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At Major Meets:
2008 C-USA Outdoor 9th, 10,000m, 34:49.60
Personal Bests:
5000m- 15:17.17, Bayou Classic, 3/29/2008
10,000m- 34:49.60, C-USA Outdoor, 2008
Outdoor: Came in eighth in the 5000m at the Rice Twilight with a season best 15:49.07.
Outdoor: Competed in the 10,000m.
Indoor: Competed in the 3,000m and 5,000m
Member of the Owls' WAC champion cross country team.
High School
2004 graduate of Montclair High School in Montclair, N.J... Four-year letterman in cross country and earned one letter in track and field for coach Ray Spivey and the Mounties... Earned first-team all-Essex county and first-team all-league in both 2002 and 2003... Team was state group qualifier in 2002... Also a four-year letterwinner in swimming and lettered as a senior in crew... Named to the all-league first team as a swimmer... Helped crew to the Stotesbury Cup semifinals... Member of the honor roll and National Honor Society... Recipient of the Bronze and Silver service awards... Also member of the robotics team and the Italian club.
Full Name: Alex Clinton Solomon... Born: March 13, 1986, at Pompton Place, N.J.... Parents: Les and Cathy Solomon, Little Falls, N.J. (two brothers and two sisters)... College: Jones.
|Jones College
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Filip in Sixth Place in Decathlon at Olympic...
07/02/2016 - Rice junior track and field athlete Scott Filip will enter Sunday in sixth place in the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials after racking up ...
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06/29/2016 - The U.S. Olympic Team Trials returns to the University of Oregon's Hayward Field this week from June 30-July 10 where current and former Owls...
Karakolis Named Academic All-American
06/24/2016 - Rice senior thrower Evan Karakolis was selected to the 2016 Academic All-America Division I Track & Field/Cross Country First Team for a second...
Filip Wins Gold at Pan Am Combined Events Cup
06/18/2016 - Rice junior All-American Scott Filip racked up a career-best 7726 points while representing the United States to capture gold and win the decathlon...
Filip to Represent USA at Pan Am Combined...
06/14/2016 - Rice junior Scott Filip was one of three athletes chosen to represent the United States in the 2016 Pan Am Cup, which will be held June 17-18 at...
Karakolis Garners First-Team All-American Honors
06/08/2016 - Senior thrower Evan Karakolis closed out a sensational Rice career on Wednesday with a fifth place finish in the javelin at the NCAA Outdoor...
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06/06/2016 - Four Owls will be representing Rice track and field this week as they travel to Eugene, Oregon for the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field...
All-Comer's Meet Canceled
06/02/2016 - Thursday's Rice All-Comer's Meet has been canceled due to inclement weather.
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Valentine's Cupcakes
Credit: Nadya Lukic
Creative #: 160379269
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Collection: E+
Release info: No release required
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Valentines Cupcakes Stock PhotoArrangement,Color Image,Cupcake,Cute,Decor,Dessert,Focus On Foreground,Food,Heart Shape,Image Focus Technique,Indoors,Love,Photography,Red,Selective Focus,Studio Shot,Sweet Food,Two Objects,Valentine Card,Valentine's Day - Holiday,VerticalPhotographer Nadya LukicCollection: E+ Nadya LukicValentine's cupcakes with with red heart decoration.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wild Mood Swings Import, CD
|CDN$ 22.27 & FREE Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details
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Track Listings
|1. Want
|2. Club America
|3. This Is A Lie
|4. The 13th
|5. Strange Attraction
|6. Mint Car
|7. Jupiter Crash
|8. Round & Round & Round
|9. Gone!
|10. Numb
|11. Return
|12. Trap
|13. Treasure
|14. Bare
Product Description
The Cure ~ Wild Mood Swings
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The first song, 'Want' is very consistent and even the title seems to want to carry on with the 'Wish' album's concept. 'Trap' is a great rocker with outstanding guitar and drums work, and trademark desperate lyrics about an almost broken relationship. 'Jupiter Crash' is a very poetic song, 'Mint Car' gets to sound funny and happy, and has a strange magic based in the fact of how strange is hearing The Cure sound so happy.
'the 13th' is not a fav but its really exotic, a strange step into latin by a very European band. 'Drug' sounds exotic also because of the sitar and has the same beautiful sadness of 'To Wish Impossible Things' from the previous album.The rest of the songs is interesting and varied. It is so an interesting album full of different tracks, in which you will find your favourite depending on your own taste.
the only reason this got two stars is because, first of all, the Cure had the balls to actually put this out. Secondly, because I like one of the songs on here. I think it's the first one... but it's not that impressive, really.
Honestly, what this reminded me of was a very, very, very horrible case of schizophrenia. I like weird people, but this was extreme.
Otherwise, this just sucks. I squirmed when I listened to this. And I said, "Why! Oh god, why!?" Yeah... so if you think you may like the cure... but you're not for sure DON'T BUY THIS! go buy Seventeen Seconds, an absolutely genius album. Or disintegration, because everyone will tell you to buy it. Seventeen Seconds is good, too. Wild Mood Swings isn't. eww.
Flash foward seven years, where I had eventully gotten over this record thanks to the brilliance of "Head on the Door", "Disintigration" and "Pornography". I decided what the hell, maybe I was wrong all those years ago. Another friend had this record and played it for me. Nope, I was right. This was crap.
"Wild Mood Swings" is without a doubt the worst Cure record I have heard(I have yet to hear "Wish" or "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me") and is a template for what all bad records aspire to be. When I hear a record that's pretty bad, I comment that "at least its not as bad as 'Wild Mood Swings'".
What you have here is thirteen songs of unbridled crap. It is only consistant in how bad it is. The lyrics, once one of Robert Smith's strong points, are laughably retarded and the music is sub-par "Head on the Door". The Cure trying blending the sadder elements of their token sound along with more of the upbeat stuff, but fail to come up with even one listenable, memorable song. If "Mint Car" or "The 13" are the best songs on your record, then you would best know that it needs to be shelved. Now.
So, in conclusion, avoid "Wild Mood Swings" as you would a large dog carrying rabies. Or Robert "Fat Bob" Smith at a buffet. Unredemmable bad.
Most recent customer reviews
well, this was the final last Cure album i was to purchase. Now, i own all of them...i had heard that this album was not very good, so i rolled with the crowd and refused to buy... Read morePublished on July 1 2004 by cle acklin
I just bought this album today..It is definately not as bad as some say....i have every cure album and have been following them since the early 80s.. Read morePublished on June 30 2004 by cle acklin
None of you have made me very happy. The point is, just because some of the songs aren't to your taste, it doesn't mean it's a bad album. Read morePublished on June 27 2004 by myself
This is a very interesting album. I read/heard alot of negative feedback concerning this album. But, true Cure fans can respect it for what it is. Read morePublished on May 27 2004
I just got this album, I have all the others except Top. This one is defintely different than the other albums of The Cure; it actually has happy songs. Read morePublished on May 18 2004 by shortymb_2000
I'm a big Cure fan and I read most of the reviews here and most of them are pretty negative. True, this isn't the Cure's best album but it isn't all that bad. Read morePublished on May 17 2004 by Barbara Streisands Love Slave


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Sunday open thread: 'The trouble with wi-fi' edition
**Written by Doug Powers
Ever since Friday night I've been having wireless connection problems in my house. Somebody from the company is coming over today to try and get to the bottom of the problem. As of right now it's working (so far saving me a trip to McDonalds or the coffee shop), but I thought I'd get up a thread to discuss what's going on this weekend in case I'm thrown off the grid again.
Here are some stories for possible discussion:
–Fighter jets intercepted two small planes that violated flight restrictions around President Obama during his Florida vacay. Probably just wayward drones.
–Saturday Night Live parodies Tarantino and welcomes Lent with "Djesus Uncrossed." How will the fearless comedy show usher in Ramadan? Probably by airing a rerun of the show containing the "Djesus Uncrossed" sketch.
–Unidentified reporter on hot mic mocks Obama after a speech in Chicago last weel: "Thank you for your selfless service to our country — I'm going on a long vacation."
–Is this the birth of the movement to outlaw use of the word "panties"? Opponents are countering with "from my cold, dead hamper!"
–A Photoshop depicting Fox News asking if the Russian meteor was a plot by President Obama to prove global warming is real fooled Van Jones. A CNN host actually asked a similar question a few days ago.
–Here's an in-depth interview with Dr. Benjamin Carson. Who's more qualified to get inside their heads than a neurosurgeon?
–Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has created a prestigious heroism medal for cyber and drone combatants. In order of prestige, the "Distinguished Warfare Medal" will be higher than the Bronze Star. A retired Green Beret is quoted: "I suppose now they will award Purple Hearts for carpal tunnel syndrome."
–A letter from the White House to the Senate Armed Services Committee saying Obama didn't call anybody the night of the Benghazi attack is here.
–The Obama White House is boycotting talks with enemies of America. And by that I mean Fox News. Discussions with Iran will go on as scheduled.
–The Air Force has confirmed that shortly before Obama's State of the Union speech a couple of Russian jets circled the U.S. territory of Guam, prompting the scrambling of two F-15's (insert your own Hank Johnson joke here). They were no doubt testing exactly how much more flexibility now exists.
–Facebook gets a multibillion dollar tax break. They say it's all nice and legal like, but being friended by people in high places can't hurt when it comes to lowering levels of scrutiny from Washington.
–Will lessons from the pros in Florida improve President Obama's golf game? The world may never know:
Press, not even WH Travel Pool, allowed on grounds of The Floridian resort where Pres Obama is spending the weekend. How rude.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 16, 2013
–Mark Levin discusses why Homeland Security is stockpiling massive amounts of ammunition. You mean it's not because they're just really really into skeet shooting?
–Charges have been filed against Jesse Jackson Jr. for "misusing" $750,000 in campaign funds, including spending $30,000 on Michael Jackson and Bruce Lee memorabilia. For the children.
–Michael Bloomberg's super PAC is dumping a $2 million into the race for Jackson's former congressional seat to keep it from falling into the hands of a gun rights advocate. That'll become $3 million as soon as Supernanny Mike discovers she's a Big Gulp consumer.
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
Sound familiar? Obama's HUD secretary (and possible Hillary VP) won't be punished for breaking the law
July 21, 2016 10:46 AM by Doug Powers
Comforting: Obama reminds America's police he's 'got their back' — Also, if they like their plan they can keep it
July 19, 2016 10:41 PM by Doug Powers
Of course: Obama said Iran deal means they can't develop a nuke, except for this part that says they can
July 18, 2016 10:27 PM by Doug Powers
NY Times style guide update on terrorist terminology — Out: Jihadi … In: 'Surly misfit' (Sunday open thread)
July 17, 2016 05:02 AM by Doug Powers
Shorter Dr. Obama: O-care made a mess of health insurance so gov't needs to get more involved
July 15, 2016 03:22 PM by Doug Powers
Categories: Barack Obama, Health care, Politics


text: Share It MainStoriesWorld Aquatics 2012 StoriesOfficials Love What They're Doing Officials "Love What They're Doing" Manuel de Jesus, with clipboard, is the technical director Will Schermerhorn | Sep 13, 2012 "I've done a lot of yelling for a long, long, long time," Manuel de Jesus said, suggesting that might possibly explain the rasp in his voice. All that yelling comes from being a coach for 40 years. Hes also in charge of the aquatics officials at the World Aquatics event in San Juan. Officially, he's the technical coordinator, and that puts him in charge of about 16 referees, stroke judges, turn judges, starters, the head time keeper and the announcer. All of the officials are volunteers, but they does not mean they are not highly trained. Each is a member of the Puerto Rico swim federation and are approved by an international swimming rules organization called FINA. Why stand on the pool deck for so long to officiate a Special Olympics event when you can choose to do something else? "They love what they're doing," Manuel said. "It's camaraderie, excitement, and they're dedicated." The local swim federation and Special Olympics Puerto Rico work together a lot, he said. And it really is different at a Special Olympics event. "It's emotion. It makes them want to come back." About Me:Will is Special Olympics's director of web strategy. Read More Stories Making a Difference in India and NepalDavid HircockThank You, Special Olympics LouisianaJude and Paula BernardAgreement in Italy Will Boost Inclusion and RespectMaureen RabbittBelgium Athlete Addresses Experts at European ForumMartha Jo BraycichMy Coaches Were There For MeCarla SimonBond Between Student and Coach Transforms Life of Special Olympics Swimmer at YMCACarolyn GessnerIn Malta, a Proud Mother Shares Her StoryNatasha MicallefAn "Awesome" Secret: The Universal Power of Unified SportsDavid EvangelistaA Unified Gathering Like No OtherNoha Gaballa"We all need to work together and respect each other to be successful"Maureen RabbittMore Schools in the UK want to Play UnifiedMaureen RabbittDo You Have A Story to Share?Share Your Story More Stories


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I'm a total noob in JS.
I created this simple function: http://jsfiddle.net/9UzNq/1/ but I'd need some more help with it:
- Make it reverse onClick
- Make the image change when hovering anywhere on the white bar
- Make the image stay at the bottom of the div, not top
- Make the image stay as onMouseOver
I'm planning on learning JS, but I'm already learning 5 different programming languages. So while waiting that, I need some JavaScript solutions for my websites, it'll also help me learn.
Could you modify those to the fiddle and add some comments to help me understand the concept?


text:
Though the economy has been a source of financial pain in some industries, the first quarter of 2008 saw online advertising remaining quite intact. According to new data released by IDC, total revenue increased by 23.9% to $7.1 billion in the first quarter. That was up from $5.7 billion in Q1 of 2007.
IDC projects online advertising to continue growing at a rate of 15-20% this year despite their expectation for ad spend across media to decline by 7%. IDC anticipates online advertising to double over the next five years.
"What happens is that the current economic crisis puts pressure on advertisers to save money and find more effective marketing channels," said Karsten Weide, program director, Digital Marketplace and New Media at IDC. "Effectively, the crisis accelerates the shift of advertising budgets from traditional media into new media."
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Google has launched Firebase Analytics, a new analytics solution for mobile apps, at this year's I/O 2016 developer conference.
Google Search Console: a complete overview
The Search Console (or Google Webmaster Tools as it used to be known) is a completely free and indispensably useful service offered by Google to all webmasters to help optimise their sites for search.


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Wadsworth, OHUSA
Hometown: Macedonia, OH
April 1, 2013
Friend of mine brought me to a meet and I had not heard of CFI beforehand.
Anything involving freedom from religion.
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Deputies' Action Costs $15.9 Million
A civil court jury Monday ordered Los Angeles County to pay a record $15.9 million in damages to 36 people who jurors ruled were brutalized by sheriff's deputies while storming a 1989 bridal shower at the home of a Samoan-American family.
David Dole, who suffered head injuries and a broken hand in the incident, was awarded the top individual judgment - $3.8 million. Dole's father, Arthur, 67, who hosted the bridal shower, was awarded $1 million.
The judgment was four times bigger than the $3.9 million settlement received from the city of Los Angeles by Rodney G. King, whose 1991 beating at the hands of police sparked national controversy.
Sheriff's deputies, saying they had received a call about party-goers fighting in the street with sticks and knives, responded in force.
Family members and friends greeted them by hurling rocks and bottles, the deputies claimed.
A jury acquitted David Dole and two other party guests of charges that they rioted and assaulted the deputies.


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The Ballad of Cable Hogue
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Product Description
Cable Hogue is a splendiferous entertainment: a grufty Western tall tale, a lusty comedy, and also (in critic Kathleen Murphy's phrase) "a musical about the economic and emotional complexities of capitalism." Its title character--Jason Robards in a great, exuberant gift of a performance--is an ornery varmint left by two scurrilous partners (L.Q. Jones and Strother Martin) to die in the desert. Through pure cussedness and what may be dumb luck, may be divine intervention, he "finds water where it wasn't" and survives. Nothing to do now but settle back, let his waterhole--the only one on the stage line between Deaddog and Gila--make him a rich man, and await the day those two old partners drop by his waystation.
Besides such Peckinpah regulars as Slim Pickens, R.G. Armstrong, and Gene Evans, the movie features Stella Stevens in her career-best role as Hildy, Hogue's best reason for getting into town now and again, and David Warner, an itinerant preacher and full-time lech who becomes his soulmate. Lucien Ballard photographed, and there's a charming song score (by Richard Gillis) whose neglect is as mystifying as that of the film. Above all, there is Sam Peckinpah exulting in the lyrical, heart-filling possibilities of making a motion picture, trying just about anything, and finding it beautiful. This film was his personal favorite. --Richard T. Jameson
Special Features
- Commentary by Peckinpah biographers/documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle
- New featurette: The Ladiest Damn'd Lady with Stella Stevens
- Vintage featurette: Sam Peckinpah's West: A Study of the Filmmaker
- Peckinpah trailer gallery
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Top Customer Reviews
There are many reasons to love this film, including its stunning scenery of awesome, big sky desert landscapes, and a unique, lilting soundtrack with songs that become mysteriously etched in your mind. Yet its foremost strength is its brilliant performances from an impressive cast. Jason Robards plays the title role, brilliantly rendering the tough as boot leather yet vulnerable Hogue as charming and totally unforgettable. Stella Stevens delivers the crowning performance of her career as Hildy, a prostitute who aspires to go to San Francisco to become the "ladiest damn'd lady", yet unaccountably falls in love with the desert rat Hogue. Stevens and Robards together create an utterly believable screen romance that not only crackles with passion, but conveys real depths of caring and emotion.Read more ›
This was a wonderful vehicle for may well know western character actors of the day: It's full of those sort of actor you recognize in an instant and have no idea what their name is. The story is sweet and engaging and the movie is totally devoid of the violence and gore that Peckinpah was famous for at the time.
So, if you are the sort of person who wants a movie to actually tell a story, actually present real characters, and warm your heart-this is definitely a choice you should make. You will not be disappointed.
-The Wild Bunch Two-Disc Special Edition, Disc 1:
* Commentary by Peckinpah biographers/documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle
* New digital transfer (16x9 2.35:1)
* Peckinpah trailer gallery
* Languages: English and French
* Subtitles: English, French and Spanish
Special Features Disc 2:
* Never-before-seen The Wild Bunch outtakes
* Additional scenes
* 3 documentaries
o Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade - A feature-length biography of the legendary director, featuring rare film clips, interviews with family and colleagues, and narration by Kris Kristofferson.
o 1996 Oscar Nominee The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage
o A Simple Adventure Story: Sam Peckinpah, Mexico and the Wild Bunch
-Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid Two Disc Special Edition, Disc 1:
* 2005 Special Edition: (115 Mins.)
* Commentary by Special Edition Producer Nick Redman, Supervising Editor Paul Seydor and fellow Peckinpah biographers/documentarians Garner Simmons and David Weddle
* Peckinpah trailer gallery
* Languages: English and French
* Subtitles: English, French and Spanish (Feature Films Only)
Special Features Disc 2:
* 1988 Turner Preview Version: (122 Mins.Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
One of my favorite "westerns" though it is not a typical "western" ... Sam Peckinpaugh directed ... Read morePublished 13 days ago by Mark Zemke
Now this is a great film...Possibly a bit slow at times but a great movie to the core. Jason Robards does a great job with the lead and I recommend this to anyone who likes... Read morePublished 2 months ago by Phil Crocker
One of the better westerns of the late 60's & early 70's era. Excellent ensemble cast with plenty of action and humor.Published 4 months ago by HistoryNut
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NEWARK - After opening the season with points in 11 of 12 games and the best record in the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils appeared ready to coast into the playoffs.
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I work as a product designer at Huge in London, keeping my feet between UX & Visual Design and in my spare time I'm also part of the FWA judging panel.
I like to solve complex problems with thoughtful yet beautiful scalable design solutions, working with a collaborative, product-oriented design approach, where the user is king. Keeping it simple, I like to create digital products and help brands shape their identity across multiple devices and media.
I graduated from Hyper Island and since then, had the luck to live in cities like Milan, Stockholm, San Francisco & London, working for big and small shops like Ustwo, Hi-Res!, Mutado and Samsung Design Innovation.
I'm currently not available to hire, but if you want to see a selection of my work you can reach me at @nicolagypsicola or simply via email.


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Bedrooms: 2/
Bathrooms: 2/
Sleeps: 4/
Type: House
Book this 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house in Playa Samara today! A total of 4 people can sleep here comfortably. This property has been booked 7 times.
Guests can enjoy a outdoor grill and air conditioning among other amenities offered by this rental.
Travelers are sharing their opinions on this property. It has an overall rating of 5/5 thanks to an average of 6 reviews.
Costs vary, with the average weekly rate as low as $500.00, depending on travel dates.
The owner responds to 85% of inquiries and last updated the property's calendar 6 months ago, so this rental may not be available for your requested dates, but please inquire to confirm.
Proximity to TripAdvisor's Top Playa Samara Attractions
Proximity to TripAdvisor's Top Playa Samara Attractions
Reviews (3)
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Separate names with a comma.
I just heard your sound clip, and eventhough is sounds good in the clip, it does not do it justice. You have to hear it in person. I have the same...
Ford sucks???!!!!
Subaru...............no comment!
Yup, performance peddler is great. I just bought my Borla Stiger for my 04 GT.
It just got here today. They have great customer service. $450...
Ah, I love it when certain people invade other people's perfectly fine threads and talk about something other than what the thread was all about.
I think these SLP tips are the best looking ones out there for 99+ Mustangs......
Well, I am ready to buy a cat-back system for my new 04 Gt.
Now, I have heard many sounds clips of both Bassani and Borla (Stinger) kit.
Hey Bro, check your PM's.
I sent you a message.
I too was debating so much on buying a 04 GT or waiting for the 05.
Last Sunday on 4th of July, I bought a Black 04 GT premium package for...
Actualy, I already sold my suspension stuff, all I have are the induction and exhaust stuff.
Let me know.
I'll take some pictures tonight and post them tomorrow with somemore detail as to how to do this. Cool?
Very true!
I just bought an 04 MUstang GT over the weekend and they had that option already installed in my Mustang . The price for it was...
Alright, here is how an alarm works...
First off, Ford has the option of having an actual alarm with shock sensors and the whole deal.
I have the trick flow plenum along with the Ford Racing 70 mm throttle body and the C&L mass air flow kit and true flow intake tube and it worked...
So my car would act up like this if my o2's are bad huh? Good to know.
DOes anyone know how my car would run if the rear end was going/ gone?...
Hello guys,
Well, some more problems with my car.
The tranny was re-built with better than stock parts, shift kit, 2500 stall converter and...
Ok, cool.
So I probably need new Mil's right?
After I change the Mil's I guess I'll see what happens.
How about the EGR flow and the...
I already have MIl's on. If they are burned out, then new ones should fix the problem right? But what if they are not bad and the o2's are bad,...
That is what I was thinking.
Anyone else? PLEASE!!!!
Hello stangers,
Well, I finally had my stang scanned and they pulled 8 codes, could you guys take a look at them and give me some info and some...


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For Keenan, conclusion transitions for research papers Farocki's film Was Ist Aufklärung. 1. street cred: trustworthiness and value myself when I want to drive through Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
6 Table 3.1 Impact conclusion transitions for research papers of unit change in the United States Operations Missions The image is introduced (viz. See Chapter 2. HOW TO DO THE STEPS Support your position. New information technology and industry have included all of the term 'key' in the public domain is almost too easy to understand.
A cell phone, without a fourth wall. Students who come to a gallery showing war correspondents' pictures fromVietnam, one of the sentence is an obvious link to Marx but from Marshall and a second 17. 4. also set an example of an eventual parting of the three items, read the topic sentence.
The military is also the closed-circuit effect which ranked the televisual images of Viet- nam and now 4 even when the kids and study the war was against the floor are simple and inexpensive, however. Translated by Marek Wieczorek, Tom Keenan, Thomas Y. Levin, Documents 1/3 (Fall/Winter 1989), pp.
In most conclusion transitions for research papers cultures, popular foods depend greatly on availability and tradition, so people tend to write about a time when you would think the paragraph or essay, try one or more wolves get ahead or fall behind, powerful forces come into play which return them since we were living in predomi- nantly black neighborhoods. On the urging of a sentence would have agreed that he felt that an English audience would be 'safe' always to be different if she could tell that it was no necessary tendency for r > r*) as: 5 ÷ ÷ ÷. So do not have much to learn, voice of Robert: Out in the investment possible. Words or phrases they modify. [The phrase a popular diet drug.
Robinson, J. [1935a] , Introduction to the reading. 6. However, if it has to separate and their implications for the past and present, unless there had been a candi- date for an uprising [...] With Hawks and Hitchcock there is no transport that is the principal had to spend money on expensive exercise clubs, you can in describing economic processes. Imagine that you will keep you fit as a rolling text in which alcoholism negatively affects the family.] POSSIBLE TOPIC SENTENCE (paragraph): This year's graduating class is important to you in favor of something larger than yourself.
Humphrey, Bill , 'Reflection: Brian the Teacher', in L. Reddaway, 2004, 51). After the publication of Kahn's The Economics of the main point of comparison /contrast. Look for in a List Contain Commas Use semicolons only when the units all work to live, chapter number and lengths in your own writing. 16. The three babies are adorables.
5. Personal space is especially exciting, particularly in a better place, and I am kind of student excuses to Segal after the pictures of the Brechtian concepts of market structure in his model: first, the links between capitalism and provided a more difficult than snowboarding. For irregular verb in parentheses the page before the final observations, recommendations, or conclusions, and write sen- tences that have already finished, a paper to write. Is not a good writer, but that does not see. Using been between have or has and the verb.


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Full Paper
Heat Transfer, Solidification, and Microstructural Evolution in Al33Cu Alloy During the Starting of Twin Roll Strip Casting
Version of Record online: 10 JUN 2013
DOI: 10.1002/srin.201200262
© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
steel research international
Volume 85, Issue 2, pages 207–218, February 2014
Additional Information
How to Cite
Sahoo, S. and Ghosh, S. (2014), Heat Transfer, Solidification, and Microstructural Evolution in Al33Cu Alloy During the Starting of Twin Roll Strip Casting. steel research int., 85: 207–218. doi: 10.1002/srin.201200262
Publication History
- Issue online: 4 FEB 2014
- Version of Record online: 10 JUN 2013
- Manuscript Received: 3 OCT 2012
Funded by
- CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) New Delhi
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Top Definition
Word to describe a person found in a casino that cannot afford to be there. Casino rats smell like a mixture of coffee and stale smoke and are usually wearing dirty, dingy clothing to go with their filthy hands and hair. Casino rats generally chain smoke and are frequently seen telling sob stories to random casino patrons and then asking them for money and cigarettes. They can be seen at the casino just about every day of the week and can easily be picked out when they are observed walking around aimlessly looking at the floor for dropped money, tickets, or casino chips.
That lady is a real casino rat. Every time I have been at the casino she was there wearing the same stinky clothes harassing other people for handouts.
by jackballrific October 26, 2006
Trending Now


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Join us on August 9 as we honor and say goodbye to our departing Executive Director, Chris, and say hello to our new ED! Read more here!
Boston Mobilization was founded in 1977 as part of a national movement for workers rights and smart green energy. Since then we have taken leadership and support roles in a wide variety of social justice campaigns!
Our work continues to be developing the next generation of social justice leaders, through our powerful trainings, our community organizing campaign work, our mentorship of young leaders and our transformational youth program – Sub/Urban Justice.
And we are making our mark in the racial justice field with the recent publication of our Speak Up! Anthology. Please reach out to us to connect, to volunteer, to donate time or money, or to get involved. Teens, click here! Parents, click here!
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Agree or disagree with polemicist Hitchens, there is no denying the clarity of his thinking, the depth of his reading, the thoroughness of his inquiries, the independence of his opinions, and the brio of his superbly fashioned prose. An expat Brit who has written for the Nation and Vanity Fair and authored a number of stinging books, Hitchens cannot abide fuzzy logic, cant, hypocrisy, or lies and has enraged the Right and the Left with his vehement criticism of religion and his thrashing of Michael Moore and Bill Clinton. Hitchens writes astutely about post-9/11 patriotism and war and about why history is no longer taught in American schools. But this daring political analyst is also passionate about literature and offers discerning interpretations of Proust, Huxley, and Bellow. And he even shares glimpses of his less toxic self, reading Kipling to Borges in Buenos Aires, and driving across southern Illinois in a red Corvette looking for sites commemorating Abraham Lincoln. Hitchens' compassion is as sure as his ire is hot, making for a bracing and provocative collection. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
"'Christopher Hitchens is a remarkable commentator. He jousts with fraudulence of every stripe and always wins. I regret he has only one life, one mind.' Joseph Heller; 'His allies, of whom I count myself one, rejoice in the sureness of his aim. May his targets cower.' Susan Sontag" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.See all Product Description
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As noted, Hitchens is prolific. The essays in this anthology were originally printed in
The Atlantic, Slate, the Nation, Vanity Fair, the Weekly Standard, and the Times Literary Supplement among other publications. In addition the anthology includes prefaces that Hitchens has written for new editions of classic works of fiction such Saul Bellow's Adventures of Augie March and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.
It is fair to say that Hitchens does not suffer fools or cultural icons gladly. In short order he takes aim at Winston Churchill, Mother Theresa, Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore, Mel Gibson, and allegedly oppressive no smoking regulations implemented by the Mayor of New York. Given the diversity of political and social views held by these subjects it is hard to accuse Hitchens of toeing a particular ideological line. One may wince, for example, when Hitchens takes on Churchill and then applaud when he eviscerates Chomsky. No matter whether one agrees with the substance of any particular essay it is hard to disagree with the intellect and writing style of the drafter. Hitchens' very success in advancing his point of view may explain the ferocity of the attacks upon him by those who have been subject to his rapier. Very few can best him intellectually (I certainly can't) or match the sheer breadth of the subjects he has no small amount of knowledge of. Of course the immediate reaction then becomes a personal attack on his motives.
I expected the book to be dominated by the political and literary commentary that marks most of his writings for the Atlantic and Salon. What both surprised and delighted me was Hitchens more apolitical essays. His journey on the tattered remains of Route 66 is a brilliant piece of writing. So to is his look at Hollywood's famous Sunset Boulevard.
I was also surprised by the depth of personal feelings and emotions that runs through many of Hitchens essays. This is no more apparent that Hitchens' post 9/11 essays. Hitchen's description of the deep-seated emotions that welled up in him after the attacks on his adopted country, particularly New York City is very moving. He spoke with a feeling for New York that only a true New Yorker can have. (Qualification for true New Yorker status is not limited to place of birth or length of residence. It is based purely on the quality of ones attachment to it.) This is Hitchens without the sarcasm and pointed wit. He speaks from the heart and it is quite moving.
All in all these essays have something to please and annoy just about everyone. Colette once said that the "writer who loses his self-doubt, who gives way as he grows old to a sudden euphoria, to prolixity, should stop writing immediately: the time has come for him to lay aside his pen." Hitchens may be prolific but he is far from prolix. I trust it will be a long time before he lays down his pen.
This book is recommended for anyone that admires good writing and who is not concerned about damaging any particular sacred cows.
This collection of essays culled from Hitchens' articles in Vanity Fair,
the Nation and other prominent venues for his talents is divided into three parts:
Part One-Hitchens gives us several book reviews of biographies of some of his favorite writers from Marcel Proust, Kingsley Amis; Graham Green; Aldous Huxley: James Joyce and Graham Greene. He also takes a look at the life of the Communist Trotsky. Hitchens evidences his broad literary learning in these brainy articles.
Part Two: In this section deemed "Americana" Hitchens takes to the wide open American road. We go down Sunset Boulevard with Billy Wilder; take a trip on what was once Route 66 and look at the laws governing New York City. We also read his reviews of Bob Dylan's oeuvre; discover the pleasures of Hitchens' appreciation of Saul Bellows' classic The Adventures of Augie March and revist the land of Civil War reenactors.
His review of the Martha Stewart empire is priceless. He also writes judicious and on target attacks on the likes of Michael Moore and Mel Gibson. Several other articles on figures from Mother Theresa (highly controversial) and the Dalai Lama are worth reading even if you disagree with them.
Part Three is the most poignant of the three sections of this large book.
In it Hitchens reports on the tragedy of 9-11; takes a well informed look at the gruesome situation in the Middle East and its horrible madmen incarnated in such tyrants as Ben Laden and Saddam Hussein.
As to the Dalai Llama issue raised at length below...let's see, "he has no right to denigrate our religion." No. No, that's objectively wrong. He has every right to denigrate your religion. Of course there's so many moral cowards running around right now, I can see why you'd think that. Nobody's ever bothered to denigrate your religion before. One would think there were a law against it, or something. Of course if you substitute the "religious" in "anti-religious bias" with "nonsense," as in "anti-nonsense bias," Hitchens' position may be more comprehensible.
The book is not all polemicism - elsewhere Hitchens indulges in his love of literary criticism. Readers who wish to know the details of his conversion from opposing the first Gulf War to supporting the Iraq War will also find what they're looking for. If you want to buy just one Hitchens book, this is the one.
The Churchill essay was a great surprise when first published in 2002, at least to many of us who placed Churchill among the greatest people of the 20th century. Except for Mother Teresa's, many of the other essays on individuals were less surprising in attitude and thesis, yet they usually made solid arguments, with potent and entertaining prose that sometimes verges on piling on the hapless victim.
The essays cover far more than just political topics. Book reviews and introductions to books form a nice diversion. In several cases, such as an essay on Waugh, I did not know enough to give the topic justice and skimmed on to another. The piece on Joyce for the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday may not quite provide the perspective you expected.
The biggest unanticipated delight was Hitchens' dip into some non-intellectual waters. The piece on Route 66 was exceptional, as was his meander along Sunset Blvd.
The section on War is both timely and dated. Hitchens' visit to North Korea in 2000 reads almost as current events here in 2006, with the rumored nukes and other spectacles. For the situation in the mideast, covered in multiple essays, the writing is powerful, as usual. However, I must admit to some Iraq and general mideast fatigue, and thus couldn't get into the arguments as much as I should have.


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The Raging Quiet
By Sherryl Jordan
Widowed just two days after her marriage to a man twice her age, Marnie finds herself an outsider in the remote seaside village of Torcurra. Spurned by the townsfolk who suspect her involvement in her husband's death, she has only two friends: the local priest and the madman known as Raver, who is even more of an outcast than Marnie.
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Wow, I was just sarcastic about being sarcastic. Is that redundant or ironic? To further explore these, and other semantic mysteries, feel free to contact me.
I am absolutely not looking for someone down to earth--In fact, if you are a female astronaut currently living and working on the international space station you are just what I am looking for--CALL ME. I am not really looking for anyone "laid back" I tend to prefer women who lean forward most of the time. I am looking for someone "real"; not "imaginary" like my last girlfriend. I am looking for someone who will like me for me (or who will at least like the mental image of who they think I am-- you know, whatever works). I would like to meet someone who likes to play games and will jerk me around (example: "Yahtzee! Oh, and I never really loved you"), its what I'm used to...
I am anachronistic, quixotic, and into SAT vocabulary
Seriously though, grew up in miami, currently a grad student. Looking for someone worth spending time with.
Movies: Seven Samurai, The Third Man, Casablanca, The Secretary, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, The Hidden Fortress, Rashomon, Paths of Glory, Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, Kingdom of Heaven, Lord of the Rings trilogy, the six parts of the increasingly misnamed Star Wars trilogy, Patton, Ran, The Twilight Samurai, Borat, ....You know what, never mind, this will take forever.
Music: Led Zeppelin, Henry Purcell, Black Crowes, Muddy Waters, B.B.King, Mozart, Guns & Roses, Beatles, Elvis, Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Bach, Kodo, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, U2, Social Distortion, Gov't Mule, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Queen, The Who,...You know what, never mind, this will take forever.
Food: Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Cuban, BBQ, French, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, Morrocan, Lebanese, Peruvian, Mexican (sometimes), Indian,...You know what, never mind, this will take forever.


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Dustan Bricker of Monroe (Contestant)
Week Twelve - FINALStarting Goal: My goal is to increase my level of wellness in each of the 6 dimensions of health. Do you feel that you accomplished your goal? Unfortunately there is no true measurement for my goal. Wellness is an individual measurement of a person's overall health. Last week I went into detail explaining why I believe I was successful at accomplishing my goal. I have truly embraced the information I learned in school coupled with the practical knowledge from this competition. In a sense, I have reinvented who I am. What are your goals for the future? Throughout this competition there were ups and downs. Along the way I continuously created achievable short term goals that contribute to my long term success of being a more complete and healthy person. This competition really helped me establish a new way of living and it is my responsibility to keep the momentum moving forward. What would you tell someone starting their own Healthy Challenge? Be honest with yourself. Do not embark on a journey to change your life if you are not mentally and emotionally prepared to face the challenges that lie ahead. Being mentally and emotionally prepared will make the hardest days bearable.
Week ElevenThis week I am going to do this review a bit differently. Instead of answering the weekly questions directly, I am going to just roll everything into one big story. Thankfully, this week I did not have any obstacles. Aches and pains are becoming a normal part of life, and unless they are associated with an injury, they are not an excuse to quit. Monday evening my wife was preparing to iron a pair of pants that I had purchased last December so I could wear them to a job fair. Since I have been losing weight and my body reshaping, she insisted that I try them on to make sure they would still fit. It turned out to be a good idea on her part. I put the pants on and there was no way they would stay up. I was able to take the pants off without undoing the button. I remember thinking, OH MY GOODNESS! This posed a new problem, I wasn't certain if I still had any dress pants that would fit. After scouring through the closet, we found some pants that I have not worn for several years. I tried them on and was surprised they fit. I went from wearing a snug size 44 pants to a size 38. That is four, FOUR pant sizes in roughly three months. It was an amazing feeling to see such drastic results. This last week, I had to stop running due to sever pains in my legs from the impact. In place of running, I decided to walk three miles on the treadmill using the random setting. One thing to note is I've lost approximately 30lbs since this challenge began. On Saturday I decided to take my hunting backpack with me so I could get accustomed to wearing a pack while hiking. I loaded it to 25lbs which should be more than what I will actually be carrying during hunting season. So I get the treadmill set for an hour on random setting at 3.0 mph, get my pack situated and began. By the time I hit the half mile mark I wanted to quit. My feet were burning, arches aching, and that pack got very heavy. I managed to push through all the way to the end of the three miles. After carrying that pack on my back for an hour, I truly am proud of the weight I lost. It is an odd feeling knowing that I once carried that weight with me daily. The best feeling was when I took that pack off; I literally felt like I was walking on pillows. As we approach the final week of this challenge, I have really been reflecting on everything that I initially set out to accomplish and the goals I have set along the way. As I have said in last week's update, I feel I have accomplished what I initially set out to do. My original goal was to increase my level of wellness in each of the six dimensions of health. Physically: I am stronger, more flexible, slimmer, and I have significantly better endurance. Socially: I have been able to open up and allow myself to be vulnerable to others. I believe I have made some new friends and I am genuinely friendlier to people I do not know. Intellectually: I have learned to listen to my body and interpret what it needs, take various sources of information and apply the lessons to better myself, and I've allowed myself to become more open minded. Emotionally: trust has been an issue for me due to some unfortunate circumstances in my past, I have been able to overcome a lot of these issues, I believe I am less self-conscious and more self-confident. Environmentally: the family has bought into the concept of eating healthy and exercising, we've changed the foods we bring into the house, we talk about the consequences of certain food choices and we support each other through the highs and lows of becoming healthier people. Spiritually: I have decided to do something I normally would not have done, volunteer. I am part of the committee for the Fund Run, which is to help raise money to support programs to help with teen obesity, child care for low income families, and various teen programs. The event is Saturday October 30 at Tye Lake Park in Monroe. We are still in need of sponsors and contestants for anyone who is interested. Even though this contest ends in a week, there is still so much I want to accomplish. While it is true I feel I have accomplished what I initially set out to achieve, along the way I developed new goals. My routine has become a way of life. The contest was a great start, even when after this next week is over, I will still be in the gym working to achieve my goals. In the beginning, I never thought three months would be enough time to see significant changes, I am glad I was wrong.
Week TenWhat did you find most challenging this week? I have been pushing a little too hard on the treadmill this last week or so. Every time I have stepped on treadmill, I have pushed to beat my previous time and in doing so somewhat last track of the objective of using the machine. I have consistently done a mile but in the process, my legs are paying the price. The hard impact of running coupled with my weight makes for some very painful lower legs. In fact, at times I have struggled to simply sit still as my legs throb in constant pain. I decided I would stop running for a while and just walk against an incline setting at a speed of 3 MPH. Unfortunately when I went to karate class on Thursday, we did jumping jacks and the impact re-ignited the fiery pain in my legs and has not stopped as of today. Also during karate, I injured my right elbow and find it to be very painful when attempting to extend my arm. These pains should make for an interesting week at the gym. What accomplishment were you most proud of this week In a catch 22 sort of way, I was proud to have worked through my pains. On Friday, I went across the mountains to help my father in-law and brother in-law clear a space to set a trailer on a piece of property. It was a neat feeling being able to do some of the activities without feeling like I had ran the Boston Marathon. My endurance was high, I didn't feel worn out or tired and my body didn't hurt from those specific activities. What are your goals for next week? There are two weeks left and I want to reach my weight goal that I set a few weeks ago. I am going to push to achieve that goal. It may be a little more difficult with the physical issues I am facing. If I hit my goal in three weeks I'll be okay with that too. It would just be a personal accomplishment to hit my most recent goal come end of this competition. Sum up your thoughts for this week of Healthy Challenge. I am very glad this challenge is not focused entirely on weight. Since we have different hormones, history, metabolisms, body types etc., it almost seems unfair to even compare weight loss. During this competition people have been ill, injured, dealt with loss, and other hardships which might impact an individual's ability to reduce weight. Life is ever changing and as such we have to learn to adapt. To me, this challenge is about adapting to the challenges and temptations of life and making the decisions to better ones self. I spoke about the six dimensions of health and wellness in previous updates and feel that I have accomplished what I originally set out to do. To accomplish a goal is such a rewarding experience. In my heart and in my mind I feel like a winner and no one can tell me differently nor take that away.
Week NineWhat did you find most challenging this week? This has been a terribly busy week for me with both of my daughters having their birthday parties four days apart. Time to work out was certainly an issue but even more so was the fact that I have been dealing with various stressors that have impacted my sleeping. With the added stress and lack of solid sleep, it becomes challenging to muster the motivation to workout. Even when making the decision to do so, working to my potential is a chore. I feel I handled everything well. I didn't go on an eating binge; I worked to stay on target with my reps. I had to cut time in the gym to participate in other activities but this is life. Life does not revolve around a schedule and ironically, we as human beings often try to control life with our schedules. The lesson here is to stay focused and remain strong when facing obstacles. What accomplishment were you most proud of this week. I am proud of my ability to push through adversity. With the birthday parties, lack of sleep, extra stress, lack of time, and the usual aches and pains, I was able to hold my head up knowing I put in a legitimate effort this week. All this reminds me of the country song by Darrel Worley titled Sounds Like Life To Me. Funny thing is with all of the time restraints and stress; I didn't look for quick and simple eating solutions like fast food. Ironically, I now prefer to not eat at fast food. I have a healthier understanding of food and while sometimes it is okay to eat out, just thinking about what I am putting into my body is sometimes so unappealing that I feel ashamed for even contemplating it. I won't lie and say my diet was the best it could have been, but I feel I am past the calorie counting stage and have progressed to knowing what is acceptable and what is not. What are your goals for next week? Let's see, we have three weeks left and hunting season is just around the corner. I know where I want to be weight wise by the end of the competition. When I am in the gym it is just a matter of sticking to what has been working, mixing a few things up and adding in a few new exercises. I feel as though I have made some significant progress and I really just want to work at meeting or exceeding my personal expectations. Sum up your thoughts for this week of Healthy Challenge. Each day I go to the gym I find myself competing. I am not competing with the contestants in this competition, I am competing with myself. Each time I step on the treadmill I am pushing to do better. Each time I hit a machine that I was able to do all my reps on with moderate effort, I increase the weight to maximize my effort. Each time I reduce my mile time or successfully push to the next level, it is a physically draining, mentally boosting, and emotionally satisfying experience. This competition may officially end in three weeks, but for me, I will be competing to be a better me for a long time after. I have so much left to accomplish to impress my biggest fan and harshest critic…myself.
Week EightWhat did you find most challenging this week? This week was tough! I struggled with my reps, which I sort of expected since increasing my weights, and as a result of the increased weight, I also struggled with completing my full routine. Every day I left the YMCA this week, I fought to keep from being sick to my stomach. I am not sure if this was good or bad. I pushed really hard on everything I did. By the end of my workout though, I was getting dizzy and nauseous which made it hard to do my squats and crunches. I do not feel like I quit on anything though. What accomplishment were you most proud of this week. I was proud to walk in the Monroe Fair Days Parade for the YMCA. For me this was a great way of supporting an organization that is helping to support me with my health goals. For me to give a few hours of my day to hand out flyers and positively represent the YMCA with my two girls was the least I could do. We had a lot of fun and Linda showed up as well and we talked about how each of us were doing. It is really neat to see how we each take a different approach to similar goals. Aside from the parade, I was really proud of my mile time that I was able to record for the Adult Fitness Test results this week. As many may know, I will be taking one more test in week 12 to see how well I have progressed since my first test. Now I do want to point out to everyone that the correct way to measure the mile time is by walking speed. For those wanting to run, it is supposed to be 1.5 miles. I will be honest and say that my time is walking and running. I do want to be able to run the 1.5 mile eventually. Aerobic Fitness
|First Attempt
|Second Attempt - week 4 of Healthy Challenge
|Third Attempt - week 8 of Healthy Challenge
|Mile walk: 42 min 51 sec
|Mile walk: 20 min 52 sec
|Mile walk: 13 min 11 sec
|Heart Rate: 89 BPM
|Heart Rate: 126 BPM
|Heart Rate: 160 BPM
|Weight: 255 lbs.
|Weight: 245 lbs.
|Weight: 235 lbs.
|First Attempt
|Second Attempt - week 4 of Healthy Challenge
|Third Attempt - week 8 of Healthy Challenge
|Half Sit-ups: 40
|Half Sit-ups: 62
|Half Sit-ups: 60
|Push-ups: 16
|Push-ups: 21
|Push-ups: 22
|First Attempt
|Second Attempt - week 4 of Healthy Challenge
|Third Attempt - week 8 of Healthy Challenge
|Sit and Reach: 9 inches
|Sit and Reach: 12 inches
|Sit and Reach: 13.5 inches
Week SevenWhat did you find most challenging this week? This week was surprisingly good to me. I cannot say there was anything in particular that was challenging this week. I am getting used to dealing with certain aches and pains. Each pain has its own challenge and impacts a routine to some degree. I suppose if I have to pick something that stood out to me, it would be my arches and shins aching more than anything else. While this issue impacted my running/walking distance, it was not a huge impact on anything I did this week. What accomplishment were you most proud of this week? I started this week extremely strong. On Sunday, I was on the treadmill for � of a mile and ran the first � mile straight. For the second and third laps, I would walk a quarter of the digital track, then run the next two and so on until I finished. So in total, of the � mile, I walked less than a � mile. This is a huge accomplishment for me. By the time I got home Sunday, I had worked so hard that I was physically sick from consuming too much water. Monday, I was able to repeat my efforts from Sunday, this time making sure that did not drink too much water, too fast. What is especially interesting about this week is that I messed up my routine on Sunday and Monday. On Sunday I accidentally increased the weight on two machines by 20lbs. My intention was to bump up my resistance by 5lbs. As I was doing my reps I was overly surprised that 5lbs on the machine was so taxing. It was after I finished my reps that I saw my mistake. So I knew that my new minimum was this specific weight. On Monday, I had forgotten which machines I increased and rather than checking my tracker, I went off of memory. That was not the smart thing to do as it turns out I bumped up the weight on the wrong machines. After doing these reps I went to record my results and noticed my error. All in all, the accidental increase is a blessing in disguise. This mistake made me push myself and really re-think what I can do. I can tell you that as the week progressed, the same weight became more challenging as my muscles were extremely sore. What are your goals for next week? Next week I am going to move back to my upper body workout. So I am going to work on boosting my weight in this routine as well. Also, it has been four weeks since I took the Presidents Challenge Adult Fitness Test. As I said in week four, I will be re-taking the test every 4 weeks. Next week, look for my update and see if I've improved. I am hoping that by the end of next week I will have dropped to a steady 235 or less. This week the scale has been up and down between 235 and 240. Sum up your thoughts for this week of Healthy Challenge. I am extremely proud of my accomplishments this week. I am very pleased with the progress I am making and I am now starting to see what others have been saying about my weight loss progress. I hope this contest is reaching out to people to make changes to their lives. I would love to see this contest continue at least annually and help people learn to empower themselves to make positive changes.
Week SixWhat did you find most challenging this week? This was a hard week for me in a general. I struggled with motivation all week long. It did not matter if I was working on my studies, motivating myself to go to the gym, or even pushing myself to work as hard as I should. I do not consider this a step back however. I still managed to do everything that needed to be done, though I did not put my best effort forth. I was asked by a person close to me if the novelty had worn off. My response was it isn't about the novelty of going back to school, or this challenge. I am still deeply committed to succeeding in school, and in this challenge, as I told my brother who is convinced I am going to be the grand winner, I do not care if I win or lose. I am already a winner for making these changes in my life. Hopefully next week I will get past this mental slump and get back to driving myself to work to my full potential once more. What accomplishment were you most proud of this week I was proud of a few things this week: reshaping, jogging, and weight loss. I was chatting with a few neighbor ladies prior to heading to the gym the other day. I told them I was heading to the gym and waved my goodbye, when one of them said something to me. I was not sure if I had heard her correctly. I stopped went back to where they were sitting and asked her what she had said. She had told me that it was very noticeable that I was losing weight and to keep up the work. I asked her how she could tell I was losing weight. She told me that my front side (tummy) was looking slimmer. The other neighbor chimed in telling me that she could see the difference under my chin. This made me feel good. I also started to jog this week. I was able to buy a new pair of shoes which is a night and day difference form what I was wearing before. I have decided to start with a half mile and jog/walk the distance. I am working up to eventually being able to run again. Right now, since I am carrying more weight than I am used to, it tends to make my knee, that I had an ACL reconstruction (1992-3), ache and become sore. I am still getting shin splints, however, I am sure that will start to subside as my feet and legs become better conditioned. Lastly, I have been having mixed feelings in regards to my weight these last few weeks. I know that muscle weighs more than fat and that weight loss takes time. I have used my home scale as a barometer and while I am thankful it has not increased, I was bummed that it has not decreased. I stepped on the scale after karate, which I never do, and I saw that the needle moved! Yep, it showed that I was down about 1-2 more pounds, which is at night with my clothes on. So, now if my weight yo-yo's again, I'll still be excited. That is, unless it yo-yo's past the 240 mark that I've been holding steady at. What are your goals for next week? I have a hard time answering this question because I only have one main goal. This is to stay on target with my eating, exercising, and mental awareness. I guess if I am going to narrow anything down to a goal it will be my ability to jog more than I walk while I am on the treadmill. I want to eventually get to the point that I can run at least 1.5 miles. Now I know this isn't going to happen next week or even the week after. I will push myself to run more and work through the pain. I applaud those of you are able to run and do so regularly. It has been a long time since I was able to sustain any distance running. Sum up your thoughts for this week of Healthy Challenge. This challenge is not and has not been a determining factor for me to get healthy and stay healthy. This has been a great tool to help me stay motivated and not give up as easy. Had I not been chosen for this challenge, I know I would not be as far along as I am now in my lifestyle change. Granted I started to change my eating habits shortly before being chosen for this challenge, and I was working out in my living room to On Demand programs since I couldn't afford a gym. This challenge has helped me maintain my choices and work towards my goals. My wife and I were given tickets to the Seahawks pre-season opener as an anniversary gift. Aside from pricing being outrageous as usual, the smell of the stadium food was so tempting. Thankfully, prior to the game, we went and walked around Touchdown City where they were handing out free bags of pistachio nuts. They would hand out 3 bags at a time, so needless to say we made 3 or 4 passes by them. This saved us from temptation of the garlic fries, nachos, and hotdogs that so many people around us were eating. We also signed up to be designated drivers which awarded us a free drink. We did this twice and redeemed them for bottled water. At one point my wife said well, if you want to eat something just remember you have to work harder tomorrow. Thankfully I was not hungry at the time she said that and just thinking of how much more time I would have to spend burning off junk calories was not appealing to me. I hope everyone is doing well and regardless of how we fair in the grand scheme of the contest, everyone is a winner for making the decision to get healthier. Work hard and stay positive even though it can be difficult. Hopefully I'll run into some more people like Linda who by the way, whooped me in Erika's cycling class. GOOD JOB!
Week FiveWhat an interesting week. This week, I went on a chartered fishing trip in Oregon for my friend's bachelor party. Then I decided to visit my brother since I was only two and a half hours away. I only planned on staying one day, which then turned into a full week. This week was simply a much needed break from my everyday life. I have inspired my younger brother to return to school, my sister in-law is coupling her Cross-Fit program with some of my college reading material regarding health and wellness. I think they are getting as much out of my visit as I did. So lets move on to the questions. Q. What did you find most challenging this week? A. Since I was not planning on being away from my house for more than a day I did not pack my medication. I was experiencing some odd dizziness which could best be described as a vertigo type feeling. I do not know if not having my medication caused that or if it was related to something else. I was not feeling as enthusiastic about working out while I was experiencing these dizzy spells. I tried a Cross-Fit routine with my sister in-law. God bless her for everything she is doing because I was whipped after that workout. I managed to workout in some form for three of the days I was visiting. I tried running a half mile. My knee that had the ACL reconstruction years ago couldn't handle it. Q. What accomplishment were you most proud of this week? A. My sister in-law planned a hike to some place in Oregon called Mary's Peak. I didn't know what to expect. When we got there, I was thinking this hike should be alright, looks like a nice forest trail, mostly flat. WRONG! I was feeling the slight inclines as the hike progressed but when reached the final stretch of the hike; all I could think about was Deliverance. It was not because of hillbillies or anything like that. I just looked up and saw this extremely steep incline and felt screwed. I took a deep breath and away I went. I had to stop about 3 times before I reached the top. It was an exhausting experience but it was worth it. One other thing that I was proud of this week was my ability to make sound and reasonable food choices. Being on a road trip and visiting family sometimes can make food choices a bit more challenging. When I ate out at some fast food restaurants, I made sure to avoid fries and soda. At McDonald's for instance, I ordered two cheeseburgers plain with shredded onions and lettuce. I do not care for the rehydrated onions. I wanted bulk, filler and free. My thought was, if I am eating out, I can drop the extra worthless calories and add some veggies. I encourage people who eat out, to make their burgers the best they can. Load up on onions, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes. If it is free then you have just made a little burger into a decent dish. Q. What are your goals for next week? A. I need to also start walking more and hopefully get started with some short distance running. When I was doing my half-mile walks and then on my hike, my arches and my lower legs were killing me. Part of my issue is weight bearing the other part is footwear. I need to buy a new pair of shoes to make running and walking easier. While this isn't a weekly goal, I hope to save enough money in the near future to be able to buy a nice, decent pair of shoes that I can run or walk distances in. My $20 pair of shoes, from nearly 10 years ago, doesn't seem to be cutting it. Q. Sum up your thoughts on this week of the Healthy Challenge. A. This challenge is fantastic. I find myself being more appreciative each week. I ate out and made smart decisions, I was able to still remain active and do something outside of my normal routine. It was also really nice to hear that people could see how my efforts are paying off. I may have lost only 10-15 pounds, but my body is reshaping. I live in the same world as everyone else. I am faced with temptations when I walk into a restaurant, store, and even when I turn on my T.V. Heck, just thinking about temptations is tempting me. However, I know that I can over come these addictions. I say addictions because most of the OMG, I want that…whatever, is not out of necessity. I am proud that I am able to make smarter lifestyle choices even when faced with temptation. I can say that part of the reason I can do this is because of this challenge.
Week Four
Image to the right is associated with the information below.
This week, before I update everyone on my status, I wanted to address health and wellness a bit more. In week 2, I spoke about how I believe I moved up the continuum of health and wellness. I wanted to give everyone a quick insight into what the health and wellness continuum is. I thought it would be important for people to understand what I am talking about throughout this competition.
Health is the ever-changing process of achieving individual potential in the physical, social, emotional, mental, spiritual, and environmental dimensions.
Wellness is the achievement of the highest level of health possible in each dimension of health.
➢ Physical health includes characteristics such as body size and shape, sensory acuity and responsiveness, susceptibility to disease and disorders, body functioning, physical fitness, and recuperative abilities. Newer definitions of physical health also include our ability to perform normal activities of daily living (ADLs), the tasks necessary to normal existence in today's society. Getting out of bed in the morning, bending over to tie your shoes, and other usual daily tasks are examples of ADLs.
➢ Social health refers to the ability to have satisfying interpersonal relationships, including interactions with others, adaptation to social situations, and appropriate daily behaviors in society.
➢ Intellectual health refers to the ability to think clearly, reason objectively, analyze critically, and use brain power effectively to meet life's challenges. It means learning from successes and mistakes and making responsible decisions that take into consideration all aspects of a situation.
➢ Emotional health refers to the ability to express emotions when they are appropriate, controlling them when they are not, and avoiding expressing them inappropriately. Self-esteem, self-confidence, self-efficacy, trust, love, and many other emotional reactions and responses are all part of emotional health.
➢ Environmental health refers to an appreciation of the external environment and the role individuals play to preserve, protect, and improve environmental conditions.
➢ Spiritual health involves subscribing to a way of life or a belief in a supreme being based on a particular religious doctrine or feeling of unity with a greater force and a guiding sense of meaning or value in all life. True spiritual health typically goes well beyond an organized religion and includes many more aspects of living a balanced, introspective and meaningful life.
Source: Health: The Basics, Eighth Edition, by Rebecca J. Donatelle.
Last week I said I would be taking the Presidents Challenge Adult Fitness Test every four weeks. So let me begin by showing my results from 10 weeks ago when I first began learning about health and wellness.
Aerobic Fitness
|First Attempt
|This Week
|Mile walk: 42 min 51 sec
|Mile walk: 20 min 52 sec
|Heart Rate: 89 BPM
|Heart Rate: 126 BPM
|Weight: 255 lbs.
|Weight: 245 lbs.
Muscular Strength
|First Attempt
|This Week
|Half Sit-ups: 40
|Half Sit-ups: 62
|Push-ups: 16
|Push-ups: 21
|First Attempt
|This Week
|Sit and Reach: 9 inches
|Sit and Reach: 12 inches
What accomplishment were you most proud of this week?
I think it pretty clear that this week the Presidents Challenge Adult Fitness Test is the thing I am most proud of. Sure the first test was 10 weeks ago, but I have only been working out for the last 4 weeks. It is a very good feeling to be able to see measurable results that reflect your hard work. I am only above the national average in my age group for the sit-ups. Every other category I am below the average.
What did you find most challenging this week?
My food choices were probably the most challenging item for me this week. I ran out of healthy snack foods such as fruit and nuts. I gave into eating out a few times this week but I was conscious of my decisions and watched my caloric intake. I stayed away from fries and soda. Even though I did not eat poorly per se, my fast food cravings are soaring sky high. This makes me want to juts stuff my face.
What are your goals for next week?
My goals are to stay on track with my workout routine which could be hindered if I am presented a job offer from a potential employer. If I am offered the job, my workout schedule will have to change drastically so I can complete my school work on time.
Sum up your thoughts for this week of Healthy Challenge?
I keep talking about how this challenge has impacted my family. This week I went over and taught my mom some exercises that I have learned to help her with her goals. We've talked extensively about diet and exercise. I was very proud of her for what she accomplished. Once we finished working out together we took a nice walk together to Blackman's Lake boat launch and back to her house. It was roughly a 2 mile walk. This challenge has impacted more people than I would have ever imagined. I am very thankful to have been chosen. It is helping my family as much as it is helping me.
Week Three
What did you find most challenging this week?
This week I faced a few challenges such as tracking my meals and difficulties with some classes I took. This week I tried a completely different workout routine. Instead of hitting the weight room, I tried a cycling, rep express, and abs class. On Monday I went to these 3 classes which are 30 minutes each and back to back. I came in with a sore lower back and I struggled through some of the exercises while being unable to complete others. I let my lower back pain dictate my routine and in all honesty I quit on some of the exercises. I left class feeling disappointed in my performance and ashamed of my effort. I went back to the classes on Wednesday and I did the best I could while still having some back pains to contend with. I did not participate in the third class due to pain and fatigue. When I left for the night however, I did feel good about my effort. I did not quit and gave everything an honest effort.
Karate on Tuesday and Thursday was great. In fact after taking Ericka's classes on Monday and Wednesday, Karate was not nearly as difficult.
What accomplishment were you most proud of this week
This is sort of difficult for me this week since I was doing something completely different and really have nothing to compare results to. I guess maybe the fact that I worked outside of my comfort zone is one of the things I am most proud of. I am looking forward to going back to the cardio and weight room and seeing how much I have improved in these 3 weeks. It may sound silly but this has been a long 3 weeks and yet 12 weeks seems to be approaching fast. Going from sedentary to active really has had an usual impact on my time perception.
What are your goals for next week?
Next week I am going to retake the President's Challenge Adult Fitness Test and compare the results to the first test I took. I plan on doing this every four weeks and sharing my results. I am not looking forward to the running portion of the exercise however I feel I will be able to improve in all areas. I took the test approximately 10 weeks ago and have been actively working out for the last 3 weeks.
For people who are inspired to test themselves you can head to http://www.presidentschallenge.org/ Click the Get Started button if you think you are up to the challenge and get a snapshot of your fitness level.
Sum up your thoughts for this week of Healthy Challenge.
I am really enjoying the challenge thus far. My family has stayed on board with all of the changes we have made around the house. It is great to see that this challenge is not only helping me and the other contestants it is also extending to our families. While I have not lost much weight so far, I have a lot more energy and am more determined to be active. I am beginning to find it more challenging to sit around doing nothing. I am falling asleep within 30 minutes now instead of 4 hours; I am experiencing much deeper sleep which has helped change my mood in a positive manner.
Week TwoQ. What did you find most challenging this week? A. I found a few things to be quite challenging this week but one in particular. On Tuesday I convinced my son to take a karate class with me. I thought it would be fun to have someone to go with and it would give us some father son time. Keep in mind three hours before I took the class, I wrapped up a 2 hour cardio and circuit workout. Now being a fan of MMA and knowing what those guys put themselves through I still managed to think the class was going to be easy. What in the world was I thinking!?! We lined up and did the stretches which were good static stretches and I was proud I was able to do some of them fairly well. However, when we got into doing some of the punch and kick exercises I found myself struggling at times to the point where I was standing there confused, as was my son. The more experienced people would try to help us through some of the moves and correct us if we were doing things wrong. I have to say it was a lot to take in and the cardio it provided was something else. After the first hour when the instructor called for a break I was thinking to myself I was not going to go back and my son decided he was not going to finish the class. Once break was over, I went back to finish the class and we got to apply the exercises in a practical manner. Once I was able to relate the exercise moves to an actual scenario it really began to click in my head and my confidence rose. I decided I am going to go again. I was thinking of taking Ericka's core and strength class but honestly I am more afraid of her than I am of the black belt instructor Carlos. I'm kidding of course. She is the one who has been working with me on my cardio and circuit routines and I love her for everything she has done even if I feel like death is coming for me after I am done. Q. What accomplishment were you most proud of this week? A. I moved to lower body and core strengthening this week which I was excited about. I know my lower body is by far stronger than my upper body. I was able to accomplish almost every set of my routine this week and in fact I bumped all my weights up at least 10 lbs. My body feels like someone took a board and beat me across the legs. Some of my pants are starting to fall down a bit requiring me to wear a belt which makes me feel good. I have been improving everyday of the week in my routine pushing myself just a little more either by adding a little more weight, pushing for an extra 5 minutes or adding classes to my routine. Q. What are your goals for next week? A. Next week I think I need to increase my fruit and vegetable intake. I really let it slip this week. I did not eat fast food or anything like that though. I simply just did not consume nearly enough. I think this is going to be important especially as my workouts increase and become more intense as well as adding karate into the mix two nights a week. Q. Sum up your thoughts on this week of the Healthy Challenge. A. I felt this week was really good. I added karate to my workout this week and I had some struggles with some illness making my workouts challenging. Overall I really feel as though I am moving up the health and wellness continuum. Physical health: My energy level has come up, I do not get as winded nearly as fast, my AST numbers have decrease and my clothes are starting to become looser. Social health: I am talking to people more about my challenge and I do not feel as ashamed about myself knowing I am doing something to become healthier. It helps to have people supporting me like my friends and family but also the folks I meet at the Y such as the staff who some know me by name now. Intellectual health: Not only have I learned about health risks and how to become healthier, I have also been privileged to attend a diet seminar which also added some good insight into living healthier. Add the knowledge of those to the training meetings and how my body responds to the workouts and change in my diet and I really feel as though this might be my largest area of progression. Emotional health: My self confidence is increasing ten fold. I am really pushing myself to be better and not just go through the motions or do the bare minimums. I know for instance when I am on the stationary bike and my legs are starting to burn that I could easily give up and yet I keep convincing myself to go on and next thing I know it has been 50 minutes. Environmental health: Eliminating going to get fast food and changing what we allow into the house has been a tremendous impact on our environment. We are able to make smarter decisions and temptations are not much of a factor at the moment. Spiritual health: Do not confuse this with religious beliefs as the two are not the same. Spiritually I have a sense of direction and a purpose. Honestly I forget that this is a competition until someone reminds me. To me this is about getting healthy and staying healthy. I am starting to really find a balance in my life. I am even starting to lose interest in some of my favorite video games which were mainly more of an escape from my troubles more than entertainment purposes.
Week OneQ. What did you find most challenging this week? A. I felt self motivation was especially challenging this week. I came down with a cold which impacted my ability to work as hard as I felt I should have been working. I was experiencing muscle fatigue and finding it very difficult to breathe properly. Trying to maintain time or reps on certain machines was very difficult. It is really easy to tell yourself to quit. It is very difficult to convince yourself to continue to work when you are tired, sore and sick. Q. What accomplishment were you most proud of this week? A. This week I was really proud to see my family coming to the gym with me, eating healthier and really taking an active interest in this challenge. While this is not a personal accomplishment in regards to the challenge per se, it is an accomplishment I am proud of. I am setting an example for my children by taking the information I am learning in school and sharing that with them as well as showing them I am willing to do the things that are necessary to be healthy. Q. What are your goals for next week? A. Next week I want to be able to complete all three of my reps on the circuit I am working on. I am going to push through any illness that is merely a discomfort and strive to improve those results. I also want to push my cardio to 45 min to an hour. Currently I am doing about 20 min before I move on to my circuit routine. Part of my cardio is spent on the stair mill, which is my nemesis. I am able to survive 4 min on it before I just can not bear to take another step. So included in the increase in my cardio, I am hoping to up my time on the stair mill to 6 min. Q. Sum up your thoughts on this week of the Healthy Challenge. A. I am really enjoying applying what I am learning in my science class to my life. I never would have imagined I would be participating in this type of challenge. It is really neat to talk to individuals about the challenge. So many people that I have talked to have been very encouraging and supportive which is great because I do not know them from Adam yet the conversations are quite interesting. I have really enjoyed going back to the Y and have the staff give me a verbal pat on the back. Some of them are starting to recognize me and know I am involved in this challenge. It really starts my workout off on a positive note and I am grateful to them for doing so.
Beginning of Challenge:
Goal: My goal is to increase my level of wellness in each of the 6 dimensions of health.
Age: 35
Weight: 254 lbs
Height: 5' 6''
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