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David Moyes has overseen something of a revival at Manchester United in recent weeks with the gritty win over Norwich moving them to within two points of the top four.
But there is no doubt the champions still need strengthening and with money apparently available, Moyes could dip his toes in the January transfer window and make a significant splash .
A £30million move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke is reportedly back on the cards, while former Liverpool favourite Xabi Alonso is another more left-field name being put in the frame.
One man who is less likely to be in red come February is Everton left back Leighton Baines.
Toffees boss Roberto Martinez has pledged the England international will 100% remain on Merseyside until the end of the season at least.
Here's our round up of the latest United transfer stories, rumours and gossip from the Sunday papers, and around the web too.
Sunday's Manchester United transfer stories from the Sunday Mirror
David Moyes is a known admirer of Everton left back Leighton Baines but his hopes of bringing him to Old Trafford look to be dashed.
The England international was strongly linked with a switch in the summer but saw two approaches knocked back by his club.
And anticipating a third Toffees boss Roberto Martinez has reiterated his desire to keep his star man.
"I can guarantee that Leighton Baines will be here at the end of the season," he said. "That is 100 percent.
"Bryan Oviedo has been terrific while Baines has been injured, but we will need them both."
Sunday's Manchester United transfer gossip and rumours from other newspapers and websites
A New Year swoop for Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke could be back on according to the Daily Mail .
Rumours on Saturday had suggested that the move had stalled, but those indications have now been contradicted once more.
They say that reports in Spain indicate United have already tabled a £30million bid for the 21-year-old Spanish international ahead of the window creaking open next week.
Midfield is clearly a problem area for the Red Devils and Moyes is keen to add some strength in depth after only managing to seal the transfer of Marouane Fellaini in the summer.
Another name linked by the paper is that of Real Madrid star Xabi Alonso.
The former Liverpool star's deal at the Bernabeu runs out in the summer and all indications so far suggest he will not be staying in Spain.
Chelsea and former boss Jose Mourinho have been earmarked as potential suitors, but Moyes is apparently keen on him too.
One man who could be heading the other way is Portuguese flop Nani.
Since arriving in 2007 the 27-year-old has only shown flashes of potential, and could be now on his way out of Old Trafford in January.
The Sunday People links Italian giants Juventus with an £18million January swoop - but only if he can prove his fitness before the end of the window.
They report that Moyes would love to engineer a swap deal involving former United man Paul Pogba, but acknowledges that is an unlikely scenario.
United's hopes of a move for Antoine Griezmann hang in the balance after French moneybags Paris Saint-Germain entered the race to sign him, according to the same paper.
The champions were impressed with the 22-year-old's displays against them in the Champions League and were preparing to launch a bid for the £16million rated wide man.
But with PSG now in pursuit their interest could be curtailed with the Ligue 1 champions linked with a big money bid before next summer's World Cup.
They also report that Moyes is set to rival Arsene Wenger for young Benfica pair Goncalo Guedes and Joao Nunes.
The duo have impressed as part of the Portuguese club's youth set up and have been watched by both United and the Gunners with summer moves mooted.
To see what rivals Arsenal have been up to in the run up to the window click here.


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Start Strong, Finish Strong
I will celebrate my 30th wedding anniversary on September 1 this year (I know many of you feel very sorry for her and yes, she has probably earned her ticket to Heaven for putting up with me). In all of those 30 years I've earned my living and supported my family in one way or another in sales, marketing and management.
One of the many things I've learned is that how I start my day goes a long way in determining how successful that day will be. It's not easy to begin the day with a bad attitude or in a bad mood and change during the course of your work or sales calls. It's almost impossible.
My wife and I made a deal many years ago that if she was mad at me or if I had done something wrong, the morning wasn't the time to let me know about it. For example, it's not the time to "scream" because I forgot to take out the trash. On the contrary, my wife is very good at keeping me positive in the morning and helping me start my day correctly.
Your success hinges a great deal on getting off on the right foot every day—getting started correctly; with the right attitude, the right frame of mind and with your confidence and enthusiasm off the chart.
Personally, I'm an early riser. I'm usually up by 4:15 or 4:30 every morning. I like to have my quiet time before the rest of the house gets up. Now that all but one of our children are grown that's not as big a deal as it used to be, but I like my "me" time in the morning with my coffee and my iPad (used to be the laptop and before that the newspaper).
I'm careful in the morning as to what I read when I skim the few newspapers I enjoy. I try to avoid depressing stories or negative articles about the economy, etc. However, I do check the obituaries for two reasons: 1) to make sure there hasn't been a death of a customer, customer's family member, friend's family member, etc and 2) to take time to appreciate that my picture wasn't in there this morning.
I write in the morning, jot down ideas and thoughts and get myself mentally prepared for the day. As the rest of the family begins to stir around 5:45, I'm up getting ready for work.
On my way to work, I listen to either upbeat music I enjoy (80's, classic rock), motivational material or (and most often) something that puts a smile on my face and makes me laugh: Howard Stern on Sirius/XM. Yes, I have been a Stern fan for many, many years and find his program to be extremely funny—that's just my taste. (If there are other Stern fans reading this, "Baba Booey to you all!")
I try to avoid the news and other things that may "bring me down" before my day ever starts. That's not to say I ignore it, I usually catch up with everything like that in the evening as I wind down from my day.
What works for me, might not work for you. You may be a morning gym person (that's evenings for me), you may like to ride to work in silence. If so, that's great. My point is to keep your mornings fresh and free of turmoil and negativity.
One thing I ALWAYS do is visualize success. No matter what I have planned for that day, I take some time in the morning and see it in my "mind's eye" being successful. I go through the motions mentally of closing the sale, earning the business or whatever I am trying to accomplish that day. Take a moment in the morning and see yourself succeeding. Remember if you start strong, you have a much better chance of finishing strong!
Start your day positive and it's much more likely to end that way, as well! Now, smile and make it a great day!

subset: commoncrawl


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ClassicCashback up to 2.50%
Classic plus membershipCashback up to 3.75%
Please see membership conditions below
Premium membershipCashback up to 5.00%
Please see membership conditions below
Tiny Tiny Shop Shop sells quality and delightfully special children's toys that will excite and inspire the imagination. Tiny Tiny Shop Shop has partnered with 5 charities to help Australian families. Tiny Tiny Shop Shop is constantly increasing their range with new and innovative toys so keep in touch.


text: I've lived in northeastern California for almost a quarter of a century now. I have lots of college degrees, work experience and wonder for plants, animals, habitats, ecology, natural cycles of nature, herbalism and lots more. I'm now learning the celestial sphere above my head at night. I love the sacred geometry and intricate balances of our world. My personal theology is pretty much driven by the motto "kindness matters" and I constantly seek to walk in awareness and gratitude toward the grace present in every moment and atom of this place. My passion lies in building Hope and offering Skills and Knowledge about the Earth in this Time of Turning. As humans we definitely find ourselves in a period of deep change. A time where the Shadow of industrial and consumer impacts have now altered the trajectory of Life on this Planet. I deeply believe this to be true. Mother Nature has called, Her deep Song resonates in the Heart of anyone who will listen. Her deep tones are felt in the intricate Balance among all Living things... one can feel it deep within the Earth, it trembles through Her Waters, vibrates among the atoms of Air, and Speaks through the creative forces of Fire. I hear Her Song among the Trees, whose voices tinkle like cascading silver bells. I see Her elementals, who were once shy but now show themselves in a boldness that makes my knees shake. This period of affluency, of comfortable living, is coming to a close. Triggered by our insolence, our disrespect, our insatiable hunger for "more" goods, more services. Our "quality of life" is sustained only through heavy consumption of natural resources... And the angle of repose we think is stable is beginning to teeter beneath our feet. In order to heal Her delicate ecosystems, we need to stop. Stop everything. Realign our Hearts and Actions toward the Source from which our bodies and lives are made.


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Thanks to all who helped! We were even able to make it pretty Pesach-themed (you had to add up numbers like "orders of the Mishnah" to get one of the numbers for the combination - and I made them sing a song from the Hamilton Haggadah to get one of the clues).
I tried to post about this last night, but after however many glasses of wine I had (plus our totally non-Kosher tradition of pre-Seder Fireball shots), it basically came out as "ESCJDOPE ROOM AFIKOJLEN!!!!" I woke up this morning with a mysterious bruise on my finger and some melted chocolate in my bra. Damn, Passover is truly the best holiday. Hag sameach GT!


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Quoted: Playgirl on Levi -- no "full frontal"
"He did not give 'full frontal'... Although there may be glimpses, we did not get full-on frontal nudity."
-- Daniel Nardicio, a spokesman for Playgirl, gently informing the public it won't get the full monty from Levi Johnston after all. He also told us that Johnston's fee will depend on the photo spread's overall traffic and profits for the mag -- but potentially "something in the six-figure range." While the magazine recently folded its print edition and went online only, the rep said interest in Sarah Palin's ex-almost-son-in-law has prompted Playgirl to publish a special newsstand issue in January. Levi, savior of print media!
The Reliable Source
November 17, 2009; 4:21 PM ET
Categories: Quoted
Save & Share: Previous: Read this: Oba Mao, John Mayer, Norah Jones, that Sarah Palin book we keep hearing so much about
Next: This just in: Blagojevich, KRS-One, Tila Tequila
Good for Levi! Take advantage of all these endorsements and other work opportunities while you have the opportunity.
Posted by: RambleOn | November 17, 2009 6:50 PM | Report abuse
I kind of like the kid.
Posted by: dadada | November 18, 2009 2:24 PM | Report abuse
More honest than his almost-would-be mother-in-law - with or without clothes.
Posted by: gsross | November 18, 2009 8:11 PM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.


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As part of the 30th anniversary (XXX) special projects, Stussy has teamed up with Ricoh to produce a co-branded GR Digital III camera. Ricoh, the Japanese electronics company founded in 1936, has previously never collaborated with a brand to offer a customized camera body in their cult favorite GR Digital line.
Inspired by friends who use the brand's equipment, such as Japan based photographer Rip Zinger, Stussy was impressed by the size, looks and performance of the Ricoh GR series.
To celebrate the Stussy x Ricoh GR Digital III release, Stussy will curate and present a photo project featuring virtual galleries photographers who we have worked with or admired over our 30-year history. Expect these images to start appearing on Stussy.com in early 2010.
Limited quantities of the Stussy x Ricoh camera will be produced and available for purchase through Stussy Chapter stores. Available in early February, 2010.


text: The Writers Guild of America, East is a labor union of thousands of creative professionals who create digital media (writing, video, podcasts, photo and more), television and motion pictures. For decades the Writers Guild has been essential in fighting for better standards in working conditions, compensation, and the respect of dignity of members. Our mission is to build a community of creative professionals with the willingness to support each other and the power to secure fair industry standards.


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By: Neil Frawley
The long awaited move of the ATM from the University Center to the Student Union has been in talks again, with the latest goal to have it ready by the start of classes in August.
"The ATM is going to move to the Union," President William McKinney said. "My hope is that when you come back in August that the ATM is at the Union. It will be a Bank of America ATM, just like ATM is at UC now, but it will be in a secure location."
McKinney and his staff aren't yet sure about where the ATM will be placed, or whether it will be inside or outside of the union. But it should be a sign of good news to all students that the university is looking to improve some of its safety issues by relocating the ATM.
The students themselves should feel relieved knowing that they can conveniently get money without the concern of traveling far away to the isolated and, at most times, secluded location of the UC.
"I think the move for the ATM would be a good move to the Student Union," Ian Kerstanski, a sophomore mass media major, said. "It's a lot closer, and a lot more convenient, and people don't have to drive all the way to the UC, where there's not really a lot of parking spots."
Zach Blake, a sophomore pre-nursing major, agrees that the ATM move is good for the university.
"I feel like if it was moved to the Student Union, I would definitely use it more often," Blake said. "It would be more convenient to the university, and all the dorms and all the apartments around here. It would cut down on time (too). Right now, it's kind of out there in the middle of nowhere, (but at the Student Union) it's more open and there's more people around."
McKinney admitted jokingly that the ATM issue has been frustrating.
"One of the other things I learned from this process, it takes a lot longer to move an ATM," McKinney said.


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Leaders in transformative solutions for historic, distinctive and complex projects and locations.
Our goal? To be the hotel leader in each market we serve. For more than 30 years, the principals of NorthPointe Hospitality Management, LLC have earned a reputation for success in providing transformative solutions to complex projects.
In the simplest terms, we get it.
As successful owners, operators and developers of more than $150 million in assets ourselves, we have lived in your shoes. Our knowledge of what each stake-holder wants and needs to define success guides every project. Our track-record of developing a strong portfolio of market leaders comes from delivering healthy returns for our investors, developers, operators and our guests, again and again.
Our track record of creating a strong portfolio comes from delivering healthy returns for our investors, our deep understanding of development, operations and our guest loyalty.


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You're facing VM sprawl if you're experiencing an uncontrollable increase of unused and unneeded objects in your virtual VMware environment. VM sprawl occurs often in virtual infrastructures because they expand much faster than physical, which can make management a challenge. The growing number of virtualized workloads and applications generate "virtual junk" causing VM sprawl issue. Eventually it can put you at risk of running out of resources.
Getting virtual sprawl under control will help you reallocate and better provision your existing storage, CPU and memory resources between critical production workloads and high-performance, virtualized applications. With proper resource management, you can save money on extra hardware.
This white paper examines how you can avoid potential VM sprawl risks and automate proactive monitoring by using Veeam® ONE™, a part of Veeam Availability Suite™. Veeam ONE will arm you with a list of VM sprawl indicators and explain how you can pick up and configure a handy report kit to detect and eliminate VM sprawl threats in your VMware environment.
Read this FREE white paper and learn how to:
- Identify "zombies"
- Clean up garbage and orphaned snapshots
- Establish a transparent system to get sprawl under control
- And more!


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Investigators examine a gun they say they recovered from a car that fled the scene of a fatal shooting Sunday evening in West Philadelphia. Photographs for the Gun Crisis Reporting Project by Joseph Kaczmarek.
According to police, a 27-year-old man was found on North 50th Street with multiple chest and arm wounds and was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
SEPTA police officers first reported that they heard gunshots around 6:00 p.m. near 50th and Market streets, according to a 6ABC report which added that the suspects took off and crashed at 52nd and Chestnut streets.
Slideshow: Investigation follows fatal shooting in West Philadelphia. Photographs for the Gun Crisis Reporting Project by Joseph Kaczmarek.[slideshow_deploy id='13737′]
Police said that a loaded handgun was found in the back seat of the car and that two men were placed in custody after they were identified by the transit officers.
In the next incident, police rushed a 26-year-old man to HUP, where he was reported in stable condition after he was shot in the arm around 9:15 p.m. Sunday night on South 69th Street near Elmwood Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.
Two 18-year-old men were shot in their lower extremities on Williams Avenue in the Cedarbrook section of East Mount Airy at about 10 p.m. Sunday.
Shortly before 7 a.m. Monday, a 22-year-old man was shot in the leg during an attempted robbery in the area of 6th Street and Roosevelt Boulevard. According to a report from 6ABC, the victim worked at Fixed Flats garage and was reported in stable condition.
As we have previously reported, seven people were shot Friday in Philadelphia and seven more were shot Saturday night.
If you want to get involved in gun violence reduction in Philadelphia, please consider volunteering your time or making a donation to one of the organizations listed under our Network tab at the top of this site. If you would like us to add your group to our list, please email us at email@example.com.
The Gun Crisis Reporting Project is an award-winning, independent, nonprofit journalism community striving to illuminate the epidemic of homicide by gunfire in Philadelphia — and to find solutions.
But we need your help. Click to see how your tax-deductible contribution can support our volunteer staff.


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Maple sourced from North America is used for all doors, drawer faces, side panels and toekicks. This timber is considered a premium choice by cabinetmakers due to it's stability, durability, beautiful grain and appealing colour. Beauty is also more than skin deep with quality workmanship in evidence throughout – the use of mortise and tenon joints are just one example of the care and attention to detail taken.
Internal cabinet frames are manufactured in premium laminated poplar ply, giving stability and a clean and light feel to cabinet internals. Melteca, chipboard and mdf are not used.
To match the quality of our cabinetry, we use Blum soft close drawer mechanisms and hinges. Blum is Europe's leading manufacturer of kitchen hardware, ensuring many years of dependable service.
Quality Guarantee
We place a five year guarantee covering materials and workmanship. But we believe you need to look further than the guarantee when assessing a kitchen – remember that no kitchen manufacturer will guarantee wear and tear or water damage. As our cabinetry is made from the finest materials, it is more durable in day to day use.


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In This Episode You'll Learn
- Which vitamins a healthy person needs to stay healthy
- Which type of fish oil you should take
- Where to find Omega-3 fatty acids
- Who should take vitamin D
- How to avoid wasting your money on worthless supplements
Links and Resources for This Episode
You Might Also Like
- Ep 10 Mary Vance, Holistic Nutrition Consultant
- Ep 53 – Diets Don't Work w/ Traci Mann
- Ep 60 – The Blood Type Diet w/ Shelby Webb
Thanks for Listening
Thanks for listening to this episode.
Please feel free to leave a comment about this episode. I love hearing from you and your feedback helps me make the show better. I'm open to constructive criticism and topic suggestions for future shows.
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see on this page. To be sure you receive the latest episode, subscribe through a podcast catcher such as iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, or aCast (to name a few).
I would also appreciate an honest review of this show on any of your favorite podcast portals (click: iTunes, Stitcher). Your subscriptions and reviews help give the show authority and can really help it become noticed by others, which in turn will spread the word of good health and fitness.
Podcast Review
If you have never left a review for a podcast, you might want to check out my brief step-by-step tutorial for iTunes and Stitcher Radio. This step by step guide will make leaving a review quick and easy. Thanks again.
Stay Up to Date with Our Newsletter


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Fremont resident and mother Ruth alerted Fremont Universe that her daughter was involved in a luring incident late last week. KOMO news briefly covered the incident here.
Two men tried to lure her 13 year old daughter into their dark green Suburban last Thursday March 5th around 3pm on the premise of showing her their puppies. The girl was approached on the 4300 block of Palatine Ave North. Ruth says her daughter "ran and got help from one of our neighbors who called the police." The police did not find the luring suspects.
Ruth encourages the community to "Stay safe, be alert!"The approximate of the luring incident on March 5th


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This home has just come back on the market in the Grandview Grove subdivision, just to the southwest of Dade City, Florida and with a REDUCED PRICE of $299,900! This is a very small special development of under 20 large homes on 1 acre lots. You do not find that in many subdivisions today.
This custom home on a corner lot was built in 2002 and has 2,472 square feet of living space with high ceilings throughout. There are 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a den/bonus room. Wall-to-wall carpeting and beautiful ceramic tiles adorn the floors.
The home is a split bedroom plan with the master bedroom suite on one side of the home and the two other bedrooms on the opposite side. The master suite has a huge bedroom with a door to the screened lanai. A large window high on the wall provides natural lighting while preserving the occupants' privacy. The master bath has "his & hers" closets, a linen closet, double vanities, a large garden tub, and a separate shower. Plenty of natural light here too.
The spacious living room has an attractive tray ceiling with recessed lighting. Triple patio doors open to the screened lanai. Just off this space, double doors open into a bonus room that can function as a den, music room, study, or 4th bedroom.
Beyond the living room is the formal dining room. Plenty of room here for entertaining many guests or family members. There is easy access to the kitchen so the cook of the home and the delicious food are never faraway.
The kitchen has lovely and light wood panelled cabinets and a handy center island. Appliances include a Jenn-Air smooth top cooktop with built-in exhaust, a wall oven, a two-door refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a built-in microwave oven. A snackbar separates the main kitchen from a large and bright dining area for less formal meals. A corner pantry will give you lots of storage space. There is also another door leading out to the lanai. Al fresco dining can be fantastic with our great Florida weather. The owners are even including the gas grill in the sale!
The home has a three-car garage with door openers installed. The owners are also leaving an auxilary generator that can supply electricity to the home if the power should go off. At times a handy item to have! The laundry room is between the garage and the main home. The washer and dryer are included in the sale of this residence.
On the back of the home is an extra mini-garage that can be used for storing lawn equipment and tools. The garden areas surrounding the home have an irrigation system to keep your plants looking green and fresh.
Due to its location midway between US 301 and Interstate 75, Zephyrhills, Dade City, Lakeland, and Tampa are easily accessible. Hospitals, schools, restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies, parks, etc. are just a few minutes away by car.
This home is priced very well. Now just $299,900! That is one of the best prices in the area and this home will not be available long. To get more information,see more pictures, and view a slideshow, visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com
For more information or to arrange a tour, please call me John Elwell - REALTOR at CENTURY 21 Bill Nye Realty, Inc 813-783-4444 or e-mail me at: email@example.com
John Elwell - REALTOR
Bill Nye Realty, Inc.
Licensed in Florida


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Teletubbies birthday party theme works extremely well with toddlers. Create a festive celebration using the following Teletubbies party ideas.
For your Teletubbies party invitations, print a photo of the birthday child holding a Teletubby toy on the front of your invitation cards. Then print the party information inside the cards. Put on theme stickers and mail to your Teletubbies birthday party guests.
As a variation, download images of Teletubbies characters: Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po. Print them on the front of the invitation cards. Then paste an image of your child in the middle of the "group" as if he or she is surrounded by Teletubbies.
Finally, you can put your invitation cards into boxes for mailing along with a theme item (e.g., small bubble-solution container, Teletubbies beanbag, etc). Kids will be glad to receive a small gift via mail.
Best colors for your Teletubbies party decorations are red, green, purple, yellow and blue. Use an abundant amount of balloons and paper streamers in those colors. Play Teletubbies theme music in the background.
Download, enlarge and print images of Teletubbies. Tape them to the fence to greet your guests. (You can also use theme poster, if you like.) Make a balloon arch by tying balloons to a kite string (about 12″ apart). Then secure the ends of the kite string to the ground using dowels.
Ask the birthday child to draw on the walkway with colorful chalk. Tape footprint cutouts leading to your party area, so the guests know where to go. Tie a bunch of balloons to the mailbox. Hang a large banner that says "Welcome to Teletubbies Birthday Party!" near the front door.
Inside the house, let the blue helium balloons float around the ceiling to represent the sky. Hang Teletubbies poster on the wall.
Spread out any theme toys that you might have around the party room. Draw sun, clouds and rainbows on poster board, and hang those pictures on the walls as well.
Cover your Teletubbies birthday party table with a theme cloth. Put Teletubbies Mylar balloon in the middle of the table for a centerpiece.
Use store-bought placemats or make your own by printing and laminating images of Teletubbies. Tie balloons to the back of the chairs. Hang a personalized "Happy Birthday" banner nearby.
Guest Arrival and Introductory Activities
*Coloring Pages: Spread Teletubbies coloring pages along with crayons and markers. Invite the kids to color the pages while waiting for others to arrive.
*Play-Doh Activity: You can purchase Play-Doh cookie cutter kit from a party store. Have the kids develop various shapes using the tools provided. (Helpers can assist really young kids with the process.)
*Teletubbies Mural: Few kids resist a chance to draw on the wall. But don't worry – you won't have to repaint the room! Just tape a wide sheet of butcher paper on the lower portion of your wall so kids can reach. And provide crayons for your budding mural artists.
For Teletubbies birthday party favors, give out such items as blowouts, coloring pages, crayons, cookie cutters, candy necklaces, posters, and so on.
Teletubbies Birthday Party Games
*Eh-oh!: Turn on music, then invite the kids to take turns calling, "Eh-oh!" Next, demonstrate a special move or funny face and ask everyone else to follow. When it feels like a good time to switch players, announce "Time for Teletubbies to switch."
*Hot Po: Play Teletubbies birthday party version of classic "Hot Potato" game. But instead of passing potato, the kids get a chance to pass Po plush doll (or other toy).
*Big Hugs: Teletubbies love hugs, and everybody gets hugs in this game! Write guest names on separate slips of paper and put them in a hat. Seat everyone in a circle and have them pass around the hat while music plays. When music stops, the child holding the hat must pull out a name and give that person a hug. (Ask adults to help young children read the names.) Continue until everyone's had at least 2 hugs.
*Laa-Laa Train: Put on lively music, and find a volunteer to play Laa-Laa (the leader), and invite guests to sing "laa-laa-laa-laa," and form a "human" train that moves from room to room, in time to the music. Encourage Laa-Laa to make creative moves that the rest of the line can follow (crawling, flapping arms, twirling, etc.). Pick a new Laa-Laa every few minutes. Play until the kids are ready for a new activity.
*Teletubbies Duck Pond Surprise: For this Teletubbies birthday party game, you'll need a waterproof marker, rubber or plastic ducks (1 per guest), prizes in separate paper bags, plastic tub or kiddie pool filled with water, and colander with handle.
Using a marker, draw a different number on the bottom of each duck. Then write matching numbers on each prize bag. Set out the tub filled with water. Let the kids take turns to scoop out a duck using the colander. Match the duck's number to bag's number for the child's prize.
*Dipsy Says: Pick an adult to be Dipsy. Follow the rules of "Simon Says" game with Teletubbies party twist.
*Noo-Noo Pick Up: Set out a bunch of building blocks and other toys for kids to play with. When it's time to switch to a new activity, encourage the children to be Noo-Noo, the friendly vacuum cleaner, and pick up all the toys.
*Teletubbies Story Time: Select a picture book and sit everyone together to hear a tale. Toddlers may not understand all the words, but they'll enjoy looking at the pictures with friends and family all around.
Food and Drink
Teletubbies Birthday Party Cake:
*Teletubbies Cake: Bake a rectangular cake. Print a picture of Teletubbies off the computer, and place it on the cake. Then outline around the paper using a toothpick to create a Teletubbies image on the cake. Finally, ice various portions of the cake with butter cream icing.
Teletubbies Birthday Party Food Ideas:
*Tubby Toast: For this Teletubbies party recipe, you'll need bread slices, chocolate spread or creamy natural almond butter.
Cut the corners of each bread slice with a butter knife to form circular slices. Cover one side of each slice with a thin layer of chocolate spread or almond butter. Next, create a smiley face with the banana: 2 round slices for eyes and 1 long strip for the smile. Serve open-faced.
*Tubby Custard: Mix the following ingredients in a saucepan: 5 cups milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks and 3 tbsp potato flour. Heat on low, whisking continuously until thick consistency. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat and whisk in 1 tsp vanilla. Cool and serve, or refrigerate until snack time. Serve in small bowls or cups.
*Tinky Winky Sundaes: You'll need sliced purple grapes, blueberries, blackberries, chocolate sauce, blueberry- or blackberry-flavored yogurt or a purple ice cream.
Alternate layers of fruit and yogurt in bowls or clear cups. Finish with fruit and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Have the children eat and share tongue colors.
*Po Pops: For this Teletubbies party recipe, you'll need 24 oz of red juice, 1 banana sliced into 8 thick pieces, 8 small paper cups, 8 Popsicle® sticks, foil (cut into small squares to cover tops of cups) and a baking pan.
Fill 1/2 to 3/4 of each cup with the juice. Drop a banana slice into each cup, then insert Popsicle stick into banana so that sticks stand up. Make a slit through the center of each foil square. Cover cup with foil, allowing stick to pop through slit.
Place cups in the baking pan (to create a level surface and catch spills) and put in freezer for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Before serving, peel away the paper cup and foil.
*Miniature Hotdogs
*Chips & Dip
*Fruit Salad
*Ice Cream
Teletubbies Birthday Party Drink Ideas:
*Dipsy Drinks: Fill a large punch bowl with ginger ale. Add lime sherbet at serving time and invite the kids to watch it fizz.
*Freshly-Made Orange Juice
*Iced Tea


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Crowley Fuels Alaska
Serving Alaska Since Before Statehood
Crowley knows Alaska. We began serving the people and businesses of Alaska in 1953, six years before statehood. Since then, we've built a reputation for consistently providing unique solutions to Alaska's logistics, fuel and marine transportation challenges. Read more about our history in the state.
Fuel products and services
Crowley Fuels transports, stores, sells and delivers high-quality fuels, with an emphasis on service, reliability and safety. We are the state's largest wholesaler of quality fuel products, including diesel, heating fuel, propane, gasoline, aviation fuels, marine fuels, and packaged petroleum products.
Our 18 petroleum terminals across the state have a combined 76 million gallons of storage capacity, and we utilize our diverse distribution channels – on land, over water and occasionally through the air – to deliver the fuel Alaskans need to live, work and play in more than 280 communities across the state.
Our commitment to safety
Zero harm to people, property and the environment is of the highest priority at Crowley. Our safety record is evidence of the effectiveness of our safety culture, which includes regular, required trainings and thorough safety policies and procedures. At Crowley, our employees and business partners have the responsibility and authority to speak up and stop unsafe operations, without question or repercussion.
Our commitment to safety has been recognized by the best in the industry – from the ConocoPhillips Alaska/Alaska Trucking Association Industrial Fleet Safety Award, which we have been honored with five out of the last eight years, to the Shell Oil Products distinction as "HSSE Wholesaler of the Year," from which we were selected among Shell's entire network of U.S. petroleum wholesalers. This award-winning service reflects the results of our deliberate investment in our staff and equipment to serve our customers with safety as our first priority.
Our people
At Crowley, our goal is to foster a culture that attracts the best talent, celebrates diversity and inclusion, and encourages innovation. We're proud of our 350 employees, who live and work in Alaska, right alongside the customers we serve.
We are always searching for great people to join our team. We offer competitive pay, a comprehensive benefits package and opportunities for employees to learn, grow and advance their careers. Learn more about working at Crowley or browse our open positions.
Our fuel-delivery fleet
On the highway system, our drivers cover more than 3 million miles annually using our extensive company-owned and -operated fleet of line haul and local trucks, including 160 delivery vehicles and 65 tank trailers. Each of our terminals also have delivery vehicles that serve their local communities.
Because much of the state is not accessible by road, we also have a fleet of marine vessels specially designed to face Alaska's unique challenges. These vessels – combined with the skill and expertise of our experienced mariners – allow us to reach otherwise inaccessible locations to serve the fuel needs of those in Alaska's most remote areas, including the western coast and inland river systems.
We continually invest in our equipment to support safe, efficient operations. We are proud to have the youngest truck fleet in the industry in Alaska and we look forward to introducing the latest addition to our marine fleet in the coming year.
Giving back
Our employees live and work here, alongside the people and businesses we serve. We understand the importance of supporting the communities where we do business. We demonstrate this commitment to our communities in various ways, including the Crowley scholarship program and support of many local events and organizations. Additionally, the Crowley Cares Foundation matches employee contributions to local charitable organizations for maximum benefit. Read more about how Crowley cares for our communities.
Contact us
Let us know how we can serve you. Find the Crowley location nearest you. Or learn more or schedule delivery by contacting us at 866-770-5587. You can also use the email option on this page.
ARTICLE: Getting Fuel from There to Here – The Challenges and the Costs
ARTICLE: Fuel Service and Safety in the Last Frontier
In 1994, Crowley Chairman, President and CEO, Tom Crowley Jr., established the Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship Program, in honor of his father, who guided the company to extraordinary heights before passing away in 1994. Since 1984, Crowley has provided more than $500,000 in scholarship funding for more than 200 students studying at maritime academies and other select institutions. The company has also donated more than $2 million over the years to support other educational programs. Crowley is pleased to support the educational pursuits of students in Alaska through scholarships to the following universities:


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Women Business Grants
For many years, women were encouraged to be stay-at-home mothers with those few who worked outside of the home being constantly scorned for their occupation. This outlook has changed greatly and, in fact, is encouraged by the federal government. To encourage women in entrepreneurship and business endeavors, the federal government decided to offer incentives to women that own their own business or hold a majority of shares in a corporation. The incentive is in the form of women business grants. Many women are not aware of government business grants for women or are overcome by the amount of paperwork involved in registering as a WBE (Women Business Enterprise). It is required that you be registered before you will qualify for business grants for women.
Once the registration is completed, the challenge is identifying and then submitting women business grants. Some funding sources will only give women business grants to not-for-profits or local governmental entities, who in turn utilize the funds to provide technical assistance and support to women businesses.
If you are a woman interested in starting a business, there are additional women business grant funds available for business startup. The important thing to remember is most grants are not just for women. You may receive additional consideration for being a woman business owner, but other businesses and individuals are allowed to apply. The most well-known organization out there to assist startup businesses is the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA is focused on providing assistance that will help you be successful in today's economy. The SBA does not give out women business grants directly to small businesses or individuals, but they are willing to assist you with identifying government business grant for women opportunities, financing, planning, and a variety of other needed activities.
Once you determine what you need a women business grant to pay for, you can begin your search for federal, state, and private funding sources. The best website for federal women business grant opportunities is www.grants.gov. This website is utilized by all federal agencies for their grant programs. It is a time consuming process, but once you register it offers a one-stop-shop for searching and submitting women business grants.
If you are interested in business grants for women that do not have as many restrictions or requirements, the best funding source is foundations. Many States have regional or state-wide organizations that will offer a list or book that shows all the foundations in the area or that offer funding to your specific geographical area. This is a good starting place for identifying women business grant opportunities.


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A few weeks back now, I disabled the ability for social login on my comments. As briefly touched upon, they used an iFrame, which wasn't exactly great from a performance side of things, especially those on mobile.
However, since doing so, that resulted in the default WordPress comments, which sadly resulted in an increment in spam. From what was 0 spam comments a day, to ~7 spam comments a day. Still, not a lot, but enough to be annoying.
So what do we do about it? Well thankfully I have Akismet installed, which was capturing them all. But the spam was still annoying.
After some research into, I found one of the main culprits for spam was the URL field, people hoping to a) either decrease your SEO score, or b) increase their SEO score. Neither was good. It had to go.
And here's what I did to do so. Simply open up your
functions.php and type the following:
function remove_url_field($fields) { unset($fields['url']); return $fields; } add_action('comment_form_default_fields', 'remove_url_field');
Now when you next see your comment box on the site, the URL field should be gone!1
I should state, this doesn't stop spam completely, but it does help decrease it. Since adding this three days ago, I've only received three spam comments since! I even had one spam free day. Certainly an achievement!
1This works on my theme, it may not work on all. As always, back-up before changing theme files. Also, some CSS changes may be required depending on your theme.


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Nearly a decade after wowing audiences on the big screen, the amazing bioluminescent world from James Cameron's seminal film "Avatar" has become a reality in Disney World's Animal Kingdom theme park. "Pandora - The World of Avatar" officially opened on Saturday, May 27. To visit is to feel like you've stepped right into the Valley of Mo'ara, which is alive with exotic glowing plants and iridescent creatures, unique food, interactive scenery and attractions that truly are out of this world.
Here's how to make the most of your time in this incredible place without missing a thing.
Rewatch "Avatar" Before You Go
It isn't a requirement to have seen the highest grossing film of all time in order to enjoy your time in Pandora but, wow, it sure will heighten your experience. Re-familiarizing yourself with the storyline and ethos of "Avatar" will certainly lead to goosebumps when you visit. If you or the kids missed out on seeing "Avatar" on the big screen, a pre-trip viewing party at home is guaranteed to make your real-life introduction to Pandora at Disney World even better.
Reserve a FastPass+ for Avatar Flight of Passage
The crowning glory of Pandora is Avatar Flight of Passage, an amazing and incredibly immersive ride that delivers, for many riders, a transformative and emotional experience. Put this attraction at the top of your must-do list by reserving a ride time with FastPass+ so you can experience this ride with a shorter wait time.
Avatar Flight of Passage puts you in a saddle atop a mountain banshee as you recreate one of the film's most breathtaking scenes, where Jake Sully takes his virgin flight on the back of a dragon-like winged creature, soaring above Mo'ara's floating mountains, swooping through treetop canopies, skipping over sparkling water, and plunging into bioluminescent caves. Thanks to the genius of Disney imagineers, this 3-D simulator thrill ride very convincingly makes you feel like you are really flying, as your senses awaken to the sights, sounds, smells of the Pandora. Trust us: This is Disney World's very best ride and one you'll want to experience at least once. (Note: Minimum height for riders is 44 inches)
Reserve a FastPass+ for Na'vi River Journey
The second unmissable ride in Pandora is Na'vi River Journey, which also should be reserved with a FastPass+ before you arrive. Your family will board a slow-paced reed boat that glides along the Na'vi River through an eye-popping bioluminescent rainforest full of exotic glowing plants and iridescent alien creatures making the pilgrimage with you to meet the Shaman of Songs.
Visit During Animal Kingdom's Extra Magic Hours
At Disney World, the early bird catches the worm. This is even truer for families staying at official Disney World Resort hotels, who can take advantage of a perk called Extra Magic Hours. On most days, one of the four main parks opens an hour early or closes up to three hours late. The morning Extra Magic Hour lets you experience select attractions prior to the park's official opening time. That means that you could ride Avatar Flight of Passage before the regular crowds arrive and the line begins to grow. Schedule a FastPass+ to ride again later the same morning.
Learn the Language and Ways of the Na'vi
While you're exploring Pandora, keep an eye out for Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE) guides, who can teach you helpful Na'vi phrases like "Oel Ngati Kameie" ("I see you"), the traditional Na'vi phrase of greeting and respect.
Scattered around Pandora are many interesting and exotic plants native to the Valley of Mo'ara. Ask ACE guides to point out the special plants and creatures that spit, mist, or light up when touched by a human. For example, at the entrance of Pandora, the colorful Flaska Reclinata will spray a mist of spores when humans pat it and transfer their energy to the plant.
Pre-Order a Meal at Satu'li Canteen
Looking to shave time off your dining time in Pandora so you can get back to the fun? Disney is debuting a brand new food ordering service, Mobile Order, in Pandora, at Satu'li Canteen restaurant. This service will eventually expand to other fast casual and quick service locations across Walt Disney World.
Mobile Order, found in the My Disney Experience app, offers the added convenience of being able to place orders and purchase meals on-the-go.
This system is quick and easy. After you've placed your order, pre-paid within the app, and are on the way to Satu'li Canteen, just tap the "I'm here" button. That will notify the kitchen to prepare your meal. When ready, you will be alerted to pick up your meal at a designated pick-up window.
Make Friends With a Baby Banshee
Looking for the must-have Pandora souvenir? In the Windtraders gift shop, kids and adults can visit the rookery and identify a favorite banshee from among 10 unique styles. Each interactive banshee includes three ranges of motion—mouth, head, and wings—that are controlled by a hand-held device, and they make authentic banshee sounds. Kids can either display a banshee on their shoulder or cradle them in their arms. This is a fun experience, whether or not you decide to purchase a banshee.
Another fun activity in Windtraders is creating your own avatar action figure. First, you step into a futuristic transformation booth, where an Alpha Centauri Expedition Scan Technician uses a facial capture scanner to your enter data into a digitizing system. After your image is captured, you select your avatar's body style from four different choices—both youth and adult sizes are offered—and you also choose eye color, facial striping pattern, and hairstyle. Reservations are required for this experience and can be made on a first-come, first-serve basis inside Windtraders.
Let Your Kids Be Wilderness Explorers
When visiting Animal Kingdom Park, kids can take part in a free activity program called Wilderness Explorers, where they complete dozens of self-guided activities ranging from animal observation to learning nature skills. As they complete these challenges, they can earn special Wilderness Explorer badges.
There are two Wilderness Explorer stations inside Pandora that focus on drawing connections between Earth's environment and that on Pandora. Make a point of stopping at both stations so you can collect the coveted badges.
Chill out at Pongu Pongu
When the going gets hot and your troops are parched, head to Pongu Pongu for Na'vi-style frozen beverages. Meaning "Party Party" in the language of the Na'vi, Pongu Pongu serves up some fun glowing frozen cocktails. Order a non-alcoholic Night Blossom for kids and a Mo'ara Margarita for grown-ups. There are also indigenous beers and some sweet snacks you won't find elsewhere.
Look the Part
If you're looking for a way to feel closer to the Na'vi culture, this colorful kiosk is the place to go for a Na'vi-inspired face painting featuring authentic Pandoran markings.
Return at Night
Pandora is a very special place any time you visit, but it is inarguably even more magical at night when the bioluminescent plants and creatures glow more brightly and the area takes on an almost mystical quality. Make your first visit during Extra Magic Hours in the morning, but definitely return another day after sundown for a bonus dose of Pandora.
Stay at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel
Staying at an official Disney Resort hotel lets you take advantage of many extra perks that help you make more of your time in the parks. With over two dozen Walt Disney World Resort hotels, there are plenty of options for every family style and budget. If visiting Pandora is a big priority for your family, consider staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, the closest property to Animal Kingdom park.
On your arrival and departure days, you'll receive complimentary transportation to and from Orlando International Airport via Disney's Magical Express service. And during your stay, you can easily get around using Disney's complimentary transportation system of monorails, buses, and water taxis.
But perhaps the biggest advantage of staying at a Disney Resort hotel is that you can begin locking in your plans 60 days in advance of your arrival day, which is a whole month before non-Disney-Resort guests. Yet another exclusive perk for Disney Resort hotel guests is the chance to visit the theme parks during Extra Magic Hours.


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1 Comment
Kathy Lewis on January 27, 2017 at 9:11 am
Finally figured out how to listen to you guys. Of course your conversation only serves to agitate me more. Trying to figure out how to modulate activism and peaceful, self nurturing escape – a daunting task these days. As for pipelines and employment – well more bogus sound bites from DC. – and all about dirty oil.
Anyway – it was pretty funny to hear Trump's exhortations about crowd sizes and specifically his looking out to his inaugural gathering and seeing a million – maybe a million and a half supporters. You were there right? My image is a cartoon with new age Presidential magnifying glasses.
Thank you for the energizing conversation at Old Ebbitts. Greetings from NC – founding state of new bathroom laws.Reply
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Direct contact
T Comm Telematics is the market leader in certified wireless trailer telematic solutions. For all your questions you can always call us during office hours. We'd be happy to help.


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Portland Parents Boycott Schools Over Education for Minorities
Charging that school officials are not doing enough to improve education for poor and minority children, the parents of hundreds of black students in Portland, Ore., kept their children out of school last Monday in a protest organized by community groups.
"We will no longer allow black children to be sacrificed on the altar of Portland School Board complacency," said Ronald Herndon, co-chairman of Black United Front', the community organization that led the boycott.
The B.U.F. was joined by seven other groups, including the local chapter of the Rainbow Coalition and the Oregon Alliance for Progressive Policy, an umbrella group of social-action organizations. Other key local groups serving the city's black community, including the Urban League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said they supported the coalition's goals but declined to join in the boycott.
African-Americans make up about 8,000 of the 55,000 students in Portland's public schools, which have won national attention for their multicultural-education efforts.
Estimates of the number of children who took part in the boycott varied widely; one survey placed the number at 1,900, while Mr. Herndon claimed 6,000. School-district officials said they would disclose an official tally at week's end after contacting the parents of absent pupils.
The majority of the boycotts were concentrated in the largely black neighborhoods in the north and northeastern parts of the city, where, at some schools, nearly half of the students did not report for class.
"There was no real polarization in the school," said Alcena Boozer, principal of Thomas Jefferson High, where 55 percent of the 1,102 students were absent. "Some students told me they felt pressured to participate, but they also felt they needed to be in their academic classes."
About 100 of the boycotting students attended alternative schools set up by the protesters at seven sites around the city.
At issue is a 12-point plan developed by the community groups for improving learning among minority students. It calls on the school board and the superintendent to project dates by which 90 percent of all students will be achieving at or above grade level and urges the creation of a districtwide panel made up of parents, school-board members, and business people to monitor schools' progress in meeting those goals.
The document calls for the creation of "building-management teams"--composed of community members, educators, and urban-education experts--to operate individual schools. And it holds that teachers and administrators should be evaluated according to their students' achievement and that schools should survey parents regularly to gauge "consumer satisfaction."
The plan, which has been endorsed by 12 civic and business groups, was submitted to the school board in fall 1989. Mr. Herndon charges that, apart from a series of private meetings among board members, the school board has not formally responded to the plan.
"We're having a boycott because everything else we tried with the school board has gotten us nowhere," he said.
Carol Turner, who presided over the school board during some of that time, said the board has "gone out of the way" to hear the groups' concerns.
"A board does not automatically accept a plan that some special group presents," said Ms. Turner.
Moreover, school officials say they have already put in place efforts similar to those called for in the plan.
"The direction you have suggested is in large part a road we have already been traveling," wrote the city's school superintendent, Matthew W. Prophet, in a letter to Mr. Herndon in December, several weeks after the groups threatened a boycott.
Mr. Prophet, who is black, noted, for example, that the district already: sets a target date for improving achievement among 3rd-graders, conducts annual surveys of parents, and sets up teams of parents and community representatives to advise principals on plans for improving learning.
"We still want principals to be accountable," Ms. Turner said. "We have to see the results come in on site-based management a la Chicago before we try it."
She also noted that teachers cannot be evaluated on the basis of their students' performance under a contractual agreement with the Portland teachers' union.
"And we would argue that evaluating teachers for things they cannot control is not something we would want to do," she added.
A week before the boycott, the school board also announced it would form a task force, which would include four members of Black United Front, to make recommendations on the plan. Its report is due by April.
But noting that most of the panel's members would have connections to the school district, Mr. Herndon said: "That's like asking Cookie Monster why the cookie jar is half empty."
At the heart of the groups' concerns are wide disparities between the academic achievement of black and white students in the district. They note, for example, that only 50 percent of black students read at or above grade level, compared with 80 percent of white students. Similarly, 60 percent of black students test below grade level in math while 80 percent of white students are at or above it.
But district school officials said those numbers, while disturbing, omit an important point: the gap has been closing for the last decade.
In mathematics, for example, the proportion of black students at grade level has increased over the last 10 years at a rate 3.4 times greater than that for white students.
The boycott was the third led by Black United Front in a decade. During the group's 1980 and 1981 boycotts, 80 percent of black students stayed out of school.
Some black leaders criticized the boycott this time, however, for "hurting students who need help the most."
Vol. 10, Issue 21, Page 5Published in Print: February 13, 1991, as Portland Parents Boycott Schools Over Education for Minorities
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Losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight is not a difficult task if you are willing to do so! You can train your body to a healthier way of life. You just need to set up your mind.
Here are some factors you should consider:
Find Motivation and Set Goals:
The basic thing required for dieting is motivation. Motivation to loose weight or to get healthier. It does not matter whether you are trying to loose just a few pounds, or you are trying to loose fifty pounds. You will always need motivation.
Once you have motivation, just set goals which are attainable. You should not waste your time on unattainable goals. You should always set those goals which you think you can achieve. In other words, one should not try to loose ten pounds in a week as this is not an attainable goal. Two or three pounds per week is enough and attainable as well.
Life is full of different things. Fashions and crazy ideas can come in one's life as fast as they leave. They are not meant to exist very long. A definition of fad dieting is a diet that is completely useless, unhealthy and not balanced for you physically. This type of diet program is also not very long lived, and is difficult to maintain for one's entire life. These are the main reasons that your diet programs fail more often than not.
These types of diets are usually not very versatile and are not able to provide one's body with all the specific nourishment that is needed and is essential for the human body. For example, there is a diet program in which you can eat all the zucchini that you want, but not eggs and peanuts until after 3 days.
The biggest setback that the fad diets have is that no matter how much weight you loose, the slightest bit of leeway will make you fat again. It is the nature of fad diets that they are very hard to manage, and you can not maintain then for life. Then on the other hand, if you stop your fad diets it will make you fat again, so it is in effect a very unpredictable and confusing situation that you can get yourself in.
Mostly what has happened with people is that they have ended up with even more weight than they had on before they started dieting. And that is a very bad thing. Fat people don't like being fat. Well, mostly they don't. And if you become fatter, god knows what goes through your head.
So the main question that is left is how do we lose weight and keep it off? The answer is quite simple. You just have to make a proper and easy to follow program, and lose some weight and try to maintain that weight. Do not try to lose 30-40 kg's and then try to maintain. Keep it simple and it will work for you.


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Outward Action versus Inward Meditation
In the American summer resort, in the month of June, there have been always nice features among whom we have Daisy Miller. She was a young American girl who always " appeared to be in the best humor with everything ".
She was a representative of American girls in the strict society of Europe, where firm customs would make people behave opposing to their inner feelings.
Vevey, the summer resort, is a mixture of American and European cultures where Winterbourne, found the best conditions to talk to a young unmarried lady, while he would not find it anytime in Geneva where he had lived too long to get the routine ethnicities. Unlike Daisy Miller who is a carefree pretty girl, winterbourne never acts on his impulses. He would prefer to evaluate his desires rather than act autonomously. Thus he is incapable of seeing the real Daisy.
Instead of understanding her, he tries to understand why society-if there was any- and his aunt do not approve Daisy's behaviors. Daisy's outward actions give the idea that "this young lady is pretty, but very common, who has also an intimacy with her mamma's courier " regarding Mrs. Costello's ideas about her. This old woman often intimated that if she didn't suffer from terrible headaches, she would have made a deeper impact on her society, yet she is not the only one who doesn't approve of Daisy's manners; we have Mrs. Walker who is devoted to the customs of Europe and believes Daisy is ruining herself by doing whatever that was not done there. Flirting, dancing and receiving visits at eleven o'clock at night.
Even Winterbourne wonders "whether Daisy's defiance came from the consciousness of innocence or from her being essentially, a young person of the...


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Segment Inc., a startup that helps companies manage the ever-growing streams of data they collect about their customers, raised $175 million in venture funding, the company plans to announce Tuesday.
Existing investors Accel and Alphabet Inc.'s GV co-led the round with a new stakeholder, Meritech Capital Partners. The funding valued the San Francisco-based company at $1.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the details are private. Other returning investors include the Y Combinator Continuity Fund and Thrive Capital.
Segment helps companies such as Glossier Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Atlassian Corp. and Intuit Inc. provide better support and service by combining together all the different ways a company might collect data on a customer—in a store, through a mobile app, through email and more. For example, Glossier uses 14 different analytics tools across 12 different platforms such as their website, their mobile app and their brick-and-mortar store, said Segment Chief Executive Officer Peter Reinhardt. "Each tool has its own copy of the customer data and history of privacy preferences," he said. "You can imagine the sort of complexity Glossier has to deal with."
Vas Natarajan, a partner at Accel, has been a Segment board member since his firm led a $15 million funding round in the company in 2014. The startup is "a Salesforce-sized opportunity," he said. "For a company, it's really hard to stitch all that data together into a single customer profile, to answer, 'What were all my interactions with this person this month?'"
Reinhardt said the businesses it works with also value the way Segment helps them manage customer privacy across different tools. There's been a "massive uptick" over the last two years of people seeking to understand how private—or public—their data is, he said. Segment also launched a campaign around helping businesses handle data-deletion requests and other new requirements related to General Data Protection Regulation compliance in the European Union.
It may be easy now for investors to see a path forward for Segment, but the founding team struggled for a year and a half to get off the ground. They originally went through Y Combinator's incubator program in 2011 with a product that aimed to let students in college lectures alert professors when they were confused. It was a flop, partly because students took out their laptops to use the tool but all ended up using Facebook instead, Reinhardt said. The team then tried building an analytics tool before realizing the plumbing they built to connect those tools to each other would be more valuable.
Segment launched its new product in 2013, and the company plans to use this new funding to hire more workers internationally.


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Roderick C Meredith | Good News Magazine | April 1979
In special connection to the crisis suffered by the Work, Pastoral Administration Director Roderick C. Meredith shares this timely message with the entire membership of the Worldwide Church of God.
These are trying times. Make no mistake about it, we need God's help and His direct intervention — now.
For times such. as these, the apostle Paul instructs us, "… be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers," — he refers to evil spirit powers and princes — "against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness [wicked spirits] in high places" (Ephesians 6:10-12).
That's exactly what we are fighting. A higher power — Satan the devil — is our real antagonist. And it's time we all recognize that.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (verse 13). We need that armor of God.
We need spiritual help in resisting ourselves, in overcoming the world, which strikes at us from many different directions, and in resisting and overcoming Satan the devil, who is also striking at us in remarkable and unusual ways he has never used against us before.
A means to spiritual help
In Matthew 4:1-2, we read what our Savior did to acquire spiritual strength, in connection with the same devil's attack on Him. "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted [or tried] of the devil. And when he had fasted" — notice what He did — "fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered."
If you turn back to Deuteronomy 9:9, 18, you find that Moses Was. the prototype of Jesus, and that Moses took neither bread nor water when he fasted. In like manner, the Son of God fasted to humble Himself, lest He forget how weak He was in the flesh, and to get close to God spiritually.
"And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread" (Matthew 4:3). Imagine how hungry Jesus was after 40 days and nights of total fasting. The very cells of His body were crying out in a type of hunger that you and I have never experienced. But still He kept His wits, fasting for the right reason and in the right way, with praying and meditating. And He was close in spirit to the invisible God.
"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (verse 4). And that's what you and I have to learn to live by, more and more as these days continue, before the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The devil had to leave Christ because of the spiritual strength able to be expressed through Him in His physical weakness. We too can live by the same strength that Jesus had.
But should Christians fast?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples to give generously from the heart and to pray to God continually. Then, in Matthew 6:16, He said, "Moreover when ye fast…" He just took for granted they would fast. He didn't say, if you fast. He said, "… when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." In other words, that is their reward — just whatever praise they get from other people for showing off their fasting:
"But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head…" In other words, comb your hair as usual, wash your face, "That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, will reward thee openly." And God Almighty will certainly do that for those of us who come before Him in fasting as Jesus Christ said we should.
Later, the disciples of John the Baptist came unto Him and asked, "… why do we and the Pharisees fast oft but thy disciples fast not?" (Matthew 9:14). Jesus explained that as long as He was with them, it was like a wedding and a time to rejoice. "… but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them and then shall they fast," He said.
He went on to give some examples to make His point that some things are not fitting or sensible. But when their time to fast did come, Jesus' disciples would fast, and they would do it for different reasons and in a whole new situation, with a whole new attitude and a whole new approach to God.
We Christians are not to punish ourselves thinking if we do maybe God will hear our prayers. God is not interested in such penance. That is just as if you or I would take whips and beat each other's backs and say, "Look at our suffering, God, so hear us." The idea of our fasting is quite different from that. We seek the invisible God. We learn to fast to humble ourselves. To make ourselves realize how weak we are, and that we are little children saying:
"Father, we are up against a great army, and there are great forces around us, and we don't always know what we should do. We need your help. We need guidance. And we need deliverance. We recognize that we are merely flesh that is slowly decaying toward death, and so we are fasting. You are our God. You are our banner. You are our shield. You are our refuge. You are our high tower. You're our champion. You're our deliverer. We are your little children. Please help us draw near to You."
When nothing but fasting will do
I think most of us are familiar with the story that begins in Mark 9:17. A man came to Christ and addressed Him, "… Master, I hav6 brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit… I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not."
And so Jesus said, "…O faithless generation… bring him unto me." And then, of course, the unclean spirit threw the son on the ground where he lay foaming at the mouth, while Jesus questioned the father about him and reassured him. "… If thou canst believe, all things are possible…" Then He rebuked the foul spirit. He didn't talk to the boy. He talked directly to the demon: "… Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him." And the spirit obeyed.
But what connection does this have with fasting? Notice:
"When he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."
Now the word fasting should be in all your Bibles, though some modern translations incorrectly leave it out. Some of the big problems in our lives and in God's Church and some of the attacks by Satan the devil can only be overcome by prayer plus fasting.
Remember, we are fighting "wicked spirits in high places," not just human beings. And that's why we must have the spiritual power that can come only from God. But to get it, our own attitudes must be right.
The acceptable fast
In many places the King James Version, though certainly accurate, is not as clear as it might be. The Living Bible is basically more clear and accurate here. So I want to use it now, in Isaiah 58, starting in verse 3:
"'We have fasted before you,' they say. 'Why aren't you impressed? Why don't you see our sacrifices? Why don't you hear our prayers? We've done much penance and you don't even notice it!' I'll tell you why! Because you're living in evil pleasure even while you are fasting, and you keep right on oppressing your workers."
We've got to be sure to treat our fellowman right and not hate one another and fight one another, and gossip against one another and put one another down and judge one another.
"Look, what good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. Is this what I want — this doing of penance and bowing like reeds in the wind and putting on sackcloth and covering yourselves with ashes?" You know how it goes: just showing an outward, Oh, God! Oh, God! Is this what God wants? A lot of hollering and Pentecostal-type fervor?
"Is that what you call fasting?
"No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry, and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor and destitute. Clothe those who are cold and don't hide from relatives who need your help."
We need to do these things. Help others out.
"If you do these things God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward and goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' He will quickly reply. All you need to do is to stop oppressing the weak and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors!
"Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be bright as day. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring."
And so, brethren, we do need to fast. We do need to get closer to God. But we can only get there by restraining ourselves, not only from food and drink, but also from pride and strife, and quarreling and vindictiveness and oppressing one another. We should help and serve one another.
Prayer and fasting go together
There was a time when the prophet Daniel really, desperately wanted to know what was going to happen in the future. "And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes" (Daniel 9:3). Prayer always goes along with fasting.
How often in my Christian life have I somehow got caught in a wrong mood or situation just before a day of fasting, and gone through the day in more or less a normal, carnal manner. I went to my work and taught my classes, but I did not set aside extra time to study this Book, perhaps on my knees, or to pray to God a long time. Or to meditate and drink in of God's ideas and attitudes.
So what did I get out of it? A good headache sometimes. Sometimes I lost a little weight and maybe the body was a little more purified. Maybe there was a certain help God gave me in spite of my weakness the next day. Because as the food comes back in, the strength flows back, and one has a little extra zest. You know, when you quit hitting yourself on the head it feels real good when you stop. You get the picture.
But the fasting didn't do me nearly as much good as if I had been really drinking in of God's Word and praying and meditating during that day of fasting. And that's what Daniel was doing.
"And I, prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned…" He didn't say, "Oh, we've been good, and we've done no wrong, and You don't have any right to spank us."
No, he said, "Father, I'm sorry. We've sinned 'and have committed iniquity and done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments … Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces…'"
Verse 17, "Now therefore, 0 our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake." Not for our righteousness — we have none — but for yours.
When we reach that attitude, our fasting is doing some good.
Notice Daniel's result. An archangel came to him and told him: "At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved…" (verse 23). Why was Daniel greatly loved? Because he humbled himself sincerely to God.
Don't fast unless you do intend to use it to get closer to God (unless it's strictly a health fast). Be sure you do take time to study, to meditate and to pray, or you won't get the good out of it that you would and you should.
James 4:5″: "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace [grace greater than the lust of the human spirit]. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." And this is a vital point.
Verse 9: "Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." And that is a promise, brethren.
Prepare for Your Fast Physically
1. Before you fast, prepare your body for the shock. Don't eat a great big meal and maybe even have a big sweet dessert, or indulge in a pepper steak or some really good, hot Mexican food just before your fast begins.
Do you know what's wrong with that? It makes you crave water. And all during the fast you suffer, "Oh, I'm going to die!" when what you need is a clear, but humbled mind. So you need to taper off on food, especially sweets and strong spices. Have a lot of water the day before to help begin to cleanse your system..
2. Perhaps have a big dish of prunes or take an enema before or even during the fast. This may be very important if you are going to fast more than one day. But for even one day, your headache will be lessened, and your health will be better. You'll get more benefit if you'll help your bowels to be clean. You won't have all kinds of poisons in your body during your fast.
3. Fast regularly enough for the body to adjust itself to the idea. Some people who think they are about to die when they fast could actually find it easy if they fasted a day every month or two.
4. After the fast, begin eating again slowly. Don't swallow down a great, huge steak in about the first 10 minutes. It will actually do you more good if you'll eat a little lighter meal. Or eat a meal spread out over a couple of hours in stages, maybe beginning with a nice, warm cream soup.
Of course, if you've fasted several days it's better — even necessary — to end the fast with just something like stewed prunes and some toast and maybe a poached or soft-boiled egg.
Spiritual keys to fasting
Spiritual key No. 1. Do not fast to get. And do not think you fast for the Work. We fast to get closer to God. God does not bargain with you to do your will if you'll just fast a few days! That's not the way He works! Fast to humble yourself and to seek God's will-yes, God's correction and God's guidance in your life- and to grasp God's perspective in the situation.
Spiritual key No.2. Divide your time during the fast as Herbert Armstrong indicated in his autobiography. He used to divide his waking time for three activities. He would study the Bible for about an hour. Then he would meditate on what he had studied for about an hour, sometimes sitting, sometimes walking around. Then he would pray for about an hour. Bible study, meditation and then prayer.


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The goal of our Knightly Orders system was to provide you, our loyal customers, with the ability to schedule and run events, get rewarded for participating, as well as to create a way for us to hold more events, and more varied events, than we ourselves are able to personally plan and run. The idea was that by setting up a system where groups of our customers could get together and plan or run an event that we would be able to offer more events for you to attend and also give you the ability to share your favorite games, or hobby niches with others. I maintain that the idea is a great one, however we have not had the response to this system that I was hoping for. We have had many groups register a Knightly Order, however most of these didn't get much past this stage. We did get a few Knightly Orders claim renown points by teaching new players, running a regular game night, or even in a couple instances schedule events, some more successful then others. To those that participated in this new program, and dove right in with everything you had, I thank you. It is because of customers like you that we created this program to begin with.
There has, however, not been enough participation to justify the amount of work that has to go in to the program to keep it going. So we are going to be making some major changes to the way we run it. As of today we will not be sanctioning any more Knightly Order events, or accepting renown points apart from events that have already been planned. If you have a future event planned please talk with us and we will make sure that it goes ahead as planned. Any renown that has been earned by those orders that have been participating will be rewarded fairly.
Why did the Knightly Orders system fail to grow and expand the way we had hoped? That is a hard question, I believe that it had a few inherent flaws. One thing we found was that all of the orders that did participate enthusiastically were mainly driven by an individual that did most of the work. They had additional members to make them legitimate, however it was mostly a specific person that made them succeed. Another problem was that even those that were trying to use the system weren't always successful, mostly due to inexperience in promoting and running an event. We at BKG weren't all that clear on how to run an event, and while were were willing to help, we were rarely asked for it. Couple these issues with a system that was fairly complicated, perhaps too complex, and we have a failed experiment. But that is okay, it is better to try to be new and innovative then to stay stagnant. That all being said we have a new plan to move forward and achieve the goals we set out to achieve with the Knightly Orders, using the lessons we have learned from this experiment.
The New Plan
Knightly Order will no longer be a group of individuals registering together to run events. It will be split in to two new programs: Standard Bearers, and the Stronghold Leaderboard.
Standard Bearers
Standard Bearers will be individuals that are tasked with promoting and running a specific game system. They will apply for the position and will have to go through an interview process. Standard Bearers will be rewarded with several perks for their efforts, a discount on their game system among others. Standard Bearers will work closely with the BKG staff to plan, promote and run evens like leagues, campaigns and tournaments. Standard Bearers are also available to teach new players how to play, and they can be contacted through their own Black Knight Games email address by customers looking to plan a demonstration game, or tutorial.
Stronghold Leaderboard
The Stronghold Leaderboards will be a collection of leaderboards for different game systems. Each leaderboard will last a certain amount of time like a season in sports, usually about a year. During that time there will be several different event types, all of which will earn participants points towards the leaderboard. At the end of the season the players at the top of the leaderboard will be declared the winners, and will receive prizes based on their final position, as well as a spot in the Hall of Champions with a plaque. All Stronghold Members are eligible to register for each season of the leaderboards.
We hope that these changes will make it easier for those wishing to run events to do so, and for those wishing for rewards for participation and competitive play to gain them. All in all these changes should make for an easier and more accessible store program, we hope you enjoy them!
~The Black Knight
Looking for Standard Bearers!
If you are interested in becoming a Standard Bearer for one of the games we play here you can submit your application in person, or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com . We don't need a normal resume, however a page explaining your experience with the game in question, as well as why you think you would be great for teaching it to others and running events, would go a long way to us giving you the position. So if you think you're right for it apply now!!!