He still suffers from a traumatic brain injury.
Francisco recently retired from the Army.
The Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund has awarded $9 million in "thank you" grants to military personnel and their families since 2005, ranging from $500 to $10,000.
All content © Copyright 2001 - 2014 WorldNow and KTTC, a Quincy station.
All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and Mobile Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.
Persons with disabilities who need assistance with issues relating to the content of this station's public inspection file should contact Administrative Assistant Jodi Neyens at (507) 280-5104. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, at 888-835-5322 (TTY) or at email@example.com.


text: Very solid can't wait to get the other ones. I've had amazon recommend this band to me several times with other purchases, and for some reason I always ignored them. When this album came out I saw an ad for it on myspace so I listened to the first two tracks. I was sold immediatley. Its pretty much obvious they get influence from Pantera, the singer sounds much like Phil in his hoarse screaming and really the only difference in the instrumental sound is the guitar, I would say its heavier than Dimebag, although dimebag was probably better at coming up with a sweet riff, all of the songs on the album have very heavy catchy riffs. Highly recommend this album.


text:
Monitor and display registered users activity (logins, posts, comments, etc.). You can also track and prevent hackering attemps, with IP blacklisting.
Requires: 3.1 or higher
Compatible up to: 3.5.2
Last Updated: 2013-1-18
Downloads: 28,947
0 of 2 support threads in the last two months have been resolved.
Got something to say? Need help?


text:
Reporter: Danner Evans
A new diet drug has just been approved by the FDA called Qsymia. This is actually the exact same drug the maker tried to get the FDA to approve months ago -- at the time it was called Qnexa.
Some consumer advocates are concerned about the drug's side effects – birth defects, increased heart rate, confusion and memory loss.
ABC 13 News talked to ABC Chief Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser about those side effects. He said this drug is by no means perfect.
"When the committee initially considered this drug they were concerned about the side effects and they wanted to see more data," Besser said. "They saw that data and said that although this drug has side effects so does obesity. And they wanted to provide doctors and patients with something else to consider."
Qsymia is the second diet drug approved in the last couple of months. Belviq was approved in June. This is interesting to note because the FDA committee didn't recommend any diet drug for years.
Besser said the push for new options is for good reason.
"Obesity is just an enormous health problem in this country and doctors and patients were very upset there was nothing available short of surgery to tackle this so there was a big push to get more drugs out and there are more drugs in development," Besser explained.
Patients in clinical trials lost an average of 23 pounds on Qsymia. It's recommended for obese patients with a BMI over 27 with other weight-related health issues.


text:
The Missouri Public Service Commission is hosting public meetings on a rate hike request by Empire District Electric Company.
One meeting was held at noon today and another is set for 6:30 this evening at Missouri Southern's Corley Auditorium.
Empire wants to boost rates by a little over 5% to pay for such things as vegetation control and the retirement of coal plants.
"We've expended the dollars for these projects and they are benefiting our customers and now we come back and ask for them to help recoup those costs, it's for a variety of programs but many of which are regulations which we have to adhere to," says Emily Stanley, the Corporate Communications Coordinator for Empire Electric.
Some customers spoke at today's meeting complaining that people on fixed incomes can't afford a rate hike.


text:
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), in coordination with Richard Howitt (S&D) and Catherine Grèze (Greens) MEPs will be convening a conference at the European Parliament to assess the precarious situation of Brazil's indigenous peoples.
The Awá tribe, also referred to as Guajá, lives in the rainforest area of the state of Maranhão, on the eastern Amazon forest of Brazil. Besides harassment from loggers and other illegal settlers, the Awá tribe has been facing relocation to legally demarcated reservations by the Brazilian government since 1973. In 1980, with the launch of the Carajas mining project, extractive industries pursued their activities at an alarming pace for the Awá tribe, whose population has shrunk to only 450 members.
Despite the different
Press Information:Unrepresented Nations and People's OrganizationAvenue Louise 52, Brussels, B-1050, BelgiumContact Person:Diana PamiasProject AssistantPhone: +32 (0) 251 31459email: emailWeb: www.unpo.org/


text:
I'd like to put in a plug for the following event in Walter Library on Friday afternoon:
Lisa Johnston, science and engineering librarian, created a poster for the event containing historic robot images from our Edmund Berkeley collection. I'll be there, too, with some CBI brochures! It should be a good time.


text:
Donations of non-perishable bags of groceries, gift cards and monetary donations to purchase gift cards are needed. Local businesses, organizations and individuals are asked donate some of the following items: pasta, spaghetti sauce, cheese, napkins, plates, cups, canned fruit and vegetables, soups, cereal, tea, hot chocolate, pudding, chips, pretzels, crackers and cleaning supplies or other miscellaneous items.
Grocery cards in amounts of $25, $50 and $100 or a monetary donation of any amount also will be accepted.
The names of those who donate will be listed in the program.
Items should be delivered to the center by April 13. Call the center to arrange to have your donations picked up.
Call 717-225-0733 for more information or for tickets.


text:
This really has nothing to do with Sheed I just figured that it would get you guys to pay this post some attention.
As a coach I have pretty successful and I have done it with little talent at times. In the last three seasons my record as a coach is 37- 7. Now I know I cant compare the teams I have coached to any NBA team, but I have a pretty good grasp on what it takes to win. The reason the Celtics have been loosing is the same reason the teams I have coached have always had winning records and three championships in three years. I have always told the teams it doesn't matter if you are less skilled,slower, or just flat out not as good as the guy you are going to have to go up against. YOU OUT WORK HIM, and our defense will keep us in the game. You go out there with the attitude that you are going to out work everyone in the gym no matter what it takes.
The Celtics defense is keeping them in games but they are getting out worked by other teams, the right attitude is just not there. We have the talent just not the effort, and that seems to be what Doc is seeing along with all of us. These guys know what it takes and they just aren't giving it. Sure they have been over worked all season, is it possible that the starting four got together and made the decision that they were going to take off the rest of the season and save it for the post season. I doubt that especially from KG we all know he cant stand to lose, and all these losses could possibly do him in. Not the miles he has put on this season, not the trade, not the coach calling him soft. But, all these losses he is taking to heart, and I think unless we start winning and winning big he might not be able to get it going soon enough for us to make it to the Eastern Finals.
Everyone keeps saying why is this any different from last season. Its different because Doc shut them down last season and we were not going for HCA. It has been known from the beginning of the season that that would not be the case with this season. So yeah this season is different, right? Maybe Shaq coming back can get our starting four in a place where they need to be, if he comes back. Whats going on with him right now reminds me of the KG situation in 09. But, I truly believe his presence will give us a boost. Will it be enough? I really don't know. I have come to expect the worse and hope for the best.
On another note I know we are all disappointed we expected to dominate the regular season, and waste the lakers in five or six games in the Finals. As fans we have got to be more positive because right now the only thing good that could come from the last few games is fans still showing support. We have to stop ripping into these guys and kicking them when they are down. We have got to start trying to pick them up while they are down by still believing in our team. That's all we can do to help as fans so start helping!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not asking for patience just TEMPERANCE for these last nine games. Lets give these guys more support than they have ever had!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats all we can do, nothing good has ever come from negativity. So, lets try the opposite and see how it goes.


text:
Hello and welcome to six0six design. Founded in 2011 by Vanessa Scott-Hayward. We specialise in making high quality, unique gifts that will be treasured by their new owners.
The individuality of the hand-crafted object is central to our ethos as a company, and this is reflected in our product ranges. The objects we own should be treasured, and each item is handmade in our studio in Co. Kildare, Ireland.
Our hand-covered pencils are one of our top sellers. They can be personalised to your specifications, making great wedding gifts and birthday presents. So much of what we buy is mass produced; by choosing our products you are guaranteeing that your gift will stand out from the crowd. Take a trip down memory lane with our vintage comic book pencils, or brush-up on your geography with our atlas pencil sets.
We are constantly adding new products to our range, so don't forget to stop back in on a regular basis.
six0six design is a proud member of the Crafts Council of Ireland.


text:
Posting ID : B1008168157
Date Posted : 2012-04-06
Category : Customer Service Jobs
The Larson Automotive Group has an immediate opening in our buisness and Development Center. The ideal candidate would have the ability to meet deadlines and juggle responsibilities while working in a high volume and fast paced enviroment. Candidate must be able to complete repetitive tasks as this position is in a call center. Candidate must be proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite and have a minimum of 6 months in a call center or automotive dealership atmosphere.
This is a full time position Monday through Sunday. Wages are starting at $9.50 per hour.
The Larson Auto Group is a family owned and operated group of automotive dealership in buisness for the past 59 years. Our employees enjoy an attractive company sponsored benefit package including medical, dental, vision, and paid time off.
Please submit resumes via email as attachments in WORD format No phone calls please!


text:
Dubbed by N.Y.-based Project for Public Spaces as "the closest thing to a European neighborhood square you'll find this side of the Atlantic", St. Louis Square attracts a variety of locals and tourists.
What's There?
The land where Saint-Louis Square sits was once intended for the city's reservoir.
When it was acquired in 1848, it seemed the most logical use for the burgeoning city. However, by the time the city was ready to build, the population had grown so much that the amount of area allotted was no longer suitable for a reservoir large enough to serve the masses.
Instead, in 1879, the acreage was transformed into a beautiful park. The square was named for two of the city's most prominent businessmen, brothers Emmanuel and Jean-Baptiste Saint-Louis.
The area around Square St-Louis quickly became THE place to live. Shortly after the park was built, magnificent houses began to spring up around it. These were the homes of the upper-middle-class French Canadians who could afford to build grand domiciles with a view of the square. Through the years, these ornate 19th century houses have also been favored by Montreal's artistic set, including writers,
poets, musicians, actors, film makers, and visual artists.
The homes are quite diverse. Some are decorated with delicate wrought iron trim, others boast Victorian "gingerbread", and still others are miniature adaptations of 17th century French castles. All are worth the time spent to explore them and you may even run into a Canadian celebrity or two.
A classic Victorian fountain sits in the middle of the square and sometimes serves as a place for eccentric locals to cool off. There's also a gazebo that currently serves as a snack bar.
Visiting the Square
While the homes that surround St. Louis Square are the number one reason to visit the park, those that hang-out there are another reason to make your way to this pretty square. While the
weekdays are pretty calm and the park is most often used by business people on their lunch hour or mothers taking their children for walks, in the evenings and on weekends, a variety of "characters" assume their spot in the park. (If you're bothered by a few homeless people and those who've had too much to drink, you should avoid the square on the weekends.)
The abundant benches throughout are the perfect place to spend some quiet time enjoying the sights and the sunshine. Spreading out on the grass to catch some rays is also commonplace. You may even catch a concert or two - planned or impromptu.
Sherbrooke (Orange line)


text:
Find and book great restaurantsFind a Restaurant
|4-12 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4PE
|020 3641 9313
|Price: £39.00
|Wine: £17.00
|Champagne: £48.00
|Opening Hours:
|Mon-Thurs 12N-3pm 5-11pm Fri-Sun 12N-12.30am (Sun -10.30pm)
This review hasn't been rated yet.
This place is good fun. The adults enjoyed playing with the interactive table just as much as the kids and the food was better than I had expected. It actually worked out fairly good value as you had a running total of the bill in front of you as you ordered, and also you could order little by little which is much better than over ordering when you arrive starving! The ribs were exceptional, the spicy aubergine also worth a mention. I would go back.


text:
The bluegrass festival at Graves Mountain Lodge is in full swing, but as bands take the stage, there's a lot more than good music on the table in Madison County.
County leaders say this festival brings many tourists to town. It's a three-day event featuring bluegrass music and food straight from the lodge dining room.
They say this is a weekend business owners in Madison County count on every year.
"It's huge because it affects our traveler spending, which affects our tax base, which helps our economy overall, and the people who live here," said Tracey Gardner of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce. "When they come through town they're not just going to Graves. Chances are they're getting gas here, they're eating food here and maybe not just at Graves."
One Madison County business owner says he sees business spike as much as 10 percent on this weekend.
You still have time to get out to the festival. It will go until around 10:00 Friday night and then there's a full slate of bands on the schedule for Saturday.
Sign up to receive NBC29 news and weather updates in your inbox daily.


text:
Beyonce Sued by Two Chicago Concert-Goers
Getting a front row spot at a Beyonce concert could be a dangerous fete, this according to two recent fans who were injured at the singer's Chicago gig.
Raquel Castellanos and Gabriella Davidson claim they were trampled, knocked unconscious, and left with broken bones after being pushed over by a "rushing mob" entering Bey's concert back on December 13, 2013.
"As the hours passed before the concert," reads the suit, "the group became larger, more dense and more anxious about how, when and where the gate(s) would be released and where ticket holders and fans were supposed to enter The United Center, none of which was explained."
After waiting, the entryway finally opened at 7 p.m., but according to Castellanos and Davidson, staffers at The United Center opened the gates "without instruction or any reasonable system to permit an orderly entrance."
The two women who are self-proclaimed "long time fans" of Beyonce are seeking an undisclosed amount in damages from the "Yonce" songstress, The United Center and Live Nation.
Otros artículos que te pueden gustar:
Fotos relacionadas
Vídeos relacionados


text:
Lincoln — With the weather getting colder, now is the time homeowners might find a few unexpected house guests.
Stephen Vantassel, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln program coordinator for the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, said this is a common time to see mice take up residence indoors.
The main reason that mice come into homes this time of year is to get warm, Vantassel said.
"Small animals spend a lot of energy trying to keep themselves warm," he said. "They are desperately looking for a warmer place to reduce their caloric needs."
All mice need to enter a home is a hole that measures three-eighths of an inch or larger. It is important to inspect the house for these openings and seal them, Vantassel said.
Mice can climb, so be sure to inspect the entire house, not just the foundation.
"Establish weed-free zones around the foundation," he said. Bird feeders should be monitored so that food does not spill out of them and attract mice.
Vantassel said there are ways to tell if mice are in your home before seeing them. Mice live in the walls of homes and people might be able to hear their vocalizations or may notice pets scratching at the walls before they actually see a mouse in person.
"If you are seeing a mouse in the living space running across the floor in the kitchen, chances are you've had mice for a while because mice will live in the walls long before they are exploring beyond them," he said.
To get rid of mice, Vantassel recommends setting at least a dozen traps, a higher number than most people would think to set.
"You want to make sure you are controlling them quickly and aggressively," he said.
For more information on how to control mice, visit the UNL Extension NebGuide "Controlling House Mice" available from a local extension office or online at: http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1105.pdf.
General and news information or questions:
Across the Midlands Information:
Comments: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: 308-743-2494
News Fax: 308-743-2660
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2014 WorldNow and NTV. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.


text:
Product Features
Get Print On Tap!
Simply Tap your mobile device to the Samsung Xpress C460W series to print virtually any content.
Print Wirelessly Share Anytime
Effortless mobile printing with impressive compatibility, optimized for any task or occasion.
Tech specs
- Print, Copy, Scan
- NFC, Mobile Print, WPS for Valuable Function
- Dual CPU (Main: 533MHz, Sub: 150MHz) Processor
- 2-Line LCD Display
- 128MB Memory
- Hi-Speed USB 2.0 / 10 / 100 Base Tx / Wireless 802.11b/g/n Interface
- 290Watts (Printing) / 60Watts (Standby) / 1.7Watts (Power Save), 2.5Watts (Power Save, Wi-Fi Direct on) Power Consumption
- Noise Level: Less than 46dBA (Color Printing), Less than 48dBA (Mono Printing) / Less than 52dBA (Copying)
- 406 x 362 x 288.6mm (16" x 14.3" x 11.4") Dimension (except paper tray)
- 12.82kg (28.26lbs) Weight
- Up to 20000 images Duty Cycle
- Speed (Mono): Up to 18ppm in A4 (19ppm in Letter)
- Speed (Color): Up to 4ppm in A4 (4ppm in Letter)
- First Print Out Time (Mono): Less than 14 seconds (From Ready Mode)
- First Print Out Time (Color): Less than 26 seconds (From Ready Mode)
- Up to 2400 x 600 dpi effective output(600 x 600 x 2bit) Resolution


text:
Reading List 2013
Dr. Albert Mohler's book is an excellent resource on preaching. He shows that contemporary preaching suffers from a loss of confidence in the power of the Word. He gives a view of preaching that is theologically profound and pastorally sensitive to today's pulpits. A must read for every preacher of the Word.
In Radical, David Platt invites you to encounter what Jesus actually said about being his disciple, and then obey what you have heard. He challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated a God-centered gospel to fit our human-centered preferences. With passionate storytelling and convicting biblical analysis, Platt calls into question a host of comfortable notions that are common among Christ's followers today. Then he proposes a radical response: live the gospel in ways that are true, filled with promise, and ultimately world changing.
John Maxwell takes readers through the Five Connecting Principles and the Five Connecting Practices of top-notch achievers. He believes that a person's ability to create change and results in any organization-be it a company, church, nonprofit, or even a family-is directly tied to the ability to connect. This is an excellent resource to fine tune your communication skills.
Dr. David Jeremiah has written a unique book that cuts through the hundreds of books and numerous theories to identify the essential 10 most important Bible prophecies. You'll find it a great study tool for understanding the future. If bible prophecy has always been a mystery to you, Dr. Jeremiah's book will help you solve the mystery.
Jerry Vines has written a book which presents the Genesis account of creation. In this book he shows that it is scientifically credible and fits the known facts of current scientific information. This book is an invaluable source for pastors, teachers, young people and all Christians who want to have information to assist them in their stand for creation.
Explore the entire New Testament in greater depth. This complete set of New Testament commentaries from the pen of expositor John Phillips will provide pastors, Sunday school teachers, and students of the Bible with doctrinally sound interpretation that emphasizes the practical application of Bible truth. Preachers especially will appreciate these commentaries as they provide a model and resource for sermons with an easy to follow outline.
Intellectually stimulating and personally relevant, this insightful series by John MacArthur is ideal for pastors, teachers, and laypeople alike. With practical illustrations and clear verse-by-verse bible exposition. Using a dispensationalist approach, his purpose is to provide life applications.
Here is the exciting truth of the New Testament Scriptures wrapped in the warm, personal style of one of America's best-loved Bible teachers - Dr. Warren Wiersbe. All twenty-three of Dr. Wiersbe's popular New Testament "BE" books are compiled in this volume set! Study the entire New Testament, from Matthew through Revelation, in digestible sections that emphasize personal application as well as biblical content.


text:
Category Archives: Fitness
November 22, 2011 What You Weighting For?
Brace yourself – this is going to be a long entry. However I've seen countless twitter updates and blog entries about the bathroom scales and their lack of honesty or more accurately, just how useless they are in determining fat loss and I've been meaning to put together a piece for quite some time now, unfortunately for those ADHD sufferers – it's not something I feel like I can brush over quickly…
Let me paint you a picture…
You've been training your tush off, yet according to your scales your tush doesn't seem to be actually going anywhere. Say, you're down to your last five kilos of fat loss to go and you hop on the scales one idle morning knowing in your heart of hearts that you've trained so hard and eaten the cleanest of foods but wait, WHAT THE FUCK?! You've gained weight?! How is that even possible? Why did this happen? "How am I going to get through the day without actually losing my marbles", you think.
And why wouldn't that be your thought process; it's depressing for even the strongest of us. You eat the right foods when everyone else is eating carb loaded processed garbage. When others go straight home after work to park their ass in front of their glorious 45inch plasmas and the newest episode of Gossip Girl, you head to the gym and train till you feel like you might collapse never finding out what actually happened with Blair and Chuck. On the weekends instead of going out drinking from Friday through to Sunday, like you used to do before your healthy conscience kicked your ass, you keep to the plan and you head back into that gym. In fact, you're in there enough that your own family sees you less than the staff at your gym does.
So what in god's name is going on with your body, huh? Better yet, what on earth is going on with your head? All these mind games can't be doing you any favours; in fact they are almost enough to make you want to give up all together and go back to your old boozehound ways (Hello Friday night drinks and Saturday 3am kebabs). I mean, why not? You've put so much work into this and you seem to be getting nowhere fast. What's the point?
Well, before you go to the nearest 7-11 and induce death by chocolate; ditch your fucking scales. Throw them from the greatest height and DO NOT LOOK BACK. Your scales are useless on your quest to transform and they are holding you back mentally in such a ridiculous manner that it likely will have a lovely side effect of holding you back physically too (We're all guilty of throwing in the towel a little and having things to eat we know we shouldn't or skipping training sessions if we just feel as though we're not getting anywhere).
But don't worry; you're not alone in this – I am speaking from great personal experience here… The scales have been my best friend and worst enemy for many years; some times they are the same thing at once. I remember days when I used to weigh myself two or three times a day, and beat myself up emotionally when I was a kilo or two heavier at night than I was in the morning; even though in reality that would be exactly what would happen to anyone over the course of a day.
This is not a normal habit. This is something I was guilty of in the very worst of my days and it's not healthy. We are not on a quest to be skinny; we are on a quest to be fit and healthy. If you think that playing mind games between yourself and the scales is a good idea, you couldn't be more wrong. What's the point in putting so much effort into bettering yourself only to be so demotivational?.
So why should you ditch the scales? Other than the reasons I've given you so far…Well we all KNOW muscle weighs more than fat. We also know that training in the gym is not going to get you to lose muscle, so the more you train – the more muscle you gain, now let's put two and two together and that would explain a lack of decrease in your scale numbers. But for some of us that logic just isn't enough to break a habit we've probably had since the day we learnt what the word calorie meant.
Let me tell you a personal story to prove a point…
I'd been saying to myself all year that I want to hit under the 60kg mark. If I didn't get there; I was writing myself off as a failure. I started the year at about 67kgs and recently I actually got down to 60.5kg. Exciting, right? ALMOST THERE. I was overjoyed. I loved what I saw when I looked in the mirror, everything fit better, everything suited me – I was smiling constantly. Until my next weekly weigh in (yes, I had enforced a once a week and no more rule) where I expected to be under the 60kg mark, but instead it clocked me in at 63.5kgs. You can imagine the fury, in fact I think you could almost see the steam coming out my ears and my eyes turning red the moment I stepped off the scales. I cried. I literally took one look in the mirror and decided that the body I saw was a totally different one to two or three minutes prior. I was now disgusting and embarrassed to leave the house. In my eyes I couldn't see the difference between 63.5kgs and 105kgs. How could I be so massive suddenly? I put on the loosest clothing imaginable and headed into work deciding that I wouldn't take these head games any longer. I just couldn't continue to be so reckless and allow my thoughts to be dictated by a number.
Jump back three months prior to this; I had had a Dexa Scan… I'd read about them online and I was interested in a method that would accurately gauge my weight loss as I deep down never really trusted those nasty scales (yes, I've always been aware they are stupid – yet for some reason have always aloud them to dictate my moods and self confidence). For those of you that aren't aware, a Dexa scan is an x-ray which determines exactly what your body is made up of, it will show you how much of your body is comprised of bones, what your bone density is like, how much is of you is made of muscle and how much is (insert cringe) fat. But more than that, it takes into account water retention; it shows your symmetry (ever wondered which leg is bigger than the other or if your right arm has more muscle than your left? Wonder no more). I went into see Dr Jarrod Meerkin at Measure Up in Sydney where he politely asked me to jump up on this very modern looking bench which would scan over my body as I lay still and a few minutes later gave me a detailed description of what was actually going on. Easy. He would even give me an idea of how many calories I should consume a day and what my macronutrients should be according to my goals.
So when three months later I had my princess moment with the scales I decided enough was enough; if I was gaining fat I needed to know and I needed to change whatever it was that wasn't working.
Luckily for my sanity, Jarrad had availability that day at lunch for a follow up scan, I held my breath, crossed my fingers and pray to God, Allah and Buddah that there was something wrong with my scales and my efforts had actually resulted in a loss not a gain.
What I found out that day was that my weight had in fact gone up, KILL ME NOW, right? No. My weight had gone up but my body fat had decreased by several kilos and a total of 4%. The increase in weight was caused by a significant increase in muscle mass (well, what do you know? All that weight training and I'd gotten bigger muscles – one would think I could've put that together on my own).
Not only that but my body had evened out and become completely symmetrical when before I was holding a lot more fat on the right leg and arm.
So essentially what I had been doing was working, and working really well. My goals were to increase muscle mass and decrease fat, which I had done and very successfully over the course of 12 weeks. Not only that but as I had increased muscle, my body was burning a greater number of calories daily all on it's own (this is why you want to weight train ladies; muscle BURNS fat. It's like the Rock/Paper/Scissors of body sculpting).
At the end of the day we need to realize that the number on your scales is not going to really indicate what is going on with your body at all. If you're like me and you have 5kgs or so left of fat to lose then you aren't really even going to see these numbers shift at all; you might spend months training weights and cardio and stay at the same weight and yet completely decrease your body fat percentage and your actual shape will change all together.
It comes down to remembering that your health and peace of mind is more important than your body fat percentage too though. More importantly than your quest for weight loss is your health, and that includes the way you perceive yourself in the mirror and inside your mind. What my experience taught me is that patience is a virtue and whilst I have very little patience, I need to work on developing that as at this point in my journey, things take a long time. I will likely not notice results in the mirror that I look at EVERY day and the way I feel, be it grumpy or elated, will always dictate the reflection that I see staring back at me.
So let's all make a pact now to get rid of those bathroom scales because they lie more than your ex-boyfriend. And let's spend time enforcing positive affirmations and working on body confidence. Make your goals about training rather than about your body, aim to achieve a faster time in your running, or a greater weight lifted… and let go of your weight loss nonsense but remember to eat clean and train hard and rest in the faith that you are doing ALL that you can; because when push comes to shove, that's exactly all you can do. Be your best and be patient and in three months time, then look at your results. They might surprise you.
Tags: bathroom scales, body composition, dexa, fat, gain, motivation, muscle mass, muscle weighs more than fat, nutrition, scales, training, weigh in, weight loss
- 10 comments
- Posted under Fitness, Health, Journal, Nutrition
November 9, 2011 Cheating Without Cheating: Part 2 – Protein Pancakes
I've not got a sweet tooth generally. I do have a salty-oily-cheesy-greasy-anything savoury tooth though… but since I've been cutting out a lot of nonsense from my diet and staying high protein / low carb I've needed to find delicious alternatives to bad foods so that I stay relatively sane and don't feel like I'm always missing out.
That said I've acquired quite the pancake fetish over the past few weeks, and who'd have thunken I could enjoy the little golden drops of goodness without stacking on the kilos AND still meeting my macronutrient requirements for the day?
WELL I CAN, dammit. So you should be able to as well… It's not like it's a big secret and it's quite freaking easy to make as well (this is the key when sticking to a nutritional plan-more on this later- easy recipes that are quick to chuck together keep you satisfied and out of the kitchen away from the snacks)
So here you are – this recipe (for me) will make 4 little pancakes, which I think is 2 servings… I will say that you can add a 1/4 or even 1/3 cup of quick oats or ground oats to fluff them up and YES it tastes nicer but if you're having them later on at night or you're already to high on your daily carb intake – they don't NEED to have oats in them to cook…
What you need:
1 scoop of protein (pick your flavour – I use Banana Cream GNC Whey)
2 Egg Whites
50g of Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoons Almond Milk (You can use regular milk, it's your choice)
Mix together, blend if you have one, it'll stop lumping – and then cook them up in a pan… You'll need to watch them like a hawk because you don't want to overcook or burn them as they dry up real quick but when you get the hang of it they are fluffy gorgeous little treats.
Serving Suggestions:
You can add fruit, I like raspberries on top, chopped banana, chopped almonds or walnuts, whatever you like.
Queens Sugar Free Maple Syrup is low in calories as is Light Whipped cream but I truly emphasise that you use sparingly if you're cutting – however if you're just trying to just make better food choices – these are still better alternatives to fucking chocolate bars.
Let me know how you go with these, if you feel like they don't cook right or they are perhaps a tad too dry for your liking — definitely add the oats…
These work as a delicious breakfast or alternative to protein shakes if you can't stomach those bad boys, but keep in mind that the toppings you use negate the actual health factor of the pancakes themselves.
Nutritional Stats: (Without Oats)
Per Serve (Recipe makes 2 serves or 4 pancakes)
Calories: 103
Carbs: 5grams
Fat: 2grams
Protein: 18grams
Whilst the photo up top is not pancakes I've prepared – CMON GUYS THE BLOGS GOTTA LOOK PRETTY – this is a legitimate photo of my breakfast today… So no, protein recipes don't have to be grosse and second rate to the usual foods, keep that in mind ;) Eating well doesn't have to be like pulling teeth…
Tags: almonds, banana, body building, calories, carbohydrates, casein, clean eating, clean eats, cooking, cottage cheese, fat, fats, gnc, lean, nutritional, protein, protein pancakes, raspberries, recipes, whey
- 6 comments
- Posted under Fitness, Food, Health, Nutrition, Recipes, Supplements
November 8, 2011 The Past, Present and Future… Who Am I?
So we all know I love to train. Train, train, train, eat and sleep. That's pretty much the epitome of happiness right there for me.
But why do I train so hard? Awwh, man don't ask big questions… ;) I don't exactly know. At first I enjoyed getting in shape, then it became about being able to mould my body and the science behind fitness and nutrition being able to totally change your shape. Now I think one day, maybe, I'd like to do some fitness modelling – No, I don't mean that I would like to be some hot shot model, I just mean I'd love to be comfortable enough with my own body and proud of my accomplishments through training so hard that I want to show it off. So for now that's the goal. I'd like to push myself to my limits and train like an actual boss always overloading and progressing further to see where this takes me but I'd really like to do some kind of amateur photo shoot stuff in about three to six months.
I've got a long way to go to get to where it is I want to be. But where was I before? Well that's the interesting part.
I used to weigh 85kgs. Lovely and fit. *Rolls eyes* I used to live off junk food, Maccas and KFC twice a day would not be out of the question. Not to mention numerous lovely sugary and salty (I was not exactly prejudice) snacks in between meals. I smoked like a chimney from the age 13 to December last year, that's 13 years in total. I used to drink tequila like it was going out of fashion (I'm not kidding, binge drinking was my Tuesday/Thursday/Friday and Saturday night favourite to-do's) and I wasn't exactly above abusing illicit substances.
It's been a couple of years now since I've lost majority of my weight, I was 70kgs at some point toward the end of 2010 and that's when I really started my training. I didn't lose all my weight from training like a gym beast, I wish I could say that I did but the amount of yo-yo dieting, diet pills and stupid fucking choices I have made to shift that weight only made me more determined these days and more understanding so when I do start Personal Training. I figure there will be hardly anything I don't understand when it comes to why people are the way they are and the lengths people go to to shift weight. I'm also now keenly aware of how much better life in general can be with fitness and nutrition being a big part of your day to day life. I even advocate fitness over anti-depressants. Having suffered a ridiculous strain from depression that medicine never did one 1000th of what working out can do for your mind, body and soul.
After a couple of months of running consistently every morning (I'm not even kidding when I say I had to start with C25k app to even get running in the first place) I then suffered an intense knee cartilage injury that I wrote about earlier this year on here… For quite some time I couldn't walk properly, let alone train and my doctors performed ultrasounds and x-rays and told me it might be appropriate to prepare myself for the reality of not training anymore. That was January this year. At that point I was about ready to give the fuck up. It was all so hard. It wasn't until about mid-March that I was able to make the move back into training and so realistically I've only been doing this since then. My progression feels so slow but looking back on how far I've actually come in the space of about eight months, I have to really pat myself on the back.
I had a Dexa scan when I started to get really serious about training three months ago and have since dropped 4% body fat percentage, dropped kilos of fat mass and I'm building a great base of muscle mass. I am pretty proud of how quickly it's coming along, though now I'm really wanting to lean out and further drop my body fat. That's the goal.
So, without further adieu; here's an old photo of me a couple of years back with my Dad over the holidays, it's not the best quality photo and probably doesn't emphasise just how big I was – but I've made damn sure there aren't many photos of me at this size floating around, this one happened to have slipped in amongst some family photos my grandma was busted showing my fiancée (Yes, thanks heaps Grandma)….
And here are some current pictures of myself, as I've noticed that I frequently post about my progress or my fitness goals without actually holding myself accountable or even posting pictures of myself for you (whoever you are) to see…
Hopefully over the next few months I can get a little closer to this amazingness, which is my goal body…
I know that this is barely brushing the surface of my journey with fitness and why I do this stuff and what I want to do in the future but I hope it helps you to understand me better and possibly inspire you to push yourself and more than anything I hope being open about this inspires me to push myself even harder than before…
You just do what you can.
Tags: alcohol, binge, body fat, composition, dexa, diet pills, drinking, fitness, gym, healthy, junk food, loss, muscle, nutrition, progress, progress pictures, smoking, unhealthy, weight, weight loss
November 1, 2011 Product Review: Muscle Pharm Assault – Orange and Mango
If you've been following me on twitter, you would see the numerous posts I make about BodyBuilding.com orders literally robbing me blind. Let's face it; it's not like it's expensive, in fact I lovelovelove bodybuilding.com for all my supps as the American Dollar is so spot on with our currency at the moment and when you add the postage costs, it's still cheaper to shop online than it is to buy in almost any store within Australia that I've ever seen.
That said you are unable to ship quite a great deal of products from the US to Australia due to custom restrictions (usually this only applies to the stronger stuff that may be illegal here).
I'm not an advocate of having to do everything au natural; though I completely admire the persistance of those who are… I enjoy a little buzz through my workouts and a preworkout stim is more than welcome on the days I feel a little left of centre and have to get through a gruelling workout. I figure that plenty of people also feel this way but have never tried a pre workout supplement due to the intimidating nature and the somewhat masculine vibe that these products are marketed towards.
I never really thought much about trying a pre workout supp because they all are packaged a little scarily if you ask me and there are numerous whispers about them making you massive if you're a girl (yawn, so sick of hearing this excuse) but when my partner ordered Jack3d I thought it was worth giving it a shot.
Personally I didn't love Jack3d. The grape flavour was nice a few times over but after a while it got a bit sickly. I hope that I change my mind about it as I have two remaining tubs to get through at home. I've also tried 1MR; in my personal opinion this stuff is the worst thing I could've put into my body. I burnt up with a fever, my skin went patchy and sunburn red all over and I couldn't even get through my workout because of how sick I felt and I crashed so hard a couple of hours later.. I didn't like how unclean this product felt to me.
MusclePharm Assault is a N.O (Nitric Oxide) supplement which is used primarily to push you harder through your workouts and it also contains BCAA's which promote faster recovery time. You can learn more (and I suggest you definitely do educate yourself before trying any supplement) about Nitric Oxide supps here.
When bodybuilding.com offered a free multivitamin stack with their Muscle Pharm Assault, the boy and I decided to go in on a tub to trial together and see what we thought. Let me just say that the orange and mango flavour (exclusive to bodybuilding.com) is easily the yummiest flavoured preworkout supp that I've ever tried. Half a scoop and half an hour later, I was buzzing like an over excitable bumble bee.
I wouldn't take it before every workout; but that's personal preference, I think that these sorts of products are better on special occassions and not to allow your body to adjust or get used to continuously taking them.
I also think it is worth pointing out that there are calories and a few grams of carbs in this supplement that I didn't honestly notice when we ordered it, I think if you're going hard enough in the gym to need to use a preworkout than you shouldn't be too concerned about this but if you are on a cut you might be interested to take note of that fact…
I've added the details of the key ingredients below for you to check out also… But if you're looking for something to give you that edge in the gym than this product could definitely be it. The benefits of a pre workout are numeral but make sure that you research what you want out of it, this particular product does contain creatine which is known to create water retention but I've honestly got no problem with the small amount that it might hold onto – you personally might want to take it into account depending on your goals.
You can order MusclePharm Assault here on BodyBuilding.com.
Tags: 1mr, assault, bcaa, body building, bodybuilding.com, fitness, gym, jack3d, mango, muscle, muscle pharm, n.o, nitric oxide, no2, orange, pre workout, stim, supplements, workout
- 4 comments
- Posted under Fitness, Reviews, Supplements
October 22, 2011 A Pictures Worth A Thousand Words
June 27, 2011 Extreme Week Update
Last time I checked in I spoke about my extreme training week; you can see the details here… In short I basically challenged myself to attempt to preform 8 training sessions in a week.
Why? Let's face it, I love to eat. I don't love to diet (I hate this word more than you can possibly imagine – but more on that later) or restrict myself, don't get me wrong I eat clean and love to do so… I'm always trying to find new ways to prepare healthier dishes, but at the end of the day if it means the difference between having dinner with a little sweet potato, or a light creamy sauce (extra kilojoules) I'd much prefer to do that than eat a bland combination of protein and vegetables with no flavour – I'd rather just work out harder than tell myself I'm not aloud to have certain things.
It's a lifestyle choice, you can choose to constantly restrict yourself to lose the weight but you're also setting yourself up for failure. Or for a competition body; and that sort of thing comes with knowing more about your body than most people ever discover in a lifetime so that really isn't what I'm talking about. Women that compete are so in tune with their figures and diets and training schedules that it isn't about weight loss so much as it is an art form – what I'm talking about is day to day loss.
My extreme week was hard, by Friday I wasn't sure I would get through it – I thought I'd torn my rotator cuff – turned out it was more of a simple injury *thank fuck* but it meant I had to switch my rest days over, one day off and a lot of painkillers later and I was through the 8 sessions.
In the clear.
And what came from this was something more appealing than I could've ever expected. The week went so quick, and I've never been so exhausted but it was rewarding on many levels.
I was mentally clearer than ever, happier, I pushed myself harder than ever in my training sessions – even though I did twice as much, session wise, I also did twice as much, effort wise.
Not to get TMI on you guys, but it was even rewarding in the bedroom.
Funnily enough; instead of let myself rest after getting through it I've decided to do it all over again, harder this time. More intense sessions than before.
The pay off was well worth it- I'm currently at the lowest weight I've been in years and the definition in my body has changed entirely over the past week, muscles I didn't know existed are making appearances. There is even a little two pack appearing in my abdominal area (YOU WILL BE A SIX PACK BY SUMMER! In the meantime though I'm enjoy the fact I have my own personal tupac, geddddit!? Ohhhh, I kill me).
Cannot wait to see my results in a months time. I can only hope you guys are getting as much out of your training as I am and if not; maybe it's time you ask yourself why you're flatlining and you shake it up?
My advice though, for anyone else trying to get through a heavy week of training like I did is to fully commit to it with planning – both nutrition and exercise, write your schedule and know your macro nutrient needs. I would've died if I didn't have the amount of protein I was getting last week. And without proper planning it can be hard to ensure you get your daily needs especially when training at a high intensity.
I'm going to start posting more on this site, I'm obsessed with taking photos of my meals and I want to start to share that stuff with you guys too.
Til next time, train hard, play hard…
Image Source: Courtesy of www.crossfitfeelgood.com.au/
Tags: classes, consistency, definition, fitness, game, gym, meals, motivation, muscle, nutrition, schedule, training
- 2 comments
- Posted under Fitness, Health, Journal, Running
June 18, 2011 Difficult takes a day, Impossible takes a week (My training schedule)
The goal for me right now is a certain body fat percentage and muscle tone.. I also want to increase my fitness levels and push myself harder. The more I study and learn about the human body the more I want to look after mine.
Having been back in training for a couple of months since my injury I'm holding steady pace and seeing crazy results.
But recently I've been off to Melbourne and enjoyed my holidays thoroughly having time off my training and having some alcohol and loads of indulgent foods. This was a bit of a stop in results as far as training is concerned… Before this I was on a low-cal diet and training 5 days a week, since then I've even upped my calories again from 1300 back to 1500-1700 to increase energy when I returned so my training would get stronger again (I started to lack energy on such low calories). This week I want to find out what sees more results and better pay off – more training and more eating vs less training and less eating.
I've done the less training (5 sessions a week) less eating (1300cals a day) and now it's time to see what happens when I have more workouts (8 sessions a week) and more eating (1500-1600 cals).
I have a full time job and study to keep up with at the moment so adding 8 workout sessions for the week is fucking insanity. I don't even think I can do it, I've probably never done it before (don't forget guys; former fatty, smoker, drinker, exercise hater here!!!) but let's challenge me. Let's see what I can get done, here's the mock up schedule..
Sunday: 8:30am Boxfit 45mins
Monday morning: 20mins cardio only. Home gym or running outdoors.
Monday night: Cross Training @ Gym -1hr
Tuesday morning: Off
Tuesday night: Abs and Core class @ Gym -1hr
Wednesday morning: Cardio, Strength Training: Shoulders & Back – Home Gym
Wednesday night: work dinner then Yoga @ Gym 1hr
Thursday- Day off
Friday morning- off
Friday night- Boxfit class @ gym with Strength Training: Arms & Chest
Saturday – Strength Training – Legs, outdoors long distance jog
Sunday- Day Off.
I might switch one workout so I only have 1 day off and spread stuff out more but I'll take it as it comes.
Who thinks I can get through this challenge???
June 12, 2011 Peanut Butter & Caramel Protein Ice Cream Recipe
Okay so I've been finding it hard to squeeze in the abundance of protein I need to get through the day. Well, it's not that hard but the truth is I tend to gravitate towards carby substances and let's face it; we all love sweets more than we should. Even the cleanest of clean eaters has a weak spot.
But fuck that; no more will satisfying my sweet tooth make me a fatty. I have concocted a recipe for protein ice cream. It's so good in fact that I don't want normal icecream in comparison.
And you can make it yourself because I'm lovely and wish to share my recipe with you…
*3 tblspn of Sugar Free Caramel Syrup – Gloria Jeans
*3 packets of Stevia (equivalent 6 teaspoons of sweetener)
*1 tblspn of Peanut Butter (I used a smooth consistency p.b, crunchy would work too)
*1 tspn of Vanilla Extract
*1 tub of Fat Free cottage cheese
Add everything into the blender and whizz it up till you get a really good consistency, similar to soft serve ice cream. Add into a tupperware container and freeze for minimum 1 hour. I left it in there for 3 hours and it's a bit hard so next time I'll try something different. I also am not going to use Peanut Butter next time as it seems to be adding unnecessary fats/carbs but I don't know how it'll taste without it. The finished product reminds me of a Peanut Butter cheese cake if that's even possible. Try it, let me know what you think. I'm sure there is a million other ways to serve this (I'm thinking lemon juice, strawberries instead of PB and Caramel) and I'm going to find out all of them this week by experimenting.
Nutritional Value of entire recipe (serves 2-4):
Calories: 340
Protein: 34.3grams
Carbs: 20.0grams*
Fat: 14.0grams*
*Recipe without P.B is 31.2g protein, 13g carbs, 6.2g fat.
- 3 comments
- Posted under Fitness, Food, Health, Recipes
June 12, 2011 Gym Classes vs. Solo Sessions
I rarely go to classes. In fact; I've probably only ever been to a handful of gym classes in my life. I'm very content to slug it out solo…
One of my girlfriends at work spends an incredible amount a week on a Personal Trainer and only ever goes to the gym when she is attending a class; mind you she goes to the gym 6 plus times a week so there's no lack of motivation whatsoever.
I find myself wondering what I don't fancy about classes. Am I intimidated to get out there amongst other people of all fitness levels? Am I not pushing myself quite as hard as I could be? Or am I pushing myself harder and training correctly by isolating groups and scheduling rest days rather than attempting classes every day that allow no recovery time on certain body parts?
So I put it to you fitness junkies; what do you like better – what are the pro's and con's of each?
This week I am signing back up at my local gym as I feel our apartment complex gym allows only so much as far as strength training and general repetition goes (I am truly sick of the tiny space and staring at the wall when I'm on the treadmill – gimme a fucking television up in this bitch! I spend so damn long in there!) and I will be pushing myself to try a new class each week – especially the ones I dread the most (yoga and pilates)… My body is desperately needing a good stretch out. I promise to let you know how it goes…
As far as my general routine is shaping up, I've come really far. My training has improved noticeably since I started back after my knee injury, and I have lost 4kgs since March. I know it's not as much as one could ask for but I'm going for all over results and muscle tone, not to drop weight instantly.
My most noticeable change though has been in my eating; I crave clean foods now and rarely even desire something sugary or unhealthy. The cleaner I get too the more I want to strip back anything bad for me. My skin is so grateful for this too.
Enough rambling from me, this entry has transpired into a terribly general update (please excuse my lack of posting, life has been so busy…) and it is time for my Sunday training session. Make sure you comment and let me know your thoughts on using trainers or classes vs slugging it out solo… I'm interested to hear your opinions.
- 4 comments
- Posted under Fitness, Food, Health
May 3, 2011 What's the purpose of all this?
So the other day on Twitter I asked people to suggest what they would like to see more of on my blog, the lovely Jessie suggested that I supply details of my training schedule.
It made me realise that the reason I love reading blogs like MeVsTheBulge (Amanda's weight loss blog and in my opinion, one of the best blogs around) is because of the familiarity surrounded her entries. The way she makes herself very easy to connect with and the complete and utter exposure she undertakes to see through her goals. I'm not of that nature, I envy the ability she has to really strip down bare (literally, if you see her latest bikini post) and tell the world of the internet exactly what her goals are and her current situation. Part of me thinks that it would be very helpful when attempting to reach targets, but I'm a very private person in certain aspects and the gusto that I need to post bikini shots of myself on the internet does not exist within me. I have decided however that I would like to post something about my training and my goals in a much more generalised nature.
Alot of people have asked me lately what I'm training so hard for. I guess I don't have a deliberate answer for this. I would love to move into the Fitness industry, but to be the best I can be in that industry I'd need to feel as though I practice what I preach, that I can hold it down with the clients I would take on. I also am really keen on running a marathon soon, but with my knee injury from early this year my fitness levels had depleted and in all honesty, I am not sure my injury is repaired enough yet to sustain such distance events. What I do know is that I long ago stopped training to get a killer body, and started training first and foremost to improve my athletic abilities. I think I'd love to be able to compete one day, but I've got to reach my first goal and take it from there.
Don't get me wrong, I've got a current goal with weight loss and body fat percentages, this is a vain activity on it's own. But I do exercise to push myself to limits and test myself each day as opposed to doing it because I think my stomach is not flat enough.
So here it is, my goals, my training schedule and my nutrition, in brief… I will go into it in more detail over the next few weeks as I work towards this goal. The plan is to regularly update and speak more freely about what I'm working towards so please try not to get too sick of me.
- First point:
- -4.06kgs
- Second Goal:
- -5.99kgs
This isn't because I want to be a skinny little thing, this gets me to a certain body fat percentage that should be exactly right for my frame and keeping me totally toned at the same time. This goal means nothing to me if I reach it and have no muscle definition. The idea is to strip down this body fat in order to look as toned and tight as possible.
How I'll reach this:
I have allowed myself 12 weeks time to reach this point. This should be more than sufficient amount of time.
I'm aiming to stay below 1500 calories a day. I've tried going lower and it's not maintainable in reality, nor is it something I can sustain when I'm working out as often and as hard as I am. I get sick really easily so restricting calorie intake below 1500 usually just causes trouble.
The 1500 calories are made up of:
Protein: 146grams
Carbohydrates: 131grams
Fat: 43grams
This section probably won't interest anyone too much, it's really hard to get exact numbers of course – but I try to plan as much as possible. If I get a little muddled I lean towards a higher protein measurement than that of fat or carbs. As far as carbs go I never eat anything 'white' (bread, pasta, flour), always wholemeal and preferably with grain/seed, I chose low GI foods. Oven baked sweet potato is one of my very favourite things so I don't find it hard to choose wisely.
I'm in the gym 6 mornings a week. I'm not going to list all my workouts in detail, just how I section things off. I try to do as much compound exercise as possible, really restricting the amount of isolated work that I do when lifting weights. Basically this means that I try workout more than one muscle group at a time, it has far better results for me. That said, I structure my days so that I'm working on a particular muscle group each day, leaving plenty of time for recovery.
Day 1: Glutes, Hamstrings, Abs and Cardio.
Day 2: Back, Yoga and Heavy Cardio.
Day 3: Arms, Chest and Abs. No cardio.
Day 4: Quads, Calves, Abs and Cardio.
Day 5: Shoulders and Heavy Cardio.
Day 6: Pure Cardio.
I have a Polar FT7 which I basically couldn't live without, it tells me my calories burnt per session. I have a target calorie amount, but honestly I don't always hit it. It's hard to reach when you only have an hour and after that you have to go to work. If I could just stay home all day….. *dreaming*
As far as cardio is concerned I switch up between the treadmill/rowing machine/exercise bike or just running outdoors. Heavy cardio signifies days where I will use a heavier resistance or interval training. On full cardio days I will go for a long run.
Alot of what I do in the gym is weight lifting, I started off lifting decent amounts at higher reps, but I have changed things up and am currently lifting heavy on lower amounts of reps.
This plan isn't neccessarily for everyone but lifting heavy is something I really enjoy and I'm getting closer and closer to being able to lift as heavy as the Boy (even if he tells me that is 'uncool' I'm pretty stoked on the idea).
So there you have it. That's my little plan. On top of that I fit in 40 hours of full time work and 12 hours of study minimum a week. As you can imagine, I'm pretty fucking tired by the end of it.
What is your training schedule like ? Do you have goals / targets? Please share.
Tags: abs, arms, BMR, calories, carbohydrate, cardio, chest, cycling, fat, fitness, glutes, hamstring, health, legs, macro, macronutrients, protein, RMR, rowing, running, shoulder, weight lifting, weight loss, womens fitness
- 7 comments
- Posted under Fitness, Health, Running