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The Nielsen Company has created this handy infographic so that you can precisely determine how much of your life would be required to view every episode of every season of the top animated shows. That way, you can plan accordingly if a planet-destroying asteroid is just one week away from impact.
The good news is that in the event of such a catastrophe (and assuming you limit yourself to seven hours of sleep per night), you would have sufficient time to binge-watch Archer, Futurama, Justice League Unlimited, Spider-Man and almost all of Bob's Burgers. Fans of Pokémon would be out of luck, since the entire series clocks in at 12 days, nine hours.
Nielsen has produced two other charts, including genre shows such as Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy and Supernatural.

subset: commoncrawl


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Monday, November 12, 2012
Time is running out for us all
Every time the PM flies out for a few days , K Rudd immediately starts honouring the many media call requests that he gets (e.g. here). Seems to think that he is still relevant and talks the PM talk about all issues when his boss is spending our money on another junket.
Rudd shows so much concern for the nation and yet he still thinks that the engaged voter doesn't remember why his party axed him when they did. He shouldn't be too upset about his legacy though because all the white elephants and the 800 pound gorillas in the corners that he created are still there.
Posted by JR at 9:08 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Sunday, November 4, 2012
The Old School Bully
The oxygen was once again sucked out of the room this morning when I saw & heard the Hon. Minister for "SHORT MEMORIES" smugly telling us that he along with the ALP & Facebook will be taking on the cyber bullies and combating this insidious threat to us all !!!!
How will Garrett turn around an issue that was nowhere near as endemic as it now is? ....... He is telling the kids to dob in the bullies. My God, what are they smoking at his office, this is the best that they can do?
Of course the issue with children being cruel to each other will probably NEVER go away, it is definitely a part of human development. The problem that exists now and didn't when I was a kid is that parents are almost scared to discipline their children, rather than face the wrath of D.O.C.S or worse, the Police.
Teachers, well forget it, their hands have been tied ever since Garrett's do-gooder crowd managed to remove corporal punishment from schools back in the early 80's and even earlier when Comrade Whitlam disbanded the public school cadet corps. This was an establishment where all were made to realise that they were equally weak and strong and that there is no "i" in team. Now everybody has to be a winner and no one is ever wrong, just go along with the consensus of the left.
The PC crowd always tell govt that it is not the child that is at fault but rather society in general is to blame. To a point they are right because of the desensitising masses being bombarded with sex and violence on a daily basis on all communication media along with the fact that the rights of the child to freely express itself in any manner it deems fit, always outweighs the rights of the parent/guardian to raise the child in a manner that they deem correct.
So now we are stuck with a generation of children who not only have no issue with cruelty to each other without consequence but they can do it easily and anonymously via mobile phones and the internet.
Yep , the social engineering has failed and now those who caused it to happen are trying to tell us that they have the answer....... talk about whistling past the cemetery!!!
Nothing in this plan by Garrett discusses what to do with the bullies, how to reform them and how to find out what made them so anti social in the first place. Bloody reactionary policy released by some very reactionary and desperate politicians.
Posted by JR at 1:36 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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President Obama graded himself a "solid B-plus" for his first year in office and also revealed Santa was coming to the White House this year.
In a sitdown with fellow Chicagoan Oprah Winfrey for her Sunday Christmas special on ABC, Obama and first lady Michelle answered a string of mostly softball questions about their holiday traditions and the president graded himself on his performance so far.
"If I get health care signed, we tip into A-minus," Obama said.
U.S. & World
Among the other revelations during the interview: the president usually "gives nicer stuff" than he gets on holidays.
"No way!" Michelle interjected. "I gave you good stuff last year."
"Who gave you this?" Obama retorted, pointing at the pearl necklace his wife was wearing.
In a separate interview for CBS "60 Minutes" that also aired Sunday, the president tackled hard-hitting questions about the war in Afghanistan and expressed his frustration with tightfisted "fat cat bankers."
Winfrey had said the goals for her interview would be decidedly more warm and fuzzy.
She asked the Obamas to remember their favorite Christmas presents. Michelle said hers was a metal dollhouse with plastic furniture. The president cited a "kid 10-speed bike" and a basketball his mostly-absent father once gave him during a rare visit.
"I think there was some cause and effect there in terms of the degree to which I just ended up taking up the sport as a kid who didn't know his dad," he said.
Winfrey also scored a tour of the White House from Michelle Obama and was greeted by the first family's Portuguese water dog, Bo. He showed off his new training by high-fiving Winfrey.
"Does Bo need a buddy?" Winfrey asked.
"No, no, no," Obama said emphatically.
In the state dining room, Obama pointed out a 390-pound gingerbread White House replica covered in white chocolate. She also showed off the White House Christmas tree, and revealed each family member -- including Bo -- would have their own stocking.
After Winfrey noted many rooms in the White House were stocked with apples, President Obama said the first family wouldn't try to make Santa Claus follow their healthy eating lifestyle.
"Santa can eat what he wants," Obama said, meaning a plate of milk and cookies.
The conversation did turn serious when Winfrey asked whether sinking public approval numbers bothered him. Obama said he viewed the decline as inevitable with 10 percent unemployment in the country.
"People aren't interested in what you've inherited…[It's like] 'What have you done for me lately?'" he said. "I'm not interested in spinning my way out of it."


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For Microsoft, it turns out that agreeing to sponsor a special by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane may have been as bad an idea as Windows Vista.
Microsoft, as Variety reports, pulled out as the sole backer of "Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show," which was shaping up as a comedic virtual infomercial for Windows 7. The computer giant balked after learning there would be incest and Holocaust jokes amid touts for its new operating system.
Whatever you think of MacFarlane's brand of raunchy humor, give him some credit for not toning down his shtick in the name of commerce. As for Microsoft executives, did they really expect restraint from the guy who built a "Family Guy" episode around Peter being injected with a "gay gene?"
The split, which comes less than two weeks before the scheduled Nov. 8 airing of the ostensibly interruption-free special, is a case study in the risks of marrying edgy content to advertising. Call it the Peter (Griffin) Principle.
The sponsorship deal was announced earlier this month at a time when the networks face shrinking audiences and ad revenues amid competition from the Internet and more DVR users fast-forwarding through commercials.
The networks are getting creative in trying to keep audiences from reaching for the remote. NBC and ABC are experimenting with integrating storylines into commercials. A couple weeks ago, Anheuser-Busch was the sole national sponsor of "Saturday Night Live," with ads for the new Bud Light Golden Wheat beer featuring rare "SNL" clips.
The MacFarlane-Microsoft deal originally was spun as a throwback to TV's early days, where product pitches were integrated into shows such as Milton Berle's "Texaco Star Theater." Uncle Miltie, though, never got any more risqué than donning a dress – at least not on the air.
While the bawdy humor of "Family Guy" turns off some, the show's fans might be offended by Stewie and Brian pushing Windows 7 in a series of spots (which, by the way, are still up on the Windows 7 site). MacFarlane and FOX, meanwhile, are said to be looking for a new sponsor for the special.
"Family Guy" remains willing to sell out, but on MacFarlane's terms. For Microsoft, the price apparently was too high.
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


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After more than a decade of serving this community well, these forums have finally run their course and it's time to close them down.
That doesn't mean we want to close the doors on our community, quite the opposite!
Our discord server grows ever busier by the day, and we encourage all Double Fine fans to meet us over there
In a short time these forums will become a read only archive and will remain that way until they become needed again.
You never know, it might happen. There is... a prophecy.
Thank you all for being part of these forums, and remember that the fun is definitely not over - so please join us on Discord!
Love ya,
Spaff, Tim, Info Cow, and all of Double Fine.


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Lobster Bake
New England know-how guarantees a terrific lobster bake.
Whiffs of smoke from smoldering logs and pungent steam from sizzling rockweed drift across the beach. Underneath a canvas tarp, corn, mussels, clams, and lobsters bask away. This is hurry-up-and-wait time, when our friends swim, paddle a kayak, wander the beach, or sip cold beer and wine as they sit on nearby rocks and listen to lapping waves.
For many of us, it's been a day of heavy lifting: carrying ice chests, collecting rocks, finding driftwood to burn and seaweed to steam. My husband, Jamie MacMillan―our "bakemaster"―shovels a bit of sandy gravel onto the edge of the tarp where he sees some steam escaping. Too much air under there can cause the seaweed to catch fire from the hot rocks.
When Jamie says it's time to break into our bake, I call everyone to watch and help if they want. Jamie pulls back the tarp, and we gently lift steaming seaweed away with a pitchfork―looking for the telltale brilliant red of cooked lobsters. Wide-eyed onlookers say, "Ohhh, wow, look at that," when the first one is uncovered. Wearing gloves, we work quickly, pulling out the ruby-red crustaceans and laying them on a tray, then scooping up the mussels and clams. We dig deeper for the corn, still in husks and scorching hot. We work quickly because even in summer along the Maine coast, the air off the water can be cool, and this fare tastes best when it's piping hot.
Next to our steaming seafood, which some of us plan to dip into melted butter, we heap the traditional sides onto our plates. I've brought along Marinated Potato Salad with Summer Vegetables, which I loaded up with fresh green beans, asparagus, and cucumbers from my garden. Creamy Coleslaw, with a bit of biting vinegar and mustard, nicely foils the richness of the shellfish. We devour it all with abandon.
As the afternoon unwinds, we perch on nearby rocks for another sweet tribute to Maine and its indigenous fare―Blueberry Crisp. After dessert, we rebuild the fire and relax, watching the sun set and the moon rise. The cold incoming tide hisses as it rolls over the smoldering rocks, lulling us toward a perfect day's end.


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We're excited to introduce the newest addition to our animal collection, Bee Engraved cases! A unique design in our new color, Honey, this case was created in collaboration with artist Sarah Mitchell. As part of our mission to create a waste free future, Pela is a proud member of 1% for the Planet so we can support organizations who are working hard to better the planet.
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- Exterior of Resort *OLD* | Show
- Exterior of Resort *UPDATED* | Show
- Interior of Resort | Show
- Interior of Cavern/Gym Leader Location | Show
Alright I just added a bunch of Normal Sandstone. I am not sure how I feel about the look, but that is the best it is going to look with this change.
- Download *UPDATED* | Show
- http://www.mediafire.com/download/3dpz7c8g98tbdrb/Ground_Gym.zip


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Gary Shaw Productions in association with Grange Old School Boxing, Matchroom Boxing and Greg Cohen Productions are pleased to announce the finalization of a fight between two of the middleweight division's best and most exciting as IBF champion Daniel Geale (29-1, 15 KOs) has signed on to defend his title against highly regarded contender Darren Barker (25-1, 16 KO's).
The 12-round championship bout will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on August 17, 2013. The event will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.
Geale is fresh off of his redemption win over Anthony Mundine in their January rematch, while Barker has won 2 in a row since his KO loss in what was a very spirited effort against Sergio Martinez.
Geale acknowledges that Barker is a tough challenge, but is quick to remind everyone that he has been matched tough for the past few fights in a row. This will be the first time the Australian superstar has fought on American soil.
"Barker has to be one of the toughest opponents I've faced on paper, but I've been in the ring with world titlists and it remains to be seen whether or not Barker can offer up anything extra," said Geale.
"He is a top rated fighter amongst 160 pounders, but in the middleweight division that's saying a lot because the entire division is dangerous. A guy in the top 10 at middleweight would be top 3-4 in almost any other division."
"Fighting in the United States for the first time is truly an honor." Geale continued. "I'm going to give the fans a great night of boxing while representing my country with dignity."
Geale mentioned that he hasn't thought much about a game plan for his opponent, but he will prepare accordingly. While he has yet to put together a strategy on Barker, Geale is familiar with his work, specifically against Martinez and he knows that the fighter that steps in the ring with will likely be better than the one that gave Martinez so much trouble.
"I'm going to have my hands full, that's for sure. Barker gave Martinez all sorts of fits, but he is an even better fighter now and I think he has improved a great deal since the Martinez fight.
"I'm not sure Martinez could beat Barker now, maybe Martinez planned on fighting Barker before he got too good? I want the fights that will give me the biggest challenges and I plan on handling Barker better than anyone has, it won't be easy but that's what I'll attempted to do," Geale said.
After suffering his first defeat to Sergio Martinez, Barker has bounced back with two consecutive knockout victories. His quest to become a world champion is ever so close and he promises to bring the title back to the UK.
"This is a golden opportunity for me and I feel it's my time to shine," Darren Barker stated. "It's been a tough journey for me but I'm one fight away from realizing my dream and becoming World Champion. I've dedicated my entire life to this sport and since the Sergio Martinez fight I really feel like I've grown as a fighter. I can't wait to bring that IBF World title back to the UK."
Gary Shaw is excited about this fight and he knows that it has huge implications for the division.
"This is a fight that separates the good from the great, the great from the elite. This division is so good that everywhere you look you see tough fights, but Daniel could've taken an easier fight, there are easier fights out there compared to Barker but Daniel wanted this fight. The winner will be in a position to be considered the best middleweight out there," Shaw said.
"It's always exciting when world class boxers accept a fight without hesitation, as was the case for this bout," said Garrie Francisco of Grange Old School Boxing.
"Daniel has been keen to make a stateside debut for many years, to be defending his crown on a HBO card is the perfect beginning. A healthy sporting rivalry has existed between our countries (Australia/England) for 130 years. We would like to thank H.B.O., Gary Shaw and Eddie Hearn for their roles in cementing an opportunity to give fans a fight that will be remembered."
Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn is confident his fighter will be victorious.
"Not everyone knows the story about Darren Barker but those that do understand it when I say that few deserve this more," said Eddie Hearn.
"This is the fight that Darren wanted so badly and now he's got it. This is a wonderful fight between two incredibly gifted Middleweights, it's a pure 50-50 fight and I know Darren is going to bring it home."
"HBO has been a great supporter of bringing international champions to the United States to showcase their talents. I want to thank Ken Hershman, Kerry Davis, Peter Nelson and the entire staff at HBO for being the pioneers in this area. I know Geale and Barker are very appreciative for this wonderful opportunity." Gary Shaw concluded.


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Gas prices jump in metro Savannah
Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have risen 12.6 cents a gallon in the past week to $3.38 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.
The national average has increased 3 cents a gallon in the last week to $3.27, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.
Prices Sunday were 16.4 cents a gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has decreased 13.2 cents a gallon during the last month and stands 1.7 cents higher than a year ago.
"2012 was a year that focused the spotlight on our nation's oil refineries. It showed us the vulnerability of our infrastructure and what can happen to prices at the pump when infrastructure is compromised," said Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst.
With elevated prices across much of the country for prolonged periods, 2012 brought the highest average price ever for U.S. consumers: $3.60 a gallon.
Chiropractic clinic opens
in Pooler
The Joint of Pooler, a new chiropractic clinic, will hold its grand opening ceremony Friday at 485 Pooler Parkway in the Pooler Marketplace Shopping Center with a ribbon-cutting at 1 p.m. and an open house from 1-7 p.m.
The clinic is owned and operated by Robyn Meglin, and its doctor is Alexander S. Bridwell, who received a biology degree from Valdosta State University and received a doctor of chiropractic from Life University in Marietta.
The clinic will be open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 912-330-7100.
The Joint Corp. was founded in Tucson, Ariz., in 1999 and has 332 clinics open or in development in 25 states.
Hargrove wins magazine's job creators award
Mobile, Ala. - Hargrove Engineers + Constructors has been awarded the Hire Power Award from Inc. Magazine recognizing it as the No. 1 company in the state of Alabama for creating engineering jobs.
Inc.'s Hire Power Award is a salute to the job creators rebuilding the economy by putting Americans back to work. Hargrove is one of 100 companies across the U.S. who have received this award. In 2008, the company had 273 employees and has increased its workforce to 702 in just five years.
Headquartered in Mobile, Hargrove has offices in Savannah; Atlanta; Baton Rouge, La,; Birmingham and Decatur, Ala.; Memphis; Pascagoula, Miss.; and Philadelphia.


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The next Cricket Web Fantasy Cricket Competition has been created named South Africa v Zimbabwe.
Below are the matches included in this competition. Remember, if you choose to enter your team now, you can modify it as much as you like prior to the start of the competition.
To enter a team against this competition simply login to your account, or if you haven't yet registered you can do so here.
South Africa v Zimbabwe - this is a ODI Competition
Start Date - 15-09-2006
End Date - 31-12-1969
Below is a list of the matches that will be played for the selected competition.
Home Team Away Team Match Start Date Venue
South Africa Zimbabwe 15-09-2006 Goodyear Park
South Africa Zimbabwe 17-09-2006 Buffalo Park
South Africa Zimbabwe 20-09-2006 Sedgars Park


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MovieTeam (YDtheBEST x DBF) - The Bad Guy [Miramar Unsigned Hype]
MovieTeam "YDtheBEST x DBF" star in "The Bad Guy"
MovieTeam the Mixtape out now on Datpiff
follow the MovieTeam on twitter @YDtheBEST @DBFmovieteam
follow the MovieTeam on Instagram @YDtheBEST @DBFmovieteam
Special Thanks To: The Carrasco Family, Southern Smokes Cigar Shop, Krazy Kuts Barbershop
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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Although my posts of late have been non-existent, I'm still here.
One of the most useful things about blogging, aside from the interaction with like-minded people, is the record it provides of work done. As I ease back into the blogosphere, I am going to concentrate on just that. Recording the genealogy work I am doing.
There are a few areas I am focusing on right now.
- I'm getting back in to the courses I booked at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. My next course starts Monday. It's "Electronic Resources: Using The Internet" which I think I will find pretty straightforward, so a good one to ease back into things.
- Research work – not doing a lot for now. I'd like to try and get more information on James Bennett, the hope of determining his death date. My lead on this is the land records and I think it will require a research trip to Melbourne.
- Cousin correspondence. I have been an infrequent correspondent of late. I have some catching up to do!
- DNA. I have had both myself and my father tested, and two of my father's cousins have tested as well all at FTDNA. I've also tested at 23andME and AncestryDNA. I'm trying to work out a way of semi-automating looking at the details, so that there's not a whole lot of manual work to so when a DNA match gets in touch with me.
- Photo restoration. One of the things I really love doing is learning to digitally restore photos. I would like is to become really, really good at it – if I do, prospectively, say so myself! For me it's the perfect way to blend three things I enjoy: art, playing with tech tools, and of course genealogy. I have in mind a series of posts – again, mostly in order to document for myself what I am doing but they may also be of help to others.
That seems like plenty to be getting on with.


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TEL AVIV, Israel, July 24 (UPI) -- Israel's electronic listening post atop Mount Hermon overlooking Damascus is working overtime as Israeli military chiefs monitor the accelerating collapse of the Syrian President Bashar Assad's Syrian regime in a 17-month-old uprising that became a civil war.
The Israelis, who've operated the intelligence-gathering base since 1967 when they captured the region's highest mountain and the southern sector of the volcanic plateau known as the Golan Heights, fear that trouble will explode on their northern border on a scale unseen since the 1973 Middle East war if Assad's regime is toppled.
That's the last thing Israel needs as it braces for trouble as well on its southern border with Egypt, which with Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel in October 1973.
That frontier that abuts Egypt's Sinai Peninsula became a threat for the first time since the countries' landmark peace treaty in 1979 following the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, a staunch supporter of the pact, in another Arab revolution in February 2011.
Within the space of a few months, these two strategic borders, calm for more than three decades, have become flash points.
All this has happened as Israel braces for war with Iran, which the Jewish state may initiate with pre-emptive attacks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. That could ignite a regional conflict that, along with the political turmoil in the Arab world that shattered Israel's strategic policy by opening the way for Islamist governments for the first time, Israel views with great apprehension.
That may be the case in Syria as well if Assad's brutal regime is brought down.
With rebel forces increasingly assertive, blowing up Assad's key security chiefs July 18 and fighting pitched battles with regime troops in Damascus and Aleppo, Syria's second city and commercial heart, the Israelis say they believe the end is near for Assad.
Israel's greatest fear is that Assad -- or perhaps his hot-headed younger brother Maher -- will choose an apocalyptic end by unleashing Syria's chemical and biological weapons on missiles against the Jewish state.
Or perhaps, in the final chaotic days of the Assad dynasty, other forces, possibly even al-Qaida but more likely Hezbollah, could get their hands on these weapons of mass destruction while the fractious opposition forces argue about divvying up the spoils.
"What I expect to see in Syria is the definition of chaos, like what we saw in Libya -- various gangs vying for leadership and no initial central government," said Eyal Zisser, who teaches Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University.
Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, chief of Israel's Military Intelligence, warned parliament last week that the regime's "is just a matter of time," while jihadist groups are moving into Syria, exploiting the power vacuum as the regime disintegrates.
The general feeling within the Israeli leadership is that the prospect of war with Syria is low even though the two countries remain technically at war.
Last week, Assad withdrew around half of the troops garrisoning the cease-fire line on the Golan to reinforce his units fighting rebels in pitched battles in the capital.
Even so, Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Israel may have to go in to seize or neutralize Assad's chemical/biological weapons to ensure extremists, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, don't get them.
Syrian opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun has said if Assad's toppled an incoming Sunni regime would cut ties with Iran, Assad's key ally, and Hezbollah, Israel's longtime foe with whom it fought an inconclusive 34-day war in 2006.
That would be a great relief to Israel but only if there's a strong, united and more moderate successor regime in Damascus, rather than one inclined toward radical Islam -- and without weapons of mass destruction.
But it's more likely, the way things stand right now, that there's going to be a period of anarchy and settling of scores, with no single dominant force in charge, when Assad eventually goes.
The wholesale plundering of Moammar Gadhafi's arsenals, well stocked with advanced Russian weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles, and the violent aftermath of his fall that has spread across North Africa, up to Israel's southern border, provides a chilling vision of what could ensue if Assad's regime is crushed.
Mix Assad's chemical/biological weapons into the equation and there could be talk of apocalypse now.


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Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 138: The Book Will Not Defeat Me!
That's right. I am vowing right here, right now, that just because we have been going on marathon eating expeditions as part of our mad dash to finish the Serious Eats book, I am not going to accept Serious Diet defeat. Not now. Not ever.
That's not to say it's going to be easy not to temporarily throw in the diet towel. Because we have been doing some serious eating for this book, in addition to the serious eating we normally do at SE world headquarters. We told you about our not-so-little New Orleans po' boy adventure a couple of weeks ago. Since then I have eaten my way through Portland, Maine (duck fat fries with duck fat gravy, anyone?), with a couple of side trips for lobster rolls to Kennebunkport and Wiscasset for good measure.
But all of these trips were amuses compared to our Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison adventures last weekend.
Three days of Chicago eating with Carey, Robyn, and Chicago-based contributors and FoSE (Friends of SE) Nick Kindelsberger and Daniel Zemans (thank you, gentleman, for your curatorial, driving, and navigational skills) featured an insane amount of seriously delicious food: barbecue from Honey 1, Uncle John's, and Lem's; hot dogs topped with wonderfully salty, golden brown french fries from Gene and Jude's and Red Hot Ranch; an all-pie breakfast at Hoosier Mama's that was one of the peak food experiences of my life; and transcendentally delicious sandwiches at Rick Bayless' Xoco. There was more, lots more, but you get the picture.
Madison, Wisconsin, offered a bit of a respite, as our time there was mostly spent wandering around the wondrous farmers' market that wraps around the state capital building. We did find the time to have a few extraordinary baked goods, as well as a book-worthy politically correct, grass-fed but still juicy burger served with killer fries at Graze, L'Etoile's newly opened, more casual cousin.
Milwaukee featured Milwaukee's finest: butter burgers, three custard stands (Kopp's, Leon's, NorthPoint), a terrific corned beef sandwich at Jake's, and great, idiosyncratic pizza at the wacky but wonderful Maria's.
But I tried to eat responsibly and oh so reasonably everywhere, so that's why I say I'm not giving in to the "we've gotta finish the book, so I am going to allow myself to go completely off the diet reservation" mentality that I could so easily slip into.
The Weigh-In
Interim weigh-ins haven't been disastrous, but I did have a review meal on Thursday that did me no favors, diet-wise. All right, here we go. 223. Up two pounds. Damn you, Serious Eats book. You will not defeat me. You won't. You'll see. And Thinner, I will see you next week.


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You decide
Express your wishes.
Situations where values matter
Throughout the life care planning process, you have explored your personal experiences and values. Contemplating what matters most to you helps align your decisions for future health care with who you are as a person.
If you were very ill or had a serious injury, you would make decisions about the medical care you want based on your deepest values – those values that in many ways define who you are. You would make choices based on your thoughts and feelings about the circumstances and what is important to you in life. However, if you were unconscious or unable to communicate, someone else would have to make these choices for you. You can prepare that person and others who care about you by discussing your values and wishes in advance.
Why did you plan?
Discussion questions
Consider your values and preferences when completing the following two statements. Try describing these circumstances in as much detail as possible. Some people feel that life is always worth living, no matter what the circumstances. Others would not want to be kept alive if they had severe permanent brain damage or if they required 24-hour nursing care.
How would you answer the following fill-in-the-blank questions?
- I would want to be kept alive as long as I am able to ________ (i.e. communicate in any way, live outside of the hospital).
- Life would no longer be worth living if I had to ________ (i.e. live with permanent severe brain damage, have someone take care of all of my daily needs, permanently be kept alive on machine etc.).
You may wonder, "how can anyone plan for all possibilities?" You cannot anticipate every possible scenario, but there is one particular situation that is important to think through in advance. Your thoughts and feelings about what you would want in this situation will be informative for you and your agent.
Planning for the unexpected
We ask you to consider what your goals of health care would be if you were seriously ill or injured.
A good way to start is by thinking about what you would like your life to look like after you have experienced a serious medical event. If you were able to speak for yourself, your doctors would talk with you directly about your goals of care. If you were not able to speak for yourself, your health care agent would be asked to share your wishes with the medical team.
It might feel uncomfortable to think about this unfamiliar and serious topic, but it is very important to consider.
Reflect upon the following situation
Imagine that you have been injured in a very serious car accident, and you have a severe brain injury. The doctors believe you will never regain your ability to know who you are or to recognize your loved ones.
You have been stabilized in the intensive care unit (ICU), and life-prolonging treatments (for example, a breathing machine or a feeding tube) are keeping you alive.
The doctors now agree that you will likely not regain your ability to know who you are or recognize your loved ones. While the care you are receiving keeps you comfortable, the medical team is very certain that you will not continue to live without the life-sustaining treatments. In this situation, you cannot speak for yourself, and now your agent has been asked to make decisions on your behalf.
What would you want your agent to tell the doctors about your care?
Would you want...
- To continue to receive life-prolonging treatments?
- To only receive care focused on your comfort, which would probably mean that you would die sooner than if you were to continue to be on life-support machines?
Keep in mind that your answers to the questions above are unique to you. Whatever you decide for yourself is the right answer for you.
Rewards of planning
People typically want to know two things
Many people may want more information before answering these very important questions. Typically, people want to know two things:
- How do the doctors know that my brain damage is permanent?
- Can I try life sustaining treatment for a period of time?
To feel confident answering this question you may want to watch the video in which a Kaiser Permanente physician answers some of the most common questions people have when considering this type scenario.
Answers to common questions
When considering the brain injury situation you have just read, many people have some questions. Dr. Raymund Damian, an internist at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael, will answer some of the most common questions.
Answers to common questions, part 1
Question: How do the doctors know that in a situation like the one described in Planning for the unexpected that I would never regain the ability to know who I am or recognize loved ones?
Answer: In these types of situations, the doctors perform the medical tests necessary to know this condition is extremely likely to be permanent and that you will never recover before they ask your agent to make a decision about whether to continue with life sustaining measures.
Answers to common questions, part 2
Question: Can I choose to try life-prolonging treatment for a period of time to see if I will get better?
Answer: Yes, you can. If this is your preference, then you will need to specify the period of time you would want to be kept alive if there's no improvement to your condition. For instance, saying you would want to be kept alive "for a while" is too vague. Instead, you will need to be as clear and specific as possible so that your agent and loved ones will know how to act on your behalf.
Question: Where can I learn more about artificial nutrition?
Answer: Take a look at our Artificial Nutrition fact sheet (pdf).
Question: How can I learn more about machines used to help people breathe?
Answer: Review our Help with Breathing fact sheet (pdf).
CPR — My choice
One particular medical intervention to consider and discuss with your agent is CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). When it comes to CPR, the decision involves thinking about whether or not you would want attempts made to restart your heart and breathing if they suddenly stopped while you were in the hospital.
Because CPR must be started almost immediately after your heart and breathing stop, it is important to think about this treatment option now, so you can discuss your preferences with your health care agent and document your wishes in your Advance Health Care Directive.
What is CPR and how is it done?
CPR is a procedure used to attempt to restart your heart and breathing. CPR typically includes:
- Pressing hard on your chest and sometimes also breathing into your mouth.
- Electrical shock and drugs to try to start your heart.
- A tube to open your airway and a machine to help you breathe.
What are the potential side effects of CPR?
People often think of CPR as it is depicted in TV shows, but in reality, it is very different. On TV, people who receive CPR often leave the hospital to go home with their families the same day or a few days later in the condition they were in before their heart stopped.
Unfortunately, reality rarely looks like what we see on TV. Usually, there are some serious side effects of CPR, like broken ribs, brain damage from lack of oxygen, and weakened lungs. Therefore, even if CPR is successful, there is a high likelihood you would remain in the hospital in critical condition and on breathing machines.
How successful is CPR?
Of patients who receive CPR in the hospital, about 17% will survive CPR to be discharged from the hospital.1 Only slightly more than 2% will survive with good brain functioning.2
For adults who are frail, in nursing homes or very ill, the likelihood of CPR succeeding is much lower. For residents of nursing homes, the chance of CPR working at all is less than 3%.3
Will emergency responders honor my wishes?
To be effective, CPR has to be started within a few minutes of your heart stopping. If something sudden – an accident or injury – were to happen to you, the emergency responders or bystanders who know CPR would try to restart your heart immediately, since they probably would not have access to your Advance Health Care Directive at that urgent time.
So, if your choice is to allow a natural death and not attempt CPR, it is important to know that it is impossible to guarantee what will happen outside of the hospital. But we still encourage you to talk with your health care agent about CPR and document this in an Advance Health Care Directive. This way, if your heart and breathing ever stopped in a hospital setting, the medical team would know if you would want CPR.
If you are certain you do not want CPR, please discuss other documents you may want to complete with your physician.
How do I decide whether or not I want CPR?
Whether you want CPR attempted if your heart and breathing stops - or not - is a personal choice. It's a decision that may change as you age or if your health declines, too.
It is common for healthy adults and younger adults to want attempts made to restart their heart. While the survival rates are low overall, if you are in a healthy condition when you receive CPR, the likelihood of a good outcome is much better.
We encourage you to do some reflection before deciding whether or not you want CPR attempted. It may be helpful to discuss your thoughts with your health care agent or someone else close to you.
Some questions to help you consider whether you want CPR attempted – or not
- What personal experience have you had with family or friends who have had CPR? How did that experience affect your own decision?
- What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of CPR?
- What outcome would you expect if CPR were performed and you survived? For example, think about your level of functioning, ability to be independent, or the chance of living in a nursing home the rest of your life.
- What outcome would be unacceptable to you? For example, some would consider it unacceptable if they required 24 hour nursing care, were unable to communicate with loved ones, or needed a permanent life sustaining treatments (like a breathing machine).
- Are there others you would like to have participate in this decision-making process?
- Do you have other questions that need to be answered before deciding?
- Peberdy, MA, Kaye W, Ornato JP, et al. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation of adults in the hospital: A report of 14, 720 cardiac arrests from the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Resuscitation – 2003; 58 297-308
- Ebell, M.H., Wonchol J., et. al. Development and Validation of the Good Outcome Following Attempted Resuscitation (GO-FAR) score to Predict Neurologically Intact Survival After In-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. JAMA Intern Med. Published online September 09, 2013.
- Shah MN, Fairbanks RJ, Lerner EB (2006).Cardiac arrests in skilled nursing facilities: continuing room for improvement? J Am Med Dir Assoc. Jul;(6):350-4.


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Pharoahe Monch - Welcome To The Terrordome
Pharoahe Monch's cover of the early 90's PE hit from the album Fear of a Black Planet
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the Appoquinimink River Association in Delaware as a leader in promoting environmentally friendly projects that control storm water runoff and help protect the environment.
The non-profit organization was recognized for developing an environmentally friendly rain garden at the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend Senior Center in Middletown, Del. A rain garden is a shallow depression of native grasses and plants that collect storm water runoff from downspouts, driveways and roads. The rain garden is used as demonstration project in Delaware on how to control storm water runoff. For educational purposes, the group installed a sign on the site with graphics and information that explain the importance of rain gardens.
"The rain garden developed by the Appoquinimink River Association serves as a great example of what organizations can do to protect the environment by controlling storm water runoff," said Donald S. Welsh, administrator for EPA's mid Atlantic Region. "Retaining as much storm water as possible on land – rather than letting it run to storm drains – can help keep harmful flows and pollutants out of our streams and rivers."
The association was recognized under the Leadership in Low Impact Development Recognition Program that was created by a cooperative agreement between EPA's mid-Atlantic region and the Low Impact Development Center in Beltsville, Md. to highlight exceptional efforts in storm water management.
Low-impact development is a storm water management strategy concerned with maintaining or restoring the natural hydrologic functions of a site to achieve natural resource protection objectives. Low-impact development addresses storm water through small, cost-effective site design and landscape. More information on low-impact development can be found at http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/ and more information on the recognition program can be found at www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/recognition.


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Coffins at Walmart.
View their selection here.
I'm holding out for the Jerry Dandridge with internal locks.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Save Money. Die Better
Coffins at Walmart.
6 comments:
- Anonymous said...
I think I just died a little.....
- February 16, 2010 at 10:32 AM
- ~Scout~ said...
The Regal "Wide Body" has to be the cruelest name for a coffin, EVER. Even in death there is no kindness for chubbies! LOL
The Cameo Rose was fairly spectacular. My Mother would love it.
- February 16, 2010 at 11:36 AM
- Jon said...
Wow. That "People of Walmart" website is about to get a whole lot scarier.
- February 16, 2010 at 1:38 PM
- Ghostsoldier said...
The "Supreme Distinction" is pretty frakkin' sweet....
- February 16, 2010 at 3:02 PM
- Pam Morris said...
another funny one (the internal locks bit)! you must be in a humorous sort of mood today--much obliged!
- February 16, 2010 at 5:01 PM
- All Together Dead said...
I thought this was a joke at first, then my jaw dropped.... Walmart... seriously.....
- February 16, 2010 at 7:40 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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For some background, M.S. was born in 1936 in New Jersey and adopted within the first year of her life. She knew her birth name, which enabled me to find the court records at the Office of the Surrogate of Essex County, New Jersey. The papers contained her full birth name, her birth mother's name, and her birth mother's address. Unfortunately the age of the birth mother was omitted. [Note: In 1940, New Jersey sealed adoption records, but not retroactively. This is how I was able to walk into the records room and read this coveted information. Most adopted people do not have this option.]
Back in the day (and it's not even that long ago), before so much was online, indexed, and just a few mouse clicks away, I had to manually search papers and microfilm for information on my German families in Newark. The family of M.S. was of German origin and lived in Newark. They were usually found in close proximity to my German ancestors, so gathering everyone's information was not difficult. The paths of our ancestors literally crossed many times in the same neighborhoods, places of work and worship, with the same midwives delivering each new generation. How ironic that our ancestors most likely knew one another and now our paths had crossed years later!
In spite of all this research, I have been unable to determine which woman in this family was the birth mother. The older generation has passed, so nobody alive today is able to confirm parentage for us.
A DNA test can connect an adopted person to her genetic family. At AncestryDNA, the closest relatives for M.S. were at best third cousins. None had known lines from Germany or New Jersey.
Recently AncestryDNA enabled participants to download their raw DNA data, which had been offered for years at 23andMe and FamilyTreeDNA. GedMatch is a free site with useful functions for your genetic genealogy studies. GedMatch expanded to accept and compute AncestryDNA files. I had already uploaded the raw DNA of myself and others tested at 23andMe. I was finally able to compare my family to the DNA of M.S. We *might* match!
I write *might* because the shared segments are smaller than the minimum length generally held to signify a common ancestor [5 cM for the genetically inclined]. GedMatch gave a predicted relationship of about 7 generations back to a common ancestor for M.S. and my father and all three of his siblings. The results are below. The areas marked in green are identical areas for the siblings.
M.S. versus my father.
The green area is identical in his siblings and M.S.
M.S. versus my uncle.
The green area is identical in his siblings and M.S.
M.S. versus my aunt.
The green area is shared with her siblings and M.S.
M.S. versus my uncle.
The green area is identical in his siblings and M.S.
The orange area is possibly shared with a cousin who is not related to the suspected common German lines.
In the final comparison above of my uncle to M.S., I have marked an area of chromosome 17 in orange. This is a possible shared overlap with my father's mother's cousins. I have not tested the DNA of any cousins from my father's German branch, which is on his father's side, not his mother's side.
M.S. versus cousin 1
The area in orange might be an area where M.S. matches this cousin and my uncle.
M.S. versus cousin 2
If M.S. matches the cousins from my father's mother's side, then this throws my German theory out because the only German in my father's family tree is from his father's father. I think there is a better explanation. The area of Chromosome 17 that is identical is perhaps too tiny to be significant. These cousins match me through their father's side. If we look at their mother's tree, which is not related to me, we find German roots quickly.
|1870 United States Federal Census
New York City
Wrage household
We have another Herman the German. Herman Wrage was the great grandfather of my two cousins who match M.S. It is possible that they are related to M.S. as is my father, but on different German lines. We just have to figure out those lines.


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It was probably the Romans who first introduced vines to the strata montana, but the earliest records of viticulture in the Bergstrasse region are from the 8th century and relate to Lorsch Imperial Abbey. In 1971, Hessische Bergstrasse became an independent wine-growing region and today it is the smallest of Germany's 13 wine regions. It consists of two separate geographical areas: Starkenburg, south of Darmstadt, comprises the towns of Alsbach, Zwingenberg, Bensheim and Heppenheim, while the 'Odenwald wine island' is the area in and around Gross-Umstadt and Rossdorf.
Roughly 440 hectares are under vine in the Bergstrasse region, producing around 80 per cent white wines and 20 per cent reds. Of the whites, riesling is the dominant variety, with roughly 51 per cent of the total area, followed by pinot gris (9 per cent), pinot blanc (8 per cent), müller-thurgau (8 per cent) and silvaner (4 per cent). Pinot noir accounts for approximately 18 per cent, followed by saint laurent, dornfelder and other varieties of reds. There are also smaller vineyards that cultivate special grape varieties such as gewürztraminer, chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon.
The vineyards of the Hessische Bergstrasse region contain a wide variety of soil types. Weathered granite is the dominant soil in Zwingenberg, Auerbach and Bensheim, while loess and yellow Bunter sandstone are particular to Heppenheim. Crystalline slate, warm sand and loess, along with quartz porphyry and basalt soil, give the white wines from the Hessische Bergstrasse region a very delicate fruitiness and make its red wines fruity and full-bodied.
The Bergstrasse region is known throughout Germany as the 'spring garden'. The hills of the Odenwald region offer excellent protection against harsh northerly and easterly winds. Thanks to this natural shield against the elements, spring starts about two weeks earlier here than in the rest of Germany. Annual averages include a temperature of 11° Celsius, 1,700 hours of sunshine and 720mm of rain; the sort of climate that allows a long growing season and is ideal for cultivating vines.
Bergsträsser Winzer eG is the largest wine producer in the Hessische Bergstrasse region. It consists of around 600 professional winegrowers and part-time vintners who cultivate more than half of the total area under vine. The cooperative members market their own wines and some also run winegrower's taverns which are popular with locals and wine tourists alike.
The people of the Bergstrasse region are not the quiet brooding type. Visitors and wine tourists appreciate the friendly, open hospitality they find here, and many return time and again. Whether you are tasting wine at a winery with a view to buying a few cases or visiting a vintner's tavern for a glass or two – there is always time for a friendly chat with the winegrower, the waitress or the people at the next table.
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Last year's top stories included acquisitions, private financing, and new players. Leading club operators look back and discuss the events that had the biggest impact on health and fitness in 1999.
How could 1999 possibly live up to the hype surrounding it? Between apocalyptic predictions and fear of the Y2K bug, nothing short of anarchy and horrific disaster would have met some people's expectations. No wonder the Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince (or just Prince nowadays) once urged people to party like it was 1999. He must have had a premonition that the year promised chaos, possibly the last hurrah for humanity.
In the end, however, 1999 left nihilists and survivalists alike disappointed. When Jan. 1 arrived, the lights didn't go out. The earth didn't crack open and swallow us all. Aliens didn't even bother to make an appearance (unless you count the 24 Hour Fitness billboard). In fact, after 2000 arrived, the people who had curled up in their bunkers with stockpiles of firearms, canned goods and bottled water had to admit that maybe-just maybe-they really were a little paranoid.
Last year may not have brought the ultimate ending for planet Earth, but, in many respects, it brought a sense of beginning for the health and fitness industry. Acquisitions, partnerships and other events made 1999 feel like the start of something fresh, with new players and new financing changing the way that people viewed our industry.
More and more investors gained an interest in our industry in 1999, evidenced by the money that made its way into club companies. "One of the big pieces of news last year was the availability of private financing," says Rick Caro, chairman of Spectrum Clubs International. In addition to Spectrum Clubs International, Town Sports International (TSI), Fitness Holdings Worldwide (of which 24 Hour Fitness is part), Life Time Fitness and Gold's Gym all benefited from this type of financing last year.
Indeed, Brockway Moran & Partners, a private equity firm in Boca Raton, Fla., made quite an impact in the third quarter of 1999 by sponsoring the acquisition of Venice, Calif.-based Gold's Gym Enterprises. This led to the formation of Gold's Gym Investments (GGI) headed by the management team behind the G Group, a group of eight successful Gold's Gyms in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
The new Gold's regime has a different philosophy than its predecessor. Whereas Gold's Gym Enterprises only owned the original Gold's Gym location, GGI owns nine clubs-and made its plans to expand to 100 by 2005 quite clear in 1999. GGI also announced plans to franchise 1,000 clubs.
Mark Smith, TSI's CEO, believes the Brockway Moran deal has great potential since it brings professional management that can leverage the well-known Gold's brand. And it's significant that GGI wants to expand beyond franchising, growing into a larger club owner.
Kirk Galiani, GGI's president and CEO, agrees that the Gold's Gym restructuring was major news in 1999. He adds that another club company made significant headlines last year. "Spectrum was pretty big," he says.
What makes Spectrum particularly newsworthy is that the company didn't exist prior to 1999. Backed by Brentwood Associates, Spectrum first acquired the Racquetball & Fitness Clubs in San Antonio, then went to Los Angeles and bought the Spectrum Clubs (from which it gets its name) from the Sports Club Co. In only 90 days, the fledgling company had become a $60 million player with 18 clubs.
"For the first time a company was created that involved a combination of someone inside the industry along with an experienced private equity company that understood consolidations in other industries," says Caro, referring to himself and Brentwood. And with Bob Steele, formerly of Pepsico, joining Spectrum as CEO late in 1999, Spectrum began adding talent from outside the industry to the mix.
Spectrum's acquisition targets are clubs in the upper-middle and high-priced segment-particularly club clusters that can be used as platforms for regional growth. Its 1999 purchases demonstrated this strategy, as did its not-so-secret attempts to acquire WellBridge (formerly Club Sports International) this year. Although negotiations with WellBridge faltered recently (depending on whom you ask), they clearly showed Spectrum's aspirations. "It indicates how active they intend to be in the industry," says TSI's Smith.
As far as activity goes, when it came to acquisitions, few companies matched the frenetic pace of Fitness Holdings Worldwide last year. "We went into Asia and expanded in Europe," says Mark Mastrov, CEO of Fitness Holdings Worldwide.
Not only did Fitness Holdings Worldwide do well with acquisitions overseas-entering Asia for the first time and building a strong presence in Scandinavia-but the company kept quite busy in the states. "Its biggest success in 1999 was the acquisition of the Q Clubs," Caro offers.
Indeed, Q Clubs was one of the top 10 club chains in the country, in terms of revenue. Mastrov says that the Q Clubs complement 24 Hour Fitness. The average age of a 24 Hour Fitness member is 38, while the average age for a Q Sports member is 41. "We felt the market they go after is the market we go after: aging baby boomers," Mastrov notes.
The acquisition of Q Clubs was part of a $900 million recapitalization that occurred near the end of 1999. Through this recapitalization, Mc-Cown DeLeeuw-the lead investor in Fitness Holdings Inc., Fitness Holdings Europe and Fitness Holdings Asia-consolidated the three companies together into Fitness Holdings Worldwide. When the year closed, Fitness Holdings Worldwide boasted 350 clubs, approximately 240 of which were 24 Hour Fitness facilities.
Any article examining the acquisition activity of 1999 would be remiss without some mention of Bally Total Fitness. The industry's biggest company made some big news itself last year.
"Bally Total Fitness continued with their acquisition program and bought Sports Clubs of Canada in 1999, which was the pre-eminent club in the Toronto area, and a real departure for Bally since it was a club organization priced in the upper-middle segment of the industry," Caro says.
In addition to the 10 Sports Clubs in Canada, Bally made acquisitions that reinforced its presence in California, notably with the purchase of the George Brown clubs in Fresno, Calif. Not surprisingly, California was a hotbed for acquisition and competition in 1999. Jill Kinney, COO of San Francisco-based Club One, was in the thick of it, claiming that most of the action came from Bally, 24 Hour Fitness and her company.
Club One made plenty of headlines with its acquisitions in 1999. Although most club insiders cite the acquisition of the San Diego-based Frog's Athletic Clubs as Club One's biggest coup, it wasn't the only event of note, according to Kinney. Yes, Club One took over seven clubs in San Diego, but thanks to acquisitions and rebuilding, the company added three clubs in Silicon Valley and another three in San Francisco.
Club One also purchased Professional Club Management, a provider of corporate fitness management, in 1999. At the time of the acquisition, Professional Club Management carried 20 corporate fitness center contracts. "In the course of the year, we opened another 10 corporate fitness centers," Kinney says.
California wasn't the only area rife with acquisitions in 1999. Back East, Crunch got one step closer to its five-year plan of growing to 100 clubs with the acquisition of Sportslife, a six-club chain in Atlanta. GGI's Galiani says that this acquisition struck him as odd. "Their [Crunch's] M.O. has been urban, inner-city, trendy clubs," he explains, "and Sportslife were multipurpose facilities."
Still, Doug Levine, Crunch's CEO, says that the acquisition has been a good fit-although Crunch did change Sportslife's pricing structure. Before, Sportslife sold three-year memberships almost exclusively; now Crunch follows a monthly model, although this model doesn't apply to all members. Yet. Since some Sportslife members had already paid for their three-year memberships before the acquisition, Crunch inherited members who didn't owe dues. Levine is counting the days until he can sell those customers new memberships.
"We have a year and half to go," he says with a laugh.
Although the pricing has changed, Sportslife's members-who now can take part in Crunch's popular group exercise classes-have responded well to the new owner, according to Levine. "We've put time and energy and money into the clubs," he says. "It has been perceived in a positive way."
The Sportslife acquisition is not unique in that respect. Throughout 1999, club companies did their best to make transitions easier for the facilities they purchased. While each acquirer took slightly different approaches, they all emphasized sensitivity to member and staff concerns.
Club One's Kinney puts it this way: If a club is failing, then members may welcome a new name on the front door. But if the members feel loyal to the acquired club, they may not be so accepting. In some cases, putting the name of a big chain on the acquired facility will lead members to think that they won't get the service they received in a smaller community club.
Kinney points out that it doesn't always behoove her company to slap Club One banners all over an acquired club. For example, when Club One bought the Frog's facilities last year, the purchased facilities become Frog's Club One. "We needed to recognize that the community down there cared more about the Frog's name than the Club One name," Kinney says.
Similarly, since acquiring Q Clubs, Fitness Holdings Worldwide has studied whether to change the name to 24 Hour Fitness. Thus far, the clubs carry the Q name. "We kept their name and brand, so their membership has been uninterrupted," Mastrov says.
Acquired clubs that kept their names were common sights in '99. When Spectrum made its launch with the San Antonio acquisition, the Texas facilities remained Racquetball & Fitness Clubs. Furthermore, programming, staff and price stayed the same, so the change in ownership was hardly noticeable. Caro explains that this approach allows a certain comfort level to set in. People accept the new ownership, so if change were to occur eventually, members would be receptive because their initial fears of change were never realized.
Caro also explains that new owners must communicate with members, to put them at ease. The same approach is advisable when dealing with the staff of the acquired club, an approach that Bally demonstrated in 1999. According to Bill Fanelli, Bally's executive vice president of operations, the key is spending time with employees, telling them what they can expect from the new owners and what opportunities they will have in the new company.
When Bally is about to acquire a company, it brings in employees from previously acquired clubs. For example, when Bally was buying the Toronto clubs, managers from Pinnacle-a major acquisition that Bally made in 1998-came to meet with the managers from the Sports Clubs of Canada. This way, the managers could talk candidly about the transition process and Bally's corporate team.
"They threw me out of the room so they could say whatever the heck they wanted to say about me," Fanelli recalls, laughing.
Other clubs went to similar lengths to appease management in 1999. There was a sound business reason for going to this kind of trouble. During many of the larger acquisitions in 1999, the buyers wanted existing management to stay on board.
"One of the reasons why 24 Hour Fitness has been successful is they have acquired clubs with good managers and encouraged them to stay on and grow the business," Levine points out.
Although buyers may welcome the managers and entrepreneurs who built the acquired businesses, the old guard may have trouble adjusting to the new corporate structure. For that reason, one industry executive, requesting anonymity, sees a potential downside to acquisitions. He notes that the creativity and business methods embraced by entrepreneurs may not fit into an organization where financial backers are more interested in numbers than ideas.
John McCarthy, executive director of IHRSA, echoes this concern, acknowledging that strong independent operators such as Sports Clubs of Canada and Racquetball & Fitness Clubs of San Antonio now answer to new bosses. "Our hope in the industry is that we don't lose the creativity and creative genius of these important players now that they are part of much larger entities," McCarthy says.
While some may argue that financially backed acquisitions could quell creativity, Levine points out that the growing consolidation trend has broadened operators' options. Before, if you wanted to sell your club, the logical buyer was the club competing across the street, he says. Now the logical buyer is a large national chain.
"When you have an industry that is consolidating and backed by financial players, there is an exit strategy for any club operator," Levine notes. "That's a huge positive."
If nothing else, the acquisition activity of 1999 was the next natural step in the evolution of a fragmented industry. "Acquisitions are inevitable," Galiani says. "We are a maturing industry, and these things will happen."
Besides, Galiani adds, not all club growth came in the form of acquisition in 1999. Green-field openings were also en vogue last year. Mastrov of Fitness Holdings Worldwide cites Minnesota's Life Time Fitness as an example. In 1998, Life Time owned five clubs; last year, green-field buildings brought that number to 12. And Life Time clubs aren't small; they are 100,000-square-foot multipurpose facilities. "Life Time Fitness built some big monster clubs last year," Mastrov notes.
TSI also broke quite a bit of ground last year. Literally. Although TSI completed many acquisitions in 1998, the company quietly bought four clubs last year. However, the East Coast juggernaut built 14 clubs, keeping its focus on its four markets: New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. According to Smith, TSI wants its clubs in those areas to be within a 5-to-8-minute drive for members, and its 1999 green fields brought that goal closer to reality. That's why Caro describes TSI as a leader in its Eastern markets-areas that were unaffected by 1999's major acquisitions.
"The reality is that none of those acquisitions had any impact on our markets and the way we did business," Smith says.
Larger club chains may have made the biggest deals of 1999, but clubs of all shapes and sizes were busy last year. According to Caro, operators who owned one or two clubs continued to increase their involvement in the industry by either acquiring or building clubs. There were several reasons for this, he says. The economy was strong, financing was available and the industry was growing. Furthermore, there were more members, prices could be raised, and money from new programs and services meant clubs could generate income beyond membership dues. In some areas, more clubs were needed, while aggressive operators realized that they could purchase, then turn around, clubs that had not been living up to their potential.
While American clubs, large and small, enjoyed a strong year in 1999, the public companies in the U.K. and Japan witnessed a true boom. IHRSA's McCarthy explains that the companies in the U.K. are trading at more than 20 times earnings, compared to 10 to 15 in the United States. One such U.K. company, Fitness First, earned the coveted Price Waterhouse Award for being the U.K.'s most entrepreneurial company in 1999. In McCarthy's opinion, Fitness First received the highest award ever given to any club company in the history of the industry.
With that kind of performance and recognition, it's no surprise that the public markets overseas currently hold pure fitness companies in higher regard than the U.S. market does. Still, the events of 1999 make Wall Street's esteem seem like an obtainable goal for U.S. clubs. As McCarthy explains it, companies such as TSI, Club One and Spectrum are all approaching the critical sales and earnings mass for going public. And Bally, our industry's top public player, has been posting a steady increase in financial performance. "We're very happy with the results we had in 1999," Fanelli says.
"The best omen for improving the public market perception of the industry is the continuing progress of Bally Total Fitness," adds McCarthy. "Their performance is starting to send a message to their own investors and to the investment community as a whole that this industry is worth watching closely."
An Entertaining Year
Technological advances made an impact with members in 1999.
"You know why I want to join your club? Because of all the acquisitions. To be honest, the behind-the-scene wheeling and dealing going on with club companies has made me want to get into shape in 1999."
OK, you didn't hear any new members say that last year. The major acquisitions of 1999-while having a major effect on the industry-probably didn't help you sell any memberships. They probably didn't even cause much buzz among consumers. So what did get members, prospects and operators equally excited last year?
Two words: entertainment and the Internet.
Both Netpulse and E-Zone-providers of entertainment that offer everything from television to the Internet-really began to come into their own last year. Crunch was one club that took advantage, according to CEO Doug Levine, using both products to bring information and entertainment to members.
In December of 1999, TSI signed an exclusive agreement with E-Zone that calls for TSI to put E-Zone systems on every piece of cardio equipment in its clubs. "The results have been very impressive in terms of member utilization and member feedback," says Mark Smith, TSI's CEO.
Both E-Zone and Netpulse have adopted an advertising-based model, with each willing to give away technology to clubs that can guarantee a steady flow of members who, while using the entertainment systems, will see the advertising that the companies sell. Since TSI occupies the major metropolitan markets of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., it's the perfect testing ground for this business model.
"Between our four markets, we have some of the strongest demographics, so our member base is the perfect rollout for E-Zone for proving their revenue model," Smith notes.
Smith is quick to add that there are more to these entertainment systems than advertising revenue-and entertainment, for that matter. "Entertaining is the first step," he says. "It is a communication tool for both members and staff. It's a totally interactive network. We're going to use it as an intranet for our staff and Web portal for members."
Indeed, the entertainment aspect of the E-Zone and Netpulse systems was only part of the reason these products garnered so much attention last year. Due to their very nature, they are perfect tools for keeping track of member activity and using the Internet to stay connected with members.
Not that clubs need entertainment systems to stay in touch with members via the Internet. Many of the fitness-based dotcoms that came into existence last year showed just how much functionality was available. "A lot of the online services started in '99 obviously have had a big impact on people's thinking about the opportunities in the industry," says Jill Kinney, COO of Club One.
These opportunities come in the form of e-commerce and ways in which clubs sell new services and create new profit centers. As an example, Kinney points out that clubs can use the Internet to do online health risk appraisals and programming that allows clubs to reach people who aren't interested in a membership yet want some fitness guidance. Clubs can then bridge the gap and ultimately get these people into the club.
This same strategy can be used to connect to existing members. People who can't get into the club all the time can communicate with their trainers over the Internet. Bill Fanelli, executive vice president of operations of Bally Total Fitness, believes that 1999 showed clubs how they could keep relationships alive with members once they leave the facilities.
"We got a taste of what the Internet could do for own business," he says. "Through the Internet, we can have deeper bonds with members."
1999 at a Glance
A synopsis of last year's top stories.
* Alleged mobsters pleaded guilty to a scheme that artificially drove up the stock price of HealthTech International, a Mesa, Ariz.-based owner of health clubs. Later in the year, a Manhattan federal judge convicted Gordon Hall, HealthTech's chairman and CEO, of 12 counts in the case, including racketeering, and securities and wire fraud.
* Crunch acquired Sportslife, a six-club chain in Atlanta.
* A group of overweight advocates protested a 24 Hour Fitness billboard that depicted an alien and read, "When they come, they'll eat the fat ones first." In an interview published in April, Craig Pepin-Donat, Northwest division president of 24 Hour Fitness, told Club Industry, "Obesity is second only to smoking as the leading preventable cause of death in this country, affecting hundreds of thousands of people each year at an estimated cost of $100 million per year. A lot of people think that we think that it's funny, but in fact, we think that it's a very serious issue-although we used the ad as a tongue-in-cheek, humorous approach to raising the level of awareness."
* Club Sports International (CSI) acquired the WellBridge Co., a chain of wellness centers. Later, CSI would change its name to WellBridge.
* At the IHRSA trade show in San Diego, association officials and leading club operators announced plans to raise $1 million to battle the opening of tax-exempt fitness centers in affluent communities.
* Anne Marie Capati suffered a stroke while exercising at a Crunch facility and passed away later that night in a New York Hospital. Alleging that her death was the result of a diet supplement that her personal trainer encouraged her to take, Capati's family filed a $320 million lawsuit against the supplement manufacturer, the supplement seller, the personal trainer and Crunch. In an interview with Club Industry published in August, CEO Doug Levine pointed out that Crunch has a strict anti-supplement policy. "It's going to be very, very, very bad for the industry if the club is held liable," he said. "It would be bad if the club were held liable and we sold supplements. Can you imagine what it will do to the industry if we are held liable and we don't sell and recommend supplements? It makes the liability out of control."
* San Francisco-based Club One acquired Frog's, a leading club chain in the San Diego area.
* Brockway, Moran & Partners, a private equity firm, sponsored the acquisition of Gold's Gym Enterprises and the formation of Gold's Gym Investments. Kirk Galiani, John Galiani and Jeff Skeen-the management team behind the G Group, a leading licensee of eight Gold's Gyms-took over the new Gold's organization.
* Rick Caro, a top industry consultant, and Brentwood Associates, an investment firm, launched a new club consolidator. In the course of 90 days, their company acquired the Racquetball & Fitness Clubs and the Spectrum Clubs. Following the latter acquisition, the company took the name of Spectrum Clubs International.
* As part of a $900 million recapitalization, McCown DeLeeuw consolidated Fitness Holdings Inc., Fitness Holdings Europe and Fitness Holdings Asia into Fitness Holdings Worldwide, a company with 350 clubs, 240 of which were 24 Hour Fitness facilities. At the same time, Fitness Holdings Worldwide acquired the Q Clubs chain.
* Bally Total Fitness bought the Sports Clubs of Canada and seven George Brown fitness centers in California. The company finished strong in 1999: Net income for the year increased to $1.56 per diluted share compared with $.19 in 1998.


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EDEN 2011 Ligatne ENG from LTDA on Vimeo.
Ligatne is one of the most beautiful nature corners in the Gauja National Park.
On the one hand, Ligatne is connected to the only paper producer in Latvia, on the other hand, to the old valley of Gauja River and Gauja National Park, but in the center of it there is Ligatne historical complex of paper industry with a unique "Historical center of Ligatne Paper Mill village".
The historical development of the village of Ligatne Paper Mill is at least 200 years long. Ligatne is situated on 6 hills: Rigaskalns, Springukalns, Skolaskalns, Plucukalns, Kiberkalns and Remdenkalns, in the middle of which there is a valley named Zakusala.
For already 190 years the name of Ligatne has been related to the paper mill. Its historical center together with historical buildings of the mill is included in the list of cultural monuments of national importance.
This place is so beautiful due to sandstone cliff exposures on the banks of Ligatne River and Gauja River. Inhabitants of Ligatne remember tales about Katriniezis rock, Gudu cliffs, Jumpraviezis rock and, certainly, about Gauja – its dark pits, islands, rafters…
In the valley of Ligatne River there are artificial caves – cellars excellent at storage of vegetables and chosen as winter quarters by bats. 8 species of bats are met in Ligatne. Ligatne is the richest in caves place in Latvia.
Šobrīd Līgatnes papīrfabrikas ciemata vēsturiskajā centrā tiek īstenots projekts "Līgatnes papīrfabrikas ciemata kultūrvēsturiskās tūrisma takas izveide"
(Nr. PPA/184.108.40.206.1/09/02/003), ko saskaņā ar vienošanos
Nr. L-PPA-10-0018 līdzfinansē Eiropas Reģionālās attīstības fonds.


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Meet Pedro Duque
First steps towards space
In 1986, at the age of 23, Pedro Duque completed an aeronautical engineering degree at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, School of Aeronautics [ETSIA]. During his studies, Duque worked with the Flight Mechanics Laboratory on a simulator project, on a contract with ESA.
How Pedro became an astronaut
In 1992, when he was working for the Spanish company GMV (Grupo Mecánica del Vuelo), Pedro was selected to be an ESA astronaut. Pedro had attended the tests after replying to an advertisement in a newspaper, requesting candidates to form part of the recently created European Astronaut Corps.
Almost there
Pedro was a backup for the Russian and European EuroMir mission in 1994. He trained for eighteen months in Star City, near Moscow, but never flew. In 1996 he was a backup Payload Specialist, for a Space Shuttle mission. During both missions he acted as the communications link between the scientists on Earth and the astronauts in space.
At last! The Discovery
It would seem that October is Pedro Duque's month. On 29 October 1998, he blasted off from Cape Canaveral on Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-95 mission) together with the 77 year old veteran John Glenn and another five crewmembers: Curtis Brown, Steven Lindsey, Scott Parazynski, Stephen Robinson and Chiaki Mukai. Almost eight million Spaniards watched his "space baptism" live.
The STS-95 mission lasted nine days. Pedro was responsible for 29 European experiments out of the 80 carried out by the crew. Among the European experiments, were four Spanish experiments looking at the growth of protein crystals and materials under conditions of weightlessness. The results of these experiments were very satisfactory. For example, the Spanish researchers obtained high quality crystals using new techniques, which could eventually be used, among other things, in the design of new molecules for the pharmaceutical industry.
The most personal space
Among his personal belongings for the STS-95 mission, Pedro took León chorizo and some Manchego and Mahón cheeses; a ring; small items to give as presents; and some of his children's toys.
During the mission, the Mission Control in Houston selected music to play to the crew. In honour of Pedro, Nat King Cole's Cachito was played, chosen by Pedro's wife because it is about fatherhood – their youngest child was five weeks old at the time.
On his return, Pedro explained how full his days were on Discovery, especially bearing in mind that many apparently simple tasks sometimes become complicated because of weightlessness. For example, Pedro said that eating was sometimes difficult, given the risk that a simple drop could float away and spoil something important. Despite this, there was plenty of time on board Discovery for the crew to enjoy a dinner "upside down".
Pedro also spoke of the sensation of a "full stomach" and the headache that he suffered initially but which, by the end of the first day, had already passed. He exercised every day to avoid the loss of muscle mass and the calcium deficiency that often affects astronauts.
Here are some extracts from his impressions:
- On Pedro's first dawn on board: "I realised that we were far away and I admired the colour of the Earth, red and yellow, and the atmosphere, grey, that blends with the colour of space."
- One of the most gratifying aspects of his profession is "the contact with the scientists and the vanguard of technology; our work consists of attending their lessons and then acting as their laboratory assistant in the experiments during the flights."
Books and dreams
Among the novels that he has enjoyed most in his life are: Rendezvous with Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke, and Moby Dick. The work Cosmos by Carl Sagan, including the television series of the same name, influenced his love of space. Pedro's dream? "To visit Mars" is one of his usual responses.