text:
Anthony Martial has revealed that he's excited about working under Jose Mourinho next season, and also the prospect of Zlatan Ibrahimovic coming to Manchester United.
The link to the Swedish striker came about when Mourinho was appointed at Old Trafford, and the speculation has increased ever since.
Ibrahimovic played under Mourinho at Inter Milan before he departed for Barcelona, however, he is now a free agent after his contact with Ligue 1 champions Paris-Saint Germain expired.
Martial keen on linking up with Ibrahimovic
Martial is currently suffering from a thigh injury, but is in France's 23-man squad for the European Championships, and he is keen to see the 34-year-old Swede in the Premier League next season.
The 20-year-old is looking forward to working under Mourinho and he called him a "great coach" and "one of the best in the world".
"If Zlatan was to come, it would be really good. He's a great striker, he will bring us experience," said the French international.
New contract is wanted by star player
Martial was one of United's stand-out performers throughout last season and it is reported that he is wanting a new £100,000-a-week deal with the club.
The young forward joined the Red Devils from Monaco last summer for £36million and his goals helped United to their first FA Cup in 12 years.
He bagged 17 goals in his debut season in the Premier League, and after signing a three-year contract when he first arrived in Manchester, he is wanting a bigger contract.
The Sun claimed that Martial, who currently earns £68,000-a-week, wants to be paid £100,00-a-week and he will request talks with new boss Mourinho to discuss the likelihood of signing a new deal.
The Portuguese boss has already overseen two contract extensions since he took over from Louis van Gaal.
Youngsters Marcus Rashford, who became England's youngest goalscorer on debut with his goal against Australia, and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson both put pen to paper in the past week.


text:
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Famous Squares and Streets Walking Tour, Edinburgh
Image by Jonathan Oldenbuck on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.
You can follow this self-guided walking tour to explore the attractions listed below.
How it works
: download the iOS app "
Edinburgh Map and Walks
" on iTunes App Store or the Android app "
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While in Edinburgh, discover the popular avenues, boulevards and streets that lead to its most famous squares. While exploring these streets, you can find a copious amount of historic and religious edifices, fashion boutiques, classy restaurants, famous market areas, and other sites. Check out the most popular Edinburgh squares and streets in the following self-guided tour.
Famous Squares and Streets Walking Tour Map
Guide Name:
Famous Squares and Streets Walking Tour
Guide Location:
Scotland » Edinburgh
(See other walking tours in Edinburgh)
Guide Type:
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# of Attractions:
Tour Duration:
2 hour(s)
Travel Distance:
2.9 km
1) Charlotte Square
Charlotte Square is located on the west end of George Street and was constructed as a complement to St Andrew Square on the east end of the street.
The square was named after King George III's first daughter and construction began in 1820 and the last part, the north-west corner, was finished in the nineteen nineties, but the original plan was adhered to, so there is nothing modern-looking about the square.
N°5, one of the houses on the north side was the family home of...
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Image by StephenGRobertson on Flickr under Creative Commons License.
2) Princes Street
(must see)
Princes Street in the New Town runs from Leith Street to the Lothian Road and offers over a mile of shops, cafés and pubs. It is in fact the most important shopping street in the city.
The street was named after two of King George III's sons: Prince George (who later became King George V) and Prince Frederick. The early 18th century buildings were renovated in the 19th century, and then in the nineteen sixties under the "Princes Street Plan", some of the buildings were pulled down and...
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Image by Rev Stan on Flickr under Creative Commons License.
3) St. Andrew Square
If you want to take a little time out from visiting Edinburgh's marvellous houses and museums, but don't feel up to a long walk, the best place to go is to St Andrew Square.
This square was constructed in 1772 as the first part of James Craig's design for the New Town. The lovely houses surrounding it once were the homes of the city's elite and Dundas House on the east side of the square is a fine example of the architecture of the 18th century.
Today it is one of the most...
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Image by Jonathan Oldenbuck on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.
4) South Bridge Street
The city of Edinburgh straddles several hills and five bridges span the valleys; one of these is South Bridge Street.
Construction of the bridge that was to link the Old Town High Street to the University buildings began in 1785. Built over 19 arches, the bridge is over 1000 feet long and very wide. At its highest point it stands at 31 feet and the foundations are buried 22 feet into the ground.
For many years the locals refused to cross the bridge, believing it to be cursed, as the first...
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Image by ell brown on Flickr under Creative Commons License.
5) Cowgate Street
Cowgate Street is in Edinburgh's Old Town. It runs from Holyrood Road, under George IV Bridge, to the Grassmarket.
The street is so named as once cows were driven along here to the market. "Gate" is another term for street. As it lies in the same small valley as the Grassmarket, Cowgate is lower than the surrounding street levels.
From the 18th century until the end of the nineteen fifties, Cowgate was part of the city's slum area and was known as "Little Ireland" due to the...
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Image by Maccoinnich on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.
6) Chambers Street
Chambers Street lies to the south of the Old Town. It was named after the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, William Chambers of Glenorminston and you will see a statue of him in the centre of the street.
Chambers Street is lined with ancient buildings of great interest and include the Old College of the University of Edinburgh which was built in 1791 and which pre-dates the laying out of the street. It now houses the Talbot Rice Gallery, with temporary exhibitions in the White Room, the Torrie...
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Image by Tharnton345 on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.
7) George Square
You will find George Square near the Meadows. The square is partly surrounded by the University of Edinburgh buildings, but it also holds several points of interest, so do make a little time for a small detour to see this old square.
The University buildings went up in the nineteen sixties and include the Appleton Tower, the 13 storey David Hume Tower that offers a great view of the city from the top floor, the William Robertson Building and the Adam Fergusson Building.
These buildings...
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text:
On The Issue Of...
"Therapist" Qualifications...
When it comes to the issue of "therapist" qualifications, there is a mistake that parents seem to make over and over again... and it can be one that, in my opinion, can be devastating to your child...
This mistake on the part of parents/families is the assumption that because a person has the "title" of "therapist" (i.e., Behavior "therapist", etc.), that these persons are actually qualified to work with or have any significant experience in dealing with children who have autism. Unfortunately, this is something I have seen over and over again in parent emails and discussions with other families who have children on the autism spectrum and the reason for which I felt I had to include this particular section on my website.
Unfortunately, too often, parents assume that "because someone carries a label or title" that that is equivalent to having experience in dealing with children who have autism... and that simply isn't the case.
Often, those who carry the label of "therapist" have only very, very limited experience - if any - dealing with these children... and some of those we assume to be "therapists" are often persons who just recently were hired by government agencies to meet the overwhelming demand for help with these children and what the government and/or agencies provide in terms of "training" is often nothing more than a course or two or "workshops" lasting but a few hours, days or perhaps, a couple of weeks.
Needless to say, in my opinion, that hardly makes one "qualified" to deal with children who have autism... and again, unfortunately, this is a situation I have seen over and over again in communicating with families... families who simply assumed these "therapists" were qualified and are shocked to find out that "qualifications" of those dealing with their children are very, very limited... and all too often, the so called "experts" know a whole lot less than the parents do in terms of dealing with children who have autism. True, this is not always the case, but all too often, it is!
I have received emails from parents complaining their children cried all day in "therapy" programs... and when I mentioned that they should ask for "qualifications", they were absolutely shocked to find out the persons providing "therapy" had no training in dealing specifically with the autistic. A child should not be crying the entire time they are in "therapy"... if they are, I hope parents will have the wit to see that "something may not be right".
The "therapy" or "treatment" children with autism are exposed to, in my opinion, is often nothing short of abuse.
Let us look at a few examples.
First, perhaps my biggest issue with some of the "therapists" out there is the fact that those who practice ABA therapy often want to use a "task completion approach" making use of "positive or negative reinforcements" in order to get the "desired" Pavlov's dog response. The simple fact is that you can not teach "a task" to a child who does not yet have communication skills. These approaches make use of "discipline" methods in children who do not yet have the ability to communicate. How can I "discipline" via "positive or negative reinforcement" a child who does not yet understand WHAT the "discipline" is FOR or WHAT s/he "did wrong" and "why"? YOU CAN'T!!!
COMMUNICATION MUST COME BEFORE DISCIPLINE OR "TASK COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS"! Programs that would put "incremental task accomplishments" ahead of communication skills are another example of what in my opinion falls into the APPLIED BEHAVIOR ABSURDITY category! COMMUNICATION MUST COME FIRST! Do we use "positive or negative reinforcements" to teach a lesson to a newborn... no.. the newborn first must be able to understand the communication... be it in the form of eye contact, a smile, a frown, a hand gesture... whatever... the simple fact is.. you don't start out with "discipline" for actions (i.e., negative reinforcements) prior to the child being able to have basic communication skills. Personally, I would drop any "behavior therapist" that would put "task completion" ahead of the establishment of communication skills. These children have enough challenges ahead of them without receiving "negative reinforcements" for things that are expected of them which they too often do not even understand! COMMUNICATION and UNDERSTANDING of the expected must come FIRST! We are dealing with children... not animals like Pavlov's dog! Sure... with enough "negative reinforcement" I can get "a desired response". But what has that child really learned... just how to avoid something negative! Did the child really UNDERSTAND the "why" behind what was expected... probably not.
Clearly, to focus on communication skills first has to be key... discipline and/or task completion can then more easily follow!
Parents - think this one through... I urge you not to be lulled into thinking "task completion" should come first... COMMUNICATION and UNDERSTANDING must come first... there simply is no other way to put this! For a whole lot more on how so many for so long have so misunderstood so much in terms of language development in these children... and the importance of understanding what we see in these children, I urge you to read "book 4" posted in full on this website (you can access it from the main/home page). This book deals specifically with language in children with autism and I think many a parent will be very much able to relate to what is provided in that text... and will come to see how so much of what we see in terms of language development and communication development in these children just makes so much sense... if we only take the time to look at it from their perspective and from a brain structure and function perspective... something too many a therapist completely fails to do!
Also, I once read of a child with autism who was put "in a special room" at school ... the special room was a small room, with one small window... and it was locked when the child was placed in there - basically in solitary confinement - for "misbehaving". Needless to say, the parents were curious about "the special room" and upon seeing it one day when the child pointed it out, they were appalled that a child with autism could be treated this way, went to the papers and sued the school system.
Although this is one of the worse I had read about, there are certainly other things going on that make me truly wonder about the treatment being given to some of these children.
Another parent mentioned to me that a non-verbal child who had a problem with biting other children was being made to " suck on lemons" when he bit another child. Yet, this same parent was asking what could be done that "worked" because clearly, the "sucking on lemons" was not working... and yet, it continued to be used as a potential "behavior modification" technique - in my opinion, clearly by someone who was rather "clueless" to the fact that it was not a working option and/or solution. True, there are absolutely issues with biting, however, in this case, there are 2 children to be concerned about - and potentially more - the one being bitten and the one doing the biting. Can one teach "discipline" to a child who has so much difficulty with communication... it seems communication must come before discipline... or worse... punishment... which is, in my opinion, what this clearly is. To make a child "suck on lemons" is a form of punishment... and if parents are "aware" of this "technique", I shudder to think about what may be being done behind closed doors to some of these children when it comes to "discipline" issues.
Parents who have children who bite find that a casein/gluten free diet can be helpful... as can be digestive enzymes such as Peptizyde (made by Houston Nutraceuticals, http://www.houstonni.com - for more on this issue of behavior issues and dietary changes, consider talking to other parents of children with autism on parent discussion boards such as http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enzymesandautism/).
Clearly, things like "biting" and any injurious behavior to self and/or others can result from many things... actual pain/discomfort, frustration, biting of clothing due to the fact that there is gluten in the soap used to clean it, etc., and unfortunately, in my opinion, "therapies" like "sucking on lemons" would only add to that frustration and perhaps only make matters worse, by resulting in a great deal of anger on the part of a child who already faces so many challenges. In such situations, the "trigger" for the biting needs to be understood... and until that happens, there is little hope that the behavior will be resolved - especially in children known to have a disorder that results in obsessive-compulsive behaviors, repetitive behaviors, and children who very much live "via reference" (see books 2, 3, and 4 on this website), etc.
In addition, the simple fact is that dietary issues are very much an issue for children with autism. Dietary intervention is credited by many parents as having played a key role in helping their children with autism. Some of the issues with diets include casein (milk protein) and gluten (grain protein) sensitivity, issues with calcium, magnesium, and zinc deficiencies, Vitamin B6 deficiency, iron overload (what some see as "anemia" or think is "low iron" may actually be a sign of IRON OVERLOAD - a huge issue that is very misunderstood by perhaps 99.9% of doctors - for more on that, and the role iron plays in disrupting several key functions in the human body, go to: Redefining The Role Of Insulin (a paper I wrote and posted on this website - note: Iron and insulin modulate one another - a little known fact in the medical community - and a very critical fact indeed!).
Thus, there is another critical point that must be made here. Behavior therapists, for the most part, would have little or no understanding of the dietary issues that play into autism. As such, when I see "therapists/teachers/experts", etc. who give children "lemons to suck on" as "punishment", clearly, this only indicates to me the further incompetence we have when it comes to dealing with the autistic. Lemons contain Vitamin C and Vitamin C greatly enhances iron absorption (by anywhere from 50 - 80%). Given children with autism are known to suffer from iron overload (work of Dr. Walsh at the Pfiffer Treatment Center in Chicago - 1/3 of their 3,000 children with autism suffered from serious iron overload) and given iron is a very, very toxic substance), personally, I have huge issues with seeing someone give an autistic child anything with Vitamin C without that person knowing if this child may suffer from such iron overload because that could potentially make that child's metal toxicity much worse - and with increased metal toxicity, there would certainly be the potential for even more damage to the human brain and organs and that could certainly be reflected in a child's worsening behavior (i.e., biting)!
Unfortunately, when it comes to dealing with children with autism, every "camp" thinks it has the answers... and perhaps worse, governments provide little if any funding to help with dietary intervention, assuming that "behavior therapy" may be the only way to recover these children. Why is it exactly that dietary intervention is not encouraged and funded? Certainly, there are those who prefer to simply put children on medications rather than address the underlying issues. We could go a long time on "what the government funds" and "refuses to admit" in spite of overwhelming evidence of metal toxicity, gut issues, dietary factors, etc. in these children. Yet, the fact remains, if we turn only to "behavior therapists" or "teachers" as our sources of "intervention" and those "therapists" and "teachers" are not trained in even the most basic of things when it comes to dietary issues in autism, those "experts" we are turning to may simply be making matters much, much worse for these children - just my humble opinion of course based on my many, many hours of research into these issues.
Recovering these children can simply no longer involve a piecemeal approach whereby we look at one aspect only (i.e., behavioral issues) in isolation of the many other factors (i.e., dietary issues) that may play into the very thing we are trying to address (i.e., behavioral problems). We need to look at the whole child and see how it all fits together... otherwise, we risk only further damaging these children. :o(
Thus again, incompetence and lack of understanding of the issues by persons believed to be "experts" or persons with whom parents place their trust can result in very detrimental effects for the autistic child due to that incompetence or lack of a clear understanding of the issues!
You have to understand the issues before you can address them.
Thus, the word of caution to families...
I may only be a mother... but personally, I cringe whenever I get emails from parents that tell me about stories such as these... no matter how "wonderful" the school/therapist may appear to be... "being nice" and "friendly" has nothing to do with being qualified... make no mistake about it... and always keep that in the back of your mind as you seek help for your children.
And, even in the event that these persons/teachers/therapists are qualified or have experience with children who have autism, I think parents need to learn to do a whole lot more in the area of "questioning" what is going on... especially when we see something clearly is not working and may actually be detrimental to a child - be that the offender or the victim in such situations. Unfortunately, too often, even "the experts" don't know what to do any more than parents do...
The simple fact is, there are plenty of children with autism who have major issues with "smells" and the like... and those are things one can use to one's advantage in such situations... just my personal opinion again of course...
So, what would I have done... were it my child who was being bitten...?
My "normal" daughter was once bitten by a "normal child"... and yes, I was very upset when I saw the bruising... I spoke to that particular child's parent about it...
When it comes to children with autism, however, that is an entirely different ballgame than dealing with "normal" children who understand and respond to punishment... clearly... by making a child "suck lemons", you are probably just creating an aversion to lemons and not much else... or helping that child to develop a taste for lemons... as some people clearly do... you really are not doing anything to create an aversion to biting...
So, how do you create an "aversion to biting"?
When I first received this email from a distressed parent, yes, I understood fully her distress at the fact that her child was being bitten, but you still need to take that step back and look at what needs to be done in the interest of both children... and clearly, punishment is not something I would encourage anyone to use with a child who is nonverbal... in my opinion... my very "unprofessional, mother only opinion" I think such "therapies" only do more harm than good...
So, what could be beneficial to both or all children involved? This parent had not provided many details as far as whether or not this was in a "special needs class only", etc., how many children and adults were in the class and so on, and so, I will provide only "my personal opinion" of something else that may be better than having a child suck lemons...
The "technique" of using taste and/or smell may be a valid one... because so many of these children have such aversions to so many tastes and/or smells... and so, that is certainly something one can use to one's advantage in my opinion... but again, it must be in a beneficial way...
So, what taste and/or smell can be used to potentially help all children involved here... I had to think about this one a while (partly because I was so upset to even find out such punishment methods were being used with nonverbal children... children who obviously have serious communication issues), but the one thing that certainly came to mind was cod liver oil... something that has been shown to be beneficial to these children in the first place and something that could easily be applied to any "exposed skin" on children with autism who are being bit...
Note that cod liver oil has not only been found to benefit children with autism, it is also something that can be absorbed via the skin.
Of course, parents would have to ok that... and if it were me, I would make CERTAIN that the brand used had been tested for heavy metal toxicity because cod liver oil can have traces of mercury in it... a brand of cod liver oil mentioned by many parents of children with autism on parent discussion boards that discuss issues of metal toxicity and the "better brands" to use, is Nordic Naturals, http://www.nordicnaturals.com/.
A child biting others may think twice if he gets a taste of cod liver oil ... but again, it is something parents "hide" and give to their children with autism anyway... and something that has been found to be very beneficial to them... so, again, in my opinion, these are the types of things I would try because it would make "other children" something one would want to avoid "tasting" via biting... again, just my opinion... as a mother. Liquid vitamin B6 (i.e., from Kirkman Labs - maker of supplements for children with autism) is another option I personally would consider - again, just my opinion as a mother - because again, it tastes terrible - actually - it tastes horrible - and because B6 is known to be most beneficial to children with autism. But the point here, is that in my opinion, you want to do something that will not cause harm and will create an aversion to biting not an aversion to "a fruit" that is not even tied to "the victims" in this situation.
I suppose one could argue that this could result in an "aversion" to B6 or cod liver oil... well... I have yet to meet a child who likes those anyway... the aversion to these tastes seems to be rather universal already... so, why should this be an issue - especially if this involves an application to the skin? Again, just an opinion ...
So, I do think there are things one can try to resolve such issues... absolutely... but, again, it has to be with keeping the welfare of ALL children in mind... physical, emotional and psychological... and as such, even though parents may face difficult situations such as these, I would hope that parents would always put themselves in the shoes of the other child's parents... Would you want your child forced to "suck on lemons" or should you perhaps ask the "therapists" or teachers to try something else when you clearly see what they are doing isn't working at all and may actually be causing harm to all children involved (i.e., due to failure to prevent biting and the very real potential that the "offender" may be suffering much more psychological trauma - at the hands of those who are supposedly there to help!).
Things other parents seem to find helpful in such situations are dietary changes (casein/gluten free diets, digestive enzymes, anger management (i.e., enrolling child in karate classes, etc. is something some parents have found quite helpful for their children with autism), etc.
Again, the issue is certainly a difficult one... and one that is certainly complicated by "therapists" who may be contributing to the problem or making it worse rather than resolving it. To use punishment such as "sucking lemons" with nonverbal children with autism or any child who is already so challenged, in my opinion, is certainly one of those things I would put in the category of "ABA" alright... what I call "Applied Behavior Absurdity"!
Getting back to "therapist qualifications" in and of themselves, however, I encourage parents to be very suspicious of any program that does not allow you to participate/view/videotape, etc. what is going on during "sessions". If these "therapists" are telling you that you can not participate, then, ask to have the sessions videotaped! If they are refusing to do that for you, personally, I would get very suspicious of "what is going on"... This child is your child, and it is you who is ultimately responsible for the safety and psychological wellbeing of that child. Why should a "therapist" object to videotaping of sessions? What are they hiding? Don't be fooled into accepting excuses as to why videotaping is not allowed... because if your child ends up worse at the hands of a "therapist", then, what proof do you have of anything that may have been done to harm your child...
Personally, I would steer clear of these organizations/"therapists" who do not allow parents to participate or view what is going on (via videotape, one way mirrors, etc.)... those who consider parents a "hindrance" to therapy (and some will actually tell you that)... well... again, that one falls in the "Applied Behavior Absurdity" category as far as I am concerned... always remember... a label of "therapist" is ONLY that... a "label" and it is certainly NOT indicative of "qualifications" or "experience" in dealing with children who have autism.
ALWAYS ASK TO SEE "QUALIFICATIONS", "EXPERIENCE", "CREDENTIALS" and ask HOW MUCH experience these persons actually have...
The other thing I want to close with here is the whole line we are so often given as parents by the government to the effect of "Look at how much we are doing... we have added all these people to "special services" to help your children"...
Unfortunately, like so many other things in life, it seems to me that the government is seeing "autism" as a "job creation" opportunity. Let me explain why I say that. Recently, a parent of a child with autism (believed to be very high functioning) mentioned to me that there were 8 people in the room to "look at her son"... 8 people... sounds "impressive", right? Well... think about it... 8 people who have very little understanding of autism aren't worth one that is well qualified and experienced with autism. You could have 100 people in the room... looks great from the perspective of "job creation" and the "we're doing all we can to help" perspective, but the simple fact is that all the government is doing is providing "jobs" and "salaries"... not "expertise"... especially not when it is the parents who so often find themselves having to train the experts in autism. Rather than having so many "unqualified experts", personally, I would much rather see those funds going to 1 or 2 well qualified and well paid experts who really knew what they were doing than to see all that money going to just paying salaries and creating jobs for people who are quite frankly clueless when it comes to autism... we'd be much better off giving those funds directly to families who could then best decide how to use those funds (i.e., dietary intervention, having persons with real experience work with their children one on one, etc.). Funding "job creation programs" is not what autism is all about and quite frankly, too often, the children are getting too little of anything.
So, again, I encourage you to be critical of what you see during your walk with autism...
Titles... letters behind a name... they all mean very little to me now...
I have 10 years of university... degrees, letters, etc.... it all means very little... unfortunately, when it comes to autism, the school of hard knox - actually living with autism seems to be one of the best training grounds of all.
I've read plenty over the years by people with the letters M.D., PhD behind their name... and often, I sit there and think to myself, "these folks simply don't have a clue"... and now, I too have an acronym for "all those letters" I was once so impressed by, "M.D., PhD"... "Medical Disasters by Pharmaceutical Dummies, et al"... that little "pedestal" that once came with seeing letters behind a person's name crumbled and toppled over a LONG time ago in this family...
Take for example the issue of "face blindness" (the inability to RECALL faces), clearly an issue for persons on the autism spectrum and indicated in the second link below - very revealing information indeed!
Here's just a glimpse of what a person may see when that person has issues with "face blindness" - something that would never be captured via "normal vision tests"... note the comment on the differences in "what is seen" as it relates to "looking straight ahead" versus "looking from the sides/corners of the eyes" (something we clearly see in autism)...
For more on the issue of face blindness - including information written by an autistic adult who suffers from face blindness, and an online book on face blindness in which the author states he knows of quite a few people with Aspergers who suffer from face blindness (note Aspergers is also on the autism spectrum), go to my section on:
Prosopagnosia... The Inability To Recall/Remember Faces! Implications for Face Recognition, Socialization, Perception of Emotions In Others... And A Whole Lot More!!!
And yet, we have all these "therapies" that would force children to "look at me"... more "Applied Behavior Absurdity" if indeed there is a possibility that some of these children have ANY issues with "face blindness" given the eyes and mouth appear to be the most difficult parts of the face to look at/recognize/deal with for those who suffer from "face blindness"... an issue most "experts" appear to be completely "clueless" about as far as this being an issue in autism!
Don't you think that maybe such an issue may play into the fact that these children overwhelmingly prefer to use their peripheral vision? That they have issues with "reading emotions", issues with "socialization"... ? Of course it can! But, unless you have a therapist who is aware of such potential issues, the old "look at me" Applied Behavior Absurdity will continue to go on!
So, bottom line, when it comes to "therapist qualifications"...


text:
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I know that I too often post about the importance of exercise. In all honesty, this is probably partly for my own benefit, to reinforce my need to pull myself out of a warm bed before 6 AM to get to the gym before work. It is much easier this week when there is minimal traffic, but I try to keep to the schedule even in non-holiday times. Today's article from ASCO Experts is a new twist, suggesting that perhaps doctors should prescribe exercise to both prevent some illnesses and even reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.
You will see that there is a general introduction and then a specific list of the possible value of exercise for a range of cancers:
Should Cancer Doctors Prescribe Exercise?
"Although the data vary by different cancer types, there is a consistent trend suggesting that moderate
daily exercise has a beneficial effect on preventing certain cancers. Given this there is little reason for a
healthy adult to not incorporate regular exercise into their daily routine."
Dr. Charles Ryan, MD, ASCO Expert
Most of us have been barraged with messages about the importance of exercise for overall health. We all
know that regular aerobic activity helps maintain a healthy weight, improves mood and wards off diabetes
and cardiovascular diseases.
But what about cancer? Is there are role for exercise in preventing this life-threatening illness? Can and
should people with cancer exercise through their treatment and beyond, into survivorship? A growing
body of research suggests the answer is yes to all of the above.
The role of exercise and physical activity in cancer prevention has been studied extensively, particularly
for breast and colon cancers. Dozens of epidemiologic and clinical studies have shown that people who
have a physically active lifestyle may be less likely to develop some of the most common and deadly
cancers than those who are sedentary.
Breast Cancer
While the amount of risk reduction varies among studies (20-80%), most suggest that 30 to 60 minutes of
moderate to high-intensity exercise per day lowers breast cancer risk. Women who are physically active
throughout their life appear to benefit the most, but those who increase physical activity after menopause
also fare better than inactive women.
Read more: http://www.asco.org/about-asco/press-center/asco-resources-media/cancer-perspectives/should-cancer-doctors-prescribe
© 2017 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
617-667-7000 | TDD: 800-439-0183 | Maps & Directions


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The brain is a funny thing. It's the center of everything we hold dear: consciousness, creativity, spirituality, love, and all the greatest accomplishments of humanity. It also organizes every bodily process and keeps us alive. Yet, in some ways, the brain can be our worst enemy. Although there are many more, here are four ways your brain hates you.
It Makes Us Negative
The brain has what experts call a "negativity bias." This means that the brain is more likely to focus on the bad, the dangerous, and the negative rather than what is going well. This is for a practical reason: it keeps us alive. Being aware of the unpleasant allows us to avoid danger.
However, this also means that negative information is much more easily remembered by the brain and much more impactful. So, the five hundred times a girl's boyfriend calls her beautiful might not make up for the one time a guy called her ugly in fourth grade. Likewise, we might look outside every morning and see trouble and destruction when reality could be closer to puppies and flowers.
It Distorts Our World
The brain has to make sense of a lot of stimuli and can't always be learning everything anew. This is good. Burn your hand on the stove and your brain doesn't need you to touch the stove fifty times in the future. One time and you'll be more careful around the damn stove. This is a good thing. Most of the time.
But, especially in our social lives, our brain holds onto truths that might not be so true. It creates thought patterns that actively sabotage our efforts to be successful and happy in life. These are called cognitive distortions. They might help the brain function according to patterns and even keep us safe. But, they also can make us very unhappy. Most cognitive distortions make us see people and circumstances in, you guessed it, a negative light.
We've talked about cognitive distortions and given examples previously.
The Brain Is Great At Adapting (Except When It Isn't)
The brain is pretty flexible most of the time. It can rewire and adapt to all sorts of circumstances. For example, people can put a drug into their bodies and the brain can adapt its chemical structure to deal with the presence of the drug. You might flood your brain with caffeine or alcohol and the brain generally says, "no problem."
Of course, getting off some of these substances? Sure, the brain can adapt. But it often comes with awful side effects designed to get you right back where you started (withdrawal). So, the brain is cool with the introduction of the substance but fights like hell to keep you on it.
So, whether it's coffee, cigarettes, or certain legal and illegal substances, the brain will adapt to make sure you're not dead when you use them. On the other hand, when you try to get off the substances? It'll make you wish you were dead.
The Brain Makes Love Insane
The brain has one primary purpose: passing on your genes. And, human brains know the best evolutionary strategy for doing that is for pairing up at least medium term (whether monogamy or polygamy). So, the brain wants us to feel great when we're in love. It does this by bathing us in happy chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, especially early in the process of falling in love.
We feel so great that it does all sorts of things to us including what's called the "halo effect." This is where we overlook the bad qualities in a partner simply because the good feels oh so good. The bad? Who cares? Even if the bad is cleaning out your bank account and banging your brother as we speak.
The brain loves love. But know what it hates? The end of love. When love ends or goes south, those chemicals suddenly go away. And they do so with a vengeance. It's why breaking up is associated with depression, anxiety, and intense emotional pain.
Since physical and emotional pain share the same neural pathways, losing someone you love is comparable to being punched in the gut, with one exception. That pain goes away quickly. The brain wants us to pair up so badly, that it could make us feel awful for days, weeks, or even months after a break up. Isn't that great?
So, next time you solve a complex equation or have a great creative moment, enjoy it. Your brain is cutting you a break. It will help you survive, for sure. But, it also hates you.


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Maracuja05 (166) Mainz, Rineland-Palatinate, Germany | April 14, 2017
Little shop inside South Melbourne markets. Good selection of different beers from Australai and New Zealand.
Niksko (13) Melbourne, Australia | September 5, 2013
Nice place, right next to Padre Coffee. Service was friendly and the guy working when I went in was more than happy to give recommendations and chat about beer. Prices seem a little high, but craft beer is expensive anyway. Cool place.
Davros (11) Melbourne, Australia | August 29, 2012
Interesting little place in Vic Market, with an eclectic mix of beers, some of which I'd never seen before. Friendly staff, although I didn't really try them for knowledge so can't say anything about that.
hawthorne00 (49) Melbourne, Australia | March 26, 2011| Updated April 8, 2014
[3/11] Small shops at Sth Melbourne, Queen Vic and Prahran Markets. (If you are a tourist, get a bratwurst at the place behind it at the Queen Vic.) It used to be that Swords were all about refillable bottles of plonk seemingly consumed exclusively by Fitzrovian social studies teachers but now half the places are beer and cider. Not a huge range but it's skewed towards Australian micros and they often seem to have things released that week and occasionally have things that I've never seen elsewhere.
[3/14] Not sure what's going on here but recent glances haven't even drawn me inside. Range is less than half what is was.
Jade (2) , Australia | March 24, 2010
Swords is a great little place within the South Melbourne Market to grab a unique beer. It is small (this is a market stall remember) so the selection is limited. Staff and owner here are great, always eager to have a chat and offer an opinion on the different beers available. Worth a look if you're in the market - which you should be because the fresh produce is great!


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In the January 2007 issue of the Journal of Healthcare Information Management, we argued that the American health care system is "a dark, lumpy archipelago composed of tens of thousands of isolated corporate islands that, at least in terms of information, chop up patients into cloistered parcels and then zealously leverage the resulting fragments for economic advantage." The proposed pathway to link these corporate islands was the deployment of health information exchange organizations that, as quasi-public utilities, could enable the creation of digital feedback loops for any number of stakeholders, including patients.
Since then, the passage of the HITECH Act and the infusion of billions of dollars in subsidies have significantly increased the adoption of electronic medical records, a needed prerequisite to electronic health care information exchange. However, it can be argued the primary benefit of EHR adoption has been to convert analog clinical data into digital data within the same provider organization. While these data are being used to create internal feedback loops on the quality of patient care, the corporate islands remain intact. To an extent, some of these corporate islands have grown to incorporate smaller neighbors and create larger fiefdoms, increasing the number of patients on whom they zealously guard information; but they've also widened the barriers between every other corporate island. In other words, the archipelago is still alive and well, and health information exchange between providers, much less care coordination, is barely better today than it was close to a decade ago.
While this assessment might seem bleak—and it is—it is only today's assessment and does not have to be tomorrow's. There are several innovative forces at play that will likely shape health information exchange tomorrow if policymakerspayers, and providers show leadership and vision. Two forces have the potential to break through the current institutional impediments preventing a fluid and meaningful exchange of useful health information data: 1) the growing movement of payment innovation; 2) and the emergence of interoperable software architectures that can make data liquid and fungible. We begin with payment reform.


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Free workshop in theatre-making, acting and storytelling Thursday 11th September 2014. All welcome.
September 03, 2014 at 4:24
The Y Factor and theatre director Oonagh Murphy are offering a free workshop in theatre-making, acting and storytelling. The workshop will be an introduction to theatre games, acting skills and improvisational writing techniques and will use these tools to explore themes around poverty and girlhood/womanhood.
Following that, participants have the opportunity to take part in a one-month rehearsal period as part of the group who will write and perform in the final piece on October 14th to celebrate International Day of the Girl and mark UN International Day to Eradicate Poverty. This project is supported by the Department of Social Protection.
No experience necessary.
Register your interest with email@example.com.
All welcome.
Nibbles and refreshments provided
When: Thursday 11th September
Where: NWCI Offices,
Address: 100 King Street, North, Dublin 7
Luas stop: Smithfield
What time: 6pm - 9pm sharp
(If you are interested but can't make the 11th for the first free workshop register your interest here and we'll do our best to accomodate you.)
'A house without heating. A wardrobe without any new clothes. A month without socialising. A year without buying a gift.
750,000 people are living in poverty in Ireland. If we had the chance, what would we do differently?'
Presented by The Y Factor and Oonagh Murphy in association with Axis Ballymun, MADE FROM SCRATCH has been commissioned to celebrate International Day of the Girl and to mark UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. MADE FROM SCRATCH is supported by the Department for Social Protection.


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Ram's Horn is a Franchisor and Operator of full-service restaurants in Michigan.
Our many great management opportunities allow individuals with strong leadership qualities, good communication, people skills and a desire to succeed through hard work, a chance at a rewarding career!
We employ valuable community members and we offer our neighborhood customers friendly, attentive service.
We are seeking experienced Restaurant Managers with 1+ years of family style restaurant management experience.
- Conducts skill assessments to evaluate the quality of food production, customer service, and speed of service.
- Ensures a clean, safe, and energy efficient operation during each shift.
- Ensures the store is always, in the customer's eye, "ready for business."
- Ensures food production quality, cleanliness, service time, prep areas, storage conditions and staff appearance at all stations are in accordance with company standards.
- Schedules training as directed by the unit's/shift staffing plan.
- Evaluates team member performance by meal period and provides feedback to team members and the General Manager.
- Demonstrates a willingness to listen to team members and address problems.
- Tracks and audits sales, food, labor, cash and expense items each day. Posts invoices as incurred and reviews weekly/monthly In-store operating statement.
- Demonstrates fiscal responsibility with all company assets.
Previous experience in the restaurant industry preferred.


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FAQ: Why I Do Not Accept EBooks For Review
Hi ya'll!
I just wanted to drop a quick note. Seems like every day I have someone ask why I don't accept e-books for review, or mad at me because I wont. Thought a post in the faq would be the best way to answer. For future reference if you will.
My thoughts on e-books:
The main problem I have with e-copies is – they give me migraines. I've tried on the desktop, on the laptop, and on my phone. All ended with me crying in my pillow. Even with my handy dandy new bi-focals. That is the main reason I will not accept an e-book for review. It would just take forever to read and have me in bed hiding my face for 3 days. I know that e-readers and all that are the new "thing" but there will always be those that either CANT or WONT convert to them. I am a little of both.
I have thought about getting an e-reader like the Kindle or Nook but then I realize, I could take that $150 it would take to buy an e-reader and get a whole box a books. =D
On a personal level, I love my library too much to switch to e. When I see my books on my shelves its not just pieces of paper. They're my friends in there. Places I've visited. "People" I grew to love. And in some, memories I wouldn't dream of giving up. E-books will never hold the memories for ME that some of those hard backs do. It wasn't a touch screen I was holding when I got caught ditching class in 4th grade, it was a copy of the Hobbit. All beaten and worn, loved. With e-books, It's just not the same. I like to see them on the shelves, touch their covers, and even to smell their pages. I am old school. There is just something about a BOOK, a real book, that an e-book will never be for me. I know I'm weird, but I don't want to give them up.
I know that paper books cost money to produce, and e-books are basically FREE to produce. I'm not an idiot, I get it. However, if I (and this is just ME not "everyone"… just me) am to connect with a story, I need to be able to hold it, touch it. There is a connection in my mind between the turning of a PAGE and the awe I felt the first time a book "whisked" me away as a kid.
I've been told if I "ever expect to be taken seriously as a 'professional reviewer'" then I'd "better be willing to accept e-books because traditional review copies are a dying breed". That may be so, but to that all I can say is: I don't think I am a "Professional Reviewer". I am a "Book Lover". A "Reader". A "Word Nerd". There is a HUGE difference. I love the BOOKS themselves, not the job title. This isn't even my job, it's my joy. Not to be snarky but, traditional BOOKS will never disappear completely. I always have, and always will be a lover of (and thus a buyer of) BOOKS. The real, hold in your hand kind.
I'm sorry, but I can not accept e-books for review.


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signed first edition
1924 · London
by SAINTSBURY, George
London: Macmillan, 1924. Near Fine. First edition. Near fine (slight soiling) / no dustwrapper. First/Limited edition. 1/250 large paper copies Signed by the author.; Spine lightly faded, vellum board cover has browned slightly. Light wear to spine ends and corners. (Inventory #: 136359)


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"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." 2014 was insane to say the least, instead of setting New Year resolutions like I normally do, I wanted to give myself 20 goals to do within a year, but it doesn't mean it's goals only to do during this year, some of these are on-going goals. I just figured if I put it out there, I hate to be a liar and I can motivate myself to live up to my goals. I just want 2015 to be successful and … [Read more...]
20 Goals for 2015
Recap of 2014!
2014... Personally, I'm glad for it to be over. There's a lot of good and bad moments, sad and happy moments. Let's just say, it was interesting to the say the least.. Here's a Recap of 2014 in pictures. ••January•• ▬ It snowed A LOT. ▬ My nephew turned 1 on the 28th. ▬ I turned 28 on the 30th. ••February•• ▬ Hannah turned 3 years old on Feb 9. ▬ John & I celebrated our 7th Anniversary ▬ It snowed like a foot around Valentines. ••March•• ▬ Skype Date with Tyler Ward. ▬ … [Read more...]
5 Must Haves for Fighting a Cold
Here are 5 items I always try to keep around the house when the kids have cough & colds. Besides always keeping Children's Dimetapp on hand... Some other favorites are VapoRub, you can never have enough VapoRub on hand. Bath & Body Works hand sanitize, they always have them on sale for 5 for $5. Every time, I get a chance, I always go and get those and stick them around the house. The kids love them, they're always keeping their hands clean, I can't complain. Also another amazing item … [Read more...]
5 Must Have Gifts To Calm Teething Babies For Under $20
We have all been there, trying to find what works best for teething babies. As a mom of four, I've tried it all, here's 5 products I recommend to parents! Without a doubt get you some Baby Orajel Naturals Teething Gel, I was excited, just recently Jacob starting getting in 12 teeth at a time, that's right 3 teeth on each side, top and bottom all at the same that. That means, he's one happy baby! NOT! But if you're looking for actual products, I suggest you get all of these below. Where you … [Read more...]
What is Scentsy? Take My Money Now!
I've always been a fan of Scentsy products. I'm a big fan of them, because for how much I love candles, they're not always the safest around the kids, the scents aren't always as strong. Also Scentsy has seriously step up its game and added a ton of other products, not just "candles". Like they have a laundry section, which I haven't been on the site in some time, so I didn't have a clue. But found my new favorite section, let me tell you. The scents alone sound amazing. My long time friend from … [Read more...]
Top 5 Favorite Christmas Songs
It's almost Christmas, what a better time to share my top 5 favorite Christmas songs with you. These are not your normal Christmas songs, some of my true favorites, some you have heard, some you may not of. Either way, they're really great choices. Christmas is my favorite holiday by far. Even if it sucks this year, I love it. Enough of me rambling on, enjoy the music! What songs do you think I should of added? Straight No Chasers - Christmas Can Can I love most of the songs that Straight … [Read more...]


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We would love the opportunity to speak with you about an upcoming event. Feel free to call or email us to discuss. We'll look forward to hopefully working with you on your project.
To inquire about an event, please contact us at: email@example.com
To contact Kristen: email@example.com
Telephone: 615-810-9229
Postal Address:
Kristen Winston Catering
PO Box 58253
Nashville TN 37205


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Madison, WI (PRWEB) October 19, 2016
State Collection Service, Inc., a full-service accounts receivable management solutions provider, is proud to announce its recent selection as one of the Best Places to Work in Collections for 2016. This year, only eight large companies (150+ employees) met the standard to be selected.
"Being honored as a Best Place to Work in Collections is something that makes us all extremely proud. We continue to work hard to ensure all of our employees enjoy coming in to work each day – we know that when our employees are happy, our clients and their patients reap the benefits," commented State Collection Service President, Terry Armstrong.
State Collection Service was founded in 1949 by Hilding Haag. It remains a family-owned corporation today, with Hilding's son, Tom, serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Under Tom's leadership, the company has grown significantly while retaining the family values that form the basis of the company's corporate culture. "Being a family company is something we have always taken pride in – the fact that our employees feel like they belong to this family makes us even prouder of the environment we have worked so hard to create," added Tim Haag, Vice President of Support Services and third-generation leader. "Challenging ourselves to continue enhancing our workplace is something we genuinely look forward to."
The survey and award program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in the collections industry. Now in its 9th year, the program was established by insideARM, the leading independent news and information provider for the collections industry, and is administered by Best Companies Group, which conducts over 40 local, national and industry "Best Places" programs each year. Companies from across the U.S. entered the rigorous two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Collections. The evaluation consists of a review of each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics as well as an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking.
Stephanie Eidelman, CEO of insideARM, said "This has been a terrific program for the industry over the past nine years. It's so important to celebrate what's positive and acknowledge that – just like any other industry – collections is comprised of human beings who value connection, opportunity for advancement, healthy company culture, and a good relationship with their supervisor. Getting this right can help make the difference between high and low turnover, which is so critical to the success of any call center."
In addition to being recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Collections, State Collection Service has also been named to the Inc. 5000 list of America's Fastest Growing Companies, has been named a Wisconsin Family Business of the Year winner, and has been often recognized for its use of advanced technologies including speech analytics for enhanced call performance. Additionally, State Collection Service continues to maintain its Peer Reviewed by HFMA designation from the country's largest association of healthcare finance professionals.
About State Collection Service, Inc.
Since 1949, State Collection Service has provided quality collection service to countless healthcare organizations.
Through experience and innovation, State Collection Service has grown to become a tremendously credible and nationally-recognized collection agency offering services from pre-registration to bad debt. It is upon the basis of ethical behavior and a dedication to integrity that each State Collection Service employee works to uphold the company's vision – Partnerships for a Lifetime.


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Advanced Clinical Care Announces Clinical Trials for Psoriasis Sufferers
Advanced Clinical Care announced that they are recruiting patients for two plaque psoriasis clinical trials. Both trials run for five years in which patients will be given free care and free treatment medication. The clinical trial researchers intend to gain new knowledge about the two treatment medications for people suffering with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Mary Coughlin, RN, co-founder of Advanced Clinical Care shares that "patients currently enrolled have been very happy with the treatment medications." People with psoriasis suffer from not only the pain, but also from the embarrassment of the skin rash. Many people with psoriasis are asked not to go in a public swimming pool or shower, and even stay away from cafeterias for fear that they are contagious. Advanced Clinical Care hopes to improve the lives of those suffering from psoriasis. Click here to read the full...read more
Advanced Clinical Care Launches New Website
Advanced Clinical Care, formerly known as Clinical Pharmacology Study Group, is proud to announce the launch of their new website and strategic web marketing plan. The new website and marketing plan allows Advanced Clinical Care to reach potential patients in the New England area and inform them about their clinical trials. The new website includes extensive content for patients, such as information on patient experience, study participation, educational videos and quick access to enrolling clinical trials. Additionally, patients have the opportunity to sign up for a study by completing a basic form on the website. The launch of Advanced Clinical Care's website enhances their online visibility and is part of an ongoing web marketing campaign. To read the full press release, click...read more


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When Birdman swept The Oscars away this year, I couldn't help feeling happy for Mexico, and this made me think: I always end up watching the winning movie. Maybe not the day after the ceremony, maybe not even the next week or the next month if something gets in my way, but, still, I end up watching it.
For oil and gas investors, whether Mexican or foreign, the Energy Reform is the Oscar winning movie - the one everyone wants to watch. Temporary conditions such as the drop in oil prices, or the recent unpopularity of the Peña Nieto Administration, do not represent a holistic approach in making long-term predictions about Mexico's fiscal future. That is not to understate the importance of short-term conditions. The Mexican government must ensure energy legislation keeps up pace, and favorable market conditions such as higher oil prices help to keep the investors' appetite alive.
Irrespective of passing circumstance and short-term conditions, Mexico will remain a fertile ground for oil and gas FDI considering its geographic, geologic and strategic conditions. These all make the Mexican market one of the most attractive ones in the international panorama. This is why average oil prices of $60 USD will not discourage investors or delay investment in the long run. According to Pemex CEO Emilio Lozoya, the average barrel price of Mexican oil is $23/bbl after exploration and production costs. Further, numerous international analyses, from the International Energy Agency (IEA) to Bloomberg indicate a 2018 forecast pricing of $70 – $75 Brent. PA Consulting Group's predictions are similar if we think of a technological buffering effect. But sixty-something minus twenty-something… it's just mathematics that are favorable to Mexico.
Mexico is the second largest economy in Latin America, and it is liberalizing its oil and gas sector with significant proven reserves for the first time since 1938. International companies looking for meaningful return on investment will find it in Mexico's ripe and relatively untouched hydrocarbon markets.
More evidence of the kind of investment opportunities in the Mexican oil sector came on June 10, 2015, when Pemex announced the largest oil discoveries in the last five years in Mexico. Pemex's announcement of significant discoveries of oil fields increases the interest with respect to expected earnings for Mexico, and the enthusiasm in terms of positive prospects both for Pemex and for the companies interested in participating in the domestic market. Pemex's findings include four oil fields which, together, have more than 350 million barrels 3P oil reserves (proven, probable, and possible). The findings can help Pemex increase its oil production by more than 200,000 barrels a day and 170 million cubic feet of gas a day.
The new findings further illustrate the quality and quantity of opportunities available in the Mexican hydrocarbon sector. The National Hydrocarbons Commission of Mexico (CNH) is currently preparing its "move premiere" on July 15th, when it will begin the process of transferring rights to private companies to develop portions of Mexican oil blocks in the first tender of Round 1 - an auction for production sharing contracts administered by the CNH.
Investors and oil companies, both international and Mexican, are already responding positively to the large number of opportunities resulting from the combination of the Mexican hydrocarbon sector and the new regulatory structure. Twenty-six companies are already pre-qualified to bid in the first auction of contracts (Round 1).
So, what will happen when the investment comes to "our movie"? Mexico will experience a GDP growth as a result of significant FDI. Thanks to the reforms in other sectors, including labor, education, finance, and telecommunications - new energy sector capital should flow into other sectors of the Mexican economy as well. At PA Consulting, we forecast that these sectors will create a supply content worth more than 80,000 million MXN annually up to 2020. Even the most voracious would have realized that new oil production needs new engineering, transport, infrastructure and treatment, but it also needs nurturing.
Patience is key in the above described scenario. As a result of licensing oil contracts to private companies, Mexico's GDP may see a modest boost as early as year-end 2015. The National Hydrocarbon Commission, predicts that investments for assets in Round 1 of bidding for joint ventures with Pemex, and for independent exploration and production projects, will reach over $12 billion USD per year, from 2015 through 2018. This could increase the nation's GDP by a percentage point or two over the coming years, and help Mexico meet the forecast of being among the 10 largest economies in the world by 2050. In addition, the $12 billion figure is quite conservative when compared to the hydrocarbon sectors of other oil producing nations. For example, in the US, the exploration and production sector could receive investments of over $ 200 billion a year for the next six years, according to industry estimates.
Beyond GDP growth and investments, additional significant economic benefits felt throughout the Mexican economy may take more time. Operating in a competitive market, Pemex will have to improve in terms of productivity and capabilities. In fact, the low price of oil will be a major learning experience for domestic oil, as it will join a competitive market under circumstances that will force it to adjust faster, in a more innovative way, and adapt to advanced technology. As such, there will be increasing opportunities for young and bright Mexican graduates to take advantage of new opportunities both within and outside the oil and gas sector. Mexico's development of competitive energy markets will translate into a healthier, more vibrant economy as a whole.
If we take a look on the last ten Best Motion Picture award-winning movies from The Oscars, every single one of them generated revenues, and everyone who was part of them felt the benefits. The Mexican energy sector is a fair winner, indeed, it is the movie everybody wants to watch.
Guillermo Bilbao is an energy expert at PA Consulting Group
To find out more about how we are helping energy companies, please contact us now


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"Everything hinges on John Boehner," said Mackenzie Eaglen, a pro-defense Republican with the American Enterprise Institute (and a member of the Breaking Defense board of contributors).And then this...
"Here's the bottom line: it's now or never," she said. "If Boehner can do it, there will be abudget deal [to adjust the Budget Control Act spending caps]. If this is not cleaned up before his successor takes office, there will be a year-long CR" — a Continuing Resolution — and, probably, a government shutdown.
Ultimately, the outcome depends on Boehner, a Democratic Hill staffer said, echoing the Republican Eaglen. "If one assumes Speaker Boehner wants to make some kind of debt ceiling/short-term budget deal before he leaves, this delay might actually help," the staffer said. "He would need Democratic support to pass it, but that is possible depending on what is in any such agreement….. On the other hand, if he is not going to try to make a deal before departing, this delay increases the chances of a debt ceiling fail of some kind and/or a government shutdown in December."I AM AMAZED at the stupidity of these analyst.
Democratic votes are fine, said Eaglen. "Any government spending deal that is not a long-term CR was never going to pass with Freedom Caucus support anyway — not last month when they had to get through the short-term CR, and not in December when this CR expires," she said. "Like the Medicare 'doc fix,' a budget deal is going to pass with Democratic support, period."
"Knowing the pragmatist that Speaker Boehner has always been, and the desire by [Senate Majority Leader] McConnell to keep his own Senate majority and win back the White House," she went on, "the chaos in the house GOP may actually increase the likelihood that these two will seek to cut a deal with Obama as quickly as possible and let Boehner fall on the sword."
Boehner was pushed out because he cut too many deals and refused to fight. Now they believe that Boehner could cut one last deal and it not have any long lasting repercussions? That's just insane.
This is gonna get good. Boehner isn't in a strong position and in my estimation the chances of a Continuing Resolution just went from 50-50 to about an 85% probability.
But lets play devil's advocate. If Boehner does the unthinkable then I guarantee Republicans will stay home and the Dems will win the presidency. The problem then? Dems will slash the defense budget long term, instead of the short term pain being applied by conservatives to right the ship.


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Whereas, Raven Radio rocks!
The Sitka Assembly recognized Raven Radio's 30th anniversary this Tuesday (6-26-12) with an official proclamation. The document cites the station's news services to Sitka and surrounding communities, live assembly broadcasts, and "variety of music styles and entertainment for all Sitkans." General manager Ken Fate accepted the proclamation on behalf of the station, along with his three predecessors. In his remarks, Fate outlined all that the station has accomplished for Sitka over the past three decades — and all the accomplishments to come!Read More


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Apologies for the delay in getting the last batch of photos online. The updates have now been done and there are around 750 new images added to the album. New pictures include travel to Austria as well as trips to Italy (including Venice), as well as loads of new pictures of Lilly (the dog) for all her fans out there. A new top-level directory has been added to show off some of the more artistic and portraiture shots in their own section. I've also got myself a new Olympus E-3 and a couple of new lenses, so I'm looking forward to raising the standard of photography displayed in future albums.
After a long break, the big backlog of photos are now online. Almost 1,500 new images added. New pictures include a trip to Japan, as well as quite a bit of travel around Europe. The top level directory now had a new entry - "Lilly" our new Yorkshire Terrier.
Pictures from a recent trip to Mallorca are now online under the Travel section, as well as pictures from a recent rebreather course in Florida under Underwater/Courses and Events.
Pictures from a recent trip to Barcelona are now online under the Travel section.
Pictures from A recent long weekend trip to Budapest are in the Travel section.
Pictures from A recent long weekend trip to Ireland are in the Travel section.
Pictures from A recent weekend break to Paris are now in the Travel section.
Pictures from the cave diving trip to Mexico are now online in the Underwater section.
Pictures from a recent trip to Asia are now online under the Travel section.
I've not updated the album for a while, which means that there are now new photos online from skiing trips, diving trips and family visits.
Finally added the photos from the cave diving trip to Florida (Underwater, courses) as well as some photos from a recent trip to Australia.
More photos online - Italy trip, a surprise party, Lynn's new studio and some photographs of Zurich in the autumn.
Added the photos from the last trip to Tessin - diving in the Verzasca valley.
New folder created for courses and events under the Underwater folder. You'll find the last EFR and Apprentice Tec Rec courses in there. Also added the last Red Sea trip to the Underwater folder and reorganised things slightly.
Some excellent new pictures added from our latest diving trip to Austria.
Added some new pics from a trip to Sweden, some diving in France and some general pics.
Since we've been in South Africa I've been a bit slack with photos. I've put some more photos online in the Travel, South Africa section. Sorry there aren't a lot, I'll try to take some more photos, including some more underwater ones.
The first photos from our extended South African trip are online - more photos will be added over the next six months. These pictures will be under Travel, South Africa - Sep 04 to Apr 05.
Recent photos from a trip to Vienna and Croatia for a technical diving course are online under "Underwater".
The photos from a recent trip to South Africa are now online under "Travel".
The photos from Korea and Japan are finally online under "Travel". You'll also find some more ski pics added during March and April in the "Ski Trips" section.
There have been some great ski conditions and weather in Davos recently. You'll find some pictures under "Ski Trips" in the Davos 2004 Jan.Feb folder.
Photos from the Chamonix new year ski trip are now online, check under "Ski Trips".
The photos from my trip to the US are now online under "Travel". This time the album was generated with version 1.2 of the skin, and some of you might note that this version is not available for download. This is correct, because I am still working on it. If you'd like a prerelease, send me an email.
The skin has finally been released, you can click here to go to the support site for the skin itself.
There have been major technical changes to the skin which generates the album. Most changes are not really visible to user. The skin is almost ready for release, should only be a few more days now...
I've made some minor changes to the scripts which build these photo galleries, in preparation for finally publishing my custom "skin" known as ExhibitPlus. The layout as it is now will be identical to that found in the final published version.
The pictures from my recent trip to Jordan are now online. They have been split into two sections, underwater photos and non-underwater photos. These can be located in the Underwater and Travel folders respectively.
The pictures from my recent trip aboard the Susanna I in the Red Sea are now online in the Underwater section. Susanna I is without doubt the best ship I have seen in the Red Sea, and the crew were absolutely fantastic!
Photos from a recent diving trip to Austria (Fernsteinsee) are now online in the Underwater section. Photos from a recent trip to London / Bern are now online in the Travel section.
The pool session pictures from the Open Water course on the weekend are now online, as well as some pics from the last wakeboarding session.
The pictures from the Blue Divers Trip to Italy are now online in the Underwater area, or directly available here. You can also find a discussion of the trip here.
The new and improved photo gallery is now online. It took quite a lot of work to customise all the layouts
and the scripting, so if you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to visit the forum and let me know! Many
thanks to David Ekholm and his wonderful program JAlbum without whom
none of this would have been possible. Ok, well it would have been possible, but would have taken 50 times as long :-) Thank you
also David for answering my endless scripting questions!
Please note that some minor things are going to change in this section, as the layouts of the index and photo pages still have some work that needs to be completed, mainly concerning the formatting.
As I add new photos to the gallery I will add announcements to this page (and probably in the forum as well), so check back here every now and again to see if there is something new. It is now much easier for me to add new content, so I will be doing so as soon as it becomes available. Enjoy!
Still on the "to do" list:
Conversion of entire JAlbum skin (I've named it ExhibitPlus) to fully use CSS.
Minimise the amount of wasted space when the browser is resized to smaller proportions.
Add comments to images.
Add link to download original version of each image / movie.
Movies currently don't work properly, I need to fix this.
Time frame for this work will be within the 2 weeks.


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We're meeting our son for a drink at the Old Ebbitt Grill (675 15th St NW) and wondered if anyone has any dinner recommendations in that general area? Looking for something fun, casual and moderately priced. Many thanks in advance!
Old Ebbitt Grill
675 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005


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Hiper brings out a new addition to the Type M series of power supplies, the Type M 780.
We have extended the Type M Series with an ultra-efficient 780 Watts model. In addition to the recently launched and already award-winning HPU-4M630 and HPU-4M880 line-up, this brand new psu comes with the same patented mesh-design and the unique cable harness. An average efficiency of +85% (result by Chroma at 230V) and the recycled carton packaging again proves the environmental focus of the HIPER engineers.


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Tokyo Gore Police Trailer (2008)
"Tokyo Is Burning" 03 October 2008 Adventure, Horror, Action 110 mins
Set in a future-world vision of Tokyo where the police have been privatized and bitter self-mutilation is so casual that advertising is often specially geared to the "cutter" demographic, this is the story of samurai-sword-wielding Ruka and her mission to avenge her father's assassination. Ruka is a cop from a squad who's mission is to destroy homicidal mutant humans known as "engineers" possessing the ability to transform any injury to a weapon.
Watch the official Tokyo Gore Police 2008 trailer in HD below or find more Tokyo Gore Police videos on Vidimovie.


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Plattsburgh, NY - August 9-12, 2018
Welcome to the 2017 Plattsburgh Bluegrass line-up.
Just Passin' Thru
Sometimes band names are created on a whim. Sometimes it takes a great deal of thought and creativity to find a name for a band. Click for more info.
Washington County Line
Washington County Line Bluegrass is a traditional bluegrass band from the Capital District/Saratoga region of New York State. Click for more info.
Canaan's Land
Canaan's Land Bluegrass is committed to providing top notch traditional bluegrass music. Click for more info.
Amy Gallatin & Stillwater
Amy Gallatin, born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, lived in several states before settling in the West, where she was raised. Click for more info.
Smokey Greene
Click for more info.
Scott Eager & High Lonesome Sound
Scott Eager & High Lonesome Sound offers some of the finest in Bluegrass and Americana music! Click for more info.
Larry Efaw
Larry started playing Lead Guitar with The Bluegrass Mountaineers. Click for more info.
Dave Nichols Band
Click to enter and learn a little more about the band and sessions during the Plattsburgh Bluegrass festival.
Beartracks band
Beartracks began as a trio in 2004. Legendary Dobro player Junior Barber convinced his cousins, Tom and Julie, to make the switch from playing traditional country music in clubs to playing bluegrass oriented material at festivals around the Northeast.
Gibson Brothers
Born and Bread in the north country of NY. The Gibson brothers offer some of the best Bluegrass known today. Click to learn more about the Gibson's.
A special thanks to our sponsors. Without your support we would not be able to provide such an amazing event for our community.
Clinton County Fairgrounds
Morrisonville, NY 12962
© 2016-2018 Clinton County Fairgrounds


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Download 2 B Kids apk 4.0.1 free for Android smartphone
Posted by Apps Together in Entertainment | Jan. 22, 2015 | 0 Comments
Apk file size: 6.0 MB
2 B Kids is located in Burleigh Heads, Queensland. We have a large play area for babies and toddlers, as well as the more adventurous climbing structures, ball pits, slides, trampolines and bouncy castle for physical activities. We also have 'Home Corner' for creative imaginations with dolls, kitchens, toys and a table top train set. We are the perfect location to keep your kids entertained, rain or shine, while you relax in our cafe over a coffee or lunch. Our friendly staff run extra activities during Playgroups keeping your kids entertained for hours, all within your watchful eye.
Download our free App to read more about us, our facilities and services. You can also make bookings or enquiries, claim loyalty rewards, read and leave reviews, view image galleries, send us a photo for our galleries, catch up with our latest news and events, and engage with our social media like Facebook.
- Quickly contact us or get directions to us
- Make bookings or enquiries
- Use our stamp based loyalty system to claim rewards
- Read and leave reviews
- View image galleries
- Send us a photo for our galleries
- Catch up with out latest news and events
- Engage with our social media like Facebook
Apps Together part of our Entertainment and have average installs from 50 to 100. Last Update Jan. 22, 2015. Google play rating is 100.0. Current verison is 4.0.1. Actual size 6.0 MB.


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This property is no longer listed on this site. Please use the search above to find other accommodation
Price Per Night:
Average Rating:
La Grosse Talle is a charming, ancient farmhouse in the heart of the Poitou-Charentes, built of stone in typical Charente style. It incorporates a thoroughly renovated cottage and a studio, fully furnished and equipped, with authentic details. On the premises you will also find a quiet small « rural campground » (six places) and all visitors of La Grosse Talle have access to the swimming pool.You can choose for the « gîte rural » (cottage) that sleeps 6. For your stay with your partner or alone, the studio may suit you well (sleeps 2). Gîte and studio can be rented per night as B&B (outside high season).Or you want to go for a stay on the campground, with few other guests and lots of space (max. 6 places). In any case, you can use our swimming pool (10 x 5,5 meter, 1.20 deep).Studio and gîte can be linked together and will permit you to come with your party of 8. This will give you the use of 2 bathrooms and 2 kitchens.Sheets and towels can be rent; you will find your beds made upon arrival.Upon request, we will prepare a childrens bed; a high chair is also available. Animals are welcome (except exotic animals) on the condition that we are informed before your arrival.


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We Need Your Help with Volume Four!
We need your help with Volume Four! It's shaping up to be a powerful volume packed with content about folks who are challenging boundaries in their personal lives, relationships, and weddings. There is messiness involved with challenging boundaries. It's a process that requires courage to prioritize authenticity and joy over what's expected of you. The only way to do it is to embrace the messiness that is inherently part of the process. So it's about time we throw the concept of "perfection" out the window.
No one's wedding day unfolds perfectly, so tell us: what went wrong? We want to hear your stories about real adversity, humorous mishaps, and stuff that seemed like a big deal then but now just makes a great story. Share your anecdotes below for a chance to have your story published in Volume Four!


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Posted on: 09-08-2012 - Updated on: 09-11-2012 - viewed 9664 times
Casts Soothe your harmful target, Rebirth on your helpful dead target while you're in combat, Revive on your helpful dead target while you're out of combat or if you're holding the Shift key (useful for rezzing players who already released their spirit), Remove Corruption on yourself if you used right-click or your selfcast modified (Alt by default, customziable in the game Interface Options), or Remove Corruption otherwise (if you don't have a target, you'll get the glowing hand cursor to pick one).
As written, this macro will *not* shift you out of forms. If you want to it to shift you out of forms, change the "/stopmacro [form]" line to "/cancelform". If you want it to respect your global unshifting preference, just remove the "/stopmacro [form]" line.
You can toggle your global unshifting preference typing "/console autoUnshift 1" to enable automatic unshifting, or "/console autoUnshift 0" to disable it.
#showtooltip /stopmacro [form] /cast [harm] Soothe; [dead, combat] Rebirth; [dead] [mod:shift] Revive; [mod:SELFCAST, @player] [btn:2, @player] [] Remove Corruption


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I hated that my parents smoked when I was a kid, especially my mom. Sometimes I took one or two cigarettes out of her pack and threw them away. Once I poured a can of soda into an entire carton, which really wasn't a very effective way of getting rid of her smokes, as they were wrapped in a protective sheath of cellophane. So mom just ended up with really sticky packs of cigarettes for awhile.
My brother and I always bought those cigarette loads at the Fourth of July. He liked playing practical jokes. I had another agenda. I can still hear mom's voice…"What would happen if I was driving and one of those damn things went off in my face? I could have an accident," she would say, carefully inspecting the next cigarette before lighting it. As a kid, I couldn't explain that her being afraid of smoking was the entire point. No, I didn't want her to have an accident, but I did want her to think twice every time she lit up.
The walls of our house were yellow. Not by intention either. In the kitchen, we had one of those big ugly wall phones, the size of high school text book. It was canary yellow and had a chalk board built into it so you could leave messages for people. No one ever did. It was hollow so you could store phone books and other assorted phone necessities inside it to have them easy at hand. We finally got rid of it about the time I was hitting high school. Mom had bought a set of refurbished cordless phones from the Home Shopping Network ("Jim, we've only got 38 left and this deal ends in 93 seconds, Call Now!"). When we pulled the canary yellow behemoth off the wall, we discovered a perfect white square of wallpaper. The phone had protected the wall behind it from mom and dad's smoke. All around, the wallpaper had been turned into the same tar yellow color of used cigarette filters. Every wall in the house was like that, we just hadn't realized it. Mom put a calendar in front of it. Kittens, puppies, horses, Scenic Sites of America. On the odd day that I would pull the calendar up to show someone what our walls looked like, Mom would snap at me. It embarrassed her.
I remember seeing an anti-smoking commercial on television that seemed so brilliant. It was just a little pocket timer. You entered in how many cigarettes per day you smoked on average. The timer would break up your day and sound a little alarm to let you know when you could smoke (something like this). Every few days, the timer subtracted a cigarette from your day, slightly lengthening your time between cigarettes. Gradually, you were weaned off them until one day, you didn't need any at all. Brilliant, my ten-year-old brain thought. That's so easy. As a kid, I couldn't understand what addiction actually meant. That cravings didn't come hourly. That there are dozens of little Pavlovian cues throughout the day that make smokers reach for their pack and lighter.
Now I do. I've been smoking for 14 years. Ug, that hurts to even admit. A few weeks ago, Mom told me she quit. I'm proud of her. And I want to quit too. Now I have a step-daughter, who hates that her parents smoke…and the cycle repeats.
I'm trying the timer trick I thought was so brilliant as a child, even though I know its flaws now. Today, I'm setting my phone alarm to go off every hour and 30 minutes. Yesterday, I smoked 10 cigarettes. A half a pack. Normally, I smoke a pack a day. It's a start.
Tags: cigarettes · Marlboro · quitting · smoking2 Comments - Follow the string


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You can add a sub-account (either another person on your team or another email you wish to track from) quickly and easily by following the steps below.
To Add a New Account
STEP 1: Reveal the drop down account options by clicking the account icon in the top right.
STEP 2: Click Team in your account options
STEP 3: Click New Member
STEP 4: Add the First Name, Last Name and Email Address for the new account. Choose a group to assign the account to.
STEP 5: Choose an account type.
STEP 6: Click Create
A follow up confirmation email will be sent to that address, which will prompt to set up a password and login for Bananatag to the recipient.
From your Primary Admin account, the Team page will allow you to log into, enable, disable, and change passwords for all of the associated sub accounts.


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1.0 Who we are
Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice (KPTJ) is a coalition of thirty legal, human rights and democracy NGOs and individuals convened in the immediate aftermath of the 2007 post-election violence to seek truth and justice about the failed elections and the violence that followed. Since 2008, KPTJ has worked on issues of accountability, constitutional implementation and institutional reforms through research, advocacy and litigation. KPTJ's secretariat is based at the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG).
The Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) is an independent, non-profit organisation that provides cutting edge research and monitoring on governance and public ethics issues in both public and private sectors so as to address the structural causes of the crisis of governance in the country. The overall objectives of our programme activities are: to strengthen anti-corruption and good governance in Kenya with objective, high-quality research and advocacy; and to build Kenya's capacity to be permanently vigilant and monitor progress on governance issues in the public and private sectors as well as electoral reform in Kenya. Our reports, policy briefs and overall work add value to anti-corruption and governance reform processes in Kenya by stimulating policy discussion and supporting evidence-based advocacy and mobilisation work of our partners.
2.0 Background
The constitution, promulgated in 2010, made manifest the aspirations of all Kenyans for a government based on the essential values of human rights, equality, freedom, democracy, social justice and the rule of law. The people of Kenya, gave a new foundational law to themselves and to their future generations. Devolution of power, land reform, new standards for leadership and integrity and a comprehensive Bill of Rights were among the hallmarks of the Constitution.
Since the promulgation of the constitution of Kenya, Kenyans have embarked on a journey of building constitutionalism. The constitution is one that needs continued nurturing by courageous and far-sighted citizens, activists, lawyers and judges through a number of strategies including Public Interest Litigation (PIL). According to the constitution, power vests in the people and must be exercised in accordance with the constitution. Therefore, powerful opportunities can be found in support of the ethos of constitutionalism through PIL. PIL can make ineffective any efforts to undermine the constitution whether through deliberate or benign inactivity or outright attacks. Safeguarding constitutional gains in Kenya through PIL means using the platform as both a shield and a sword. Civil society plays and integral role in all aspects of PIL.
Therefore, AfriCOG and KPTJ are seeking the services of an expert in PIL to undertake the training of lawyers on 21st and 22nd May in Nairobi. The trainer will use our guidebook A guide to Public Interest Litigation in Kenya and the programme topics below to conduct a training workshop. The training will take place from 9am to 5pm on the aforementioned dates.
3.0 Scope of work
Under the general direction and supervision of AfriCOG and KPTJ, the consultant will offer training services which include but are not limited to the following:
1. Develop your own interactive format to successfully conduct training on PIL based on the guidebook and the following programme topics:
1.1 What is Public Interest Litigation (PIL)?
a) Origins and development of PIL
b) Development of PIL in Kenya
1.2 How has civil society used PIL?
a) Examining PIL cases in other jurisdictions
b) Examining PIL cases in Kenya (the constitution)
1.3 When and why should civil society use PIL?
1.4 Understanding the limitation of PIL
a) Systemic issues in the Kenyan Justice sector
b) The proper role of our courts
c) Integration of PIL with other advocacy approaches
1.5 Adverse effects and challenges of engaging in PIL
a) Overview of Kenyan context
b) Lessons and strategies
1.6 Current public interest issues relating to the constitution
a) Current cases
2. Recommendations for the guidebook based on your own assessment and those that emerge in the training
4.0 Time frame
The assignment will be undertaken on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd May 2015 with the final report expected 7 days after assignment date.
5.0 Deliverables
a) Present to AfriCOG and KPTJ the proposed methodology for conducting the training for approval.
b) Conduct training based on agreed specifications
c) A report which assesses the training and provides future insight
6.0 Profile and Experience of Consultant:
Candidates for this consultancy should possess the following minimum qualifications:
a) A degree in law, public policy, social sciences or any other relevant field
b) 2-3 years' experience in conducting training
c) At least 5 or more years' work experience in public interest litigation, advocacy or constitutional implementation in Kenya
d) In-depth knowledge and understanding of Public Interest Litigation in Kenya and other jurisdictions
e) Must have good understanding of the legal, policy and institutional framework in Kenya
f) Strong communications skills (oral, written and presentation skills)
g) Proven ability to work reliably under tight deadlines
Application procedure: The applications must be sent to email@example.com by 13th May 2015


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Hook-Ups Skateboards
Hook-Ups was founded by Jeremy Klein in 1993 under the umbrella of Blitz Distribution. Hook-Ups started out as a deck brand but grew to include Hook-Ups Clothing as well as a line of Hook-Ups Shoes. Hook-Ups is widely known for it's Japanese animation style female characters and monsters, filling a niche that no other skate brand seemed to notice was empty.


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AFTER being told he was too large to ride 'The Incredible Hulk' ride at Universal Studios in Florida, an Abingdon man is returning to conquer the rollercoaster after shedding an incredible 10st 6lbs and changing his life forever.
Nigel Johnson, 32, tipped the scales at 22st 6lbs when he went on a trip to Las Vegas and Florida in December 2014 to celebrate his 30th birthday.
While in Orlando, he was hoping to enjoy his favourite ride at Universal Studios, The Incredible Hulk, but was too big to ride.
When he got home, he decided to make a change and lost 10st 6lbs between October 2015 and December last year, and says he 'feels more confident and alive' as he prepares to fly out to the US this week and celebrate his success.
Mr Johnson, assistant manager at Boots Opticians in Abingdon, admitted he had a problem with alcohol before his turnaround and has now swapped downing up to four bottles of wine a night for daily 6am gym sessions.
After the death of his mother in March 2014, Nigel began to gain weight from drinking excessively:
He said: "I was always big, but after I lost my mum I used to drink three or four bottles or wine or a bottle of vodka a night and not even consider it getting drunk."
For the last year, he's been entirely sober and also quit smoking.
Now, he admits he 'doesn't have a social life' and is in bed at 8:30 every night and in the gym at six every morning to realise his goals.
He said: "My friends are very understanding, they know that I'm focusing on me for now."
After looking back at pictures from his trip and seeing his size, Mr Johnson joined the Wantage branch of Weight Watchers.
And after following a plan for four months and then 'doing his own thing' - complete with 'lots and lots' of cardio - the committed fitness convert achieved his goal.
Before he lost the weight, Mr Johnson said he 'ate whatever he wanted. He added: "I knew what calories were, but I didn't really understand them, I had no idea how many I needed."
Since his colossal weight loss, Mr Johnson is focusing on building his strength and has gained a stone and a half of muscle from daily work outs and a high-protein diet, despite being vegetarian, which he attributes to lots of protein shakes and Quorn.
Being slimmer also means that he can indulge in his love of fashion more.
He added: "I cried the day I could fit into skinny jeans in a size 32 waist" he said. "I was a size 46 waist before, all the clothes were expensive and so hard to find - now I can mix and match everything."


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caters testing and commisioning, preventive maintenance, restorations, design and installation of the following fire pumps, automatic sprinkler system, fire detection and alarm system, fire hydrants, stand pipes and hose system and waste water treatment.
Tips for Online Transactions
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Hi I'm Zachary Lazarevski and welcome to Thoughtful Musician, – "Learn Music The Natural Way."
Congratulations, You have stumbled upon a very unique business and you are in for a real treat. We teach music differently. Our lessons are unlike any other lessons in Australia. With us you can become as good at speaking the language of music as you are at speaking your native language.
With us, you will learn music like a language, you will enjoy every lesson and practice session. You will learn to listen, perform, improvise, sing, chant rhythms, learn by ear, compose, accompany, transpose, read and write.
According to the research of Edwin E. Gordon, music is learned in the same way that native language is learned. There are five vocabularies: the listening vocabulary, performing vocabulary, improvisation/audiation vocabulary, reading vocabulary and writing vocabulary. There is a music learning sequence: each vocabulary provides readiness for the next.
We will teach you how to learn a whole piece of music whilst listening to an mp3 recording on your phone as you commute home from work, then you can sit at the piano and play it correctly the first time. You will learn how to improvise music in any style. You will learn how to read and write music as fluently as you read and write in your native language.
This is what can happen when music is learned like a language. You learn rhythm patterns and tonal patterns as easily as you learned new words as a child. You develop a rhythm pattern and tonal pattern vocabulary. As your pattern vocabulary increases you can understand and learn music entirely by ear. You can improvise using any combination of these patterns and you can read and write these patterns fluently.
This is the future of music education. This is the cutting edge research-based method. This has not yet filtered down to the universities. This is enjoyable every step of the way. This produces outstandingly good results. This will give you a life-long understanding and enjoyment of music.
This is just the beginning….