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Natural environment for horses
Everyone would agree that to have a healthy horse, we must provide them with the best possible care that meets all of their physical and psychological needs. Unfortunately, there are many different opinions on how we should manage horse care.
The path to healthy hooves not only involves providing a proper trim, but also a proper lifestyle that is going to maximize our horses' ability to meet the demands we place on them. To truly meet their needs, we must first understand the basic requirements of a horse (domestic or otherwise).
1. Movement on varied terrain
The ability to move freely is one of the horse's most basic and important requirements for health. Because of the horse's prey instinct, confining them to small areas for long periods of time can be psychologically stressful to them. There are also many negative physical side-effects to long periods of stall time: decreased circulation, muscle loss, development of bad habits, thermo-regulatory system problems (inability to adjust between extreme temperature changes), etc.
A horse who is moving constantly (searching for forage, socializing with herdmates) is providing all body functions with optimum circulation, because of the pumping action of the hooves. This is necessary for strong, healthy hoof horn growth, as well as hoof wear.
Many argue against 24/7 turnout because of their desire to protect their horses from injuries in the field. However, many people have found that horses on full turnout are much more sensible and careful when it comes to poor weather or footing conditions, because they are not overwhelmed with the energy of getting out after 8 hours of being indoors. Horses on 24/7 turnout are also more socially aware than stalled horses, and are more likely to avoid herd-related injuries.
Ideally, horses should have access to different types of terrain, including hard and abrasive surfaces. A good rule of thumb is to provide in their living environment the surface you plan to do most of your riding on. If you hack on gravel roads, give them a gravel area.
2. Exposure of hooves to water
Because the hoof is designed to flex and move with the horse's movement, they need moisture. Unfortunately, hoof oils are not an effective way of providing that necessary moisture. In fact, hoof oils have been shown to clog the porous hoof (all hooves "sweat" and release toxins from the body) and cause breakdown of the hoof horn.
The best way to provide the moisture necessary to keep hooves healthy and functioning is by daily exposure to water. In the wild, horses wade into ponds and streams on a daily basis to drink. 15 to 20 minutes per day in a stream, pond, or even puddle or mud area is enough to keep the hoof flexible and functional. Some people build their own soaking stalls or paddocks, as seen in this photo.
3. Access to continuous forage
A horse's digestive system is designed to be constantly working on metabolizing small amounts of forage-type nutrients. The more often that we can feed our horses small amounts throughout the day, the better. Free-choice hay, or mixed pasture area for them to graze, is ideal. Weeds, herbs and different kinds of grasses and grass hay are wonderful to provide a healthy variety in a horse's diet.
If pasture is not an option, then free choice hay is another great option. However, instead of putting out a roundbale in a feeder, spread the bale out so that the horses can eat in a natural head-low stance, and move around as they eat to imitate grazing.
4. Interaction within a herd setting
Horses need interaction with their own kind to by psychologically healthy. They are social creatures, and in the wild are dependent on fellow herd members for survival. Touch, play, herd movement, and social pecking order are all a regular part of a wild horse's living circumstance, and should be provided for our domestic horses as well.
Horses who are kept stalled on a regular basis can develop social problems such as extreme aggression or timidity. They may also be more prone to horse-related injuries when turned out into an irregular herd environment.
5. Access to shelter
By providing a run-in shelter for our horses, we give them the choice to stay in or out. It is surprising how often they choose to stay out when we would prefer to have them in. However, we need to realize that most often the shelter we give to our horses is for our own peace of mind and not in their best interests.
6. Freedom from horse "clothing"
We are often tempted to use wraps, boots, sheets and blankets to protect our horses and keep them warm and dry. However, the horse has a fully capable thermo-regulatory system that dictates how the body responds to the weather around it. When we put a winter blanket or even a light sheet on our horse, this temperature regulation system can no longer work properly, resulting in a horse who is actually more exposed to the elements and who can potentially have their immune system weakened.
© Nature's Barefoot Hoofcare Guild Incorporated 2005.


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Time: February 18, 2012 at 10pm to February 19, 2012 at 4am
Location: Gallery Nightclub
Website or Map: http://www.thevipguy.com
Event Type: nightclub event
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Latest Activity: Feb 18, 2012
Jayde Nicole will celebrate her birthday at Gallery Nightclub inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Saturday, Feb. 18. The sexy new fitness blogger will turn 26-years-old at the luxurious nightclub, as the gorgeous model is joined by her closest friends.
The reality star has also been seen on MTV's "The Hills," and E! Entertainment's "The Girls Next Door" and "Holly's World."
Gallery Nightclub at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino is a place where all the deepest fantasies can be explored from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.


text: Why Twitter now looks a bit more Facebook than firehose Design 10 April 14 by Kyle Vanhemert Tweet The new Twitter profile designWired There were a few different responses to yesterday's news of Twitter redesigning its user profile pages. Some people liked it. Some people hated it. Many rightly pointed out that it looked a lot like Facebook. But many others shared the sentiment of my colleague Mat Honan, who tweeted, "Sure, I like my new profile page, but when do you ever look at someone's Twitter profile?"It's true that for people like me and you, Twitter is defined by the firehose-like barrage of tweets known as the timeline. That, for better or worse, is the Twitter we've come to expect. But there are a huge number of people who know nothing of the timeline. They've heard of Twitter, maybe, but they've never bothered to sign up. These people wind up on Twitter when they search Google for Lady Gaga and follow the third or fourth search result to twitter.com/ladygaga. They don't care about the firehose. They just want to see Gaga's trickle of updates. Twitter's freshly redesigned profile pages are for these people.Over the course of the next few weeks, all Twitter users will get moved to the new profile page. Visually, the biggest change is the introduction of a full-width header image, a la Facebook's cover photo. Gone are quirkily charming tiled backgrounds of the old profile page.Tweets appear a bit differently too. Users can opt to put a "pinned tweet" at the top of their column, plucking one from the chronological stack as a sort of 140-character slogan. In the list of tweets itself, popular tweets will appear in slightly larger text, making them easier to find in a quick scan. Each tweet is also wrapped in its own little container, making the stream feel less like an endless, mashed-together slog and more like a collection of distinct bon mots.Shifting the Boat On one level, the redesign was just about giving the profile a fresh coat of paint. "When you look at the old profile, it's basically a glorified stream with a header on top," says Dave Bellona, the Twitter designer who led the project. Functionally, that's not especially inviting to newcomers. A strictly chronological profile has a decent chance of being topped with a bunch of at-replies -- fragments of conversations, essentially -- that probably won't mean much to someone unfamiliar with the service. The question with the redesign, Bellona says, was, "How do we slowly shift the boat to be able to make Twitter a little bit more understandable to the rest of us?" On the new profile page, each Tweet gets its own container, making for a slightly less intimidating streamTwitter That's the core existential challenge Twitter faces today. In the last year, we've seen the company taking steps to lessen the full force of the firehose, ostensibly in hopes of making the service friendlier to casual users. These include breaking up the dense flow of text with in-line images and loosening chronology by threading conversations in the timeline. Still, deviating too far from this core experience would be disastrous -- something Twitter well knows.But profile page, as my colleague Mat pointed out, isn't part of that core experience to begin with. In that view, the redesign isn't just about making Twitter friendlier for casual users. It's also an acknowledgement that some people may never make it to the timeline in the first place. It's a concession to another type of user -- and another type of user behaviour.If you're one of these people, Bellona says, "The frequency at which you check in on the people that you find interesting isn't going to be everyday. It's going to be closer to once a week or once every two weeks." In the case of many of these users, perhaps, the profile page of a favourite celebrity is as far as they want or need to go.Bellona and his fellow designers at Twitter considered some even more radical approaches to the profile page throughout the year-long design process. One included a tiled layout, where content was freed from the stream entirely. Ultimately, the familiar column of tweets prevailed.Packaging Things Up Still, the redesign puts an emphasis on packaging that was totally absent before. The expansive top photo, the user-defined pinned tweet, and the algorithmically-resized tweets in the feed all serve the purpose of creating a more approachable package for the one-stop user. "We asked, 'how can we make this more like a magazine cover -- almost like a summary of its contents,'" Bellona says. If Twitter hitherto has been about aggregating a digest from all sorts of sources, the new profile offers a polished entry point for those who just want to catch up with a single subject.Other small touches emphasise the profile's new status as a useful place to park yourself. The new design pings Twitter's servers for updates every 30 seconds and automatically threads new tweets into the stream, instead of forcing users to click a notification to reveal new tweets. The team conceived of it as a sort of "ticker tape" effect, especially useful in the case of someone live-tweeting an event. Twitter will undoubtedly continue trying to push their newsfeed into more mainstream territory. The new profile design, though, is a slightly different play. It does make Twitter easier for newcomers to understand, offering a shinier, more product-like public face to people who arrive directly at a user page.But it also positions the Twitter profile as a destination unto itself, apart from the newsfeed entirely. It's a concession to an entirely different use case than the one Twitter was built upon. "For some people, it's all about that real-time newsfeed," Bellona says. "For some, it's just like, 'I want to see what a celebrity is up to.' Both should be really great. And that's where we took a big step forward." This article originally appeared on Wired.com Comments Read more on Twitter The micro-blogging and social networking service based around short public status updates Business Twitpic shutters doors after Twitter trademark tussle Technology Marriott's new tables match up guests with LinkedIn interests Politics Number-crunched: the Scottish independence debate on Twitter Business Twitter to show tweets from people you don't follow Technology Twitter tweaks policies to 'better handle tragic situations' Technology Facebook removes messaging service from main app Read more on Facebook The most popular social networking in the world with over half a billion active users Technology Drag queen slams Facebook's real name policy Business Facebook and Cherie Blair partner to mentor women entrepreneurs Technology Facebook and Samaritans publish mental health outreach guide Technology Doodle over your photos with Facebook Messenger app Technology Facebook revamps mobile search to sift through old posts Technology Instagram's Hyperlapse tool makes time-lapse video capture easy Latest on wired.co.uk


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This conversation is closed.
What's a degree worth?
Education is approaching a change where it will never turn back, but what will we find around that corner?
In America, college degrees mean less and less, and it seems like what's often more important is real-world experience and a competitive portfolio/skill sets. So the question is to put yourself in the following situations to answer the following:
As an employer: Would you rather hire someone with your required skill sets/a competitive portfolio and no college degree, or someone with a degree and good grades but little experience? (everything else held equal)
As a high school graduate: Would you be willing to self-teach yourself to the point where you had marketable skills and an impressive self-made portfolio while risking not having a degree?
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Feb 4 2013: I'd prefer hire someone with my required skill sets,a competitive portfolio and no college degree, of course. And as a HS graduate, our point must to get te best teaching (or self teaching) and having a degree. Rules are normally designed and agreed to be respected. And for the most of the people, a degree is something like a first proof of what you'll show after.
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.


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THANK YOU! We are SOLD OUT!
Visit our newest community:
Welcome home to Tupelo Plantation. Situated just twenty minutes from downtown Jacksonville and the quaint ocean-side community of Fernandina Beach, this gorgeous community offers a small town atmosphere, without giving up the conveniences of the big city. Outdoor adventure awaits, whether you're cruising the waters of Lake Tupelo, trotting off into the sunset atop your horse or enjoying a leisurely stroll, Tupelo Plantation truly has something for everyone!
Our beautiful community has been developed with an emphasis on the natural assets of the landscape. The fenced equestrian pasture adjacent to the lake offers the perfect place for riding and training. The Clubhouse, known as the Tupelo Lake House, is adjacent to the lake and connected to a pier with a gazebo. You can kayak, paddle boat, canoe and fish, or relax on the white sandy beach.
Please contact us at Tupelo Plantation for more information on this exquisite Florida land for sale. You can schedule your no-pressure, no-obligation tour and experience our scenic community for yourself this weekend.


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The Iron Giant is a wondrous animated fairy tale of post-Sputnik paranoia and the related fears of "otherness" that carries with it warm messages about friendship and non-violence. What should have been an unqualified hit, however, managed a scant $23 million at the box office due to an infamously indifferent advertising campaign by Warner Bros., which demonstrated that its animation competitors (Disney and Dreamworks) are far more comfortable with this end of the business. After all, the materials are all first-rate, from the incredibly cool-looking gentle giant, to the enthusiastic vocal talent, to the tight adaptation of Ted Hughes' book by directors Brad Bird and Tim McCanlies. What might seem on the surface like a simple "boy and his robot" tale is secretly a wicked parody of the 1950s, targeting not only hair-trigger government agents, but also pulp monster movies and laid-back beatniks. What provides the spine-tingling emotional core is the tender characterization of the childlike giant, whose swirling circular eyes and gravelly voice (thank you, Vin Diesel) convey heart-breaking empathy. Watching him innocently chomp junked cars and farm equipment is also oodles of fun. The struggle between this benevolent soul and his battle droid pre-programming, which appears in a flashy display of inventive artillery near the end, also sends a crystalline message to children that guns are bad -- an idea rarely communicated to them in so entertaining a fashion. It's a real shame that Hughes died during production, meaning he never got to see this glorious realization of his work.
by Derek Armstrong review


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All Talk and Little Action in Valkyrie
- Monday, June 01, 2009
Cruise dominates the screen, but his performance isn't particularly arresting. He's convincing but flat, with very little expression or personality bleeding through. Some of this is due to the script, which offers little in the way of back story or character exposition. Why, exactly, does Staffenberg want Hitler dead? The film paints only broad strokes—a huge omission that would have provided excellent opportunity for Cruise to show some acting chops and for the director to give us a glimpse into the lifestyles of rich and famous Nazis. This is all the more important given that the overwhelming majority of the film's scenes take place around a desk. It's tedious, to say the least, with nothing more than a few quick shots of Staffenberg's wife and children to break things up.
Another problem is the accents. Most of the German officers speak with English accents, but one speaks with a German accent, which is distracting. Cruise doesn't even attempt an accent, however, and his American presences throws off the film's credibility. In short, he was the wrong actor for the role, which would have been better served by someone older and more versatile.
Valkyrie is mildly entertaining and will provide ample discussion opportunity about the ethics of assassinating evil dictators. History buffs are the ones most likely to appreciate this best.
- None
- Drugs/Alcohol: Actors drink and smoke throughout the film, typically in social or war contexts.
- Language/Profanity: A few strong profanities.
- Sexual Content/Nudity: None.
- Violence: Strong wartime violence including shootings, gunfire and executions.
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text: Webexclusive Naughty or Nice Wine Glass Item #: 123519 $10.99 $8.24 Temporary Sale Ship to Home It's the holiday's most famous question: naughty or nice? Let friends and family know which list you claim with the Naughty or Nice Wine Glass! Crafted of glass Holds 15 oz. Features black-haired woman holding a wine glass and the script "Naughty or Nice?" Painted color holiday lights Black tassel tied to the stem for a unique, festive touch Prominent holiday hues of red and green This item is available at Kirklands.com only, not available in stores. This item is no longer available for purchase.


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Your Book Is Watching You
I'm quoted in the Guardian's piece on Joyland and filesharing today, and on the basis that if you're here at all it's because you're prepared to let me flesh out some ideas, that's what I'm going to do. In the words of George Cyril Wellbeloved: "I expect you're wondering what I think about all this."
"All this", incidentally, is a new system which apparently alters the text of e-books in order to trace whose copy has been copied without consent.
In the first place, I think the notion of a book which is reconfigured to provide a chain of evidence in a civil proceeding against the reader is repellant. I think that is in the most perfectly Teutonic sense an un-book. Books should not spy on you. I'm fascinated by Kobo's remarkable ability to track readers' progress through an e-book, and the commercial side of me really wants that information. But the civil liberties thinker in me hates that the facility exists and loathes the fact that people aren't entirely clear on how much they're telling the system about themselves. It really unsettles me. This is far worse: the deliberate creation of an engine of observation inside the text of the book. It stinks.
More: it is ghastly to the point of self-destruction in what it does to the relationship between the reader and the publisher. I always point to Dan Ariely at this point and remind everyone about the day care centre study in Predictably Irrational: once you turn a relationship from a social contract into a financial or even a penal one, it takes hard work and time to repair. This concept absolutely damages an already-stressed relationship between the creative industry on one hand and the reader on the other. It is a bad thing to do.
If you have, over the last few weeks, expressed concern at the idea that the NSA is watching your online activities or listening to your phonecalls; if you have—rightly and properly—responded with scorn to the fatuous assertion that "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear" from total surveillance (irrespective of whether that's actually taking place or not) then you have no business, as a matter of intellectual rigour and honesty, espousing this system'—and you understand how popular it's going to be with the public. The ongoing addition of varying different kinds of surveillance to everyday life is pernicious. It is a cultural insanity. Don't contribute to it.
Then there are more obvious problems, of which the first is that the precise relationship between filesharing and sales is not properly understood. Some houses have had very positive results with DRM-free books, and O'Reilly Press have, if I recall, established a bump in sales every time a book is "pirated".
(For the record, once again: piracy is a crime of violence, hostage-taking, theft, rape and murder. Filesharing is not piracy any more than dog ownership is bear baiting. I was assured this morning that it's an old usage. It may be. It is an emotive term, not a useful one. Filesharing is at worst a tragedy of the commons issue, and should be tackled as such.)
Beyond that is the question of how the filesharing world will respond to this technology if it goes mainstream. The most low-end response is simply to read the text for alterations. It's not even technically very hard to scan books wholesale, as we all already know. Perhaps hosting sites will compare one text with another and spot the shifts. There's an ideological component to filesharing for many people - who believe that publishers are badly behaved with reference to DRM, for example, or issues of ownership of digital copies, in which it has to be acknowledged they have some solid arguments - so someone will spend some time getting around this fix. Who knows? It doesn't matter. It's a cheap technical fix, so there'll probably be a cheap technical fightback. That's how these things tend to work.
And then where are we? With a yet-more damaged relationship with the readership, a few legal cases generating bad publicity for the industry, and another expensive failure in the fight against something not everyone is sure is a real problem, and once again looking around wondering whether there might not be a better way.
"Your Book Is Watching You."
Is that really how you want to behave?
Count me out.
Watermarks/"Social DRMs" are not ALL that bad
In general, I PREFER Watermarks over encryption-based DRMs, especially since they are usially INCLUDED in encryption-based.
Watermarks, if at least partially visible, give the same "protection" as DRMs against casual sharing, without completely locking the user's freedom to use the text. Since the locking is removed, there is almost no incentive for "pirates" to create removal tools for watermarks.
I still don't understand why the big resellers don't adopt Watermarks as a "middle" level of protection, for publishers to use.
Some people are even selling watermarking solutions,with both visible/invisible parts, but with no effect on the text. There are SO many other ways to hide the invisible watermarking information...
In the case of SiDim though, THIS watermark implementation is simply a BIG RED NO ! How on earth can they show so much contempt for readers and authors alike ?
In the name of protection, they simply destroy the text's essence !
That's simply atrocious (and maybe illegal in many states).
Makes me wonder if that's not a new way to give bad reputation to Watermarks...
Yes, I'm quite fond of watermarking. There was a suggestion ages ago that a book should just have the number of the purchaser's credit card watermarked in, because you would have to be a total idiot to put that information out into the world, which I thought was not obnoxious. It has two problems, of course: the first is that it could be used the way this would be, and the second is that it would simply get stripped out. People seem to forget that it only requires a very small number of seed copies for a book to get thoroughly shared, and there's always some guy called Gunter in a cellar in Panama City or whatever who makes his life's mission the dissemanation of free digital copies. And Gunter has a scanner and a friend called Ludmila who stops by ever so often, so anything which was really digitally impenetrable they'd just make a PDF of anyway. It takes, what, 20 minutes?
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text:
for sunshine, sparkles and smiles,
for moments of balance in a life of chaos,
for happy, happy times,
Thank you!
~ Sufey
for sunshine, sparkles and smiles,
for moments of balance in a life of chaos,
for happy, happy times,
Thank you!
~ Sufey
Avocados aren't red
And oranges aren't blue
But this soup is sweet
And so are you…
Okay, okay. I'm not a poet and I know it. :P
But what I can do is serve you up a sunny smile and a yummy new raw soup. I like a little something sweet after my midday siesta, and this is a delightfully light re-energizer to freshen up any day!
It's so important to make time for ourselves: to sleep, eat well, move, and worship our body temples. We can only brighten up the world if we keep our own flame lit, right?
So go ahead and treat yourself to some sunshine, a smile, a siesta and soup! Sweet dreaming! <3
INGREDIENTS (1 large serving | source organic and local ingredients if possible!):
Squeeze fresh orange juice into blender. Toss in chopped carrots, avocado, garlic, ginger, water and blend till smooth.
Add a pinch of cayenne if you like it spicy, a pinch of turmeric cause it rocks your body, and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle on sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and delight! Happy sipping! :D
Crisp autumn air lures in chilly nights, even here in the New Mexican desert. But there's something about sharp coldness that heightens my appreciation for the warmth of this world, a beautiful realization. It makes me more grateful for lazy … Continue reading


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Sometimes when you take home a Guys Choice award, the only move is an excessive celebration.
Miss any of Guys Choice? Relive the full show here.
Backstage + Mantlers = photo op.
Have you voted for Jean-Claude Gahd Dam? How about Most Dangerous Man? Our New Girlfriend? Hottest Al(l)ison?
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We call this Guys Choice because, hey Guys, you choose the winners! Now get out there and vote!
Guys Choice is coming! Check out Spike.com for more info, and vote for Choice New GF, Hottest Al(l)ison, Jean Claude Gahd Dam, Most Dangerous Man, Outstanding Literary Achievement and more!
The Workaholics hit the Guys Choice Awards .gif booth. (Guys Choice airs Saturday, June 9 at 9/8c.)
Our favorite .gifs from the Guys Choice Awards. (Watch it when it airs this Saturday, June 9 at 9/8c.)


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Start your visit from the beguinage in the Nonnenstraat and turn right at the Krankenstraat. Before, the gate from the Krankenstraat was the only entrance to the brewery. The street name refers to the old hospital 'Ter Kranken' where the beguines nursed the ill. Take a left turn at the Hoviusstraat with the beautiful convent from 1620. Here you will experience the authentic beguinage atmosphere. Along the Fonteinstraat and the Conventstraat you end up where you began your journey, in the Nonnenstraat. At number 4 you can catch a glimpse of an old courtyard. The 'Jezuspoort' is one of the most photographed curiosities of Mechelen. Before the church from 1629, you take the Moreelstraat, walk along the beguinage and end at the recently restored Cellebroedersklooster (Cellites cloisters). The statue above number 13 in the Twaalf Apostelenstraat indicates that in this convent 12 poor beguines stayed. The 'klooster der Achtzaligheden' (Cloisters of the Eight Beatitudes) is where 8 beguines stayed.
End your tour through the 'Cellebroedersstraat' and the 'Krommestraat'. Today the beguinage is private property and proclaimed World Heritage by UNESCO.


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ginj said:
Welcome Kay114. I dont personally have the clock, but I think several people on the forum have it and like it. I understand he also soothes you to sleep as well?
thanks for the welcome, ginji; as for the clock being soothing, I can't wait to add to the consensus--once buying it's in my budget. I look forward to finding my way around here, too.


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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Woodland Creature Story Sizing
I'm not a big fan of story "estimates". In my opinion, it conveys a notion of accuracy that simply isn't possible. I prefer story "sizes" instead…still not perfect, but better.
I'm also not a big fan of using numbers to size stories, again, because numbers encourage folks to do math that doesn't make sense.
So what do I recommend for sizing?
Woodland creatures!
Here is my "normal" list:
- Shrew
- Squirrel
- Badger
- Boar
- Deer
- Bear
- Elk
- Caribou
- Dragon*
The reason I like woodland creatures is:
1) you can't do math with them (though they do multiply!)
2) they imply a size or category, but not an accuracy, and
3) they keep the team from taking the activity too seriously, but differences in opinion still get discussed.
Personally, I've only ever made cards and used them for various planning activities. Others have suggested finding various animal stickers and sticking them right on the card (I like this idea but have never gotten the stickers). The list of animals obviously doesn't matter. They simply need to go from small to large if used for sizes, or any animals if you're simply assigning a category or class of work.
*Note: You may have noticed the last animal in the list above was a dragon, and might be thinking, "wait a sec! dragons aren't woodland creatures!"…and you would be right :) However, I usually reserve this special animal for stories the team think needs to be broken down further. Then we either assign a "dragon slayer" to ensure the story gets broken down, or we simply avoid it for now.
My preferred planning activity is "Creature Sizing". This is basically T-shirt sizing; assigning a category of work to a story. Select a handful of woodland creatures to use. Normally three is fine to start off with (I use Shrew, Badger, and Bear). Next, a subset of the team (about 3 members) is asked to discuss key points of the stories. If another team member with special knowledge is needed they are "tagged in" at the last moment. These team members then assign a woodland creature to the story. If the team is less mature or lacking confidence then the whole team could be used for this activity.
I should also mention, that when possible, I like the categories of work (and therefore number/types of animals) to emerge over time instead of selecting them up front. This isn't always possible if an entire initiative is needing to be relatively sized for a governance decision. Also worth mentioning is that this level of planning can be continuous, with little disruption to the team.
I've also used the woodland creatures with Planning Poker (my least favorite sizing game) and 1-N Table Walking (which I like better than Planning Poker, but still sub-optimal/less mature in my opinion).
So there is it! If you think your team or your product owners are getting too hung up on the "accuracy" of your "estimates" or start doing "crazy velocity math", consider using Woodland Creatures as an abstraction that may help :)
12 comments Links to this post Posted by Matt Barcomb at 8:27 PM
Monday, May 23, 2011
Agile Up 3 Here: Reflections on the past
Looking forward to this week got me reflecting a bit about the first event. The people there were all amazing, talented, and interesting in many ways…and they liked PUNS!
However, meeting amazingly awesome people wasn't the only great part. For me, it was also finally getting to see what a truly high performing team could do with all the agile principles and practices I had been studying and attempting to apply in my large corporate environment. What I really enjoyed was watching the interactions of all these people unfold into working software and a happy customer.
Now we had it good! We had a small group of talented people (and me). The team space had all the wall-space, index cards, and hamsters a team might need. It was as close to perfect as you could get.
However, even with everything being stacked in our favor, we still hit a few snags, some because it was the first time running the event and everyone was learning, and others because we were a group of humans working together.
But at the end of the day, we did it! The team had delivered, through multiple iterations, working software. We focused on the needs of and value to the customer. We used good technical practices. We interacted, collaborated, reflected, learned and adapted.
At this point, you might be thinking "of course it worked, you had a small group of people working in a near-optimal environment". So why is this all so great?
For me, at that time, it was great because it demonstrated that it is actually possible. It may have been the metaphorical "top of the mountain", but still it worked; it gave me hope. It breathed fresh vigor in to the various initiatives I was attempting at work, and eventually lead me to leave that employer, to take a new job where I could help other places realize at least a little bit of what I experienced at Agilistry.
I knew from my 6 years in large corporate IT that the path to the top of the mountain is long, and difficult, but Agile Up 2 Here showed me that it was possible. Since then, in my new position, I continue to reflect about the things I learned that week, and use that as motivation with the many teams I've worked with since.
I'm really looking forward to this coming week; catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. I'm also super excited for the new experiences we will have and the new learnings and reflections they will provide me in the future.
Thank you Elisabeth for providing me that opportunity a year ago, and being kind enough to have me back!
0 comments Links to this post Posted by Matt Barcomb at 1:09 AM
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Unmotivated or Demotivated?
I find it a fun challenge to motivate unmotivated teams. Getting to know folks a bit, finding out their interests or passions and helping them map those back to their job or career is quite rewarding, but I recently ran across a problem.
I began working with a team that had been working together on a project for a while. They were displaying all the signs of an unmotivated team. I had heard tell of some negative stories about "management" but nothing I wouldn't have tacked up to normal enterprise candor and so I set out down my usual path to motivation...and met with failure. Everyone listened, asked some questions and generally interacted appropriately. Nobody was overly negative, they simply lacked energy.
After trying a few more tricks with no real traction I started poking around at the negative stories I had heard before. After some digging it became apparent that some pretty heinous treatment was given and the team just took it on the chin...a few times. This completely demotivated them.
Not having been present for these acts, and only joining the team months later, what I was seeing was the exact same outward signs as unmotivated people, but really they were demotivated...which runs much deeper.
As I stated earlier, unmotivated teams simply lack energy. When something is lacking you just need to replace it. However, with demotivated teams something isn't missing, something has been torn down, and must now be rebuilt. That is a much harder task.
Demotivation is a trust violation. Rebuilding trust is hard in any relationship but I think especially so between an organization and a team.
When one party violates another's trust, the violating party needs to admit to some wrong doing. This is hard because an org needs to send a consistent message here. That means that those folks need to agree they did something wrong in the first place. It also means they can't take the same or similar actions again in the future.
Orgs also can't buy their way out of this. No third party can be brought in to do the actual rebuilding. A consultant may be able to identify the problem and advise on how to handle it, but the people in the org that enacted the trust violation need to be the same people to take action to resolve it (or be gotten rid of).
So where is all this going?
Well, if you are a consultant; beware! If you think you're working with an unmotivated team, the problem could be worse. If you identify a trust violation, change gears to facilitate rebuilding if possible.
If you are in a leadership position and think you have an unmotivated team on your hands; beware! If motivating the team doesn't seem to be working, they may be demotivated and perhaps some trust needs to be rebuilt instead.
If you think there is a chance you may be the person who demotivated the team; beware! Don't go in and try to motivate people, especially in a "ra-ra go-team" sorta way. In my experience that just adds insult to injury. Maybe get some help from a coworker or externally.
One side note. A fun fact about rebuilding trust is that many of the actions are a lot like building trust. An interesting side effect of teams within orgs that are actively trying to build trust, is that sometimes those teams get motivated that their org is showing interest and taking action.
So...be aware of de vs. un motivation and work to build trust no matter what!
2 comments Links to this post Posted by Matt Barcomb at 1:03 AM
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Lean/Agile: Why you don't need it!
I mean what would really need to change anyway? Your painful annual budgeting process and five-year project plan has worked well forever! Your hiring and training processes have certainly maintained the skill level and interest of your cost-center-style IT department. Besides, you just sent your VP of HR all the acronyms and version numbers of all the tools and technologies listed in the past 6 monthly trade magazines…man... you're on top of it!
Either way, I'm sure your company is in a stable, non-commoditizable market space. I mean yeah, you mostly deal in information now that it's 2011, and your major competitors have likely eeked the last few iotas out of their measurable primary operations over the past few decades just like you…but they just don't get it like you do! And anyhow, your shareholders were amazed with last quarter's dividends…when have they ever been wrong? Heck! They are even considering an IPO! All signs point to yes! …jeez wont you be rich once they decide to go public?…probably shouldn't rock the boat now!
As for employee engagement and more rewarding work and lifestyles…what a bunch of hooey! Those people should just be glad to have jobs right? The ones that made it past the last round of layoffs that is. I mean, have they seen the economy? Anyhow, your company is the best in town right? After all, you work there and you're no loser! They should feel proud to be part of the same thing you are…that same vision of …well…we don't really remember the vision…I mean, we printed it out a few months ago on those plotters we got…for, you know…printing out the vision statement. Damn that was an expensive year…almost didn't make EBITDA that year…good thing we cut the training and conference budget so we could get the plotters! …but yeah…we printed that vision out…mostly because it was too long to remember. Something about increasing something and something else about shareholder value. I think they mentioned something about customers, or maybe employees…oh wait…both were there, but "employees" were termed "service personal"…that's right…yeah…so the plotters were a good investment!
Anyhow, you've likely asked around at the office about lean and agile by now and one thing is clear. No one can agree on what it is…they were going to buy some books and send some people to conferences a couple of years ago, but that budget got cut…something about vision and plotters…They do agree on one thing though! That it isn't easy! It is hard and takes a long time to really "go agile". Even so, lots of folks seem to be getting pretty excited by it. What would they know though? None of them have MBAs…or at least you bet they wouldn't if you took the time to ask…they certainly don't get business and how things work in the real world. At least not the same way you get it, you devastatingly clever bastard!
Well, like it or not, a lot of your people are clamoring about this, and a few of your competitors have been recently "going agile". You don't want to fall behind! Here is a surefire way to change nothing while still "going agile":
1. Send your three best managers (the ones who do the best job commanding and controlling their resources) and your three worst managers to "Certified Scrum Master" training. This may seem odd, but you effectively get six certified Masters of Scrum, the leading Agile Methodology, for effectively half the price! (Nobody misses those other three guys anyhow…we aren't really sure why we keep them, but we never seem to fire anyone for any reason)
2. Go back and actually read that whole article in that trade mag. If you can't find the ten minutes that takes at least skim the bold print and italicized words. This way you know the lingo! You will be able to hang with the geeks and tell if they are bullshitting you! If you want to be a true lean/agile thought leader in your organization, repeat this step for at least two more trade magazines. If you still have time, consider a book summary to round out your agile education. Do not bother reading anything else. As you will soon learn from your Lean Words that is called "waste"...nonessential reading and learning. Besides, not much has changed since Fredrick Taylor developed Management Science over three decades ago...but you knew that, because you got an executive MBA a few years back to get that promotion!
3. All change requires a manager of the change process. We all know this. Choose a manager that has been around for a while and isn't really going anywhere with his career and appoint him to "Director of Agile". His duties will be reading the full articles in the trade magazines and maybe even a whole book. He should also know at least 10 names of book authors and know approximately 35% more buzz words than you. He will make lots of checklists to give to your new agile teams and report back to you on the new agile status of your agile projects in your agile project management software…I recommend Version One…it does so much that you'll never need, but DAMN it's expensive and you will get to brag about how much you spent on "going agile" with your friends on the executive golf course next month! Besides…the reports and charts you can make with that thing…it's every PMPs wet dream! You can even track things that don't even make sense!
4. Do more of what you have always done. I mean you're successful right? So do more of that. No need to actually question the status quo or actually change things. We all know change introduces risk and there is that IPO to think of. One caveat to this is if your company is struggling. In that case it is especially true that you not change anything! I mean, are you crazy? If you know what you are doing isn't working why on earth would you try something different? Just do more of what got you there…it's obvious you weren't doing it enough, otherwise you wouldn't be having problems. Also, don't confuse not changing anything with not spending money. Buying fancy tools and expensive consultants to not listen to is often the easiest way to appear to be taking action in the face of adversity.
So the bottom line is, you and your company are already the shizznit! You know this. I know this…but you can accept that times change and sometimes we need to use different words to do the same thing…that is business my friend, of which you are well aware.
Go forth! Learn new words! Be AGILE!
8 comments Links to this post Posted by Matt Barcomb at 11:50 PM
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text:
I don't understand why this recipe isn't rated higher. I've made it several times and it has a wonderful depth of flavor. Also, I've been asked for the recipe many times.
Winter Potage
bookgirll66 Posted: 03/14/10
kate88books Posted: 12/05/12
I was skeptical that this very green soup, without the benefit of herbs, would have much flavor ... so wrong. I am snacking on a scoop from the pot I just finished making, and it is delicious. I doubled the recipe and will freeze some for the future. One tip: Buy a hand blender to puree the soup right in the pot. The recipe's instructions for pureeing in batches in the blender are time consuming and dirty too many dishes for my taste.
patsywhitehead Posted: 09/16/12
Moniac Posted: 10/22/13
I added cayenne pepper which deepened the already high level of flavor and I added a bit of grated parmesan at serving which was perfect! The "greenness" is a bit intimidating, but a swirl of sour cream or yogurt could offset that. It is a great way to warm, is incredibly nutritious and way tasty as long as your guests don't mind "green"!


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Others Forex Websites : EUR/USD Analysis - EUR/GBP - Finexo


text:
This section contains 4,226 words
(approx. 15 pages at 300 words per page)
Critical Essay by Margaret Ganz
SOURCE: "The Humorist's Vision," in Elizabeth Gaskell: The Artist in Conflict, Twayne Publishers, 1969, pp. 132-81.
In the following excerpt, Ganz studies Gaskell's use of humor in two of her short works, "Mr. Harrison 's Confessions" and My Lady Ludlow.
"Mr. Harrison's Confessions" is indeed a remarkably enlightening introduction to Cranford, for it not only anticipates Mrs. Gaskell's basic approach in that work, but also the Cranford setting, characters, and situation. Less subtle in approach and less whimsical in characterization, it enables us to assess the fruition of her powers in Cranford where a fine discrimination is unerringly at work to suggest the humor and pathos of provincial existence.
Like Cranford, "Mr. Harrison's Confessions" treats us to a picture of small-town life in which...
This section contains 4,226 words
(approx. 15 pages at 300 words per page)


text:
A power outage occurred Friday afternoon in Carleton.
According to Scott Simons, a media spokesman for DTE Energy, gusty winds were to blame for about 600 Carleton residents losing power. It was restored at 4:30 p.m. Friday, after about four hours.
"It was weather-related. It's pretty windy out there," he said Friday night. "There was problem with a 40,000-volt line."
He did not know exactly where the problem occurred.
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Seventeen: Your PacSun fall collection hits stores August 8! What are some of your fave pieces in this collection?
Kendall Jenner: I really like the black jeans with faux leather on the front that are really cool. I'd wear them with a simple top and some heavy jewelry.
Kylie Jenner: I like this pinafore a lot and the crop tops. When I came here today, I was like why didn't I wear that?!
17: In your opinion, what's the best first-day-of-school outfit?
Kendall: Keep it simple but cute. Don't overdo it! I used to want to wear a uniform because then I wouldn't have to struggle with my outfit everyday.
17: If you could raid anyone's closet, whose would it be?
Kylie: I love the Olsen twins' wardrobe!
Kendall: Rihanna!
Kylie: Oh yeah…I would raid Rihanna's number one!
17: Is there a piece you're dying to buy right now?
Kendall: I'm not like that. I have to go to the store and if I see something that I love then I'm like 'I have to buy that!' I don't look hard for something.
17: Do you follow trends? What's the key to your look?
Kylie: I don't really follow trends–I don't like wearing what other people are wearing. I just like to be original!
Kylie, your sixteenth birthday is coming up. Are you planning a Sweet 16?
Kylie: I don't usually do parties. Normally, I just go to dinner with like five of my best friends, but since it's my sweet sixteen I have to. I'm throwing a huge party. The theme is Alice in Wonderland, but my twist on it. I'm doing the darker version.
Kendall: Like the Johnny Depp one.
Will you dress in character?
Kylie: No, but my mom is going to dress up as the queen, and she's going to bring a pig.
Kendall: Are you serious? I didn't hear about that.
Do you have your party outfit picked out?
Kylie: I looked at all of Kim's clothes, 'cause she has the best wardrobe. I found a shirt and a couple skirts, but I'm going to have our family stylist help me put it all together, so I don't really know yet.
Speaking of fashion, you're in town to debut your latest PacSun designs. How would you describe the new Kendall and Kylie for PacSun collection?
Kendall: The PacSun collection is our casual style. We call it our off-the-red-carpet style. It's really cute, kind of edgy, and has a California vibe to it.
Kylie: There are more fuchsias and dark colors and leathers in this collection than we've ever done before.
What were the inspirations for this collection?
Kylie: I feel like inspiration just comes. I don't know where we get it from!
Do you try to design what you would want in your dream closet?
Kendall: Exactly. It's our style, and its things we know we really like in our head, and we're like, "Oh let's put that in there!"
Kylie: Like we knew we really wanted overalls.
Kendall: Yeah, because those are coming back in.
Kylie: We're always on Tumblr also. There are great ideas on Tumblr.
Kendall: She's on Tumblr all the time!
Kylie: Or even when you own something and you're like, wow if this had this detail or this color it would be so much better. We get a lot of inspiration from our own closets.
What are your favorite pieces in the collection?
Kendall: Definitely the black and white blouse I have on is one of my favorites. And we have a really cute crop top that's hot pink and blue and black.
Kylie: The overalls dress I'm wearing is one of my favorites, and there are these jeans that are black denim on the back and faux leather on the front. They're cute. I like those.
Kendall: It's cool 'cause you can dress the pieces up or down. Kylie's obviously dressing hers up with heels, but you can also dress it down and just wear boots.
Kylie: We actually just did beanies for our line. Growing up, everyone would call me the little brat and Kendall the little angel. And we live in Cali so we did ones with those words.
Gotta do the Kali with a K.
Kylie: Obviously.
Does every piece you design have to be something you would wear yourselves?
Kylie: Definitely. I think having two people's opinions in a line is great because some people will love some of the things that Kendall has put more input in and some people will like the stuff I put more input in.
Do both of you have to approve every piece or if one of you loves something, can you overrule the other?
Kendall: We both approve the pieces, but if Kylie really, really likes something and I'm like ehh, I'm obviously going to let her put it in the line. If we're both like ehh about it, then it doesn't make the cut.
Kylie: We generally agree, though.
Kendall: We have different yet similar style.
How would you describe your style?
Kendall: First off, Kylie wears more black and I wear more color. She likes edgier things that I wouldn't necessarily wear.
Kylie: It's easier if we describe each other's styles! Kendall is literally the epitome of model style: beachy, and just like cool boots and jeans and a hat.
What's your favorite part about working on the collection?
Kendall: Seeing the clothes on people. Like people are actually buying them and wearing them. That's cool.
Kylie: After our first collection came out, I was at the mall and I saw two people wearing this army jacket we designed. I was like, "I love your jacket!" That was definitely the best part. One of the girls was on the first level of the mall and I was on the second level, so I yelled down to her!
How do you think the collection has grown and evolved since you started it?
Kendall: I think it has really grown and evolved from our first collection to now. Every collection gets so much better, and I think we love it even more every time. We have been working on our next collection and we just saw our line sheet for it, and we're so excited. It's just gotten older with us, and it's growing because we're getting more comfortable with the process.
Your older sisters have been designing lines of their own for some time. What advice do they give you?
Kylie: We actually didn't to ask them for advice this time. We ask them for their advice and input on everything, so we were kind of like, we want to make this more about us.
Kendall:We wanted to keep it to ourselves. We've gotten advice from them for so long on so many other things.
How is your collection different from theirs?
Kylie: Theirs is older.
Kendall: Like a lot older. For an older audience. Ours is for teens. It has a different vibe. Theirs has a lot more dresses and nightwear, and I think we have more of the casual, cool, young-girl vibe.
The Kardashians/Jenners never do anything small. How do you see your fashion empire growing?
Kylie: We just launched our jewelry line, Metal Haven. We both are obsessed with fashion, and definitely want to continue designing as we get older.
Tell us about the jewelry.
Kylie: It's skulls, spikes, neons, and angel wings. We kind of just went in and were like, okay we love this, this, and that, put it all together. I'm really happy with how it turned out.
Kendall: I really like headpiece jewelry at the moment.
Kylie: Body jewelry is cool, too.
Have you taken any fun summer adventures?
Kendall: We went to Greece and then we went to Wyoming on our annual family trip. Wyoming is without cameras−thank god!
So you don't pack makeup or high heels for that trip?
Kylie: Exactly.
Do you have a favorite summer song?
Kylie: I love "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus, and J Cole's album that just came out.
Kendall: Jay-Z's album, Kanye's album.
Kylie: I'm obsessed with Kanye's album right now.
Do you have a favorite song from it?
Kylie: I like "I'm in It" and "Blood on the Leaves". I really like "New Slaves" too. I like all of them. He's so passionate about it that it makes me love it even more.
Kendall: "Black Skinheads." I saw the video at my house before it came out. He showed it to me.
You have a new niece in the family. What's it like being aunts? Have you gotten to spend much time with North West?
Kendall: She's living with us for a while to be under my mother's roof and have people around to help take care of her. She's very cute. You gotta love her.
What are you most looking forward to about fall?
Kylie: I don't know yet. I don't think that far ahead!
Kendall: My birthday−I'm turning 18! I've had my sweet 16 and I had a birthday party for my 17th, which I shouldn't have. I should have waited until I was 18, but whatever. I don't think I'm going to do anything. I'm just going to go to dinner and maybe go watch an R-rated movie. I can do that now!
You can vote, too.
Kendall: Isn't that in November? There you go, I'll vote for my birthday. No, I won't. I can't vote. My dad won't let me.
Unless you're voting for who he wants you to vote for!
Kendall: Exactly.
Fashionista: What was your inspiration for your fall collection with PacSun?
Kylie Jenner: The Internet, our sisters. … It's kind of a hard question. Even a lot of things in our closet that we just look at and we're like, "oh this would be so much cuter if it had this color." I don't know where it comes from. We just sit down in a room and pretty much put out all of our ideas and what theme we're going for and all that.
You mentioned that you look at your closet for inspiration. Which designers do you like to wear?
Kendall: We're not specific to one designer, like, we like what we like and if that designer has a really awesome version of it, then obviously we're going to like it. I don't know how to explain it. We're not like, "Oh my god, Alice + Olivia I'll only wear Alice + Olivia."
Are there any specific designers that inspired you for designing this collection? It doesn't have to be a specific aesthetic, just an inspiration.
Kylie: I love Givenchy and their patterns and stuff. And even Joy Rich. They're just like very out there and definitely. … What? [Kendall whispers something.]
Kendall: I'm trying to think.
Kylie: Hm. Even like, Brandy Melville is a big inspiration because they're so simple and they have just like simple crop tops and all that and they're very cool.
I read that you also launched a jewelry line at Nordstrom –congratulations! I feel like being entrepreneurial is in your genes. What have you learned from your sisters?
Kendall: Not much. I mean with our clothing line and our jewelry line, we didn't want much input from them, just because we wanted this to be all us. We're trying to not be so involved. This isn't their clothing line. This isn't their jewelry line. It's ours. We don't want their input on it. We didn't need it we know what we're talking about for the most part.
Kylie: Yeah.
What about Kanye? Did he share any of his experiences with Paris Fashion Week?
Kylie: He's such a creative person and he's really cool and it's like very cool to have him in the family now. He's such a nice guy. A couple of days ago, I was in the kitchen and so was he and I was just talking about my clothing line and how excited I was and he was like, "Your clothing line–I can help you and design. We can do this!" Like, whatever, because he's just kind of about taking over the world with fashion pretty much and that's really inspiring.
Now there's so much emphasis on "dressing your age" at all different decades. How do you feel about being pigeonholed in dressing "young?"
Kylie: I get a lot of "we're trying to grow up too fast," but the fact of the matter is we're trying to be kids as long as we can and the way I dress–I wear heels and a skirt–doesn't make me any older.
Kendall: It's jealousy mostly, too–from young girls who are our age who are saying we look too old. But I mean, I think that we understandably–in my eyes–dress a little older because of our sisters. We have older sisters who we've been around our entire lives. I remember being like five, six or seven years old and going into Kourtney's closet—because she has a really small foot (although [the shoes] were still big for me) and walking around in her heels. Is that bad? Am I not supposed to do that? Am I not supposed to walk around in my sister's heels when I'm a little kid?
So you have your jewelry line, fashion design, modeling—what's next for you girls?
Kylie: We have a book coming out.
Kendall: Yeah, we have book coming out. A sci-fi novel. Different. But we like sci-fi.
Wait, can we go back to the sci-fi book?
Kendall: We can't really say much about it. Only that it's sci-fi.
Okay, so what designer or brand would you love to collaborate with in the future?
Kendall: We just collaborated with Neff for these beanies you see here. [Gestures over to a stack of Brian Lichtenberg-esque beanies on the table and looks to Kylie.] Who would we want to collab with?
Well, how about like in 10 years as your skills grow and mature? Like you could be the new The Row. (And, hey, naysayers: The Olsen Twins did get their start in the fashion industry with a Wal-Mart collaboration.)
Kendall: Yeah, I don't know! Yeah, that's funny. I never thought of that.
Kylie (distracted and texting): Never though of what?
Kendall: The Row. We could be the new The Row, you know, Mary-Kate and Ashley?
Kylie: Yuh.
Kendall Jenner and her younger sister Kylie Jenner may be teenagers, but they're also reality-TV stars, fashion designers and aunts to two nieces and a nephew. So while their fellow high school buddies are at summer camp, the Jenner sisters are spending their summer designing a new collection of their clothing line for PacSun, getting to know big sis Kim's daughter North West, and batting down pesky tabloid rumors about Jaden Smith, Ireland Baldwin and Lil Twist. Click through to see what the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" stars had to say to Wonderwall about their ever-growing family, plans for their careers and the fashion sense that landed them their first clothing line
How do you guys like being aunts to North West?
Kylie: "It's really, really nice. I've never had a little sister or brother or anything so I even told Kim, 'She's my little sister, not my niece, you know that, right?' She's like, 'Yeah.'"
Kendall: "I love it. We've been aunts for almost four years now but I love it. I love, love, love kids and playing with them and being around them and I'm always around Mason and Penelope and babysitting and visiting, so I love it."
Do you ever get style advice from Kanye or show him your design sketches?
Kylie: "Actually, yeah, for sure. He is becoming kind of like another big brother to me. Even with our fashion line, he looks at all of it and is like, 'I wanna help you design.' It's really cool."
Kendall, it seems you're more private on social media but we saw that you have a boyfriend these days. Will we see him on the show?
Kendall: "No, no. I like my private life private."
You'll be a senior this year. What do you plan to do after high school? Pursue modeling full time?
Kendall: "Yeah, that's what I'm planning on doing and hoping it succeeds."
Speaking of dating, you said you feel you're linked to everyone you hang out with. Any rumors you'd like to clear up about Jaden Smith or Lil Twist, Kylie?
Kylie: "Twist has been both of our friends forever and we're not dating. He's a great friend. I see him often."
Kendall: "I think the thing is, [Kylie] is so social. She loves Instagram; she loves Keek and every time she's with someone, she's taking pictures with them so people know she's with those people all the time. I'm with them too but I don't take pictures every time with them."
Kylie: "Usually it's paparazzi pictures. Even when I was hanging out with Twist, it was like Twist, me and literally 10 of our friends to the right of us and they'll cut out this little picture and say we were at the movies when we were grocery shopping and cut out 'Ralphs' in the background. And then Jaden has been my friend forever. We're really close.
What's the craziest thing you ever read about yourself that was untrue?
Kylie: "Literally, every single male that I'm with, I'm dating. So I'm dating all of Calabasas, I guess."
Kendall: "That I'm feuding with my friends who are now coming into their own. They take every little thing and make it a story. My friend Ireland Baldwin — she's a really good friend of mine. I've known her since kindergarten or whatever and she has become a model now and there was a thing in a magazine saying 'They hate each other now and are fighting over being models' and I'm like 'What? What are you saying?' I'm happy for her. It's ridiculous."
And how about you, Kylie?
Kylie: "I don't think I want to pursue modeling but doing stuff is always fun. Modeling's cool but I don't really see myself as a model. I am still 15. But I love acting. I want to try that out and see if I like that."
Are you taking classes?
Kylie: "I've been doing theater forever and I've been to visit private teaching things just to see how it works. But until I really figure out what I want to do, I'm not going to take any classes."
Ever had a fashion disaster or wardrobe malfunction?
Kendall: "One hundred percent! In the first season of the show, I just remember looking back at those episodes and the outfits we would wear were horrendous — like so bad. I don't know what we were thinking. I was kind of a tomboy and I feel like the first season was my transition from getting out of that tomboy stage, so I was half tomboy, half not. Kylie would wear zebra-print leggings with bright blue shorts and a bright blue collared shirt and Converse that went up to here." (gestures to knee)
Kylie: "I thought my outfits were so cool."
You girls live together, film a show together and work together on your fashion line. How do you deal with conflict or different opinions?
Kylie: "I mean, we're family, so we'll have our little fights or whatever here and there. But we're all close, which I'm so grateful for."
Kendall: "I don't think we get bugged by it. We are together a lot but we don't really hang out when we're just at home unless it's like 'Do you wanna watch this movie?' or whatever. Her friends are always over, my friends are always over. When we're home, we … have our moments alone or separate.
How would you girls describe your individual style?
Kylie: "Kendall is more like the epitome of model style. She's very classy and beachy and simple."
Kendall: "Kylie is a little edgier. She likes to wear all black a lot — she's very dark."
What kind of advice do your sisters give you?
Kendall: "Being in the industry, they just say not to listen to the haters. Khloe [Kardashian] always told me there's gonna be so many people that tell you that they love you, but those three people that tell you that they hate you or you're ugly or you suck or whatever. That's the thing you're going to listen to most and that's goingto get you down and ruin your self-esteem, so to just not look at it is like, 100 times better, because the majority of the people actually do love you so not to worry about it. For the tabloids and stuff, the majority of that stuff is untrue so just don't even look at it. It won't get you down if you don't pay attention."
Who are your celebrity style icons?
Kendall: "Our sisters, the Olsen twins, Rihanna."
Kylie: "I like Rita Ora's style."
How involved are you girls with the PacSun line?
Kendall: "Very involved! We do everything from picking patterns to colors to designing the actual product … We're not in the factory, obviously."
Kylie: (joking) "We sew everything."
Kendall: "Could you imagine? I feel like people would buy it more if they thought we actually sewed it."
You have such busy schedules! How do you stay on top of everything?
Kendall: "We got [to New York] last night — we're not adjusted to the time change!"
Kylie: "The amount of times I've been to LAX this week is insane. I literally think I've been there more than I've been home."
Kendall: "Basically, we know we're going to be here for two days so we just kind of gotta work it out for two days as hard as we can, and then we go home and we sleep. We think of it more like that than like, 'Ugh, we have to be up all day. We have to get up at 5 a.m.' We're just like, 'OK, we gotta be up and work it out. We'll be home later and we can sleep.' We're fine. We know what keeps us going and our manager Liz is incredible. She's always like, 'They need food now; they're gonna die.'
Does your mom still manage you as well?
Kendall: "Liz is our co-manager and our mom is our momager."
Kylie: "Everything goes through my mom, but she's the one who travels with us."
Kylie and Kendall Jenner, the teenage sisters of reality TV stars Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, are shaping their own career paths with a new jewelry line called Metal Haven by Kendall and Kylie.
The collection is one of Pascal Mouawad's latest Glamhouse jewelry brands, next to Low Luv x Erin Wasson, Nicole Richie's House of Harlow 1960, and Belle Noel by Kim Kardashian. The lines are sold in major department stores worldwide.
The Jenner girls may be following in their sisters' heels by welcoming the cameras into their daily lives for Keeping up with the Kardashians and indulging in the spotlight. (Kendall is pursuing a modeling career.) But they're putting their own edgy stamp on a jewelry collection that Nordstrom will carry exclusively in stores starting August 2. The line already is available online.
In advance of their personal appearance at Nordstrom North Park August 2, we chatted with the pair to see what makes these beautiful brunettes tick:
CultureMap: Why start a jewelry line?
Kylie: It's just something we always wanted to do, and when Glamhouse gave us the chance, we jumped on it. We're so excited it will be at Nordstrom.
CM: What was your inspiration for the designs?
Kylie: Everything, but we wanted it young and edgy.
Kendall: We love spikes, wings and skulls, so it was a mix of light and dark — kind of like us.
CM: Your collection will be available in the juniors department of Nordstrom. Is that the target market for your designs?
Kendall: Most of the pieces can be worn by everyone; it doesn't matter what age you are.
Kylie: We design for our fans, who always ask what we are wearing.
CM: What's the best advice you've received from your sisters?
Kylie: Don't read or believe gossip!
Kendall: Know your true friends and keep them close.
CM: What has your experience been like working together?
Kendall: It has been fun. We have different styles, so it's a good mix of both of our tastes; there is something for everyone.
Kylie: We didn't always agree, but we always found a way to make it work. I really like to design, and then to see it actually become a piece is cool.
CM: What have you learned from growing up in such a close-knit family?
Kylie: Our mom always said to put family first; that's why she's so big on getting everyone together for dinners.
Kendall: Khloe tells us, "It doesn't matter if you two fight. You're sisters, and she'll be your best friend for life."
CM: Kendall, how are you balancing modeling, your jewelry collection and school?
Kendall: It's a lot of work, but it's all really exciting. I just keep a calendar handy so I know where I'm supposed to be and when, and I stick to the schedule.
CM: What are your future plans for your business? Is higher education on your radar?
Kylie: Keep doing what we are doing and we'll see what happens.
Which item from your new PacSun line are you most excited about?
Kendall: I like the denim shorts; one side's a normal denim color and the other side's bleached white.
Kylie: We have a cute little black dress—that's one of my favorites—with a lion on it.
What is your must-have fashion item right now?
Kylie: I pretty much wear all black, I think. So, that limits a lot of things. Just combat boots. I have a couple combat boots that I wear.
Kendall: High-waisted jeans. I wear them all time. I like the American Apparel high-waisted jeans, because they're really nice and fitted, and they're really high.
Kylie: Yeah, the American Apparel ones. I really love NastyGal online. Brandy Melville has really good dresses, like casual.
When you're getting ready in the morning do you have a makeup routine? Go-to beauty products?
Kendall: I think mascara is a must. If I'm going to wear makeup somewhere and I'm doing it, it's usually really simple—it's just mascara and maybe a tiny bit of eyeshadow but that's it.
Kylie: I wear eyeliner every day. I use Stila liquid eyeliner pen or the MAC smudge pot.
What music are you listening to?
Kylie: Rihanna just came out with a remix for "Bad."
Kendall: Well, Wale…
Kylie: Wale remixed with Rihanna. So love that one. What else? Miley Cyrus is coming out with some really good songs right now.
Kendall: I'm really into Yuna. She's really good. They call it pop on iTunes, the genre is pop but it's really slow, it's beautiful, like honestly, it's beautiful. So I've been really into her lately. Who else? Oh, J. Cole's new album!
Where do you guys like to eat in LA?
Kendall: I really love Il Tramezzino. They have a chicken special Panini that's really good.
Kylie: I love Urth Caffé. It's easy… just their salads and stuff like that. I love Beverly Hills Hotel, their café in there. I only order buttered pasta. It's actually really funny, my friends and I have been talking about it forever. We will literally go there and they have the best buttered pasta ever! It's phenomenal, with so much parmesan. Me and my two friends went there and we were just like 'Can we have three buttered pastas? Thanks,' and that's all we ordered. It's just so amazing.
What are your favorite TV shows?
Kendall: Pretty Little Liars! Whoop whoop, just started!
Kylie: Pretty Little Liars!
Kendall: We're like obsessed with that.
Kylie: That's all the TV I really watch.
Kendall: Yeah, that's all I really watch, too.
Who is your celebrity style crush?
Kendall: Blake Lively's pretty good…
Kylie: Blake Lively. I just saw Shay Mitchell, from Pretty Little Liars. I just saw such a really cute outfit that she wore and stared at it for an hour. That was so cute.
Who are your favorite designers?
Kendall: It's a lot! I love Alive + Olivia. I like Vince—I don't know, I just have a lot of their stuff. I like Mason, Acne.
Kylie: I feel like there are a lot of high-end designers that I really like… Givenchy, Chanel, obviously. Who else kills it? Celine.
Do you guys have a signature fragrance?
Kylie: I only wear my sisters.' Kim's and Khloe's.
Kendall: Yeah, me too.
V How old are you?
KENDALL JENNER I'm 17.
When did you decide you wanted to be a model?
KJ When I was like, 13 or 14.
So, how did you find your way to Marilyn Agency?
KJ I got involved with Marilyn through Russell James, the photographer. He's kind of been taking me on this journey and helping me.
PS: When you come to New York, do you get recognized a lot?
KJ Yeah, I've been trying to keep it low key when I have been here, I haven't been recognized much. Taking a lot of taxi cabs, wearing sunglasses… but yeah, when I'm here with my family, everybody knows which hotel we're staying at. It's a little bit crazier.
Well we know your mom is so low profile, so.
KJ Oh, exactly.
Do you have any concerns coming into modeling, having done TV? Do you think that you have some barriers to break down in terms of being taken seriously as a model?
KJ One hundred percent. I don't think some people take me very seriously. When I started off, I was way more of a personality in modeling and it wasn't like, what I wanted to be exactly. I want to be more high fashion; I want to be more editorial, but hopefully I'll just prove myself.
Who are some of your favorite designers that you would like to model for?
KJ I mean of course the big ones: Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana. All those big ones are my ultimate dream.
Which photographers are your favorites, and who would you most like to work with?
KJ I've actually this week gotten to shoot with some pretty incredible photographers. Working with Russell James was like a dream. I went to shoot with Greg Kadel yesterday and it was really incredible.
Are you more interested in runway or editorial?
KJ Editorial more, but I do runway. I didn't think I'd want to do it but I've grown a love for it; it's so fun for me.
If you had an agent or someone that hired you and they told you that to take modeling seriously, they'd want you to stop doing the TV show with your family, would you stop doing the show?
KJ I've never gotten that question before… Um, yeah. Probably.
Good answer. Not that you should, but it shows that you're dedicated. Are you thinking of moving to New York?
KJ I mean, I love L.A., and I don't mind flying out here whenever I have to. And I'm such a family person, and my whole family is over there, and all of my friends, I mean, I'd make new friends, but I don't know.
Do you like New York?
KJ For a certain amount of time. It gets claustrophobic. I like having space.
At least you're not taking the subway.
KJ Exactly.
It's World War Z down there. Someone's going to eat your face off. That's just how I feel.
KJ Is it gross and hot down there?
When you're waiting, yeah. How many shoots have you been doing?
KJ Four or five? We did one every day.
That's insane.
KJ And I think we have one this weekend.
Are you okay?
KJ I'm fine.
Summer Threads
Kylie: For me, summer means a change of pace from my go-to fall uniform of skinny jeans and ankle boots. I definitely still gravitate towards wearing black (my fave color!) in the summer, but I love that your summer style can be a bit more casual and comfortable. This season's staples are definitely denim cut-offs and graphic tanks. I'm also really excited that overall shorts are back in style! The denim shortalls in our newest PacSun collection are my favorite piece — they're so easy to match with a cotton top or tank.
Kendall: My favorite trend this summer is definitely bustier-inspired crop tops. We have one in our new Kendall & Kylie collection that looks amazing with a patterned maxi skirt. In the summer, I like to be a little more experimental with my style — somehow the warmer weather makes it easier to have fun with colorful prints, lightweight sweaters, and colorful headbands.
Warm-Weather Tresses
Kendall: My go-to style in the summer is a fishtail braid, because you can make it sleek or messy depending on the occasion. I am lucky that my hair doesn't take too much time to style, but during the hot and humid summer months I like to get it off my face.
Kylie: I really like long, loose waves that look like you've been playing at the beach all day. I usually have a middle part, but this style is also great with a dramatic side part.
Splashy Swimsuits
Kendall: A bikini is never out of style, in my opinion, and a cute two-piece will always be my go-to look. But I really love that one pieces have made a comeback — they're not just for kids anymore! And one-piece suits with cutouts in the back and side are unexpected and very flattering.
Kylie: I am obsessed with cutout bikinis! They are a playful take on your typical bikini and can be done in so many different styles.
Sweat-Free Beauty
Kendall: I tend to wear a bit less makeup in the summer, because I like to have a fresh, natural look that's easy to apply and fits with my casual summer schedule. For example, I tend to skip heavy black eyeliner in favor of a more lightly applied brown eyeliner. I'll also forgo a lipstick and opt for a tinted lip balm that provides a hint of color and SPF protection — no one wants sunburned lips!
Kylie: During the summer, I like to switch from a traditional liquid or powder foundation to a BB cream — they offer a great coverage in one step and have SPF protection, so you don't need to add sunscreen on top of your makeup. I also always carry a bronzer with me during the summer, because it adds a shimmery glow and makes you look tan in photos.
Seasonal Soundtrack
Kylie: I listen to music all the time — in the car, in my bathroom getting ready, before I go to bed — I can't live without my headphones! These days my playlist consists of everything from Miguel andLana Del Rey to Drake and The Weekend. But, of course, this summer I'll be listening to Kanye's "Yeezus" on repeat.
Kendall: Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" is definitely one of my anthems this summer — it's so catchy! And Kylie and I are both seriously obsessed with Rihanna. It's a problem. Whether we are at a photo shoot or a personal appearance, our Rihanna mix is most likely playing in the background!
Summer Plans
Kendall: We just got back from the most amazing family trip to Greece, so no big summer getaways are in the works. I plan to keep modeling, working on our collection, and spending time with the family — including my new niece!
Kylie: Playing, working sleeping … oh, and my 16th birthday on August 10!
Were you nervous about launching your modelling career via your family's reality TV show? Did you think it would hurt your chances of being taken 'seriously'?
Recently I've been dealing with that because everyone wants to be taken seriously. Especially when I'm doing something that I really do love doing and I enjoy so much and that originally I did want to be taken so seriously [for so long]… I mean, yeah, it is a hard transformation [from TV to modelling] but I'm doing the best I can and I'm happy with what I'm doing. If this is how it's going to be for me… whatever.
Did you or anyone in your family have any hesitations signing on to do an eighth season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians?
I don't think we had any hesitations! From the beginning I think we all enjoyed doing this and just being able to be with our family and show things and be able to have people relate to us. It's a pretty cool thing. We enjoy doing it.
Do you get embarrassed when your family talk about taboo topics on the show? Do you ever feel like… "Mum, please stop talking about sex and peeing"?
I don't care! My family's always been like that. It's just, like, funny to me now. It's not something I think about like that.
How do you feel when rumours circulate about your family and they make headlines for things you know to be untrue, or just generally negative?
I don't read [tabloids] or see [negative headlines] very often so it doesn't bug me. It's my family, so I know the truth and I know what's going on. [Tabloid journalists] are just people trying to get a story and make some money so it's not an issue for me at all.
What can we expect from you in this season?
You're going to see a lot of me and Kylie's clothing line, and me and Kylie's relationship with each other. This whole season [for me] is about [Kylie and I] splitting apart and becoming more individual, doing our own thing and not being a little clique that we're always [portrayed as]. I love my sister, obviously, but you don't always want to be grouped with someone. You want to be your own person.
Is it weird that Bruce's sons—your half brothers—are on the 'Kardashian' show?
It's cool that [Brody and Brandon] feature in this season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Not many people get to see that side of our family, so I think it's cool that they're going to be on it.
In the second episode Brody says Bruce "wasn't a great father to me." How did that scenario make you feel?
My dad is such an amazing dad, so hearing that sucks. To know he didn't get the same amount of time with [his kids from first marriage to Linda Thompson] that he got with Kylie and I –because I know how great he is with Kylie and I, and I know what a great of a dad he is—is… to hear he didn't really get to do that with my older brothers sucks because I know he wishes he could have.
Would you and Kylie ever do a spin off like Khloe and Lamar or Kourtney and Kim Take Miami?
I don't know. It's definitely something I'd have to think about but… I don't know…
Which of your siblings are you closest to?
I'm equally close with all my sisters, but you go to them for different things. They can all give you great advice on different things… it's hard to explain.


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Performs "Pow" W/ Ghetts & Wiley On The Same Stage
What an entertainer, during his set at Fire On The Beach in Ayia Napa, Lethal Bizzle does a crazy stage dive whilst performing "Pow" alongside Wley & Ghetts, epic!
Skateboard P Performs G I R L & Classics
At The CMU Spring Break Carnival Concert
Andre 3K & Big Boi Reunite On Stage
Q & Solo Perform "Druggys Wit Hoes Pt. 3"
OVOXO At O2 Arena
YG Lets Off Some Shots
CyHi Hits 106 & Park
Weezy Kicks Off The Show
The Classic Track Gets A New Sound
The Throne Is At It Again
Wale Performs "Clappers" For His 'Hood
"She Don't Know" ft. Ty Dolla $ign


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Take a deep breath
If you've ever seen The Natural, then you probably remember the scenes where Pops Fischer, manager of the Knights, discontently cursed repeatedly about how he "shoulda been a farmer!" With that in mind, I shoulda been a sports psychologist! Because with the proper training, if I were to set up an office near Wrigley Field, I could make a killing off of treating crazy Cubs fans.
Take this past weekend. In what is the first new injury conspiracy of the 2005 campaign, Kerry Wood left a game early because of tightness in his shoulder. The team reassured us that everything was fine - his shoulder isn't actually sore, and it was just a precautionary measure. But fans were already getting twitchy. Then, the Cubs flew Wood back to Chicago for an MRI and a more thorough examination, and Cubs fans' heads began exploding.
After all, this must mean the end of it. The team is clearly up to its old tricks. Much like last year, they are lying to us about the degree of Wood's injury, and surely we can expect Kerry to miss at least the first half of the season. Yep, we Cubs fans are so paranoid that I'm sure there are a fair number out there right now who expect Wood to be carted off to have season-ending shoulder surgery any day now.
Or get this: maybe - maybe - everything's actually ok. Maybe they really are just being precautious. Maybe Wood really will start throwing again in a few days. Maybe the team wasn't ever trying to actively deceive us last year - maybe the training staff was just so incompotent that they were never capable of giving us a correct answer.
But here we Cubs fans are, screaming at the top of our lungs that it's already started, yet again. Here we are, thinking that we have yet another season of deceit and deception to look forward to. Has anyone thought that maybe people are just jumping to a conclusion a little early?
So, take a deep breath. Enjoy the fact that Spring Training is in full swing. Bask in the knowledge that the season starts in under a month. And for the love of God, calm down! At least wait until his injury is diagnosed as being serious! Because right now, Cubs fans are coming off like a bunch of psychos.
And uh, pay no attention to my post over at The Cub Fan Nation, where I say, "They're still claiming that Wood will be back pitching by the early part of this coming week. In similar news, starting early next week, James Bond is going to stop having promiscuous sex with random women, and I'm going to go on a crash diet to lose 50 pounds. Hey, it could happen, right?" Just ignore that. Or something.
OR maybe it is the fact that the Cubs have a history of not telling us the full truth about these things. Like say Prior not pitching right away this spring despite being fine they want to take it slow? Oh yeah news today is the guy has an inflamed ulnar never in his pitching arm. I dont by the Wood story. Why fly him back to Chicago and not just get checked out in AZ. I mean Prior is going to Cali to get checked out??


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Why is 'Generation Y' Losing Interest in Cars?Posted by Shane McKinley on Tuesday | January 08, 2013
Even at the start of the last decade, it was clear that automakers would always have a love-hate relationship with Generation Y. From 2004, people were driving 6% less miles than they did the year before. The shift was quite unheard of, considering there has been a steady increase in mileage from the end of World War II up to 2003 for all car owners in America.
The census among people ages 18-34 have made it clear: they don't use cars a lot. So why is this happening? Why do the youth consider cars as inauspicious and unnecessary? A study by the Frontier Group cited a couple of reasons for the sudden drop in automobile interest.
The lack of the incorporation of social media on cars is taking a toll on the industry. With most of Gen Y invested in their Facebook and Twitter accounts, they see driving cars as a hindrance to their attachment with their beloved social sites.
You see a trend among young people these days. They leave home early and decide to live on their own, living in cities and other such urbanized settlements. Thus, they keep every necessary destination in congruent to where they live. Who needs cars when the nearest grocery or bar is just a few blocks away?
High Prices of Gas
Statistics have shown an increase in the number of youth who have either been unemployed or underemployed. With the high prices of gas, it's hard to maintain a car these days let alone drive one for any minimum wage earner. And speaking of driving…
Harder Driving Laws
With the ever-increasing rate of accidents, road laws have become tighter. In turn, this has also made it a lot harder for people to acquire driver's license.
While it is welcoming to see how lesser cars will be on the road in the coming years, car companies will likely suffer if the trend continues. That is unless they figure out how to get around the said issues.
[Photo Credit: State Farm on Flickr]
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Sometimes, a driving instructor just doesn't cut it. Apart from learning how to drive properly, it's also important that your teen understand how to drive responsibly. And yes, that's your job.
Let's blame the movies for the misconceptions. There are a lot of people who might prefer the stick shift just because they're 'cooler'.
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Date of Award
Spring 2012
Degree Type
Degree Name
Master of Science (MSc)
Computing and Software
Antoine Deza
Frantisek Franek
Typical relational database design examples in textbooks and undergraduate courses are small and do not provide any real opportunity to practice the design, they simply illustrate and illuminate the principles. On the other end of the spectrum are typical industrial databases whose designs are complex and extensive, and so not suitable as a project for a one term database course. The objective of this thesis is to design and develop a collection of ten projects that would be usable as term projects in relational database system design for a typical undergraduate database course. To this end a suite of ten case studies are presented. Each project is taken from its informal specification to a relational schema using entity-relationship modeling and its translation to relational model, to database schema, to implementation of the database, to interactive SQL querying of the installed database and finished with a simple application programmed in C using the installed database and accessing it via embedded SQL.
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Weiguang, "A Suite of Case Studies in Relational Database Design" (2012). Open Access Dissertations and Theses. Paper 6798.
McMaster University Library


text: August 6, 2009 by Tim Long Mint Hill high school rally today at town hall Come show support for keeping the Mint Hill community together. If you live in Mint Hill and want Mint Hill kids to go to the new Mint Hill high school, then join residents at town hall today at 7 pm. Share this:FacebookTwitterEmailMoreDigg


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The Dirty Secret of Outdoor Exercise
Pages in this Story:
- Dangers of Exercising Outside
- Pollution Everywhere
- Why Exercisers Are More Vulnerable
- The Asthma Connection
- Hidden Dangers
- Protect Yourself
Pollution Everywhere
If you're a swimmer, you're not off the hook: Oceans, lakes, and rivers can contain overflows of untreated sewage. Play golf? Look out for fertilizers and pesticides on the course. But no matter what your sport, the very air you breathe is cause for concern. Ozone pollution (basically smog), particulate matter (microscopic particles from factories and construction sites), sulfur dioxide (a by-product of industrial facilities and some power plants), and carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide (gases from vehicle emissions, generators, lawn mowers, and so on) can cause respiratory difficulties. "Each one affects the body differently, but they all can hinder your workout," says Dan Greenbaum, president of the Health Effects Institute, a nonprofit research institute in Boston that examines how pollution affects health. Ozone, for example, can irritate the throat and respiratory tract and inflame the lining of the lungs. Particulate matter and carbon monoxide have been associated with hardening of the arteries.
Unlike golf courses or polluted lakes, air is impossible to avoid. The most recent data show that six in 10 Americans -- 186 million people -- live in places where the air poses a health threat, according to the American Lung Association (ALA). Despite a burgeoning green movement and progress in cutting pollutants, nearly every major metropolitan area is burdened with significant air pollution: Of the 25 cities with the worst ozone pollution, 16 recorded higher ozone levels in the ALA's 2009 report compared with the year before. This plus the steady decrease in gym membership (down approximately 21 percent in 2009, according to the American Council on Exercise) and an increase in people turning to outdoor activities (Road Runners Club of America saw 10 to 30 percent growth in race participation from 2008 to 2009, for instance) has some experts worried about the well-being of outdoor exercisers.
What do you think of this story? Leave a Comment.
Are they trying to help gyms membership rates go up with this article? I'm sure there are health dangers in there too, with all the chlorine, cleaning chemicals, and off-gassing!4/14/2013 02:03:05 PM Report Abuse
I always perferred to get my cardio through my exercise DVD's anyway. :/4/27/2012 02:55:12 AM Report Abuse
I agree with Shawn...whats the alternative? Should I go out and purchase a teadmill?4/26/2012 02:16:33 PM Report Abuse
What a load of rubbish, yes running in a busy street is probably not the best for you, but Im sure that running and walking in parks ect is doing more good to you than harm, if you listened to every story like this you would end up not being able to do anything as it "might be bad for you"4/26/2012 11:25:30 AM Report Abuse
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