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New design—Tees and tanks in a few different colors.
New design—Tees and tanks in a few different colors.
Interested in starting the Foundations classes at CFSW? Here's how it works:
The Foundations classes are run at 6 pm Monday -Thursday, and Saturday mornings at 930 am. You may enroll at any time, and get started immediately. Each class will focus on one topic or movement, with an emphasis on technical instruction, and then typically finishes up with a workout that involves some of the same movements.
The Foundations class rotates through 12 different topics, and you transition into the regular group classes as soon as you feel comfortable with the different movements and exercises. You may stay in the Foundations classes as long as you would like, and anyone in the regular group workouts are welcome to attend the Foundations classes as well if they would like to brush up on any of their skills.
For more information, or to make an appointment, please contact us.
We've been focusing on Olympic Weightlifting during this block of programming, so I thought it would be good to repost this graphic, as well as a couple of inspirational videos. We've got about 4 more weeks of this block, where the emphasis is on learning the lifts, and then we're going to be incorporating the lifts during the next round of programming as well. So, look, learn, love.
Here's a slow motion video of a World Record holder (Liao Hui). It's long, but worthwhile. Notice on the first pull how his knees move backward, while his back maintains the same angle relative to the floor. We've talked about it, but this is what it should really look like. Also, notice how high the bar doesn't get.
Here's some full-speed video of Hui, winning the Chinese National Weightlifting Games ('09), with a 163 kg Snatch and 195 kg Clean & Jerk. (358 lbs and 429 lbs, respectively) Oh, did you catch that he's in the 69 kg/151.8 lb weightclass?
CFSW got a plug from the folks at personaltrainingcertification.net, along with some of the other local CrossFit gyms. Thanks guys!
Trying to do a better job of keeping everyone updated on CrossFit and related events and happenings around the valley and state. Here is a partial list: Sat, Sept 1st
East Valley Open Weightlifting Meet East Valley CrossFit (Chandler) Sat, Sept 8th Rich Wenner Powerlifting Clinic Coach Wenner is Strength Coach at ASU East Valley CrossFit Sat, Oct 6th Garage Games CrossFit Purgatory (Tucson) Sat, Oct 6th Barbells for Boobs East Valley CrossFit Sat, Oct 13th The Furious 5 CrossFit Fury (Goodyear) Sat, Nov 10th Lift It Love It CrossFit 480 (Scottsdale) Sat, Dec 15th Affiliate Cup CrossFit Flagstaff
We'll probably be sending a few folks to some of these events, but they're also a good time if you just want to go watch and see what one of these competitions looks like. Please let me know if you have any questions or are interested in competing.
Busy week or so around here, but I wanted to post up our Fran times from last week. Several PRs, and many more people performing the workout as prescribed (or with less scaling) than last time. Great job everyone!
Also wanted to give you a sneak peek of our latest shirts. This is a very limited edition design! Don't worry if you miss out on this one though—we've got another design coming in the next week or two.


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The Case for Family-Friendly Work Practices in the Australian Construction Industry
Although significant changes at the social, demographic, technological and workforce levelshave transformed the relationship between family and work, these changes have notbeen reflected in the employment practices of many construction companies. Many of thejob and organisational factors found to be negatively associated with family functioning arepertinent to construction professionals. Staff are expected to work long hours in demandingroles and this, combined with job insecurity and frequent relocation, means that familylife and individual well-being can be compromised. A growing body of research has foundthat the implementation of family-friendly work policies and practices can lead to greaterproductivity, lower attrition rates and higher morale in the workplace. In addition providinga work environment that is supportive of workers' family roles can help to alleviate workrelatedmental health problems.This paper outlines the changing demographic trends and societal attitudes that are makingindividuals and organisations question current work cultures and structures. Optionsfor making the construction industry a more family-friendly work environment are considered.All professionals, regardless of their age, gender and family responsibilities, canbenefit from these initiatives. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of theseissues for construction companies and future research work.
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http://www.pay-dayz.co.uk You must begin doing a sufficient amount of groundwork with regard to mortgages
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Single digits, woohoo! We take another link out of our virtual paper chain with just 9 days remaining until the first practice of training camp! 9 days until the start of what will be season number 9 for the Lions at Ford Field.
The Lions opened regular season play at Ford Field with a 37-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers on September 22, 2002. The Lions would go on to post three home wins over the season but an 0-8 effort on the road signaled the end of the Marty Morhinweg era, despite his efforts to "raise the bar".
Ford Field's opening hasn't brought the Lions success on the field but the stadium has been important to the city of Detroit. The state-of-the-art facility has brought big time events, and the dollars that follow, to an area that sorely needs it. Super Bowl XL, WrestleMania 23, 2008 NCAA Basketball Regional semi-finals and finals, the 2009 NCAA Final Four, and the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four have each brought crowds of people downtown and opportunity for the city to showcase itself.
Detroit also benefits from a number of annual special events that take place at Ford Field. The MHSAA crowns eight state champions in football each Thanksgiving weekend, 40 high school marching bands vie for the right to be named an MCBA state champion in early November. College football takes center stage in December with the MAC Championship and the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl.
Hopefully, Ford Field provides the kind of home field advantage that can feed a team. That will largely depend on the type of team that the Lions field as crowds and enthusiasm have dwindled ahead of year 9 in the facility.
The Countdown rolls along: 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10…
Keep up to date with the SideLion Report via facebook and twitter. Get updates on all the happenings around the fansided network on facebook.
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Lee County -- Lee County Emergency Management have lowered the estimate of homes damaged by flood waters to 30 Thursday afternoon. The flood waters from the Kinchafoonee and Muckalee Creeks are receding, but people are concerned as the rain starts to fall again.
Flood waters that cover Uncle Jimmy's Lane have fallen several feet, but T.J. Danford is worried as the rain starts falling again. T.J. Danford said "It'll stop it, or it may rise up again, but I don't think it'll get any higher than it is."
Danford's home and five rental properties are at the far end of Uncle Jimmy's Lane, accessible only by boat. Danford said "We enjoy camping out, so it's no problem for us."
But Danford is worried more rain could bring the flood waters back. Danford said "I hope they leave those gates open at the dam, so this water can go on down where it is supposed to go."
Danford's homes are dry, but the swift creek water damaged his property. Danford said "I've got one boat that's underwater. And my dock, I don't know what I'll do about that. It's also washed away." His clean up will wait until this rain ends.
Creekside Drive is still covered by water, but has gone down several feet. Chris Hester said "We've been watching it on the hour."
Hester's home is about one hundred yards from the water's edge, but it is close to his shop in the back. Hester said "We are concerned about this rain coming. We don't know how much we are going to get, but we know that we are going to get a substantial amount more of flooding, if this doesn't drain out like it needs to."
A friend of the Edmond's checks their homes, which are surrounded by water, but still dry inside. But Hester and his neighbors keep a close watch on the flood waters, as the rain starts to fall again. Hester said "Scaring a lot of people around here. We get through this, I think I'm just going to sell and move. It's just too much to deal with."
Several homes are flooded on Cypress Point Circle. The water has fallen on this street as well, but most people are holding off clean up, until after these rain storms end.
E.M.A. Director Joe Pollock had first estimated that 40 homes in Lee County had been flooded, but after inspections Thursday he lowered that number to 30 houses damaged.
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Dengue remains a public health problem in the Americas despite the efforts of the Member States to contain and mitigate the impact of epidemics. It is a systemic and dynamic infectious disease. The infection may be asymptomatic or show a broad clinical spectrum of severe and nonsevere cases. After incubation, the disease begins abruptly and goes through three phases: febrile, critical, and recovery.
Dengue needs to be addressed as a single disease with different clinical presentations ranging from benign conditions to severe clinical outcomes that cause death.


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by Matt Malick and Ben Atwater
stock market has been on a tear lately and the Standard &
Poor's 500 Index is approaching the two-thousand mark. The current bull
market, which began on March 9, 2009, is both the fourth strongest and
the fourth longest, rising nearly 194% in over five years.
If it seems like stocks are cracking new all-time highs on a weekly basis, well, they basically are. Since reaching a new all-time peak on March 28, 2013, the S&P 500 has hit a new record on 21.4% of trading days – more than once a week, on average.
Since its inception in 1950, the S&P 500 has struck new all-time highs on just 6.8% of trading days. But, this long-term average includes weak markets where new highs are rarely eclipsed, such as the period from 2000 to 2013.
The roaring 90s offer an interesting point of comparison. After attaining a new all-time peak on Valentine's Day in 1995, the S&P 500 made new highs on 19.1% of trading days up until the tech bubble began to burst in March of 2000. This frequency is in the ballpark of the current environment. But, keep in mind, that equities hit new highs on almost a weekly basis for over five years, whereas the current run has lasted less than 16 months.
As the market continues its ascent, we are keeping a close eye on sentiment and valuations. Thus far, even minor upticks in volatility have led to spikes in bearish sentiment, as measured by various survey data. From an anecdotal perspective, the financial media, the investment industry and even clients still seem to view this market with a great deal of skepticism. Not until investors begin to shrug off bad news and view pullbacks as "buying opportunities" have bull markets usually run their course.
And from a valuation standpoint, the S&P 500 trades for about 18 times trailing earnings per share. While loftier than the historical average, the ninth innings of bull market runs accompany even higher multiples.
While we believe this bull market still has legs, all good things must eventually come to an end. Therefore, to be prudent, we are continuing to rebalance client portfolios where appropriate. This involves trimming outsized positions, adding to underperformers and realigning the mix between equities and fixed income.
more than just invisible hands
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
UPDATE: All-Time Highs
Posted by Mike Gumpper at 9:00 AM No comments: Links to this post
Monday, May 5, 2014
UPDATE: Bonds as a Hedge
The market has been more volatile in 2014 than last year. When markets get rocky, many investors look for fancy products to "hedge" their risk. The reality though is that high-quality bonds are the cheapest and most effective hedge available.
Since the start of the year, the Barclays Aggregate Bond Index (blue line) has been relatively stable and has proved a nice diversifier to the Standard and Poor's 500 Stock Index (green line).
Over a longer time period, for example the ten years from 2004 through 2013, both stocks and bonds performed well. Equities (blue line) and fixed income (orange line) returned 7.4% and 6.1%, respectively, compounded annually. However, as the chart below demonstrates, when stocks did well, bonds tended to lag and vice versa. And in this example from Morningstar, systematic rebalancing caused a portfolio of half stocks and half bonds (gray line) to actually outperform either individual asset class with less volatility.
Because interest rates are so low, some investors think bonds are a lousy investment. But while bonds may have limited long-term return potential, they are still a terrific hedge against market volatility.
Fidelity Investments studied a rising interest rate environment from 1941 to 1981 and found that by adding 20% bonds to an all-equity portfolio, volatility dropped by over 20% (standard deviation went from 14% to 11%), while returns fell by less than 10% (annualized total return went from 11% to 10%).
In other words, even when bonds seem like a poor investment on a standalone basis, they can be a smart holding in a portfolio context. For this reason, it pays to be disciplined about rebalancing.
Posted by Mike Gumpper at 10:34 AM No comments: Links to this post
Monday, January 27, 2014
UPDATE: An Emerging Emergency?
By Matt Malick and Ben Atwater
Stocks were pummeled last week. Or at least it felt that way. Given the low volatility and high returns we saw in 2013, this week felt particularly grave. The S&P 500 fell 2.6%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost approximately 3.5%, its biggest drop since 2012.
The crisis du jour lies in emerging markets. A Bloomberg gauge tracking 20 emerging market currencies hit its lowest level since April 2009; the index has tumbled almost 10% in the past year, the biggest annual decline since 2008.
More specifically, South Africa's rand is at its lowest level since 2008, Brazil's real fell to a five month low and has lost 28% in two years, the Argentine peso is at levels unseen since 2002, the Turkish lira set a record low and Ukraine's hryvnia is the weakest it has been since 2009 amid violent protests.
After logging a relatively rotten year in 2013, emerging market equities are showing signs of a complete breakdown, losing more than 5% so far in 2014. As you know, we do not have direct exposure to emerging market stocks, a conscious and, so far, wise decision.
More than $940 billion has been erased from the value of emerging market stocks since the United States Federal Reserve signaled in May the potential to curb its easing policy. Fund tracker EPFR estimates emerging equity and bond funds have seen outflows of $5 billion this year and nearly $60 billion since the beginning of 2013. Presently, there is a significant flight of capital from emerging market assets.
Whether or not U.S. equities can continue to withstand a meaningful correction in emerging markets remains to be seen. Another question on our minds is when we might see a buying opportunity in emerging markets.
For now, the benchmark Standard and Poor's 500 Index has fallen below its 50-day moving average, which is a poor technical indicator going forward. Interestingly, though, the S&P is still just 3% below its record closing high.
One bit of good news, of the 122 S&P 500 constituents that have released earnings so far this season, 74% have beaten earnings estimates, while 67% have exceeded sales projections, according to Bloomberg. The reason we own individual stocks is because the fundamental health of the underlying businesses is the only thing that ultimately matters in the long-term. The current emerging markets "crisis" is merely a noisy short-term problem.
Posted by Mike Gumpper at 1:58 PM No comments: Links to this post
Thursday, December 5, 2013
UPDATE: The Rest of the Year
by Matt Malick and Ben Atwater
Many clients have been wondering how we see the balance of the year for financial markets.
First, it is important to understand that 2013 has been a tale of two markets – U.S. stocks and everything else. In contrast to the strength of U.S. equities, nearly every other market, from gold to emerging markets to alternative investments, has seen results ranging from terrible to lackluster.
In 2013, the broadly diversified, or endowment, model of investing dramatically underperformed U.S. markets. Although we consider ourselves diversified investors, we have been positioned much more in line with what has worked – U.S. stocks. Therefore, our clients have been particularly successful so far this year.
Although there are no guarantees, the period from Thanksgiving through Christmas has historically been solid for U.S. stocks. Since 1945, the S&P 500 has averaged a gain of 1.76% with positive returns 71% of the time, according to Bespoke Investment Group. And, in years where the market is already up 10% leading into Thanksgiving, average returns are a slightly more robust 1.89%.
Bespoke further calculates that in the current bull market, which began in March 2009, the S&P 500 has averaged a gain of 4.41% from the end of Thanksgiving week through year end, with positive returns every year.
The most commonly cited risk to the market right now is the idea that the Federal Reserve could "taper" its quantitative easing program (the purchase of $85 billion per month of Treasury Bonds and mortgage-backed securities in the open market). Each time the market perceives tapering as a possibility, stocks slide. We most certainly agree that this is a risk for the market, but we believe tapering is still many months away.
Another potential pitfall for the market is valuation. Stocks are no longer cheap. At best, by historical standards, they are now fairly priced at about 16.5 times trailing earnings. However, in an extended bull market, equities tend to get awfully expensive before valuations correct. In other words, the stock market usually goes down too much and then up too much. Unlike Goldilocks, Mr. Market likes it too hot and too cold.
For now, we believe our focus should be twofold: 1) continuing to rebalance accounts to long-term asset allocation targets, which has meant trimming stocks and patiently adding to bonds and 2) looking for stocks that are less expensive than the market, which potentially adds a margin of safety if we encounter a market correction.
Posted by Mike Gumpper at 1:32 PM No comments: Links to this post
Friday, October 25, 2013
By Matt Malick and Ben Atwater
"That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains." - Steve Jobs, 1998 Business Week Interview
We have written extensively over the last five years about the effectiveness of a simple, understandable, transparent and low-cost investment philosophy. The way we invest, which we outlined for the first time in September 2008, stems from the discomfort we experienced while watching our industry slip into darkness. Luckily, our timing could not have been better.
For the five years ending September 30, 2013, the most basic index of American stocks, the Standard and Poor's 500, doubled the annualized performance of the Hedge Fund Research Incorporated Fund Weighted Composite Index - 10.02% versus 5.01%. This means that a passive basket of U.S. stocks dramatically outperformed the sophisticated, "go anywhere" strategies that the most brilliant practitioners on Wall Street conceived.
Lately we have fielded several inquiries about alternative investment strategies as a way to manage risk. It seems to us that despite all the evidence to the contrary, investors are still searching for something that doesn't exist – a formula to sidestep market losses while also getting a better return than bonds currently offer.
And this impossible quest is not limited to individual investors. The New York Times recently reported that "so-called alternative investments now account for almost one-quarter of the roughly $2.6 trillion in public pension assets under management nationwide, up from 10 percent in 2006, according to Cliffwater, an adviser to institutional investors."
The Rhode Island pension plan, for example, has increased its investments in alternatives from zero to almost $2 billion, or 25% of its assets, in the last two years. The result has been poor performance and outrageous fees. Their investment expenses for the year ended June 30th were $70 million versus a prior estimate of $11.5 million, primary due to alternative investments that charge up to 2.5% annually of assets under management plus another 20% of profits.
In reference to individual stock investing, the legendary Fidelity Magellan Fund manager, Peter Lynch, said, "The simpler it is, the better I like it." We think this sentiment applies to investing in general. You can observe a great example of this in 2008, a terrible year for the stock market, and the ensuing market recovery in 2009.
In 2008, the S&P 500 fell a whopping 37%. But, interestingly, the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index actually rose 5.24% that year. So, if you had a 50% stock and 50% bond portfolio, you would have lost 15.88%. Not good, but far from devastating.
Then in 2009, the S&P 500 rose 26.46% and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index rose 5.93%. The same 50 / 50 portfolio would have gained 16.20%. If the portfolio was rebalanced annually, then less than a year removed from the financial crisis and Great Recession, an investor in a plain vanilla balanced portfolio would have almost fully recouped all losses.
Lastly, in 2010, the same 50 / 50 portfolio would have generated 10.8% returns, putting the portfolio back in the black and well-positioned for robust returns in the years since. (Even without annual rebalancing, a 50 / 50 portfolio would have produced positive three-year returns from 2008 through 2010.)
As evidenced above, risk mitigation techniques do not need to be fancy, overly complex or expensive. Frankly, in our experience, the more esoteric these schemes, the less effective they are. Make no mistake, finding the proper allocation to high-quality bonds to complement your stock exposure is the best risk management strategy – it is straightforward, transparent and low-cost.
The chart below shows that even during a protracted bear market for bonds (1941-1981) - a time when interest rates rose and bonds prices fell – they still proved an excellent risk manager. The standard deviation (a statistical measure of variation around the mean) for a 50% stock / 50% bond portfolio was half that of an all-stock portfolio, or half the risk.
Ignoring the advice of Leonardo de Vinci that "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication," many risk-averse investors will buy anything, as long as it sounds sophisticated, regardless of whether they understand it. Or maybe the fact that they don't understand it gives a certain level of comfort – if it's that complicated, it must be good!
The old economic axiom, "There's no such thing as a free lunch," provides a cautionary message to people looking to manage risk via magic trick. Investors are naïve to believe strategies actually exist that can consistently shuffle money from one asset class to another with precision, or predict which stocks will spike over the short-term even when the market declines, or that can use options to truly protect against the downside without considerable cost, etc.
The martial artist and movie star Bruce Lee believed that, "It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials." From an investment standpoint, be honest with yourself about what you are trying to accomplish. Don't subscribe to the myth that a black box exists that will protect you from high stock prices and low bond yields. Instead, avoid the temptation to purchase investments that are supposedly sophisticated enough to outperform the tried and true.
A final thought from Peter Lynch: "All the math you need in the stock market you get in the fourth grade." This may sound unreasonable, but it's surely true. A real investment discipline will outperform all of the gimmicks.
Posted by Mike Gumpper at 10:48 AM No comments: Links to this post
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Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has cleared another hurdle in his bid for a political comeback, defeating a former county council member to win the GOP nomination for a vacant U.S. House seat.
Click on the video link to view new comments from Sanford during an interview to WCBD-TV.
With 78% of precincts reporting, Sanford had about 56% of the vote to 44% for Curtis Bostic, a former Charleston County Council member. The candidates were vying Tuesday in a GOP runoff in the 1st Congressional District, which covers the south coast.
Sanford will face Elizabeth Colbert (kohl-BURT') Busch and Green Party candidate Eugene Platt in a May special election. She is the sister of political satirist Stephen Colbert (kohl-BEHR').
Sanford's political career was derailed four years ago by his admission of an extramarital affair.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Henley Royal RegattaArticle Free Pass
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- The Official Site of Henley Royal Regatta "Overview of this annual boat race at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. Provides a detailed history, descriptions of the surrounding areas, records of past events, and information for prospective participants and spectators. Also offers merchandise."


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5 Reasons to Say "Yes" to Saying "Thank You"
Guest post by Julia Osovskaya
There are many reasons why one decides to start their own gratitude journal, be it a physical notebook, a document on your computer, a blog or a helpful smart phone application, and while for some the decision is a no brainer, others can get hesitant. "What exactly is so attractive about this whole gratitude movement? And why should I express my thanks daily, if I'm going to express them at all?", one may ask.
People who are no new to the practice know its power, and it seems that the more serious they are about the whole thing, the more they tend to get out of the experience. Thankfulness is known to increase happiness and bring new awareness of one's blessings, and people practicing gratitude daily report higher levels of satisfaction with just about any aspect of their lives. With these kind of benefits being quite obvious and widely advertised to all, one may wonder if there's more to it, some hidden perks of sorts, something that can be easier sensed and easily defined or even if there's just a simpler reason to try it than the good old pursuit of happiness.
Along with the things you may have heard about the power of gratitude before, there are unexpected benefits of being thankful too. So, if you need a good reason to give gratitude a try, here are 5 main "attractions":
1. A "thank you" a day keeps the worries away.
Giving sincere thanks for at least one good thing about your day is guaranteed to produce at least one positive thought, and taking a moment to focus on something good you take away from the time you could have instead spent worrying or getting upset. So with each thing you're feeling thankful for, no matter how small or even insignificant such thing may seem to you, there's one less moment left for worry. One by one, you make room for joy.
2. Being thankful helps you connect with your true self.
Gratitude can give you a clue to what your true personality is and help you better understand your true values and needs. When you give thanks daily, at some point you start seeing patterns – the kind of things you're most often thankful for or things you didn't even know meant that much to you. You get to know yourself better and it leads you to discovering your true identity. And as Richard Grant once said, "the value of identity, of course, is that so often with it comes purpose". What follows is a purposeful life, which means a happier life.
3. Gratitude can turn a negative experience into a powerful driving force.
Finding a way to be thankful for a negative emotion or a bad life experience helps you transform this negativity into a positive all-consuming force. Whether it's a mistake you made or an unfortunate life event that happened to you, finding a brighter side to it not only helps you see it as something you can overcome and deal with, but it also helps you learn and grow from the experience. And knowledge is power - it helps you find the strength to move on and prepares you for future setbacks.
4. Gratitude doesn't cost a thing, and it's a technique easily adopted.
Gratitude is free, because you already have what it takes – you just take all you already own and approach it consciously. It's easy to use too, because most of us were taught how to say "thank you" as kids, and everyone has tried saying "thank you" at least once (or so I hope!). But giving it a little more thought and seeing it from a new point of view may help transform your life experience for so much better, as consciously acknowledging a blessing makes your life instantly feel richer.
5. A "thank you" is a powerful tool in fighting back.
And this is not a joke. Just try saying "thank you" instead of a harsher word or giving in to a whole swearing tirade next time a stranger is being inappropriately impolite, arrogant or rude. The point being, it's just hard keep being a jerk to someone who just thanked you for it. So just look them in the eyes, smile gently and calmly (and even cheerfully, if you dare) say "thank you!" And either walk away or keep smiling at them until they do. Works wonders every time, trust me on that one!
Image courtesy of LaurieCoyleDesigns
Julia Osovskaya is a thankful spirit who believes that positive thinking, optimistic attitude and thankful mindset go a long way. Having completed a personal blog challenge of giving thanks daily for 365 days in a row, she has made it a mission to spread the word about life transformational power of gratitude. In addition to being a thankful person, Julia writes for blogs about chair design and all things golden and works in the social media marketing.
Small Pleasures
Guest post by Julia Osovskaya
A magic little video about all those simple things in life we are sometimes so quick to forget and a beautiful reminder to be thankful for every day we're given. Enjoy!
Julia Osovskaya is a thankful spirit who believes that positive thinking, optimistic attitude and thankful mindset go a long way. Having completed a personal blog challenge of giving thanks daily for 365 days in a row, she has made it a mission to spread the word about life transformational power of gratitude. In addition to being a thankful person, Julia writes for blogs about chair design and all things golden and works in the social media marketing.
Benefits of Gratitude
Guest post by Julia Osovskaya
Practicing regular gratitude really works. Skeptics might still be giving me a hard time about it, but having completed a whole year of daily thanksgiving, I know what I am talking about and stand behind it. My thankful efforts proved to be more than worthy – the experience was truly and almost magically life-changing. Among the positive changes I observed happening in me are the following things:
- Having expressed my gratitude for some of the bad, sad and unfortunate things that took place in my life, it felt like I was freed of them. They don't hold me down any more, which means I am ready for all of what life has in store for me in the future, whether good or bad.
- I don't really get upset that much anymore. It's just not easy to bring me down when I constantly remind myself of all the amazing things I am blessed to have, see and experience.
- Gratitude made me immune to most of life's downs and lows by blocking the negativity way before it even gets to me. It's the most natural habit now to focus right on the good ignoring the bad until the minute when I can do something about making it better. Or coming to terms with the bad, if it's not in my power to change it.
- It gave me a whole new appreciation of nature. I don't notice "bad" weather anymore, because I've learnt to really see the beauty in absolutely everything around me.
- I've become a much more cheerful person and this is something other people actually notice about me. Now it doesn't take really knowing me to see my positivity.
- I get up in the morning and I look forward to every day. I now know that no matter what the day ahead holds for me, there will definitely be at least one thing to give thanks for.
- By making me see just exactly why I appreciated the dear people in my life, it showed me who my true friends were and, in turn, made me a better friend to them.
- I must admit my thanksgiving year also made it easier for me to say thank you and made me put even more meaning into it each time I do. Whenever I thank now, it's certainly not just out of habit or me just trying to be polite. I really acknowledge what I say even if it's the simplest kind of "thank you" for the simplest of everyday things.
Now tell us, what has changed in your life as a result of an effort to be more thankful? What are some of the benefits you've noticed? How does your own gratitude practice affect you?
Image courtesy of LaurieCoyleDesigns
Julia Osovskaya is a thankful spirit who believes that positive thinking, optimistic attitude and thankful mindset go a long way. Having completed a personal blog challenge of giving thanks daily for 365 days in a row, she has made it a mission to spread the word about life transformational power of gratitude. In addition to being a thankful person, Julia writes for blogs about chair design and all things golden and works in the social media marketing.Comments
Summer Gratitude
As the days start to get shorter, let's be thankful for summer. After all, it's not over yet! Have you been able to enjoy the summer? What are you thankful for? Post it here: http://thankfulfor.com or in the comments below.Comments
We live in a world where we can easily venture beyond our city borders and explore places far from home. While our modes of travel are something to be grateful for in and of themselves, today I'd like to point out how wonderful it is to discover the similarities and differences when traveling to cities around the world. Many people take summer vacations as an opportunity to travel. If you have, post what you are thankfulfor about the places you've visited.Comments
Thankfulfor: Moms
Last year the we pulled some of the wonderful posts from the Thankfulfor.com community and put them in a lovely e-book for all to enjoy. We thought we'd bring it back again - for us, it never gets old.Comments
Thankfulfor: To Mama With Love
We can't let this day go by without sending a special message out to all the mom's out there. We also wanted to highlight a special organization that really offers a unique and generous way to show mothers around the world how much you care. The organization is called Epic Change - the program is called To Mama With Love. Here's a letter from the founder, Stacey Monk:
In the US alone, $14.6B is spent annually on Mother's Day for "stuff" that could just never say what's in our hearts. What if instead, we all just unleashed that love on the world? How would it impact our world if we stopped using stuff as a surrogate for love? What if we invested that love to make the world a better place for Mamas & children everywhere?
This Mother's Day, we aim to find out…
Last year, we created a site called To Mama With Love that invited people to change the future by changing the present they gave for Mother's Day. Instead of giving a traditional gift, we invited people to share their love for their mamas in words, photos & video on the site, and invest the funds they'd have otherwise spent in a Mama who's creating hope in the world.
People across the globe participated, love for hundreds of moms was shared, and nearly $20,000 USD was raised to build a home out of pure love for many of the children who attend Mama Lucy Kamptoni's school in Arusha, Tanzania. This past week, we launched To Mama With Love for 2011 in honor of four remarkable women who are transforming our world, and in honor of all the amazing women across the globe who pour their love into each of us. This year, we aim to support Mama Lucy & three more changemakers from Afghanistan, Nepal, & the US who invest their hearts & lives in loving the world's children & creating a better future for us all. Check out the video to learn more about Maggie, Suraya, Renu and Mama Lucy.
To Mama With Love was born from my love for a woman half the world a way who reminded me of all the lessons my own mom had taught me when I was growing up. She taught me how to hold onto hope when I'd all but given up. That hope is ours to create, that it never dies as long as we just hold onto it. She taught me that I am hope – and you are too. She taught me that even when we think we have nothing, love somehow finds a way.
My guess is there's a woman in your life who's taught you all these lessons & so many more. I hope you'll share your love for her, and make an investment in the world's women & children, at www.ToMamaWithLove.org this Mother's Day. I truly believe that when, with wide-open hearts, we dare to share all the love we have in us, it just might change everything.Comments
Times change, and today we live in a huge-bandwidth world with learning and growing opportunities unimagined by our ancestors. Still, these two existential questions remain for us as they did for Aristotle: What is happiness, and how do we achieve it?
There is progress to report. Faculty members at UC Davis are leaders in the study of the "science of happiness." And while happiness research is in its infancy, three major points are emerging:
- the positive trumps the negative
- social participation trumps materialism
- generosity trumps selfishness
Sounds like common sense, right? But it's all in how you define those concepts, and personalities and preferences count a lot. What makes an extrovert happy might not be the same thing that makes an introvert gleeful.
Everybody is different, of course, but some things appear to prod even the biggest grumps to crack a smile. No matter your personality type, thinking about happiness is a grand tradition in philosophical circles dating back to the dawn of civilization. In ancient Greece, Aristotle wrote extensively on the relation between pleasure and happiness in his Nichomacean Ethics.
"Aristotle's own view was that the good life, the happy life, is a life of virtue or excellence," UC Davis philosophy instructor G.J. Mattey said. "The more valuable a person's powers are, and the more perfectly those powers are exercised, the happier the person's life."


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Originally posted 07/02/2014 11:05AM
The new season of The Voice is looking way happy. And sexy and energetic, too.
With Pharrell Williams joining the lineup of coaches, the show kicked off a fun promo using his hit song "Happy" as background music. And as you can see, the chemistry between the group – which includes glam season 7 newbie Gwen Stefani – already seems tight.
Originally posted 06/21/2014 04:30PM
Is it September yet?
This first pic of the new judges on The Voice has us eagerly awaiting the start of season 7 of the singing competition.
Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams are joining Adam Levine and Blake Shelton in the big red chairs.
Originally posted 06/15/2014 10:20AM
Queen Bey shared a sweet message for the king in her life on Sunday.
"Happy Happy Father's Day," Beyoncé, 32, wrote on Instagram, posting an adorable snapshot of husband Jay Z, 44, with 2-year-old baby Blue Ivy atop his shoulders.
No word on how the power couple are celebrating Father's Day on Sunday, but, if we're lucky, we'll see more adorable photos on her Instagram page – and on the pages of fellow stars celebrating the holiday.
That's right: Beyoncé isn't the only one honoring the main men in her life today. See more Father's Day tributes from celebrities like Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani, Kim Kardashian and more.
Originally posted 05/12/2014 09:35PM
See what these three stars wore for three different wedding occasions
Originally posted 05/06/2014 06:40AM
The Voice introduced its two newest coaches – Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani, who teamed up to perform "Hollaback Girl" – on Monday night as the eight remaining artists performed.
Team Adam Levine star Christina Grimmie followed last week's genre-bending Drake cover with another original moment on Lil Wayne's "How to Love."
The audience would not stop cheering. "You should be soaking this up right now," Blake Shelton praised. "You look and sound like a superstar up there."
Originally posted 05/05/2014 01:40PM
Painful breakups are part of everyone's life experiences – but when you're a singer/songwriter, sharing that pain with the world might just be part of the healing process.
When Coldplay's frontman Chris Martin began singing songs off their new album Ghost Stories, hitting stores May 19, speculation grew about which songs might be about the end of his 10-year marriage to actress Gwyneth Paltrow after the two announced their decision to consciously uncouple.
Originally posted 04/29/2014 11:40PM
And then there were eight.
The Voice's live elimination show whittled down two artists from the Top Ten Tuesday with the help of America – or at least the Twitterverse – and determined whether Adam Levine and Blake Shelton still have the secret formula for success.
The show kicked off in newsy fashion when host Carson Daly announced that Gwen Stefani will join The Voice's coaching panel next season (just in case you hadn't already read Christina Aguilera's Tweet.) He also revealed that the No Doubt frontwoman will join fellow newbie coach Pharrell Williams onstage for a performance next Monday.
Yet the real news of the show was attempting to figure out who wouldn't be appearing on stage next week, and that became increasingly clear as the show soldiered on. Read on to find out more.
Originally posted 04/29/2014 02:15PM
The Voice has finally found its newest judge!
Since the rumors first started that mom-to-be Christina Aguilera would give up her seat on the judge's panel to Gwen Stefani, the show's producers have refrained from confirming the move.
But Aguilera did it for them.
Originally posted 04/22/2014 06:00PM
Gwen Stefani's move to The Voice next season is not a done deal yet. But there's no doubt she'll be more than welcome to take a swiveling seat next to perennial judge Adam Levine.
"If there's any truth to the rumors, I'd just be really excited because I'm a huge fan," Levine told reporters after Monday night's live show kickoff. "She's a wonderful human being. I love her to pieces. So talented."
Host and producer Carson Daly also heaped praise on Stefani, but seemed to want to manage expectations about whether she'll be the one to replace Christina Aguilera.
"She would be great," Daly said. "These things are tough to work scheduling-wise. I don't know where we're at with it."
Originally posted 04/21/2014 05:05PM
The singer, 44, wore the same chic jumpsuit she rocked while pregnant with son Apollo Bowie Flynn
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To millions of movie-goers around the world, Cary Grant will forever epitomize the glamour, and the style, of Hollywood in its golden years. With his dark hair and even darker eyes, mischievous smile and effortless elegance, he was, is and always will be indelibly one of the great movie stars. Since his death in 1986, the incandescence of his screen image has not dimmed for a single moment. In a career spanning four decades, Cary Grant became the man every woman longed for. As Burt Reynolds once put it, 'He was touched by the gods. When he walked into a room you had to look at him. Men liked him as well as women, and that is incredibly rare.'
High Society (1956)
Currently watching.
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Early Bird Special: The Golden Age of Hollywood Bloopers: 10 minutes of flubs and stumbles from classic Hollywood movies.
Marilyn Monroe photographed by John Florea
Ramon Novarro & Norma Shearer in The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927, dir. Ernst Lubitsch)
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Dr. Reza Mahrou's Ratings
I LOVE Dr. Mahrou, he's are one of a kind. You do NOT sit in the waiting room for longer than 5 min (if that). When you're in the office with the doctor's they always make you feel as if you're the only person that matters, time isn't an issue & you'll NEVER see them with a clip board in their hand while they are in the room with diagnosing your pain. They ALWAYS look you in the eye when talking with you. The office is quiet & quaint, you never feel as if you're a number, they always know you're name and they CARE about your well being. I would recommend anyone to Dr. Mahrou
Submitted April 1, 2013 | flag
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The Loire is distinguished among all other French wine regions for its dizzying diversity of wines. This can be attributed to the sheer size of the region, and the nearly two millenia of documented wine production history. Not to mention the countless changing cultural and political forces over history, whose conflict and confluence it would be impossible to explicate within the boundaries of this introduction. Read on for more and for tonight's lineup…
The fact that so many varietals and styles are viable in the Loire might be interpreted as a regional identity crisis, especially in our international market where stylistic homogenization seems to be the norm. In reality, what is being offered by today's Loire producers is one of the most vibrant ');" onmouseout="tooltip.hide();">collections of traditional winemaking that exists anywhere in the world. What presents this idea quite elegantly is the name given to many of the region's non-AOC wines, "Jardin de la France" (France's garden).
So where does that bring us today? We've assembled a slew of wines that represent the best and most typical of their respective appellations. In all cases, we have sought out wines that we hope will surprise you with what makes each one unique. Here is the lineup
□ NV Bossard-Thuaud Vin Mousseux de Qualité
A sparkling blend of melon de bourgogne, folle blanche, cabernet franc, and chardonnay, produced by the legendary Guy Bossard.
□ 2005 Domaine de L'Ecu Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie "Expression d'Orthogneiss"
Guy Bossard demonstrates the capacity for Muscadet to express the nuances of a particular soil composition, in this case, one featuring igneous rock.
□ 2006 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre "Authentique"
Jean-Paul Labaille implements the ancient techniques taught to him by his father-in-law Claude Thomas. Theirs are some of the best situated old vines in Chavignol.
□ 2008 Domaine François Cazin Cheverny
An unfiltered blend of sauvignon blanc and chardonnay from one of the newer Loire appellations.
□ 2004 Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine "Vinifera Sauvignon"
The debut vintage of a wine from a one-hectare vineyard of ungrafted vines planted in 1998-1999.
□ 2008 Jean-Maurice Raffault Chinon Blanc
A rare white Chinon (Raffault only makes 500 cases annually), made with chenin blanc and aged in stainless steel tanks.
□ 2007 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec "Le Mont"
□ 2006 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec "Le Mont"
□ 2005 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec "Le Mont"
A vertical of dry chenin blanc from Huet's 8 hectare "Le Mont" vineyard, where the vines are 30 years old on average.
□ 2005 Nicolas Joly Savennieres – Coulée de Serrant
The famous flagship monopole from the legendary missionary of biodynamic viticulture.
□ 2004 La Ferme de la Sansonnière Anjou "La Lune"
Winemaker Mark Angeli focuses on lowering yields to maintain the highest quality levels. Also biodynamically managed.
□ 2005 Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux
A sweeter version of Vouvray made only in years when the weather allows the grapes to achieve the necessary ripeness (chaptalization is never done).
□ 2006 Domaine de Bellivière Coteaux du Loir "Rouge-Gorge"
A celebration of the varietal pinot d'aunis, where yields have been limited to a microscopic 25 hectoliters per hectare.
□ 2005 Domaine Le Briseau Coteaux du Loir "Les Mortiers"
A blend of pinot d'aunis, côt (malbec), and gamay from an estate that is certified organic and moving toward biodynamic viticulture.
□ 2002 Lucien Crochet Sancerre Rouge "Cuvée Prestige LC"
A special cuvée of pinot noir produced only when conditions are ideal, from a few parcels of the estate's oldest vines.
□ 2007 Catherine & Pierre Breton Bourgueil "trinch!"
Named after the French word for the sound of two glasses clinking, this is a cabernet franc that is meant to be drunk with a little chill on it.
□ 2007 Clos Roche Blanche 2007 Touraine "Cuvée Côt"
100% côt, or malbec, made in the most natural way possible. Rather than sulfur, they use carbon dioxide to stabilize the wine during bottling.
□ NV Earl Oliver "Le Cousin Rouge" Vieilles Vignes Grolleau
A regional varietal that doesn't get much respect, being used primarily for bulk rose. Old vine grolleau is seen here in all its gutsy glory.
□ 2004 Clos de Maulévrier Touraine "Ante Phylloxera"
From a tiny fenced-in vineyard that survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 19th century. Only 100 cases are produced annually.
□ 2004 Clos Rougeard Saumur Champigny
A winery that has achieved cult status in France, thus only a tiny amount is ever exported. Cabernet franc for the ages.


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By Kirsty M
I wasn't sure what to expect when Lanky Girl and I recently went along to Zorita's Kitchen. Tucked away between Blackfriars and Mansion House, it's not the easiest restaurant to find, but it proved to be well worth the wait.
Food and wine experts David and Louisa guided us through a bespoke menu, sampling delicious cooked meats and cheeses from across the Duerto Valley. The ethos of Zorita's Kitchen is on 'slow grow', focusing on the simplicity and high quality of food and wine served in the restaurant, and you can really taste it in the meats and aromatic cheeses.
There's a real emphasis on quality ingredients, and the cheese is even made at Zorita's Kitchen's very own farm, all complemented by wines recommended by staff who really know their stuff.
The wines are definitely one of Zorita's Kitchen's selling points, my favourite had to be the Hacienda Zorita Veiga de la Reina Verdejo 2011 (£9.99 plus a 7.50 corkage fee when dining in) which won best white wine in the world 2012 at the Concours Mondial Brussels. If you fancy yourself to be a wine connoisseur, Zorita's also run wine tasting events.
As the area is mainly populated by business people who have little time to spare for lunch and may prefer to dine alone, I'm not sure how the heavy oak tables – designed to encourage a Mediterranean communal dining experience – will be used to best effect. However, with a new restaurant opening in South Kensington soon, I'm sure Zorita's Kitchen will have scores of families flocking to try a flavour of the Duerto Valley.
For more information about Zorita's Kitchen please visit: http://www.zoritaskitchen.com/


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Looks wonderful, thanks for sharing!
You're welcome! (: Cheers, Jasline
Fireworks that we saw from my grandparents' house
Happy Chinese New Year! I went back to my home town in Batu Pahat, Malaysia last Sunday and returned on Tuesday night. We only go back once or twice a year, so it's good to see that all my relatives (especially my grandparents) are healthy and well. (:
Chinese New Year is all about reunion, and what's reunion without food? Every meal (except for breakfast) is practically a feast – we have 10 people, and we polished off 3 whole chickens, 1 whole duck, 1kg++ prawns, 1kg++ pork ribs, 1 huge slab of roasted pork, 3 huge pots of soups, 1 pomfret, 1 red snapper, countless plates of rice and many vegetables over the course of 5 meals (*looks at my waist line in denial*).
All the dishes we ate during Chinese New Year are whipped up by my grandmother, my aunt and my mom (see a pattern? heh) and they are so, so delicious. I'm glad I manage to "steal" some recipes back :p Hopefully I'll be able to try some of them and share the recipe up here. (:
Abalone galore!
A luxurious dish that we always prepare during Chinese New Year is definitely the cold dish of abalone slices. Abalone is an expensive treat so instead of cooking it (and losing the natural flavour of the abalone), we sliced it and drizzled with a sweet and spicy sauce and served it with crunchy cabbage. It is an extremely easy dish to prepare and can be prepared well in advance (:
Before I share the recipe, I would like to thank these people for nominating me these awards (this is my first time receiving an award and I'm so thrilled!):
Versatile Blogger Award and Liebster Blog Award from I Really Take the Cake
Dear Stephanie, thank you so much for nominating me these two awards! I Really Take the Cake is a budding blog that features food, travel and photography. She is really talented – her blog is a bilingual blog and she has all her entries written in German too! And I'm so happy to know a friend who's from Vienna, Austria – I totally love that place! Do check out her lovely site (:
As part of the Versatile Blogger Award, I need to share 7 things about myself…
1) I am born Malaysian but I came over to Singapore to live and study since I was 2 years old.
2) My maternal grandparents are really awesome cooks. My grandfather owned a zhi char stall a very long time ago (zhi: 煮/cook; char: 炒/fry – zhi char means Chinese home-style dishes cooked to order). My grandfather was the head chef while my aunt was the sous chef. She was in-charged of taking orders from the customers and cutting up the vegetables and meat – thus her knife skills are really superb!
3) My maternal grandmother used to rear chickens for our own consumption – I did witness the process of killing the chickens (I wasn't traumatized by it, don't worry) and I used to help her pluck out the chicken feathers.
4) The first section that I will go to in a book store or a library is definitely the cookbooks section – I have quite a huge collection of cookbooks and my most recent was a gift from two dear friends – Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. I'm really excited and I can't wait to try the recipes! Butter!
5) Whenever I go to a supermarket, I will keep a sharp look-out for groceries on discount – and I'll decide on what to cook / bake based on the food that's on discount (I cook/bake only on weekends due to my work commitment).
6) I love, love, love baking stores – I can browse the tins, pots, and pans for almost an hour and I often succumb to impulse purchases. Nowadays I try to steer clear of them because the cupboard containing all my baking tins and pans are bursting and I want to save up the money!
7) I love travelling – I just came back from a 42-day Europe trip. My next aim over the next few years is to travel to all the different Asian countries – Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia etc…
Reader Appreciation Awards from Bam's Kitchen
Dear Bobbi, thank you so much for your nomination! Bobbi is an amazing woman and her kitchen features many delicious and, to quote her, "unique international dishes that even teenagers will enjoy". I've already seen Western, Chinese, Korean and Thai food being featured on her delicious blog! I've adapted a recipe from her and it worked perfectly – definitely not a blog to be missed!
Now… to pass on the love! I'm pretty much a silent blogger – I read a lot of blogs but I usually don't comment on them. Lately, I try to leave comments more often, so giving out these awards are a real joy because the following blogs are a handful of my favourite blogs. I do hope they become your favourite too! (:
Versatile Blogger Award
"Versatile" means the ability to do many things competently (though I don't think I'm that versatile myself!) I'm not sure of the origin/true meaning of the awards, so I've re-defined the award and it's going to bloggers who blogged about different topics on their blogs or just simply bloggers whom you think are competent! If you're awarded, do share 7 things about yourself before passing the love on!
4) Min's Blog
Liebster Award
Liebster is a German word, which means "sweetest", "kindest" and "dearest" award. It's given to upcoming bloggers with less than 200 followers to encourage them to blog on! If you're awarded, do share 7 things about yourself before passing the love on!
1) Vegan Lenna
5) Ovenloven
Reader Appreciation Award
Reader Appreciation Award is an award to thank your readers for their support and love! Give this award to those who have commented the most on your blog (: If you're awarded, do share 7 things about yourself before passing the love on!
I try not to duplicate recipients given for the awards, so others have a chance to award you again! I've also limited to 5 recipients for each award, because I know we all know a lot of common bloggers out there. (: And I think everyone liked to read about some things about you, so I've included the sharing of 7 things about oneself to all 3 awards.
It's definitely not a compulsory award – you can always just accept and admire it!
If you've been reading all the way till now… thank you! Here's the recipe!
Cold Abalone Slices with Sweet and Spicy Sauce (serves ~10)
recipe by my grandparents, no source
Serving size of this dish depends on how many abalone slices do you want to eat, normally we eat about 3 – 5 slices each, so adjust the recipe accordingly! Also, we didn't really measure the amount of sauce ingredients used, so the sauce ingredients is purely estimation. Adjust the amounts accordingly too!
You'll need:
1/4 of a whole cabbage
2 cans abalone
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons plum sauce
3 key limes (the really small kinds)
Slice the cabbage very thinly. Place the sliced cabbage in the middle of a large serving plate.
Open the abalone cans. Wash the abalones and pat it dry with kitchen paper towels. (Reserve the juices and add it into soups or noodles for abalone soups or abalone noodles!) Slice the abalones thinly and arrange it around serving plate.
In a small bowl, combine the chili sauce, plum sauce and juices of the key limes. Taste and see if it needs more chili sauce, plum sauce or lime juice.
Drizzle the sauce all over the abalone slices. Refrigerate for at least an hour, up to 3 hours.
Serve chilled.
The brands of Thai chili sauce and plum (prune) sauce we used
I'm submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #15: Auspicious Dishes for CNY (January 2012) hosted by Wen of Wen's Delight
Enjoy the rest of the Chinese New Year! Happy baking / cooking! (:
Thank you very much for the Appreciation award :)
Gong Hei Fatt Choy!!
You are welcome Ann! Gong Hei Fatt Choy to you too! Take care!
3 awards! This is amazing! Congratulation!
Thanks for passing one one of your awards to you. I'm very happy to receive this from you. I must thank you too for being very supportive, joining us for our bake-alongs. Very honored and happy to know you as my baking friend!
You're welcome, Zoe. I'm really happy to be able to participate in your bake-along. Will definitely be joining the next one – I've been dying to try baking red velvet cakes!
Take care!
Congratulations on your awards! And thank you so much for passing one to me! I really appreciate it. It is nice to know more about you! Looks like we both enjoy the same things, from the cookbooks to the supermarket to the baking stores!! And that plate of abalone looks so delicious! I have never tried them with crunchy cabbage before, these really sound delicious! Thanks for sharing, Jasline, have a lovely week!
Thank you Joyce! I'm glad you like the award (: Can't wait to see more delicious food on your blog! (:
Take care!
Lovely starter dish! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Wendy, you're welcome!
Take care!
Thanks for the award!! And nice to know more about you. :)
You're welcome SSB, love reading your blog (:
Take care!
hi jasline, you come from a family of chefs!! wow!! thanks for sharing this recipe , i believe this abalone dish must be so nice..guidance from the head chef and the sous chefs! I think we are all cookbook collectors, it's addictive buying those books, sometimes just by glancing thru the recipes and not making them are already gave me so much satisfaction! Thanks so much for passing the award to me..i've already done the 7 things abt myself some time ago but i would be glad to accept this award and display it on my blog. Much much appreciated and thanks for your support given to me too!!
Hi Lena, the dish was delicious! I hope I can make it more often but abalone's expensive… gotta save it for special occasions! Glad you like the award! Will participate in the next bake-along (:
thanks for the award :) Now i need to figure out how to pass the joy along heh ;p
and some of your qualities are very similar to mine too – i keep an eye for discounted groceries and i spend a really long time in baking shops, to the point that no one wants to go with me when i say i want to visit a baking shop lol.
You're welcome, Janine. I know right… one can never have enough baking tins and pans! Hahah. Have a great week ahead!
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i love abalone all the way, except sashimi,
kinda weird n chewy..
my fav is braised abalone with sea cucumber, fish maw, mushroom n silkie tofu
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Early Christmas Gift Guide
We found this guide over at Emma's blog, and though folks will always differ in their opinions on the usefulness of certain baby items, these are very pretty, "gifty" items that will probably put you in shopping mode. Our favorites below...
Hopefully this list is a great reminder that there are so many quality, unique, and lovely baby items out there.
• Numbers poster by Sandra Juto
• Alice in Wonderland plates and tea cups by Shinzi Katoh
• The black and white Moln blanket by Gunila Axén
• Blackboard Matryoshka dolls from Muji
• Mawok, a rocking hammock for babies
Visit Emma's blog for more of her wish list as well as links/sources for the items above. What's on your wish list?
8 Comments
Love that tea set! Adorable.
On our list:
* Wheely Bug Cow (already purchased)
* Melissa & Doug Giant Giraffe
* Land of Nod Play Teepee
* Radio Flyer All-Terrain Steel and Wood Wagon
* Remo Drums (lollipop, floor tom, etc)
the thought of bringing more toys into the house . . . not appealing. art supplies, yes. books, too, if we get rid of some of the more babyish ones on the shelf.
does anyone have ideas for clutter-free kid gifts? i can't think of any "consumables" other than art supplies.
I'm with you doubledutch, I've been racking my brain to come up with things to put on my five and three year olds christmas list. I love the idea of "experience" gifts or whatever, but not sure that my lil ones will "get" it. I envision my three year old opening a piece of paper and us telling her, "Yeah! You get to go to the museum with Nanny! Well...no, not right now" and I picture her little confused face. hahaha! I've put some magazine subscriptions on their list. I'll be interested to hear if anyone else has any other ideas!
I dread getting toys, too. How about....horse riding lessons with the helmet she'll need, signing her up for softball with a bat and glove wrapped up nice, or a road trip with a small kit of car activities? Or an apron and a date with mom to make cookies, a flower press and a date with dad to take a nature walk, ballet lessons and an adorable tutu....I could keep going but not without coffee. :)
oh that's right! i did ask for a family membership to the aquarium one year. there was nothing wrapped up for them to associate with that, but that would be easy to do, using an object that symbolizes it (even stickers would work).
magazine subscriptions are a great idea because you can give one issue and then tell them that they'll get a new one in the mail every month or two.
we only give each child one gift or, last year, a shared gift. they're overwhelmed with gifts from the grandparents - those are the people i need a list for. dates for outings or sleepovers would be good.
Please - I've asked the entire family countless times to "give the gift of time" for my boys. They'd love nothing more than "a day out with ____" or to be taken to a movie or the zoo. Yet, this year will be another TOY FEST 2009 for the record books. Good thing Goodwill always needs donations.
My kids would love some books and art supplies too - how does that come out sounding like "Nintendo DS"? Anyone else have this issue? It tends to be quantity over quality year after year.
I agree, it's always a uphill struggle to decided what to get Kids for Christmas, however as I was searching about on the web for gift ideas I found Handpicked Collection. Their Christmas gift idea finder is helping me a lot.


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Sign up for Yardbarker's daily Top 10 newsletter, the Morning Bark! Customize to get news on your favorite sports and teams.
Found May 01, 2013 on Mets Merized Online:
PLAYERS: Blake Forsythe, Blaine Hardy, Jeffrey Walters, Matt Crouse, Wilfredo Tovar, Alonzo Harris, Mark Cohoon, David Kopp, Jack Leathersich, Hernan Perez, Ramon Cabrera, Chase Huchingson, Rafael Montero, Victor Larez, Cesar Puello, Daniel Muno
TEAMS: Detroit Tigers, New York Mets
TEAMS: Detroit Tigers, New York Mets
Binghamton 6, Erie 5 The Binghamton Mets blew a pair of two-run leads, but prevailed on Tuesday night, defeating the Erie SeaWolves, 6-5, at NYSEG Stadium. Danny Muno capped a three-hit game with a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning. For the second straight night, the B-Mets plated the eventual game-winning run in their last turn at bat. Blake Forsythe started the rally by blasting a leadoff double to right against reliever Blaine Hardy. Muno brought him home and broke the tie game by bouncing a sinking line drive single in front of Luis Castillo in right field. Given a one-run advantage for the second time in as many nights, Jeffrey Walters retired all three SeaWolves he faced in the ninth to collect his league-leading eighth save. In a contest that pitted a pair of spot-starting southpaws, the B-Mets drew first blood against Erie starter Matt Crouse. With two aboard, Wilfredo Tovar got Binghamton on the board with an RBI single and Alonzo Harris doubled the lead on a sac f...
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Bwa Chik Hotel & Golf
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Travel Blogs from St. François
The Rum is Sweeter in Paradise!
... own death). You are provided with a bottle of rum and sugar and you mix your own. You are then charged for how much rum you consume. Dad tried to convince Mum that it would fix her cold. It tasted great, but didn't remedy her cold!
Daddy knew the guide at the "House of Cocoa" learnt his English in Australia after he said, 'No worries' when Abigail grabbed a chunk of cocoa from the bench! We really have to watch her as she will ...
Amazing les Saintes!
... of yachts and over 100 cruise ships that anchor here every year. Fortunately, no cruise ships arrived while we were on the island! Needless to say, after three days of enjoying the views of this most beautiful bay, we were very sad to leave and wished we could have stayed longer. The quote from the main website for les Saintes aptly says it all:
"One day or another, you will come to les Saintes. That day you will be ...
Trois-Rivieres = Three Rivers and Three Iguanas!
... however, after sharing a meal with a Guadeloupian who now lives in Melbourne, we changed the plan to spend more quality time on just the main island and on Terre-de-Haut (the main island of Les Saintes).
We travelled from Le Gosier across to the south west coast of the butterfly to the port town of Trois-Rivieres. The guide book states that the main reason people visit here is to catch the ferry to Les ...
Bonjour Guadeloupe!
... Judging by Mum and Dad's rave reviews, I think we will be eating a lot more of this dish on this holiday. Abigail and I were in bed at 7pm and slept through our normal 12 hours until 7am, hence we all slept well! "Hooray", said Mum and Dad, after two sleep deprived nights, our jetlag is over!!! Everyone is speaking French around us and Mum and Dad are making me practice. Fortunately, the art of 'playing' is a universal ...
More of Paradise - However quiet
... not wait to get through the hoards of families and Zimmer frames, none of which are present on our little yacht!
I nearly lost Len to a local, who was making eyes at him as he waited for me to come out of the fitting room. She appeared to be in her 50's and had all of two teeth! She told Len she had thrown her husband out because he beat her so it didn't take much for Len to realise he was being groomed as the replacement. ...


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The straight goods - we're looking for an incredible talented and energetic individual to join our dynamic team. You must strive for excellence, work hard and love to be around our fun and crazy team and present a fun and caring demeanor. If you're at a job right now ask yourself, do I enjoy this? Is it just a pay check? Would you rather join a team where you're having fun, being part of a company culture, learning lots and advancing the entire team. Give us a call to see if were the right fit, if not at least you'll know what's out there. Matrix Group is a client-focused company located in Richmond. We provide technology services to companies with 20-100 users; we are what is known as a Managed Services Provider (MSP). We handle all aspects of a client's technology needs. We are their support department and their consultant on all things technology related and we do this for a flat monthly fee.
Our philosophy is to supply and configure networks to the best-practice standards, provide excellent support and to always keep our clients best interests foremost. We operate with excellence and have ourselves and everyone we touch be successful. Our goal is to create success for our customers by demonstrating integrity, honesty, reliability, and providing peace of mind through our unique technology support solutions; this is our culture at Matrix Connectivity Solutions. Our team provides objective, honest insights into how businesses can improve efficiency in all IT-related areas and work with both our clients and partners to create an IT-support model that works for individual businesses.
Matrix Group is a client-focused company located in Richmond. We provide technology services to companies with 20-200 users; we are what is known as a Managed Services Provider (MSP). We handle all aspects of a client's technology needs. We are their support department and their consultant on all things technology related and we do this for a flat monthly fee.
Our ideal candidate is an experienced, detail oriented, organized, energetic, highly technically skilled individual with excellent people skills. We believe that communication is very important. You will need to be a person who takes pride in resolving challenging technical issues for a variety of clients. The work varies and is highly challenging; your day will fly by! You will need to have the ability to quickly familiarize yourself with client environments, research and learn new technologies quickly and work on multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
The position is full time and may require the odd overtime. You may also be required to be on call rotation. You will be expected to provide an exceptional client service experience for a wide variety of businesses.
• Troubleshoot and support Microsoft Windows SBS, 2003 -2012 Server for multiple clients
• Troubleshoot and support other software packages such as Antivirus and Backup, Terminal Server, etc. for multiple clients: Arc serve, D2D, Shadow Protect, incremental and full backups
• Troubleshoot and improve infrastructure issues/processes such as network connectivity, printing, internet, etc.
• Maintain accurate and timely reporting of:
(1) system status enabling you to propose relevant improvements to each client environment and to support our corporate mission of proactive client support
(2) time logs and details of client support visits and remote support occurrences
• Produce accurate and informative technical materials and documentation for the team and our clients
• Learn new products and technologies
• Work well under pressure and manage expectations effectively
Your ideas and input in the company will be encouraged and appreciated.
• You must work effectively both individually and as part of a team with great interpersonal skills
• Have already worked for an IT VAR or Managed Services company for 3+ years
•Excellent oral and written communication skills
•Excellent documentation skills
•Must effectively communicate with customers and our team
•Ability to anlayze and repair product failure
•Ability to multitask while still having a calm demeanor
•Quick problem solver and ability to close tickets quickly and effectively
•Patch management for workstations/server/antivirus management
•Solid knowledge of backup and recovery
• Experience with an emphasis, but not limited to, Microsoft technologies
• Experience configuring and troubleshooting network connectivity, including inspection of routers and firewalls
• The ability to research and apply knowledge effectively
• Strong English language (oral and written) along with good organization skills
• Have a valid BC Driver's license and a car for occasion al use. (Mileage and parking is reimbursed)
•Desired A+ Certification
• Previous experience working with third party IT vendors – hardware, software, telephony, etc.
• Current Microsoft or Cisco certifications
• MS Server 2008-2012
• Scripting, Group Policy, Terminal Server experience
• BES, Exchange, SBS, SQL, SharePoint, SonicWALL
• ESXi, Hyper V, Virtualization Technologies, VMware
•Monitoring software and ticket management system knowledge
•Cisco Voip experience would be an asset
• IT Certifications are a bonus but real world experience is essential
•Experience with various Microsoft Application Servers including Hyper-V, Exchange 20XX and Windows 20XX or SBS 2011 (Must be able to install from scratch, maintain and perform troubleshooting of these servers)
•Migrations of Windows 2003 to 2008-12 networks for both full and SBS
•Configured RAID arrays, Firewalls, managed switches etc.
•Mac OS X experience desired
All work is good work so you shouldn't mind dealing with any level of problem.
Providing technology support and expertise is one thing, but caring about the people who rely on those systems is another. Creating success and peace of mind for business leaders is our goal, and we take it very seriously. We put our clients' IT needs first and get them the technology efficiency results that they need to give them peace of mind so that they can focus on making their businesses successful.
Please submit your resume and a cover letter along with an expected salary range. Due to the flood of resumes we get, only short listed candidates will be contacted.
We operate with excellence and have ourselves and everyone we touch be successful


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1 note &
Apple Unveils a New iPad (by mashable)
This is the New iPad overview video. Higher resolution display, longer battery, iPhoto (we can all get that), and new wifi hotspot for up to 5 devices. Although no "Siri" I did read somewhere you can do voice dictation into it. It has a much more powerful processor. Shipping the end of this week.


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Weekend Snow Chances
Our first chance for light snow arrives early Saturday morning with the system that is moving through Arkansas right now. I just checked their observations and they are reporting between .5 to 1" of snow. This system will move across southern KY and TN. Our southern counties should have the best chance of seeing accumulating snow.
Futurecast is showing light snow Saturday morning for most of us with the "heaviest" across our southern counties.
This is a fast moving system and will be out of here by 10 am
Snow Totals
This is not going to be a big snow maker! Most of us will likely see between a trace to 1/2". Our southern KY counties are under a Winter Weather Advisory tomorrow morning and they could end up with a dusting to 1 1/2"
Sunday's Snow
A cold front will drop into Indiana Sunday morning with some light snow with minor accumulation (under 1") north of the Ohio River. I also wouldn't be surprised to see a little rain mix in by midday.


text: Yearly Archive:: 2012 Get Your Game Faces On! Posted in Cowboys Posts by contributing Well here we go Cowboys fans… This is where the rubber meets the road… It's do or die… Tomorrow by this time we'll either be home licking our wounds or shouting "Go Cowboys" from our rooftops. Here's Read More 12345678910


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empirestaterage inquired:
Okay, I cut myself two nights ago. I just came across your blog. I don't do it that often, & I don't do it too deep. I always put scar cream on my cuts so they don't noticably scar. I wish I could not be a hypocrite and say that you're better than that. You're so young and so beautiful and nothing should ever upset you that much to make you want to cut open your beautiful skin. I wish I could come to where you're at, hold your hand, and make it all better. Truly, I do.
Thank you. & I have been trying to stop lately & have really become serious about stopping. & I know exactly how you feel about the whole hypocrite thing. I never want anyone to do that to themselves & yet i sit there & do it myself =/ But thank you so much. I wish the best for you.✖ 3 years ago


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Sealed-Bid Auction
Definition of 'Sealed-Bid Auction'
A type of auction process in which all bidders simultaneously submit sealed bids to the auctioneer, so that no bidder knows how much the other auction participants have bid. The highest bidder is usually declared the winner of the bidding process.
Investopedia explains 'Sealed-Bid Auction'
In a sealed-bid auction, bidders can only submit one bid and therefore cannot adjust their bids based on competing bids. This sets it apart from the more common English auction, also known as the open ascending price auction, where participants can make multiple bids and bid against each other. A sealed-bid auction process may also not be as transparent as an English auction. Sealed-bid auctions are generally used in tendering for government contracts.


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Rocket writes,
Bro, I have a few questions about Aesthetics. It seems that beauty is defined by both objective features and subjective experiences, but how do they come together? You see, most of us seem to agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet many of us would more likely agree that a Manet painting is more beautiful than a stick figure drawing. So despite what they say about subjective beauty, there seems to be a fairly objective standard to art, or at least the kind of art that we could put in a museum, charge people to view and convince intellectuals to write endless papers about. At the same time, many artists we respect today weren't always respected or their works would not have been appreciated by an audience from a different period. And I don't just mean fine art, but literature and film and the next cover girl of vogue too. How can art or beauty be both subjective and objective at the same time?
Fucking aesthetics.
If you go to the Stanford Encyclopedia and search for 'aesthetics', you get a bajillion pages titled '[Some guy]'s Aesthetics'; there aren't schools of thought in aesthetics so much as wholesale attempts to explain the phenomenon that is art by practically every important bro in history. Okay, maybe not all of them. But a fucking lot of them.
I'm no aesthetician, and here's why: Kant? Hegel? Dostoyevsky? Hume? Heidegger? Every single one of them said the same thing: "Fuck those assclowns. I know what beauty is, and I'll fucking school you in it." And it's exactly for the reason you give: it seems so simple on the face of it. Beauty is tantalizingly obvious; we're all drawn to it, and we all recognize it when we're confronted with it. Like the Sirens themselves, it calls out to philosophers. And like fools, philosophers fucking dash themselves on the rocks, the whole time insisting, "I fucking got this. How hard could it be?" Anyone giving a final answer to the question, "Is beauty objective or subjective?" isn't something I see happening. But I think I can shed some light on your question anyway.
So how can beauty be objective and subjective at the same time? Well, maybe, as Plato suggested, the Beautiful is like the Good - things are objectively beautiful and we just don't always recognize them the same way. Everyone agrees, generally shooting grandmas on Christmas is bad and keeping promises is good, but there are also a lot of fringe cases, and sometimes those fringe cases are constructed for the exact purpose of challenging our intuitions. Plenty of contemporary art is meant to do just that - sit on the fringe of what we consider 'beautiful' and go, "Eh? EH? What about this, hmmmm?" So somehow beauty is rooted in the world - and here it faces the same problem as 'goodness', which is "what the fuck is it about the way the world is that makes something good/beautiful? Because someone said so? Because human beings exist?" - and we use our capacity to recognize it, even though we can't recognize it perfectly. So here, the subjectivity of beauty is an illusion, the result of human fuckups - so when someone says of certain things, "that's kind of ugly" - he's just straight up fucking wrong.
Now, that thesis seems kind of problematic post-Darwin - after all, much of the physical beauty we're drawn to serves some sort of evolutionary advantage. Why is it we prefer potential mates to have bi-lateral symmetry and not radial symmetry? Let's say some aliens landed tomorrow, and they had tentacles and a bunch of eyes all over the place and long bodies with a dozen legs covered in a thin mucus membrane. If you were talking to one of them when his, uh, mate walked into the room, maybe you'd be like, "Uh..." and he'd be like, "I know, beautiful, right?" and you'd try not to vomit. The point is there seems to be some sort of advantage to beauty, especially in mate selection. If that's true, then we'd all agree largely on what is beautiful, for the same reason that most of us enjoy the taste of sugar and fucking hate the taste of soap: because appreciating sugar more than soap, or symmetry more than asymmetry, somehow made it easier to pass on your genes. So no wonder we all agree that Manet is more beautiful than a stick figure; we evolved to appreciate that kind of shit more. On this view it's the objectivity of beauty that's an illusion - beauty is completely subjective, it just happens that our respective subjectivities happen to coincide.
Of course, "what is beauty," amirite? There's another one of those fuzzy words that we all know how to use, but don't exactly know the definition of. We use the word to describe things that... provoke a certain reaction, even a particularly human reaction? That sounds about right. Maybe. But without a concrete definition, it's hard to say whether it's an objective or subjective concept. Maybe certain things that we create, or certain features of the world, are in some sense objectively beautiful, and some other things we call beautiful are subjectively so because they appear to mimic those objective things to some people. I'm just spitballing here, because I don't have a conclusive definition of "beauty" and I've seen enough failed attempts to put me off trying.
Art suffers from the same problem. For a while we had a pretty good sense of what art was, it seemed like something we could easily draw a circle around. Then Andy Warhol just drew a soup can and we were like, "Yeah, okay, that's clever, I guess. We can count that." And then Pollock started just fucking dripping paint on canvas at random and bros were like, "Well, I guess we can call that art too," but they started shifting uncomfortably in their seats, because they saw the floodgates starting to open. Suddenly some assholes started literally smearing shit on things and going, "What about this?! Why isn't this art?" If you've ever seen a thing in a museum and gone, "THAT'S not art..." then you've had exactly the reaction the artist wanted you to have, and his entire point is, "Oh yeah? Who gets to say?"
But again, 'art' is probably one of those words we all know how to use but can't conclusively define. As the Supreme Court said about another important subject, "We can't define it, but we know it when we see it." When you look at a shit-smeared statue and go, "That isn't art!" if the artist says, "Oh? How do you know?" All you can do is throw up your hands - "Fuck you, it just obviously isn't! C'mon! That's not even close to what we mean when we say, 'art'! We mean a certain thing, and that's just not that thing!"
I hope I've shed some light on your question here, though this is hardly a conclusive or exhaustive answer. Beauty and art appear, at times, objective and subjective, because we all recognize it but none of us can exhaustively describe it. Plenty of concepts are like that, but these two are particularly important because of the emphasis we put on beauty in our daily living.
Once again, since I'm not an expert on this topic, I'm going to ask my audience to email me suggestions for useful resources on the questions of beauty and art. I'll update this post on Wednesday with those suggestions.


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October 20, 2008
BioShock PS3's 'Challenge Rooms' Coming in November
Check out our sister website PlayStation4.net!
The biggest addition to the PlayStation 3 version of BioShock are the "Challenge Rooms," a feature that publisher 2K Games has revealed will be released as downloadable content on November 20.
For those still in the dark, the "Challenge Rooms" are essentially BioShock-themed puzzle areas complete with timer and tasks that force you to use the skills you may or may not have learned through the course of the single-player game.
The updated version of BioShock hits shelves on October 21.
7 Comments »
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Bio: Our current line-up was formed in February of 2010 in Azle, Tx. The band consists of two sets of brothers; David Oliver on drums, Seth Oliver playing guitar, Randy Todd playing bass, and Billy Todd singing and playing guitar. For most of our shows we play a few cover songs, simply paying our res... See Full BioMore Info
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Bead weaving is making objects by stitching beads together. Sometimes these objects can be soft, textile like and used for clothes, jewelry and accessories. Sometimes they can be very stiff and sculptural. The choice of beads used ranges from tiny seeds and bugles to large glass, acrylic, paper, gemstone or whatever you like beads using many different stitches. I'd like to cover one stitch per feature.
About.com has good instructions for beginners with step by step explanations of every stitch.
St. Petersburg chain may look complicated at first but it is very easy to learn. This is one of my favourite stitches and, believe me, it is very addictive. It is soft and supple, perfect for gentle, delicate, feminine bracelets and necklaces. Doubled it gives a fern- or a feather-like look. It drapes gorgeously and is perfect choice for lariats and V-necklaces. It can be used by itself but is usually embellished with fringes or pendants.
Single chain
Double chain
Wider version
From DA
Babuci's tutorial
Finished projects
:thumb141558452: :thumb192771413: :thumb192789873: :thumb112077032: :thumb134460366: :thumb110406275:
Past features
Square stitch Loom work Ladder stitch Brick stitch Peyote stitch Tubular Peyote stitch Herringbone stitch Right angle weave Netting Tubular netting Spiral stitch Daisy chain


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Reflections of Ourselves
The bad behavior my daughter learned from me
Something I never realized about parenting, until recently, is just how much our kids act as a mirror for us. So much of our kid's behavior is a reflection of how they see us, and if we want to shape them into the kind of people we want them to be, we must make sure that we, ourselves, are the kind of people we want to be.
A good example of what I'm talking about happened recently when my daughter, Annie, grabbed a piece of toast off my plate without asking.
"Just a minute," I said. "Did you ask if you could have that?"
"Sorry," Annie replied with a total lack of sincerity and the annoyed tone of a teenager.
For a moment, I was totally taken aback and just stared, lost in thought. What had made my adorable three-year-old suddenly say something so brash and unappealing? I was at a total loss.
That night I told my wife about what happened, and she was equally stumped as to where Annie could have picked up the phrase.
"Does your Mom say that?" I asked.
"No," my wife said. "Does your sister?"
"Not since she was about seventeen."
We soon dropped the subject and went to bed without figuring it out. But then a few days later, my wife and I were tired after a long day, and when she complained that I didn't manage to pick up the laundry I found myself snap, "Sorry," with the same unappealing tone as Annie had used a few days earlier.
For me, this was an "oh, crap" moment when I realized that, in this instance, I was the source of my daughter's poor behavior. It's easy to recognize our own good qualities in our children (and to congratulate ourselves for passing them on), but it's harder to see the things we do (and pass on) that are less attractive.
Being a good parent means taking a long look in the mirror and being honest about what we can do to improve ourselves. It's exhausting work, but if we don't do it, we will see our own worst qualities reflected back at us in our children. This time it was something small, but if I don't make looking inward a priority, there will come a day when I see something a lot worse in my children, and that's something I definitely want to avoid.