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You need to be a certified diver to participate in this course, or you need to have a referral form.
Are you a certified scuba diver but you haven't dived for a while? You might have forgotten some of the important aspects of scuba diving. Don't worry, we are here to help. The PADI Refresher Course has been especially designed with you in mind.
With this refresher we will have you back in tip-top shape in no time and soon you'll be ready to get back into the water with confidence.
This course covers all the essentials to get you back in the saddle so to speak, such as the theory that you would have learned in your Open Water Course as well as a practical pool dive.
We meet at the Into the Blue Scuba Dive Centre in Cape Town at 09h15. Participants can expect to be finished by around 4pm.
We run this course 7 days a week from our Cape Town Scuba Dive Centre.
If there are any other skills that you would like to refresh, we would be glad to assist you.
The first thing we do is to have a quick look at your theory again. This is mostly done in the form of a quiz. There is also time for questions and answers before we actually go scuba diving!
Once we are finished with your theory, we get into the swimming pool. Here we go through the same skills that you did for your Open Water. You will be surprised how easily it all comes back to you! Safety is key in scuba diving, so we will run through all the relevant gear checks poolside.
If there is any particular skill that you feel you would like some extra help with, we would be happy to spend as much time as you need on this skill.
Back to the real deal – diving in the ocean! This portion of the day is optional, but is the most fun part for most of our refresher students. You now have the option to choose one of our many fun dives to try out your newly practised skills. This could take the form of a nature, seal, wreck or shark dive (excludes Great White Shark cage diving) around Cape Town.


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1892-12-20 (130lbs) Young Griffo w pts 12 (20) Jerry Marshall, Darlinghurst Skating Rink, Sydney, Australia
1892-12-20 (130lbs) Young Griffo w pts 12 (20) Jerry Marshall, Darlinghurst Skating Rink, Sydney, Australia. Referee: Mr Reynolds. Despite initially being made at 126lbs it was Griffo's 130lbs world title claim that was up for grabs in this one after he came in almost two pounds over the weight and did not look to be in the best of condition. Well contested, neither man got the upper hand in what was a clever contest throughout, but at the end of the 12th the police intimated that it had gone on long enough and asked the referee to decide on a winner. On announcing that Griffo had won the decision there were both groans and cheers; the general opinion being that Marshall had done as well as Griffo and a draw would have more acceptable. Marshall, who could have claimed the 126lbs title by forfeit, was so dissatisfied that he immediately challenged Griffo, £500 a side, anywhere outside Sydney and within a reasonable time.

subset: commoncrawl


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jack ketch?
- (Noun) a public executioner
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Parents: 1,000,000. Equanimity: 0.
A friend of mine recently said to me: "Parents. They sure know how to push your buttons. Which makes sense: they installed them."
Uh, amen and shout that one from the rooftops.
I have four parents. They have nothing in common except a complete lack of boundaries and an innate inability to communicate in direct language. For this and many other reasons (admittedly not all having to do with my parents) I now live 3,000 miles away from where they are clustered in rural Western Massachusetts.
Now, my parents, they are really good people. I love them. My mom is a hardworking restaurant owner. My stepfather (long divorced from my mom) is a chef. My dad is a retired carpenter and musician. My stepmother is a housekeeper. They are salt of the earth sorts with genuine hearts. I look forward to spending time with them — once a year.
But it's amazing to me how, despite my eager attempts to drop my expectations by the wayside when they visit, I always end up disappointed and frazzled. As an aspiring Buddhist, I am dismayed at how reactive I get when they push my buttons. I don't even know how they do it, quite honestly. One minute I am being the perfect, equanamous daughter; the next I am screaming.
Here, for instance, is a recent exchange with my father, out visiting for five of the longest days of my life:
Setting: A windy, steep part of Route 1 with a stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean. I am driving my Subaru station wagon in the rain.
My father: JESUS CHRIST WILL YOU SLOW DOWN YOU'RE GOING TO GET US KILLED!!!
Me, in flat, emotionless tone: I am going 17mph.
My father: YOU JUST ALMOST DROVE OFF THE ROAD THERE!!!!!
Me, increasingly dejected but spookily calm: I didn't.
My father: TURN AROUND RIGHT NOW!!! THIS IS DANGEROUS!
Me, calling on all my inner reserves and causing my tongue to bleed for the biting: This is a one-lane, one-way road and we're already almost at the end of it.
My father: JESUS CHRIST IF YOUR STEPMOTHER WAS HERE SHE'D BE HIDING ON THE FLOOR OF THIS CAR!!!
Me, losing my sh*t: WILL YOU PLEASE STOP! YOU ARE MAKING ME ANXIOUS!!!
Ten minutes later, my father: Well, this certainly is beautiful. I'm so glad we came here.
I've noticed that I'm not alone. A lot of my friends have similar relationships with their parents. And interestingly, their parents always strike me as model human beings when I meet them. Last summer, I met Vanessa's mom. I found her sweet and charming. But when I told Vanessa this, ("Dude, you're mom is so sweet!") she (or really, whoever) stabbed me through the heart with her eyeballs. Which is how I feel, exactly, when my friends say, for example: "Your father is not nearly as bad as you made it seem."
Yes, he is that bad. And so are my mom/stepfather/stepmother. And so am I. Because we are our worst selves around each other. I, for one, am a seven-year-old again. A spiteful, bratty, temperamental seven-year-old with zero patience and limited compassion. How does this happen?
I've been a practicing yogi for over fifteen years. I actually taught yoga for close to a decade. I have an on/off meditation practice. I've sat through weeklong silent mindfulness retreats. I did the Landmark Forum. I've consulted repeatedly with a shamanic healer known for being able to clear generational angst from one's psyche. I've been in traditional therapy. I've adopted a forgiveness practice. I've practiced metta. I was a waitress, for Godsakes. I know how to keep my cool.
Every time a visit looms, I brace myself to set proper expectations (in other words, none) and to re-calibrate my reactivity to it's most possible low. But give me a few days with a parent, and that all goes out the window. Once again I become a reactive child with anger issues and an inability to talk about my feelings.
I had a recent exchange with one of my parents that shed a little bit of light on this dynamic.
Without getting into the gory details, let's just say that I had an opportunity to stand up for something I needed. It was a boundary-tunity. I took my time crafting a well-worded email that would—I hoped—sound firm and clear, yet kind and loving. I was proud of myself for choosing to be clear about my needs rather than simply cave in to what was expected of me. However, it did not go well. The parent in question did not like my sudden acquisition of the word "no" and shot down my empowered moment with a wounded, defensive reply. Which, naturally, made me feel like a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad daughter.
In the end, though, I once again realized humbly that I am only in charge of myself, and what other people think of me, well, it's none of my business, and it's certainly out of my dharmic realm to control.
Incorrect source, offensive, or found a typo? Email us (please put title in subject bar of email so we'll be able to fix). Or do you want to write for Elephant?
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16 Responses to "Parents: 1,000,000. Equanimity: 0."
Love this! And I'm totally stealing my new favorite word from this: boundary-tunity. Awesome work, as usual, Joslyn!
Hi Joslyn, I enjoyed reading your article… You mention the word opportunity which is great.. I have written a fair bit about that in my blog (www.mindbodysoulforever.com) lately… At the end of the day, that is the best way to look at everything in life – opportunities for further awareness, opportunities for further growth to take place and opportunities for us to practice…
Thanks again
As always, awesome.
Love it! Perfect timing, Joslyn, as we journey through the holiday season, working hard NOT to have expectations. And LOL on the exchange between you and your father in the car. When my dad was teaching me how to drive stick-shift he called me a shit head. As I remember it, it was because I was afraid to cross a highway from the stop sign. As he remembers it, I slammed on the brakes at the stop sign.
My mother teaching me to drive a stick was a major in low point in our relationship as well. I remember stalling in the major of an intersection, frozen in panic and crying and refusing to drive any farther. Come to think of it, things went pretty much the same way when she tried to teach me to ride a bike.
Hi Joslyn,
Perfect timing indeed! I am staying with my mother this month and definitely feeling those buttons. Maybe I'll write about it, in writing it is funny and we can have a laugh about it. In the moment, however, not so funny.
Happy Holidays! Helene
Joslyn, what a great article! Even though I only live 40 miles away, my parents are getting older and I'm thinking I might have to move to the same town to better support them. Of course, the thought comes up that if I move in with them, I will save tons of money, but the second thought is the true cost of saving that money (I can hear my sister laughing as I write!)
[…] Parents: 1,000,000. Equanimity: 0 and The Plague of Woo Woo both by Joslyn Hamilton. […]
This is a great article. I laughed out loud several times as I can completely relate. Thank you for making mr not feel so bad!
[…] […]
[…] […]
OMG, yes!! This perfectly describes the button pushing that goes on when I am around my family. I'm curious to know how you managed to get your cross country family visits down to one without reactions from your 4 parents, or did they react. I too, live 3000 miles away from my 2 parents who are in eastern Masschusetts. Excellent article, Joslyn! By the way, I am learning to say No also and the backlash I get from people used to my just going along with them is so extreme. I wonder how two year olds do it (learn to say No successfully). Thanks!!!


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New Years Eve 2013
This photo is awaiting approval and will be posted soon.
Play our fun game and find out if the one you like likes you back. Confide in us if you think you'd hit it off by clicking: Yes, No, or Maybe. We'll anonymously find out and let you know if the feeling is mutual. You have nothing to lose!
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You've already said Maybe. If you've changed your mind, let us know. If you say Yes, we'll anonymously find out if the feeling is mutual. You have nothing to lose!
You both said YES! The feeling is mutual. Now the rest is up to you! Say Hi and get the conversation started.
I am looking for my LAST FIRST DATE!!! Are you the special connection to make that happen? I was married 22-years, have a son now living in Idaho, and 3 grandkids. I am comfortable sitting in front of the fireplace, watching TV, listening to music, reading a book, or working a project at home. I enjoy spending time in the city going to movies, plays, dining out, wine tasting, or just going to the beach. Taking a drive up the coast is always great, especially sharing it with someone special. I enjoy camping although been several years but enjoy being outdoors. I am honest, have confidence in myself, polite, have a sense of humor, and am sensitive, known to cry on occasion. In addition, my age, weight and height are accurate and the pictures are current or annotated accordingly. I will show you my ID and bring a scale - hope you can say the same! So with that said, I really would appreciate the same honesty from you. Now retired, my career included working corporate levels directing several functions, always taking my responsibilities seriously and can be trusted. I am financially secure. I believe that I have a nice appearance, and have been told that I am very appealing to women – but that is in the eye of the beholder. Oh, did I mention that I am a chocoholic? Especially dark chocolate. I enjoy spending time with someone sharing the cooking and I do a pretty good job using the BBQ. I am a volunteer with a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to assist fire dept in disasters.
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Sometimes it is difficult to choose from the four options given, but there is usually one that fits better than the rest, or at least one that you could see yourself as more so than the others. If you're still unsure, try asking someone who knows you well, such as a parent or sibling. They can give clarity on areas of your personality that you may not notice.


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- Northern New York Newspapers
- Watertown
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- NNY Business
- NNY Living
- NNY Ads
NORFOLKArrangements for 101 year old Irene H. LaBarge, a resident of the St. Regis Nursing Home in Massena and formerly of Norfolk, are incomplete at this time with the Buck Funeral Home in Norfolk. Mrs. LaBarge passed away early Thursday morning at the nursing home. The Buck Funeral Home in Norfolk is serving the family of Irene H. LaBarge.
Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.
You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:


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The Chicago Cubs are Laughable Losers
So I really did try to think of something positive to say in this blog update but I could not find one positive thing that is going right for the Chicago Cubs. Defense, offense, pitching, everything absolutely sucks and you might as well be call this team the laughable losers. Dumb errors, terrible hitting, and costly wild pitches has this years Cubs and also their fans pulling their hair out. (If you actually have any left 2.5 months into this season)
This team might as well put a fork in the 2010 season in my opinion. There are rumors that Aramis Ramirez is breaking up the clubhouse and not even wanting to suit up as he sits on the disabled list. (A move that should have happened a month ago). You have the pitchers wondering when in the hell the offense is going to start hitting the ball instead of a bunch of single A players. Sorry pitchers, but these bats are cold and they are going to remain cold. Enjoy trying to win games when you only have one or two runs on the scoreboard.
Before to long, you are going to have players wondering if they are going to get traded as the team slides down in the standings. Yes I'm talking about Derrek Lee (please waive that no-trade clause), Kosuke Fukudome, Tom Gorzelanny and Ryan Theriot. This could be the year that the Cubs and new management change the team and start building for the future once again. Because 2010 is not the Cubs year.
How much blame can you put on Lou Piniella? If you ask me a lot. If it is true that Aramis Ramirez and some of the other Latin players are in one group int he locker room and all the other guys in another group you have lose your clubhouse. If the club house is not one team, then you can not expect to win games. That all falls back on the manger and I have a feeling that Lou is just playing through the season before he leaves the city and says "Keep on Waiting Cubs Fans".
So Cubs fans, is the season over before the All-Star break? I've already gave in for the most part. Who's with me?


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The Tucson Jazz Society's spring series, Experience Jazz in a New Way, sponsored by Jack Furrier Tire and Auto Care, starts with jazz vocalist and bassist Kristin Korb, along with pianist Llew Mathews, on Friday, March 25, at the Westward Look Resort.
"We are thrilled to have Kristin and Llew, along with our own Pete Swan, to launch our spring series this year", says Rick Gregson, President of the Tucson Jazz Society. "We could not think of a better combination, to attract new fans to the jazz scene here in Tucson, then moving these concerts to Friday nights and having our first performance at the wonderful Westward Look Resort."
Kristin Korb is not just a singing bassist. She is a premier singer with a personal approach and a deep sense of swing. She transports you to other worlds with her ballads and she plays a nasty bass, too. While studying privately with jazz bass icon Ray Brown, he arranged for her first recording with his trio, Introducing Kristin Korb, on Telarc Records. Her release, In The Meantime, features her innovative arrangements of jazz standards with the help of jazz greats Bob Sheppard, Nick Mancini, Llew Matthews, Steve Barnes and Larry Koonse. When she's not on the road, Kristin is on the faculty at the University of Southern California and Azusa Pacific University.
Tucson Jazz Society, www.tucsonjazz.org


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For $275 they received 46 design concepts from 16 designers!
Over 40,000 of the world's best entrepreneurs and small businesses trust crowdSPRING with custom logo design, web design and writing services. 96% of them recommend that you try us too.Find out more
Starts:18-Oct-12 6:25 p.m. GMT
Ends:1-Nov-12 6:25 p.m. GMT
Award 1: $275, was awarded to Onedsgns
JPG, Vector EPS
Preview: crowdSPRING Contract
File 1: logo-01FB_1.jpg (672.1 KB)
Uploaded on 18-Oct-12 6:17 p.m. GMT
File 2: UClogo_1.jpg (52.1 KB)
Uploaded on 18-Oct-12 6:17 p.m. GMT
Uppercut Studio
We are a Production Company
Here are the style of sweatshirt we want designed:
Advertising and Marketing
Production Staff, Clients and Young People
Cool, Sporty, Cutting Edge
Clean, contemporary
Designer's choice
Designer's choice but maybe in the familial of black, yellows and browns. We are pretty open to new ideas.
Cutting Edge, Quality, High End, Innovative
They will be sent as gifts and used for marketing
Our website is www.thisisuppercut.com; feel free to include the website info in some hip way!
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Let us match you up with one of our very best Creatives and work 1-to-1 in complete privacy. You'll have all of the same tools and features as our regular projects!


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Kymco prides itself on prioritising style and performance in the manufacture of their bikes.
Kymco is a trading name for the Kwang Yang Motor Co Ltd, a Taiwanese manufacturer of motorcycle, scooters and ATV's.
Founded in 1963 as a motorcycle parts manufacturer, Kymco launched its first scooter in 1970 and almost immediately set up a subsidiary in South Carolina, USA, which successfully introduced no less than 15 scooters and 9 ATVs to the local market.
Today Kymco is credited with being the largest scooter manufacturer in Taiwan and the fifth largest in the world.
All Kymco motorcycles are equipped with powerful engines and advanced features, including the 125 Stryker, the Agility, the Dink, the Maxxer, the People, the Venox 250 and the Xciting – all of which have been introduced since 2004.
The Venox 250 cruiser is one Kymco's best-known bikes and is equipped with a single cylinder engine producing 27 horsepower at 10500rpm. Like all post 2004 models, the bike has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes and comes with a wet, multidisc clutch, a 5-speed gearbox and a lightweight frame. Compare insurance quotes with The Bike Insurer to find a great insurance deal whatever your Kymco model, including:
Grand Dink 125
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Super 9 50
Vivio 125
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Looking for motorbike insurance? The Bike Insurer will find you the best deal for Kymco motorbike insurance at thebikeinsurer.co.uk


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Friday: A chance of light rain after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Friday night: Rain likely, mainly after 9pm. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 45. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
EVENT of the DAY: Free First Fridays
The Noguchi Museum is pleased to announce the continuation of our First Friday Film Series through the winter months. Visitors can enjoy extended evening hours from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with free admission, cash bar and special programming. Click here for more info or to submit an event of your own
Relatives and friends remember subway-push victim at Queens funeral
Relatives and friends are saying a final good-bye to a New York City man who was shoved onto subway tracks as a train rolled into a station. A handful of mourners gathered Thursday for the funeral service for 58-year-old Ki-Suck Han at the Edward D. Jamie Funeral Chapel in Flushing, Queens. Read more: NY Post
George Zimmerman sues NBC, claiming the station edited his 911 phone call to make him sound racist
George Zimmerman sued NBC on Thursday, claiming he was defamed when the network edited his 911 call to police after the shooting of Trayvon Martin to make it sound like he was racist. The former neighborhood watch volunteer filed the lawsuit seeking an undisclosed amount of money in Seminole County, outside Orlando. Read more: Daily News
Accused subway 'killer': I blame victim
Accused killer Naeem Davis, with a chilling, dead-eye stare yesterday, was hit with murder charges for tossing a Queens dad into the path of a subway train in Midtown, authorities said. Davis, 30, allegedly confessed to the grisly crime — but coldly blamed his victim, Ki Suk Han, 58. Read more: NY Post
Two armed thugs tie up, rob Queens Realtor of $75,000 in cash
Two bandits burst into a Queens real-estate office Thursday and tied up the owner before swiping $75,000 in cash from a desk drawer, police sources said. The 59-year-old owner of Pistilli Realty on 30th Ave. in Astoria was in his third-floor office when he heard a commotion about 8:30 a.m., the sources said. Read more: Daily News
Point Breeze Fire Department receives outpour of support after heroic rescue during Sandy
The Point Breeze Volunteer Fire House is a hub of relief activity as the community tries to recover after Hurricane Sandy. During the storm, flood waters swallowed streets and fires engulfed homes across Breezy Point. Read more: NY1
MTA boss Joseph Lhota: Sandy subway woes still affecting 500,000 commuters
Subway service is still screwed up for approximately 500,000 riders because of the damage Hurricane Sandy brought down on the system, MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said Thursday. Some riders are enduring longer and more crowded trips because their stations or line segments are still out of commission while others have longer waits because their regular trains are coming less frequently, Lhota said. Read more: Daily News
Mac Computers to be Made in the USA
One of the Mac line of computers will be manufactured in the USA next year, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced in an interview with Brian Williams on NBC's Rock Center. Read more: Forbes


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By Dana Gornitzki
Not so long ago, one dared not speak about political leanings at the office or at the dinner table – in fact, it was almost seen as gauche.
However, as times change so do the rules of social graces. In our modern era, sharing opinions is very popular especially in the prolific world of social networking where one can easily hide behind the veil of the computer screen.
Read More


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See other Florence properties
Hostel Greci
Real Reviews
Real reviews from fellow travellers
These are trusted reviews from guests who have actually stayed here. We hope you find them helpful.
Note: we only give a property a rating once it has received a minimum of 3 reviews.
- Page:1/1
- " The room is too cold. The wifi only works at 8am~11pm. You can't find the stuff when you need them. "
- 14 Dec 2014 Anonymous Taiwan
- " One of the cleaner hostels I've been to. The staff was extremely friendly and nice. The location is also pretty nice. Overall I had a good experience staying here. Only problem was there was no toilet paper all night and we couldn't contact anyone to ask for any. "
- 21 Oct 2014 Anonymous USA
- " We highly appreciate the help and kindness extended to us by Adriana. thanks to her cellphone. "
- 16 Oct 2014 Benilda Philippines


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Supernova Video: Steve Cohen on Start-ups
Steve Cohen of Morgan Lewis & Bockius talks about his work with start-up companies and some of the common (and uncommon) legal challenges they may face.
He discuses picking the best team for the company, and the things teams must agree upon early or face legal and organizational challenges later on. He also discussed a place where a small investment of time and money upfront would have saved literally millions for one company with which he worked.


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Senoia Optimist Club hosts Oratorical Contest
From STAFF REPORTS
The Senoia Optimist Club hosted its annual Oratorical Contest on March 15 at the Senior Citizens' Center on Howard Road in Senoia.
The speech contest is conducted by Optimist Clubs for students under the age of 18 years as of Dec. 31, 2011 who have not yet graduated from high school or the equivalent and who are educated in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. This year's speech topic for all contests was "How my Optimism Helps me Overcome Obstacles."
The winners of the Senoia contest were Makayla Graham of East Coweta Middle School, first place; Jillian Watson of Newnan High School, second place; and Brook Shelnutt, East Coweta Middle School, third place. Due to schedule conflicts, Watson was unable to take part in the Oratorical Contest held by the Newnan Optimist Club.
Other contestants in the Senoia competition were Ansley Dees and Bristol Terry, both of East Coweta Middle School, and Robby Doolittle of East Coweta High School.
"All of the students did a wonderful job presenting their speeches, and we feel that Makayla will represent our club very well in the upcoming Zone contest," explained Senoia Optimist President and Oratorical Chair Tony Bell.
Judges in the Senoia contest were Bruce Humphrey, Linda Hackett and Elizabeth Thomas. Humphrey is a fourth generation Senoian whose career in education currently includes 24 years. He presently teaches in the Coweta County school system. Hackett also lives in Senoia and is employed by the Domestic Dependent Education Secondary Schools. Thomas is retired from the Domestic Dependent Education Secondary Schools.
The Optimist Oratorical Contest gives youngsters the chance to speak to the world. More than $150,000 in college scholarships funded by the Optimist International Foundations is awarded annually from this program.
First conducted in 1928, this is one of the most popular programs offered by Optimist International. Nearly 2,000 clubs participate in the Oratorical Contest each year. The winners at the club level receive medallions and zone winners receive a plaque. Districts have the opportunity to provide two $2,500 scholarships or a first place scholarship of $2,500, a second place scholarship of $1,500, and a third place scholarship of $1,000.
The Optimist Club of Senoia is part of an international organization whose motto is "Friend of Youth." Meeting the needs of young people in communities worldwide, Optimist Clubs have been "Bringing Out the Best in Kids" since 1919. Optimist Clubs conduct positive service projects aimed at providing a helping hand to youth.
To learn more about Optimist International, visit the organization's website at www.optimist.org. If you would like more information regarding the Senoia Optimist Club, visit the club's website at www.senoiaoptimistclub.org . Guests are welcomed at the club's meetings that are normally 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month at Matt's Smalltown Pizza and the third Thursday at Maguire's Irish Pub. Details are often posted on the club's Facebook page — see Senoia Optimist Club.
Anyone interested in attending a meeting or an event may call club President Tony Bell at 770-599-3981 or 770-632-9052 or contact any other member of the Senoia club.


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Wednesday, 27 April 2011 19:26
Student poetry slam honors National Poetry MonthWritten by Admin
A poetry slam will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City as part of National Poetry Month. The event will feature fifth-graders from the Mountain Discovery Charter School, whose poetry is already on display at the library.
828.488.3030 or visit www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.


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Adam & Eve.com
Adam & Eve.com…A Girl's Best Friend
Adam & Eve is the nation's largest marketer of adult products with millions of satisfied customers in the United States and all over the world. After more than 30 years in the business, Adam & Eve have become the number one trusted name in adult shopping online.
With over 18,000 items in stock at their North Carolina
warehouse – ranging from sex toys for him, her and couples, lingerie, condoms, lubes and lotions and novelties (including some great gift ideas), DVD/videos, books and "Sex Ed" material –Adam & Eve are sure to satisfy your desires.
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- Free delivery on purchases over $49, including same-day shipping
- Weekly specials and a clearance section
- Free gifts with purchases
- A starter kit (including vib, DVD and lube valued at $60) for $3.95
- Discounts for multiple purchases
- 90 day return policy
- Biggest range of adult products – for her, for him, for both, DVD's, books etc.
- Over 18,000 stock items!
- Heavy involvement with charity, especially supportive of Breast Cancer!
Why do customers keep coming back to Adam & Eve?
Time-Tested Integrity: Since Adam & Eve was founded in 1970, we've built an unparalleled reputation for accountability and trustworthiness. In this day of fly-by-night online retailers, it pays to be careful before placing any internet order or you might get stuck with nothing but a bill or a stolen credit card number. If we couldn't deliver the goods and customers couldn't trust us, we wouldn't have lasted all those years.
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Community Involvement: Adam & Eve Founder and President Phil Harvey uses the company's profits to help fund DKT International. DKT is consistently rated one of the best international family planning and AIDS prevention organizations in the world. DKT provides condoms, health care and sexual education materials to third-world countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In 2004, DKT distributed 390 million condoms alone. Additionally, Adam & Eve donates part of its yearly revenue to local charities like local animal shelters, family violence prevention centers and more as well as schools, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Special Olympics, and others.
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Candanchú ski resort (cross country)
Candanchú ski resort (cross country)
Contact details
Candanchú ski resort (cross country)
Carretera Francia s/n
22889 Candanchú, Aisa, Huesca (Aragon)
Candanchú ski resort (cross country)
Tel.:+34 974373263
Tel.:+34 974373194
Fax.:+34 974373346
The splendid Candanchú circuit is perfect for cross-country skiers. Its 15 km of marked and signposted ski runs on three circuits with increasing levels of difficulty lead through the spectacular settings of the Rinconada and Ciudad de Piedra areas; the resort is protected from adverse weather conditions, and can be used even in the worst weather. The cross-country skiing circuit in Candanchú is suitable both for learning this sport -particularly for those taking their first steps- in the area near the Biathlón stadium, and for practice and training on the 8 FIS-approved competition circuits.
Maximum height: 1.688
Minimum height: 1.590
At the resort
On the slopes: café, restaurant and self-service in the Pista Grande area. Vending room (drinks machines and WCs) in the Pista Grande area. Café and fast food with Cima del Tobazo terrace. Café and fast food with terrace in the Tuca area. WC. PA system. At the foot of the slopes: three 3-star hotels. Two apartment rental agencies. Hostels and mountain huts. Cafés. Bars. Restaurants. Pizzeria. Burger bar. Hot chocolate shop. Disco. Doctor's surgery. Ambulance. Free internal bus service. Rental of ski equipment, snowboards sledges and snowshoes. Shopping gallery with gift shops, food shops, newsagents… Sports equipment sale and repair shops. Information offices, customer services, photo shop. Ticket offices. Cash point. Sauna-massage. Ski club. Church. Ski School.
In the surrounding area
Bus and railway station. Taxis. Repair garages. Banks. Cash points. Post office. Tourist offices. Exhibition rooms. Conference centre. Hospital. Sports clubs. Adventure sports agencies. Ice rink. Heated outdoor swimming pool. Gyms. Tennis courts. Squash. Sauna and massage. Sports courts. Cinema. Horse riding, mountain biking routes. Petrol stations. Supermarkets. Library. Crèche. Guardia Civil. Red Cross. Travel agencies. Courier services. Veterinary services. Plumbing, carpentry, painting services, etc.
Ski school
No. of ski schools: 1
No. of ski instructors: 10
Comments: For more information, check the official website: www.candanchu.com
Piste information
No. of blue runs: 1 - km of piste 5
No. of red runs: 1 - km of piste 7.5
No. of green runs: 1 - km of piste 2.5
Total no. of km: 15
Total runs: 3
Sledging slopes: 1
Snowshoeing slopes: 1
Other types of piste: 8 FIS-approved Competition Circuits
Other types of piste: Biathlon Stadium
No. of accommodation units at the resort: 10
No. of beds at the resort: 1174
No. of accommodation units in the surrounding area: 50
No. of beds in the surrounding area: 10579


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Customer Reviews
3 Item(s)
- AMAZING Review by Ariella
Product Satisfaction Quality Value
Got this as a gift absolutely love using it! skin looks fantastic!!
(Posted on 5/14/15)
- smells good Review by kristina
Product Satisfaction Quality Value
Got one of this last year for my baby shower. I cant believe how good it smells. It ran out fast cause i lather too much on my skin but will still purchase some once i saved up enough money for this. Hands down! Thank you mustela! :)
(Posted on 2/12/15)
- Perfect Skin even your doctor will love Review by Shelbylynn0526
Product Satisfaction Quality Value
I am 35 weeks pregnant and just had my prenatal appointment yesterday. I have been using the stretch mark survival kit often, not even every day like I should. And my doctor gave me the nicest compliment. She said my skin looked really really good, no stretch marks just smooth skin. The fact that I forget to lotion up everyday and still have beautiful skin this late in pregnancy is amazing. I would recommend these products to anyone and everyone.
(Posted on 2/12/14)
3 Item(s)


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Not to mention, the Basic Badge? Since they both have the possession of the same titled badge. Unless they give Cheren a whole new badge.
~I just wanna feel that rhythm~
Twitter @TrainerTrevino
Man I was hoping Cheren would 6v6 Ash and give some of his league shafted pokemon the wins they need
Pignite or Krookodile should either be the fall, or get one win at the most then.
I'd like to see Unfezant and Boldore star in this battle.
I wonder if they would not give him Serperior and replace it with a different, normal type pokemon like herdier's evolved form.
Name: Arugula
Adopt one yourself! @Pokémon Orphanage
Proud claimer of Cyndaquil and Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed !!
Also proud claimer of Assassin's Creed 2 the game!!
Just became the proud claimer of the Marvel's Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show ^_^!!!
Proud claimer of Cyndaquil and Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed !!
Also proud claimer of Assassin's Creed 2 the game!!
Just became the proud claimer of the Marvel's Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show ^_^!!!
Yay! Finally, the Pokemon Anime could get interesting again. Cheren was my all time favorite Rival character, I was so proud of his development. I was totally expecting him to do something cliche like backstab you, but he didn't. He was a good boy through and through. He earned his promotion to Gym Leader in BW2 (say, I still haven't played that you know).
Pokemon: The Theme of Secrets
At long last, I am returning with my Fan-Fic. Just need to find a better host. Blogger has done its course but I need just a little more recognition.
I freaking HATE "Mega" Evolution.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shraeder~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~So I herd u liek Mudkipz...So do I!FC: 4742-5645-2960
Friend Safari: Aipom, Audino, and DITTO!
But....i heard that Iris's Axew will fight against Cheren's Herdier. No one can confirm?
Currently writing: The Missing Link!
Were all assuming someone has to face him. Cheren is involved with the plasma plot in games so maybe there introducing him here to set him up for the future. It's possible he won't battle any of the main cast and we just see him against a COTD
I am still lamenting the loss of his awesome team.... if BW1 cheren replaced Camoron as the league rival the complaning would not have existed


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Keanew is Otakool's older brother and a brilliant hacker wanted by all IT security services. He earns a living selling trade secrets to the highest bidder. But all the sleepless nights spent at illegal raves have made him paranoid. He's convinced he and his Junkz pals are being followed by government agents but he's not about to let them catch him...
At level 1: min 681 Clintz
At level 2: min 495 Clintz
At level 3: min 685 Clintz


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VOICES Ideas and Insight From Explorers
Tag archives for Biodiversity and Conservation
What it Means to be a Threatened Species
Most people know what it means to be a threatened species—it's something that's rare and may become extinct. What isn't often explained is how we know something is threatened and who decides whether a species is threatened or not. Read almost any article about species in peril and there will be some reference to the…
Lion Numbers Plunge as African Wilderness Succumbs to Human Pressure
The king of the African savannah is in serious trouble because people are taking over the continent's last patches of wilderness on unprecedented scale, according to a detailed study released this week. The most comprehensive assessment of lion (Panthera leo) numbers to date determined that Africa's once-thriving savannahs are undergoing massive land-use conversion and burgeoning human population growth. The decline has had a significant impact on the lions that make their home in these savannahs; their numbers have dropped to as low as 32,000, down from hundreds of thousands estimated just 50 years ago.


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TVW Player
Wednesday September 23rd 2009, 1:00PM
Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee
I-900 Subcommittee public hearing: State Audior's Office - Opportunities for State to Help School Districts Minimize Costs/Interest Paid on Bond Debt, King County Solid Waste & Waste-water Treatment Utility Operations (staff, public comment).
State Auditors Office Opportunities for the state to help school districts minimize the costs and interest paid on bond debt.
Public Testimony.
State Auditors Office King County Solid Waste and Wastewater Treatment Utility Operations.
Public Testimony.
Purchase DVD
PRICES: DVDs are $25.00 for the first DVD and $10.00 for every additional DVD per order.
Note: DVDs not currently available for purchase via the website. Please call (360) 529-5323 to order over the phone.


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No Doubt has announced the launch of their 2009 tour, and they've got a little bonus for fans planning to see the live show. Anyone who purchases a No Doubt ticket at full price will have access to a free digital download of the band's entire music catalog! I don't think you can beat that.
No Doubt announced plans for their 2009 tour in December 2008 via a live iChat with fans, saying they'll hit the road soon and continue to work on their new album. But you'll get more than a live show this time around. With every purchase of a full-priced ticket at $42.50 or more, you will get a free download of every song No Doubt has recorded and released so far. Guitarist Tom Dumont said,
"Since the band is heading back to the road, we wanted to find a cool way to get people listening to our music and stoke them with a great deal at the same time. With this download it's easy for fans to get psyched up to hear our music live once again and that rocks."
The tour kicks off in May 2009 with Paramore as the opening band, and it will be the first time No Doubt has played together like this in 5 years. Mixed in with an upcoming album and a fun summer tour, the band will premiere their track "Stand and Deliever" on May 11, 2009 on an episode of "Gossip Girl". There is certainly a lot to look forward to for No Doubt fans.
See more photos of No Doubt and a video below.


text: U.S. Senate [ Sen. Murray Selected Chair of Veterans Affairs Panel By Brian Teegarden January 27, 2011 Sen. Patty Murray became chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Thursday, and says she hopes to keep the Obama administration focused on the medical care and benefits due those who have served in the military. Read More|Comment Category: National News, Yakima News Tags: Murray, senate Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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County Management (Amendment) Bill, 1972: Second Stage (Resumed).
Wednesday, 22 November 1972
Dáil Eireann Debate
Debate resumed on the following amendment:
To delete all words after "That" and substitute:
Dáil Éireann declines to give a Second Reading to the Bill on the grounds that the appointments of rate collector should be made a function of the Local Appointments Commission under the Local Authorities (Officers and Employees) Act, 1926 instead of making it merely an executive function under the County Managements Acts.
Mr. Hussey: When I reported progress before Question Time, if you could call it progress, I was saying that I was rather amused at the case Deputy Coogan made for the appointment of rate collectors. Down through the years in County Galway Deputy Coogan and his friends consistently opposed the appointment of rate collectors. At each meeting at which a rate collector was appointed they created big headlines about the system of appointment in County Galway. Apparently Deputy Coogan is now prepared to accept appointment by the Civil Service Appointments Commission rather than by the council.
[2312] A few weeks ago, when the Minister announced that he was changing the system of appointing rate collectors, I said at a meeting of Galway County Council that I had great reservations because I thought the Local Appointments Commission would be making the appointment. I was worried about that because I felt——
Dr. FitzGerald: That they might be impartial.
Mr. Hussey: ——that the Local Appointments Commission would not have sufficient knowledge of the county in which the vacancy arose and that the man appointed by them might not be acceptable——
Dr. FitzGerald: To Fianna Fáil.
Mr. Hussey: ——to the people in the county where the vacancy arose. The Fine Gael Party have made a great deal of play about this Bill. I am surprised that they are wasting so much of the life of the House in discussing it, because the vast majority of people agree with the proposal put forward by the Minister. I certainly agree with it.
It has emerged from this debate that Fine Gael are very opposed to the Bill. Fine Gael control the majority of county councils and therefore they will lose most by it. They have accused us of various things in County Galway over a number of years but anywhere a vacancy arose if there was a Fine Gael majority they appointed their own man even though they accused us of appointing Fianna Fáil supporters.
There was nothing wrong with the system of appointment. During my term as a county councillor in Galway we appointed many rate collectors, all good honest men who have done a good job and are still doing a good job. I should like to refute in the strongest possible manner the allegations made last night by Deputy Donnellan and by Deputy Coogan today. They accused those men of certain malpractices particularly in regard to the preparation of the register at election time. Deputy Donnellan accused the rate collectors of deliberately deleting names of Fine Gael supporters [2313] from the register. I am quite certain this is not true. If Deputy Donnellan had any proof of it he should have substantiated his charge.
I know for a fact that certain names have been left off the register through no fault of the rate collectors. They were left off for various reasons. It could be the fault of the printers, or the county council clerk, or anybody else, but it definitely was not the fault of the rate collectors. If names were left off the register they were the names of Fianna Fáil supporters as well as the names of Fine Gael supporters. There is no foundation for Deputy Donnellan's allegation or Deputy Coogan's allegation.
You do not have to be a mathematician to collect rates. You must have commonsense and a certain approach to the people. You must be aware of their problems and you must know when to collect the money. In the rural areas people have not always got money readily available. The rate collectors are familiar with their areas and they often oblige people by calling to them when they have the money available. I see nothing wrong with the system as it operated. I agree that the system proposed by the Minister will eliminate many of the doubts in people's minds but it is unfair for speakers opposite to accuse the rate collectors of malpractices. That should be refuted.
Mr. Tully: This Bill which was introduced by the Minister for whatever reason he did introduce it—and I hope it was for the best possible reason—relieves members of local authorities of a responsibility which most of us did not want. It was a bit of a nuisance, when a rate collector was being appointed, to have people, often many of them from the same party, feeling that they should receive support.
Deputy Hussey went a little bit further than he might have gone. There is nothing wrong with people who are elected as Fianna Fáil, or Fine Gael, or Labour supporters giving support to a member of their party if he is suitable for the job. My experience has been that it did not matter who was appointed as a rate [2314] collector in any county. With very few exceptions they did their jobs very well. There are places about which it has been said, and perhaps rightly so, that this is an expensive way of collecting the rates and the suggestion has been made that the office system which has been adopted by some counties, particularly County Kerry, might be a better system. Perhaps we will see the day when all county councils will adopt a system like that.
Some rate collectors appointed in my own county received support from Labour, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, and sometimes there was a very close vote. On other occasions we voted on what appeared to be party lines. I do not make any apology to anybody for that because in every case we felt that the people we were voting for could do a very good job. In our county they carried out their trust very well.
Deputy Desmond spoke in the House yesterday evening and I have with me a transcript of the statement he made. Apparently the accoustics are not very good in the House because what was said here did not appear to reach the Press Gallery. I have not got a copy of the papers with me but I understand that the Press reports him as having said that he knew of people being paid to support a particular candidate and that it happened even in his own party. If that statement was reported as having been said, it is not what the Official Reporter reported as having been said and I think it is only fair to Deputy Desmond, who is well fitted to look after himself but who, having spoken already in this debate, will not get an opportunity to speak again, that I should delay the House for a very short time in quoting, with your permission, Sir, what Deputy Desmond exactly said in regard to this. He said:
In rural areas, too, many of these appointments are above board but we would be utterly hypocritical here if we were not to admit that on occasion in county council areas there has been rank corruption, bribery and party political pressures in so far as these appointments are concerned. Let us be honest about this: no political party in Dáil [2315] Éireann whether in government or in opposition can claim any exemption from those charges. I have seen it happen in my party. I have known allegations of corruption, of bribery, of the passing of money and of people being favoured specially even in my own party.
"I have seen it happen in my party"—this is the attempt at corruption. There is a big difference between an allegation and a statement that money in fact was passed. Deputy Desmond has authorised me to say that he did not accuse anybody specifically of receiving money, but that the talk went around that this was done. Those of us in public life are aware that time and again allegations have been made which have never been substantiated because nobody has been challenged to substantiate them and they are very often from people who are not supporting the successful candidate who know of somebody who knows of somebody who was alleged to have been bribed to vote for a particular candidate. It is only fair that this point should be made clear because I do not know, nor does Deputy Desmond or any member of our party, of anybody being bribed for a vote in support of a particular candidate for a rate collector's job.
Whether or not the appointments should be made by the county manager or a committee set up by the county manager, or by the Local Appointments Commission is another issue on which I take issue with Deputy Hussey. If the county manager has the job, there is the danger that pressure will again be put on county councillors to try to persuade the county manager to give the position to a particular individual, and if we are going to do the job at all, it might be much better if we passed it directly to the Local Appointments Commission and let them do it. I know a number of minor posts which are filled by committees Appointed by county managers and again in every case the people selected do their job well and they are not usually appointed on a political basis at all. We are completely divorcing the county council from the appointment of rate collectors—and they are no minor [2316] posts but jobs for which people are paid more than Members of this House are at present paid—but when such a job becomes vacant there will be a tendency to try to get certain councillors to persuade county managers to favour one side or the other. County managers will be able to make up their own minds as to who should be appointed on the committee but again there is a danger that the county manager may select committees which could have certain political connotations and for that reason the Local Appointments Commission might possibly be the best way. It will divorce completely the local authority representatives from the appointments and since it is the only type of appointment, nearly the only real authority left in the possession of the local authority members, I believe the Minister at least in that regard is doing a good job in taking it out of their hands so that no longer will people be making the wild statements made even in the course of this debate about the appointment of rate collectors.
Dr. FitzGerald: This has been a revealing debate. Whether what it has revealed is to the credit of politicians generally and of Fianna Fáil in particular is another question. It has not just been from the Opposition benches that the malpractices of the present system have been indicted. We have heard from the benches up here—I do not know whether to describe them as opposition but we have heard indeed from the dissident Fianna Fáil members, Deputies Foley and Brennan, something from the inside about the system and we have heard from Deputy Burke, I understand, a defence of the present system. It is clear that the present system has serious defects. How serious they are depends on how one regards jobbery—political jobbery, I mean—and I will come back to that in a moment.
I want to consider the context within which the discussion is taking place. The issue before us in a way, is why did Fianna Fáil become the apostles of jobbery and the main protagonists of it? Why, historically, did this happen? It is worth dwelling on this for a moment, in a sense to be [2317] fair to that party because this should be seen in historical context. There was jobbery in Ireland before Fianna Fáil was invented, or Fine Gael or Labour. It was a 19th century practice under which when governments changed in Britain, Irish people were encouraged to attach themselves to British political parties which had no relevance to the Irish scene with a view to securing promotion. This was true of the legal profession but was not confined to that profession. By such an attachment, one could ensure that when the government changed, one had a good chance of a job.
That practice existed. It has been perpetuated in Northern Ireland, the only difference being that since the establishment of Northern Ireland the change-over between Conservative and Liberal has ceased to operate, so that we have had one-party jobbery for 50 years. This has now been effectively abolished, though not completely. There are still defects and legitimate complaints with the system but, nonetheless, in Northern Ireland a lot has been done to get rid of this system. If it has not been completely cleared up overnight, it is because its roots lie very deep and it will be some time before some of the remaining abuses can be rooted out. In this part of the country, our first Government went to considerable trouble over a whole range of public appointments to try to eliminate these practices and so the Civil Service Commission and the Local Appointments Commission were established, but their activities, their responsibilities, their terms of reference did not extend to all jobs. Certain jobs, unfortunately, as we can now see, were omitted from their terms of reference and then there was the problem that during the early days of the State—I do not wish to rehearse anything controversial; I am making no judgement on the two sides involved—there was a civil war and the Government in power found themselves in the position of being opposed in arms for reasons the people concerned found proper.
That Government found themselves in the position of defending themselves against armed attack and finding within their ranks, among the servants [2318] of the Government, people who not only disagreed with them politically, which was entirely legitimate for a public servant, but who in some instances were working actively against them. I seem to recall as a child hearing a story which always attracted my fancy of one public servant who was believed by the Cabinet of the day to be betraying secrets of the Government to the Republican movement in An Phoblacht, or passing on this in formation. The story I heard, which may be apocryphal, but it is a nice story, is that the members of the Government concocted an imaginary file with all the proper markings on it—"Bring forward" and "Put away"— as if it had gone to various people and it contained imaginary correspondence with the British Government in which it was suggested that the British Government was pressing for the introduction of the Union Jack in the corner of the Tricolour. No such thing had happened.
The file, having been carefully concocted in a manner which would persuade an ordinary civil servant that it had gone the rounds, that many had seen it, was passed to a particular civil servant, and to him only, by the member of the Government, and it appeared in An Phoblacht the following week. The civil servant concerned lost his job. The story may not be true but it is a nice story which suggests a degree of ingenuity and imagination on the part of the Government which we do not see in governments today. The point I am making is that the Government in the circumstances found it necessary to dispose of some of their employees in circumstances which naturally caused hardship. After nine years a change of government came about —democratically because the first Government sought to secure a democratic change-over of power to ensure the establishment of parliamentary democracy in Ireland.
The new Government coming in found themselves in the position that many of those who had been their supporters, had been, for reasons that were good and necessary at the time from the point of view of the Government then in power, deprived of [2319] positions in the public services. Understandably and taking the long view of the situation, the new government sought, quite properly, to re-establish this balance within certain limits by reintroducing, for a period of time, some of their supporters back to the public service, normal conditions having been restored. From the point of view of history, avoiding the partisanship of the time, that was an understandable decision but what was unfortunate about it was, that having undertaken this exercise which might be regarded, not in the strictest sense, as correct, but as a reasonable adjustment to try to re-establish a balance of position after the unfortunate civil war, the Government in question having undertaken this exercise in the early 1930's, got into the habit of doing this and continued the habit long after the necessary readjustment had been made. Therefore, my personal theory is that in that way the Fianna Fáil custom of jobbery was established.
Mr. T.J. Fitzpatrick: (Cavan): The Deputy is being charitable.
Dr. FitzGerald: I try to be fair in the House and to give both sides of a story. I do not think that basically there is more natural viciousness in Fianna Fáil people than in others but there must be some reason why Fianna Fáil have been so intimately associated with jobbery throughout the history of this State. The problem has been that once the practice started it became a habit. It has corrupted Irish society. I do not accept the term used by Deputy Tully and others, some, perhaps, from these benches and some from the other benches, which suggests that there is nothing to apologise for, that there is nothing wrong with supporting one of one's own and that to vote for those whom one considers could do a very good job is all right and that the fact that they are supporters of one's own party should not preclude one from voting for them, that in fact, one should favour them so long as one is convinced they can do a good job.
This seems to me to involve a concept [2320] of distributive justice which does not accord with what I have always understood to be basic Christian principles. If in public appointments there are a number of candidates and if one candidate is better than the others although many may be qualified, failure to appoint that best candidate seems to me to involve an offence against justice. If he is the person best qualified, he is entitled to the job and for one to deprive him of that post would seem to me to be exactly the same in character as taking from him the sum of money that would accrue from the post. If somebody contrives by using his influence with a political party to have himself appointed to a post for which he is not the best qualified candidate, he is depriving somebody else of the remuneration involved for that year and for each year thereafter in which he remains in the post and he will have the same duty in terms of restitution as has anybody who steals money.
I know that that rather harsh Jansenistic view of the practice is not accepted universally but it is one that I have held always. It is one in respect of which I entered politics with a view to pursuing to the point of implementation, recognising, of course, the imperfections of human nature and that it would be impossible to safeguard always against abuses of some kind and recognising that there are some posts in respect of which it would be very difficult to provide adequate safeguards. It is all right in respect of rate collectorships, posts that arise rather rarely, to lay down methods of appointment which involve clearcut practices and procedures that should preclude any question of jobbery but, of course, at other levels, for instance, on the question of appointing a person to do a couple of weeks work on the roads, no similar system of appointment would be workable.
There may be problems also regarding the appointment of directors of State companies. It is difficult to see how these appointments can be made by anyone other than the Government. It is difficult to see what safeguards one can implement in this respect except to establish a convention [2321] that would be difficult for future governments not to follow, one that would ensure that such appointments are made on the basis of merit and are not rewards for services rendered to a party as a significant minority of such appointments are today. I do not suggest all because the majority of directors of State companies are appointed as people best suited to the jobs concerned but others are given these jobs as rewards for services to the party. There are several State bodies which, in the not too distant past, at any rate, have been provided predominantly with directors on this basis. The quality of the boards concerned has been suspect. Work has suffered and there have been cases where the Government have had to get rid of boards because of their incompetence which arose from the method of appointment. However, it is difficult to see how one can use safeguards in these cases, but in other cases one can see methods of doing so.
For instance, there is no reason why the appointment of judges should not be based on consultation of some kind with the Bar and the Incorporated Law Society whereby a panel of names would be brought forward. There could be some such system in which the Government would have a choice but where the choice would be between people who, in the opinion of their peers, were qualified eminently. I am not insisting on that system but I am suggesting merely that it is possible to arrive at a system for the appointment of judges which would eliminate political influence and which would go beyond the pure convention that operates in Britain to eliminate political appointments.
In respect of the appointments we are discussing here the job is one that arises rarely, which is at a reasonably high level and which, therefore, is eminently suited for an appropriate procedure of appointment, a procedure designed to rule out the possibility of political favouritism. I have listened to some of the arguments in favour of the procedure outlined in the Bill. I do not see the merit of these arguments but, perhaps, this is due to a certain inability on my part to listen sufficiently receptively to the [2322] views from the other side of the House but I do not see what is the merit of giving this responsibility to county managers. The arguments put forward against the appointments being made by the Local Appointments Commission seem to me to be perverse. This Commission was established for the very purpose of making local appointments. It is not as if there were no Local Appointments Commission and that it was being proposed from this side of the House that some remote body, such as the Civil Service Commission, should have this duty. The first Government here established the Local Appointments Commission. They did so precisely to enable these kind of local appointments to be made in a manner that would take account of local needs and at the same time which would ensure that these appointments were made on a basis that would preclude political jobbery or any other form of corruption and to ensure that the best appointment was made. Therefore, to suggest that a system established for this purpose, used for the vast majority of local authority jobs by this very Government, never attacked or criticised by this Government, and rightly so, because it is an excellent system, should suddenly become unsuited to the appointment of a particular local official, in this case, a rate collector is to suggest something which is untenable.
I have never heard anybody suggest that the Civil Service Commission should not appoint staff to the Revenue Commissioners, that they should be chosen as people who are known to get on well with taxpayers and who would know, as Deputy Hussey suggested, that there was money in a house at any particular time. I should like to think that when the Revenue Commissioners seek tax from me they would have regard to my immediate family situation, that they would have personal knowledge and consideration in respect of my position but they do not and nobody here has ever suggested that they should. I do not see why other forms of tax collection should have to partake of this special characteristic either. Rate collectors should be appointed [2323] by the Local Appointments Commission in the same way as other appointments are made. No case has been made for their appointment by county managers and a case has been made against the county manager system. That is a system which already gives excessive authority to one person. We must reconsider our present position and realise that the diminution of the role of local elected representatives which, no doubt, was designed for very good reasons was, nevertheless, a retrograde step. Perhaps we are more mature now than we were 40 years ago and that whatever reasons there may have been then for taking so much power away from them should be reconsidered. Modern methods of control over expenditure should make it possible to introduce new budgetary methods and to establish standards of performance and behaviour which could be controlled by spot checks that would enable the democratic system to operate properly.
This is not the moment to give further powers to county managers. Of course, county managers are involved locally and are subject to local pressures. Their own appointments may have been influenced by political considerations. I do not know whether that can be the case but it has been alleged by people on this side of the House that many of them have a Fianna Fáil complexion. Perhaps that is simply a paranoia of Opposition. The appointment of rate collectors should not be a matter for one person. We have an established procedure for such appointments that has stood the test of time and despite criticism in this House it is a procedure which, by and large, seemed fair. Whatever individual criticisms there may have been the commission never came under attack here on a general scale as being in any way lacking in impartiality.
In those circumstances it is clear that appointments should be left to the Local Appointments Commission. It is not surprising that the Minister's reluctance to adopt this obvious procedure has met with scepticism from [2324] this side of the House. When one hears Deputies who appear to be defending the present system and who regard it as having worked well telling the House, as we have heard from Deputy Hussey, that their initial opposition dissolved once they heard the work would not be done by the Local Appointments Commission and that it would be done by a county manager, then one wonders why the Minister has proposed this particular course of action which, in fact, commends itself to those who like the present corrupt system and which is opposed by those who are seeking to improve that system. That is a method at which one should look twice and the Minister cannot expect to emerge from this debate without some mistrust of his motives and without some criticisms of his attitude if he persists in proposing a method of appointment which is so suspect and so far removed from the method which commends itself to those who are seeking to clean up the system and to ensure that distributive justice applies in this area.
I should like to say, finally, that we are tackling here only the tip of, I will not call it an iceberg, but a large block of ice, because the iceberg was dissolved in the twenties largely by the creation of the Civil Service Commission and the Local Appointments Commission by the first Government. But when that dissolution took place the iceberg unfortunately did not totally melt. A few ice floes broke away and one of these is now coming under the heat of criticism in this House today. But there are others and although, as I have said, there are certain areas in which there may be practical problems about eliminating political jobbery, it should be the first requirement of this House to get rid of this cancer, because it is a cancer. The fact is our people are corrupted by it.
Throughout the country there is a belief that no one can get a job without political influence. We know in this House that this is not true. Most jobs are awarded on an impartial basis and the political jobbery has been, [2325] by the action of the first Government, confined to specific and limited areas —sub-postmasters, rate collectors, judges, guides at the Rock of Cashel, et cetera. There are a few of these particular categories and these are unfortunately sufficiently obstrusive in the public mind and in each locality people are sufficiently aware of the cases where flagrant jobbery has taken place, where people involved in politics have secured the appointments not merely of their friends but, disgracefully, of their relatives.
There is enough of that going around to convince many that the whole system is corrupt and that jobbery is prevalent throughout the whole system. The fact that it is not true is not, unfortunately, fully realised and there are enough politicians going around pretending that, in fact, they can influence jobs that they cannot influence to add to this false impression. This has corrupted the body politic of this country and has created a situation in which politicians are fawned upon, on the one hand, by those who want favours from them and, on the other hand, are the subject of mistrust and cynicism of the kind that can only corrode democracy.
It is the duty of this House, starting here, and doing a more thorough job than the Minister proposes and extending its work to other areas, to put an end to that and, on this side of the House, that is our determination and that is what we have put in our party policy and that is what we will do if we get into power. No doubt, in this, as in other parties, there will be people who will regret the fact that we are determined to clean up the system. There will be individuals who will see that they might benefit from the present system continuing. No party is perfect. No party consists entirely of angels and there are bound to be people with some element of self-interest and, in fact, the unfortunate thing is that the persistent practice of jobbery by Fianna Fáil over the last 40 years has in some degree besmirched and, to some minor degree, corrupted the other parties as well, so that within them people are to be found—not [2326] many, because for those who want jobs it is easier to get them from Fianna Fáil—who think in these terms. In our party they are a minority, a small enough minority for us to ignore them and, in government, to set them to one side and to eliminate jobbery wherever it exists and to create in this country a public administration in which when parents have a child going forward for a job they will know he will get the job if he merits it and not if he does not and, no matter who they talk to, if he is not the best person for the job, he will not get it. We want a public administration in which the people will have both trust and confidence. We have not got that now because of what has happened to the perpetuation of jobbery by the party in power in the past 40 years.
Mr. Power: I welcome this Bill and I commend the Minister for bringing in this very timely change. Those who criticise this change in the method of appointment must surely speak with their tongues in their cheeks. I listened last night to Deputy O.J. Flanagan being very critical of this proposed change and I note in today's paper that he is quoted as saying that this Bill stinks. I could not disagree more. From my short experience of local authority work I am convinced that what does stink is the present method of appointment. It is a method open to abuse and it has been abused and, although I cannot prove it, I am convinced there was a certain amount of corruption and jobbery attached to the appointment of rate collectors. If appointees were capable of doing their job that was not as a result of the method of appointment; it was in spite of the method of appointment.
We should, I suppose, take this opportunity of complimenting the rate collectors. They do a good job. They collect all the money they possibly can and they use a certain amount of commonsense and charity in dealing with certain cases and getting rates waived. There is hardship. People are not always in a position to pay up. It should be pointed out here that rate collectors are not indispensable. This has been proved in [2327] Kerry where the rates have been collected through an office for many years.
Deputy Flanagan asked the Minister last night to name the pressures brought to bear on him to change this particular method of appointing rate collectors. He referred to faceless people, people who were just mentioned as "they" by the Minister. I am not saying that I was directly responsible for this, but I think our organisation in Kildare played some small part; we asked the Minister to change the method of appointment of rate collectors and over a year ago Kildare County Council passed a resolution to the effect that rate collectors in future would be appointed by open competitive examination.
Mr. T.J. Fitzpatrick: (Cavan): I do not want to interrupt the Deputy, but I cannot help saying that I am sure his colleagues from Galway, Donegal and Clare did not appeal to the Minister.
Mr. Power: I cannot answer for those bodies. I crave the indulgence of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle to put on the record my humble experience in my own constituency. On the occasion to which I have referred we were fortunate to have a majority at the council meeting. Apparently the Opposition members, because there was no question of the appointment of a rate collector involved, were not so concerned to be present and they did not come to the meeting. We passed the resolution, but they subsequently mustered their forces when there was an appointment to be made and they brought in their majority and the Fine Gael and Labour representatives on Kildare County Council changed back again to the old method. They had a majority on that particular day when there was something to be gained. They apparently did not want to see the best man appointed. They wanted to appoint their own political lackeys as they have appointed them for an unbroken period of 30 years.
I welcome this Bill and, even if we [2328] had the local elections this year and returned a majority of Fianna Fáil councillors to Kildare County Council, as we will in the next election, I would still welcome the Bill because it is high time this change was made. Some years ago there was considerable publicity in the Sunday papers with regard to Dublin appointments and there were people who were very critical of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on that occasion. Maybe that criticism was deserved, but the real hypocrites on that occasion were the members of the Labour Party who were most vocal in their criticisms and, remembering the political jobbery and broken promises in the last few appointments in Kildare, when rate collectors were being appointed, the Labour Party representatives are the very last people who should throw up their hands in horror at anything like this. There are two vacancies to be filled in Kildare now. I believe it is planned to have them filled by next Monday. If the platitudes, statements and policy expressed by Deputy FitzGerald a month ago could percolate down to the representatives in Kildare, maybe they can prove to us that they are sincere in wanting to bring about this wonderful position where the very best person will get the very best job. I hope that will be done. I personally will give them an opportunity of doing that.
Dr. FitzGerald: The Deputy is welcome to quote my speech if it is any help to him.
Mr. Power: I mentioned a moment ago that I would do it, if my party had a majority on the Kildare County Council.
Mr. T.J. Fitzpatrick: (Cavan): That is the hypocrisy of this speech.
Mr. Treacy: On every occasion they grabbed the jobs.
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Interruptions are disorderly. Deputy Power.
Mr. Power: There are further vacancies in Kildare and the electorate there will get an opportunity of seeing [2329] who wants the best man appointed, who wants honesty in politics. When the Minister indicated his intention to bring in the Bill there was an unholy rush to get the last few lads in if at all possible. The horse trading is completed. They now want to do another deal. If they want the best man, we will facilitate them but I am afraid that will not be the case.
This Bill is to be welcomed because it removes a source of embarrassment to all county councillors. We are very critical sometimes of young people not taking part in politics and we wonder at their cynicism. Political appointments can be one source of their cynicism. Recently some well qualified young people called on me to ask how the position of rate collector would be filled. One question they put was to what extent knowledge of Irish would be required. They were surprised when I explained how the appointment would be made. We will have done a good day's work if we change the system.
Deputy Flanagan said last night that all county managers were not angels and all members of the Local Appointments Commission were not angels. Had he been here a minute ago blessed Oliver would have been very pleased at archangel Garret's recommendations.
Dr. FitzGerald: I am not sure about that.
Mr. Power: The county managers are good sound men. They are appointed by the Local Appointments Commission. Apparently Fine Gael have no faith in the county managers, or not sufficient faith in them to recommend that they should appoint rate collectors but they have faith in the Local Appointments Commission who appoint the county managers. There is something lacking in logic in that.
Dr. FitzGerald: A number of persons are better than one.
Mr. Power: The proposed method is very desirable and is welcomed by [2330] me and my colleagues in Kildare County Council.
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Evaluation Tools (ECERS, DRDP, ASQ, CLASS)
Evaluation Tools
There are a variety of evaluation tools used in child care and preschool settings. Listed below are some of the tools frequently applied when assessing the quality of programs and/or environment in early childhood education.
Environment Rating Scales (ECERS)
There are four versions of this assessment tool, which are tailored for child care centers providing care for infant/toddlers, preschools, and school-age children, and for family child care providers providing care for children at varying ages in their homes. Each one of the scales evaluates the following: Physical Environment; Basic Care; Curriculum; Interaction; Schedule and Program Structure; and Parent and Staff Education. The scales are suitable for use in evaluating inclusive and culturally diverse programs and have proven reliability and validity. Used nationally and in selected other countries.
Desired Results Developmental Profiles (DRDP)
Developed by California Department of Education (CDE), Child Development Division in collaboration with the Center for Child and Family Studies at WestEd. This tool focuses on the results desired from the system, and there are versions that can be applied to children from birth to 13 years old. CDE child development contractors are required to use DRDP as an assessment tool. There are six basic components of the desired results structure: the results themselves, indicators, themes, measures, criteria for success, and measurement tools. The six desired results to which all CDE-funded child care and development programs are expected to contribute are listed below.
- Children are personally and socially competent.
- Children are effective learners.
- Children show physical and motor competence.
- Children are safe and healthy.
- Families support their children's learning and development.
- Families achieve their goals.
The Desired Results for children encompass the four developmental domains, i.e., cognitive, social-emotional, language, and physical development, which are reflected and integrated throughout the indicators, measures, and examples of the measures.
Ages and Stages
The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is used by a variety of child development professionals for developmental and social-emotional screening for children from one month to 5 ½ years. Highly reliable and valid, ASQ looks at strengths and trouble spots, educates parents about developmental milestones, and incorporates parents' expert knowledge about their children. It is available in a variety of languages and formats. The questionnaire is simple and can be completed by parents. It is especially helpful to identify developmental delays, and addresses five development areas: communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social.
The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
This tool is a system for observing and assessing the quality of interactions between teachers and students in classrooms. It measures instructional and social interactions proven to contribute to students' academic achievements and social competencies
The CLASS describes multiple dimensions of teaching that are linked to student achievement and social development, and has been validated in over 2,000 classrooms.
What does the CLASS measure?
The CLASS measures 3 broad domains of classroom quality:


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|Original caps were 3.9uF 600V AXION caps w/ cj SN 150nJ 600V caps in parallel. cj soldered the small caps to the bottom of the board. They were not readily seen so I was unaware that they were there for running in parallel with the AXONs.
| Replacement caps are Jentsen Cross-Caps 3.9uF 400V in parallel with Russian military #K40Y-9 .22uF 600v paper-in-oil. Thanks again, Al! You da man.
|It's a tight fit. no room under the board for these fat Russian caps. The Jentsen is tight to the board and the Russians are damped to the Jentsens.After just 24 hours the sound is special. Every break/fix should entail an upgrade.


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· Bad JewsSeattle Public Theatre2015-10-06
· What We Talk About When We Talk About LoveBook-It Repertory Theatre2015-09-29
· 99 Ways ...Washington Ensemble Theatre2015-09-29
· DraculaTaproot Theatre2015-09-29
· The Art of Bad MenMAP Theatre2015-09-29
· Jesus Christ SuperstarSeattle Musical Theatre2015-09-16
· Knocking BirdUmbrella Project 2015-09-16
· BohemiaCafé Nordo2015-09-16
· American IdiotArtsWest2015-09-16
· John Baxter is a Switch HitterIntiman Theatre Festival2015-08-31
SeattleActor.com aims to provide relevant news, reviews, and audition information for the Puget Sound theater community. Theaters, producers, and teachers can help by using the links on the left to submit their auditions and news. If you would like to get more involved, please write to us. We are always looking for talented theater professionals to share their viewpoint and experience.
Come enjoy -- in air-conditioned luxury – rehearsed staged readings of original short works by local playwrights and actors in Seattle Playwrights Studio's annual Showcase July 24-26.
Meet the actors! Meet the writers! Support local theater! The plays, which range from farce to drama and everything in between, are products of the SPS workshop, which is affiliated with BAT and meets at BAT twice monthly.
This is a full length play written specifically for community theater. I am offering it to any non-profit theater company without cost to produce. (No royalties).
The Great American Western (the lost epidode), J. Edgar Hoover gets Busted---has won several regional awards and has been staged over 100 times. It is an edgy, politically incorrect musical that pokes fun at politicians, Hollywood, the government, and pop culture. This plays is easy to produce because the music is pre-taped and the cast simply sings along Karaoke style. Have fun with it.
Long before Netflix, TIVO, Facebook, and online video games; radio provided entertainment by presenting radio plays and programs of mystery, intrigue, comedy and soap operas and the news. We are bringing radio storytelling back...with your help.. Close your eyes, you might actually believe you have traveled back in time to when people would gather around the radio and listen to Little Orphan Annie, CBS Radio Mystery Theater or The Shadow! Let's share a story.
Show starts at 8:30pmTickets are $12 - $15Show runs every Friday and Saturday, May 8th - June 20th Located at Unexpected Productions' Market Theater at the Pike Place Market Gumwall1428 Post Alley Seattle, WA 98101
"A Gershwin Tune" Gala: April 25th, 2015 at 7pm
Join Aurora Theatre Company for a Gala Evening of Food, Drink and Celebration! Enjoy appetizers and desserts prepared by local award-winning chefs (Cafe Juanita, Cascina Spinassee and Le Panier Bakery and imbibe in wine and beer (North City Bistro & Wine Shop and Elliott Bay Brewing Company). Purchase raffle tickets to win prizes (Loulay Kitchen + Bar gift certificate, Tilth gift card, Jazz Alley dinner and show, theater tickets: 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Theatre Group, Intiman Theatre Festival, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Taproot Theatre Company, Village Theatre and many other exciting prizes).
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Spornette Battalia Ceramic Thermal Rollers
We know you want the goods as soon as possible, which is why orders received by 3pm ET leave our warehouse the very same day. We'll send you an email that day to confirm shipment and the email will include your tracking information.
Our warehouse is closed Saturday & Sunday, so orders received after 3pm ET on Fridays will not ship out until Monday.
Based on 12 Reviews
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text: Infowars.com Sept 28, 2012 Amy Larson, who was arrested for writing "9/11 Truth" messages in chalk on a sidewalk, stops by to speak with Alex and to update everyone on her latest court battle with the city. Receive The Underground Insider! Subscribe to the Underground Insider for Exclusive Content, Breaking News, Messages from Alex and More... Print this page. Infowars.com Videos:


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This repository provides access to a wide range of work produced by members of Nottingham Trent University, including peer reviewed journal articles, conference papers, still and moving images, reports and learning and teaching materials. You will always find a full description of the items, and whenever possible, we provide the full text (or equivalent).
Use Simple Search or Advanced Search to look for a particular item, or use the Browse Collections links to review the contents of IRep.


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Find us on Facebook
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One of the reasons we wrote our most recent eBook (which you can download at the end of this post if you haven't already!) is because we've read statistics from the last two years showing what an important role social media plays in e-commerce, especially during the holidays.
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text: Clive Owen's Best Movies! This weekend, Clive Owen will take on the roll of a leader of a secret military society in Killer Elite with co-stars Jason Statham and Robert De Niro. Whether Owen is playing a hero in Children of Men, a villian in Inside Man, or a stealthy combination of the two in Closer, he always finds the audience on his side.


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one of my cameraphone photos on textamerica is an "editor's pick" today (look on the right hand side of textamerica's website for the editor's pick list.
...newer photos have now been put up on the editor's pick list, bumping mine off. Given how some of those photos look, it's not the biggest honor in the world. ;-)
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SOUTH BEACH DIET Overview Information
The South Beach Diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-protein weight loss diet. It is based on a book by Arthur Agatston, MD, which was first published in 2003.
Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets such as the South Beach Diet are extremely popular in North America. As many as one out of every eight North Americans has used this type of diet to lose weight.
How does it work?
The South Beach Diet's main strategy is to eliminate or reduce "bad carbs," carbohydrates that have a "high glycemic index." High glycemic index foods raise blood sugar levels quickly after the food is eaten. Some people think that high glycemic index foods cause excessive insulin secretion resulting in fat accumulation, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other harmful outcomes. However, there continues to be significant debate and research to determine if a low glycemic index diet can actually prevent these outcomes.
The South Beach Diet consists of three phases. In phase 1, intake of carbohydrates and high glycemic foods is severely limited. During phase 2, a select few foods containing carbohydrates such as fruits, breads, wine, etc can be added back into the diet, but only in moderation. In the final phase, foods of all types are allowed back into the diet, but again with moderation.
SOUTH BEACH DIET Uses & Effectiveness
Insufficient Evidence for:
- Weight loss. Although low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets have been evaluated in well-designed studies on people, the specific South Beach Diet plan has not been evaluated in this manner. More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of the South Beach Diet for weight loss.
SOUTH BEACH DIET Side Effects & Safety
There isn't enough reliable information to know if the South Beach Diet is safe or what side effects, if any, it might cause.