text: You are here: Home > What we do > Latest news > #givingtuesday Check out our top six ways to give this #givingtuesday Take a break from the shopping frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and choose to give something instead Whatever your skills and experience, and however much time you have to give, there are loads of great ways you can help us to continue our life saving work. Six ways to give this #givingtuesday: 1. Give us a cheer We'd love for you to join us at our dedicated cheer point at the 2018 London Marathon. Not only will you get to experience the incredible atmosphere on the day, but you will also help us to give our amazing marathon runners a real boost of encouragement! 2. Give us a like on Facebook Keep your first aid knowledge up to date and find out the latest first aid news by giving us a like on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, @stjohnambulance. You can also follow us on Linkedin, and subscribe to us on YouTube. 3. Give a little change each month For the price of a large coffee or a magazine every month, you could help provide one of our volunteers with the kit they need to save a life! 4. Give us a shout out Join us in raising awareness of first aid and help spread the word about St John Ambulance to your friends and family. Encourage them to watch our first aid videos or request a free first aid guide. 5. Give some of your time There are lots of different ways to volunteer with St John Ambulance, from leading a youth club to responding to 999 calls in your local community. You're bound to find the right role for you. 6. Give someone the chance to live First aid saves lives, and knowing what to do in an emergency can make all the difference. Make sure you have the knowledge and skills to save a life by booking one of our first aid courses today. Recommend us Tweet #givingtuesday Share this page Email a friend Print this page Facebook Twitter More sharing options Digg Delicious StumbleUpon Reddit


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Welcome to our MATLAB Desktop blog! A group of us who work on the MATLAB User Interface want to share with you some of the new and existing features that you may not know about. Our goals for this blog are to answer some of the FAQs we… read more >>
Introducing the Desktop blog 60
Posted by admin,

subset: commoncrawl


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Alternative title:
Writing Software, hardest job in the world, 40 years man and boy…
Writing software that meets people needs, that is.
What's the problem with just talking to people to find out what they want?
When we talk to people, we use shortcuts that help us to understand. We assume that what the other person means by, say 'website', 'connection', 'usability' or even 'tested'.
Shared understandings can work fine, but very often problem arise when we think we have an understanding that isn't there. Meetings can start and finish without the attendees really understanding the models in each others heads, and spend time discussing their unknown lack of understanding, rather than the pressing concerns.
Perhaps the HIPPO (HIghest Paid Person in the rOom) gets the last say, based on their unexplained model?
We let the things in our head get in the way of understanding the things that we're trying to understand in other people's heads. It's our brains relentlessly finding patterns and connections to make life easier for itself. We need to act differently.
Clean Interviewing
Clean Interviewing, rooted in David Grove's Clean Language, is a way of structuring conversations in a way that is incredibly effective in finding out the information inside someone's head, without influence from the stuff in your head.
Alongside the questioning is the approach to questioning that is best describes showing curiosity towards a person or situation.
When talking to other people we often think that our stuff is like their stuff. Our idea of something is the same as theirs. This is great quick social glue, but if we are coaching someone, or trying to find out something in particular , our unknown lack of understanding can get in the way.
Think of an Elephant. (Or a Website).
An example of this is to ask a group to "think of an elephant", and then ask them to describe their elephants. None will be the same, some will be close up, or cartoon elephants, or an elephant in a specific place. Questions like 'Hear Music' or 'Think of an ideal day at the beach' also show how we can really not know what someone is thinking. If you asked me to organise an ideal day at the beach for you, you may not get what you like. You'd get what I like.
Unlike coaching, when we're interviewing, the interviewer gets to decide the purpose of the conversation. There is an agreed subject to discuss, and this will often be something that has happened in the past, or will happen in the future.
In technology, I'll suggest Clean Interviewing helps:
- Discussing the model in the customers, product owner and develops head
- In Incident postmortems to discover what happened in safe environment
- When reviewing work, looking for what went well and lessons learned
- When getting requirements from a customer for software
So what is Clean Interviewing?
Clean Interviewing is a style of asking questions that have roots in Clean Language questions designed by David Grove. Davids questions remove the model, ideas and worldview of the person asking the questions.
We can use Clean Interviewing when we want to find out about
- Someones favourite holiday destination
- The needs they would like to have met with software
- Their goals
- The way they work with others
- Their ideal
- Team
- Programming Language
- Work Environment
Examples of Clean and Contextually Clean Questions
A contextually clean question takes the basis of a clean question for example, keeping the speakers context out of the question, and adding the exact words used in the answers.
- Is there anything else about that X
- What happens before X?
- ..and that's X like what?
Clean Interviewing adds context that is known by both parties, so you can use words used by the other person, or are known in the context of the conversation
So for discussions about developing a new website
- What happens before people get to your website?
- Is there anything else about a customers order?
- and what happens before a customers order?
- and that's interactive like what?
- and is there anything else about that data?
- and that's a customer journey like what?
- and that's individual user experience like what?
- Is there anything else about individual user experience?
- (and for people who know me) ..and that's digital like what?
The words in italics are the interviewees own words, or things that are known in context of the conversation.
Of course you cannot have all the questions lined up before you start, you'll use the words given to you to build an understanding of someones mental model.
Writing Software, hardest job in the world, 40 years man and boy, etc
Software is a set of instructions, running on a machine that follows instructions really well. It's the ultimate machine. The code never gets tired, or goes rusty, or deviates from the configuration. This is powerful.
People wanting software to meet their needs have models in their head of their problem and solution. Those models can be incomplete, or unconstrained by reality. In an agile Scrum team it's the job of the Product Owner and the developers to build something that meets the customers needs.
I'd suggest that this is much harder than for example tailoring clothes or even writing a song for someone.
Bridging the gap between the models in someone's head, and the constraints of software is a huge task. Clean Interviewing can help with understanding requirements.
This post was inspired by a session at Northern Taste of Clean, facilitated by James Lawley and Caitlin Walker..


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Chris Chun, The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards in the Theology of Andrew Fuller, Studies in the History of Christian Traditions (Leiden: Brill, 2012).
Andrew Fuller (1754-1815) is finally getting the recognition he deserves among historians of Christianity. Thanks largely to the tireless labors of Michael A. G. Haykin, his Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at Southern Seminary, and Haykin's work in organizing a modern, critical edition of The Works of Andrew Fuller (to be published by Walter de Gruyter), Fuller's life, thought, and legacies are attracting new attention from a host of scholars in England and America.
This revival of Fuller studies is overdue, to say the least. Fuller was arguably the most important English Baptist thinker prior to Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892), on whom he had a major influence. A leading Particular Baptist and associate of William Carey (1761-1834), Fuller helped to found Carey's Baptist Missionary Society, playing a greater role than anyone else promoting the modern missions movement in England theologically.
The latest and most critically weighty work to come of this renaissance, Chun's book began as a doctoral thesis written with Stephen Holmes at St. Andrews (2008). Chun's project is to "trace the extent of Fuller's theological indebtedness to Edwards" (p. 1), which–as many of us have known but Chun has laid out in impressive detail—was vast.
Chapters one and two examine the ways that Freedom of the Will (1754) lent a metaphysical frame to Fuller's evangelical Calvinism. According to Fuller, Edwards' work on the Freedom of the Will had gone "further toward settling the main points in controversy between the Calvinists and Arminians, than any thing [sic] that has been wrote" (p. 11). Thus he used it to steer a course between what he viewed as the twin dangers of hyper-Calvinism (still popular with fellow Particular Baptists) and Arminianism in England.
Chapter three looks at Edwards' Humble Attempt (1747) and the way that its optimistic eschatology shaped Fuller's view of history, inspired the English "Prayer Call of 1784" through Fuller, and helped to spur the rise of the modern English missionary movement.
Chapters four and five assess the role that Edwards' Religious Affections (1746) and "sense of the heart," found in Affections and throughout Edwards' corpus, played in Fuller's life and theology, especially as he combated Sandemanianism in Scotland.
Chapters six and seven treat Edwards and the New England theologians on the atonement and justification, showing that Fuller was indebted to New England on these matters but usually stayed closer to Edwards himself than to the New Divinity.
Chun demonstrates that Fuller drank deeply at Edwards' well, dipped his ladel into the buckets of the New Divinity men, and that the liquid he imbibed had an enormous effect on British evangelical thought and mission. His book suffers a bit from the sins of most doctoral dissertations (hastily-written sentences, typographical errors), but will prove to be a major boon to students of Fuller and Edwards.
Highly recommended.
–By Douglas Sweeney, Director of the JEC at TEDS


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Rent furnished 1.5 room apartment
Cornavin train station's area. Close to the lake, downtown and all utilities.
Pleasant studio including : a bedroom with a living area open on a balcony and giving on the courtyard – a fully equipped and independant kitchen – a bathroom/toilet. Additional advantage: internet + wifi connexion
Electricity cost : CHF 60


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A while ago, I wrote about why developers should learn HTML and CSS. I wrote that post after formally re-introducing myself to HTML and CSS using Head First HTML with CSS and XHTML. A short time later, I got caught up with more server side programming. As if often happens, once you learn a programming language, you need to build something in… Continue reading Learning HTML with CSS and using Anki.
Desktop Computing
Last week, I bought a HP Envy - desktop tower. This is my first desktop purchase after 8 years of using laptops. My 2 laptops - HP & Lenovo are functional. I bought them in America years ago. The batteries on both the machines reached their end of life. I could not find spares for either… Continue reading Desktop Computing
Software Construction & Metaphors
This post is part 1 of a series that documents my understanding of software construction as I read through Steve McConnell's excellent Code Complete. I was reading up on software construction and the importance metaphors to get a deeper understanding the process of software development. What follows is my understanding of the aforementioned topics. Software… Continue reading Software Construction & Metaphors
Securing your personal data.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, on returning home from work, found that her house was broken into. Her Macbook Pro, iMac, camcorder, and a digital camera were stolen. The robbery happened mid-day, in broad daylight!!! Most of her personal digital assets, pictures and videos, stored on the computers were lost, forever. This is… Continue reading Securing your personal data.
I got engaged on April 15th in Bangalore. I had dreaded the part where my soon-to-be-bride and I had to go up on stage (with 300 pairs of eyes on us) and stand there shaking hands, greeting people who were kind enough to pay us a visit. Much to the surprise of those who know… Continue reading Engaged
My development rig
1. 27 inch LED monitor. 2. Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 running Windows 7 Home (64 bit) i7 Quad Core @ 1.6 Ghz. 8 GB DDR 3 RAM. 1 GB ATI Catalyst Graphic Card. 500 GB 7200 RPM drive (yea, I know, I should be on a SSD) 3. Microsoft 4000 Ergonomic Keyboard. a.k.a keyboard of the… Continue reading My development rig
The past 8 months…
I returned to India in September 2011. I flew out of Miami on a clear morning, had a stopover at Newark and then got on a direct flight to Mumbai. I flew Air India. I have heard some not so good stories from people who have flown the airline, but I must say I had a pleasant… Continue reading The past 8 months…


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Valeriana officinalis is the scientific name given to Valerian, a perennial flower that is native to Europe and Asia. Today, the flower is grown in different parts of the world, including the United States. The Valerian root has been used in aromatherapy applications for hundreds of years, but is also known to have some medicinal benefits as well. In fact, some people refer to Valerian root as a "heal all."
* Product and/or service provided for review without cost. As always, all opinions are my own.
Benefits of Valerian Root
Valerian root has been studied for centuries and most people attribute the root to higher sleep quality. It is said that Valerian root has components that trigger hormone release in the body to help balance our body's cycles—our sleep cycle in particular. Valerian root has been used to induce a restful sleep since ancient times.
Other uses of Valerian root include:
- Relieve anxiety
- Improve mood
- Ease upset stomach
- Induce healthy bowel movements
- Detoxify the body
- Reduce heart palpitations
It is because of this roots alleged ability to regular our body's cycles that it has so many applications.
Scential Health Review
Before reviewing the Valerian Essential Oil from Scential Health, I spoke to several friends of mine who are avid users of essential oils. They explained to me that Valerian oil would smell putrid and pungent, but that it is incredibly normal. I expected to open the bottle and immediately pull away, but that was not the case at all.
In fact, the Valerian Essential Oil from Scential Health was pleasant. It didn't have the earthy, herbaceous scent that I expected. In fact, it had strong hints of citrus that I didn't expect at all. Unfortunately, this made me question the purity of the oil.
I consider the women that I spoke with to be experts on essential oils. When I told them that the Valerian Oil smelled pleasant to me, they immediately suggested that it was not 100% Valerian Oil. They even suggested that the underlying citrus notes may indicate solvent extraction—something which I am totally against paying for.
To validate my suspicions, I tried to use the oil to induce sleep (as it is so often said to help with) last night. Unfortunately, the strong citrus notes gave way to an underlying solvent fragrance that gave me a headache. I immediately bottled the oil back up and placed it in my cabinet.
If you're still interested in trying the Valerian Essential Oil, know that it comes in a small amber bottle (15mL) with a Euro-style dropper cap. This cap is rubber, as to keep the beneficial properties of the oil inside. The bottle was fully filled, so you get what you pay for.
Sadly, I cannot give this oil a positive review. I have loved many of Scential Health's Essential Oils, but this one is not one of them.


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With our 14 years of experience servicing Zebulon, and surrounding Johnston, Nash, Franklin, Wake, and Wilson counties, LandenAir offers repair and maintenance on all brands of Heating and Air Conditioning systems. We provide top notch installation of residential and light commercial Replacement or Add-on systems as well as residential and commercial new construction and remodeling.
LandenAir specializes in retrofitting HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and duct systems tailored to the customer's needs in existing residential and commercial structures. We are always striving to be the best service provider in the area. We offer prompt, 24/7 service at an affordable price with the best warranties and guarantees available.
Don't get caught in the heat.
When was the last time your HVAC system was given a clean bill of health? For a short time only call to schedule your $49.95 five-point system inspection.
Subscribe to our Energy Savings Agreement to receive exclusive member-only discounts and services for your HVAC system.
P.O. Box 38, Zebulon, NC 27597 (919) 427-6055 email@example.com
Copyright © LandenAir, LLC | All Rights Reserved


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- 2016-05-02 23:18:44
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text: We have an update on a Scottish schoolgirl's food blog, NeverSeconds. Martha Payne posts photos and comments on her school cafeteria lunches, and also uses the blog to raise money for a charity for African children. In less than two months, Martha's blog has raised $125,000 for schoolchildren in Blantyre, Malawi. The funds will help build a new kitchen and feed the children for a year. The school plans to name the kitchen after Martha.


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Daylight saving time ended on November 4 for much of the country, who turned their clocks back losing an hour of light. For many, this means the start of another dull and dreary winter. (more…)
The United States is known for being the world's melting pot, where diverse cultures and religions from all over the world live together. The authentic ingredients and spices I share below are ones that various cultures cook with during the holiday season. (more…)
Nearly 20% of all deaths worldwide can be linked to unhealthy eating habits. At the same time, mental illnesses are the biggest cause of disability and illness in the world. Depression alone is one of the top five leading causes of disability across the planet.1 While depression and other mental illnesses are very serious and …
Back to school can be a hectic time of the year. Regardless, if you pack your kids lunch or send them with lunch money, it is important to think about what they will be eating and ensure it is as healthy as possible as children consume at least a third of their total daily calorie needs at school. (more…)
I must confess I am a meal planner! One of the most challenging barriers to a healthy lifestyle is mastering meals that fit your diet, goals and busy schedule. We can all agree our days are jam-packed with everlasting to-do lists, so meals often get put on the backburner. (more…)
Water is essential to life, but it doesn't have be boring. Lemons give your water some zing, but you can create more excitement for your taste buds with these boosts. (more…)
With the summer start of June 21st around the corner, we all start to think about firing up our grills. Coincidently, Father's Day falls in June and so does Men's Health Month. (more…)
Athletes need to eat on the go- between classes, workouts, and competition but they also need to eat on the bus, or the road, at the venue, in the hotel as part of their travel season. (more…)
Could it be true that our happiness is dependent on what lies at the tip of our forks? It is true that our daily food choices can affect our mood and overall mental health. (more…)
At every stage of life, good nutrition plays an integral role in women's health. It's a common belief in some circles that a healthy diet is unaffordable or too difficult. Social norms and culture play a role too. (more…)
Two years ago, my husband and I took a vacation to Northern Italy and we very nearly didn't come back. No, we weren't in a life-threatening situation, quite the opposite – the food was too amazing to believe. (more…)
About a year ago, Nurse Robin Carmichael was balancing a high-stress, full-time job with a 2.5 hour commute that required her to wake up each morning at 4 a.m. She was mentally drained, overweight, and wasn't getting much sleep. (more…)
If your refrigerator is anything like mine, it could use a little bit of sprucing up. (more…)
Written by Steve Baragona – Voice of America News
WASHINGTON — Chef Rob Morasco didn't set out to make a planet-friendly burger.
But the 25 percent mushroom burger he created at food service company Sodexo not only has a lower carbon footprint, it's also lower in calories, fat and salt. (more…)
Stress is an inescapable part of our every day lives; a normal mental and physical reaction to the many demands on our time, energy and capacity. Stress comes in many forms and in various amounts. (more…)
Let's get back to basics. Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day. Growing up, we've all heard this adage one time or another and seen many commercials with our favorite hero on a box of cereal encouraging us to eat breakfast. (more…)
I remember when Novak Djokovic first became a household name for me, back in 2011. He was already a famous tennis star, but that year he became nearly unbeatable and ascended to no. 1 in the world. (more…)
I wouldn't call myself a HUGE Bon Jovi fan, but when thinking about February, a.k.a. heart health month, and public opinion, all that comes to mind is "You give FATS a bad name!" I am a child from the 1980's and love some good Rock n' Roll. (more…)
It may sound cliché but we all want to get off on the right foot.
We make resolutions for the New Year to be better versions of ourselves; in some fashion or another. Many of us, however, end up feeling disappointed upon the realization of not fulfilling the resolution. Research shows, half of adults make New Year's resolutions. However, fewer than 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months. Well, I propose, how about this year, making non-resolutions or dare I say, give up on resolutions from the get-go! I can hear you all cheering now! (more…)
It's no longer simply trendy to say you're eating less meat. I believe that more people are really taking to heart the message that plant foods offer so many health benefits—and are delicious, too. Americans are moving toward meals that are more plant-based, and they are having meat more occasionally. They're being flexible about it.
First, let me dispel a common myth: Nutritionists do enjoy sweets. Dark chocolate is pretty hard for me to resist. And sometimes I just need to make chocolate chip cookies! What I don't love, however, is the notion of a guilty pleasure. No one should ever feel bad when they're eating something that tastes good. So I propose taking that phrase out of our vocabulary. (more…)
It's that time of year again when the streets are filled with spooky decorations, carved pumpkins and children dressed as their favorite characters. The Halloween holiday means stockpiles of candy will likely be around your house or office, making it hard to resist extra sweets. And while sugar is fine in moderation, excessive sugar consumption can lead to weigh gain, obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, the CDC recommends that we get no more than 10 percent of our daily calories from sugar. (more…)
For those of us in food service, safety is the number one priority. Yes, we also love to serve healthy, delicious and creative cuisine. But when it comes right down to it: we have to start with safety.
In fact, food safety is so important that the month of September is Food Safety Month, an important time to re-focus on everything we do to keep employees and customers safe from foodborne illnesses. (more…)
Which of the following statements best describes your family's nutritional habits?
- We strive to have healthy family meals together.
- We regularly eat together, but it's rarely healthy.
- With our busy schedules, it's typically what's ever quickest and easiest.
- Everyone for themselves.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recognizes August as Kids Eat Right month. It's a time to highlight the importance of healthful eating and active lifestyles for kids and families. As a leading employer of registered dietitians, Sodexo is an ardent supporter of nutrition for children. (more…)
Do you feel sluggish or tired at work? Taking simple steps throughout the day to make healthier food choices can boost your mood and productivity.
In fact, employees who eat healthy all day long are 25 percent more likely to have higher job performance, according to the Health Enhancement Research Organization. And the more fruits and vegetables employees consume throughout the day, the happier, more engaged and more creative they are, according to a 2015 study by the British Journal of Health Psychology.
The workplace can be rife with unhealthy foods — from the bowl of candy at the front desk to the box of doughnuts in the kitchen to the cake at a coworker's baby shower. But have no fear, here are three simple steps for eating healthier while on the job.
Brigette is responsible for leading the North American Safety Team to drive our Zero Harm culture and improve the Quality of Life of our employees, clients and customers by keeping them safe.
As we celebrate National Safety Month in June, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on creating a workplace where safety comes first. (more…)
You might not think of your workplace as a health hazard, but the effects of sitting all day at the office, grabbing a handful of candy as you walk by your coworker's desk every day, and not drinking enough water are just a few of the unhealthy habits that can take a toll on your health. Here are three Quality of Lifehacks that can make for a healthier you in the workplace and a more productive workday. (more…)
Spring is the season to rejuvenate your home, your body, and your health. And just as we refresh our homes and our wardrobes after a long, cold winter, we can do the same for our diets. Here are 3 Quality of Lifehacks to get started on spring-cleaning your diet.
Senior Registered Dietitian,
Sodexo Universities
In today's media-saturated world, information about health and nutrition is everywhere. But while we have access to more reliable information about nutrition than ever, there are also many scientifically questionable or even false claims presented as fact. It's becoming increasingly difficult to sort out truths from falsehoods.
One such questionable source is the website "Is It Bad for You?" This site publishes health and nutrition reviews of food products, restaurants and a variety of products and services.
Do you feel you can't get through the morning without caffeine? In the United States, 80 percent of adults consume caffeine every day. While most Americans enjoy their coffee in moderation, overconsumption can lead to unpleasant consequences. If you find yourself refilling your coffee cup throughout the day you may be familiar with the side effects of caffeine, such as insomnia, stomach issues and increased heart rate. (more…)
It's no surprise that nutrition and health experts recommend cutting back on sugar as a key to healthy eating. Sugars added to foods and beverages are "empty" calories, and diets higher in added sugars are associated with negative health effects, including an increased risk of heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. And there's a …
March is National Nutrition Month®, a nutrition education campaign hosted every year by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics—the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. This year's theme, "Put Your Best Fork Forward," is a reminder that each of us has the power to make better food and beverage choices that add up …
What's your favorite office snack? Is it candy, chips, cookies, or other treat?
It's very easy to eat unhealthy while at work. Further, many people may eat breakfast, lunch and snacks at work. Add in a midday gourmet coffee drink, treats provided at meetings, and an office drink fridge, people can easily tank their diets while on the job.
With this in mind, here are three Quality of Lifehacks to eat healthy at work. (more…)
Senior Registered Dietitian,
Sodexo Universities
It's Valentine's Day – a day that's synonymous with love and chocolates. Universally, people love sugar. It is a main ingredient in Valentine chocolates, candies as well as other comfort foods. With this in mind, sugar overindulgence might seem inevitable. Multiple studies show that eating too much sugar is directly correlated to obesity, which can lead to health problems. When it comes to sugar, moderation is key. Reducing the amount you eat is healthy, but that doesn't mean you have to cut it out completely. (more…)
Not only is Valentine's Day around the corner, but February is also American Heart Month. Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S.. What better way to show how much you love your heart than by making heart-healthy food choices? Here's a simple checklist to help you eat for a healthier heart. (more…)
February is National Hot Breakfast Month. And while chilly February is the perfect time to start your morning with something warm, there are benefits to eating a cooked breakfast year-round. Like all home-cooking, homemade breakfasts are likely to be healthier than any prepared food you could buy at the coffee shop near your office. And while it can be hard to find the time to cook in the morning, there are plenty of things you can make in a few minutes. Making time to prepare them can make your morning a more pleasant experience. (more…)
Snow, ice, cold, slippery roads – and isolation. And that's on good days, when an ice storm or high winds haven't knocked down the power lines. No senior in this situation is singing, "Hello, darkness, my old friend." (more…)
Senior Registered Dietitian,
Sodexo Universities
Thinking of going gluten-free for the New Year? What problem are you trying to solve? Does the December deluge of cookies, cupcakes, pies, hot rolls and stuffing have you feeling sluggish and pudgy? Excess sugar, fat, and calories are more likely to blame than gluten. Lean proteins, steamed vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and some exercise will help to get your waistline and digestive system back on track. (more…)
As the year comes to a close and a New Year begins, will you be making any New Year's resolutions? Many of us use this as a time to reflect and decide to make changes to improve our lives. In fact, surveys have found some of the most popular New Year's resolutions include "live life to the fullest," "live a healthier lifestyle" and "lose weight." (more…)
Are you guilty of just throwing your leftovers in the fridge as is after the big meal? Come out of your food coma and do it right. Holiday leftovers are a great way to use up excess food but require proper planning to ensure you use them safely. (more…)
How can you avoid giving your friends and family the gift of a food-borne illness? When it comes to preparing your holiday meal – you aren't necessarily thinking about food safety but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 6 Americans suffer from a food borne illness every year. At Sodexo, …
Do you find the holidays stressful? It may be dealing with last minute holiday shopping, meeting end-of-year work obligations, or putting up with zany in-laws. It's no surprise that December has been named National Stress-Free Family Holidays Month. Stress can impact concentration, motivation and productivity. It can also impact health and wellbeing.
With this in mind, here are three Quality of Lifehacks to help manage holiday season stress. (more…)
Nobody wants to spend the holidays in the ER. Last year, more than 90,000 people are treated in the ER for ladder-related injuries and nearly 4,000 injuries associated with extension cords. At Sodexo we use the 3 Checks for Safety before beginning any task as part of our Zero Harm Mindset. You can ask these …
It's National Handwashing Awareness Week. Everyone knows that handwashing is key to prevent the spread of germs. This is especially important in the workplace. The Workforce Institute reports that workplace absenteeism rates range from five to ten percent. This means that at any point in time up to one out of 10 employees is missing from work due to illness.
Sodexo Healthcare,
North America
Since the launch of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), minorities across the U.S. have made significant gains in healthcare coverage. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation reports that between 2013 and 2015 the uninsured rates fell for all racial and ethnic groups. While the future of the ACA is uncertain, the fact is that our country is becoming more demographically diverse. Pew Research projects that by 2055 there will not be a single racial or ethnic majority. (more…)
Tis the season! This means dazzling Christmas light displays, countless hours of holiday shopping, and joyous festivities with coworkers, families and friends. It's also a time for delicious holiday foods, like eggnog, fruitcake, pecan pie, sweet potato casserole and turkey with all the trimmings. While the season is filled with holiday cheer and celebrations, it's also a time when many of us overindulge and fill up on too many calories. (more…)
November is a time devoted to raising awareness and understanding of diabetes—a disease that affects the lives of 29 million Americans living with diabetes, 86 million adults with prediabetes, and countless family and friends caring for loved ones. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, accounting for 90-95 percent of people living with diabetes (PWDs), and is on the rise worldwide. The good news is that lifestyle changes can help delay or even prevent type 2 diabetes. Here are three tips that can help you manage and take control of type 2 diabetes. (more…)
The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) fulfills a critical mission: ending the childhood obesity crisis. After increasing steadily for decades, the national childhood obesity rate has leveled off, but it is still alarmingly high compared to a generation ago. The CDC reports that childhood obesity has more than doubled in children (defined as those under 10 years of age) and quadrupled in adolescents (10 to 19 years of age) in the past 30 years. Among young children 2 to 5, rates more than doubled between the mid-1970s and 2000s before beginning a decline. If we don't address this epidemic now, we are sending millions of children down a perilous path towards a lifetime of chronic diseases. PHA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to work with the private sector to help end this crisis. (more…)
The Great American Smoke Out is this week. The American Cancer Society leads this yearly event on the third Thursday of each November to encourage smokers across the country to make a plan to quit or to plan in advance to quit smoking on this day. Over 480,000 Americans die from tobacco-related illnesses each year. Research also shows that smokers cost their employers close to $6,000 per year more than non-smokers.
With this in mind, it behooves employers to help their employees quit smoking. Here are three Quality of Lifehacks to help. (more…)
We all know the sayings: "Safety first", "better safe than sorry", "safety begins with you." These phrases are everywhere, on posters, in emails—so ubiquitous, in fact, that we start to tune them out. We know that safety is important, but it's easy to take it for granted.
Taking safety for granted, however, is the last thing we want to do. There's nothing more important than our wellbeing, of course. But did you know that companies that invest in safety actually save money? (more…)
Schools, Sodexo North America
Marketing and ethics are two words that some may think are too often at opposing sides of the same spectrum, especially where kids are concerned. Kids are a unique demographic to market to, but a vital one that we must be careful with if we hope to make sustainable behavioral changes that will drive positive, healthier life choices. (more…)
Sodexo Institute for Quality of Life
This is the second blog in a continuing series based on the findings from the Sodexo Institute for Quality of Life's recent roundtable on memory care. Read the full whitepaper: "Treat me like a person, because that is what I still am."
We each have a unique set of circumstances that determine our quality of life (QOL). This can include environmental factors, health and well-being, socio-economic status and more. For the more than five million Americans who live with dementia, QOL is influenced by a completely different set of circumstances. (more…)
This is the first blog in a continuing series based on the findings from the Institute for Quality of Life's roundtable on memory care. Read the full whitepaper: "Treat me like a person, because that is what I still am."
Dementia is perceived differently by different people. Broadly, dementia refers to a decline in mental ability serious enough to reduce a person's ability to perform common activities. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia. The Alzheimer's Association reports that one in nine Americans over the age of 65 is impacted by dementia. As the 75 million baby boomers (ages 51-69) grow older, the number of Americans with dementia will significantly increase. (more…)
As the American diet has gotten more convenient, it has also gotten less healthy. The fast food, prepared food and easy-to-grab snacks that make up many of our meals have contributed to an obesity crisis and to the rise of chronic illnesses like diabetes.
October can be the scariest month of the year—not because of Halloween, but because it's Vegetarian Awareness Month, and, for some of us, eating a vegetarian diet seems too fearsome a task to even attempt. But—just like when you visit the haunted house in your neighbor's garage—the fear of going veg is all in your head. With just a few easy techniques, becoming a vegetarian is easy as meat-free pie. (more…)
Sodexo North America
Food allergies are more common than many people think. In fact, 15 million Americans have been diagnosed with a food allergy, according to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), and one in three Americans report experiencing some form of negative reaction to food. Chances are someone in your office has a food allergy or intolerance. (more…)
K12 Schools, Sodexo North America
Do you blame the pollen count for your coughing, sneezing and stuffy nose? Do you track the pollen count and stay indoors on heavy pollen days? I hate to tell you, but the quality of air inside of buildings, where people spend about 90 percent of their time, is even more important to your health. Ironically, according to the EPA, indoor air can be two to five times more polluted—and in some cases up to 100 times more polluted—than outdoor air. This is a significant issue in schools, where exposure to allergens, such as dust mites, pests and molds can trigger asthma symptoms. (more…)
This is the final blog in a continuing series based on the findings from the Sodexo 2016 Healthcare Compendium, a compilation of research that examines the increasing trend toward a focus on value in the healthcare sector. Read the full article: Trends in Population Health Management (more…)
Today is National Relaxation Day. While we can all agree that relaxation is a good thing, it might seem hard to live up to the spirit of the holiday on a work day—especially a Monday. After all, the office can be a difficult place to relax. According to the American Institute of Stress, "job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial or family problems." But there are simple ways to lower your stress level at the office. Here are three hacks to help you relax: (more…)
This is National Farmers Market week, and markets near you are probably ready to brim full of fruits and vegetables that local farmers will harvest through the fall. Farmers Markets can be a lot of fun to visit—you might even discover a fruit or vegetable variety that you didn't even know existed. But there are also health, environmental and community benefits that come from buying and eating fresh, local produce. (more…)
We are smack-dab in the middle of summer. As the days get longer and the temperatures get warmer, those of us who work in offices every day start to look longingly out of the windows. While we can't move our offices outdoors, summer is the perfect time to work a little more outdoor time into your daily schedule. Here are a few ideas for bringing sunshine into your work life.
When it comes to celebrating our independence, the United States and Canada have a lot more in common than a shared border. In Canada, we celebrate our independence on July 1, a national holiday called Canada Day. Just a few days later, the United States celebrates its independence on the Fourth of July. (more…)
We know how important it is for kids to eat healthy. Parents and educators strive to ensure children have access to healthy options at home and at school — but what about in their communities?
Sodexo has partnered with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) to make sure we have healthy choices in all the food service facilities we oversee, including community venues where families spend their leisure time, such as aquariums, museums and zoos. (more…)
Health isn't something that begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. The benefits of healthy living don't come to an end when an employee leaves work. So why should wellness programs stop at the office door?
Effective wellness programs must engage employees in every aspect of their lives. To help employees stay on the path to good health, they have to reach beyond workplace walls to help employees stay well at home and in the community.
That's why public-private partnerships are crucial when it comes to wellness programs. When employers partner with community groups, they can work together to touch all aspects of an employee's lifestyle, from eating a healthy breakfast to reducing stress throughout the workday to getting enough sleep at night.
Everyone seems to be trying to live a healthier lifestyle. From increasing physical activity, to practicing meditation, to consuming more mindful and sustainable foods – people are seeking information and making positive lifestyle changes to improve their health and well-being, as well as the environment. If you happen to have a millennial or a member of Generation Z in your life, then the odds are this need for information and quest to "do the right thing" may resonate even more strongly with you…there is certainly no hesitation -at least in my house- in their expressed opinions on the topic. One easy, effective way to reach a healthier lifestyle is to adopt a plant-based diet; or perhaps you might even say a "plant forward" mindset. In the last year or so (in truth-mostly as a result of the aforementioned teenagers and young adults in my house), we have been on a mealtime journey to do just that. In that spirit, here is some information that might just give you something to think about. (more…)
The desire and necessity to improve seniors' healthcare experience presents both opportunity and motivation for improved collaboration between acute and senior care providers. Recently a roundtable brought together stakeholders from strategic and geographic aligned acute care and senior living organizations to work collaboratively together to answer the question "How can hospitals and senior living providers work better together?" (more…)
This Sunday, countless Americans will attend Super Bowl parties — whether they're football fans or not. Bowl parties are notoriously unhealthy because they feature high-fat, high-calorie foods. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) calls Super Bowl Sunday the second biggest food day in the U.S., behind Thanksgiving. But there are other health risks that come from Super Bowl parties, too. (more…)
The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) was established in 2010 to tackle the childhood obesity crisis by transforming the marketplace and our communities. PHA works with the private sector to make healthier choices easier for busy parents and families. The group ensures that commitments made are commitments kept, by working with unbiased third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress its partners are making. In choosing partners, PHA works with companies that want to make meaningful commitments, and that have the breadth and depth to positively impact the quality of life of both children and their families on a daily basis.
A recent JAMA study found that half of adults in the U.S. have diabetes or pre-diabetes. But what many people may not realize is that their everyday behaviors could lead to diabetes. Sodexo, as the nation's largest employer of Registered Dietitians (RDs), is passionate about working with our clients to help prevent diabetes. There are several habits that people are engaging in right now that could lead to diabetes. A few of these habits include:
Welcome to the New Normal: The average business professional has 30-100 projects on their plate, is interrupted 7x/hour, and unlocks their phone 110 times a day. We are pressured to 'innovate or stagnate' amidst constant change.
Sharing additional articles and activities from our social media channels


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Why Microsoft and Nokia won't live happily ever after
Two-and-a-half years ago, the then recently recruited Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop fired off an email to his staff which became known as the "burning platform" memo.
The email spelt out the uncomfortable truth: Nokia, the one-time mobile phone industry leader, was on the ropes and faced some difficult decisions.
Those choices, he explained using a metaphor, were not unlike those facing a man working on a North Sea oil rig that had just caught fire.
"As the fire approached him, the man had mere seconds to react. He could stand on the platform, and inevitably be consumed by the burning flames. Or he could plunge 30 metres into the freezing waters," Elop wrote.
The man would not ordinarily have chosen to jump, but the approaching fire "caused a radical change in his behaviour".
Nokia, Elop said, also found itself on a burning platform, and like the man on the oil rig, it had the choice of doing nothing and facing certain death or taking the plunge.
Nokia subsequently shed thousands of jobs and abandoned its legacy operating systems as it opted to partner with Microsoft, the company Elop had left to join Nokia.
On Tuesday, that relationship was fully consummated when Microsoft announced plans to shell out $8 billion to acquire Nokia's mobile phone division.
But with that deal, Nokia is leaping from one burning platform to another, one that threatens to engulf Microsoft.
In buying Nokia's core assets, Microsoft is trying to secure its future in a mobile world. It is circling the wagons around its also-ran Windows Phone platform, which runs a distant third behind Google's Android and Apple's iOS systems – a pecking order that may never change.
Microsoft may not yet be in the same kind of financial mess that Nokia found itself in, but the warning signs are there. The cash cows of the Windows operating system and Office applications are slowing down in a post-PC era where cheaper alternatives abound.
Aside from its Xbox gaming platform, Microsoft's attempts to expand its portfolio of products and services in recent years have come a cropper. Most recently, Microsoft's belated attempts to compete in the tablet market with the Surface and against the iPod/iPhone-iTunes juggernaut with the Zune have proven to be monumental flops.
Writing in Vanity Fair last year, Kurt Eichenwald made this illuminating observation about Microsoft's corporate culture:
"For what began as a lean competition machine led by young visionaries of unparalleled talent has mutated into something bloated and bureaucracy-laden, with an internal culture that unintentionally rewards managers who strangle innovative ideas that might threaten the established order of things."
His assessment echoed those of Dick Brass, a former Microsoft vice president, who drew similar conclusions in an article he wrote for the New York Times in 2010.
Internal competition, he surmised, had "created a dysfunctional corporate culture in which the big established groups are allowed to prey upon emerging teams, belittle their efforts, compete unfairly against them for resources, and over time hector them out of existence".
As a result, he said, Microsoft had become "a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator".
The person blamed for Microsoft's predicament is Steve Ballmer, the pugnacious soon to be ex-boss who has been chief executive since 2000 and paramount leader since 2006 when Bill Gates relinquished the last of his operational responsibilities.
Ballmer announced last month that he would retire within 12 months after a successor was found. And that successor is now looking more than likely to be Stephen Elop.
"I believe we have lacked accountability and leadership to align and direct the company through these disruptive times," Elop wrote in his celebrated critique. "We had a series of misses. We haven't been delivering innovation fast enough. We're not collaborating internally."
He was writing about Nokia in 2011, but what he said could equally apply to Microsoft in 2013.
If Elop does ascend to the throne at Microsoft, he may well need to goad his new charges into making another, more perilous, leap into the icy void.
Because after years of internecine warfare and innovation atrophy, it may be the only way for Microsoft to save itself from becoming another Nokia.


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Chiefs' Marcus Peters fired up to face his hometown Raiders
Marcus Peters was unavailable to talk to the media this week because of a death in his family, but his Chiefs teammates spoke for the Oakland native's excitement for Sunday's game against the Raiders.
"Marcus Peters is an Oakland kind of guy," Kansas City linebacker Derrick Johnson told reporters. "He's always representing his town. To play in front of his friends and his family, it means the world to him, and I know that. We don't give him too much during the week.
"He's an emotional player so we let him do his thing, but we know he's going to be fired up."
The cornerback from McClymonds High had one of the three fourth-quarter interceptions that Derek Carr threw in the Chiefs' 34-20 win in Oakland last year. Peters returned the interception 58 yards against his childhood team and then ran a little farther to give the ball to his mom in the first row.
"He's a ball hawk," Raiders receiver Amari Cooper said. "So you have to do the little things right, like coming back to the ball all the time, high pointing the ball. You have to get to the ball before he does."
Cooper is not just being nice. Peters has a league-high 12 interceptions over his first 21 games.
And it's possible Peters was too fired up for that game last season.
"He grew up a Raiders fan — the whole deal," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters. "So, I think it's exciting, but on the other hand, he's a Chief and he has to prepare himself for the game. That's how he does — he'll be good.
"Last year, he probably learned a couple things. He was fired up, but you learn a few things there."
His teammates don't want Peters to change his approach or energy level.
"The passion he plays with is the passion you see with kids in Little League, and that's one of the great things about this game," safety Eric Berry told reporters. "That's why you play it. That's what you're out here for. To have fun, let those emotions show, and just have a good time on the field and win games."
Peters also wears his heart on his sleeve for his city, and his charitable foundation is based in Oakland. When former Seahawks running back and unofficial Oakland Mayor Marshawn Lynch retired, Peters told him things would be fine.
"When he said he was done," Peters told NFL.com, "I told him to chill out. I'm ready to put this whole town on my back."
Peters was also the first NFL player this season to raise his fist during the national anthem in support of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protest against social injustice. Other players in the league have since joined him in standing and raising a fist in the air.
"I'm just stating that I'm black and I love being black," Peters told reporters. "I'm supporting Colin and what he's doing as far as raising awareness with the justice system. I didn't mean anything by it. I locked arms with my teammates. I talked with Coach, and Coach said it was OK if I wanted to express my thoughts, and so I just expressed it."
Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: email@example.com Twitter: @VicTafur


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Making a 'Chromatic Tigress' graphic doesn't have to mean it's shown only on monochromatic styles. That's not to say classic black and white tees, shirts, and other apparel don't or can't work. I own and wear plenty of both. With that great realization in place for the day, two out of these three 'feature of the day' designs (for the ladies this time!) offer a little more in the color spectrum. At this point, these are simply ideas, concepts showing what can be created. I like working with Zazzle because they do offer choices, many more than I'm able to show here on the Obzervashunal.
'Chromatic Tigress' Women's Long Sleeve T-Shirt by KLDesignz
Use the t-shirt maker at zazzle.com


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Kimani, $6.50, ISBN 978-0-373-86415-7
Contemporary Romance, 2015
AlTonya Washington's Treasure My Heart is loose related to Embrace My Heart (the heroine is this one is the sister of the hero in the previous book), but it can stand alone. Heaven knows, the author tells so much in this story, it's actually impossible not to know too little of anything here.
Minka Gerald is said to be capable and confident career woman, although she spends more time here having dinners and hanging out with friends than actually working, and the few times she has to make important decisions, she kind of screw things up. But this is a romance novel, and we can't expect too much from our heroines, so let's just try and live with this. She and Oliver Bauer (the brother of the woman her brother will be marrying) will spark up and hook up, and a villain from her past shows up late in the story for the obligatory dramatic denouement. That's basically the story.
I know I will have big problems when, a few pages into the story, Minka starts narrating her family history to her grandmother. Isn't that like a random person lecturing a cardiologist on the biology of the heart? Such a scene is no doubt for the reader's benefit, but within the context of the story, it makes little sense. The same issue permeates the entire book. Way too often, characters will launch into speeches that are clearly designed for exposition, often dumping these speeches on people who, by right, should already be familiar with the content of the speeches. When they are not making these speeches, these characters are talking like they are new age gurus trying to sell me magic crystals. The author always has a whimsical kind of philosophy about live and love that often shows up in her stories, but here, she frames these things with conversations that do not feel real or natural. These characters sound like they are reading aloud from new age pamphlets.
Also, the author pads her story with so many boring filler scenes of the main characters, especially Minka, doing all kinds of mundane details that the story moves as slowly as a hippopotamus wading through a deep pool of mud. It's not like these people are doing interesting things, like doing ninja tricks or having acrobatic sex – they are mostly talking about mundane everyday things like what so-and-so is wearing and whether so-and-so is coming over tomorrow for lunch. These boring people are constantly talking about boring things, and I am hard-pressed to muster any care to give.
There is hardly any character development here. Minka seems to just drift through life, sheltered from the harsh realities of life by her brother and now her new beau. Even when the villain threatens to rape and kill her, it's pretty obvious that the big brave men in her life will come to her rescue ASAP. Oliver is basically another typical rich and boring so-called player hero in this line – he doesn't stand out much, as he's just another guy like all the rest.
So, boring characters, slow pacing, nothing interesting to compel me to turn the pages… Treasure My Heart gives me very few reasons to bother with it again, much less treasure it.


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Chicken Caesar Salad
That old favourite of tender British chicken breast served on top of crispy cos lettuce combined with the classics: crunchy croutons and a sprinkle of parmeasan shavings. A separate pot of creamy Caesar dressing is included to add as desired.
Chicken Breast
Cos Lettuce
Cherry Tomatoes
Shaved Padano Cheese
1 x Pot of Caesar Dressing
Serving size approx. 160gm
Chicken Caesar Salad
CHICKEN (28%) [Chicken Breast, Water, Salt], COS LETTUCE, CHERRY TOMATOES, CAESAR DRESSING [ Rapeseed Oil, Water, Caesar Dressing Premix ( Spirit Vinegar, Water, Garlic Puree (Water, Dried Garlic, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid, Medium Fat Hard Cheese (Preservative: Lysozyme from Egg, Salt, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Dried Garlic, Dried Onion, Stabiliser: Xanthan Gum), Pasteurised Egg Yolk, , Worcester Sauce ( Water, Malt Vinegar (from Barley), Sugar, Molasses, Salt, Soy Sauce (Water, Soya Beans, Wheat, Salt), Tamarind Concentrate, Onion Powder, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Ground White Pepper, Chilli Pepper, Garlic, Powder, Ground Ginger, Ground Cloves, Acidity Regulator: Acetic Acid, Malt Extract (from Barley), Salt, Cracked Black Pepper, Preservative: Potassium Sorbate, Stabiliser: Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavouring (contains Milk)], CUCUMBER, PARMESAN CHEESE [Milk, Salt, Rennet, Preservative: Lysozyme Egg Protein], , CROUTONS [ Wheat Flour, (with Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rapeseed Oil, Sea Salt, Sugar, Yeast].
Chicken Caesar Salad


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Mine Blocks 220.127.116.11
Mine Blocks 188.8.131.52 Detail
- Description
Mine Blocks 1.19.4_5 – Minecraft Games
Like exploring fresh and new things is usually one of the most common characteristics of young people. However, you are assisting a middle-aged man to have a remarkable adventure in the land called Mine Blocks 1.19.4_5. Specifically, you are assisting this middle-aged man in exploring strange features of every item and making use of it. Another important mission is to protect this man from deadly enemies.
He must mine deep into the ground to collect blocks such as coal and other various stones. He must walk around to get meat from animals and other materials from plants. Everybody has a right to dream and other people should support them, so they can achieve their dreams. Sometimes you have heard some dreams that sound crazy, but do not laugh at them! Every creative dream should be encouraged.
Mine Blocks 1.28
Wow! Play Mine Blocks 1.27.5 taking inspiration from Minecraft has attracted a huge number of players in many countries around the world. The majority of people are fond of this game because Mine Blocks gives them enough space to move in an unlimited world and make things they like from blocks. Moreover, this game creates enough challenges for players to test their ability by requiring them to enter the nether to defeat the ender dragon. Millions of players love Minecraft and Mine Blocks a lot, so we would like to invite you to play this time and tell you about your achievements. By the way, join the Mine Blocks to explore the game more!
- Instructions
- Every time you need help, please press H. By using the arrow keys or WASD, this man can move. Moreover, he uses the mouse to mine for useful blocks so that you can craft a wide range of tools.
Review Mine Blocks 188.8.131.52
2 Reviews to Mine Blocks 184.108.40.206
thedeagle55 on
May 7th, 2015 12:58 pm
Your website run very fast and i think it is very useful for users. Games in your site is very interesting, too
coolguy91354 on
July 2nd, 2018 8:20 pm
i love this game the beast game ever


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I like a good themed party, a seasonal menu, festive playlists, corny socks, and a list of movies to match the holiday or season.
Here you have my Fall Movie Bucketlist. Filled with movies and shows that are witchy, spooky, magical, silly... and everything else really. I tend to gravitate toward things with a dark plot or streak, especially in tv shows, so I'm extra excited for this season's watching! :)
I haven't seen a lot of these, but I am SO excited to! I may have checked off 3 over the weekend! (whistling emoji)
Here we go, by category!
Witch-y Movies
Hocus Pocus
Teen Witch
Witches of Eastwick
Bell Book and Candle
The Witches (90's & 40's)
The Craft
I Married A Witch
The Crucible
Death Becomes Her
Halloween-y // Spooky
A Young Frankenstein
Crimson Peak
Woman in Black
Fall Type Movies // Movies That Remind Me of Fall
One Fine Day
Mystic Pizza
When Harry Met Sally
St. Elmo's Fire
Non-Witchy Magic // Magician-y
The Prestige
Now You See Me
Magic In the Moonlight - though let's be real, this is a summery movie....
New York Stories
Throw in some episodes of:
Witches of East End
The Munsters
The Addams Family
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
The Originals
Have you seen any of these movies or shows?
Do you gravitate toward things with a dark mood?
What are you hoping to watch this fall?


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Camden, Maine OUI Lawyer
Camden is a resort town along the Maine coast in Knox County. Located about halfway between where the coast of Maine meets New Hampshire and where it meets Canada, near the towns of Belfast and Rockland Camden is a summer colony of out-of-staters. As a result, its population of 4,850 during the 2010 census is likely misleading. Camden's status as a summer resort is likely cemented by the activity of the Camden Yacht Club, whose members take full advantage of the gorgeous Camden Harbor.
As could be expected from a Maine resort town, the affluence of Camden's residents is above the state's average, boasting a median household income of $51,099, which is above the state's median of $46,974. Also unsurprising is Camden's relatively old population – the town's media age is 53.5 years, while Maine's is only 44.
The crime rates in Camden are also what one would expect, particularly for a town in a safe state like Maine. Violent crime is extremely rare, especially when compared to the national average, and property crime is also well below the national average. Nevertheless, Camden invests heavily in its police force, keeping 2.06 full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents, well above the Maine state average of 1.69.
Location of Court
If you get arrested and charged for a crime in Camden, including for operating under the influence (OUI), then your case will be heard in the nearby Rockland District Court. For details on the courthouse and for parking options, please see our Rockland page.
Geoffrey Rushlau is the District Attorney for all towns in Knox, Lincoln, and Sagadahoc counties. This gives Mr. Rushlau the most territory in his jurisdiction out of all of the district attorneys in the state of Maine, and Camden falls within it.
While Mr. Rushlau, personally, takes a tough stance on OUIs, he gives his staff of experienced assistant district attorneys plenty of discretion. As a result, if your OUI charge is being pursued by one of these assistant district attorneys, there might be the option of pursuing a deal for a lesser charge without having to get the prior approval of Mr. Rushlau. This can open the door to some productive negotiations and eliminate some of the stress that comes with dealing with a charge for OUI. Of course, getting the right attorney involved can make all the difference in the outcome of your case as so many successful negotiations are relationship based.
Attorney William T. Bly
Regardless of where you get arrested in the state of Maine, a charge for OUI is serious. The consequences of an OUI conviction can be stiff, with a substantial fine, a tough license suspension, and possibly even jail time.
Having an experienced OUI-defense attorney on your side as soon as possible after an OUI arrest can make a huge difference in the outcome. Attorney William T. Bly has experience fighting against OUI charges throughout the state of Maine, and his extensive knowledge of OUI law and how it's enforced have given him a reputation as one of the state's best. Call his law office at (207) 571-8146 or contact him online.


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Finishing and Options
Site Customisation:
By providing customers with Web sites customised to their look and feel, Web Services makes print providers a strategic partner. This dynamic branding application enables the print provider to control and customise the Web "skins" for individual print buyers, providing complete design control over the main print buyer application windows as well as styling control over the fonts, colour, and size. Providing customers with consistent Web presence in turn increases loyalty.
Book Assembly:
With the Web Services Book Assembly option, customers can dynamically create bound books, integrating multiple files or just a single file into a single book. Print buyers can soft proof a variety of content, binding options, and tabs prior to submitting the book for print.
Credit Card / Online Payment:
Web Services makes accepting payment online extremely simple and trouble-free. The Credit Card Module enables secure online payment with credit cards or online payment using popular e-commerce sites like Authorize.net®, DebiTech™, Moneries, Paymaster, Saferpay®, Tranzila, Citelis and PayPal™.
VIPP Emitter:
With this module, any VIPP-enabled digital front end can achieve optimal printing of variable data, optimising your variable data printing and giving your customers even more control - from wherever they are.
Data Export:
Data Export enables Web Services to easily integrate with various peripheral systems existing in a print provider's organisation (such as accounting and estimating). This option reduces errors by enabling your customers' operators to export data from Web Services directly to peripheral systems. It also allows them to export select data to an Excel spreadsheet. The Data Export option is also required for, and designed to integrate, with the LDAP Adapter.
LDAP Adapter:
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Adapter enables user authentication when logging into the Web Services system by way of a directory service. This optional module is designed to integrate with the Data Export module, This option requires additional Professional Services.
Prerequisite: Web Services Data Export optional module.
Direct Marketing Links:
The Direct Marketing Link is an application "link" or interface that enables integration of Web Services and 3rd party applications such as variable data, image generation, and barcode printing to increase the capabilities and effectiveness of direct mail campaigns. It is required for, and designed to integrate with, the XMPie PersonalEffect and DirectSmile Adapters.
DirectSmile Image Generator:
The DirectSmile Image Generator Adapter allows users to incorporate personalised image layouts and rendered images generated with DirectSmile into a Web Services template.
Prerequisite: The DirectSmile Generator software needs to be purchased separately from DirectSmile and is included within the DirectSmile VDP Studio v.3.5 solution. Prerequisite: Web Services Direct Marketing Links optional module.
XMPie™ PersonalEffect™ Adapter:
The XMPie PersonalEffect Adapter allows users of the XMPie PersonalEffect software solution to integrate with Web Services to select and order campaign templates created and stored in the XMPie PersonalEffect Server from within Web Services. This provides a print buyer the ability to access, customise, and order VI campaigns directly from Web Services, including dynamic proofing and the generation of all VI output formats which are supported in PersonalEffect. This option requires additional Professional Services, which are billed separately.
Prerequisite: Web Services Direct Marketing Links optional module.


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Earth Day Gets #Occupied
This Earth Day weekend, #Occupy Wall Street loosed a series of colorful environmental protests; the movement aimed to push back against a ritual that it views as neutered and grossly commercialized. To some, it was a return to the sort of grassroots activism that marked the original Earth Day.
On Saturday, OWS staged a 'melt-in' at Grand Central Station. That's where New York City holds its official Earth Day festivities; there are booths for various green product vendors, organic food stands, and a series of talks sponsored by Toshiba, ConEd, and others.But the planned action began in the middle of Grand Central itself, where a couple dozen protesters spontaneously collapsed to the floor in the middle of the main concourse. They were immediately swarmed by police, and warned that they'd be arrested if they didn't stand up—typical of Occupy actions these days, there was at least one officer present for every protester, and many were decked out in full-on riot gear. A few tourists snapped photos with their iPhones as commuters hustled by.
Back on their feet, the protesters rallied and began bellowing a few of the movement's best-known chants. Inside the cavernous halls, the small throng sounded more like a Gregorian mob. They moved just outside the concourse, where they disrupted a panel talk, denouncing its corporate ties and naming Toshiba in a cycle of chants. The group then marched through the series of booths and vendors, to cheers and applause from participants (along with 'thumbs down' and a scolding head shake or two from less sympathetic passersby).
The protest was small and brief, but the organizers said they considered it a success. There were no arrests.
The next day, Earth Day proper, #Occupiers prepared for action they'd named the 'Jazz Funeral for the Death of the Earth as we Know It'. It was designed to be a tongue-in-cheek affair, with a live jazz band on hand to sound the tune. A crowd of forty or so occupiers gathered around a BP gas station in downtown Manhattan, in the pouring rain, and intoned about the various ongoing injustices resulting from the Gulf Spill (it was the disaster's two-year anniversary).
Some protesters covered themselves in black makeup, and others carried posters with pictures of oil-soaked wildlife. Imani Brown, a New Orleans native and longtime Occupy organizer, issued a brief polemic against BP, and expounded on the extensive damage done by the spill. Then, the poncho-covered jazz band—boasting trumpet, tuba, and marching drums—began playing a dirge, and the crowd began heading north to Union Square. The band eventually picked up the tempo, and protesters dance/marched up Broadway, turning heads and pulling a small police contingent in tow.
After a rally at Union Square, where the cluster of dedicated protesters braved increasingly stormy conditions to listen to speakers discuss the less-spotlighted social justice elements of environmentalism—how pollution, waste, climate change all hurt the poor the most—they took off eastward, eventually halting at the Highline. There, the occupiers dropped a banner to protest the proposed Spectra gas pipeline that would pump natural gas obtained from fracking into New York City.
All told, it was a promising run in Occupy Wall Street's fledgling campaign to underscore the link between the planet's woes and the 1%. The crowds weren't anywhere near as large as the pre-eviction OWS marches of 2011, but there was a vigor and creativity on display that was enough to inspire hope that Occupy may yet become a powerful force for environmental justice. The spring is young, after all.


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RICHMOND, IN - The Lions of Mount St. Joseph University traveled to Earlham College to take on the Quakers in the first game of this double header. The Mount was able to hold the lead throughout the game and secure another conference victory with a final score of 57-53.
In the first quarter the Lions got off to a five point lead but the rest of the quarter was a back to back battle. The Quakers were only able to gain the lead one time throughout the quarter and it was short lived as The Mount was able to recover quickly and hold onto until the end of the quarter. The Lions found themselves trailing the Quakers at the beginning of the second quarter. Once the last six minutes hit The Mount found their stride and finished the half leading 32-26.
The Lions continued to play the offensive during this quarter. It started off going back and forth between the two teams but the Lions never lost the lead. They followed that momentum to their biggest lead of the game of 13 points towards the end of third quarter before settling at an 11 point spread to bring quarter number three to a close with the score of 50-39.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Quakers as the Lions found themselves outscored. The Mount was able to hold them off from ever taking the lead and when the buzzer rang at the end of regulation time the Lions had defeated the Quakers 57-53.
The star for the Mount was Alehia Tucker (Covington, KY / Holy Cross) with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. On the offensive end of the court was Maddie Haberthy (Cincinnati, OH / Mercy) earning 11 points helping the lead the Lions to victory. The defensive power house was Lainee Studer (Pleasant Plain, OH / Little Miami) with 7 rebounds, 2 steals and still managed to collect 10 points for The Mount.
This win takes the Lions to a 4-3 record and a conference record of 2-2. The Lions next game will be Monday, December 17th at 3:00PM as they host the Barons of Franciscan University in the Harrington Center. Continue to check MSJSports.com for more updates on the Lions 18-19 season!


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Mao Jian, or "furry tip" style tea, honors over 2300 years of history. Slightly floral with a long finish, it's perfect for everyday.
Ingredients: green tea
Instructions for 8 oz: 1.5 tsp, 3 minutes in 175 F water.
Each 3 oz bags steeps over 28 cups.
This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!


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The most ideal approach to purchase an ideal pair of shoes online is to do some due ingenuity. With through research, you can find the perfect pair of shoes for yourself.
1. Check Prices
Chances are that you will locate a similar brand of shoes on different websites. You ought to never buy a pair of shoes before you check and compare the price of it from other retailers. A few people think that all retailers will offer the item at a similar cost. Get your work done and you will find a superior arrangement on a similar item. This correlation assumes a noteworthy part in keeping these online vendors aggressive with valuing.
2. Do Some Research On New Shoe Brands
As implied above, new shoe brands need to substantiate themselves to you first. In the event that you truly need to purchase a pair of shoes from another brand, you need to do thorough research on the brand to know if they produce quality product. Take a gander at their services and how professionally they are working. Go above and beyond and get in touch with them through web-based social networking pages or on the telephone. New brands ought to rush to answer questions from prospects. Get all the data you require about items' material, quality, approved retailers; among others. Likewise, take a gander at customer reviews to perceive what individuals need to state. In the event that you find extremely constrained or negative data, you might need to keep away from the brand.
3. Check The Size Before Purchasing A Pair For Yourself
Did you realize that your shoe measure isn't static? Your feet may not get bigger but rather they can become more extensive or more slender relying upon your general body weight changes. In this regard, measure your feet to know your size. You can likewise utilize a ruler and a level surface to get the most precise perusing. Utilize the level surface to put your foot and after that utilization the ruler to gauge from the tip of your longest toe to the finish of your rear area.
4. The motivations behind the shoes you need to purchase
Shoes fill a bunch of needs. In light of this, you might search for casual shoes, formal shoes, sports shoes, pads, heels, etc. In the event that you are searching for casual shoes, you may think about boots, pads, and tennis shoes and so on. As such, you need to limit your research with the goal that you can reveal the best shoe that fit your requirements. A few customers make up their brains as they enjoy the appealing shoe exhibitions on the web. Motivation purchasing happens along these lines. Accordingly, put your cash to the most ideal use by comprehending what you need first.
5. Pick Your Online Retailer Admirably
Numerous shoe brands will not offer straightforwardly to the clients. In such manner, online retailers will take up the undertaking of conveying different shoe brands. Picking the privilege online retailer is basic. In any case, they should have in stock an assortment of shoes that will intrigue you. The client involvement with the online store should likewise be agreeable. This truly implies their site pages and online interfaces must be clear and simple to explore.
Buy boots online not only saves you time but also effort. Look for the exciting offers that the web retailers have to offer in order to get the right shoe of your choice at the right price.


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Restoring historic buildings is a huge undertaking! We
are taking one step at a time and have made significant progress over
the years. The current task that's underway may not be visible when you
drive by the town common or take a short detour up Park Avenue. You can
be certain, though, there is always something in the works! There are
material estimates to gather, applications for state permits to
complete, meetings with various officials, volunteers and
contractors...and then the big pieces: weather, manpower, and money.


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Over the years I've developed various projects in my free time.
Some are just experiments or proof of concepts, others are professional products.
Over the years I've developed various projects in my free time.
Panda Tiles
Panda Tiles is a simple puzzle game.
Place one panda in every row, in every column and in every color.
Once you are good at that, move to the harder levels and you are going to place 2 pandas instead!
Too easy? Well, you can have a look at my other games, they aren't simple at all 😀
Look at the picture and find the solution!
Imagzle is a difficult and fun game based on images. It's going to seriously test you on your cultural background, as well as social, logical and problem solving skills, turning you into a real encyclopedia of miscellaneous facts.
Crypto Viewer - Realtime crypto tracker
CryptoViewer is a mobile React app allowing you to track your investment on over 50 different exchanges by automatically importing data using secure API.
The project also include a node server, a news aggregator, a real time price feed and much much more. It currently has more than 90k installs between Android and IOs and over 15k active users.
Meet4tea - Socializing website
Note: the website is down since GDPR came along.
Meet4Tea was a social platform with London as a specific target in mind: after a study of the current market it seems there's no free website with the same characteristic. The website is also an opportunity to study an experiment.
The Frontend is built using Angular.js and SASS Bootstrap. It communicates to the backend over authenticated restful API (I'll let you decide if authentication and restful can go together). The frontend tasks are automated using Grunt, the source control is GIT.
The system is tested e2e using Protractror, Webdriver.io and CucumberJs. The test can run either in development or in production to ensure everything is working after a deploy.
Nginx has been configured to serve static files, scale images and proxy the requests in production, while for the development environment we use either a Vagrant machine replicating production or a Node reverse proxy to connect to each other when developing together.
The landing page is tailored for loading speed and optimized for speed with the help of Tünde Szírak and has the maximum score on the google speed test.
The server side is in Java using MongoDB, and built by Ruben Martinez.
Fun Fact: Meet4Tea was originally designed in 2011 with Cesare Naldi, a fellow Italian,as Meet4Coffee but when I started working on it the name was already taken by a Tinder-like app.
Drugtrade - Simulated trading platform
Drugtrade is a simulated stock market build using the MEAN stack. After a first version of the game called Pizza clicker and based on Firebase I decide to focus on Node.js and Mongo and build a more scalable solution for this kind of game.
The main complexity of the system resides in the serverside, I will write an article in the future about the price algorithms.
Design of the landing page and the application is from Roberto Loriga.
Social poetry - Shared composition
Social poetry is a proof of concept realized using Angular.js and Firebase together. The final idea is to project the words on a building in London and allow people to compose in real time while connected with their phone.
The original UX and Architecture was sketched in 2012 with Quirino Britzi using a Java backend.
Funny Weather - forecast app
Funny weather is a teaching exercise using jQuery, jQuery plugins, a public JSON endpoint for weather forecast and HTML5 localization api. The original design was made using Photoshop.
CSS and HTML from Tünde Szírak.
psd2mail - Photoshop to email converter
After many years of experience producing newsletters for various clients I decided to build a tool to easily convert photoshop designs to production ready code.
The tool is not suitable for big companies as it doesn't adhere to every aspect of the anti-spam policy (it uses an incorrect image/text ratio) but it has a niche of happy users (local singers, small estate agencies, etc).
There's no known bugs and I keep receiving help requests from time to time.
The tool is built in vanilla Javascript, the code is optimized and obfuscated using a PHP script.
Designed in Photoshop, CSS in LESS.


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I know what you are thinking, raspberry and chocolate again? Yes, I could try and rationalize this decision with all of you, but truly it's more like a disease and I'll fully admit to it. Once I started with this flavor combination in my ice cream I just couldn't stop. I kept coming across all sorts of yummy recipes featuring both of these ingredients. So, I figured I could torture you all one more time and I promise (maybe) that I will stop after this recipe.
This recipe comes courtesy of Cuisine at Home which appears to be my new go-to magazine. In case you have not heard of them you are missing out. Their magazines are full of great recipes and best of all, the pages are not cluttered with advertisements. Anyway, back to the bars, how could I resist a fudge brownie layer, a smooth cream cheese layer and to top it off, raspberries. Nope, not possible, even if I tried. This bar is what dreams are made out of and I'm almost ashamed to admit that I ate more than my share of these little delights.
The bars are made pretty quickly and don't require any special skills. The brownie layer by itself is utterly amazing and is almost more reminiscent of real fudge than a brownie. It starts by melting unsweetened chocolate, butter, cocoa powder and instant espresso powder in the microwave (or a double boiler). Sugar, vanilla and salt are mixed in and then eggs are incorporated one by one. Finally flour is folded under without overmixing the batter. It gets spread in a 8-inch square pan and set aside while you get started on the cheesecake layer. Cream cheese is mixed with just a bit of sugar, lemon zest and juice, and one egg until creamy and smooth, then carefully spread over the already prepared unbaked brownie layer. The final touch is a cup of fresh or frozen raspberries that are added on top of the cheesecake before baking. The brownie bakes for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the cream cheese layer is lightly golden and set. After that comes the hardest part of the recipe - the wait time. The brownie has to cool to room temperature and after that time is over it must then be refrigerated for at least another 8 hours or overnight, which means pure torture! Before serving you can sprinkle the bars with powdered sugar but it's certainly not a necessity, they are good as is.
The reward is seriously an amazing flavor combination of sweet, dark chocolate with a light tasting cheesecake layer and heavenly raspberries. True decadence at its best. Besides me eating more than my fair share of these brownies, my kids also went absolutely nuts over them. I think the brownies make a beautiful presentation and would be lovely served for all kinds of occasions when entertaining. I will definitely be baking these again, but first I have to kick up my workout schedule to work off the extra calories I inhaled from these!
Raspberry Cheesecake-Truffle Brownies
(adapted from Cuisine at Home)
(Printable Recipe)
For the brownies:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
For the topping:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Minced zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
Sifted powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray.
Melt chocolate, butter, cocoa, and espresso powder for the brownies in a large bowl in the microwave oven on high power, stirring every 30 seconds, or in a double boiler. Remove mixture from heat when chocolate is nearly melted; stir unti it's smooth.
Stir in the 1 1/2 cups sugar, vanilla, and the 1/4 tsp. salt. Add the 3 eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.
Fold in flour, mixing just until blended. Spread batter into the prepared pan; set aside.
Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat ream cheese, the 1/4 cup sugar, zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt for the topping in a bowl until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Blend in the 1 egg, then spread cheesecake batter over unbaked brownie batter.
Top cheesecake layer with raspberries. Bake brownies until cheesecake is set and golden around edges, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool brownies in pan on a rack to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Cover brownies with plastic wrap; chill 8 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
Dust brownies with powdered sugar before serving, Cut brownies into small squares with a lightly oiled knife.


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This is a list of cafés, tea rooms, pubs serving mid-morning coffee and other refreshment stops that are frequented by Isis Cyclists on our rides. The list is organised into five areas, bounded by the Oxford ring road and four of the major roads radiating from it, as shown in the schematic map on the right.
The list has been compiled from suggestions made by our ride leaders, who in some cases have commented on venues that they particularly like. Bear in mind, however, that establishments come and go, as do their owners and managers. So, before you set off for a particular place, it's advisable to look it up on the Web.
We will try to keep the list as current as possible, so please let us know via the Contacts page if any establishments have now closed, or new ones have opened that you think merit inclusion in the list.
Oxford City (inside, or on, the ring road)
- The Vaults & Gardens, University Church.
- University Museum.
- Weston Library, Broad St.
- The Handle Bar, by Bike Zone in St Michael's St. 'Only good for a small number of people as tables often taken up with laptop users, the best coffee in town (I think), lovely snacks and great cycling environment.'
- Jacob's Inn, Wolvercote (pub).
- Jericho Café, Walton St.
- Manos, Walton St. 'Limited selection of Greek cakes, including orange and almond and baklava'
- Victoria Arms. Marston (pub). 'Cosy log fire on a winter morning.'
- Bonjour, 136 London Road, Headington. 'Great coffee! And the baclava is fabulous!'
- Café Central, Brookes University: London Rd/Gypsy Lane, Headington. 'Not the first place you would think of for a cycling group, but there is plenty of space, the environment is fantastic with cathedral-like ceiling and very good acoustics. The excellent coffee and cakes are very reasonably priced. Open every day, including weekends.'
- Jacobs & Field, Headington.
- Madeira Supermarket Café, Green Rd Roundabout, Headington.
- Akiport Café, Abingdon Road. 'This Portuguese cafe is fairly unprepossessing from the outside, but offers excellent, plentiful coffee and delicious little warm custard tarts.'
- Sylvie's, Iffley Road. 'Great cakes and room for smaller groups'
- Isis Farmhouse, Iffley Lock (pub): in winter, opens Friday to Sunday only.
- The Fishes, North Hinksey (pub). 'Free toast and marmalade in the mornings, plenty of space.'
- Annie's Tea Room, Thrupp. 'Nice scones, very small inside seating area, lovely outdoor garden with picnic benches.'
- Flight House café, Weston-on-the-Green. 'The cafe is a good alternative when the Milk Shed is full. It's about a mile further up the B430.'
- Jane's Enchanted Tea Garden (seasonal; bookings essential). 'My favourite place since I discovered it years back during Bike Week. During the last few years has changed a lot but the quality of the food is still outstanding and the place itself is a must see; a little wonderland just outside Oxford.'
- The Batch Café, Greenhill Farm, Bletchingdon.
- Kizzie's Bistro, Lower Heyford. 'Really good home-cooked food, and a great place to sit and read the newspaper.'
- Milk Shed, Weston-on-the-Green. 'Excellent food and a great place to aim for on a medium ride out of Oxford. Can get busy at lunch times.' 'Wholesome and tasty food but expensive.'
- St Mary's Church, Kidlington (seasonal). 'Opens mid May, on Sunday afternoons, 3.00 – 5.00 pm. Offers plenty of space, tea and home-made cakes.'
- Panshill Wood Fishery, Otmoor.
- Rectory Farm PYO, Stanton St John (seasonal).
- Talk House, Stanton St John (pub). 'Expensive coffee, but the only venue in the area open for morning coffee.'
- Waterperry Gardens café. 'Absolutely delicious cheese scones (ask for them to be warmed!).'
- Kings' Arms, Sandford-on-Thames (pub).
- Mill View Garden Centre, Wheatley. 'Reward yourself after puffing up Ladder Hill!'
- Little Milton Village Shop.
- Sandford Talking Shop, Sandford-on-Thames Village Hall. 'Very accommodating, large indoor space.'
- Bat & Ball, Cuddesdon (pub).
- R&R, Marketplace Abingdon. 'More spacious than Throwing Buns if you have a group of five or more.'
- Throwing Buns, Marketplace, Abingdon. 'Small, cosy and intimate, with a large selection of really good cakes.'
- Dorchester Abbey tea room (seasonal). 'Very good selection of delicious home-made cakes and a lovely little garden to sit in. I usually have two cakes, they're so good!'
- Waterside, Benson.
- The Barn, Turville Heath. 'The no-car café in the heart of the Chilterns.' Open Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.
- Treacles, High St, Thame.
- Bean and Brew, St Mary's St, Wallingford.
- The Flowing Well, Sunningwell (pub). 'Lovely on a warm day or evening to sit outside, no roads in sight, good views, and a nice medium cycle ride from Oxford to get there. Also lovely to sit by the fire inside when cold. Plenty of space for medium sized groups.'
- Wytham Post Office tea garden (seasonal).
- Millets Farm café.
- The Dog House Hotel, Faringdon Road, Frilford; next to the Bothy Vineyard. 'A very useful stop for a long ride: good outdoor and indoor space for groups, helpful manager who will make sure there are enough pastries and cakes on hand if warned in advance.'
- Huddle Stanford Café, Stanford in the Vale. 'A friendly community cafe offering light lunches and snacks. A good place to aim for when planning an extra long ride.'
- Aston Pottery café. 'Great food and large outdoor garden with picnic benches.' The café now asks groups to give advance notification of their visit: 01993 852896
- Worton Organic Café.
- Church Green Café, Witney.
- Cogges Farm café, Witney.
Combe Reading Room (seasonal: August Sundays only). 'The village ladies work together to produce a fantastic selection of cakes and the garden is lovely.'
- Blenheim Buttery, Park St, Woodstock.
- Oxfordshire Museum café, Park St, Woodstock.
- Woodstock Coffee Shop, Oxford Rd, Woodstock.