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Cold Weather Running With Compression Tights vs. Sweatpants
Don't let cold temperatures relegate you to the treadmill. With the right clothing, you can still go outdoors to enjoy your run. Sweatpants were once the choice of runners heading out on a frigid morning, but modern compression tights made from state-of-the-art material can keep you warm and dry while potentially improving your performance.
Fabric and Fit
Sweatpants are usually made from cotton, which keeps sweat against your skin. This, combined with a loose fit, can lead to chafing and make you chilly as a breeze passes by. Compression tights are made from a moisture-wicking fabric that sits tightly against your skin. Seams are minimal to discourage rubbing and friction that cause painful abrasions during your run.
Wearing compression tights can help improve your running performance as well as keep you warm. A study published in "International Journal of Sports Medicine" in May 2006 found that compression tights during running can enhance overall circulation and supported runners' muscles so that they felt like they expended less energy while running at the same speed as runners wearing conventional shorts. Another study, published in "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" in January 2009, found that wearing compression stockings significantly improved the running performance in men.
If your cold-weather run includes rain, snow or sleet, you are better off with compression pants. They are made to wick sweat and water away from your skin. Sweatpants soak up the water and become a heavy mess. Trying to run in soaked sweatpants will chill you and weigh you down.
If you are heading out for a long run on a day that you are unsure of what the temperature will bring, sweatpants over tights or shorts might be a better option than compression tights. The elastic bottom of sweatpants means you can easily slip them off if you become overheated without having to redo your entire wardrobe. You might also choose sweatpants at the beginning of a race in which you have a long wait at a chilly starting line. Just before the gun goes off, remove your sweatpants, because as you start running, your body temperature rises and they are probably no longer necessary. Stash them in a bag that the race officials ship to the finish line or, if you are willing to part with them, leave the pants.
- International Journal of Sports Medicine: Aerobic Energy Cost and Sensation Responses During Submaximal Running Exercise--Positive Effects of Wearing Compression Tights
- Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Effect of Compression Stockings on Running Performance in Men Runners
- OzarksFirst.com: Tips for Safe Running in Cold Weather
Photo Credits
- Medioimages/Photodisc/Valueline/Getty Images


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This recipe comes from Angela at Oh She Glows. I love the recipes Angela creates because the meals are packed with all the good things I need to keep me going on my busy marathon days. You know, the days when I wake up at 5:30, get to work by 7, spend the next 8 hours chasing after 4 year olds, and then sit in class for three hours and finally arrive home around 7:30? Yeah, those days.
This particular recipe was really interesting. The sweet potato and cinnamon are distinctly fall flavors (at least in my mind), and the coconut oil and sea salt really amp up the flavor. I'd never think to pair sweet potatoes with coconut oil, but in this recipe, they work!
Cinnamon Spice Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, divided
Directions: Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a non-stick liner. Peel and chop sweet potato. In a large bowl, add the cooked chickpeas, uncooked sweet potato, cinnamon, salt, and 1/2 tbsp coconut oil. Mix well. Spread onto prepared baking sheet and place in the oven at 425F for 36-40 minutes. Remove from oven and place into a large bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 tbsp coconut oil and stir well to coat. Add additional sea salt if preferred. Serves 1-2.

subset: commoncrawl


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- Item Details
DetailsSebamed Baby Powder helps to prevent friction on baby's delicate skin and reduces effects of rubbing and Chafing. Extra soft formula with allantoin helps in protecting baby's delicate skin against irritation. Prevents nappy rash.it keeps your newborn's delicate and sensitive skin shielded from environmental pollutants that cause irritation.This powder is highly efficacious in combating baby's dry skin problems and keeps your baby skin smooth and soft.
- Ratings & Reviews


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With the new Nexus S from Google, multitasking is easier than ever before. In this brief, official guide from the folks at Google, we learn how to switch between multiple applications by holding down the Home button. Soon all smartphones running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) will be able to take advantage of the newest multitasking features!
Check out WonderHowTo for more Google Nexus S videos.


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The ongoing Israel Folau saga reached an important milestone yesterday, with the deadline for a code of conduct hearing appeal expiring without the embattled star deciding to contest.
But, as much as pure rugby fans want this ordeal to be over, we may not have heard the last of it yet.
Folau said in a statement yesterday that his "decision not to commence Rugby Australia's appeal process is in no way an acceptance of the judicial panel's findings."
"I simply do not have confidence in Rugby Australia's ability to treat me fairly or lawfully throughout this process," he added.
What impact would a legal challenge by the Folau camp have on Rugby Australia and fans of the game?
Rugby expert at The Roar Brett McKay joined us on the Game of Codes podcast to discuss the fallout from yesterday's events.
Listen to the discussion:
Folau's had a chequered number of years in the social media spotlight, coming under scrutiny on three separate occasions for posts widely deemed as discriminatory against the LGBTI community.
Regardless of your view on Folau's comments, most rugby fans – our panellists included – can't wait for the discussion to switch back to the sport itself.
Visit our Game of Codes hub to catch the full episode and be sure to subscribe and review on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever else you're listening.


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Exploring Residential Architecture From Many Vantage Points: Bilt House
We would like to share with you today a special project – a fantastic modern house that was impeccably designed out of many different elements. Architectural finishes, furniture and furnishings participate in the construction of this modern and comfortable residential space. The Bilt House's design is captured from different vantage points by the talented photographer Tim van de Velde. What seems to be a pyramid-inspired construction shelters a chic collection of spaces designed to convince the inhabitants that this is the perfect custom home for them. With carefully planned corners and a large, bright floor plan, the Bilt House we found on Living with White explores living opportunities: "This house has a distinct, autonomous and geometrical design, by which it wants to dialogue with its environment. By its form, the house distinguishes itself from the environment, but also makes a dialogue trough the open structure and by embedding itself into the soil. The pyramidal design gave the architect the chance to embody all these elements, although the first trigger of the design was of more practical nature. Building regulations told him to design a typical saddle roof. Bending the rules, this was his result. On the inside, the owner of the house made his own universe. Being an artist and a collectionneur of vintage design he meticulously gives all his objects the right place. The place is not overwhelmed, but has a nice collection of furniture, objects and exchanged pieces of art."


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S. Aouaoui, A multiplicity result for some Kirchhoff-type equations involving exponential growth condition in R2; Commun. Pure Appl. Anal. 15 (2016), no. 4, 1351--1370.
S. Aouaoui, Existence of multiple solutions to elliptic problems of Kirchhoff type with critical exponential growth, Electon. J. Differential Equations 2014 (2014), no. 107, 12 pages.
S. Aouaoui, On some nonlocal problem involving the N-Laplacian in RN; Nonlinear Stud. 22 (2015), no. 1, 57--70.
G. Autuori, F. Colasuonno and P. Pucci, Blow up at infinity of solutions of polyharmonic Kirchhoff systems, Complex Var. Elliptic Equ. 57 (2012), no. 2-4, 379--395.
T. Bartsch and M. Willem, Infinitely many nonradial solutions of a Euclidean scalar field equation, J. Funct. Anal. 117 (1993), no. 2, 447--460.
I. Ekeland, On the variational principle, J. Math. Anal. App. 47 (1974) 324--353.
A. Ferrero and G. Warnault, On solutions of second and fourth order elliptic equations with power-type nonlinearities, Nonlinear Anal. 70 (2009), no. 8, 2889--2902.
S. Goyal, P. K. Mishra and K. Sreenadh, n-Kirchhoff type equations with exponential nonlinearities, Rev. R. Acad. Cienc. Exactas Fis. Nat. Ser. A Math. RACSAM 110 (2016), no. 1, 219--245.
E. Hebey and M. Vaugon, Sobolev spaces in the presence of symmetries, J. Math. Pures Appl. (9) 76 (1997), no. 10, 859--881.
J. Koboyashi and M. Otani, The principle of symmetric criticality for non-differentiable mappings, J. Funct. Anal. 214 (2004), no. 2, 428--449.
C. Li and C. L. Tang, Three solutions for a Navier boundary value problem involving the p-biharmonic, Nonlinear Anal. 72 (2010), no. 3-4, 1339--1347.
Q. Li and Z. Yang, Multiple solutions for N-Kirchhoff type problems with critical exponential growth in RN; Nonlinear Anal. 117 (2015), no. 1, 159--168.
P. L. Lions, Sym_etrie et compacitfie dans les espaces de Sobolev, J. Funct. Anal. 49
(1982), no. 3, 315--334.
T. G. Myers, Thin films with high surface tension, SIAM Rev. 40 (1998), no. 3, 441--462.
R. S. Palais, The principle of symmetric criticality, Comm. Math. Phys. 69 (1979), no. 1, 19--30.
B. Ruf and F. Sani, Sharp Adams-type inequalities in RN; Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 365 (2013), no. 2, 645--670.
F. Sani, A biharmonic equation in R4 involving nonlinearities with critical exponential growth, Commun. Pure Appl. Anal. 12 (2013), no. 1, 405--428.
F. Sani, A biharmonic equation in R4 involving nonlinearities with subcritical exponential growth, Adv. Nonlinear Stud. 11 (2011), no. 4, 889--904.
N. S. Trudinger, On Harnack type inequalities and their applications to quasilinear elliptic equations, Comm. Pure Appl. Math. 20 (1967) 721--747.
F. Wang, T. An and Y. An, Existence of solutions for fourth order elliptic equations of Kirchhoff type on RN; Electron. J. Qual. Theory Differ. Equ. 39 (2014) 11 pages.
F. Wang, M. Avci and Y. An, Existence of solutions for fourth order elliptic equations of Kirchhoff type, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 409 (2014), no. 1, 140--146.
W. Wang and P. Zhao, Nonuniformly nonlinear elliptic equations of p-biharmonic type, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 348 (2008), no. 2, 730--738.
M. Willem, Minimax Theorems, Progress in Nonlinear Differential Equations and Their Applications, 24, Birkhauser, Boston, 1996.
L. Xu and H. Chen, Existence and multiplicity of solutions for fourth-order ellptic equations of Kirchhoff type via genus theory, Bound. Value Probl. 2014 (2014), 12 pages.


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Yes, you read it right and no, the explanation doesn't make it any less weird.
Since the 1620's El colacho or The Baby-jumping Festival has been held annually in a small town called Castillo de Murcia in the North of Spain. The festival (or "la fiesta") is part of a longer string of other celebrations that are all a part of the time of Corpus Christi. Whilst many towns have their own celebrations, it is El colacho that garners the most interest, for reasons that are about to become very apparent…
So, what exactly happens during the festival?
Well, babies are placed onto blankets and pillows in rows of two and laid in the centre of a street at intervals of a few tens of metres. Then, having already filtered through the crowds lining the streets, generally terrorising the onlookers, men dressed in bright red and yellow Devil costumes with quite frankly terrifying masks run through the village, leaping over the babies as they go like hurdles at a Sports' Day.
Unfortunately the tradition's roots are shrouded in mystery but it is obvious that it is heavily influenced by religion. It could be said that there is a strong case for it being a replacement for baptism within the village. After-all, the point of baptism is essentially to cleanse a baby of original sin and, in much the same way, the baby-jumping ritual is said to cleanse new-born babies of all evil-doings, whilst offering them protection from such misfortune in the future.
Upon hearing about this I did wonder if (god-forbid) there had ever been any accidents with such a festival. But I did some research and luckily no baby has ever been harmed because of this tradition…perhaps the ritual does have some effect after-all.
But what happens if you aren't leapt over by devils as a baby? Does that mean you're forever vulnerable to misfortune and evil?
Nope! Not to worry, if you miss the opportunity of taking part in El colacho, you can always just leap through a ring of fire in Granada (in the south of Spain) on the 21st of December, once you've become an adult.


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How will you do on the quiz?
Mike wrote:If athiests are all that smart, why are they athiests?
I still think most churches do not teach their own doctrines clearly, so their members do not even know what makes their own church different from the one down the street.
For most Christians, attending church once a week is enough, kind of like a card you have to punch to say you showed up at work. Asking them to study a book between those times is just too much to ask.
Atheists may know more about other religions because they watch PBS programs that people who attend church would not watch. They may even be searching and open to spiritual matters, while people attending church feel comfortable with what they have found and don't see any need to ask questions or seek answers outside of their church.


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hamilton island
The largest of the Whitsunday Island resorts, Hamilton Island offers over 60 activities, has a number of bars and restaurants, retail outlets and a variety of water sports and tours to experience. Located on the marina side of the island is the marina village precinct, offering everything from a newsagency, IGA supermarket and bottle shop and retail outlets, while the opposite of the island is where you will find all the resorts, accommodation, and Catseye Beach.
Enjoy a day trip to the island during your bareboat or luxury crewed charter by booking a berth in the 301-berth Hamilton Island Marina for a few hours. During your visit you can choose to pack a picnic lunch and go for a bushwalk on one of the 20km of walking trails that weave around the island, take a scenic flight over the surrounding Whitsundays, get active with some go-kart racing or a jet ski tour, cuddle a koala at the wildlife park, or tee off with a round of golf on the island's very own 18-hole championship course, located on neighbouring Dent Island. Stopover for the night by organising a mooring to enjoy the island after dark, or for an early morning hike to watch the sunrise from Passage Peak.
If a laid-back stopover is more your thing, indulge in a treatment at the island's day spa or relax by one of the many resort pools or on Catseye Beach. Then, enjoy dining in one of a wide selection of restaurants and cafes available, ranging from pizza and pasta, take-away burgers and fish and chips to a more decadent dining experience feasting on Italian cuisine, local seafood, South-East Asian, or fine dining in the island's signature restaurant, Bommie, at the Hamilton Island Yacht Club.
Please be advised that Hayman is currently closed for refurbishment and due to reopen July 2019.
Located at the northern part of the Whitsunday Islands, Hayman is the only resort located on the island offering 5-star accommodation in a private and relaxed atmosphere.
Offering dining experiences with memories that will last a lifetime, bareboat and luxury crewed charters are invited to berth in the marina and dine in one of their many restuarants, however overnight stays in the marina are not permitted.
Daydream Island
Daydream Island is the closest resort to the mainland and the smallest in terms of the size of the islands itself. It is a paradise for families and couples with an array of attractions to keep everyone entertained.
Fringing coral reef surrounds the island making for perfectly protected snorkelling conditions. Accommodation varies from Garden Resort Rooms to Coral Ocean Balcony Rooms and has a number of bars and restaurants offering a variety of cuisines to keep everyone happy.
Moorings are available to book if you wish to visit during your bareboat or luxury crewed charter and are welcome to experience all there is to offer at this idyllic island resort.
Long Island
Long Island is home to a number of resorts, all located within walking distance of each other yet feel worlds apart. Moorings are available to book out the front of each resort and guests are welcome to use the resort facilities at each location.
Long Island Resort
Please be advised that Long Island Resort is currently closed for refurbishment.
A family focused resort located right on the beach, Long Island Resort is the perfect place to visit during your bareboat charter. Get friendly with the wallabies as they bounce along the beach, play beach volleyball and enjoy a buffet lunch before a swim in the swim up pool bar.
Palm Bay Resort
Offering a unique holiday experience, Palm Bay Resort is inspired by Balinese dwellings and tropical surrounds and the affordability of self-catering stays. Guests can access all of the resort facilities including poolside dining or at the beach pavillion. There are a number of walking tracks on the island perfect for all ages. Enjoy cocktails poolside before returning to your bareboat or crewed luxury charter to watch another amazing sun set over the Whitsundays.
Paradise Bay
Please be advised that Paradise Bay is currently closed for refurbishment.
10 luxury beach front bungalows with a seaside infinity wet edge pool and fully licenced bar, Paradise bay offers the perfect place to disconnect from the world. With no radio, T.V or Wi-fi it is a truly relaxing resort to escape the daily grind.


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The average website is the size of Doom and that's something we should think about
When I was a kid I had a demo copy of Doom (like the first level only?) and I played it for hours. It came on a floppy disk with some magazine I probably didn't care about. Recently the average size of a website has surpassed the size of a full install of Doom. At first that's a neat fact but it might actually be something to give us pause.
Earlier this week I met with a group that's building out infrastructure to remote Aboriginal communities who don't have access (at least reliably) to high speed internet. In some cases they don't have access to any internet. More commonly though there are communities that are sharing, what I in all my urban convenience would consider, criminally slow download speeds. We're talking 10mb down connections being shared by 30 homes slow. I cant imagine that this issue is entirely unique to Canada.
Now that's not enough to make modern websites unusable (barring streaming sites like Netflix) but it's enough to impact usability. In my day to day I ideally want to be able to reach these communities and that means scaling back websites and not always being as fancy as we'd want to be. That might not be the case for you. Still, it serves as a good reminder that the on the ground situation can sometimes be very different from what you're used to.


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On Friday Sept. 12th, the data model task force held a teleconference during which we considered the draft reformulation [1]* of MTOM based on the new XPath XQuery data model [2]. During the call, the task force unanimously agreed on the following recommendations to the XML Protocols Workgroup: * The draft at [1] is ready for consideration by the entire XML Protocols Workgroup. * The DM formulation, as presented in [1], should be adopted as the basis for future work on MTOM (though this is an initial draft and will require cleanup and editing). It should be noted that only three members of the task force were present for the call on the 12th, and while the above is their unanimous agreement, previous calls have had broader attendance. The task force also considered concerns raised by Ugo Corda at [3], and decided that the response at [4] represents the consensus of the task force. In quick outline, Ugo's concern is that, in the interests of sticking to the established scope of the existing MTOM design, and specifically in allowing MTOM messages to be sent through the existing SOAP HTTP binding, the data model formulation is presented as lossy. Although type information from the data model is used as a hint by bindings to optimize SOAP transmission, such type information is not in general transmitted. I believe Ugo's concern is that if the data model is used all, it should be transmitted faithfully. This concern presents a Catch-22 for those interested in the data model formulation: the XMLP WG has already agreed, at least tentatively, that regardless of how the specification is modeled, type information is not necessarily to be transmitted. The task force believes that on balance, the benefits of using terminology that is on its way to Recommendation status, and indeed doing so in way that might provide a basis for future specifications that would indeed transmit the full data model faithfully, outweigh any negatives resulting from the lossy use of the model in MTOM at this time. Thus, we recommend consideration and adoption of the draft at [1] as the basis for future work on MTOM. At least one set of details remains to be resolved if the DM formulation is to be used: the current draft does not discuss all of the accessors provided by the data model. For example, element nodes [5] provide a base-uri [6], which in principle can vary for each element. Future versions of the draft would need to explain that, like type information, such base URI and similar information is not transmitted. This limitation is consistent with the general philosophy that MTOM will transform the input data model to a different (but predictably different) output data model at the receiver. In general, the transmission will exactly preserve certain information, will lose other information such as base URI and type, and will not add or synthesize other information, except as directly follows from the losses (e.g. typed values change in the obvious way when type information is lost.) Thank you very much. Noah * The draft linked from [1] is incorrectly formatted as a full WD. The current copies at [7,8] correctly show editors' copy status, but are otherwise identical. I referred to [1] im the note above, as it has the original submission text to the WG. [1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/xml-dist-app/2003Aug/0014.html [2] http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-datamodel/ [3] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/xml-dist-app/2003Aug/0018.html [4] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/xml-dist-app/2003Sep/0007.html [5] http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-datamodel/#ElementNode [6] http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-datamodel/#dm-base-uri [7] http://www.w3.org/2000/xp/Group/3/06/Attachments/OptimizationMechanismDM.xml [8] http://www.w3.org/2000/xp/Group/3/06/Attachments/OptimizationMechanismDM.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ Noah Mendelsohn Voice: 1-617-693-4036 IBM Corporation Fax: 1-617-693-8676 One Rogers Street Cambridge, MA 02142 ------------------------------------------------------------------Received on Saturday, 13 September 2003 10:48:53 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 22:01:24 UTC


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If you've recently gone through a routine Customs inspection when leaving or entering the country, chances are good the IRS knows about it. The tax collecting agency now possesses the authority to peruse through U.S. Customs and Border Protection databases and may soon acquire broad new powers to revoke the Passports of alleged tax delinquents.
Under a proposed law, the IRS will be able to unilaterally deny your freedom to travel if it believes you owe $50,000 or more in back taxes. The agency need not formally charge you with any crime, let alone obtain a conviction, in order to strip you of your Passport. A tax dispute over a mere $50,000 (which is possible for a person of modest income to acquire, especially if the IRS assesses penalties and interest on back taxes it says are owed) could land you on a "no-fly" list.
Or, if you are traveling or residing outside of the country and are under criminal investigation, the IRS may deploy agents to greet you at a U.S. airport upon your return home as soon as you step foot off of your flight. Then, they'll take you into custody.


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Check out our frequently asked questions below. If you still have any questions, please contact us here.
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Yes. We are experts in managing the technical backend of software systems. As a result, we house data on cloud-based secure servers with regular backups to make sure that your system is reliable, available, and safe.
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The Thanksgiving Dishes series continues today with the Sweetest Sweet Potatoes. Be sure to check out all the recipes to fill your Thanksgiving Table.
It wasn't until a couple years ago that I discovered my love of sweet potatoes. I'm not sure why I hadn't eaten them much before that. It isn't like I had anything against them or disliked them, but they just weren't something I ate much of. However, once I did discover them, I found that one of the most amazing dishes to make with sweet potatoes is this recipe for the sweetest sweet potatoes. Think sweet potatoes with a streusel topping. This could nearly classify as a dessert instead of a side dish (but don't worry, it doesn't classify as a dessert, so feel free to eat that piece of pie!).
- 5 cups sweet potatoes, cooked (I used 4 large sweet potatoes and baked them)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/3 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/3 cup cold butter
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease 13x9 pan.
- In a stand mixer (or using a mixer in a large mixing bowl), beat the sweet potatoes until they are smooth (it's okay if they have a few lumps).
- Add butter, evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla and eggs, and mix until well blended.
- Spread in greased pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour and brown sugar. Cut cold butter into the mixture, until mixture is crumbly. Stir in chopped nuts.
- Sprinkle topping over sweet potatoes.
- Bake approximately 35 minutes until golden brown.
Am I the only one who isn't sure exactly what the difference is between yams and sweet potatoes? I'm sure that having yam casserole with your Thanksgiving turkey wouldn't sound as appealing as sweet potato casserole, so that may be part of it. I looked for answers, and from what I can tell, I made these with sweet potatoes. But darn it if the label at the grocery store didn't say yams. Either way, this is an amazing dish, and will have everyone coming back for more of the sweetest sweet potatoes.
Are sweet potatoes part of the Thanksgiving meal at your house?
If you love sweet potatoes, you'll want to check out these fabulous Sweet Potato Breakfast Recipes, as well as these Sweet Potato Salad Recipes!
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Linking up at Mouthwatering Mondays, Tuesdays at Our Home and Weekend Potluck.
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horror movie reviews,
rape revenge,
Toe Tag,
Blue Underground,
Plotdigger Films,
Joe D'amato,
One 7 Movies,
절단 시네마
Severed Cinéma
Severed кино
Cortado Cine
Покидане Биоскоп
Muerte bajo cero, Pânico na Neve, Frozen - Eiskalter
Abgrund, Külmunud, Bajo cero, Smrznuti, Kihülve, Kipaon,
Muerte en la montaña, Frozen - Pânico na Neve, Замерзшие,
Ledena past
Directed by: Adam Green
Written by: Adam Green
Produced by: Peter Block, Cory Neal
Cinematography by: Will Barratt
Editing by: Ed Marx
Special Effects by: Greg T. Moon
Music by: Andy Garfield
Cast: Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers, Ed
Ackerman, Rileah Vanderbilt, Kane Hodder, Adam Johnson
Year: 2010
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Runtime: 1h 33min
Studio: A Bigger Boat, ArieScope Pictures
Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Since its that time of year when winter has battered most
of the modern world senseless and the hopes of spring in
some parts of eastern Canada are currently far from reach I
bring you a film which delivers much the same feeling of
hopelessness throughout. Adam Green's Frozen released
in 2010 by Anchor Bay, with moderate success, along with his
Hatchet trilogy may be the most well-known films
credited to his name thus far. I also felt the need to watch
Frozen because I have personally taken up downhill
skiing this year and the sense of fear that comes with being
stuck up high in that chair lift is a very real thing. I
know its clichéd but this movie does prey on those fears.
Anyone who has visited a ski resort and partaken in riding
that said chair lift will understand where I am coming from
and will understand where Frozen is coming from.
Forget that over saturated Disney hogwash movie of the same
name, that film is only the top grossing animated film ever,
nah, whatever, not even remotely in the same category.
was said to have been lacking in good acting and dialogue
and in some instances I can agree. It does come off as a
frat boy mainstream film at the beginning. We get the
college rock segways, sarcastic dialogue, friends bonding
together for that one last great trip, two childhood friends
trying to bond while one of the friends feels like a third
wheel because of the girlfriend and so on. Frozen hasn't reinvented the wheel here, it maybe at best greased
it but where I feel its strengths lie come somewhere in the
middle of the film -- the terror, the desperation, the
degradation, the test of the human psyche, this is where I
believe it excels. It has its moments. Using a remotely
small cast consisting of two Canuck actors Shawn Ashmore
(Iceman in X-men) and Kevin Zegers (Air Bud
movies, yup, that's right, Air Bud!) with Emma Bell
who is probably best known as Andrea's sister Amy in the
first season of The Walking Dead. I do feel that
there was definitely not enough material to build up or make
you sympathize with the characters, which is something I
feel you need in this type of outing. There are particular
moments when you feel sympathetic towards their situation,
but the one dimensional characters were generally devoid of
feeling for me.
The plot is basic, the premise is key but the logic at times
and scenario is foolish. The three friends are on a ski
outing, but they don't have enough money to buy lift passes
-- first strike here. I ask, why would you plan a trip with
friends if you know ahead of time you cannot afford the
trip, and your whole time with your friends is left on a
whim that you may be able to scam your way into a good
place? The friends do just that; pay the lift operator a
hundred bucks and get to ski the slopes. Then if that wasn't
pushing their luck to the limits, they try to get the lift
operator to let them go on one last run down the hill before
it shuts down, and thus we have the hook, line and sinker.
The current lift operator has to tend to some personal work
business, another guy takes over, miscommunication occurs
and our three friends end up stranded on the lift.
The ski resort named Mount Holliston doesn't seem to be
interested in making money in prime ski season, as its
closed all week and is only open on weekends. Our friends
only hope fades fast as a trail groomer (driven by genre
actor Kane Hodder) foolishly drives by and doesn't notice
them dangling high in the ski from the lift, even with them
chucking their helmets and ski poles at it. No maintenance
crew or staff maintain Mount Holliston in the least during
their down time it seems, so our three trapped friends have
to sink to desperate measures to rescue themselves. At first
they are calm but things quickly turn to shit when they all
come to the realization that no one is coming for them and
they will not survive a week in the chair lift in below
freezing temperatures.
Frozen excels in the terror factor, but I strongly dislike those
tag lines these hyped up critics dish out like "Will do
for skiing what Jaws did for the ocean." Fuck that! Just
let the movie stand on its own merit. If its good, people
will know and they will watch it. That is that. Sayings like
this, if anything, deter me from wanting to see a movie.
Where I give Frozen its high points is in the meat of
the movie, the terror it dishes out. Scenes where we feel
the utter hopelessness and desperation of our characters, as
they struggle to save their skin, sometimes foolishly and in
some cases with success. Or just plain dumb luck or fate.
Whatever you want to call it. There is nothing high on the
gore factor here. There is a nice failed jumping attempt at
ridiculous heights, which causes one friends leg bones to
pop out of the skin. It seemed like a good idea, I guess,
until the howling of hungry nearby wolves started ringing
out in the night. I love the feeling of dread Frozen brings to the table. This is where its biggest strength
lies. It is not a happy film and our friends don't all go
for nachos and beer at the lodge after the whole ordeal is
over with, believe me. The friends fight frostbite, frozen
appendages and a pack of hungry wolves closing in, with
plans on making a meal out of them.
I don't consider Frozen a classic but its a nice
winter carnage time waster. For those who have tried skiing,
it might make you think twice when you take that chairlift
to the top of the hill. It works its magic this way. It
might have you looking down to see if you can make that jump
and get to safety if you have to. If it has you thinking
this way then the movie has done its job.


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I was starting from scratch with the Solomon Islands, to be honest, so I've learned a lot about this island nation and it intrigues me - I hope that, one day, I'll be able to visit for myself and understand the real context of everything I've been blogging about.
Summary of the themes
To summarise my virtual learning journey to the Solomon Islands, I started with a bit of history and the first European contact with the islands, during the period of Spanish exploration in the 16th century. I also learned about the shameful 19th century tradition of blackbirding (kidnapping of Pacific islanders to work on plantations in Queensland) and the fascinating story of Jack Renton.
August saw the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Tatarstan and I took this opportunity to learn about different swimming styles and the contribution made by the Solomon Islands to the Solomons/Australian crawl!
|Solomon Islands Fish and chips
I couldn't really find a national dish from the Solomon Islands that wasn't essentially palu sami (which I've made several times before), so I created my own dish, Pacific-style fish and chips, using ingredients that would be more common in the Solomon Islands.
As usual, I did all of this with a fabulous soundtrack and I managed to find lots of great music from the Solomon Islands, including the lullaby Rorogwela which was sampled by Deep Forest in the early 1990's.
I read four books as part of my research into the Solomon islands - here's the list:
|Devil-Devil by GW Kent
Solomon Time (2002) by Will Randall is one of the few travelogues based in the Solomon Islands. The story of an English school teacher who gives up his life in the UK, to set up a chicken farm in Rendova, it was an amusing read, but I can't say I learnt a lot from this book.
Devil-Devil (2011) by G.W. Kent - unfortunately, I didn't find time to blog about this wonderful book by GW Kent. It's a detective novel set in Malaita and Honiara and I really enjoyed reading it, although I don't usually read that genre. I loved the characters and I learnt a lot about Solomon culture as well - I'd highly recommend this series of novels!
The White Headhunter (2003) by Nigel Randell - a really informative and 'heavy' read, which I used for my blog post about blackbirding and Jack Renton.
I watched three movies in total, that were somehow connected to the Solomon Islands:
The Thin Red Line (1998) dir. Terrance Malick - see the link to my blog post on this above.
Operation Pacific (1951) dir. George Waggner and starring John Wayne and Patricia Neal - this was a more traditional war movie and, as it turns out, was set more around the Philippines than the Solomon Islands. It was interesting to compare the approach to war movies in the 1950's, when everything was so romanticised and the late 90's, when the real horror of war was more in focus. It's not a bad movie, as they go and very typical of that era.
Tanna (2015) dir. Bentley Dean and Martin Butler - the London Film festival is on at the moment and I've always intended to go to a showing, but somehow managed to miss this in previous years. Unfortunately, they didn't have any movies from the Solomon Islands on the programme this year, but they did have this wonderful movie from neighbouring Vanuatu, so I decided to watch it as part of my research into the Pacific region. It's set on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu and a representative of the community in which the movie is shot came all the way to London to talk to us about his culture and traditions. It was a truly memorable experience and it's a really beautiful movie.
I'm going to try to make a visit to the London Film festival an annual outing that coincides with whichever place I'm blogging about in future (or as close as I can get, culturally).
Other themes
As usual there were many other themes that I didn't have time to blog about, but if you're interested in continuing a learning journey about the Solomon Islands, I would suggest the following additional themes:
IATA codes
Missionaries in the Pacific
The Malaita Massacre
The shark callers of the Pacific
The Lau people
DBS - Distressed British Subjects
The Chinese in the Pacific
Te lapa - navigating with underwater lightening strikes
Quonset huts
The Marching Rule movement
The Kakamoras or pygmy people
Nguzunguzu - traditional carvings on war canoes
Pijin English
Richard Francis Burton - the British adventurer and orientalist
Evil spirits like the basana
JF Kennedy's time in the Solomon Islands
Cargo cults


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I recently finished an acrylic painting of a new model, John, done in grisaille (gray monochrome).
I've been thinking about cubism in the context of contemporary portraiture. I tried to express rhythm, shifting planes, and flickering light by breaking down the figure into discrete abstract passages, perhaps informed by digital glitches and pixelation.
My references included:
Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Ambroise Vollard (1910)
Gerhard Richter, Matrosen Sailors (1966)
Andy Denzler, Untitled Screen Test (2007)
Rob Sheridan, The Social Network (Soundtrack Art) (2010)
We will have the same model for the next three weeks. I may explore the same theme in color.


text:
406 Navarro (78205)
(210) 224-0026
Dick's Last Resort is a small bar and restaurant chain in the United States, known for its intentional employment of an obnoxious staff. The name consists of seven restaurants, including one near Petco Park, California and another in Las Vegas. The restaurant, which uses picnic-style tables and no tablecloths, has its origins in the owners' original opening of a "fine-dining" establishment. The establishment was a failure, which resulted in bankruptcy. Rather than continue with the upscale restaurant motif, the owners retooled their efforts and decided to "go sloppy".The end result was a success, leading to the creation of six additional locations.


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Mike Huckabee is going to take on Rush Limbaugh head to head on talk-radio.
Huckabee's people have just announced a new radio show in partnership with Cumulus Media that airs directly against Rush Limbaugh in the 12-3 PM ET hours.
Huckabee is downplaying any rivalry with Rush. "I don't feel like I'm a competitor," Mr. Huckabee told the New York Times when asked about it, "He's going to have an audience that will be very loyal and has been for over 20 years. I doubt that will change."
Limbaugh is basically the Oprah of talk-radio. He reinvented the whole format and reaped an enormous following. He averages 15 million listeners a week.
And while it would be a mistake to think of talk-radio personalities as campaigns, Huckabee's strengths match up well against Rush's weaknesses.
Limbaugh has been through a few marriages and has a libertine's history with drugs and pornography.
Huckabee is a former Baptist minister, and Christian radio personality. He can talk openly and fluently about his faith, one he shares with millions of Americans.
Currently there is no talk-radio broadcaster of Huckabee's talents who looks at politics from the same angle as millions of American evangelicals.
Limbaugh may have a fight on his hands.


text:
TEDxSanJuanIsland is currently accepting submissions for our next event on June 22, 2019. Our 2019 theme, Origins, invites thought leaders, change makers, and passionate experts to tackle today's big issues by examining who we are, where we came from, and where we are headed.
Our speakers come from all walks of life, disciplines, and industries within or beyond San Juan Island. What they all have in common is an idea and the passion to share it. Everyone has a life story to tell, but we're not just seeking storytellers - we're seeking the truly unique, radical ideas behind them. The "who" and "what" doesn't matter as much as the "why." As a speaker, your objective is to share your idea in an engaging way and to answer the question, "Why?" Why do you care? Why should the attendees? Why does your idea deserve to be on stage? If you're up to the challenge and passionate about your idea, we'd love to hear from you. Speakers must have credibility in their space and be actively working on the idea, as well as have the time to work with us to deliver a compelling talk.
Please apply below after thoroughly reading our Speaker Information Pack.


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Cathy and Nick recently celebrated their 5-year anniversary by getting engaged! They both live in California now, but agreed that their trip back to Cathy's home country would be the perfect time to capture their engagement photos. Sydney harbour played host to this very relaxed and super happy couple.
All the best for your wedding plans! PS Keep me posted if you'd like an Aussie photographer on your wedding day ;)


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Each Bumble and bumble counter has a qualified stylist, so it's worth popping along to find out how you can get the most from the range, and pick up some advice on styling your hair.
Friday, 18 January 2013
Bumble and bumble launch Bb Freebie
This weekend should you be mooching around the shops, why not pop into particpating Boots stores and pick up a fab Bumble + bumble deal. From the 18th of this month, until the 3rd February, Bumble and bumble will be giving you the chance to pick up some free samples when you shop.
Kinda like Bumble and bumble, Product
3 comments:
Oh I've just bought some!! Wonder if they're gonna be in MK though? Will have a look today if I'm not snowed in haha xxReplyDelete
- Anonymous18 January 2013 at 23:08
Good article. I'm facing many of these issues as well..ReplyDelete
Feel free to visit my blog - http://smartsass.info
I love reading your comments & hearing your thoughts, thanks for reading!
If you ever have a question about anything hair related (or maybe not about hair!) just comment, email or tweet me @KLGHair...
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text:
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Parameters and Specifications:
Designed for:
Battery replacement:
NIKON: EN-EL3e, VAW13403
Output voltage:
|24 months
|Product Number:


text:
Chapter 3:- Personal Responsibility
Let me begin by stating that I emphatically don't consider myself to be all seeing and all knowing, and that I emphatically don't think that I never make mistakes. I live to learn, because the more I know, and the more powerful and the more influential I become. I lead a life long quest of listening and observing, just as you must do if you want to be reach your goals.
This is how you must use my web site. What you like you use, and want you don't you simply discard and forget. You may be able to build on my thoughts and ideas, or you may find that my thoughts and ideas spark you off on a train of thought that'll develop into something unique for you.
Everyone makes mistakes, of course they do. But the fact of the matter is that there're some mistakes that are made that are the result of a lack of understanding, and there're some that are made as the result of bad preparation.
So let's take Gareth Southgate as the prime example. I'm not here to bury the guy because any player would jump whole heartedly at the chance of going straight from playing to managing, especially at a club as big as Middlesbrough Football Club. But at the end of the day I do have to use examples in order to make my points, and for the moment he's it. I'd also like to make it clear that these articles aren't intended to be unprofessional, they're not intended to be personal, and they're not intended to rubbish people who try to do their very best, each and every day. I'm not a writer by trade and so there may well be times when I come across in a manner that I genuinely don't wish to do so.
Gareth has no managerial experience, he has no qualifications that are of any use to him, but most importantly of all, he has no, " World Vision. " Put simply, this means that all he's got to go on is the things that he's seen on his travels from club to club as a player, and unfortunately, in his case this ads up to very little. We've got to be brutally honest here. The Premiership, as good as people rightly rate the quality of the, " Game ", the actual quality of the, " Football " in general lags way behind that of the French, Spanish and Italian leagues. Take out the usual contenders in the title race and you're left with very little in the way of actual, " Footballing " quality. That's not to say that there's no excitement. Not at all. The, " Game " in the Premiership is often blistering end to end stuff full of fire and passion, but in the end, fire and passion can only take you so far.
Kevin Keegan's title contending Newcastle team sums it all up for me. Personally, I think that he was a bit out of his depth at Newcastle, as the weight of expectation up there is truly massive, and then way out of his depth at England. Why ? Simple. Because in the end, fire and passion can only take you so far. I think that the Newcastle job came too soon for Keegan. It was his first post in management and I just don't think he had the experience to deal with such a huge club, nor the ability to handle the immense expectations and pressure of a fan base that demanded both great football, and trophies won in that manner. In the end, I think that he cracked under the strain of all of this, and this is why Newcastle gave away a 12 point lead and eventually lost the title to Manchester United. I think that he cracked in the same way at England, only a lot sooner because the pressures and expectations were amplified even more.
That said, it's generally accepted throughout the land that the, " Game " played at Newcastle during the Keegan years was a real joy to behold, and the Newcastle fans rightly hold him in extremely high esteem, as he truly gave them value for money, and was a real character who lived football and wore his heart on his sleeve. Unlike Mr McClaren, who gave the Boro fans probably the worst, " Game " ever in living memory. My full respect and total admiration goes to that guy who threw his season ticket in McClaren's face, as he knows, " Football ".
I absolutely love people like Keegan, I truly do. I hope with all my heart that in these wilderness years he's sought and found the education he needs so that he comes back and re ignites that fight with Ferguson, which had all football fans riveted to their seats – Fantastic ! Believe me, If and when he does so he'll be a real force to be reckoned with as the combination of fire, passion and knowledge is a truly awesome power.
For me, the Newcastle job, along with the Liverpool job, is the hardest in the Premiership, as the fans are insanely passionate and emotional about their football. But equally, I think that whoever gets it right at these clubs goes down in history and forever enters into their legend. Newcastle and Liverpool remind me of a lot of Napoli in Italy where football is the religion, and football is life, just as it is at at these clubs.
What Boro fans wouldn't give for a complete manager like that. No disrespect to Gareth, but Steve Gibson, the Chairman of Middlesbrough Football Club may have made the biggest mistake of his life letting Martin O'Neil slip through his fingers. But we'll get onto that in a moment.
Getting back to the quality of the, " Football " in the Premiership. The proof of the pudding is in the eating they say, so let's look at the proof and see just how many World Cups and European Championships England have actually won. 1, and every single time the World Cup comes around we have to endure the usual and endless re runs of this one and only victory in '66. Thankfully, I watched the World Cup in Italy and was spared this.
Herein lies the problem for Gareth, and herein lies the problem especially for Gareth. Gareth was a good player, a good captain and the consummate professional, of that there can be absolutely no doubt. He had a career that the majority can only ever dream of. But the fact of the matter is that Gareth played most of his football in a league that's still way, way behind the very best in terms of training methodology and all that goes into the preparation of footballers, both mental as well as physical. In his day it was even worse than this, and this is where he picked up what he now has to rely on.
Even today, the pie, pea, and pint, " Mentality " still prevails throughout every single English league. Teams don't stop off for fish and chips and a few pints pints on the way home in any league in France, Spain, or Italy that's for sure. Sadly, over here it's part of the culture, and the result's the same as it is in endless other sports in the UK, namely, under achievement throughout. Let's take UK Tennis, Cricket, Athletics, Swimming, and the England football team as prime examples where the result's always the same. A few blips of excellence along the way, but never any real, and prolonged success.
This link says everything to me about the mentality and politics associated with sport in the UK, and it takes me straight back to part of an earlier article, of which this is a small section just to refresh your memory and to help illustrate my points:
To achieve this I always adopt the same approach that ensured that Ferrari absolutely dominated every single aspect of formula 1 in recent years, winning 6 consecutive constructors titles, and 5 consecutive drivers titles. Ferrari's success lay in their never ending quest for higher and higher levels of performance through continuous self analysis at every level, right the way up to the big chief, Mr Montezzemolo himself.
In essence, the question that's always at the very forefront of absolutely anything and everything I do on a daily basis as a sports coach, is, how can I improve, what more can I do ?
During those years of absolute domination, Ferrari continuously took apart every single piece of the car and they'd simply not rest until they found an improvement, no matter how minutely small it was. Then, when they put it back together, all those minutely small improvements all came together as one to make the winning difference.
Now, where were we?
Ahh, but what about the good old days, when we did have long periods of world domination, I hear you cry ?
" Milan Lab is the High Tech Scientific Research Centre set up by AC Milan with strong motivation, operating since July 2002. The club's purpose is to optimise the psycho-physical management of the athletes by entrusting this task to MilanLab which represents the ideal combination of science, technology, IT, cybernetics and psychology. "
All true. But in the good old days football was king, whereas today cash and the internet are king. The terraces were always full because there was sweet fa better for the terminally skint working class man to do. In the good old days life for everyone was hard, very hard. Hardship today is when you don't have a mobile phone, because now everyone eats and everyone eats real good. In the good old days the option for people like my old friend Wilf Manion, was to either go work down the pit, or to escape and play football. In the good old days football was in its infancy, whereas today it's evolved into an exact science. Tactics aside, today there's a very precise scientifically proven way of training footballers so that they're at their very peak as often as is humanly possible. Clubs like AC Milan even have their own specially made lab, " Milan Lab ", where every single player is analysed in every single way known to science. At Milan, absolutely nothing's left to chance, absolutely nothing. Unlike here at the Boro where they're still stuck in the Fred Flintstone era.
Ahh, but we're only a small town in Europe, I hear you cry ? We can't possibly compete with giants like AC Milan. Hmmm. Is that right ? So who should you be looking to compete with ? Is this club just happy existing and standing still ? Do you want to wait another 128 years for a trophy ? So, how much has this so called, " Small " town spent in transfer fees and players wages over the last 5, 6, or 10 years ? The fact of the matter is that a lot of the money was blown buying players that this club was not yet ready to train, or deal with. The foundation stones upon which long term and enduring success are built weren't built, and so what remains now is what has always been the case with this club, namely, perennial highs and lows with no stability of any kind what so ever.
I'm not for one moment saying that you can compete with financial giants like AC Milan on the field, but I am saying that you can learn from them, and then you emulate them off the field in the best way you can with what you can afford, and that's the point. Milan Lab was opened in 2002. How long will it take for someone at this club to actually go and see what they've done ? In this country there are scouts for players, but where are the scouts for coaching excellence, technologies and innovation ?
This is how I define, " World Vision. "
Had I been in charge at this club, instead of Mr McClaren, I'd have used the 8.1 million pounds I'd in the kitty, and instead of buying Massimo Maccarone and having to pay all of his wages as well for 5 years, I would've bought a viable alternative instead, and with the rest of the money I'd have built, " Boro Lab ". I would've then gathered a team of, " Real " experts from all four corners of the world, AND THEN I would've bought Maccarone and the like, AND THEN you would've seen what a truly great player HE IS.
This is how I'd apply, " World Vision. "
No. No. No my friend. Middlesbrough Football Club is a BIG, " CLUB " IN EUROPE, with a SMALL, " TOWN " MENTALITY, and THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
With THIS chairman…,
With THIS stadium….,
With THESE facilities…,
With THESE fans…,
With PROPER, WORLD CLASS EXPERTS running it…,
With all of these things, and without this small, " Town " mentality, this club WILL BE a success. It's that simple.
The UK has an army of absolutely dedicated coach's and groups that perennially give of themselves to the kids without a moments thought of fame and fortune for themselves. They give, and give, and give, and simply wouldn't be able to give anymore even if they tried. They're truly amazing, but they simply lack the knowledge. Give it to them. Give it to them through the national lottery and I promise you with all my heart that in 20 years the UK will end up just like Australia, because that's exactly what they did.
Who'd ever have thought that Australia would dominate so many sports 20 years ago ? Maybe one or two proud Aussies and that's about it. We used to laugh at them, but now we just scratch our collective heads and undertake yet another enquiry into our latest sporting failure ( The Ashes ).
Let's take English cricket as a good example of the current state of Middlesbrough Football Club. Cricket in this country needs to do exactly what Gareth needs to do here at the Boro. He needs to get rid of all the friends of friends he inherited from Mr McClaren, he needs to get on the phone and he needs to bring back the people who've been there, done that, and have the trophies to prove it.
How can you pay 8.1 million pounds, and give 40 odd grand a week to Massimo Maccarone and then have him trained by people who are frankly learning as they go, or are just no longer up to the standard required in order to keep things moving forwards in a positive way until the desired goals are reached ? It simply defies logic and it's simply beyond belief.
Would Steve Gibson put a total unknown with no experience of management, and no qualifications of any kind in charge of his multi million pound haulage company ?
No. You can bet your life that he wouldn't.
So why does he do it with his multi million pound football club ?
When you look in depth at the, " Who's Who " section of the Official MFC website you'll see that the line up that comprises the key positions of the backroom coaching staff is made up of people who've only ever coached in the UK, and most of the them at the lower levels.
Gareth Southgate:-
Management - None
Played At - Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough
Colin Cooper:-
Management - None
Played At - Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough
Malcolm Crosby:-
Management - Assistant Manager Swindon Town
Roles At - Derby County, York City
David Parnaby:-
Management - Gateshead
Coached England U15
Where's the world vision in this line up ? Who of these people have had real, and prolonged experience of the training methodology from the very best that the world has to offer ? None of the them. In fact, the current Head Of Sports Science at the club was plucked straight out of the University Of Teesside where he was lecturing in Exercise Physiology, and he played a key role in developing the club's training facilities at Rockwell Park.
Is this how AC Milan developed Milan Lab ?
Don't get me wrong. Chris Barnes and Co. have no doubt done very well. They've no doubt put their hearts and souls, and all their fire and passion into their jobs at this club with all their might. They've no doubt given absolutely everything that they can give and for this alone they deserve a big, big thank you with a big, warm send off. Something Mr McClaren didn't do for the true Boro, " Legend " Juni. This is how to treat people. With total respect and human dignity. You tell them face to face that they've done a great job. You thank them for everything that they've done and you explain that it's time to move on and bring in new people with more experiences and more to offer.
I'm not putting them down or having a go at them for one moment, far from it. This is how it is in all walks of life, and football should be no different. As they say in the old war film, " Difficult Decisions Are The Privilage Of Rank ", and so they are for Gareth, and so too he must act if he wishes to succeed, and he must do so before it's too late. In the interest of this football club. In the interest of bettering this football club. In the interest of achieving his and the clubs aims and goals, these people must go and they must be replaced with people who can offer more and make the aims and goals a reality. It's that simple.
You think I'm being way too harsh ? Well let's see if I can convince you otherwise...,
At the time that Massimo Maccarone left this football club the Head Of Sports Science didn't believe in massage, even though at all the top football clubs the world over it's obligatory the day after a game, or upon the return after a day off is given. Perhaps Mr Barnes and Co. know something that the rest of the world doesn't ?
There's a two hour window of opportunity after a person exercises in which the body soaks up as many nutrients as it can, much like a sponge. So the longer you leave it to eat, and the less the body will soak up. Basically this means that the sooner you eat, the sooner, and the better the body will recover, ready to start training again the next day. This piece of information is as basic as it comes, and it can be found in any cheapo book. So you would assume that eating directly after training would be obligatory before players left the training ground. Well, here at this club it isn't. Again, perhaps Mr Barnes and Co. know something that the rest of the world doesn't ?
You agree, but you don't want to sack these people as they are trusted, and they put their hearts and souls into what they do ? OK, fine. I can accept that, even if I don't agree with it, but then you must retrain them, as happens in every job up and down the land.
Maccarone. Mendieta. Rochemback. Marinelli. Just to mention a few. These people never fulfilled their true potential at this club. Why ? Is it, as the old chestnut of an excuse goes, that they couldn't, " Adapt To The Force And Pace Of The Premiership ". No. It isn't. Does anyone here remember what Ravanelli said about the state of the training methodology when he was at this club ? What's changed since then ? Who's changed for the better since then ?
And what of the World Cup Winning samba star Ricardinho ? Does anyone remember him at the Boro ? Oh yes, he was here too, but Mr McClaren never deemed him good enough for the Boro and so he never played. A World Cup winning Brazillian samba star not good enough to get into the Boro team. How's that possible ?
But What About All The Foreign Players That Did Do Well At The Boro ! ", I hear you cry.
Juninho, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Bolo Zenden, and Fabrizzio Ravanelli. What about all of these people ?
Firstly, all of these players were experienced, seasoned players who were taking a big step down in terms the size of the club, the size of the squad, and of the quality within the squad itself. They all were big fish in a little pond.
Secondly, what people say in public, and what people say in private are two entirely different things alltogether. I'm not talking about the town, or the people of Middlesbrough here, as Juni really did love it here, and Bolo was also very happily settled in Yarm. I'm talking only about the club where some people, like Massimo and Ravanelli, make their opinions public, and others don't.
Thirdly, some people are able to adapt, react, and get their own people to give them extra training, just like Woodgate has his own personal trainer and physiotherapist at the club, and some people, like Massimo, just fall to pieces.
Finally, and this is a big, BIG factor that some clubs just don't seem to be able to understand when they buy foreign players, namely, if you're going to buy foreign players you absolutely must make sure that the club employs someone who speaks their language, and who's job it is to solely act for them in order to make sure that they're looked after properly, and helped to intergrate into their new local community.
Massimo was young when he came here. He'd never been so far away from his family and friends before, spoke no English whatsoever, didn't even know how to cook, and for most of his time here, unlike the other players mentined above, he had no countrymen in his team with which to feel at home with. When he first arrived here he was left in a hotel room for a couple of months with two Italian DVD's for company. That's it.
Absolutely no attempt was ever made to show him around the town, or to integrate him into the very small Italian community that Middlesbrough has.
Football coaching isn't just about coaching football.
One year McClaren let everyone else go home to see their family and friends, whilst Massimo was made to train at the club on his own with the reserve coaching staff. Yes, I fully accept that Massimo may have needed the extra work. But no, this wasn't the time, or the place to do it, as he hadn't been home in a long, long time, and all this did was to make him even more pissed off than he was before.
Like I said, football coaching isn't just about coaching football.
For me, this sums up just how utterly bad Steve McClaren was.
So, if you're new to management and want to adopt, or continue the usual English pie, pea and pint mentality, so be it. But don't be stupid enough to fill your squad with foreign players who may well have a much better idea about coaching than you do, and if you insist on doing so, make sure that you're able to understand their basic needs so that they don't feel all alone and a million miles away from home. Otherwise, don't expect them to perform to the very best of their ability because they won't. Take it from me as I've known him for 5 years. Massimo Maccarone came here with all guns blazing, physically and mentally ready to explode, and for all these reasons they ruined him. End of story.
But he'll be back, and I stake whatever reputation I've got firmly and squarely on my dear, dear friend.
So, will Gareth Southgate and Colin Cooper one day become great managers ? Why not ? Who can say ? But until then, if they want to succeed at this football club then they've got to have the power from the chairman, they've got to have the conviction and the desire for revolution, and they've got to make the revolution happen. Now.
Revolution. Revolution, and not evolution is what's required at this football club.
Abel Xavier has the right idea, even if you think that I don't.
Taken From The Northern Echo - April 7rd 2007.
Positive outlook vital to Boro's future - Xavier
ABEL Xavier believes Middlesbrough can become one of the biggest clubs in Europe if they tap into their undeveloped potential.
The Boro defender's comments may come as a surprise to many regional, national or even European observers, whose traditional view of the Teessiders is one of a club that plods along unremarkably in the Premier League.
Former manager Bryan Robson, backed by chairman Steve Gibson's vision, attempted to change that underachieving tag to take the club forward.
In many respects he did, leading Boro to three major cup finals. Yet this relative success was undermined by a relegation season and the club's subsequent struggle to preserve their top-flight status in the following years.
But under Steve McClaren's charge, the perception changed somewhat. He finally established Middlesbrough as a solid Premier League outfit before leading the club to glory when they claimed a first piece of major silverware in the shape of the Carling Cup in 2004.
McClaren followed that historic achievement by qualifying for the UEFA Cup, through a league position, for the first time in the club's history. Then they progressed all the way to the final, only to crash to Sevilla.
Ironically, Sevilla are one of the examples Xavier names as a blueprint for Middlesbrough to follow, along with their Spanish counterparts Valencia and French outfit Lyon.
Xavier insists it can be done, despite the suggestion Boro can compete with the European elite seeming more like a case of mission impossible.
Valencia, several seasons ago, were like Middlesbough, fighting to stay in their league," said the 34-year-old defender. "But since then they have been in three Champions League finals.
There are things behind the scenes that are vital in football to reflect a winning mentality on the pitch.
There is a negative environment in this city because there is a fear of going down. Things must change and we must provide that from inside to outside the club.
When you look at the club, it is a settled one, and the chairman wants to build a good club. But the ideas must still go forward.
I have the experience and knowledge. I have been at clubs who were fighting to win titles, to go in to the UEFA Champions League, and at those who go down. I can see a picture here that it can be done properly."
The former Portugal international acknowledges that, though the club is moving forward, no-one can afford to rest on their laurels. He believes more can be done to speed up the process of progression.
"There needs to be a base created for a good and positive environment at the club over the next two or three years, with players who show character" said Xavier.
"If we can do this we can challenge the top half of the table because you have a winning mentality. We still don't have a winning mentality here.
The people in charge at the club must change that for the club to go forwards. There are a lot of examples of teams abroad who are on the same levels and standards as Middlesbrough, and we're not talking about money.
Everybody knows that we have a positive academy, which creates talented players. But the quality has to be raised to step up performances and educate good habits, and in doing so you will create a better person and a better player.
Valencia, Lyon and Sevilla are good examples. There is a lot of research to be done and look behind the scenes (of those teams). You shouldn't stick with one orientation that is good, because it might not be good enough.
The teams that do this are successful. It is not a question of money or quality players, of course if you are fighting for the title and have the money you will attract a more intelligent player and create a better quality team.
But when Valencia won the title it wasn't the same as Real Madrid or Barcelona (in terms of money) - there is another way of doing things, by building the foundations behind the scenes.
It is not good enough for me to hear 'we are small town from the North-East and we must stick with our old ideas'.
No, if the club wants to go forward, as I know the chairman and gaffer wants, they need to jump, make the next step and globalise."
But how does any of this sorry strory relate to you and improving your own game ? Simple. it's a harsh, harsh lesson that you must learn at all costs. Massimo was treated shabily by a Premiership club, and by a manager who's simply lacking in far too many areas, ( man management and understanding what makes each individual player tick being the greatest of his flaws, ) of that I've absolutely no doubt whatsoever. But the harsh, harsh truth and the harsh, harsh reality is this. Massimo should've had the courage to take matters into his own hands sooner because at the end of the day the buck stopped with him. But he didn't.
Personal Responsibility:-
For nearly three long years he saw the situation he was in and yet he did nothing, he did absolutely nothing and by the time he did act when he asked me to help him it was all way too late, as the man who bought him had long since made up his mind about him and had long since given up on him - for good.
So, yes, the club failed Massimo.
So, yes, Steve McClaren failed Massimo.
But I'm afraid to say, so yes, Massimo failed Massimo and so he must also take his share of the blame for his own downfall.
Personal Responsibility:-
It's YOUR life. It's YOUR career. So it's up to YOU to take control in order to shape YOUR own destiny.
So, at whatever level of football you're at, and YOU find that things aren't going how YOU want them to go, then it's only ever up to YOU. YOU must take matters into YOUR own hands in order to make the improvements YOU want making by going outside of the club and finding the people YOU need in order to succeed.
There's no other way.
In closing all I can say is this. Come back to me at the end of next season and we'll see exactly what Massimo has achieved, and then we'll see who was right.
So far I'm right because the facts speak for themselves.
AC Siena
2006 / 2007
Thank you for your time.


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We have been donated £5,000.00 to be spent as required on less fortunate children. This was mentioned by me at the last executive meeting. I would envisage that any applications for support would be submitted by email from the GSL to our AIC Special Needs Daveen Taylor who would in turn submit to myself and our Treasurer. I would expect the grant would cover 50% [comments please] of the cost of uniform, Island camps, events and anything else you can think of except off Island events.
Please can we make this very generous donation work for us.
GuyTags: donation


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How Can I Use the Vision Planner to Start My Landscaping Project?
Most homeowners know that their property could use a little sprucing up, but the job can seem so complex that you don't know where to begin. Don't worry, The Ohio Valley Group can help! We are a landscaping company that specializes in designing and executing landscaping for residential and commercial properties. What is the Vision Planner? We know how hard it can be to put landscaping ideas into words, so we came up with the convenient Vision Planner that provides us with the information we need to help you. The Vision Planner is essentially an online form with questions that help you think about what you want to do with your space. Most of the questions are open-ended, enabling you to type in exactly what you want. There are also a few multiple-choice questions when the range of possible answers is finite, such as whether or not you currently have an irrigation system. The Vision Planner also asks for your contact information, so we can discuss anything the questions didn't address. How Will You Use Your Landscape? Next up is a series of questions that basically amount to "How will you use it?" If you regularly entertain a large number of people at once, we need to take that into consideration when making design choices. Likewise, any special events you have coming up may dictate what you want to be done and when you need it completed. What are the Important Features for Your Landscape? After that, the Vision Planner asks questions intended to help us determine important features. For example, what areas would you like us to focus on? Does your property have any special maintenance needs we should know about? These questions help us visualize your property and see what would work best for it from a design perspective. Then, we ask questions pertaining to your likes and dislikes. We need to know if you love a particular color or material so that we can include it in your final design. We also need to know if you dislike any specific colors and materials so that we know to avoid them. The Vision Planner also inquires about your tastes in plants, including whether or not you are interested in the gardening on your own to maintain certain species....Read More »


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FIRST THURSDAY in MARCH
If you are a Trained Weather Spotter (or Untrained) we would like you to check in to our SKYWARN Net during severe weather events. The K9BAR Repeater System: 147.330, + Offset, PL Tone - 107.2 & 443.525 + Offset, PL Tone - 114.8 - linked on transmit and receive, is monitored by WX9LOT, the National Weather Service office in Romeoville, IL, during severe weather events.
Current SKYWARN NCO's:
Greg Morley - KD9LDD
Primary SKYWARN operations will be conducted on the K9BAR Repeater System: 147.330, + Offset, PL Tone - 107.2 & 443.525 + Offset, PL Tone - 114.8 - These Repeaters are linked on transmit and receive.
The Six Meter Club of Chicago (SMCC) Repeater System will be used as the alternate for SKYWARN operations should we experience any issues with the BARS repeaters. Please note that the BARS 2 meter repeater will stay linked to the BARS UHF repeater and you can still use the 2 meter repeater for reporting purposes as long as transmissions are clearly received by the SKYWARN Net Control operator.
If you do NOT hear Skywarn operations on the K9BAR Repeater System, please check the Six Meter Club of Chicago Repeater System: 146.970, - Offset, PL Tone -107.2 | 443.300, + Offset, PL Tone 114.8 | 224.820, - Offset, PL Tone 110.9 - These repeaters are linked, for alternate SKYWARN Net operations. The Six Meter Club of Chicago (SMCC) has graciously allowed BARS to use their Repeater System as an alternate if we experience issues with the BARS Repeater System
SKYWARN Net Procedures and Policy's
You do not need to be a trained spotter to check into the net. This net will employ a check-in and check-out procedure. If you have to leave the net for any reason, please inform the net control and you will be checked-out. This is a VERY important step that helps us keep track of spotters during a SKYWARN net. The net control operator has the final word with regards to how the net is operated. We have a zero tolerance policy for abuse and misconduct. Violations of this policy will be reported to the NWS and FCC. These procedures and policy's are for everyone's safety and your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Weather Radar - LOT


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View from the Train: Blizzard of 2015!
Here it is - the edge of the soon-to-be historic snowstorm of the century.
Image below was made by my daughter, from the train early this morning - outward bound from NYC's Penn Station, heading into NJ.
Scene from train window, before the storm ©Annalee Bloomfield 2015


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Qualifications :
Bachelor's degree in naval architecture, or related engineering field such as ocean engineering, and 5 to 7 years of relevant work experience directly related to ship design, or equivalent in training and experience.
In some cases, educational requirements may be adjusted or waived for more than 10 years applicable work experience. Work experience may be adjusted for highly specialized knowledge or uniquely applicable experience for positions involving new technology or labor market shortages as reflected by market survey data.
Minimum 5 years of experience as a structural engineer, with experience in the design of commercial vessels, Coast Guard and/or Naval vessels. Good understanding of the structural behavior of surface vessels. Experience with the use of Classification Society Rules, SOLAS and IMO regulations, and industrial standards such as ASTM, ASME, DIN. Experience in performing Class Rule scantling calculations, longitudinal strength analysis, FEA modeling and results interpretation, and ship structural arrangement, details and foundation design and fatigue analysis, Proficient in the use of AutoCAD. Good communication and organizational skills and in report writing. Proficient with Microsoft Office Product.
Additional desired qualifications:
Senior Structural Engineer on Canadian and International Naval and Coast Guard vessel ship contract, functional and detail designs. Responsible for delivery of products according to agreed schedule and scope of work, liaison with different discipline departments, Classification Society and Client. Support efforts to further develop customer ship construction specifications and drawing package into structural functional and detail design products including typical structural analyses including FEA based on Class Rules and drawing development or drawing review/oversight. Develop structural details, foundation designs and inputs to produce improvement. Will be responsible for structural calculations, analysis and design for new ship designs. Must be able to work in a team environment and accept direction from team leader. Will expected to
Join the Alion Talent Network today and stay up-to-date on our openings as they continue to become available! As a member of our network, you will receive alerts with new job opportunities that match your interests and have the ability to share job opportunities through social media or email. Join now!
Whether you choose to apply or just leave your information, we look forward to staying connected with you.


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Deeside Rugby club have six games remaining this season as they try and avoid relegation from BT Caledonia Division 2.
An exodus of first team players at the start of the season left the Banchory club without enough bodies to enter Caledonia Division 1, after earning promotion last season, and now the club are facing the prospect of relegation to Caledonia 3.
After the initial North West and North East split of Caledonia 2, the three teams who finished bottom of those leagues have now come together to form 'BT Caledonia League Division 2 North (Bottom).'
Deeside, along with Shetland and Ellon are joined by Ross Sutherland, Stornoway and Lochaber.
They will face the latter three teams home and away this between now and April.
First up will be Ross Sutherland and First XV coach Bruce Strachan is expecting a tough match.
He said: "It's going to be a hard test for our young team.
"We are going into a pressurised situation with no room for error, the only option is to play to our principles and give it everything we have, if we apply ourselves as we know the scores will tick over."
Deeside currently sit second bottom of the table, four points ahead of bottom placed Lochaber.
"The two games against Lochaber might just be the key to the whole season, we will need the Rugby Players of Deeside to dust the old boots off and join us for that challenge.
"The large distances we are going to be travelling does take a bit of organising and I am lucky to have Don Ballantyne (Team Manager) who is great at getting the team to where it has to be."


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Tuesday, August 11, 2015 / by Client Care
Adding Value to Your Home? Consider These 10 Best Home Improvements
The weather is hot and so is the market. Home prices are on the rise faster than they have ever been since 2006 and the interest rates we're seeing, while on the rise, are still very low.
You're considering putting your home on the market to catch the wave, but you're not sure what to do to your home to garner the best offer. Should you put in hardwood floors, granite counter tops, finish unfinished space, paint, etc? And if you did do any of these things, which one is going to get you the biggest return on your investment?
These are all very good questions and we have some pretty good answers for you.
1. Indoor Systems
Before you consider cosmetic and even functional improvements (such as adding additional square footage) to the home, make all needed upgrades, repairs or replacements to the home's major systems. Major systems include plumbing, heating, electrical and sewer systems, among others.
Buyers want assurance that these basic items are in working order and won't need to be replaced or repaired in the near future, an issue that will most likely be addressed in the home inspection. Older homes may require updated wiring and plumbing. An old roof should be replaced. Address problems with heating and air-conditioning units.
2. Outdoor Replacement Projects
Replacement projects will give you more added value than remodeling projects, according to Remodeling Magazine. Fortunately for homeowners, these types of projects are also the least expensive and add to the home's curb appeal. Consider replacing the garage door, siding, the front door and windows. The average return on investment for these projects is almost 72 percent.
3. Attic Bedroom
The number one home improvement project as far as recouping a return on your investment is the addition of an attic bedroom, according to Remodeling Magazine. At a nationwide average cost of a little over $50,000, expect to recoup 72.5 percent of the cost of adding the attic bedroom when you sell the home.
4. Add an Additional Bathroom
Over the past few decades, the kitchen was the average homebuyer's focal point when choosing a home. In 2011 bathrooms became more important to buyers than kitchens. That said, anadditional bathroom, even a half bathroom, adds significant value to your home, according to the experts at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
A half bath may add up to 10.5 percent to a home's value, while a full bath can tack on an additional 20 percent. Of course, the amount of additional value you will receive varies according to the home's other features.
In 2011 bathrooms became more important to home buyers than kitchens.
The price of adding another bathroom to the house varies as well, depending on region. If you live on the West Coast, plan on paying almost $50,000 for a new bathroom, according to Remodeling Magazine. The magazine also states that, at the sale of the home, you'll recoup almost 67 percent of the cost of the additional bedroom. East Coasters can plan on spending a bit less – around $41,000, but will recoup less as well – 47.7 percent of the cost.
Tip: If you're on a tight budget and can't afford a bathroom addition, give the existing bathrooms a facelift. A fresh coat of paint, new fixtures and new flooring will add value and make the home show better.
5. Kitchen Improvements
Kitchens tend to be the heart of a family home so anything you do to improve your kitchen will add value. Again, painting the kitchen should be the first step, whether you plan an entire remodel of the room or just a minor facelift. Vinyl flooring tends to make the room look dated, so consider replacing it with laminate or tile. New cabinetry, kitchen sink fixtures and updated lighting will all add value.
Tip: Folks on a budget can still increase value by sanding and then painting or staining cabinetry and adding new hardware and by purchasing new (matching) appliances and new countertops.
6. Boost Curb Appeal
When a TV show can be built around this one subject, it's a pretty good indication of its importance. Curb appeal is what beckons potential buyers into your home and underestimating its importance to the value of a home is a big mistake many homeowners make.
If you have a healthy budget, and your landscaping needs extensive work, consider hiring professionals for this home improvement project. A landscape architect can be pricey but necessary if your yard is in desperate need of an overhaul. According to Jeff Mitchell with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), curb appeal shouldn't stop at the front yard, but should be extended to the backyard as well.
At the very least, clean the yard of any debris, trim trees and shrubs and spread fresh mulch in the planting beds. A poorly maintained front yard can result in up to a 10 percent drop in value, according to Houston appraiser Frank Lucco.
Budget curb-appeal improving landscape projects include:
- Line the walkway with solar-powered lights. The big home improvement stores carry a variety of inexpensive styles and all you need to do is stick them in the ground. Not only are they functional – lighting your way at night – but they provide ornamentation as well.
- Green up the lawn, keep it mowed and edged and reseed bare spots.
- Add color to the planting beds. Be careful to keep your color choices aligned with the home's architecture. In other words, don't add cottage garden-type flowers to a bed in front of a starkly modern home. Certain plants are grown because of their interesting and colorful foliage, such as hosta and coleus, and are better suited to more modern homes. If you have questions about what to plant, consult with the experts at your local nursery.
- Plant a tree. Yes, it sounds like an Arbor Day slogan, but planting a tree in your front yard pays off by helping cut energy costs in the summer (if strategically located to shade the house) and by adding value to the home. Not sure which tree to plant? Use the fun National Tree Benefit calculator to assist you with making the right choice. Just enter your zip code and the calculator will bring up a list of trees suited to your region and let you know the benefits of each.
We've only barely scraped the surface of this important topic here. Check out these time-tested curb appeal boosting tips to learn how to get more money for your home when you decide to sell!
7. Refurbish the Basement
Converting the basement into a finished room adds usable square footage to the home. Finishing basements is one of the best ways to increase your home's value as it transforms unfinished basements – glorified storage space – into a usable, attractive room.
Consider the following basement bar. Who wouldn't be willing to splash out thousands for the privilege of owning something like that?
Here is a short list of rooms your basement can become – and accoutrements to put inside it – if you choose to renovate it:
- Sports den – Big screen TV, sports memorabilia, overstuffed couches and cushy carpeting
- Lounge – Pool table, wet bar, dark hardwood floors and a poker table
- Children's play area – Playset, soft furniture like beanbag chairs, arts and crafts table and bins and shelves for toys and books
8. Additional Storage
Most new homes come equipped with lots of storage. Older homes, on the other hand, tend to lack even some of the basic storage options, such as a coat or linen closet. If you lack the space to expand closets or other storage spaces or build new ones, consider redesigning the spaces you do have.
There are specialty stores now dedicated to nothing but storage solutions. Do-it-yourself projects may include adding a complete closet system or adding organization details to a pantry.
9. Additional Square Footage
Every 1,000 square feet added to a home raises the value by more than 3.3 percent, according to a 2003 study for the National Association of Realtors®.
While that percentage doesn't sound significant, when you put it into numbers it makes a lot more sense. For instance, if your home is valued at $200,000, a 3.3 percent increase adds an additional $6,600 to the value.
Additionally, the 3.3 percent statistic can most likely be adjusted upward based on the age of the study. The study also claims that each additional bedroom adds 4 percent to the value of the home.
Each additional bedroom adds 4% to the value of the home.
If your laundry is located in the basement, the value of your home decreases by two percent, so if you plan on adding square footage to the home, build a laundry room on one of the upper floors.
10. Miscellaneous Home Improvements
There are many small items you can add to the home that buyers will perceive as adding value. Some of these include:
- Alarm systems
- Water filtration system
- Luxury touches such as an upgraded dishwasher, whirlpool bathtub and built-in wine coolers may peak the buyer's interest. Luxury homeowners can take this a step further by adding an in-home theater and additional spa-like features to the bathrooms.
Caveat – Invest in Home Improvements Wisely
One of the most important things to keep in mind when considering any home improvement project is to not go overboard. The value of your home is partially determined by the value of your neighbor's homes, so don't make improvements that bring your home's value significantly over the general value of other homes in your neighborhood.