text:
The Cellulite Assassin
The Cellulite Assassin the most effective cellulite treatment program ever released, developed by industry leading dietitians, trainers and holistic physicians. I am sure your website visitors will love it. Our affiliate partners earn 75% per sale with a 60 days cookie tracking period.
The Cellulite Assassin, cellulite cure, get rid of cellulite, how to get rid of cellulite, cellulite treatment, cellulite removal, best cellulite treatment, cellulite reduction,
treatment at home removes cellulite, best way to get rid of cellulite, cellulite exercises, cellulite home remedies


text:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:21 — 18.0MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS | More
Join us for our first ever extended conversation, part of our new "This Anthropological Life After Hours" extended episode series. On occasion we will keep the conversation going well after our regular show time to bring you even more in depth content, conversation, and context. Ben was kind enough to be our first guinea pig, and we had a great conversation going deeper into the world of Burning Man, architecture, preparation for the experience, sensory deprivation, and more! You don't want to miss this!
Episode 41.2, Season 3, Recorded 9/8/14

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Skip Navigation
Floor Plans
Contact Us
Schedule a Tour
Return to Content
Call us :
(844) 882-3056
Apartment and Community Amenities
The unrivaled experience at
The Bristol at Sunset
begins with a private tour of our refined, tasteful apartments nestled in the heart of our pet-friendly community. As soon as you set foot on our grounds, before even stepping through the door frame of your next home, you will start to be wrapped in the comforts and amenities our neighbors value and cherish.
Move in with NO SECURITY DEPOSIT; only a small one-time fee as little as $88!!
Community Amenities
Apple TV Media Room in Resident Lounge
Controlled-Access Entry*
Convenient Access to Public Transportation
Fully-Equipped 24-Hour Fitness Center
Gazebos with Picnic Stations and Grills
Resort-Inspired Pool and Spa
Wi-Fi in all Common Areas
Apartment Amenities
Abundant Closet Space
Complete Appliance Package*
Custom Vanity Lighting*
Double-Basin Kitchen Sinks
Energy Star Appliances*
Expansive Living Areas
Exterior Storage Available*
Faux Granite Countertops*
Faux Travertine Vanities*
Full Size Washer and Dryer
Personal Balconies and Patios*
Track Lighting*
Two-Tone Paint Scheme*
Wired for Technology*
Pet Policy
Pets - allowed
Breed Restrictions Apply. Call For Details
*Restrictions Apply. See Leasing Consultants For Details.
As a resident, your well-being is our greatest concern. With you in mind,
The Bristol at Sunset
provides a myriad of amenities, including a 24-hour fitness center and a expansive floor plans, available to residents living in one of our
one, two, or three bedroom
apartments. Plus, you can't go wrong with a resort-inspired pool and spa right on the premises!
Just imagine, you get all of this simply as part of the
The Bristol at Sunset
life, and we haven't even discussed our
ideal location
near McCarran International Airport.
Don't waste any more time. Stop by today and see for yourself why The Bristol at Sunset is undoubtedly a top location in Henderson.
Visit us
today for your personal tour of The Bristol at Sunset, where you can lead the life you want.
See Something You Like?
See Something You Like?
We'd love to give you a tour!
Your Info:
Give us a call today!
(844) 882-3056
For full functionality of this site it is necessary to
X-Version: general_v12.3


text:
Lai Zhi Co., Limited was established in 2002. Our company is experienced in designing, developing, manufacturing and exporting some brand USB Flash Drives, OEM USB Flash Drives, Memory Cards, MP3/MP4...Music Players, DDR Moudel. Our main products include memory cards, game cards, USB flash drives and media players. We have international standard management, strong R&D workforce and strict quality control, and supply competitive price, timely delivery and prompt customer service, which have given Lai Zhi Co., Limited a high reputation and have made Lai Zhi Co., Limited a reliable supplier for worldwide customers. For these years, we have established business relationships with main electronic wholesalers and importers in Europe, the Middle East, South America, Australia, the USA and Southeast Asia. You are welcome to take seconds to view our website for more informations for our products and our company!!! At present, our factories and facilities cover an area of 5,000 square meters. We employ over 100 employees, including technicians, salesmen, engineers, managers and administrators. By our efforts and talents, we have developed 10 fully automatic production lines and dozens of inspection equipment in assembly plants. Each of these efforts is dedicated to providing our customers with the highest-quality and most effective products, systems and services. To meet the demands of our products, we operate state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facilities. With CE, FDA & FCC approvals, our products sell well throughout Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East. OEM/ODM projects are welcomed. To keep standing in the competitive market, we also devote ourselves to introducing new models and upgrading the existing series constantly. We aim to act under the motto of "Quality Service, Quality Products". Driven by this goal, our core competitiveness is the capability of OEM service and export experience. We provide OEM service also for smaller orders in order to fulfill your needs and we are able to solve your problem in your purchasing plan. Our dedicated attitudes are reflected by our professionalism and commitment, which are hallmark of our business. Our belief is to deliver to customers what they want, win the market and maximize your benefits.
|Company Name:
|Lai Zhi Co., Ltd.
|Business Type:
|Manufacturer, Trading Company, Distributor/Wholesaler
|Product/Service(We Sell):
|USB Flash Drive,Flash Drive,USB Flash Memory,USB Drive,USB Flash Disk,USB Disk,USB,Memory Module,Flash Memory,Memory Card,SD Memory Card,SD Card,Micro SD Card,Mini SD Card,Micro SD,Memory Stick,SD,MP3 Player,Game Card,MP4 Player
|Product/Service(We Buy):
|usb flash chipset,usb flash drive
|Registered Address:
|Flat/Rm 1701, 17/F, Henan Bldg, 90 Jaffe Rd, Wanchai, Hong Kong
|Number of Employees:
|11 - 50 People
|Company Website URL:
|Factory Size:
|3,000-5,000 square meters
|Factory Location:
|Shang Heng Lang Si industrial area, Long Hua Town, Bao An district, Shenzhen city, China
|In House
|No. of Production Lines:
|No. of R&D Staff:
|5 - 10 People
|No. of QC Staff:
|5 - 10 People
|Management Certification:
|Contract Manufacturing:
|OEM Service Offered Design Service Offered Buyer Label Offered


text:
The Moto Jacket: Your Fall and Winter Essential/
Moto jackets (a catchy, shortened name for motorcycle jackets) are this fall and winter's go-to staple piece to create that edgy layered look. Today's moto jackets come in a countless variety of colors, patterns, and styles. Whether you're edgy, earthy, or eclectic, you'll have no problem finding one that fancies your taste! You can find them just about anywhere, and they range anywhere from $20-$200 depending on where you look. This piece is a classic fall/winter item, so it's worth the investment to get one that you really love! Chelsea is showcasing her edgy, eccentric flare with this black and white crackle textured moto jacket by Sam Edelman. She paired it with a graphic tee and ripped jeans (another HUGE trend this season). Don't be afraid to mix different textures and patterns!
Chelsea is also wearing a two-toned Moto Jacket, another new spin on this cool classic. The neutral tones and natural fabric make this a versatile piece that can go with many outfits. Chelsea purchased this amazing organic linen jacket for more than half off at the Eileen Fisher store!
Moto jackets can be worn with just about anything from a feminine printed dress to your favorite old t-shirt! Find one that's the right cut and style for you, and you'll be ready to effortlessly step out in style this fall!
PHOTOGRAPHER: Elisabeth Huijskens www.elisabethhuijskens.com
MAKEUP ARTISTS: Yolanda Delacerda and Christi Northington


text:
Introductory Remarks on Victorian Literature and Its Context
Nineteenth century English literature was very diverse, and among the more impressive literatures within one period England produced, with a possible competitor in Renaissance English. The Victorian period covers 64 years, longer than the average Victorian lifespan.
England changed during this period from an essentially agrarian nation to the wealthiest industrial and imperialist power in the world, but the shift was attended by massive poverty and attendant social problems--rapid urbanization, disease, filth and pollution, a high mortality rate, illiteracy, immiseration, unrest and repression.
The population of Great Britain increased from 11 million in 1811 to 32 million in 1870 (of which 21,500 were in England and the rest in Scotland, Wales and Ireland), and to 42 million by the end of the century. London became the largest city in Europe, with its population of around 1 million in 1812 rising to more than 3 million by 1870. With no advance planning for sanitation or limitation of crowding, this explosion of population caused compounded problems of health, uncleanliness and crime.
In literature, among other things, this is the period of the rise of a mass audience for newspapers, fiction, and other forms of reading matter, and the century of the respectabilization of the novel.
At the beginning of the century novels were considered an inferior genre, and highly educated persons preferred to write poetry. By the end of this century of great popular novelists such as Dickens and Bronte, the novel was at least valued for its potential artistry; in the intervening decades, of course, it has even become the genre of academic choice.
In a related phenomenon, the 19th century was an era of great women novelists; women were less likely to receive the classical education considered appropriate for successful poets, and were more accepted as authors of fiction than of other genres (with some qualifications and some differences in markets).
Before the beginning of the century, sentimental and gothic novels constituted the bulk of fiction, but at the turn of the century and directly afterwards, Maria Edgeworth, Walter Scott, Jane Austen, and Mary Shelley extended these genres into historical and multi-generational works.
The Victorian period saw an explosion in the number of great novelists--Dickens, Thackeray, Trollope, Gissing, Meredith, the Brontes, Gaskell, Eliot, Hardy, Schreiner, Moore, Grand--and in novels which combined social and psychological analysis.
The best novels combined both of these forms of analysis--of the novels we read, each represents one of these polarities (WH, FH).
Many "romances" and pastorals were written during the period, as were fairy stories, mythological tales and literature for children; and in a related genre, utopias such as News from Nowhere combined elements of the pastoral romance, travel account, time-travel narrative and social critique.
The novels of the period are generally somewhat nostalgic in presenting a more rural England than its inhabitants experienced; the city is usually seen as a place of evil and unhappiness, in contrast to the cohesion or fixed order of a past agarian society (as in Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton, George Eliot's Silas Marner, or Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles).
There were several social determinants of authorship. Most highly reputed authors received an upper-middle class education (the upper-middle-class was defined in 1840 as 1% of the population; the middle-class as 5%; at least half of the urban population worked as servants). Class distinctions were always important in the response authors received--Keats, for example, was forced to study the classics on his own, and was criticized for this; at the end of the cenury Hardy was very conscious of his lack of a university education, and wrote his greatest novel Jude the Obscure about a young man's disappointment at his educational and social marginality.
The essay was a popular form. Victorians bought and read sermons, and writers couched social and ethical criticism in the form of history and art criticism.
The period brought a rise in consciously autobiographical modes of writing--in autobiographies (J. H. Newman, John Stuart Mill, Harriet Martineau, Anthony Trollope, Charles Darwin); novels (George Eliot's Mill on the Floss; Charles Dickens' David Copperfield); and poetry ("In Memoriam,").
In poetry, Victorians admired their Romantic predecessors, among them Byron (whose autobiographical pyrotechnics were seen as passionate but melodramatic) and Wordsworth, the poet of rural independence and individual meditation within nature.
Its poetry was lyrical, musical, and highly varied in meter and diction. Often poems placed an external or more realistic frame around an inner or romantic vision, used oblique and multiple narrators, and projections into the past and future, mingling irony, direct emotion, detachment and sympathy.
In art, social groups or settings were portrayed with vivid romantic coloration and sentiment. The Pre-Raphaelites were a new school of early Victorian Romantics.
England After the Napoleonic Wars and in the Early Years of Victoria's Reign:
Once the focus of academic history was chiefly on political, and to a lesser degree, intellectual hstory, but in recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on social, economic and cultural history. Here I will mention a few topics relevant to understanding the early Victorian period: the Corn Laws and unrest; the suffrage and Chartism; what people ate; wages; education; and the laws affecting women.
In 1815 most persons in Britain worked on the land, but by 1840 half lived in cities. During this period Britain became a textile exporting nation, which imported raw cotton from the American South. Its economy was based on trade and colonial markets (which of course had a growing effect on British foreign policy).
The Napoleonic War had affected the upper classes very little. At the end of the war the ranks of unemployed were swollen by more than 400,000 demobilized men.
Rises in the price of corn (grain) hurt the manufacturing and laboring classes, but added to the profits of the grain sellers, the aristocracy. Under the Speedhamland relief system the poor received a dole, thus maintaining wages at a below-subsistence level and keeping grain prices high. When power was transferred to the manufacturing upper-middle-classes by the Reform Bill of 1832, one of the first things they did was to abolish outdoor relief.
In 1815 the Corn Law had been passed, prohibiting the import of corn until the price rose to a certain (starvation) level. This prevented competition for grain growers and encouraged speculation. The existence of the Corn Laws provided the background for the thirty year debate about "free trade."
After the war, a decreasing proportion of farmers were able to own their own land, and the dispossessed became farmhands working for wages. Enclosure continued, as formerly cultivated land was used for grazing. In 1830 starving field laborers in the southern counties rioted for higher wages; 3 were hanged and 420 deported.
Until 1832 there were 220 offenses for which the death penalty could be imposed, among them housebreaking, forgery, and sodomy (still a hangable offense until the 1860s). Game laws were very severe; early in the century it was illegal for anyone not a squire or squire's eldest son to kill game; a cottager who set traps might be transported for 7 years; mantraps and spring-guns could be legally set on poachers. The gentry were also magistrates and justices of the peace, and remained rulers of the countryside even after the Reform Bill of 1832.
Although George III did not die until 1830, he was unable to govern from recurrent fits of madness. His son, the unpopular George IV, who became regent in 1811 and reigned until 1830, was succeeded by his brother William IV until 1837. In 1830 the Whigs gained an electoral majority for the first time in almost half a century, and inaugurated a period of (relative, upper-middle-class) reforms.
The Whigs were the party of the wealthy urban merchants (sometimes referred to as "middle-class," though it is important to realize that this is 19th century British usage which may refer to prosperous persons whose wealth was gained through trade rather than farming). The Tories (Conservatives) were the party of the landed gentry, who Tories upheld the established (i. e., state-funded Anglican) church and filled many of its benefices. By contrast many of the Whigs were "dissenters," that is, non-Anglican Protestants, such as Congregationalists, Methodists, Baptists, Quakers, Unitarians or Independents.
In 1829 one of their legal desires had already been effected. The Catholic Emancipation Bill permitted Catholics to hold office, a crucial matter in relations with hitherto largely disenfranchised Ireland.
The Franchise:
In 1840 the lower bounds of the middle class (defined as 5-10% of the population) was defined as possession of a family income of roughly 150 pounds a year. Before the Reform Bill of 1832, even many upper-middle-class male Britons were unable to vote, and not until 1884 was the vote extended to all members of the middle class and most urban workers.
Before 1832 the borough vote was very irregular--entire cities were disenfranchised, others were held as "pocket boroughs" [that is, a single landowner could choose the candidate], votes were openly sold, and in the absence of a secret ballot, landlords controlled the votes of smaller farmers. Those who performed services for the king routinely received newly created peerages and sat in the House of Lords.
The Reform Bill of 1832 eliminated 56 pocket and rotten boroughs and redistributed 143 seats to towns, counties, Scotland and Ireland. In the counties the vote was given to 40 shilling freeholders; to renters who paid 10 pounds per year as freeholders, copyholders, and 60 year leaseholders; and to 50 pound leaseholders with shorter term leases and renters (tenants-at-will). In the boroughs the vote was given to those paying 10 pounds annual leasehold, with one year residency.
This added 217,000 voters to an electorate of 435,000; and population increase had added another 400,000 by the Second Reform Bill of 1867, but even so, the bulk of the population was still disenfranchised. The next great reform bill, that of 1867, gave the vote in counties to those who paid 12 pounds rent, and in cities, to 5 pound renters. This added 938,000 voters to an electorate of 1,057,000, but brought the electorate up to only something less than 10% of the adult population. Most of the new county votes were middle-class, but the town electorate for the first time included some of the more prosperous working-class voters; small boroughs were over-represented at the expense of large conurbations.
In 1867 John Stuart Mill had brought forth a proposal that electors should be allowed to vote for "members of Parliament in general" if they preferred these to their own regional candidates, and introduced an amendment in favor of women's suffrage; both were defeated (see Women's Suffrage).
In 1833 slavery was abolished in British colonies, as the culmination of agitation led by William Wilberforce and others; on the other hand, the Jamaican constitution was suspended for the 5 years 1839-44 to protect former slaveowners from punishment for brutality toward former slaves.
The period after 1815 was one of severe repression of trade unions and of demands for reform in general. When in 1819 a large crowd of 60,000 assembled to hear the radical (i. e. reforming) orator Thornton Hunt near Peterloo in northern England, mounted yeomanry charged into the crowd, killing 11 and wounding 400, including women and children, an attack known as "The Massacre of Peterloo." Directly afterwards the "Six Acts" were passed repressing large meetings, anti-government statements in the press, and combinations of workers to restrict trade.
The trade union movement began with the repeal of the Combination Laws in 1824. Robert Owen and others formed the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union with 500,000 members, seeking an 8 hour day and promoting the notion of a "general strike." A ten year period of growth in union membership ended when in 1834 6 Dorchester laborers who had tried to enlist others in the union, the "Tolpuddle Martyrs," were sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and transportation to Australia (though their sentences were remitted in 1836), and the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union dissolved.
Chartist agitation for the suffrage was the major working-class movement of the late 30s and 40s. In 1836 a Workingman's Association in London (with associated branches in Manchester and other places in the North) set forth its program in a charter drawn up by Francis Place and William Lovett. This advocated manhood suffrage, the secret ballot, the abolition of property requirements for members of parliament, annual parliamentary elections, the payment of salaries to members of parliament, and equal electoral districts.
Chartists also campaigned for a ten-hour work day and supported various movements to form co-operative stores, worker education schemes and other worker cooperative ventures. Although some Chartists were religious (usually members of Dissenting sects such as Methodists), many artisans were rationalists and anti-clericalists in the tradition of Thomas Paine.
In 1839 a large mass demonstration presented the Charter to Parliament, which rejected it; riots broke out in Birmingham and Newport, Wales, where police fired on a crowd and killed 20 persons (cmp. the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, in which 11 were killed and 400 wounded).
A depression of 1846-1848 brought widespread poverty and prompted the unrest which accompanied the height of Chartist sentiment; and in the year in which Marx and Engels published the "Communist Manifesto," 1848, agitation reached its peak. In a year of great economic distress, increased emigration and famine in Ireland, and populist revolutions on the Continent, the Charter was once again carried to Parliament and again rejected. As the recession lightened, the 50s became a period of reaction. The nationalist movement arose in Ireland, and its adherents were severely repressed by coercion bills. Though, as mentioned above, another Reform Bill was passed in 1867, universal suffrage was not attained until 1928.
In the meantime, the Corn Laws were repealed in 1846 after a great campaign by manufacturers and working people's organizations. The duty on corn was reduced to a shilling a quarter bushel, and other duties were abolished.
1847 was the year of Jane Eyre, Dombey and Son, and Wuthering Heights. The latter was in some respects a romanticization of the remote life of the passionate, self-willed gentry, and in other respects reflected the harshness and unrest of the life of its decade.
During a period of fluctuating business conditions and in the absence of tight bankruptcy laws, the early Victorian period also was a time of uneven fortunes, even for investors and entrepreneurs. Hundreds of schemes collapsed, reducing hitherto comfortable families to marginality (Victorians whose families lost from such schemes included Harriet Martineau and William Morris senior); the sudden decline in family fortunes is a standard plot motif of the period.
The "established" or state church of England was Anglicanism (Episcopalianism), as Presbyterianism was the established religion of Scotland. The Church of England adhered to the 39 Articles and Book of Common Prayer, advocating what it conceived of as a via media between dissenting Protestant religions such as Methodism, Congregationalism, and Unitarianism, and the Church of Rome. "Establishment" brought revenues, paid clergy and other forms of support, collected in the form of "tithes" which Anglicans and non-Anglicans were forced to pay; a system of patronage rewarded the well-connected, many of whom were the younger sons of the landed gentry, with church offices and advancement.
As England became urbanized, old parish divisions and a patronage system seemed increasingly obsolete. In the 1830s the Evangelical Movement arose within the Church of England, emphasizing personal devotion, faith and good works. Evangelical Anglicans were called "Low Church," as opposed to Tractarian and other advocates of increased ritual, styled "High Church" for their adherence to practices resembling those of the Church of Rome. Yet a third group developed--"Broad Church"--of those influenced by rationalism and pluralism, who wished the Church to be less doctrinally restrictive. The educator Thomas Arnold, for example, was a promoter of Broad Church views, and the Oxford Movement, led by Pusey and John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman, was High Church. An act of 1836 reshaped dioceses, distributed bishops' incomes more equitably, added new bishoprics to respond to shifts in population, outlawed sinecures, limited pluralism (the holding of several livings simultaneously), and forbade non-residence among the clergy.
Nevertheless, Nonconformists and others resented, among other things, their exclusion from parish cemeteries, and having to pay church rates for the upkeep of parish churches, a grievance which was removed in 1868. They also opposed universal Anglican education; Anglicans ran more elementary schools than anyother demonimation before 1870, and organized a network of philanthropic services. A religious census of 1851 revealed that non-Anglicans and Dissenting religions had more active mmebers and chapel attendance than the established Church, but 42% of the population attended no church at all. Religious affiliation was class-linked;members of the upper and upper-middle-classes and those in rural communities were more likely to be Anglican.
As the nineteenth century progressed, however, Anglicanism began to develop some traits of a voluntary denomination, seeking public financial support and competing for members. Yet by the 1880s non-attenders were a majoirty as religious observance declined in the villages and the urban population became increasingly unchurched. Dissenters and others sought the disestablishment of the national church, which occured in Ireland in 1869 and in 1920 in Wales. Yet despite efforts throughout the century and beyond to remove the privileged status of Anglicanism in England, it has remained the official state church.
Of the Dissenting Protestant groups, Methodists (revivalist, pietist) and Plymouth Brethren (strict Biblical constructionists and typologists) were offshoots of Anglicanism, Congregationalists and Presbyterians stressed government by members of the presbytery, or congregation of elders, Quakers and Baptists were descendants of independent sects, and Unitarians rejected the doctrine of the Trinity in favor of a more deistic belief in a unified God and generally more rationalist and social-reformist views. Yet these denominations coulxd exist in unexpected permutations and overlapping--it was possible to find a congregation of Quaker Baptists, or of Primitive Methodists and Successionist Presbyterians who held much the same views.
At the end of the 18th century, Roman Catholics in England numbered only about 100,000, led by a traditional leadership of gentry. Acts of 1778 and 1791 repealed most non-political disabilities for Catholics, and in 1829 "Catholic Emancipation" permitted Roman Catholics to vote, though restrictions remained (Catholics, Dissenters and Jews couldn't attend Oxbridge or Cambridge, which required assent to the 39 articles). Irish immigration and population raised the number of English Catholics to 250,000 by 1840. Schools were established, and Nicholas Wiseman intellectual (later Cardinal Wiseman) founded the Dublin Review to promote Catholic and religious life.
The Tractarian Movement began in the 1840s; led by John Henry Newman, this was a movement of High-Church Anglicans towards ritualism and in some cases, Catholicism. In the same decade, the Irish famine of 1845 and thereafter brought several hundred-thousand impoverished Irish to Scotland and England, and Catholicism became the religion of those perceived as ethnic immigrants of lower social status. Earlier in the century the Roman Catholic hierarchy had considered Britain as a missionary country, but encouraged by its gain in membership it established an archbishopric and bishoprics in 1850. Counterattacks against Catholicism generally failed to lessen its membership, and Catholics were absorbed into the mainstream as the century continued, and gained increased cultural respectability by the phenomenon of upper-class converts, such as G. M. Hopkins, Oscar Wilde, Alice Meynell, and Lionel Johnson.
In 1850 20,000 Jews lived in London and somewhat fewer outside, of which 90% were native-born English. In 1829 when Catholics were granted the franchise, Jews remained the most well-represented group without civil liberties, including the vote. They were bared from Parliament, the military, some legal careers, and attendance at Oxford or Cambridge. The Jewish Chronicle, established in 1841, supported the goals of emancipation and "liberal compromise" (that is, assimilation), emphasizing the patriotism and loyalty of Jewish subjects to the British empire. The Rothchild, Montefiore and Montagu families were known for their extensive philanthropy and community service.
In 1851, Lionel de Rothchild was permitted totake his seat in the House of Commons without taking the usual oath, "by the true faith of a Christian." In 1855 Chief Rabbi Nathan Adler established a Jews College to train ministers as ambassadors to British society; later Adler became the chief British Rabbi under the United Synagogue Act. In 1870 Jews were permitted to matriculate at universities, and in 1890 all civil offices were opened to them.
Meanwhile a small minority of adherents of Reform Judaism pressed more actively for emancipation and remained outside this structure, under ban by Rabbi Adler. Another separate group consisted of the Sephardic Jews who attended the Bevis Marks synagogue. Hermann Adler, Rabbi Adler's son, was anti-Zionist, which caused further internal division.
Around 1870 began a massive immigration of Jews to Great Britain, motivated by poverty and anti-Semitic persecutions in Europe, especially Eastern Europe and Russia; as this intensified in the 1880s and 1890s it further strained community cohesion as the more established Jews were called upon to help large numbers of their fellows.
Though Jews were represented in novels by Walter Scott, Benjamin Disraeli (an Anglican of Jewish parentage), Charles Dickens, George Eliot and others, the first avowedly Jewish major writers were the poet Amy Levy and novelist and short story writer Israel Zangwill.
Moses Montefiore (1784-1885) served as president of the Board of Deputies of Anglo-Jews, undertook numerous missions to impoverished or endangered Jewish communities, and initiated projects aimed at the renewal of Palestine. He was a staunch advocate of orthodox Judaism, in opposition to internal liberalization and Reform movements. He visited Russia in 1846 and 1872 to attempt to persuade the Czar to alleviate the condition of Jews there, and visited Palestine seven times to facilitate the rebuilding of a Jewish homeland. These visits fostered the concept of an international Jewish community and signified increasing interest in Palestine as a potential site for Jewish renewal.
Summary: Non-Anglican Christians (Dissenters, Catholics) were still excluded from most forms of public office (although non-Catholics could vote and become members of Parliament) and from positions in the universities and commissions in the armed services. In 1854 Dissenters of all creeds were admitted to Oxford and Cambridge, but still debarred from the M. A. degree, degrees of divinity, headships, professorships, and fellowships--that is, from teaching, governing and administrative positions. Disabilities on Jews were first removed in the 1850s, when they were permitted to vote; agnostics and non-believers suffered exclusion throughout the century.
These exclusions account for the somewhat smaller number of Catholics and Jews who were prominent in the public intellectual debates of the period. The Tory prime minister Benjamin Disraeli converted to Anglicanism; the Jesuit poet Hopkins finished Oxford before converting to Catholicism. Arguments over whether Anglican church should lean toward high- or low-church practices--Evangelicalism or the Oxford Movement--were an important feature of contemporary debates.
Railroads, Daily Life:
This was a period of swift railroad expansion and the resulting division of the countryside; by 1848 some 5000 miles of railways had been built, and the rest of the century saw the introduction of railways into hitherto remote parts of the north and west. British paintings of the period often present a nostalgically realized countryside, even as this was ever-receding.
Education: Although all but the poorest classes generally had access to three to five years of schooling provided by a local private teacher, this was often of very low quality; many women complained that they were chiefly taught to sew. No goverment provision for general literacy existed until after the Education Acts of 1870 and 1872 (Scotland), which provided for state-supported primary and middle schools.
England thus lagged behind other European nations in providing for general education, a delay in part occasioned by quarrels between religious groups: Anglicans wanted state-supported education to be Anglican, and dissenters and others demurred.
Childrearing was often severe, with corporeal punishment.
For women no middle-class employments except governessing and teaching were available. Wives had no legal right to their own children, who could even be taken away from them by their husbands. Divorce was expensive and unequal; the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 permitted men to divorce on the grounds of adultery, but not women, legalizing a "double standard" of morality. Wives had no right to own property (except in trust), and until 1870 had to right to their own earnings, and the legal age of consent was 12, encouraging child prostitution. A husband had the legal right to "chastise" his wife, making it difficult to limit domestic violence. The average woman bore about 6 live children even at the turn of the century.
On Laws Affecting the Poor and Workers:
The Poor Law of 1834 ended outdoor relief to the able-bodied poor, and in its place it set up workhouses under local administration. Families were separated, and kept on subsistence rations to make the workhouse less attractive than all available forms of labor, a grim comparison. Often the poor, insane, sick and orphans were crowded together into workhouses, though as the century progressed orphanages, insane asylums and hospitals began to absorb these more specialized functions.
Those who worked were sometimes not much better off--during the "season" dressmakers and milliners worked 20 hour days in crowded, dark conditions; it was said that one died yearly in an average establishment. Bending and fatigue produced deformed limbs, and made it difficult for long- overworked seamstresses to bear children.
Mine workers lived a worse life, with 14 hour days; cramping and stooping resulted in frequent physical deformity and death. Under the general influence of the doctrine of "laissez faire," the utilitarian doctrine that the markets would be essentially self-regulating, elected officials were reluctant to interfere in factory operations, and manufacturers strongly resisted the progress of legislation. As Victorian writers and philanthropists publicized these conditions, however, a series of factory acts began to mitigate the worst conditions.
In 1833, the first of the facts decreed that no child under 11 was to be employed more than 48 hours a week, or 9 hours per day; no person under 18 more than 12 hours per day; and young children were to be given leave to attend school for two hours daily. The rules on education were not always enforced by inspectors, and teachers were often untrained and ignorant. In 1847 the Ten Hours Bill limited work to 70 hours weekly for women and children; women were paid about half of the salary of men, and children even less. Over time laws were passed requiring the fencing of hazardous machines and the use of safety precautions in mines.
Crime, Punishments and Prisons:
Criminal law was overhauled by the 1830s, reducing the incidence of capital offences and regularizing penalties. In 1829 the London Metropolitan Police was created, and borough and county forces increased. Crime reached a high level after the Napoleonic Wars and remained high until the 1840s; in fact, statistically 1842 was a peak year for crime.
Later in the century and until the 1930s incidents of reported crime decreased, and after 1850 crimes became less violent. Robbery (theft with violence) declined to 1/7th of its 1857 rate by the end of the century. The assault rate was highest in the 1840s (the decade of Oliver Twist), when there was five times the rate of such crimes relative to the population as in the 1920s.
Crime seemed to follow the economic cycles of trade and harvest, with depressions producing unemployment and property crimes. Some evidence also indicates that the crime rate was much higher in the industrial north than in the more prosperous south.
On the other hand, prosperity brough crimes of personal violence, such as assault and crimes triggered by drunkenness, especially in the early 1870s when alcohol consumption reached its peak. With some exceptions and reversals, though, the incidence of reported crimes continued downward.
Prisons in the late 18th and 19th centuries:
The brutal tortures and executions of the past gradually but slowly gave way to schemes for reformation and rehabilitation, at least in theory--but see "The Ballad of Reading Gaol."
Early 18th century prisons were severely criticized and evoked a parliamentary inquiry in 1730, but few changes were made, because prisons were chiefly holding places for prisoners awaiting trial, execution, or transportation.
The Waltham Black Act of the late 18th century had increased the number of capital crimes from about fifty to several hundred, a law so severe that for some of the more minor offenses juries were reluctant to convict. Prisons of the time were run for profit, subject to little inspection, and lacked sewage and heat. Offenders of different sexes, ages and crimes were mixed together, as were novice and repeat offenders.
One of the first treatises on prison reform was John Howard's The State of the Prisons (1777). Conditions for women convicts at Newgate and elsewhere were improved by the efforts of Elizabeth Fry, beginning in 1813, and later by a series of reformers, many from the Society of Friends. By 1823, most of the Waltham Black Act had been repealed, and after 1838 hangings except for murder and attempted murder ceased. The last public hanging occurred in 1868, although as witnessed in "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," hangings within prison continued throughout the century.
Transportation to British colonies also was phased out. The practice of transportation had been begun in the 17th century, and involved selling convict labor to private contractors. When exportation to the American colonies became impossible after the Revolutionary War, Australia became the new site for prisoners, and the first convicts reached Botany Bay in 1788. By 1832, Australian settlers were complaining about the presence of convicts, and the practice of transportation to New South Wales ceased in 1840. Van Diemen's Land then became inundated with convicts until transportation there was likewise suspended in 1846. In 1853 the Penal Servitude Act substituted shorter sentences of imprisonment for transportation, and the last convict ship sailed in 1868.
Meanwhile old prisons were destroyed; Fleet and Marshalsea prisons were abolished in 1842, and by 1877 Newgate was used only for convicted felons awaiting execution. By contrast, the newer prisons were designed with a greater view to rehabilitation. Pentonville Prison, built in 1842, was considered an improvement, and within 6 years 54 new prisons were built on the city periphery (as opposed to the city center, where the earlier prisons had been built) on the Pentonville plan, with exercise yards. In 1877 the ownership of prisons passed to the Home Secretary.
Meanwhile there were changes in the treatment of prisoners. In 1853 a ticket-of-leave, or parole, system was introduced, and reformatories established for younger prisoners. In 1878 first offenders were separated from repeaters, and in 1898 a system of remission of sentences for good behavior was introduced and corporeal punishment limited. In 1908, finally, the possibility of capital punishment for children was ended.
Yet despite these changes, as testified by Oscar Wilde in "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" and in the memoirs of suffragettes imprisoned for their acitivites in support of the women's franchise, prisons remained harsh, unhealthy and dangerous places throughout the century.
"Madness" or Mental Illness
This was a major theme in Victorian literature--as seen in poetry by Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, George Meredith, and others; and novels by Walter Scott, the Brontes, Dickens, Thackeray, Trollope, M.E. Braddon and Wilkie Collins. The Victorian period was one of change, systematization, and medicalization of the treatment of "insanity."
The late 18th century saw the establishment of St. Luke's Hospital for Lunatics (1751) and early treatises on the prevention of insanity. George III's madness brough an increased interest in the problem.
In 1829-44 the Metropolitan Commission on Lunacy issued a series of reports. In 1845 the Lunacy Act for the first time required counties to provide adequate asylum accommodations for pauper lunatics and for the diagnosis and treatment of insanity; and mandated that asylums be inspected by medical practitioners.
At the time the causes of insanity were categorized as physical or moral.
1. Physical causes included heredity, irregular blood circulation, accident, alcoholism, or even old age and female gender.
2. Moral causes were various--dissipation, excess, gluttony, even excessive studying! Madness could allegedly be caused by shocks, rape, or even masturbation.
The definition of madness was debated. One classification scheme postulated four types--mania, melancholia or monomania, partial insanity, and moral insanity.
Mania was exemplified in raving, violent lunatics. Partial insanity could be periodic and included hypochrondia and hysteria. Moral insanity was characterized by antisocial behavior and lack of social control.
It has been claimed that nineteenth-century doctors were even more unsympathetic to hysteria and mental illness than eighteenth-century ones; the use of moralistic and condemnatory rhetoric indicates an overlapping of the roles of curate and local physician. The label of insanity could also be used to subjugate those who failed to conform, as shown in Mary Wollstonecraft's Maria or the Wrongs of Woman.
As a partial corrective, an 1862 amendment to the Lunacy Act required the signatures of two physicians with no financial interest in the asylum to which commitment was intended and the approval of a magistrate for commitment.
Despite a belief in the "moral" implications of madness, only medical doctors were permitted to treat patients. In general there was a movement away from the use of force, such as whippings, forced feedings, haphazard drugging, and confinement in straitjackets, chairs and dark rooms. Instead, "moral managers" tried to encourage a homelike environment in which inmates were encouraged to develop self-respect and industry.
In the 1830s and 40s hydropathic establishments became popular, and patients were submerged for long periods in the "water cure" and required to abstain from alcohol, coffee and other stimulants. Such relatively humane methods were often neglected in practice, and such prescriptions as leeching, purging or using leg hobbles and waist locks continued.Women were subject to bizarre intrusions; an 1848 article in the London Medical Journal recommended as treatment for suspected insanity in menopausal women ice water in the rectum, ice in the vagina, and leeching of the labia and the cervix. In the late 19th century understanding of the female reproductive system also freed women from the charge that the possession of a womb renderd them especially subject to insanity.
"Fools" or "naturals" had apppeared in Walter Scott's novels and in Wordsworth's "The Idiot Boy." Dickens' Barnaby Rudge is not fully insane--but closer to what in the nineteenth-century would have been called an "idiot." A common theory suggested that traumatic experience during pregnancy might lead to birth defects. In general the Victorian view of deformity--so central to Dickens' caricatures-- is one fundamentally difficult to understand from a modern American perspective, with the vast increase in the proportion of people able to continue in good health through life and with an array of institutions and agencies for helping the disabled.


text:
Earlier this month we previewed Ivy the Kiwi?, Yuji Naka of Sonic fame's latest game, being brought to North America by XSEED Games. While we touched upon the Ivy's gameplay in our earlier preview this month, the multiplayer in the title is very impressive and we thought we ought to explore it a little bit deeper.
Ivy the Kiwi has you guide Ivy, a just-hatched bird who's still in her shell and looking for her mother. By clicking on the screen using the Wiimote cursor or hitting the touch screen on the Nintendo DS and "drawing" a line, you'll create a vine which can guide Ivy, who naturally walks in a straight line until she hits a wall, in which case she'll begin walking around in the opposite direction.
In the game's multiplayer (only on the Wii), up to four players can use their Wii Remotes to draw lines for Ivy to walk on. Part of the enjoyment of this mode is due to the ability for even those not acquainted to the game to have fun, as myself and follow Gaming Union staff member Colin had never played the game before and kept drawing lines on top of each other's and bouncing Ivy from wall to wall.
For more experience players, this mode could be used to take some of the pressure off of drawing the vines, as one player could take one segment while the other player does another segment, or both players could work together to create vines faster than one player could on their own.
From what we could see during the game's presentation at E3 2010, Ivy the Kiwi? seems like it will be a great addition to all gamers, for both its single-player and multiplayer modes.


text:
Schema Theme Review to help you understand why it is one of the most widely used WordPress themes by the bloggers.
The Schema theme is created by the MyThemeShop team known for creating SEO friendly and quick loading WordPress themes.
We have used the Scheme theme for our own project as well as a few other themes like the MoneyFlow theme for the store, and we have a great experience so far.
We all know that the loading speed of a site is very critical these days. If your site takes more than 4-5 seconds to load the user will move to the next option.
Also, if your site doesn't load instantly on both desktop and mobile phones, your content will never get a good ranking in the search results. So, it is a very critical aspect of the SEO point of view as well.
The Schema theme has been marketed as one of the best SEO friendly and fast loading WordPress themes, and it proves this statement with distinction.
I love this theme because of its minimal feel and it will keep the focus on the content and make sure that your users have a great experience on your site.
It will load quickly so that a user with an average internet speed can also enjoy your content without any hassle.
The Schema theme is primarily designed for the bloggers and content publishers by offering a clean and minimal design to express the content the best possible way.
Schema Theme Overview & Top Features
The Schema theme comes with a classic design with the big content space and the right sidebar where you can showcase the popular posts, social icons, advertisements or anything else as per your requirement.
Let's start with the loading time of the theme.
As already mentioned it is one of the quickest loading WordPress themes in the market. Though there are many themes with great loading speed these days, I'm sure the Scheme theme can compete with beat any top quality theme in terms of speed.
Even if you are using shared hosting for your site, the Schema theme will surely bring in positive results to your site.
Here is a screenshot of the demo theme in the Pingdom tool.
Here is a list of some of the features offered by the theme
- Simple, clean and professional design
- Optimized for the small screen devices
- Fast loading and SEO friendly
- A perfectly optimized code base
- Powerful theme options panel
- Built-in review option
- The built-in advertisement management system
- Rich Snippet support
- Unlimited color and background options
- Translation ready
- Google Fonts
- Icon Fonts
- Custom CSS option
- Ready to use social media buttons
The list of options will be longer if we keep on adding things. Let see how to get started with the Schema theme
Schema Theme Settings
The Schema theme comes with comprehensive settings panel to make it easier for the users to get started quickly. From the color combination of your site to the layout, you can update and change anything on the site quickly.
General Settings
You have a number of important settings options in the general settings tab. The option to add your Google Analytics code, the option to upload the logo of your site, the option to add the favicon of your site, the option to add header and footer code etc.
Performance Settings
The Schema theme offers you a number of performances related options that are very important for your site. There is the option to enable lazy load the images on your site so that the content loading quickly and the images will load when the user scroll down to the section where the image should show up.
The Prefetching option is another amazing feature offered by the MyThemeShop themes. If this feature is enabled the theme will make the other pages load even faster when the user visits them.
If the user is on the home page of the site, the single pages will load quickly when they click on it, similarly, the home page will load really fast if a user comes from any other pages on the site.
Styling Settings
The styling options are one of the most important pages for any theme. The Schema theme comes with a simple yet very useful style settings page.
Here you can define the color scheme for your site. You have the option to set the background color for your site, the background pattern if you need any.
You also have the custom CSS code option on this page for you to easily add any code to add any custom style to your site.
Header Settings
The Schema theme offers you the option to set up the header section of your site. You can pick and choose what you which to show on the header section and what you don't
The header section is one of the most important part of any website because that's the first visible section of a site, so it is important to be perfect.
Footer Settings
Similar to the header section, the Schema theme comes with a setting page for the footer section of your site.
You have the option to set the footer color for your site. The number of widgets that you wish to show in the footer of your site.
You also have an option to set a background pattern for the footer of your site.
Homepage Settings
Schema theme comes with a separate setting page of the homepage of your site. You have the option if you would like to show a slider on the homepage of your site.
You have the option to set a custom slider on the homepage of your site. The Schema theme offers you two different layout options for the homepage posts, you can set a big thumbnail size or a small thumbnail size.
There is a featured post section where you can show the most important posts on your site. It is better to create a featured category and select it to show in that section.
Single Page Settings
In the single page settings, you can define how you would like your articles to show. You can enable the breadcrumb for your site here.
You have the option to select the overall post layout, the meta information for the post to make it complete.
Typography Settings
The Schema theme offers you comprehensive typography options that you can set in the setting panel. Here you have the option to set the fond from every section of your site starting from the header navigation to the footer of your site.
Advertisement Management
Isn't this an important settings section? I'm sure, it is. The Schema theme comes with complete ad management option to make it simple and easy for you to monetize your site.
You can quickly add the code for your advertisement. You can place an ad in the header section, you can add it below every post, etc.
Create a WooCommerce Store
The Schema theme is perfectly compatible with the WooCommerce plugin, so you can easily create your own online shop using this amazing theme.
It is very important for the eCommerce sites to have a great loading speed so that your visitors don't get irritated with your site load time and you don't lose a sale.
Publish Product Reviews
Use the Schema theme to publish product reviews and make money. This theme is review ready and you will be able to create great looking views on your site without any hassle.
Schema Rich Snippet
Proper Schema markup is very important these days. The Schema informs the search engines about the type of content you are publishing on your site.
The Schema theme comes with the proper markup to make your site SEO friendly. As we spoke about the review option above, the theme will make sure that your review posts are highlighted in the search results with the star rating and the review details.
Here is how a search result with the rich Snippet will look.
Final Word
The Schema is one of the top-selling WordPress themes from the MyThemeShop store. The theme is popular among the pro bloggers and writers as it comes with best SEO practices out of the box.
You don't have to do a lot of things to make your content stand out in the search results.
We would recommend this theme to any newbie as well as an established blogger who is looking for a change.
If you find the review useful, don't forget to share it with your friends


text: I've recently had my gas boiler serviced which pulled up a fault on my upstairs mains cct. The cct has no earth connection to it. Pulling back the socket fascias shows that all the sockets have a good earth connection to them so to check I ran an extension lead from the downstairs cct and plugged a plug in without the back on to expose the terminals. Metering between the exposed earth terminal in the extension lead and a earth wire in the back of one of the upstairs sockets showed six meg resistance. Besides the obvious, making sure it has a good earthing at the consumer unit and breaks in the cable, does anyone have any other clues as to what may be at fault?


text:
advertisement, Hebrews, p t obrien, pillar, PNTC, sale, shameless plug
This will be all over the web soon, but, if you haven't seen it yet, wtsbooks.com is offering P. T. O'Brien's new Hebrews commentary at 45% off the list price. Plus, until March 9th, when you buy two more Pillar commentaries (yes, sets are always uneven, but there are some real helpful contributions) you receive an additional 10% off. This commentary set is edited by the venerable but ubiquitous D. A. Carson.


text:
Ads of the Week: 22 August
Spark, Vodafone, Kiwibank, Banqer and Arnott's show us how it's done.
StopPress is part of ICG. We work with clients like Woolworths New Zealand, All Good, Huffer, Liquorland, Resene, Citta Design, TVNZ, Spark and FCB on their event activations, in-store, in-office or out-of-home signage, content creation and vehicle wraps.


text:
This space is devoted entirely to you! Ask your questions, share information, discuss!
To preserve the quality and harmony of the discussions generated on this forum, we invite you to respect these few basic rules.
Our hope is that any message entered on the forum will be respectful and polite. Just as in day-to-day life, a simple hello or a little thank you will be appreciated by your interlocutors and make you an exemplary member!
In addition, we ask that you make sure of the relevance of your contribution to the different forum sections and themes. An off-topic publication will be detrimental to the thread.
Before publishing a question or a message, using the search engine will be of great help. When you search with the keywords that interest you, you can be sure about whether the question has been dealt with in the past or not, or possibly even find an immediate answer to your query.
To preserve the commercial neutrality of the forum, it is prohibited to publish messages inviting users to visit a website that has nothing to do with the theme of the discussion.
The recipe for collecting satisfactory replies: make sure to be as clear and precise as possible, while providing enough in the way of explanations to be perfectly well understood.
Also, beware of sarcasm and irony, which are hard to fathom in writing and which lead to confusion more often than otherwise.
And of course, no foul, vulgar or aggressive language will be tolerated on My space.
Courtesy, clarity and the conciseness of your messages, these are the keys to being properly understood and communicating effectively
Writing tips
See that you are perfectly understood by minimizing the use of abbreviated text, and checking the spelling of your messages.
The use of emoticons can serve to express your state of mind or to clarify the tone of a message that is open to interpretation. Feel free to use them…but sparingly!
Other aids, like writing in capitals and repeated punctuation marks, may give the impression that YOU'RE SHOUTING, or that you're annoyed. Take special care here!
Moderator's role
The moderator is charged with informing users about the themes dealt with in the forum by providing complementary information, and will guide the discussion if necessary.
Moreover, the moderator will see to compliance with netiquette. Any message not respecting the ground rules will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be suspended from the forum.
This forum is confidential! Only your pseudonym will be visible to the eyes of other members. To preserve that confidentiality, please do not enter any information that could reveal your identity or that of another Internet user.


text:
Church family,
"Getting Ready for Sunday" is a resource we provide to help the church look ahead to the upcoming Sunday. We want to prepare well for gathering together by reading God's word, praying, and singing.
This week we are looking at Acts 19:7-12 and seeing how God uses the church to grow us in gospel-hope.
Our Call to Worship is Colossians 1:17-18:
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
From beginning to end, top to bottom, throughout the whole life of the church God's desire is that we would be glorifying our King Jesus. Our work, homes, friendships, marriages, neighborhoods all exist, not first for our happiness, but for the glory of Jesus to be displayed to the world. We gather together every Sunday to be reminded of this truth and to have God shape us together so that more and more of his glory shines through our lives into the world. To do this we have to have our hearts fixed in the character of Jesus and have our eyes drawn in awe and wonder to the King who "holds everything together." Let's gather ready to look to Jesus in awe and wonder, ready to follow him in trust and obedience.
Read and
Pray that we would be in awe of who Christ is.
Pray that we would grow in our trust of Jesus as the one who really does hold all things together.
Here are the songs we are singing this week. We are singing these songs because they speak to the character of Christ and the living hope we have in the gospel.
What a Beautiful Name
Itunes Spotify Youtube
Great Are You Lord
Itunes Spotify Youtube
Christ is Risen
Itunes Spotify Youtube
Living Hope
Itunes Spotify Youtube


text:
Join me in celebrating the release of my new album HEARTSONGS! To commemorate the occasion, I am hosting a RECORD RELEASE PARTY at O'Malley's on the Green. I will be singing many of the new songs from the album, as well as some Jazz Standards and Old Favorites! I will be accompanied by a LIVE BAND, featuring Dan Mcelrath on Keys, Nancy Conescu on Guitar, Mike Doolin on Guitar and Bass, Nelson Felix Jr. on Sax, Dirk Westfall on Bass, and Cameron Cartland on Drums. All Proceeds will benefit Alaska Christian Ministries. FREE ADMISSION.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: August 1Halibut Cove Live


text:
With Young Tiger Jr NTR showing no interest in hosting the season 2 of Bigg Boss, the producers of the show are in hunt for suitable anchor.
According to the sources, Allu Arjun, Rana Daggubati and Nani are heard to be the front runners for the anchor position. Rana and Nani have the experience of hosting shows and live events but it will be first for Allu Arjun, if the opportunity knocks the stylish hero.
NTR has hosted Bigg Boss in a grand manner and Star MAA has met with stunning TRP. The season 2 will certainly come up with same amount of expectations and for this, the host should have enough caliber and charishma as NTR. Let's see wait and see who will be the one!


text:
♥Inspirational Words♥
Engraved with the positive daily inspirational words: " All the time Keep in mind that You Are Braver Than You Imagine,Stronger Than You Seem,Smarter Than You Think And Loved More Than You Know. ".
It is just like a lamp, guiding you in darkness and helping you overcome obstacles on your way.
♥ non-irritating,non-rus t♥
Stainless steel is known for its hypoallergenic qualities, making it suitable for delicate skin.
It is easy to care with stainless steel too,The necklace is not go rusted or tarnished,no need to take off it even in the shower.
Stainless steel is stronger than sterling silver and alloy, the necklace is not easy to broken.
♥ Care for Your Silver Jewelry ♥
Rub it with baby wipes, Then rub with a clean dry soft cotton cloth to bring back the shine.
Put it inside a soft cloth pocket or fabric swath, avoid it from rubbing against other jewelry. To better maintain your Jewelry, please take it off when you swim, take a shower, or other action involved in water.
♥ Ideal Gift Choice ♥
The necklace comes in a pretty white gift box.
12 birthstones stand for different lucky meaning.
A Infinity with flower is stand for romantic love.Suits for all age group.
A perfect gift for your lover, wife, husband,girlfriend,boyfriend, daughter, granddaughter or friends.
Suitable for Valentine's Day, Christmas' Day, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving day, anniversary, graduation, birthday or any special occasions.
♥Perfect Service ♥
Fullrainbow is committed to provide prime quality silver jewelry and the best services to our customers
. if there are any problems with the purchase, please feel free to contact us, we will be able to try our best to help you.
♥Unique Design♥ 12 birthstones stand for different lucky meaning.A Infinity with flower is stand for romantic love.Engraved with the positive daily inspirational words: " All the time Keep in mind that You Are Braver Than You Imagine,Stronger Than You Seem,Smarter Than You Think And Loved More Than You Know. It is just like a lamp, guiding you in darkness and helping you overcome obstacles on your way. Which expresses the encouragement and praise to people.
♥Best Gifts♥ This birthstone pendant necklace with a wide variety of apparel and be suitable for any occasion, especially for birthday and anniversary day, there are 12 different color of crystal simulated birthstone bracelet, standing for 12 different months, choose the one of your birth month and enjoy a wonderful day. Perfect birthday gifts for her, girls, sister, wife, women, friendship.
♥Material♥: Made of prime quality stainless steel, polishing surface remedy, 21.6 + 2 inches extended chain design to fit all different neck sizes with an elegant look,no nickel, polishing the product in all aspects, very comfortable to wear!
♥Package♥ Come with a poly bag in a box, prime quality made and the necklace perfect for birthday gifts, thanksgiving day gifts, Christmas day gifts, new yew gifts, mother gifts, All festivals,It'll catch people's eyes and let you transform the point of interest of the audience.
♥Girls Charms Necklace♥ This beautiful charm necklace features a unicorn pendant with the word "All the time" infinity endless charm for laides.


text:
Lifelong Faith Formation
Class Schedule / Registration
UPDATED May 2019 - Registration is now available
Confirmation Classes start Sept. 8/9
Edge (grades 6-8) Thursdays Sept. 13
Grade 9/10 Combined FF Classes start Sept. 22
Grades 1-6 FF start Sept. 22/23
Welcome back to all those who are returning and a special welcome to all our new families. Please see the information below to help guide you for next year's program.
2018-2019 Nativity Faith Formation Program - Download SCHEDULE
Please download the REGISTRATION PACKET here and mail it in with your check to:
Lifelong Faith Formation Office (Registration)
8550 Main Street
Williamsville, NY 14221
If you have any questions, please call us in the office at 634-3130.
Thank you and God Bless!


text:
Crunch Time!
Another holiday weekend filled with 4th-of-July fun has come and gone. Suddenly, I find myself amidst the most crucial prep time in my journey to the NPC Brooklyn Grand Prix. I've now officially entered the 12-week mark from the competition on September 28. All the pros out there know this is the time when the physical and mental challenges hit a new level. I'm excited and nervous to see what's in store for the rest of the summer.
I can tell you the holiday weekend was tougher than I expected. I planned on the holiday being my last real "cheat day" before the competition. However, on Friday and Saturday, I had some wine and even indulged in some chocolate chip cookies and more than a couple of servings of honey mustard pretzels. I realize these "slips" aren't major, but I can tell you this: when you eat "clean" for weeks at a time, throwing a bunch of extra sugar and sodium into your diet can make you feel sluggish, fatigued and downright lousy. Aside from wanting to keep my weight in check, I simply don't want to feel like that in the weeks ahead – especially when I need good fuel for my workout regimen.
The other slip in my schedule was not making time to practice posing. As I mentioned in my past posts, it's the scariest part of the competition. I think many of us shy away from what we're afraid of, but having a deadline to take action can also serve as the motivating factor needed to conquer that fear. As crunch time winds down, I'll get back in my shoes and let the mirror be my guide to what I hope will be a more graceful presentation on stage. We've all heard that old saying about how we're not defined by how many times we stumble or fall. It's how we pick ourselves up move forward that makes all the difference.
As far as my workouts go, yesterday marked the start of week five on my coach's program. Three things have changed in the past two weeks:
- An increase in the number of sets for certain exercises: For example, during week one, I was doing three sets of hip thrusts at 15 reps. I'm now up to five sets.
- An increase in what I'm lifting: As I continue to re-discover my groove with weight training, I've kept the increases between five to 10 pounds from week to week. One example: at my first attempt at dumbbell step ups during week one, I held five pound weights in each hand. Yesterday, I used 15-pound dumbbells.
- Where I can't add weight, I add speed. Since my legs and glutes continue to scream during and after every lower body workout, I have decreased my rest time between sets when upping the weight just isn't an option. One final note about those dreaded leg days, the stairs at my gym are also becoming extra painful. (The "bonus:" there are two sets of stairs between the locker room and the check-in desk.)
So on this Transformation Tuesday, I'd say my mental focus has undergone the biggest change within the past week. I look forward to using this sharper mindset to continue making my meals, hitting the gym and getting quality sleep. Thanks for all the support so far! It's amazing how a little encouragement can go a long, long way when it comes to tackling our goals to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Practice Makes Perfect…I Hope!
Wow! We made it to July! I seriously can't believe we're past the halfway mark of 2019. Perhaps even more unbelievable is in four days, I'll be just 12 weeks away from stepping on stage for the NPC Brooklyn Grand Prix!
During this past week my coach, Jen, was kind enough to meet with me before a well-deserved vacation to start teaching me the ropes in what I consider the most terrifying part of this entire process: posing. Let's just say I need all the help I can get!
This is completely different from maintaining poise and composure in front of a camera even in the sweltering heat or bone-chilling cold during my TV reporter days. This is about mastering a routine that includes four poses in a blur of 10 to 12 seconds. That's the amount of solo time I'll have in front of the judges. The poses themselves are totally foreign to me, and then there's the added challenge of executing those moves wearing four-and-a-half inch platform heels and transitioning between each move as gracefully as possible. (Oh, and of course, I need to do it all with a smile!) Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed during that first hour of practice. However, Jen encouraged me to simply practice, practice and practice some more. If you want a good laugh on this first Tuesday of the new month, click the play button on this video to see how I did.
All you pros out there know I have a lot of work ahead of me! However, I hope sharing this not-so-perfect video serves as a gentle reminder that anytime you try something new, you can't expect to be perfect right out of the gate. Whether it's a new job, maybe even a totally different career; a new fitness or nutrition program or a new hobby, we can put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect. We're usually the first to beat ourselves up when we slip and fall. So, I'm going to try and remind myself to do what my coach and so many other people who've been through this competition prep have told me: trust the process. So, I may stumble and fall – literally! – practicing my posing routine, but I'll get up and try again. I'll keep the faith that with some serious effort on my part and the ongoing support from my family, friends, my coach and the fitfam universe, I can make this happen!
I close with a wish for everyone to have a safe and Happy 4th of July! (Click here for a reminder on how to get through what could be a long weekend of food-filled fun without totally falling off the healthy lifestyle wagon.) As for me, the holiday will be my last real "cheat" day before crunch time begins. That doesn't mean I'll go totally crazy with the food and drink. I'll get to the gym super early, eat a couple of my prepared meals before heading to the annual pool party my family and I look forward to every year and I'll choose my "cheat" foods with care. (I do see a cheeseburger and one or two cocktails in my holiday future…) I'll also be sure to drink my gallon of water or more throughout the day.
Here's to celebrating America's birthday, a fitastic July and all the opportunities ahead to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
14 Weeks Out….
As this post goes live on another Transformation Tuesday, I'm at the start of one of my few morning workouts in this NPC Brooklyn Grand Prix show-prep journey. My normal routine usually allows me to get two meals in my system before a lunchtime workout. However, one thing I'm learning early in this process is how crucial it is to make adjustments when life takes your routine in a different direction. So today, I'm training early so I don't miss my workout and I've shifted my meal times accordingly. Here are some other valuable lessons I learned during the past week:
- Helpful Hardware: My food scale, measuring spoons and measuring cup have become my new best friends to keep track of portion sizes.
- Smoothie Solution: As my coach keeps reminding me, real food is always best. However, one morning I just didn't have time to cook up the egg whites and oats. So I threw the following ingredients in my blender and enjoyed every sip of the creation: 1 cup Amazing Greens Super Greens; 1 scoop Vega Sport Chocolate Protein powder; 1/2 cup oats; 1 tbsp organic peanut butter; ice, 16 oz water.
Timing is Everything: Tonight before I go to bed, I'll write down tomorrow's meal times and the actual meals I plan to eat. This allows me to map out how to hit my nutritional targets for the day and make sure I have enough time to digest before a workout and also replenish my fuel supply after. So far, I've been able to keep a relatively steady schedule of eating every three and-a-half to four hours.
- Favorite Meals (So Far): Many of you have asked about what typical meals look like. Here's my go-to breakfast: 1/2 cup liquid egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled; 1/2 cup oatmeal; 1 tbsp. organic peanut butter. My go-to pre-workout meal: 6 oz chicken breast; 1 cup brown rice; 2 oz avocado and 1 cup of greens. I'll keep you posted on any adjustments to my meals as the weeks continue.
- A Harsh Reality: I've simply ignored my legs for far too long and being 100- percent honest, I still dread lower body workouts. I remember even 25 years ago in college, I'd bang out a couple of sets of leg extensions and prone leg curls as fast as I could and call it a day. Getting back into the groove of serious squats (so many squats!), glute bridges, hip thrusts, leg presses, walking lunges and more has required a lot of energy and discipline. I don't think there will be a day between now and September 28 when my legs and glutes don't ache.
Support is Key! I am still blown away by the messages of encouragement from friends and family near and far thanks to the wonder that is social media. Thank you all for the amazing support! Let me know what you'd like to know more about as the weeks continue. Later this week I'll have my first posing session with my coach. Yikes! Stay tuned for what I'm sure will be an eye-opening experience on that front…
I look forward to falling into more of a groove at the gym and in the kitchen in the days and weeks ahead. Here's to the best laid plans and the surprises that always come along that keep us on our toes along the never-ending journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
A Whole New Adventure…
Fifteen weeks out. I've always wanted to say those three little words, but until now, I've either been too scared or simply made too many excuses to utter them outloud. However, when I turned 45 earlier this year, I decided it was time to cross this item off the bucket list. No more excuses. In late September, I plan to walk on stage as a bikini competitor at the NPC Brooklyn Grand Prix.
Some of you who've known me for decades may think, "No problem, Laura, you got this!" Sure, I've loved exercise and tried dozens of different sports and fitness routines since taking my first gymnastics class at the age of six. I've also adopted a relatively "clean" diet over the past five years. However, what many of you also know about me is I do like my cocktails, my desserts and fried, cheesy things are pretty great, too. The next fifteen weeks will involve a totally new nutrition and workout plan, and it will require more discipline than I've ever exercised before. One important note: I'll be doing this 100-percent naturally.
Here's a candid reveal: I haven't really lifted weights in a long time. I didn't plan for that to happen, but when I turned 40, I found myself gravitating toward group fitness classes that focused on cardio and body weight exercises. My routine became a mix of extended elliptical machine sessions; barre workouts; Tabata derbys filled with push-ups and core moves; and finally two years ago, I discovered kickboxing – my all-time favorite mix of a physical and mental workout. For the next three months, I need to put those activities on hold and get back to lifting. I thought I'd be able to sneak in a kickboxing class here and there, but after one week of what feels-like-the-first-time weight training, I realize I need to focus my energy on the longer gym sessions, allow my body to recover properly and do all I can to avoid any injuries.
I also need to focus on finding my groove again in the weight room. Even the biggest fitness fanatics can feel intimidated when stepping into a space filled with so many people adjusting benches with ease and executing reps in perfect tempo. During this past week, I repeatedly told myself what I've written about many times over the years: The time I spend in the gym is for me and only me. I do not have to lift what the fitness chick is lifting two benches down from me. I need to breathe, focus on my form and remember, I've pulled the trigger on turning a longtime goal into a reality.
I'm so happy to have found Jen Carlson, a Team D1scipline coach, to guide me on this journey. Not only will she offer nutrition and training plans for the weeks ahead, but she'll help with what I consider my biggest challenge in this entire experience: posing. I've never been the most graceful gal, so the thought of walking across a stage, executing turns and posing – in platform heels and a bikini – honestly scares me to death. I'm sure there will be some fun blooper moments to share from that part of the prep process!
I plan to use future "Transformation Tuesdays" to post updates on my progress. Knowing this prep time was going, I used the past month to drop some of the pounds I truly enjoyed putting on during an amazing croissant-filled vacation in Paris with James. At 134 pounds, I am eight pounds lighter than when we returned to New York at the end of April, and my body fat is just under 20 percent. Moving forward, I've been warned I may see drastic changes one week, plateau the next and feel totally depleted during another. I'm excited and nervous to experience it all.
I couldn't do this without the support of my fiancé, my parents and my dear friends. (I hope they'll enjoy some of the margaritas I won't be sipping this summer.) Stay tuned here and on my social media channels (@fitnesslaura) for more about changes to my diet and workouts; posing snafus; bikini shopping and more. I plan to provide a 100-percent honest account of the whole process – the good, the bad and yes, the ugly.
So do you have a dream that's been sitting on the back burner for far too long? Remember, tackling a new challenge is a surefire way to stay on track with your goals to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Hello, faithful followers! As many of you already know from my sporadic social media posts, it's been a hectic time with Mom having her right knee replaced exactly two weeks ago today. I'm happy to report her warrior spirit continues to help her make strides each day. (A big thank you to everyone who's taken the time to send her good wishes before surgery and during her recovery!) I thought I'd use the first workout Wednesday of June to make a reappearance in the blogosphere – especially since we're on the verge of ushering in the summer of 2019.
If Memorial Day weekend snuck up on you before you had time to stock up on some seasonal essentials, there's no time like today to write up your shopping list. Being prepared is a surefire way to enjoy those summertime outdoor workouts and sunshine-filled fun with family and friends. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Don't Ignore Those Tootsies! As we speed toward the halfway mark of 2019, now's the time to think about the last time you got a new pair of sneakers. If you're a serious runner or involved in high-impact exercise and it's been six months or longer, it's time to consider getting a new pair. Every fitness routine needs the proper footwear to ensure you're getting the right amount of stability and support.
2. Protect the Girls! Ladies, it's also time to take stock of the last time you invested in a supportive sports bra. Breasts have zero muscle, but without proper support, the skin and ligaments near the breasts which give them their size and shape can break down and eventually cause sagging. (The kicker: once those ligaments stretch out, they don't bounce back!) Whatever your size, you will experience some level of bounce during exercise. So to all my fellow fitness chicks, you should wear a sports bra whether you're power walking, full-on running or basically doing anything that gets your moving. (In case you're wondering, I'm a huge fan of the Athleta line of sports bras. They offer support and moisture-wicking comfort whether I'm kickboxing, Tabata training and taking a long power walk along the Hudson River.)
3. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! As a former coconut-scented tanning oil addict who now gets annual scans of the many moles on my body, I implore you to protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun. There are so many lightweight SPF 30 and higher sunscreen options available today. That means there is no excuse for not wearing sunscreen for a long summer stroll or a super-sweaty session of beach volleyball. If the skin on your face is super sensitive like mine (I was diagnosed with rosacea in my 30s), you may want to give La Roche-Posay Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid a try. It's been my go-to for years.
4. Smart Snacks: Planning to spend a good part of the day away from your healthy home base? Arming yourself with prepared meals in a portable cooler can help stick with your healthy eating habits even while you're at the beach. Many hiking trails or other walking venues don't have much to offer in terms of fuel except for maybe the occasional hot dog vendors or some vending machines filled with sugary drinks and candy bars. So be sure to pack some healthy, portable options such as almonds, apples or low-sugar protein bars.
5. Portable Hydration: Last but certainly not least, don't go anywhere without a reusable water bottle. (You can even fill it with ice cubes and enjoy chilled water as they melt.) Since we lose essential potassium and sodium when we sweat, my repeat readers know I never I never leave home without a bottle of BFit Rapid Electrolyte Spray. (Zero calories, zero carbs and zero food dyes.)
Remember, a little prep and having the right items in your arsenal can make all the difference when it comes to sticking with your summer plans to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Don't Let Allergies Wreck Your Fitness Fun!
The temperatures are nowhere near what I'd consider normal for May, but there are a few signs that prove we're definitely in the midst of another spring: red, itchy eyes; runny noses and scratchy throats. Allergy season is here again and with lots of wacky weather around the entire country, many of us seize any opportunity we can to get moving outside when the sun finally breaks through. Of course, for serious allergy sufferers like me, that also means sharing the space with pollen.
Since the rain will eventually stop here in New York and the pollen counts will return to high levels in the not-so-distant future, this Motivation Monday provides the perfect opportunity to offer some timely survival tips for the season ahead:
- Smart scheduling: Pollen counts tend to be highest between 5 am and 10 am. Unfortunately, that's when many people enjoy their get-the-day-started jog, bike ride or walk. If you can move the activity to a time that's not so pollen-heavy, great. If not, hopefully some of the following tips will make things more bearable.
- Wear shades: Wearing sunglasses can help create a protective barrier for your eyes while you're outside. I also never step outside without being armed with eye drops. One of the first five things I do each morning is apply Bausch + Lomb's Alaway eye drops. Using them twice a day has prevented me from scratching my eyes out even on the highest pollen count days. (While you don't need a prescription for the drops, you may want to check with your doctor if they're okay for your eyes – especially if you wear contacts.)
- Don't forget your meds: In my younger years, I got weekly allergy shots for nearly a decade. Over time, they helped lessen the severity of my allergy attacks, but I'm still sensitive to all kinds of pollen. Luckily there are so many over-the-counter and prescription allergy medicines that can provide relief. While I've never been a fan of taking lots of medicine, I'd rather take something for a few months to help me stay alert and active than miss out on enjoying the outdoors. Speak with your doctor about what treatments might work best for you. To prevent the onset of symptoms, it helps to take your medication at least 30 minutes before you head outdoors. If you wakeup and then workout outside, ask your doctor if taking your medication at bedtime can help.
- Clean up: When you get home, shed the pollen-infused clothes, take a shower and wash your hair as soon as possible. The longer that pollen lingers, the more severe your reaction can be. You also don't want to spread the pollen around your home by sitting on the couch or lying on your bed.
The best survival tip I can offer to get through the season is this: listen to your body. It's hard to say you're doing something "healthy" if all you're feeling during an outdoor workout is sheer misery. That's the time to head indoors, shower and re-group. Maybe that's the day you turn to an air-conditioned group exercise class or pop in a workout DVD at home to help you have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Hippity Hop To It!
Here's hoping this Motivation Monday post finds everyone happy and healthy after a wonderful holiday weekend! Whether you're in the midst of observing Passover or waited for the Easter bunny's arrival, chances are your holiday was commemorated with a few treats.
If you're looking for a little inspiration to get moving today, take a look at the empty Easter basket on your kitchen counter. Here's a tally of the damage from some holiday favorites:
Peeps: 4 Marshmallow Bunnies = 130 cals, 0 g fat, 29 g sugar
Cadbury Creme Eggs (my favorite!): 1 = 150 cals, 6 g fat, 97 g sugar
Cadbury Chocolate Eggs: 12 = 190 cals, 8 g fat, 27 g sugar
Cadbury Solid Milk Chocolate Easter Bunny: 1 – 890 cals, 48.6 g fat, 20 g sugar
Reese's Peanut Butter Egg (my second favorite!): 1 = 180 cals, 10 g fat, 16 g sugar
Reese's Reester Bunny: 1 = 760 cals, 40 g fat, 72 g sugar
Brach's Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Egg: 1 = 43 cals, 1.3 g fat, 6 g sugar
Jelly Belly Assorted Jellybeans: 35 = 140 cals, 0 g fat, 32 g sugar
For those celebrating Passover, here's how a few menu items break down:
- Dark chocolate covered matzah: 3 pieces – 200 calories; 11 grams of fat
- Coconut macaroons: 2 cookies = 142 calories; 7 grams of fat
- Chocolate coconut macaroons: 1 cookie – 190 calories; 11 grams of fat
Of course, for many of us (including yours truly), these treats come after a heavy meal filled with traditional favorites ranging from pasta dishes to honey baked ham and potatoes. There may also be some wine or other libations involved.
Anyone who's been following this blog for awhile will tell you the last thing I want you to feel reading this day-after-Easter post is guilty. The fact is holidays almost always include more food and drink than usual. Don't sweat it. Instead, make some smart choices today and remember, celebrating special occasions with friends and family will always be one of the most joyous ways to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
It's no secret I haven't been here much the last couple of months. I guess my mind has been on hyperdrive since hitting the 45-year-old mark in February. I hate to say something as trite as my absence here is reflective of my own version of a mid-life crisis, but it's a little bit of that and then some. The interesting thing is the more people I talk to at this age and stage of life, the more I realize I'm not alone.
No major event has rocked my world. Dad is getting back on his feet after a shaky fall and winter. Mom is feeling good and gearing up for her other total knee replacement surgery. My main "dilemna" has been an internal one and it boils down to a simple but seemingly impossible question that makes me reach for the ZzzQuil® on more nights than I probably should: what's next for me?
I realize I'm lucky to be an independent contractor and even more fortunate to have the support from my fiancé and friends to continue my new and growing role as caregiver to my parents. However, the reality is I am also at a crossroads in that I know I want to find something new to do with my skills. So I've been vacillating between looking for more on-camera opportunities as a lifestyle host and questioning what's holding me back from pursuing completely new opportunities in the one thing in my life that's always kept me grounded and never feels like "work." I'm talking about the world of health and fitness.
So as I navigate through these crossroads, I ask for your patience and some positivity. Maybe one day soon I'll be encouraging my fellow New Yorkers to sign up for a kickboxing class taught by yours truly. Perhaps I'll be asking for good vibes as I start new health and wellness related coursework. Perhaps this blog morphs into something bigger where I can address a wider range of topics that have seemed to take over my physical and mental well-being in this decade supposedly known as the "Fabulous 40s." The bottom line is I am both overwhelmed and exhilarated about the opportunities I hope to find in the days, months and years ahead. I know whatever path I choose, however many times I stumble or take another detour, a good sweat will always help bring me back to the a strong starting position. Armed with that strength and the support of my readers and my entire "fitfam," I hope the excitement will conquer the fear and keep the sleepless nights in check.
You longtime readers have been here through many ups and downs over these past eight years. As I embark on another unsure and unmarked path, I thank you for sticking around if the installments become sporadic at times. Even if you don't find my posts here, you know the chances are you can find me tearing away at a heavy bag or searching online for the next big thing…and all the new chances to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
My Biggest Pet Peeve at the Gym
We made it to the first Motivation Monday of spring! Now's the time to get psyched for those outdoor workouts, new group fitness classes and maybe even splurge on some new workout wear. As we tweak our routines, it's also the perfect opportunity to make a conscious effort to eliminate one horrible habit I see far too many people engaged in during a workout. It also happens to be my biggest pet peeve when I'm at the gym. I'm taking about texting while exercising.
Texting simply distracts even the most focused fitness fanatics. Being distracted doesn't only lower your intensity level and lead to a less-than-optimal workout; it can be downright dangerous. According to a 2017 study published in Performance Enhancement & Health, texting during exercise:
- Impacted balance and stability by 45%, compared to not using a phone.
- Talking on the phone made balance 19% worse—less than texting, but still significant enough to contribute to injuries
Simply put, texting can raise the possibility of injury from everything from falling off a treadmill or rolling your ankle during that power walk.
Then there's the fact that texting and taking up space on a machine is just plain inconsiderate. If something is so important that not replying immediately will put someone's life in danger, step away from the machine, let someone else attack a set and work back in when you're focused. Sure, emergencies will happen, but unless you're on call as a physician or some kind of emergency responder, the world won't end if you take 10 extra minutes to reply to a text.
If you know you're easily distracted by that smartphone, you may want to consider signing up for more group fitness classes this spring. You'll be forced to put that phone away for the duration of the class and you can focus on your form and intensity level. Don't be shy about telling your family, friends and even co-workers if there's a time of day that you'll be unreachable. You're making the effort to exercise and take care of yourself, so you also deserve a sliver of time that truly belongs to you. It's having those few precious moments of me time that can help all of us be better partners, parents, caregivers and employees.
Smartphones provide tools that can help many of us in our health and fitness journey. They give us access to online workouts, heart-pumping music and apps to keep track of everything from our steps to our calories to whether we're getting a good night's sleep. But texts and emails shouldn't be a part of anyone's workout routine during any season of the year. So let's make this the spring we stay focused on what we really need to attack our plans to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
More Zzzzzzzs, Please
This Motivation Monday is bound to be a brighter one – literally. As we attack the first work day of Daylight Saving Time, most of us can look forward to catching a glimpse of some blue sky (albeit faded) as we make our way home after the manic workday. However at this moment, quitting time may seem like an eternity away as many of us are also dealing with what I call the change-the-clock hangover. (It gets me every year.) The good news is like all hangovers, the grogginess will eventually fade away and our bodies will get back to normal. While we wait for the fog to lift, it's the perfect time to take stock of something that's overlooked in too many health routines: our sleep habits.
Research shows along with helping us stay energized, sleep helps us retain information and boost our mood. Search the Internet, and you'll even find studies linking inadequate sleep to weight gain. On a personal note, when I rack up too many consecutive nights without enough shut-eye, it's harder to concentrate on everything from writing a script to maintaining good form for a roundhouse kick. I also find myself being annoyed by the little things that usually roll off my back.
Here are some ideas to make sure you get those all-important zzzz's:
- Shutting Down: If you scan the Internet, you'll find plenty of research on how watching TV in bed and using smart phones and other portable devices can be over-stimulating when your body is trying to wind down. Aim to power down at least 30 minutes before closing those tired eyes for the night.
- Exercise: Physical activity can help you sleep. However, if I exercise less than two hours before going to bed, the endorphins keep me up. Aim to wrap a workout three hours before bedtime.
- Stress: This is an area under never-ending construction in my own life. One thing that's helped is writing down my next-day to-do list and even some long-term project ideas at least an hour before getting into bed. Putting my tasks and even a few worries "on paper" gives me a clear outline of exactly what's ahead instead of letting my mind get the best of me while I stare at the ceiling.
- Caffeine: I am simply amazed at how some people (my fiancé included) can drink coffee at 8 pm and still fall asleep at 10:30 pm. If I have caffeine after 3 pm, I'm looking at a rough night ahead. The key is to pay attention to how your body reacts. Don't forget to check for "hidden" caffeine in things like flavored teas and sweet treats.
- Alcohol: My repeat readers know I enjoy a glass of wine or prosecco at the end of the day. However, too much alcohol can have the opposite effect of calming the nerves and end up wrecking your night. Obviously, having a hangover in the morning is never a good thing.
So, you've made the commitment to workout and follow a healthy diet? Kudos to you! Just remember, your body also deserves time to rest and recharge. It's all part of the winning formula to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!


text:
There are no upcoming sessions at this time. Please check back again.
Having suffered since age 13, I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome just two days before my 32nd birthday. I knew nothing apart from what I read on Google, no leaflets were given to me, no information...
Laparoscopy done ... the consultants words "yes you do have Endometriosis". Off home I go to recover, no support, certainly no support groups!
This is why when I finally found Endometriosis UK I decided to work with them to set up a support group in Cheltenham
Sign up to the Cheltenham Support Group group mailing list
© Endometriosis UK, Suites 1&2, 46 Manchester Street, London, W1U 7LS | Registered Charity 1035810


text:
GBA Bike Tour on Hazelwood Green
Interested in learning more about what is happening on Hazelwood Green and its vision for sustainability? Join members of the project team during the Green Building Alliance Bike Tour of the Site on July 19th.
Learn more and sign-up for the event on GBA's website.