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Rants and Raves: Clippers get closer
Going into the Clippers' 103-95 loss to the Jazz on Wednesday, L.A. had won five of its past six. Even though they did come up short, the Clippers battled Utah on even terms through three of the four quarters, thereby demonstrating that the latest edition of this historically forlorn franchise now has a viable future.
With Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Al-Farouq Aminu getting most of the frontcourt minutes, the Clips' bigs are young, athletic and eager to compete.
With his sure hands and bouncy hops, Griffin has become the NBA's newest dunk-o-maniac. He racked up 30 points and 12 rebounds against Utah. Many of L.A.'s offensive sets are centered around him, primarily because he's such an alert and unselfish passer. Otherwise, Griffin's power spins are extremely effective post-up moves.
If only the rookie could shoot — he was 3 for 8 from the free-throw line and, before sinking a meaningless last-minute trey, 0 for 2 on his jumpers. Indeed, if Griffin is more than one dribble away from the basket, his offensive repertoire is severely limited. That said, he's still a monster in the lane.
Griffin plays hard on defense, but he has little to show for his efforts.
Jordan, a terrific shot-blocker coming to the ball from the weak side, had seven swats. But when his opponent turns and faces, Jordan doesn't quite know how to react. As a result, Al Jefferson torched him for 31 points, leaving me to wonder why he was never double-teamed.
Aminu has a nice stroke — he went 3 for 6 from the outlands — and can jump to the moon. There isn't much razzle or dazzle in his handle, but the rookie can zip his way through the smallest opening in any defense.
Other major players included Baron Davis, who often over-handled but looked to pass (nine assists) more than to shoot (3 for 6). Although he's still tricky with the ball, Davis' explosiveness is a thing of the past because of his chronic injuries. These days, he'd best serve the team as a backup point.
Young Eric Bledsoe is the presumed point of the future. He's certainly quick enough to play there, but he makes too many rookie mistakes with the ball — forced passes, poor clock management and general confusion. Bledsoe also has to demonstrate he can knock down open jumpers.
The Clippers' future would be brighter if either Bledsoe grew up in a hurry or the team could procure a veteran point guard who has more zip in his legs than Davis.
Eric Gordon is a shooter who can pass instead of being a passer who can shoot. Instead of routinely creating his own scoring opportunities, he needs to come off of weak-side screens. Still, Gordon is the only reliable shooter on the team.
Ryan Gomes is little more than a serviceable backcourt player.
At the start, the Clippers showed terrific ball and player movement. High screen/rolls, baseline snakes and a few handoffs. That's why they led 31-23 after the first quarter. But then Jerry Sloan ordered his subjects to play a zone defense and the game turned.
The Clippers stopped moving, were hesitant in their passing and wound up taking too many perimeter jumpers. Even when the Jazz reverted to a man-to-man defense after the intermission, L.A. couldn't get out of its jump shot-oriented rut. Their stagnant offense was a major reason why the Clippers tallied only three buckets in the third quarter and were outscored 30-13.
What the Clippers sorely lack is a versatile, low-post scoring threat. Injured Chris Kaman theoretically fills the bill, but his presence in the pivot would push Griffin two to three dribbles from the rim and negatively impact the merry dunkster's impact.
At the other end of the court, the Clippers never successfully coped with the perpetual curls and cuts resulting from Utah's weak-side and cross-lane screens. Also, L.A. collapsed so furiously on the visitors' ball penetration that kick-out passes created numerous uncontested jumpers.
In sum, the Clips are young, willing and perhaps two players and two seasons from being able to compete for 48 minutes with the NBA's elite squads.
So Shaq was fined 35 Gs for questioning the decisions made by Bob Delaney's crew that fouled him out in 11 minutes the other night. No surprise there because Shaq has been victimized by Delaney's nit-picking calls throughout his career. In Orlando, L.A., Miami, Phoenix, Cleveland and now Boston, Shaq has hardly been able to scratch himself without Delaney tooting him for a foul. The NBA hasn't seen this kind of bias since Earl Strom relentlessly picked on Rick Barry.
Has Michael Jordan done anything to promote the on-court fortunes of the Charlotte Bobcats? Perhaps M.J. would better serve the franchise by confining his activities to playing golf, gambling in casinos and advertising underwear.
Marcin Gortat is a highly overrated player whose flaws are minimized when he plays minimal minutes. With more daylight available to him in Phoenix, look for Gortat to be in constant foul trouble.
Earl Clark is a throw-in on the deal and has no idea how to play team-oriented ball.
Since Vince Carter would rather initiate his scoring opportunities from a dead stop, he'll have some trouble adjusting to the constant movement required by the Suns' free-wheeling offense.
Jason Richardson can hit open 3-balls and also score on turn-around jumpers in the low post. But he plays no defense and plays offense only when the spirit moves him. Perhaps playing for a legitimate contender will rouse his chops on a nightly basis. In any case, J.J. Redick plays better without the ball, is a more reliable long-distance dialer and plays better position defense.
Is Rashard Lewis still in the league?
Mickael Pietrus is a mistake player whose misplays were extremely noticeable and costly in the Magic's slow-down game plan. In Phoenix's speedball offense, however, his errors will hardly be noticed. But his defensive prowess and ability to knock down open treys will prove to be valuable assets.
While he tries to get familiar with his new mates, Gilbert Arenas has been guilty of over-passing and forcing shots. But he will eventually prosper as Orlando's sixth man because his primary responsibility will be to score. Plus, he fully understands the Magic is unalterably Jameer Nelson's team. The downside of Arenas' game is the lack of explosiveness caused by his perpetual injuries.
Look for Hedo Turkoglu to get makeable shots by trailing fastbreaks and positioning himself behind the 3-point arc on either wing. Moreover, he'll thrive on Nelson's kick-outs, the necessity of opponents to double Dwight Howard and on high screen set to his left. This latter arrangement suits Turk best since his pet move is to dribble left and then pull up. Getting him the ball in a screen/roll situation will also maximize his ability to make judicious passes when moving left.
Once again, LeBron James has made a fool of himself. After suggesting that the NBA dismantle several of its weakest teams, his attempt to spin his comments was even weaker and more ill-advised. His claim to not know the meaning of "contraction" reminds me of what one coach had to say about his star player: "He doesn't know the meaning of the word 'fear.' Unfortunately, there are a lot of other words he doesn't know the meaning of."
Here's an email I recently received that provides the most suitable response to LBJ that I've read:
Hey there, Charley, I'm a longtime reader of your columns who's based in the UK, who loves the game and has to stay up into the small hours to watch it! I just wanted to make a point about LeBron's opinion about how much the NBA would be improved by eliminating some of the weakest franchises. Apart from the obvious drawback of putting a lot of players and coaches out of work, LeBron seems to think that fans only want to watch the "star players." While this may be true for some people there are plenty of fans who actually enjoy the total game. As for me, I like watching the hustle players, the role players and the energy guys just as much as the All-Stars. I appreciate Nocioni taking a charge as much as a Josh Smith dunk or LeBron pinning a layup against the glass. Watching the "lesser names" have their moment in the sun makes me feel that the game is for everyone, not just the billionaires. Whose heart wasn't warmed when Sundiata Gaines pulled off that buzzer beater last year? Take that away and what do you have? An ego league full of shoe salesmen.
Keith Thomson,
Maidenhead, England


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Download. Configure. Deliver.
We started NetDexterity in 2006 with the goal of delivering Information Management solutions on Micorosft technology that would exceed the expectations of your user, deliver on the compliance needs of Information Manager, and enable Information Technology to deliver excellence to its organization.
We have successfully worked with our clients delivering innovative solutions on SharePoint and CRM meeting the demands of stakeholders with our unique approach. In early 2012, as an early adopter, we began to work with Microsoft and key clients in delivering SharePoint 2013 – we saw an opportunity to transform what we do and deliver it on the new App platform.

subset: commoncrawl


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We're the #1 Hub for Vaping.
Here at Vapeform, the one and only hub where you can come to find out where it's safe to vape, whether it's the local pub or in the city. We dedicate our time to finding the ins and outs of every Club, Pub and Bar. We won't stop until we've built the most comprehensive list of bars possible, starting within the Belfast area.find out why
Introducing our Mac App for OSX
Installation couldn't be easier
Yard Bird
Whites Tavern
The Union Street Bar
The Northern Whig
The National Grande Cafe
The John Hewitt Bar
The Harp Bar
The Eglantine Bar
The Dirty Onion
The Crown Liquor Saloon
The Cloth Ear
The Apartment
Sixty 6
Pavilion Bar
Love & Death
Kremlin Night Club
Kitchen Bar
Kelly's Cellars
Katy Daly's
Fountain Tavern
Duke of York
Brennans Bar
Benedicts of Belfast
Aether & Echo
21 Social
Recent Blog Posts
Read our latest and greatest on the Vaping Industry
Scotland tightens e-cig rules, but new studies bring good news
It's now illegal for under-18s to buy vapour products in Scotland, thanks to a new health law pushed through by the ruling SNP. There's some hope for US vapers though, as Trump's pick for FDA head refuses to commit to a flavour ban. Meanwhile in academia, researchers have found that e-cigs are a popular choice among American soldiers – and that strict vaping laws deter smokers from quitting.
UK: Convenience stores toe the line with sales of Ecigs to minors
The Chartered Trading Standard Institute (CTSI) revisited businesses where nicotine was sold to minors previously and notes a net improvement in the results.
Reporting on scientific publications, what to expect for 2017?
End of the year, beginning of a new one. It is the right time to look back and take lessons from what happened last year to start a new year with an open mind.
Hand checked
We hand verify each and every listing, confirming via telephone or email that you're allowed to vape in the locations listed on our website. If we get it wrong, let us know.
We monitor and create diverse event calender's, so keep checking our EVENTS page to see what's going on in Belfast!
We try to keep our content as original as possible, with hand written reviews and tailored posts that we think you want to see. Check out our Blog!
We ? Vape
Most importantly, we vape. We love to vape and we love to find out the latest and greatest in the news in terms of hardware, e-liquid and scientific breakthroughs!
Hold your horses, fella.
We are rebuilding your favorite part of the website with a new updated look. We're contacting over 100 bars in Belfast just to find out if you're allowed to use your e-cigarettes in them. This shouldn't take too long – Why not check back tomorrow? We will incrementally update the list as and when the information becomes available to us.


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Silver Angel Wings CZ Iced Out Pendant
Item # MBP578R-bead
This stunning angel wings pendant features all VVS flawless simulated diamonds, hand set with prongs and breathing holes for the ultimate shine. Item comes with a free 36 inch 2mm bead chain. It can be cut down to any length you want.
- VVS Flawless Simulated Diamonds
- Brass (Rhodium Plated)
- 53mm x 21mm
- 4.8 grams


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Nutty Dancer Mod Ska Charity Keyring & Pin Badge
(5 reviews)
One Size
Please select a size to add to your bag
Brand: MADCAP ENGLAND in collaboration with Teflon aka John Sims.
Madcap England have teamed up with the artist Teflon aka John Sims, the man who created the Original and iconic Nutty Dancer. A 50 pence donation to the Teenage Cancer Trust from every purchase of this fab Retro keyring and badge set. A great Mod and Ska related gift idea and for a good cause too. One Step Beyond...
Teflon's original Nutty Dancer in a fantastic enameled cut out keyring and pin badge set. Made in collaboration with Madcap England and featuring stylish cardboard backing card with iconic Mod Ska checkerboard 2-Tone detail. Silver metallic edging with white outline. Butterfly clasp to back of pin badge. Classic Nutty Dancer imagery and a great Mod Ska accessory. With a donation of 50 pence to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
ORIGINAL NUTTY DANCER MOD SKA CHARITY KEYRING AND BADGE SET. Brand: Madcap England in Collaboration with Teflon.
Colour: Black/White.
SKU: Nutty Dancer Set. Nutty Dancer Charity Keyring and Badge Set. In aid of Teenage Cancer Trust.
One size.
Product ID: 14310
UK Standard: 2 - 4 working days – £3.50 or FREE* if you spend over £75.00
UK Express: 1 working day (Monday - Friday) to most UK addresses - £4.95. Order before 3pm Monday - Thursday for Next Day Delivery.
UK Saturday/Sunday delivery: Order by 3pm on Friday for delivery on Saturday/Sunday - £12.00 (Select from Saturday or Sunday Delivery at the checkout. Sunday Delivery is only available to selected postcodes).
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Delivery typically between 3 - 20 working days depending on destination.
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Delivery typically between 7 - 25 working days depending on destination.
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If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, simply return the items to us in their original condition and packaging within 30 days of receipt and we will issue a full refund (excluding original delivery charge), or exchange the item for a different size / colour, if preferred. You are responsible for returning items to us.
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Ska Fairisle Retro Mod Intarsia Rudeboy Jumper
(Overall rating based on 5 reviews)
Submitted on 19/8/2016
Great quality Wear it every day
Submitted on 12/8/2016
Excelente calidad de los productos.
Submitted on 22/2/2015
Pretty tiny items, always reminding me of times past long ago.
Submitted on 11/12/2014
It was a key ring for my keys and pin badge for my collection . My freinds
Submitted on 2/10/2014
Fabulous so much so will be giving as stocking fillas
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The 'Faith' exhibition is an exploration of modern-day India, through narratives and elements of everyday life. The inspirations come from the tangibility and prominence of faith, in it's various forms, in a country with a truly ancient cultural heritage and diverse nature, now facing the changes that globalisation and modernisation are bringing about.
Whilst the main themes of the exhibition come from cultural phenomenons in India, the aim is to also awaken a discussion on the similarities and differences in Indian and Nordic culture, conceptually and aesthetically.
Katy Hertell, Helen Korpak, Sameer Kulavoor, Shweta Malhotra, Ranjit Menon, Tuukka Tammisaari, Tejubehan
Craft & Design
Johanna Gullichsen, Shaila Keetley, Inka Kivalo, Riddhi Seth, Julie Skarland, Udumbara


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Pigneys Wood
North Norfolk Community Woodland Trust
Registered as a Charity No 1011541
News & Information
27/06/2015 - Antisocial Behaviour.
Once again 'idiots' have been active in the wood, lighting fires in the 'Old Barn' using planks ripped out of picnic tables as fuel. We do not have to emphasise the danger to the general public of such antisocial behaviour particularly in summer and members of the public are asked to inform us, or the police on 101, if they observe anyone behaving in an unusual manner which might endanger other users of the wood.
04/11/2014 - Creation of Heathland/Moorland in Pigneys Wood.
The trustees are pleased to announce the commencement of a National Lottery funded project in Pigneys Wood which seeks to create/reinstate an area of heathland on formally intensively farmed but very dry land located to the west of Hall Lane and known as the 'Dog Leg'. Recent visitors to this area of the wood will have noticed that an area of approximately one hectare has been 'scraped' in preparation for seeding with heather which is being supplied by Norfolk Wildlife owned Foxley Wood and being planted under their expert guidance and advice for best results. It is realised this work may result in some inconvenience to those members of the public who regularly access this area of the wood but this is expected to be short lived as the ground recovers and the new habitat develops. This development is in support of long term management plans to increase the diversity of the wood in the provision of a wide range of habitats for the benefit of wildlife and in the public interest.
25/09/2014 - Eastern Lifelong Forest School Report published - Click here for details
18/12/2013 - Tree Report published - Click here for details.
27/10/2013 - Management Plan published - Click here for details.
23/06/2013 - Long Service Awards and Honorary Life Membership Certificates.
We are pleased to announce the award of an Honorary Life Membership and Long Service Certificate to the following retired member of the Trust:
Mr Michael Wright - Southrepps
Congratulations and thank you.
02/06/2013 - Sightings in the Wood:
A Swallowtail butterfly was seen in the vicinity of the dipping platform earlier in the month. This is a rare sighting and it is quite some time since we last saw one despite planting a large quantity of milk parsley some years ago.
02/03/2013 - Sightings in the Wood:
It has been reported that a Bittern has been heard and seen in the wetland area of the wood. The sighting took place about a fortnight ago and is very welcome news, particularly as the wetland area has only recently been restored. A very welcome and important visitor indeed.
11/02/2013 – Photography – 'Your Photographs':
We have recently added a 'drop down' page to our Photography page on the main menu to display images taken by visitors to the wood. Should any member of the public who has an image taken in the wood and would like to see it displayed on this page please refer to our guidelines on the Photography page for details.
06/02/2013 – 'Our Sponsors/Donors':
We have recently updated our Sponsors & Donors page to provide members of the public and commercial organisations with the information necessary to facilitate their contributions. Members of the public/commercial organisations wishing to become sponsors or donors are asked to consult this page for information on how to do so.
9/12/2012 - Fundraising Quiz:
This event held at the Bluebell Inn, North Walsham, was well attended and the Trust was presented with a cheque for £327. Our grateful thanks are due to Terry, the owner, his family and staff, for all the hard work they have done throughout the year raising funds for the various organisations they so kindly and generously support. The cheque was received by Nick Sutherland, our chairman, on the Trust's behalf.
25/11/2012 – Footpaths:
Regular users of footpaths approaching the wood from Little London Road and Bacton Road will not have failed to notice the work being undertaken on the canal and as a result of this we are unable to guarantee continued access to the wood via these routes, certainly until the location of bridges and other crossover points have been established. We are in contact with the developer to ascertain what changes are planned or envisaged and when they are likely to occur. We will keep you informed of developments via this site.
24/11/2012 - Tree Identification Guide:
We are pleased to announce the introduction of a tree identification guide for the use of the general public, particularly children and schools. Please go to Facilities & Walks for details.
6/7/10/2012 - Theft and Vandalism.
During the weekend of the 6th and 7th of October we were, once again, targeted by thieves and vandals. The theft resulted in the loss of all our powered implements including strimmers and brushcutters along with fuel cans and litter pickers.
The vandalism resulted in the loss of the 'reed' screen on the side of the Old Barn and a picnic table, both of which were used as fuel for a fire started in the Barn itself, an incredibly stupid thing to do given the fire risk involved not only to the barn but to the wood and to anyone using it at the time. Drinks bottles and cans were strewn everywhere and it is clear that alcohol played a big part in what occurred. Two pole barriers were also destroyed
Police investigations are currently ongoing but should any members of the public have any information which could be of use to their investigation it would be very welcome. The officer in charge of the investigation is PC Emma Hill who can be contacted at North Walsham police station by dialling 101.
The losses, which cost the trust in the region of £2,500, will impair our ability to maintain footpaths until the tools have been replaced.
We should like to take this opportunity to thank those members of the public who very kindly assisted with the cleanup, particularly the collection of bottles and cans.
08/09/2012 - John Sweeney Award for the Environment.
We are pleased to announce that the Trust was awarded a runners-up certificate at the John Sweeney Award ceremony held at the GreenBuild event at Felbrigg Hall on the 8th and 9th of September 2012. The citation was as follows:
"Pigney's Wood. A Local Nature Reserve near North Walsham, run by a community trust and staffed by volunteers, where an area of overgrown and degraded former farmland was restored into a natural pond and wetland area. The area has quickly been colonised by plant and animal life and forms an idyllic area for walks."
David Gosling and Brian Abbs (Trustee/Directors), pictured, collected the award certificate on the trust's behalf.
29/03/2012 - Long Service Awards and Honorary Life Membership Certificates.
We are pleased to announce the award of Honorary Life Membership and Long Service Certificates to the following retired members of the Trust:
Mr David Ross – Mundesley
Mr 'Pip' Thomas – North Walsham
Mr Charles Utting – North Walsham
Congratulations and thank you.
25/02/2012 - Vandalism.
Vandals have been active within the wood again and have damaged the two single pole barriers adjacent to the car park and the reed weather screen on the left hand side of the 'Old Barn'. Should anyone have any information about these incidents or know any of those involved we should be pleased to hear from you. Information will be held in the strictest confidence. The police have been informed.
We also require two secondhand steel filing cabinets of three to four drawers each. Office discards would be ideal. Local collection can be arranged.
Contact Peter at email@example.com
Sightings in the Wood:
16/11/2011 - Rare Butterfly.
A Camberwell Beauty (nymphalis antiopa), a very rare visitor to this country, was seen in the wood on November 16th. This sighting has been reported to Butterfly Conservation and is one of only two sighted this Autumn.
A Marsh Harrier (circus aeruginosus), was also seen cruising the wood.
(Click on species for further information).
Pigneys Wood Wetlands Restoration Project:
03/12/2011 – We are pleased to announce that all major groundworks have been finished and that the public are free to use all footpaths surrounding the site area. Some may find this difficult until the paths have dried out which may take some time. We expect to see substantial reed growth by early spring providing a new habitat for flora and fauna. See images, below, of the work carried out and click here for detailed map of the site area.
Wetlands Restoration - November 2011
Annual General Meeting:
Please note that the date for the AGM has been changed to Wednesday, 30th of November, 2011 and the final Board meeting of the year will take place on the same date. The time and venue remain as indicated. Click here for AGM agenda.
Sunday, May 15th – 'Fun Day for All Ages'.
This event, hosted by the North Norfolk Community Woodland Trust, the owners of Pigneys Wood, and organised by the North Norfolk Workout Project under the able guidance of their leader, Mark Webster and his team, attracted in excess of 400 hundred visitors, the majority of whom were children accompanied by their parents and family members. The visitors were able to enjoy a number of attractions which included, amongst others, a dipping platform (very popular with children), a drumming band, a storyteller, a plant stall, guided nature walks and, on a more practical level were invited to make nesting boxes and even dissect owl pellets which some, no doubt, found a little squeamish but, nevertheless, very interesting.
The occasion was catered by "Mads Outside Catering" who did a roaring trade providing burgers, bacon sandwiches, soup, coffee, tea, soft drinks and other fare.
The weather remained fine and warm throughout the day apart from a very light shower around midday. A rotating mini-bus service was provided, free of charge, between North Walsham and Pigneys Wood and carried a significant number of visitors from the pick-up point located at the Community Centre in North Walsham. Over 200 vehicle movements (about 100 cars) were recorded in and out of the wood and we are pleased to record that no blockages/holdups occurred either in the wood or at the car park entrance/exit to Hall Lane. For this we have to thank our Trustees who acted as greeters, parking attendants, and general guides throughout the day.
The event was planned to celebrate the completion of our lottery funded project and to show members of the public, at firsthand, what the wood has to offer them as an educational and recreational facility which they can enjoy throughout the year.
From the feedback we have received it is clear that our visitors enjoyed their day and as a result we are seriously considering hosting a similar event next year.
Some of our young guests enjoying the day
(Images courtesy of BTCV and North Norfolk Workout Project)
If you have any comments you would like to make about this event or have any ideas for future events please contact us by email using the email facility provided. Please use the subject heading 'Events 2012'. All ideas from anyone of any age are welcome.
For those wishing to find out more about the North Norfolk Workout Project please click here.
For the report in the EDP 24 by Alex Hurrell click here
Saturday, January 8th - Mini Launch of Lottery Project.
This event, held in the wood in early January to celebrate the projects near completion was well attended by members of the public and local dignitaries including Town, County and District Councillors and our local MP, The Rt Hon. Norman Lamb. A tree was planted to mark the occasion. A variety of hot refreshments were provided by "Mads Outside Catering".
As will be appreciated this project has involved a considerable amount of work and effort in administration and organisation to say nothing of the physical demands of implementing the various works involved and whilst all members of the project team have made contributions special mention should go to David Gosling, our team leader, who dealt with all the voluminous paperwork and accounting procedures which a project of this size entails and to Brian Abbs, our Maintenance Manager, who spent hours in the wood supervising and guiding the contractors engaged in carrying out the work.
Our Guests on the Day
(Images courtesy of Peter & Loraine Holtam)
Sunday, December 12th - Fundraising Quiz.
This event held at the Bluebell Inn, North Walsham, was well attended and the Trust was presented with a cheque for £377. Our grateful thanks are due to Terry, the owner, his family and staff, for all the hard work they have done throughout the year raising funds for the various organisations they so kindly and generously support. The cheque was received by David Ross on the Trust's behalf.


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Watch Grammys Red Carpet Online 2017 – Grammy Awards Pre-Show Live Stream
The red carpet festivities at Sunday's 2017 Grammys are well underway, and Gossip Cop has a live stream. Watch below!
The Recording Academy is currently streaming "Grammy Live," its online-only pre-show capturing all the red carpet arrivals at the Staples Center. Quddus and Skye Townsend are co-hosting the coverage, joined by Ted Stryker. Together the trio are doing on-the-spot interviews with nominees, presenters and performers before the big show.
Once the ceremony kicks off, "Grammy Live" will turn into a backstage feed, offering behind-the-scenes access to viewers at home. And after the CBS broadcast of the awards show ends, the stream will continue with a "comprehensive recap of winners, performances and fashion highlights."
But there's also a simultaneous, but different, red carpet pre-show set to air on TV. Starting at 7:30 p.m., Nancy O'Dell and Kevin Frazier will lead "Grammy Red Carpet Live" on CBS. For the second year in a row, the "special will give viewers exclusive red carpet coverage before music's biggest night."
Of course, that means more interviews as celebrities make their grand entrances, as well as additional looks at the evening's hottest style statements. It all leads up to the 59th annual Grammy Awards, hosted by James Corden. The awards show is slated to start at 8 p.m., immediately following the red carpet pre-show. Watch below! NOTE: The live stream is no longer available.


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The I AM WATER movement brings together dedicated ocean advocates from around the world. Our global operations are managed by a leadership team of athletes, scientists, storytellers and explorers. Each of us has a story to tell about why we work to protect the world's oceans.
We have a very blue planet and there are lots of people left to engage, JOIN our team by becoming an ocean ambassador in your community.
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The world may be divided by land but we're united by oceans. In the same way, we stand united with many partners in moving the world forward to a future with healthy oceans. To learn more about our I AM WATER partners click on the logos below.


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Israel News
Middle East
American Politics
Edition française
Green Israel
Hospital beds.
(photo credit:Ariel Jerozolimski)
The good news is that 112 public hospital beds were added to the public health
system in 2011. The bad news is that the per-capita rate has declined, and
Israel still trails far behind the per capita average of the other OECD
countries."This was the first year that the number of beds actually
increased," Prof. Arnon Afek, the new head of the Health Ministry's
Medical Authority, said. The figures do not refer to actual patient beds in the
wards or even those paid for by the ministry, but to budgeted, approved beds in
the public hospitals, which may be owned by the government, the health funds or
voluntary organizations.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Sponsored Content
Please insert a valid email address


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Hello Salamzaban
In lesson 4 there was an Exercise and asked to write a short text about yourself.
My name is Elnaz , I'm originally from Tabriz.I was born in Tabriz but I grew up in Tehran. I have long brown hair . My eyes are brown .I'm happy because I'm busy learning English again after some years.
thank you
happy new year


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David writes,
What product can I use in a back pack sprayer that will kill wasps along with spiders?
I would like a product that will also leave a residue to keep them away for a while.
Cyper WP would be a great choice for indoor and outdoor spider and wasp control. The active ingredient in Cyper WP is cypermethrin, which is known to be one of the top choices for spiders and other hard to kill insects. Spraying Cyper WP will also help to get rid of the insects that spiders and most wasps feed on and that will help to stop new spiders and wasps from moving in. Indoors, spray around all baseboards, door frames, window frames, under appliances, in closets and storage rooms and in areas where utilities enter into the structure. Outdoors you should spray around the bottom of the foundation, on the ground adjacent to the foundation, door frames, window frames and places where the utilities enter into the structure. We have included Cyper in our spider control kit, which also contains glue boards to help monitor the infestation (and help catch the spiders too) and Cobweb Eliminator to make the places where the spiders like to build webs unsuitable for them.
Answer last updated on: 07/27/2010
6 of 6 people found this answer helpful. Was it helpful to you? Yes No


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text: Well I was saving pictures of my VMK room's so I thought while i'm doing that I might as well post them. Click to enlarge! Light's Alice Lounge Animal Kingdom Light's Baseball Diamond Holiday Cottage Light's Epcot Entrance Light's Fantasyland Chill Out Football Room Gingerbread Hall Heart Room Lanterns on the Bayou (Newest Room!) Main Street Refresh Corner Holiday Mountain Out West! Pirate Cannon Prison Town Square Summer Slide! Space Mt. 1 Space Mt. 2 Adventureland Ocean Tiki Camp Tron Room Under the Deep Blue Sea!


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Graphic Design
Experimenting with Photoshop brushes. These images were actually intended to be placed next to each other so they would create one long image. This image was intended to be used as a background image in a website with a horizontal scroll. Alas, this project never reached a viable stage.


text: Had I wrote this review in February 2011, I would have rated our stay at Casa Chameleon as excellent. In 2011, we stayed in the Villa Vista, and absolutely loved it. We particularly loved the set-up of the hotel, with its outdoor kitchen area and private pool. The chef, Robb, was one of the highlights of the experience; great guy,... More


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Acogedor estudio en la Mirrar Garden & Cocina en Utrecht
N.º máximo de huéspedes4
Cuartos de baño1
Tamaño50 m²
- Cocina
- Lavadora / secadora
- Chimenea interior
- Internet/WiFi
- Balcón/terraza
- Toallas
- Habitación con llave
Resumen del alojamiento
|Balkstraat, 3513 XL Utrecht, Países Bajos
|Tipo de propiedad
|Habitación privada
|Código de referencia
|Tasa de aceptación
|Tiempo de respuesta
|En pocas horas
|Calendario actualizado
Normas del alojamientoNo fumar en los alrededores de la casa. Por favor, estar tranquilo.
|Precio semanal para hasta 2 huéspedes
|428 €
|Precio mensual para hasta 2 huéspedes
|1525 €
|Tarifa para > 2 huéspedes
|16 € por huésped/noche extra
|N.º máximo de noches
|2 meses
|Entrada a partir de las
|Entrada antes de las
|Bajo acuerdo
|Salida antes de las
|Política de cancelación
appartamento molto carino in una zona centrale e silenziosa, Mira è disponibile e gentile, nell'insieme un'ottima soluzione.
(google translate): very nice apartment in a central and peaceful area, Mira is helpful and informative, overall a very good solution.
Clean but full of character. Musical decor, a very well stock kitchen, in a quiet residential neighbourhood close enough to downtown to walk but still connected by bus. The owner was very nice and helpful. small stone/concrete garden in the back with barbeque. Everything on the ground floor except the shower on the first floor. If stairs are a challenge, these are quite steep but this seems to be normal in the Netherlands.
Realmente es acogedor. Mira es encantadora y nos trato de lujo. Nos dio toda la información que necesitamos y disfrutamos mucho de Utretch y de Amsterdam.
Mira was a very nice host and the comfy flat was exactly what we were looking for. Everything was fine and we did not have any trouble at all. I highly recommend considering Mirrar Homestay if you're looking for a place in Utrecht!
Mira is a very friendly host who takes the time to talk to her guests and gave us useful advices on where to go and what to do. Everything was clean and tidy, the bed really excellent, the house is located close to the centre but in a very quiet area, so we slept very well! We also enjoyed the little garden in the morning of our short stay and we had a nice chat on our experiences as Wimdu hosts.
We really enjoyed our stay at Mira's. The apartment is quiet, attractively furnished, private and very comfortable, with a large TV and well equipped kitchen. Mira is a lovely, friendly host who is very concerned that you have everything you need and that you are happy and making the most of your visit to this beautiful city. I slept very well and enjoyed the sunny garden space with the French window leading outside and the super comfy rocking chair. The neighbourhood is quiet but just a short walk from the centre and shops. We would definitely stay at Mira's again.
- Alojamiento de calidad asegurada
- Verificamos telefónicamente a cada anfitrión
- Pago seguro a través de cifrado SSL


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GUADALAJARA, Mexico — The Mexican press bemoaned a missed chance for El Tri to strike a psychological blow to herald in the Jurgen Klinsman Era during Wednesday night's 1-1 draw with the US in Philadelphia.
Mexican legend and former national-team manager Hugo Sánchez had his fair share of battles with the United States in the past, and pulled no punches in stating that he does not believe Klinsmann is the man to improve them.
"I doubt Jurgen Klinsmann will be the solution in terms of [building] a new generation of players in the United States (including three 'Mexicans')," he wrote in respected daily El Universal. "I hope the [Mexican] national team can take advantage of this generational decline of our 'cousins.'"
"Tie with the taste of defeat," read the headline to Daniel Blumrosen's match report, also in El Universal, which nicely sums up the general tone of reaction in Mexico.
"Klinsmann took advantage and got a highly valuable tie in the motivational aspect," wrote Blumrosen. "José Manuel [de la Torre] knows it. His Tricolor missed out on a unique opportunity to destroy emotionally a team that, now more than ever, will show steely resolve."
Milenio — and most other publications — acknowledged how close the US came to sneaking a win as they drove forward in the last part of the game.
"The Stars and Stripes were constantly searching for the first win of a new era but could not manage it due to the lack of judgment in finishing chances," read the match report in the national daily.
Wrote Blumrosen: "Tranquility [for Mexico] turned into desperation and confidence into insecurity."
Of course, the fact the US could not snatch a winner when they were piling on the pressure at the end of the contest means they "have not beaten their hated rival Mexico for two years," as Diana Pérez pointed out in mediotiempo.com.
In Guadalajara sports daily Récord, Mario Palafox nicely summed up the Mexican reaction which bemoans the fact El Tri couldn't put the game to bed in the first half but is glad coach de la Torre's unbeaten start to his reign as Mexico coach continues.
"Chepo's unbeaten run was in danger in the last minutes (he's now got nine victories and three ties) but [Mexico] could not extend the run of three victories that the Mexican team had over the Americans, which last happened in 1973. ... The tie represented happiness for Klinsmann, who jumped up after the United States' goal."
Tom Marshall can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or via Twitter: @mexicoworldcup


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The protection of children and society.
national | crime and justice | opinion/analysis Friday October 19, 2012 12:40 by Gale Vogel - Birds Eye View
Constitutional amendment and enforcement.
Children have been protected in our constitution. Protecting our young is reflected in how our laws are enforced and not only in our legislation. The topic is symptomatic of our society today and is reflected in other areas too and how we all consider one another.
Children have been protected in our constitution, with a caveat that the rights of the child are to have parents and the right of the parents are to protect their children. The state have since 1937 maintained the right to take the responsibility as parents where the parents have failed. This protection in the past has been delegated to religious institutions with infamous consequences. Slavery and abuse have been extensively reported as being the result of this delegation of the states responsibility. The wording of the constitution is proposed to be changed, and while it may indeed be improved wording, the protection failure in the past has been due to inappropriate or absent enforcement. Like much legislation, we should consider whether merely adding or changing laws will result in any improvement if enforcement is either of poor quality or absent.
Comments (7 of 7)
by serf Fri Oct 19, 2012 15:26
There is little point in all the fuss being made about putting more unenforced platitudes into the constitution.
by Perri Fowler Tue Oct 30, 2012 09:32
I've read the Constitution and the propsoed changes and can see no real difference in meaning , only words.
by Gale Vogel - Birds Eye View Tue Oct 30, 2012 13:31
What is the costs of the current referendum? Poster campaign, press conferences, posted leaflets, television and radio interviews are all costly. Were there an obvious benefit this would be reasonable, however it appears that the Government is merely paying lip service to a promise to protect our young. The wording of the existing Constitution relating to children is:
by serf Thu Nov 01, 2012 18:04
If parents were not too busy to talk to their children they might know what is actually going on in their lives.
by nonparent Fri Nov 02, 2012 06:56
Well said about shit parenting being a major cause of bad mannered children making life difficult for others. Sometimes I'd like adults to just get rid of their TV sets and listen to magazine programmes on radio instead. It's easier to shut off the radio when silence is required, and parents want to talk to their children. I'm all for indoor games like draughts, snakes & ladders, and chinese chequers, played by children and their parents. (Penny poker card games can come on holidays when the kids are teens.)
by serf Fri Nov 02, 2012 19:52
that was not really my point at all.
by Gale Vogel - Birds Eye View Sun Nov 04, 2012 17:50
Bruce Arnold writes in the Irish Independent about the referendum.


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It is said that the fashion of today will look horrendous five years from now. I say fashion is something that looks horrendous right now! Fashion is also supposed to be seasonal; every few months even the saner magazines feel the need to tell us about the new ways to look ridiculous, as the old ways don't seem to be ridiculous enough. Here, I bring you perennial fashion: tips and tricks that will hold you in good stead for years to come. Keep in mind
Our motto – skin is in
Always remember, it's not about clothes: it's about YOU. Do not suffocate yourself underneath unnecessary clothing. After all, if it's all about YOU, and YOU are hidden by cloth, how can you expect people to see your individuality? Unfortunately, the norms of civilised society prevent us from going stark naked, or we would have done away with clothes altogether and gone about trumpeting our uniqueness. Fortunately, there are ways to create the illusion of being clothed. The basic method is to discard unwanted bits of cloth from around the body, allowing YOU to shine through. This is easy enough for those living in normal conditions, but what about those who live in inhumane environments where people are finicky about smothering them under so much cloth? Have no fear; you can create the appropriate illusion, too.
Do not worry, by no means am I asking you to wear the monstrosity that covers you. I know how much it upsets you when backward parents and retarded institutions compel you to wear the ungainly thing. The answer to your persecuted cries lies in the right dupatta worn in the right style. By that, I mean a chiffon dupatta twisted around the throat or riding high on your neck so it barely shows from the front. The word 'dupatta' tacked on after 'chiffon' is meaningless: it serves no purpose, as it is too see-through and slippery to pose any danger of covering YOU. Twisted around the neck, it allows you to put on a frontal display which other dupattas threaten to hide.
While our sisters of the first illusion (the illusion of being clothed) happily showcase necklines that plunge so low that they could expose the tailbone from the back or the navel from the front if they were a few centimetres lower, we girls of the second illusion (the illusion of being properly clothed) have to contend with higher necklines. The key is going horizontal instead of vertical; try out the boat or square neckline for your next dress. The square neckline is such that its vertical lines extend three or four centimetres below the collarbone, but the bottom horizontal line stops a few millimetres short of the armpits. The boat neckline is higher than the square neckline, but the bottom horizontal line takes so much advantage of being higher that it is an inch or so away from making your dress off-the-shoulders. Or you could ignore the front neckline altogether and focus on the back neckline, making it go halfway down your back, displaying your shoulder blades to perfection (that is, if they aren't hidden by flab). Pure overkill!
Don't burn up with envy watching people in strap dresses. You can also achieve the sleeveless-but-sleeved look. The eternal trick is to wear 'cup sleeves', your sleevelessness veiled by an inch of 'sleeves'. The other, more popular trick, which saw much variation and diversity looks complicated but is actually quite simple. Just put your dress with full sleeves up on the clothesline and attack the arms with a pair of scissors. Ta-da! The resulting mangled sleeves are not only a unique design, but your arms show through from the
Some people of the first illusion don't like spending money on something they can't show off. Therefore, they want the whole world to know what brand of undergarments they are wearing. They tackle this problem by donning jeans, then letting them hang down at the hips to display their you-know-what. Boys are happy that there is a fashion statement that applies to both genders. What are girls of the second illusion to do? Don't fret. Your fellow people of the second illusion are one step ahead of everyone; they wear cup-sleeves and let their shoulder straps dangle out at the forearm for the world to see, determined not to be left behind in anything. Just follow their supreme example not only to catch up with but surpass those first illusion girls!
Shirt and legs
Look at clothes of six or seven years ago. Longer than the knees, with a broad daman, YOU covered left, right and centre. How appalling! How did we allow ourselves to be drowned in so much cloth in this revolting manner! It was from the shock and horror of it all that we went full speed in the opposite direction. We never appreciated the elegance of the folds of cloth at the top of the shalwar until we shrunk our kameezes to microscopic size, displaying this work of art. Girls everywhere were rediscovering their hips without having to resort to jeans, but the less fortunate ones were left to wail over their fate: they couldn't possibly create any illusion to don microscopic kameezes. People who were triumphing over this answer to cloth shortage had to halt their celebrations, because girls recently made a new discovery: they had LEGS! What were they doing there, covered and useless? Something had to be done about it immediately. Capri pants began mushrooming over the landscape. Again, the ones of the second illusion were fraught with despair. They couldn't even wear jeans, how could they possibly wear capris? The answer presented itself in a dazzling display of East meets West: the capri shalwar! Simply hack off a few inches of cloth from the end of your shalwar or pants, and there you are! You get to flaunt your ankles and a few inches of leg like the blessed ones of the first illusion. Some people, nostalgic about the childhood era when they could wear shorts, end their capris or capri shalwars directly below their knees. At this new cloth-saving measure, cloth sellers went crazy. They were selling less and less cloth! They had to do something about it or they would go out of business. Fashion designers took their plight to heart and immediately came up with a solution that was palatable for both illusions: bring the kameez down to below the knee and end the capri pants an inch or so below the kameez. Females of the second illusion were swooning with delight. They couldn't wear knee-length capris otherwise; the long kameezes compensated for the startling lack of cloth around the shins. So what are you waiting for? Head onto the surf and ride high on the newest wave of fashion that transcends both illusions.
A thing or two about fashion
Come rain or shine: THE way to be successfully fashionable is, apparently, to stick to your guns no matter what the conditions are. That is why you will see fashion conscious girls
i) persisting with sleeveless outfits in winter until further stubbornness might result in death from frostbite;
ii) hobbling around in uncomfortable shoes;
iii) skittering forth in pretty, useless shoes through mud, rainwater and/or cold, having their toes either mud-encrusted and/or frozen off.
Who said being fashionable is easy?
When belts came into fashion, people with shalwar kameezes sported all sorts of cloth belts in response to this new fad; some were merely outsized laces serving a term as a waist accessory, others were meticulously embroidered, hip-adorning creations. Then people went a step further in incorporating belts into the traditional dress; a lace of any size and type sewn around the waist area of the kameez. The final result is not a belt; it's not a lace, either. It's just a thing; moreover, a nameless thing. There should be a limit to this East-meeting-West-and-spawning-ridiculous-fashion-trends thing, as if the capri shalwar wasn't enough already. The same thing goes for the actual style where a V-necked or deep necked shirt is worn over a high-necked one, its local translation being V-necked shirts with cloth sewn behind it, aspiring to achieve the same look. Of course, my dislike of these particular inventions does not deprive them of the right to be liked; if people are wearing it, they must like it. The point of significance, however, is the inventiveness of our people when it comes to 'localising' trends. What will be the next thing to be localised? That's the burning question, and as soon as someone accomplishes it, the rest will follow like the sheep. Who knows, maybe the person responsible for it could be you!
Mom, they're teasing me
Once, after coming out of a shop, my mother asked, "Did you see that girl?" "What girl?" I asked. She told me about a girl clad in a see-through dress. My mother noticed her when she went up to her mother to complain that some boys in the shop were teasing her. I fail to understand the mentality of such people. Girls who dress up prettily to go outside and expect that boys won't give them attention is one thing, but girls who wear risqué clothing and expect that they won't be bothered is something else. Another thing in the same vein is females who don't intend to show off their bodies, but are so careless about the quality (and by this I mean see-through-ness) of their clothes that they end up doing it anyway. Saudi Arabia made it compulsory for females to wear abayas for the Hajj, because of the loads of Pakistani women going there in see-through clothing. It's embarrassing that the government of another country has to tell our females to take a good look at the type of cloth they're wearing. A little care would go a long way.
Redefining appropriateness
Lining up to enter the examination hall for my O Level examination, I looked up to see how far the line had progressed to clap eyes on the stunning backline of the girl at the head of the line. At the topmost step, she was displaying literally half of her back to all and sundry behind her, wearing 'coloured clothes' because she was a private candidate. Wearing something like that to an examination centre is too much! Any sense of appropriateness of the occasion is lost on these people. That, or they simply don't have proper clothes to wear. Perhaps it's the "fashion no matter what" attitude; fashionables walking the catwalk whether there's fog, rain, snow or imminent death from a meteor about to hit the Earth. Being dressed to impress 24/7/365–who knows, there could be cute aliens on that meteor.
Originally published in Us Magazine, The News on October 17, 2008.
Link to original: http://jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2008-weekly/us-17-10-2008/p22.htm#1
Perennial Fashion


text: I am considering getting into app development for cell phones such as androids and iphones. Problem is, I've basically have zero programming experience, although I'm generally pretty sharp with computers. Question is, what skills are needed to get good at it, starting from the ground floor. I can't find any posts like this, so if someone could just let me know "first you need to learn this... helps to have a degree in..." stuff like that. I'm not saying I'll be good at it or anything, I just want to know what it takes. Thanks very much!


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How About Orange
Take a minute to see How About Orange. It's a favorite DIY + design + crafting blog of mine.
I learned how to Simpsonize myself there.
More recently:
- Fold your own US presidential candidate. See candidates in action here. Who can resist a finger puppet?
- Company logo quiz
- Hobo bag how to
- Spot a fake smile -
- Display a Flickr photo set in your blog post
- Where to find Charlie Harper dishware
& so much more!


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VideoHive Architect Planing 9084069
Stock Footage \ Business \ Corporate
Occupation \ Office \ Architect \ Design \ Project \ Closeup \ Colored \ Business
Stock Footage - Architect Planing 9084069 by agatha78 @ VideoHive
Stock Footage \ Business \ Corporate
In office architect planing new house. Closeup of hands and plan. Design project in the back. Ruler. Colored pencils. Occupation. Business.
Alpha Channel: No; Looped Video: No; Frame Rate: 29.97; Resolution: 1920x1080; Video Encoding: H.264; File Size: 65mb; Number of Clips: 1; Total Clip(s) Length: 0:25.
Christmas Tree; Christmas Tree and Children's Rocking Chair; Christmas Decoration; Illustrator at Work; Female Portrait; Artist Drawing Female Figure; Art and Science Fiction.
Keywords: architect, architecture, business, closeup, colored pencils, design, drawing, house, occupation, office, paper, plan, project, woman, work.
Download Link


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Wake Up and Remember
Each of us is an extraordinary and miraculous living entity with infinite potential. It has always been this way. Our core essence is a divine spark of universal love that animates us and illumines our consciousness with insight and awareness of ourselves and our surroundings. These fundamental underlying aspects are innate in every human.
The intricacy of possibilities that had to formulate from throughout the cosmos, arrive and coalesce in careful order upon our planet, and then percolate and integrate together to bring life and breath to our present moment, is utterly astounding. We can scarcely fathom the complexity and sophistication that occurs throughout our body each moment granting us life, much less the eternities it took to gather stardust and deliver it to our precise location in this particular galaxy so that we have a planet to call home.
How does such an incredible foundation of marvelous and awe-inspiring possibilities bring us to a world where seeming chaos and destruction are the order of the day, especially coming from the very humanity that this precious planet formed to birth, nurture and support, all those countless millennia ago? Would such a spectacular beginning be destined for a dismal and disparaging conclusion? Or is it possible that we have been on a very long journey that is finally coming full circle and delivering us back to our origin – only now we have amazing wisdom, experience and understanding that such an adventure provides.
This apparent chaos, and the fear that it engenders, is the very mechanism of awakening that we placed in our path to remind us to wake up and remember. Remember that we are more. More than a corporeal body in survival mode and more than our collected and collective, perceived, and accepted identities. The extremes of this chaotic time period are so completely contrary to our inner feelings that by their very expression, we are remembering something that has always been with us. We are more than all of this, infinitely more.
We are swiftly arousing from a perception of separation that we allowed to envelop us slowly and steadily over innumerable incarnations, generations and moments. How else does one find themselves in this adventure seemingly separated from the very love and compassion that it intuitively knows it is made from? Beings so filled with loving potential would never knowingly create devastation, annihilation and obliteration with one another – it is neither rational nor logical. Unless of course, over time we simply forgot who we are.
Deep within the very heart of our being, the spark of love is growing brighter and it is calling out to us. One by one, we are steadily emerging into the realization that our very essence is divine in nature and that our creative potential has always been one of compassion, kindness, generosity, dignity and grace. This is our heritage and our eternal soul center.
Deep within the very heart of our being, the spark of love is growing brighter.-Harold W. Becker
The workings of our lives, the daily dramas and traumas, laughter, joys and tears, are very real to us in our immediate perception and experience. Yet, with just a simple deep breath, we are able to unite our many fragmented perspectives and move from our mind to our heart, from our intellect to our feeling world. Even if for just a brief moment, we instantly touch the eternal love that is ever present and in doing so, we step out of the immediacy of our time-born thoughts and emotions and converge with our greater knowing that there is more than our perceptions and senses report. In these moments we give ourselves the gift of reuniting with the love that we are.
The bigger our perspective, the grander our view of life will be. In the modern age, we readily see this whether through a telescope or a microscope while the indigenous of ages past have known the same thing by retaining many of the faculties of their inner connection. The timeless story remains; life is expanding in all directions and appearances are never what they appear to be. The narrative of life is far too grand to be contained in a singular perspective, ideal or belief. It is the diversity that unites the common with the uncommon and bears witness to the interconnection of all things, real and imaginable, throughout eternity. Made up fact blurs with fantasy and imagination. All of which create outcomes.
So perhaps it is time to begin asking the bigger questions and move beyond the limited tale of us and them. For in the end, we will find the beginning. The earth journey continues. Only this time we will write it from our heart since we have learned what fear and separation do. Remember, you are more, infinitely more, than you can possibly and presently imagine.
About the Author
Harold W Becker is the Founder and President of The Love Foundation. Author of Unconditional Love – An Unlimited Way of Being, and Internal Power: Seven Doorways to Self Discovery, along with several other books. Since 1990, Harold devotes all of his time to understanding the nature of our potential and raising the awareness of humanity through his own consulting group, Internal Insights. He continues to share his powerful understanding about life through books, consulting, speaking engagements, PBS television specials, workshops and living from his heart using the creative arts and the spiritual healing arts to help answer existential questions.
Connect with Harold on Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube


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|Home | About | Journals | Submit | Contact Us | Français
Establishing healthy habits in youth can help prevent many chronic health problems later in life that are attributable to unhealthy eating, sedentary lifestyle, and overweight. For this reason, many public health professionals are interested in working with school systems to reach children in school settings. However, a lack of familiarity with how schools operate can be a substantial impediment to developing effective partnerships with schools.
We describe lessons learned from three successful school health promotion programs that were developed and disseminated through collaborations between public health professionals, academic institutions, and school personnel. The programs include two focused on physical activity and good nutrition for elementary and middle school children — Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) and Planet Health — and one focused on smoking cessation among adolescents — Not-On-Tobacco (N-O-T).
Important features of these school health programs include 1) identification of staff and resources required for program implementation and dissemination; 2) involvement of stakeholders (e.g., teachers, students, other school personnel, parents, nonprofit organizations, professional organizations) during all phases of program development and dissemination; 3) planning for dissemination of programs early in the development and testing process; and 4) rigorous evaluation of interventions to determine their effectiveness. The authors provide advice based on lessons learned from these programs to those who wish to work with young people in schools.
Schools can play a crucial role in improving the health of children and, thus, the adults they will become. Children and adolescents generally attend school 5 days per week throughout most of the calendar year. Schools in the United States are located in communities of every socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic group. In addition to academic skills, students also learn cultural expectations and social norms that strongly influence health behaviors (1).
During childhood and adolescence, habits emerge that influence and reinforce physical activity, eating, and tobacco-use behaviors. These health behaviors can affect development of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, which are now the major causes of premature death and disability in the United States and the Western world (2). Public health professionals are interested in school-based programs that can provide a foundation for lifelong healthy behaviors and thereby significantly reduce the burden of preventable chronic diseases for both individuals and society.
Although more than 80% of U.S. school districts require health education to be taught in their elementary, middle, and high schools, less than half provide a curriculum for teachers (3). Furthermore, available curricula have rarely undergone rigorous evaluation to demonstrate their effectiveness, and they are often out-of-date when compared with current practice standards (4). Thus, there is a largely unmet need for effective school-based programs that promote healthy behaviors among youth. For public health officials who have embraced the concept of evidence-based practice (5), it is imperative that programs be rigorously evaluated. Collaboration between the public health and education sectors is essential to ensure that effective programs are available and meet the needs of youths, teachers, and school administrators.
Creating public health partnerships with schools is challenging for many reasons, including the numerous academic and nonacademic demands placed on schools. In addition, school programs often lack sufficient funds, are subject to political vicissitudes, exist in complex bureaucracies that foster fragmentation, and vary across localities (6). Despite these problems public health and education sectors have worked together successfully on programs that can serve as examples to guide and encourage future collaborative efforts.
The Division of Adolescent and School Health at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds collaborations between state education and health agencies to promote coordination of school health programs. CDC's Prevention Research Centers (PRCs) engage public health organizations, academic institutions, and communities in partnerships to develop, test, and disseminate programs to improve health outcomes. To be considered effective, these programs must undergo systematic measurement and analysis using solid research methods and study designs. In some cases a PRC participates in the development and testing of new programs; in other cases a PRC participates by studying how to disseminate programs already shown to be effective. This paper explores three effective school-based programs promoted by PRCs and highlights common features and lessons learned for public health practitioners and researchers who wish to partner with schools. Two of these programs promote physical activity and healthy eating among school children — Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) and Planet Health — and one promotes smoking cessation among adolescents — Not-On-Tobacco (N-O-T).
CATCH is an elementary school program focused on supporting positive environmental influences to increase physical activity and improve healthy eating. CATCH involves classroom and physical education teachers, school food service personnel, and families of students. Input from school administrators, teachers, food service employees, and parents played an important role in program development to ensure the program would be compatible with the needs of the people who would implement it. From 1991 through 1994, researchers funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute conducted a 3-year randomized controlled trial evaluating the program in California, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas. The evaluation involved ethnically and racially diverse groups of students from 96 elementary schools (7).
The CATCH program is focused on changing the behavior of elementary school students — both in and out of school. Classroom teachers use a prepared, age-appropriate curriculum to teach about physical activity and healthy eating. Students in regular classes practice new skills designed to improve their physical activity and eating behaviors. In physical education classes, teachers encourage students to actively participate in physical activity that is fun. School cafeterias serve healthy, low-fat foods that have been tested for their appeal to elementary students. Study results showed that as a result of the CATCH program, students in the intervention schools significantly increased time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity within physical education classes (from 40% to 50%) and considerably decreased their consumption of fat in school meals (from 39% to 32%) (7).
A 3-year follow-up study between 1995 and 1998 assessed diet, physical activity, and related health indicators among 3714 (73%) of the initial CATCH participants. Students receiving the CATCH intervention in grades three through five maintained a diet considerably lower in total fat and saturated fat and participated in more vigorous physical activities in grades six through eight than did students in control groups (8). These findings reinforced the expectation that participation in the CATCH program could contribute to better cardiovascular health as students mature.
A recent replication study of CATCH in a Hispanic community on the U.S.–Mexico border in El Paso, Tex, showed that participation in the CATCH program stemmed the rate of increase in overweight among both girls and boys in grades three through five. Without the CATCH intervention, overweight increased among students in these grades from 26% to 39% among girls and from 40% to 49% among boys (9). These figures can be compared with 30% to 32% for girls and 40% to 41% for boys who participated in CATCH. Thus, participation in the CATCH program appears to help address the obesity epidemic affecting children today, and researchers using the results of the El Paso study found CATCH to be cost-effective (S. Brown, oral communication, June 2005).
Since completion of these two studies, the CATCH program 1) has expanded its curricula to include kindergarten, first, and second grades; 2) has developed and evaluated an after-school program for kindergarten through fifth grade (10); and 3) has created a physical education module for grades six through eight.
In 1996, with support from the Texas Department of State Health Services, local Texas foundations, and the CDC PRC program, a dissemination team consisting of Texas faculty investigators and field staff responsible for the randomized controlled trial was formed to translate CATCH research into practice. The models eventually selected for dissemination were based on elements from Rogers' diffusion theory (11), social cognitive theory (12), and social marketing (13) as described by Hoelscher et al (14). Factors that influenced the extent of dissemination and adoption included the attributes of the interventions, characteristics of the adopter, types of decisions required to implement the program, channels of communication, social context of the system into which the innovation is introduced, and the efforts of change agents.
The CATCH dissemination team developed strategies to reach the maximum number of school opinion leaders, teachers, and administrators in Texas. By mid-2006, more than 2000 elementary schools in Texas had purchased the CATCH program, and more than 900,000 students had potentially been exposed to the program. Results of mailed surveys to these schools indicated a high level of program implementation and fidelity (15). A recent study showed that training of school staff is important and influences whether or not schools continue to use the CATCH program (16).
Lessons learned from the CATCH program
Planet Health was developed by researchers at Harvard University in collaboration with teachers and principals (17) for public middle schools. The focus of this interdisciplinary curriculum is to improve cardiovascular health and lower the prevalence of obesity among sixth- through eighth-grade students. The curriculum was designed 1) to fit easily into existing language, mathematics, science, social studies, and physical education classes; 2) to foster basic educational competencies required by the state; and 3) to provide teaching materials that are easy to use. Planet Health's goals for youths are based on evidence that healthy eating and physical activity are important and emphasize increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables and decreasing consumption of high-fat foods.
One Planet Health innovation is promoting child health by stressing the importance of decreasing television viewing. This intervention goal was based on recent evidence that television viewing contributes to obesity through both the sedentary act of television watching and exposure of viewers to relentless broadcast encouragement to consume high-calorie, high-fat, nutrient-poor foods (18,19).
A 21-month randomized controlled study of Planet Health between 1995 and 1997 was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in 10 public middle schools. This study showed 1) a reduction in television watching for both girls and boys enrolled in Planet Health compared with controls, 2) a significant decrease in prevalence of obesity among girls in the study, 3) an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption among girl participants, and 4) less of an increase in daily calories consumed by girls enrolled in Planet Health (20). Additional analyses of the data funded by CDC showed that girls participating in Planet Health were less likely to report weight control behavior disorders (21) or early menarche (22).
CDC researchers conducted an independent economic analysis of Planet Health based on estimated program costs of $14 per student per year and found the program to be highly cost-effective: for every dollar spent on middle school Planet Health programs, researchers projected a savings of $1.20 in medical costs and lost wages by the time students reach middle age (40 to 65 years of age) (23).
Boston Public Schools (BPS) expressed interest in the Planet Health program after they heard about its success from Harvard PRC researchers. A partnership was formed between BPS and the Harvard PRC that included the original Planet Health researchers. This team planned a pilot test of the Planet Health curriculum in BPS public school settings to determine the feasibility and sustainability of the Planet Health program in settings where resources are severely limited.
A BPS and Harvard PRC advisory board provided guidance by using a model of community-based participatory research. BPS selected a sample of six inner-city middle schools to participate, and the PRC provided copies of the Planet Health curriculum, training workshops for teachers, small stipends for teacher coordinators, and evaluation and research expertise. This study was funded by CDC and demonstrated that 90% of the teachers found the curriculum effective and believed it made a positive contribution to their classes (24).
BPS has endeavored to sustain and expand use of the Planet Health curriculum through independent funding. BPS first secured funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Physical Education for Progress grant program for pilot expansion to 12 schools during 2002 through 2003. BPS later received financial support for further expansion from the Boston Public Health Commission under the auspices of the Steps to a HealthierUS (STEPS) project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2004, BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts announced a 4-year, $3-million program of grants to Massachusetts middle schools to implement Planet Health and offer after-school programs. Hundreds of Massachusetts middle school teachers and school administrators have adopted Planet Health, and efforts to disseminate and evaluate the Planet Health curriculum in additional state school systems are under way.
More than 4000 copies of the Planet Health curriculum have been purchased in 48 states and 20 countries. The program has the potential to benefit thousands of children, has demonstrated that it is effective, feasible, and sustainable in a public school environment, and has shown that it is accepted by participants and teachers. In the long term, the program is cost effective and is projected to save society money.
Lessons learned from Planet Health
West Virginia led the nation in teenage smoking during the mid–1990s, and as a result, the West Virginia University PRC partnered with West Virginia's Bureau for Public Health, Department of Education, and other members of the state's public health community to strengthen school-based tobacco control initiatives. West Virginia needed an effective, user–friendly teenage smoking cessation program that could be adopted statewide and that would support a newly developed state tobacco-free school policy emphasizing prevention and cessation support rather than punitive action (25,26).
Later inclusion of the American Lung Association (ALA) into the partnership brought a national scope to the West Virginia teenage smoking cessation efforts. The partnership identified local and national needs and took on the shared goal of developing a theoretically based, scientifically tested teenage smoking cessation intervention (26). With funding from CDC and other organizations, the West Virginia University PRC launched a smoking cessation project that was committed to community-based participatory research methods and included the following contributions: 1) teachers, students, and school health professionals provided input for program development; 2) the ALA provided program expertise, funding, and a means for disseminating programs; and 3) PRC researchers provided a scientific framework to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and a commitment to program dissemination.
The partnership decided the intervention should be initially developed for use in schools because schools can promote tobacco-free environments through policy, can offer services for students and staff who want to quit smoking, and can reach youth efficiently (27). Program goals were to create a smoking cessation program that could 1) enhance adolescent health, 2) fulfill the needs of students who want to quit smoking, 3) reduce school tobacco policy violations, and 4) provide an educational alternative to punitive measures for violating school tobacco policy.
Through an iterative, collaborative process, the partnership developed a smoking cessation program designed for 14- to 19-year–old daily smokers (27). The program was given the youth-approved name, Not-On-Tobacco. In addition to smoking cessation, other N-O-T goals include reducing smoking; increasing healthy lifestyle behaviors (e.g., physical activity, healthy eating); and improving stress management, decision making, coping ability, and social support skills. Students participate in the program on a voluntary basis, and the program includes 10 hour-long weekly sessions and 4 booster sessions in same-sex groups with same-sex facilitators (e.g., teachers, school nurses, counselors, volunteers).
Facilitators are trained by the ALA and may lead sessions in both schools and other community settings. They assist participants with 1) identifying reasons for smoking and excuses for not quitting, beliefs and behaviors that reinforce smoking and self-defeating behaviors, triggers for smoking, and other barriers to the quitting process; 2) recognizing and understanding the process of nicotine addiction, advertising ploys to encourage youth smoking, and situations that may spark relapse; and 3) developing skills in cognitive restructuring, coping with stress and peer pressure, identifying and maintaining social supports, goal setting, and assertiveness and other behavior changes (27,28).
After the N-O-T program was developed, partners collaborated to implement the program and assess its efficacy and acceptability in school settings (29-32). Because the need for a youth smoking cessation program was so great, ALA field workers were anxious to use N-O-T even before effectiveness studies were complete. As a result, while the N-O-T demonstration studies in West Virginia and several other states were under way, other local uses of the program were allowed if results were carefully monitored (26).
Over a 7–year period the N-O-T program went through several iterations, testing, refinement, and retesting. Demonstration studies were conducted in West Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Washington by the West Virginia team and independent investigators. Studies have consistently shown that adolescents enrolled in N-O-T programs have significantly greater quit and reduction rates than adolescents in more conventional smoking cessation programs. A recent review of N-O-T program outcomes in different locations included more than 6000 youths in 489 schools and showed that after 3 months, adolescents enrolled in N-O-T programs were twice as likely to have quit smoking than adolescents in conventional smoking cessation programs (33). The N-O-T program has been designated a model program by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and is considered a research tested intervention program by the National Cancer Institute.
PRC researchers and the ALA developed a national training prototype by using the tested curriculum and scientific study results and initiated a N-O-T media campaign in 2000. The ultimate success of an evidence-based program is reflected in its widespread dissemination and adoption (34), and as of 2005, N-O-T trainings have occurred in 47 states and in Europe and Canada. It is estimated that since 1998, at least 100,000 adolescents have participated in N-O-T programs in the United States (American Lung Association, 2005). N-O-T program leaders estimate conservatively that one in five participants quits smoking (33); this rate suggests that N-O-T programs have helped up to 20,000 U.S. adolescents quit smoking. In West Virginia, there are trained N-O-T facilitators in 75% of high schools, and program dissemination is supported by the Bureau for Public Health, the Department of Education, and the American Lung Association's West Virginia chapter.
N–O–T programs are supported in Canada and a number of U.S. states. Some states, including Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, Delaware, and Rhode Island, incorporate the N-O-T program into their state tobacco control plans.
Lessons learned from the N-O-T program
The lessons learned in the course of developing and disseminating these three school-based programs — CATCH, Planet Health, and N-O-T — are remarkably similar. Each program included multiple stakeholders to plan, implement, evaluate, and disseminate interventions. Although stakeholder groups varied in some ways, school administrators and teachers were included in all three programs. PRC researchers became familiar with the culture of schools and learned that a school-based intervention must be easy and inexpensive to implement, needs to allow flexibility for local adaptation, and should be aligned with current political constraints and academic mandates to be successful. All three programs provided teacher-friendly, inexpensive prepared curricula that appealed to students. Training was crucial to all three programs but was not burdensome in terms of time commitment or budget. Planning for dissemination from the start helped maintain a focus on feasibility and acceptability.
All three programs used the work of Rogers (11) as a foundation for design and dissemination efforts. His diffusion theory posits that adoption is more likely when innovations are perceived to have 1) relative advantage (the innovation is better than the status quo), 2) compatibility (the innovation is consistent with current values), 3) low complexity (the innovation is not difficult to understand and use), 4) observability (results of the innovation are noticeable to others), and 5) trialability (the innovation can be tried out on a partial or temporary basis). Other factors that encourage adoption, use, and maintenance of programs are involvement of advocates and adequate training to enhance user competency.
Another characteristic common to these programs was that each was shown to be effective through sound research studies. There is no substitute for demonstrating through methodologically sound science that an intervention leads to desirable behavior change (when compared with the status quo) in real-world settings. Such evidence of effectiveness also helps promote sustainable support since external agencies that fund school health programs are likely to favor those that are shown to be effective. Each of these programs has found strong local interest and financial support.
PRC involvement is an important feature shared by these three successful school-based programs. The CDC-administered PRC program is intended to build durable partnerships between public health professionals and organizations, academia, schools, community organizations, and community members to foster development and dissemination of programs that improve community health. Improving and maintaining community health requires a stable infrastructure that allows cultivation and maintenance of complex partnerships. PRC funding helps create this necessary infrastructure by supporting staff dedicated to improving health in underserved communities and by providing scientific research and evaluation expertise. PRCs help hold partnerships together and make it possible for local institutions to seek sustainable funding for effective health programs and polices.
The lessons learned from these three programs should encourage public health practitioners to consider schools as a potential venue for public health improvement. Public health practitioners who wish to work with schools, whether to implement programs or conduct research, need to develop an understanding of the school environment and how educational bureaucracy is structured (35). Schools are best approached through appropriate channels, such as a Coordinated School Health Program, a state or district coordinator, or an individual school health coordinator. These sources understand the current school policy environment in the state and can provide pertinent information, advice, and routes of communication.
Public health professionals can engage schools on their own ground to demonstrate the value of public health to school personnel. By attending local school board or district school health council meetings, public health professionals can offer valuable information to develop policies to promote high-quality health education and physical education courses, high-quality school food services, and a healthy school environment. Public health practitioners can also work with state coalitions for healthy schools or participate in professional organizations with a mission to support school health programs. Resources to build school health programs, such as promising practices for state leaders, funding opportunities, evidence-based guidelines, key strategies, and physical education curriculum analysis tools are available at www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth.
The School Health Index (SHI) is a CDC resource that can assist public health partnerships with schools through a structured process that helps schools assess their competencies in components of a coordinated school health program. The SHI requires interdisciplinary involvement from school personnel, promotes a collaborative culture within participating schools, and raises awareness of needs for health-related curricula, services, and policies. Schools that have used SHI programs are primed to improve their overall school health program, to welcome the involvement of public health experts who offer to test new health promotion programs, and to consider implementation of programs shown to be effective elsewhere.
Although challenges to working with schools are substantial, experience shows that success is possible. Understanding the school milieu, ensuring participation of relevant stakeholders (e.g., teachers, administrators, students, parents) in all stages, keeping potential dissemination in mind in all stages, and providing ample training and easy-to-use prepared curricula are features of the successful school-based interventions promoted by the PRC program.
CATCH is supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Texas Department of State Health Services; Bexar County Community Health Collaborative; Paso del Norte Health Foundation; Houston Endowment Inc; Michael and Susan Dell Foundation; and CDC Prevention Research Centers program cooperative agreement U48/CCU 609653.
Planet Health is supported by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development grant HD-30780 and CDC Prevention Research Centers program cooperative agreement U48/CCU 115807.
Not-On-Tobacco is supported by CDC Prevention Research Centers program cooperative agreements U48/CCU 310831 and 1-U48-DP-000052; American Legacy Foundation; American Lung Association; West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Division of Tobacco Prevention; and West Virginia Department of Education.
The following Web sites are for organization and agency information used in research for this article.
The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
Suggested citation for this article: Franks AL, Kelder SH, Dino GA, Horn KA, Gortmaker SL, Wiecha JL, et al. School-based programs: lessons learned from CATCH, Planet Health, and Not-On-Tobacco. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2007 Apr [date cited]. Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/apr/06_0105.htm
Adele L Franks, Prevention Research Centers Office. MS-K45 DACH/NCCDPHP/CDC, 3005 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30341, Phone: 413-587-0025, Email: vog.cdc@sknarfa.
Steven H Kelder, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Tex.
Geri A Dino, Prevention Research Center, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WVa.
Kimberly A Horn, Prevention Research Center, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WVa.
Steven L Gortmaker, Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Jean L Wiecha, Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Eduardo J Simoes, Prevention Research Centers Program, CDC, Atlanta, Ga.
PubMed Central Canada is a service of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) working in partnership with the National Research Council's national science library in cooperation with the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine(NCBI/NLM). It includes content provided to the PubMed Central International archive by participating publishers.


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China military spending rise is smallest in six years
Military spending in China will rise by the lowest amount in six years amid slowing economic growth and a 300,000 cut in troop numbers.
Fu Ying, the spokeswoman for the National People's Congress, said the country will boost military spending by about 7% to 8% this year.
She told reporters that China needs to consider its defence needs, economic development and the country's fiscal position in drafting the military budget.
The People's Liberation Army is being trimmed to 2 million troops from 2.3 million, although it will still be the world's largest standing military.
It remains a major priority for China's leaders who have pushed an increasingly aggressive campaign to assert territorial claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea, raising tensions with its neighbours.
This year's budget comes as spending at all levels of government is being curbed because of a drop in the economic growth rate, which fell to a 25-year low of 7.3% in 2015 and is expected to decline further this year.
For most years since 2000, China posted double-digit increases in military spending, and this will be only the third time in that period with a single-digit increase, including 2010's increase of 7.5%.
China provides no breakdown of its defence budget and Pentagon and global arms bodies estimate actual military spending may be anywhere from 40 to 50% more.
That is because the official budget does not include the costs of high-tech weapons imports, research and development, and other programmes.
China says its military is strictly for defensive purposes, but takes a broad view of what constitutes threats to its core interests - including protecting maritime territory that is in dispute with neighbouring countries.
Its aggressive programme of building islands on reefs and atolls in the South China Sea as part of its campaign to claim virtually the entire region has unnerved China's neighbours.
Meanwhile, China continues a low-level campaign of confronting Japanese ships and aircraft near a set of contested East China Sea islands.
Press Association