The JayManHate™ Bracket

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Hola y’all! It’s time once again for us to fill out our NCAA Tournament brackets. Tradition has it that I fill out my <o:p></o:p><b>JayManHate™ Bracket</b>. I pick schools by choosing which one I hate the most. I won’t pick every single game here. I’ll just review the brackets and pick the finals of each Regional, the Final Four and the Champion.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Midwest: </b> In the Midwest Finals we’ve got Missouri vs. Duke. Are you kidding me? Hell, they make me not even think about Memphis and I hate them like a fat kid hates running.  How am I supposed to choose between these two? It’s like choosing between Hitler and Satan! You’ve got Missouri and their long line of never winning anything vs Duke and their long line of good-looking, rich players winning everything! That seems like an easy choice, but despite never being relevant Mizzou thinks they are EEEEE-LEEEEEET! God they’re fucking annoying!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>My Pick: Missouri </b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9lcMIh2FiPwnx-r6IZhIPIsu6I5qRYcziIlk_jqeKt9hZQtuOVqwFjnKz3kWpv0PCynw9wVMN1MgAxVNBMr95FHQfsuz0P8rtQtRsWkHP7Glkoqrf5F-NxHWqUuuOb3ytjwj5mf0xBo/s1600/Missouri+Sad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9lcMIh2FiPwnx-r6IZhIPIsu6I5qRYcziIlk_jqeKt9hZQtuOVqwFjnKz3kWpv0PCynw9wVMN1MgAxVNBMr95FHQfsuz0P8rtQtRsWkHP7Glkoqrf5F-NxHWqUuuOb3ytjwj5mf0xBo/s320/Missouri+Sad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>West:</b> There’s a lot to hate in the West bracket. You’ve got Kansas St, Gonzaga, Pitt, Ohio St and of course Notre Dame. After hours of angry debate with myself I’m going to narrow it down to Kansas St vs Ohio St. This is similar to Mizzou vs Duke in that Kansas St is even more irrelevant than Mizzou, but they think they are the greatest program in the history of America. Also, KSU fans make San Francisco Giants fans seem nice and friendly. Ohio St, on the other hand, has brought insufferableness to levels even Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees fans couldn’t imagine. What a battle of douchiness we have here folks. I guess I’ll go with the douches I know best and hate most though. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>My Pick: Kansas St. </b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_r7738eEX3fGftAwFuf2_zgOn_5N4xVMgcynQvrKK1PMLI7-Rx6PXbSEtF4kY5iTx-_KNvDDr8siwKSJLEUeeSiFaNYV4sHcLacVuaVdvTgzRnTtwaRDVXXWxaHK8YuwS52BPQXsPcj8/s1600/Bruce+Weber+Crybaby.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_r7738eEX3fGftAwFuf2_zgOn_5N4xVMgcynQvrKK1PMLI7-Rx6PXbSEtF4kY5iTx-_KNvDDr8siwKSJLEUeeSiFaNYV4sHcLacVuaVdvTgzRnTtwaRDVXXWxaHK8YuwS52BPQXsPcj8/s320/Bruce+Weber+Crybaby.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>South:</b> There are only two schools in the South bracket that I hate. Looks like Oklahoma and Florida will meet up in the Sweet Sixteen in an epic Battle of Shitbags! Look at this match up! Both states are full of gun-toting, backwards-ass rednecks. The only thing that saves Florida is they have beaches. Oklahoma doesn’t allow porn and you can only buy 3.2 beer cold.  Fuck that! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>My Pick: Oklahoma </b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKmeDruPzjkCcZifUdRX3rokwIKkeNeNwXS1QDoZcPijwuWOyrqls8_6ScePUCUh-AkNgcc09gHV_he0VHHpwWbx4I7D8gE0pZTOs29y47vN3ti80nPqRKd3j65zQswHFyheuSkP76as/s1600/OU+Sooners+Fan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKmeDruPzjkCcZifUdRX3rokwIKkeNeNwXS1QDoZcPijwuWOyrqls8_6ScePUCUh-AkNgcc09gHV_he0VHHpwWbx4I7D8gE0pZTOs29y47vN3ti80nPqRKd3j65zQswHFyheuSkP76as/s1600/OU+Sooners+Fan.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>East: </b>There’s a lot of hate to be had in the East bracket. Indiana considers themselves basketball royalty and even though I like the way they play their coach is one of the biggest dickheads in the world. I have above average level hate for Miami, Syracuse (and their bullshit zone defense) and N.C. State. But, there’s one school that I have special amount of hate for. Hate that has grown exponentially over the last two years as their fans and the pathetic slobbering media have annoyed me to no end...<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>My Pick: Butler </b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvSdAby3eM_bHt_kOyn7yARfxrV12NECTY7SuQ3hJZHk2eGiIX2vF24Czd-reMMJYqEQkBAe3mgOzKmYS7l2OLQ1jeQw3Kn0R61PvSzb2R0ahekAgdLl-KvSWrcp0oU8cowKDb8foM8E/s1600/Butler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvSdAby3eM_bHt_kOyn7yARfxrV12NECTY7SuQ3hJZHk2eGiIX2vF24Czd-reMMJYqEQkBAe3mgOzKmYS7l2OLQ1jeQw3Kn0R61PvSzb2R0ahekAgdLl-KvSWrcp0oU8cowKDb8foM8E/s1600/Butler.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So, final four of the JayManHate™ Bracket is:  <b>Missouri v Kansas St. and Butler v OU</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Wow! What an awesome battle that Mizzou/KSU game will be. The whining, victimization, finger pointing, fit-throwing by coaches, players and fans will be surpassed only by what you see at a daycare when every single baby didn’t get his/her nap. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Butler/OU is a pretty interesting matchup too. You’ve got the “We’re so much better than you and play such a superior sophisticated and intellectual brand of basketball” of Butler vs the “We’re better Americans and superior Christians than you” of Oklahoma. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hmmmmm …. This isn’t easy, but I think the Finals of the JayHateMan™ Bracket is ... </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Missouri vs Butler </b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What’s left to say about these assholes? Every last one of them can eat a bag of dicks. I don’t even know what “eat a bag of dicks” means, but I see it on the internet all the time and find it funny. Again, after hours and hours of RAGE BUILDING I have made my choice. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The winner of the JayManHate™ Bracket is ... </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">MISSOURI!!!!  </span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOBwnbLUhK9cstBN8Xhef6oEm3teOUKkPaQ7i9DRnHigz2n3wL13BsFcWmoJgaka4tVfDT3JxUs9H1lUcMRLuaCN2jXXhFRNfZyiUQ7qgvP_npdVTw6LvW0oIKwnj359ATASRijB2lyA/s1600/Classy+Missouri+Fans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOBwnbLUhK9cstBN8Xhef6oEm3teOUKkPaQ7i9DRnHigz2n3wL13BsFcWmoJgaka4tVfDT3JxUs9H1lUcMRLuaCN2jXXhFRNfZyiUQ7qgvP_npdVTw6LvW0oIKwnj359ATASRijB2lyA/s400/Classy+Missouri+Fans.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Congrats Fuckwits! You earned it! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:Jayman3768@gmail.com">Jayman3768@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayman_iws">@Jayman_IWS </a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>

The JayManHate™ Bracket

Hola y’all! It’s time once again for us to fill out our NCAA Tournament brackets. Tradition has it that I fill out my JayManHate™ Bracket. I pick schools by choosing which one I hate the most. I won’t pick every single game here. I’ll just review the…

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Protein Bakery Review and Giveaway

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxJlaROaJRnx3ppChuQas4tM3PjV5d7xTk_P2g0urgEDkOXCcxRi0xlaKnZBREKSmeWmD5NCUbLjlURazyRXGbzOMNU5JtGoE3K5mLPBM5Ix0SenCajAZxOR1LjWqsKVAbo5KM6BQdcI/s1600/protein+bakery+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxJlaROaJRnx3ppChuQas4tM3PjV5d7xTk_P2g0urgEDkOXCcxRi0xlaKnZBREKSmeWmD5NCUbLjlURazyRXGbzOMNU5JtGoE3K5mLPBM5Ix0SenCajAZxOR1LjWqsKVAbo5KM6BQdcI/s320/protein+bakery+logo.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was sent some deliciously baked goods from a wonderful company by the name of <a href="http://proteinbakery.com/">Protein Bakery</a> for review.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You're probably thinking how come the name Protein Bakery especially when they are baked goods such as cookies and brownies.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They got their name by coming up with a way to make cookies and brownies healthy by adding protein whey in the process of baking these delicious treats  for a healthier alternative!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You know how when you eat sweets such as cookies,cake, pie or even brownies you feel like you just want to eat more?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well these wonderful tasty snacks are rich in protein that make you feel satisfied and prevents spikes in blood sugar levels. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Their treats are low in gluten, high in fiber and packs a lot more protein than your average decadent treat!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Serving up baked goods with all natural ingredients since 1999!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXl0oRvQ2z4FYTl6jZNEGlPhyJ6gPylKc3uA_HU703VoaapzZhh2wHkkDqlwcbtzDhitkaqfTSdZyGIQU-ya_3n3R2fW2963YGDbJ_SnMn2gwJvEOX5vhpceEqrNpVCwJ17x4eiilnIsM/s1600/Protein+Bakery+package.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXl0oRvQ2z4FYTl6jZNEGlPhyJ6gPylKc3uA_HU703VoaapzZhh2wHkkDqlwcbtzDhitkaqfTSdZyGIQU-ya_3n3R2fW2963YGDbJ_SnMn2gwJvEOX5vhpceEqrNpVCwJ17x4eiilnIsM/s320/Protein+Bakery+package.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I opened the box I just knew I was going to love their products!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just the way the box was presented said it all.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wrapped carefully in this beautiful tissue paper and the goods were in their own little packages, I just knew I was in for a treat!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbhW-Lv3S-dvbosEoNjyZl_zEgjNWSRlmxXH11hRoQa5dCWztwwTWFNeC64XY7ayrFq006prvvH7z2C8-lyCXYnMqQSwjF5JNr6NAI7H00LWJn06HlQZqw_9342YrM1qybPBDm3zLDfk/s1600/Protein+Bakery+Cookies+and+brownies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbhW-Lv3S-dvbosEoNjyZl_zEgjNWSRlmxXH11hRoQa5dCWztwwTWFNeC64XY7ayrFq006prvvH7z2C8-lyCXYnMqQSwjF5JNr6NAI7H00LWJn06HlQZqw_9342YrM1qybPBDm3zLDfk/s320/Protein+Bakery+Cookies+and+brownies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just love the way that the package comes wrapped in the polka dotted tissue paper so knowing how I am I just had to snap a photo of the cookies and brownies displayed inside of the box!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why not have a close up of these delicious baked good?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facts:</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Delicious</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All natural</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">packed with protein</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">wheat flour free</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You so need to check them out online and order some, they have a ton of flavors in cookies and their brownies!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Brownies:</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Espresso Brownie with Cappuccino Chips</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Peanut Butter </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wicked Mint </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Walnut</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chocolate Chip</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Blondie's:</u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chocolate Chip</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Black and White</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Peanut Butter</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coconut Walnut Dark Chocolate Chip</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cookies:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chocolate Chocolate Chip</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chocolate Chocolate White Chip</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ginger Oatmeal Raisin </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oatmeal Chocolate Chip</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oatmeal Cranberry</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Peanut Butter</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Peanut Butter White Chip</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They also carry their brownies in minis! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQ_li7Pa_R6pqBo5Ivur4ymDyT5c94GYaos0fDWwqa8Xv_Nrr2M_s1A3CZFAKeqp6k8tylyH-Kcr-t-yFgu_uotAFl91BWA9mUCRG_f-IM60_ZqYLSXCZOoPkGon5LtG3ozK0-f3ZSjc/s1600/Protein+Bakery+coconut+walnut+dark+chip+blondie+brownie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQ_li7Pa_R6pqBo5Ivur4ymDyT5c94GYaos0fDWwqa8Xv_Nrr2M_s1A3CZFAKeqp6k8tylyH-Kcr-t-yFgu_uotAFl91BWA9mUCRG_f-IM60_ZqYLSXCZOoPkGon5LtG3ozK0-f3ZSjc/s320/Protein+Bakery+coconut+walnut+dark+chip+blondie+brownie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mom and I wanted something sweet so we decided to try the Coconut Walnut Blondie Brownie with some Vanilla Bean ice cream on the side.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am in love with coconut and it's even better with chocolate!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The best of all though it's baked to perfection with delicious all natural ingredients.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The taste was outstanding!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The exotic flavor of coconut paired with the velvety smooth texture of chocolate and the airy cake like texture of the brownie was pure heaven!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I mean how do they do it?!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These brownies are so delicious, not hard at all in the centers or the sides!</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One lucky winner will receive a package that's a $45.00 value of 10 mini brownie blondies and two ginger cookie 2 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Are you a brownie or a cookie person?</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Want an extra entry?</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2.  Must Follow my blog.</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3.Then also follow me via Twitter, here. <a href="https://twitter.com/kelli_bliss"> https://twitter.com/kelli_bliss</a></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. then Re tweet my post about the giveaway and if you tweet on your own make sure you use #ProteinBakery</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>5. leave me a link here to your tweet.</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>6. Like their face book page as well </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/proteinbakerycookieswithmuscle?fref=ts" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">https://www.facebook.com/proteinbakerycookieswithmuscle?fref=ts</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Order them here : </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://proteinbakery.com/collections/brownies">http://proteinbakery.com/collections/brownies</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Follow Them on Twitter</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/proteinbakery">https://twitter.com/proteinbakery</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Due to FCC guidelines:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Protein Bakery sent me their cookies and brownies in exchange for a product review. However, All the opinions expressed here are my own.</span></div></div>

Protein Bakery Review and Giveaway

I was sent some deliciously baked goods from a wonderful company by the name of Protein Bakery for review.You're probably thinking how come the name Protein Bakery especially when they are baked goods such as cookies and brownies.They got their name …

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CYPRUS BAILOUT

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0abX2U3r13S7WI2AItVqnNqcypqAbiA8IayG6aDcTEy_hkEENsFQYmDi2XKJjNHjsHPgC3OJDdP5H1xaPm036cbB9hesu9Ca9eJsZ1zyUQTqfasJq6U-oPaGoJQwu5cCUo64wxG4hJSi/s1600/BF_vXMUCYAE10Yo.jpg+large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0abX2U3r13S7WI2AItVqnNqcypqAbiA8IayG6aDcTEy_hkEENsFQYmDi2XKJjNHjsHPgC3OJDdP5H1xaPm036cbB9hesu9Ca9eJsZ1zyUQTqfasJq6U-oPaGoJQwu5cCUo64wxG4hJSi/s400/BF_vXMUCYAE10Yo.jpg+large.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">CYPRUS BAILOUT: STUPIDITY, SHORT- SIGHTEDNESS, SOMETHING ELSE?</span></span></h3><div class="entry">This post from Cyprus.com addresses some important misperceptions about the background leading up to the bank bailout impasse in Cyprus, including the alternatives that were available that were perversely bypassed. I also have a separate post due to launch shortly, but this article is an important stand-alone piece and debunks quite a lot of conventional wisdom.<br /><br /><i><b>Cross posted from <a href="http://www.cyprus.com/cyprus-bailout-stupidity-short-sightedness-something-else-.html">Cyprus.com</a> </b></i><br /><br />A quick run-down on the impressively stupid handling of the “Cyprus bailout” by the EU.<br />And, before we go on, we should note that the on-the-ground situation for visitors and tourists is perfectly fine – Cypriots are not prone to rioting and even though the banks are closed, the ATMs still work. We are all at work and things are otherwise proceeding normally.<br /><br /><b>First, some background that most people know partially but not completely:</b><br /><br />1. The Cyprus sovereign has not been particularly profligate. <b>Debt to GDP as late as last year was in the low 70% range, lower than Germany, etc</b>. While the last Communist government ran unnecessary fiscal deficits, the new government was elected with a more or less ‘austerity’ orientation<br /><br />2. The issues with the Cyprus sovereign have come from the bailout of the banking system.<br />The banking sector in Cyprus is being portrayed in the mainstream press as a monstrosity of risky banks for Russian mobsters. I think it is important to put it in context:<br />(a) <b>Banking <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD5">assets</span> are about 7.1x GDP relative to the EU average of 3.5x GDP and similar to Ireland and Malta.</b><br /><span style="background-color: yellow;">Luxembourg, by contrast, where Anglo-Saxon firms do their tax arbitrage has banking assets of 21x GDP. </span>So, Cyprus’s exposure is similar to that of an economy that has large <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD2">financial</span> services sector, but that still has a real economy too. <span style="background-color: yellow;">It is not Luxembourg nor the Cayman <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD4">Islands</span> nor the Bahamas nor the Channel Islands and so on.</span><br />(b) Further to this point, 20B of the 70B of deposits are non-EU (aka Russia/CIS) which, while meaningful (28%), hardly dominate the system<br />(c) The banks are almost 100% deposit funded (something that regulators across the world have been encouraging because deposits tend to be sticky if you take care of them).<br /><br />3. Q: So, given all that, why do the banks need a bailout?<br />A: <b>Primarily due to their exposure to Greece, Cyprus’s neighboring economy, both on the commercial side, but most importantly and most critically because of the Greek Government Bond EU restructuring (this accounts for about 40-50% of the capital needs) which Cyprus signed up for in the spirit of EU / Greek solidarity. It was understood at the time that there would be some protection in exchange for this later on otherwise, Cyprus should have taken a harder line at the time such as ensuring the that Greek branches get covered by the Greek bailout.</b><br /><br />4. Not all the banks are in the same condition.<br />(a) Cyprus has two money-center type banks: Laiki (Popular) Bank and Bank of Cyprus.<br />(b) Laiki was purchased by a Greek vehicle (Marfin Investment Group) backed by Gulf money. Marfin’s purchase of Laiki took Laiki from being a fairly conservative local bank to being highly exposed to Greece. Laiki is definitely insolvent and needs to be restructured.<br />(c) Bank of Cyprus has been more conservative vis-a-vis Greece, but still has meaningful exposure. It is conceivable that, given time, Bank of Cyprus could survive.<br />(d) Beyond the main two banks, there is Hellenic Bank (a much smaller bank with much less Greek exposure), Cyprus Development Bank (no Greek exposure), the Co-ops (no Greek exposure) and the Cyprus subsidiaries of foreign banks (aka, Russian, English, etc banks), also with no Greek exposure.<br />(e) All the local oriented banks (BoC, Laiki, Hellenic, Coops) have exposure to the local <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD1">real estate market</span> that went through a bubble during the 2000-2009 period. This exposure however is not short-term and could be resolved over the period of years. It is a problem, not a crisis, and is offset by the fact that the two main banks have quasi-monopolistic earnings power locally. Given the time and some financial represssion (a la the United States) and the local issues would be manageable.<br /><br /><b>Now, let’s go to the current situation:</b><br /><br />5. Three weeks ago, <span style="background-color: yellow;">Cyprus elected a pro-EU, pro-Merkel, pro-austerity president (Anastassiades) to replace the anti-EU, anti-Merkel, anti-austerity president it previously had (Christofias).</span> The population recognized the need for austerity and sent to Europe the person it believed would be the most acceptable to the troika.<br /><br />6. Last Friday, on his first <span style="background-color: yellow;">visit to the troika, Anastassiades was ambushed when the troika said to him</span>: “<b><i>Agree to depositor bail-in as part of the financial package or the ECB will cut off funding to Laiki on Tuesday</i></b>” causing a surprise collapse of your banking sector.<br />Unsurprisingly he agreed under that 4am-in-the-morning pressure, though Parliament is now doing its democratic duty and pushing back. In the meantime, the banks are on ‘bank holiday’. The Troika is re-spinning the story, but all you need to do is read the newpaper articles from Saturday and the public statements on Saturday to see that this was the case.<br /><br />7. Now, it is important to note that the Tuesday deadline is completely arbitrary. Cyprus applied for a bailout nine months ago and has a major bond payment this summer, so the only reason for the ‘rush’ was to ambush him on his first week on the job so to speak and force passage of the bill through Parliament before markets open. In the spirit of this ambush, Russia, which has been asked to restructure its sovereign loan to Cyprus, and has been told that they would be a part of any bailout found out about the approach in the newspapers which did not improve their mood.<br /><br /><b>The Important Stuff:</b><br /><br />Now, let’s get to the meat of the situation. Most of the international analysis of the ‘bail-in’ has been, quite frankly,<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> very sloppy</span>, along the lines of ‘depositor bail-ins are not ideal, but Cyprus has naughty Russian money-launderers so serves them right – it is only fair that these fatcats pay for the bill’.<br />While superficially pleasing, this is misguided along half a dozen lines.<br /><br />8. You never, ever, ever, hit insured depositors.<br /><b>That damage is done and it is EU-wide. There is now precedent that in the EU, deposit insurance can be end-runned via a ‘wealth tax on the deposits you had in the bank at 4:59pm on Friday afternoon’</b>. While this may be legally not a violation of deposit insurance (aka the bank did not fail, the government grabbed your money), it is a violation of the spirit and will be challenged both under the Cypriot constitution and the European Court of <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD3">Human Rights</span>.<br /><span style="background-color: yellow;">It is also completely clear that this was not something that the Cyprus government invented – it was forced on them by the Troika. </span>As late as the prior week, both the President and Minister of Finance said: “<span style="background-color: yellow;">No depositor haircuts — this is the stupidest idea in the world for the EU</span>”<br />Whether or not there is a bank run tomorrow in Spain, the system damage has been done — look for funding cost to rise for any risky EU bank next time there is a hint of a crisis. The funding costs will be orders of multiples higher than any ‘savings’ here.<br /><br />9. You should basically never hit non-insured depositors either. For all its free market capitalism, the US extended $13T of guarantees to things like money-market funds to avoid outcomes like this. <span style="background-color: yellow;">But in the EU, they are willing to risk lack of trust in the banks over 5B euros.</span><br /><br />10. There is nothing resembling a proper order of default here. As far as I can tell, people who have not been wiped out yet include: bank shareholders, bank bond holders, sovereign bondholders.<br />The rationale, broadly speaking, of why they have not been hit is “It is hard and they might sue us” as if restructuring and insolvency was otherwise a dinner party or we might only save 1-2B that way (as if that is not meaningful in the context of a 5B haircut…)<br /><br />11. What is even more absurd is that this is not a bail-in of Depositors of Bank A to rescue Bank A, but a bail-in of Depositors of Banks A-Z to rescue Depositors of Bank A (Laiki), B (Bank of Cyprus) and C (maybe some small amounts to the others).<br /><span style="background-color: yellow;">This is one of the reasons that the Russians are howling mad. There are 3B dollars of Russian money in a subsidiary of VTB in Cyprus, a perfectly solvent Russian bank. As far as I can tell, they will be haircut in order to bail out Laiki, a bank that they never deposited money in.</span> <span style="background-color: yellow;"><b>On the contrary, the depositors in Laiki’s branches in Greece (aka a totally insolvent bank in a much more insolvent sovereign) will not be haircut</b>.</span><br />There is no conceivable creditor prioritization in which this makes sense nor does it teach you anything about moral hazard or fairness. In fact, the only thing it might teach you is: “only put deposits in countries that control their Central Bank” because there is no logic or analysis that could have predicted ex ante that a depositor in VTB-Cyprus was more likely to be haircut than a depositor in Laiki-Greece (the latter being 100x more risky than the former).<br /><br />12. <b>We should also address the “Money Laundering” point. There might be some true money laundering in Cyprus just like there is at dozens of Western banks (HSBC, Standard Chartered, and so on).</b><br /><span style="background-color: yellow;">There are also legitimate tax reasons for investment in Russia to be routed through Cyprus (BP Russia is also a Cyprus company for example) for well-known and transparent tax treaty reasons, no different than Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Bahamas, Delaware, Nevada and so on</span>. Someday the whole world financial system might be restructured so there is no tax arbitrage, but that day is not today and why the EU is so “concerned” on Putin’s behalf about whether or not Russian companies are tax-arbing their offshore operations is beyond me.<br /><br /><span style="background-color: yellow;"><b>When the EU figures out how to prevent Google, Apple, Starbucks and friends from operating in their countries and routing all the earnings tax free to the Caymens through a double-Irish Dutch sandwich, then perhaps they can help Putin out with his tax collection work</b></span>. In any case, Putin certainly does not seem to appreciate the ‘assistance’ here.<br /><br /><span style="background-color: yellow;">Germany is having a completely surreal domestic election discussion about not bailing out wealthy Russians as if this was the key issue at play here or even an issue at all</span>. Put Laiki in resolution and treat it like a normal bank bankruptcy and see who wants to bail it out – you might be very surprised to see that the Russians do, in fact, want to buy it themselves.. In any case, it certainly does not suggest that we should blindly attack depositors in Cyprus banks whose only ‘crime’ using the same banks as people who may or may not have over-optimized their Russian tax bill any more than you should haircut a retail HSBC customer because HSBC facilitated Mexican drug cartel money.<br /><br />13. “Large” Account holders:<br />The large account holders (large being defined as above 100K) are not just fat-cat hedge funds (as if 100K makes you a fat-cat) but the operating accounts of basically every business of size in Cyprus.<br /><i>BoC and Laiki are the whole money center system of Cyprus and basically you cannot transact business in Cyprus if you are of any size and avoid them.</i><br />So, the chaos that is going to emerge when checking accounts, payroll accounts, escrow accounts, pensions, trusts, payments-in-transit and so on are arbitrarily haircut is going to be massive – both in disrupted business operations and small business bankruptcies, but also in thousands of legal disputes.<br /><br />14. Even despite all the arbitrariness above, at least it solves the problem right???<br />Absolutely not. You will haircut 10% of deposits on day 1 to make up a capital shortfall and promptly watch 30% of the rest of the deposits flee the country, leading to a much bigger capital hole that Europe will have to fill.<br />In addition, this will severely cramp Cyprus’s main economic driver the last 2 years (selling real estate, tourism and accounting services to Russians) so any concept that it will make the debt “more sustainable” comes from a lunatic place in financial modeling. <b>Cyprus is a 78% services-based economy. So, if you assume that GDP growth is exactly the same before and after you confiscate the assets of your clients, well, I have a solvent Cypriot bank to sell to you…</b><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="color: red;">This is so obviously risky, that the more paranoid commentators believe it is a deliberate plan by Germany to end up as a multi-deca-billion creditor to Cyprus to which the pledging its oil and gas reserves is the only solution.</span></span></span> I don’t think this is the case, but boy it is getting hard to believe that they are this short-sighted.<br /><br />See:  <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2013/03/cypruss-financial-crisis-and-its.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2013/03/cypruss-financial-crisis-and-its.html </a><br /><br />15. We are not suggesting that Cyprus should not feel austerity. If you want to do a wealth tax, then pass a wealth tax, calculate it properly (on wealth, not on liquidity on a given day) and collect it. Or issue subordinate government bonds tied to gas revenue to the local population. And restructure everyone below on the priority chain. And ask Russia to contribute to the bail-out as part of protecting its depositors. Or do a proper workout of Laiki (it is much easier to make the case to the Russians that depositors in Laiki should get haircut given that its financial insolvency has been common market knowledge for a while). And so on.<br />But don’t arbitrarily, in the dark of night, out of the sight of democratic processes, try to make a grab into the whole banking sector. It makes a mockery of rule of law and the Eurozone.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /></div>

CYPRUS BAILOUT

  CYPRUS BAILOUT: STUPIDITY, SHORT- SIGHTEDNESS, SOMETHING ELSE?This post from Cyprus.com addresses some important misperceptions about the background leading up to the bank bailout impasse in Cyprus, including the alternatives that were availabl…

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Your elementary students are overweight? Power Rangers to the rescue!

<b id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQPcYIOEQOMC0VM7jS0KiEdqxFuSfrpcasypFiEJqFBx5exyHsveIOV9myAstJxl7_INKG-3jhCWHv4ErjkQyPFIjtLaszLyZ964MXCFuLdalnxI8w0ZHAbFh_zNzBvYVYvo_Flf6LQLm/s1600/pr2013_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQPcYIOEQOMC0VM7jS0KiEdqxFuSfrpcasypFiEJqFBx5exyHsveIOV9myAstJxl7_INKG-3jhCWHv4ErjkQyPFIjtLaszLyZ964MXCFuLdalnxI8w0ZHAbFh_zNzBvYVYvo_Flf6LQLm/s320/pr2013_poster.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://empower.powerrangers.com/sites/default/files/Power%20Rangers%20emPOWER%20Challenge%20Teacher%20Kit.pdf">Download </a>the Power Rangers Empower curriculum.<br />Enter <a href="http://empower.powerrangers.com/teacher-sweepstakes">the sweepstakes</a> to have the Power Rangers<br />come to your school.</td></tr></tbody></table></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last week when I kept Children’s church, the children said they didn’t want to play “Mother May I” but could they play <b>Power Rangers.</b> Each 4 year old was a ranger and had a job and role to do. Interestingly, when I was approached by a potential advertiser that uses PowerRangers to promote healthy living and habits, I was already primed and keen because I know that children are already play and pretend to be Rangers. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This curriculum is perfect for younger children and should be one you email to your elementary teacher friends. You could adapt for other ages as well.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As a person who has struggled with maintaining a healthy weight, this topic is near to my heart. We HAVE to create engaging, powerful health content to use with children and after reviewing this material, it is a GREAT start (and it is free.)</span></span></span></div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648"><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The<a href="http://bit.ly/emPOWERbusyteacher"> emPOWER program</a> takes the “teamwork, confidence, health, and physical activity” motto’s of the Power Rangers and puts it into a free curriculum for you to use in your classroom. </span></span></div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648"><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the creators of the program:</span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The Power Rangers emPOWER Challenge program provides teacher-approved in-classroom activities aligned to national curriculum standards for grades 1-3, utilizing the Power Rangers to inspire kids to eat healthy, exercise, and develop teamwork and confidence.  The program provides resources, recipes, and tips for parents, too.”</span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://empower.powerrangers.com/sites/default/files/Power%20Rangers%20emPOWER%20Challenge%20Teacher%20Kit.pdf">Download the free kit now.</a> [PDF]</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each "Power Rangers emPOWER Challenge" classroom guide contains:</span></div><br /><ul style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Classroom activities that introduce important life skills and help build healthy habits</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Student worksheets to distribute to your class with exercises that build verbal skills</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A parent mini-magazine that explains the program and provides healthy recipes</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A certificate of completion for participating students</span></div></li></ul><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw-R16h3DCog1oIwArrwY_6wv3ZPW5XTnCya6CXGTcA6KlFl-Oup-Yk0BLNkGLpX0BgaSrBGe1lAAlZG_AVuh15DZdOP9W-eX7k5zZjkIWdrnY4dsALxKYdWOR_JzpdhpCLZdxM9v-6U4/s1600/pr2013_activity4+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw-R16h3DCog1oIwArrwY_6wv3ZPW5XTnCya6CXGTcA6KlFl-Oup-Yk0BLNkGLpX0BgaSrBGe1lAAlZG_AVuh15DZdOP9W-eX7k5zZjkIWdrnY4dsALxKYdWOR_JzpdhpCLZdxM9v-6U4/s320/pr2013_activity4+thumbnail.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But you can also apply to have the Power Rangers come to your school!</span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The P</span><a href="http://empower.powerrangers.com/teacher-sweepstakes" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ower Rangers emPOWER Challenge School Sweepstakes </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">will award a $5,000 donation and a visit from the Power Rangers Megaforce to the winning school or nonprofit after-school program. Make sure to download the kit and enter your local elementary school or after-school program in the sweepstakes! </span>Registration is open until March 31st.</span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enter the P</span><a href="http://empower.powerrangers.com/teacher-sweepstakes"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ower Rangers emPOWER Challenge School Sweepstakes</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> today - and let us know if you've been implementing the program in your classroom how it's worked.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The students love the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Power Rangers</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and I am glad they are using their social cred with the younger generation for a good cause. I hope if you’re a teacher in grades 1-3 that you’ll </span><a href="http://empower.powerrangers.com/sites/default/files/Power%20Rangers%20emPOWER%20Challenge%20Teacher%20Kit.pdf"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Download the free kit now</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and tell your friends. You can </span><a href="http://ymiclassroom.com/lesson-plans/power-rangers-empower/"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">download each piece separately</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as well. Thanks.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, I’ve accepted this organization for one of the few advertising spots on my blog because I like the program, it is an important cause, and this organization is providing free resources for teachers. That is a great fit.</span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.018686966504901648" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How do you teach students about healthy living? Please share in the comments what you are doing and also, how you like this program. I'd really like to get your feedback.</span></b></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">-------</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Disclosure of material connection:<span style="font-weight: normal;"> This is a "sponsored post." It is something I do sometimes for those who are advertisers on my website. (So don't contact me for one unless you want an advertisement.) The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I have used or reviewed personally and believe will be good for my readers. I'm disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."</span></span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></b>

Your elementary students are overweight? Power Rangers to the rescue!

Download the Power Rangers Empower curriculum.Enter the sweepstakes to have the Power Rangerscome to your school.Last week when I kept Children’s church, the children said they didn’t want to play “Mother May I” but could they play Power Rangers. Eac…

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Pigeon Forge Fire Smolders After Monday Rain

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="Pigeon Forge Fire Smolders After Monday Rain" src="http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2013/03/pigeon-forge-fire-smolders.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Pigeon Forge, TN – The forest fire that once stretched across 300 acres dwindled down to less than a single acre after a full day of around-the-clock efforts and an evening rain Monday. The fire damaged over 70 cabins at the Black Bear Ridge Resort and several private structures sprinkled throughout the heavily forested area not far from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Sevier County Emergency Management Director John Matthews told <a class="external" href="http://www.wbir.com/news/article/260508/2/Fire-officials-still-enforcing-evacuation-orders-for-Pigeon-Forge-fire" style="color: #cc0000; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Fire down to less than an acre, evacuation soon to be lifted">a local television station</a> that people who want to check on their property and try to recover their belongings may be allowed back into their cabins today. The badly damaged areas will remain closed. Families lost a range of items, from clothes to expensive electronics and priceless mementos, but fortunately there was no loss of life.</div><div style="background-color: white; float: left; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><div style="margin: 2px 10px 10px 0px;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="410" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="adblade_ad_iframe" scrolling="no" src="http://web.adblade.com/impsc.php?cid=1818-1466442841&url=http%3A//www.inquisitr.com/579006/pigeon-forge-fire-smolders-after-monday-rain/&rnd=1363791769347&output=html" vspace="0" width="260"></iframe></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The forest fire began as a house fire at around 4:00 pm on Sunday and peaked around 300 acres later that day. By Monday morning, crews had <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/578384/pigeon-forge-fire-continues-to-burn-doubles-damage-in-east-tennessee/" style="color: #cc0000; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.inquisitr.com/578384/pigeon-forge-fire-continues-to-burn-doubles-damage-in-east-tennessee/">reduced the fire to half of its size</a>, but the fire continued to break through containment and <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/577367/pigeon-forge-fire-decimates-resort-town-in-tennessee/" style="color: #cc0000; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.inquisitr.com/577367/pigeon-forge-fire-decimates-resort-town-in-tennessee/">work its way up the hill</a>. An evening rain arrived that reduced the fire to less than five acres. By Tuesday morning only a few scattered fires remained, consuming less than an acre.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Over 100 firefighters from up to 30 fire departments responded to the crisis from areas throughout East Tennessee. The Tennessee Army National Guard loaned two Black Hawk helicopters to the effort, which airlifted 60 loads of water from Douglas Lake to diminish the fire burning just outside Pigeon Forge. Only a few firefighters remained Tuesday morning to monitor the remains.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A state of emergency was declared Monday and the American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at the Pigeon Forge Community Center for residents displaced by the fire. Volunteers organized a command center at the local Calvary Baptist Church.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The majority of the cabins affected were lost. 59 cabins were completely destroyed, and another 16 were damaged. Those whose properties remain intact will be escorted to try to retrieve their things. Law enforcement will still maintain a quarantine around the cabins burned by the fire due to safety concerns.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Pigeon Forge is a resort city with a population of around 6,000. The city is home to Dollywood, the popular tourist attraction co-owned by <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/tag/dolly-parton/" style="color: #cc0000; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Dolly Parton</a>, which was never threatened by the fire. The bulk of the <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/577351/tennessee-wildfire-threatens-popular-tourist-destination/" style="color: #cc0000; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" title="Tennessee Wildfire Threatens Popular Tourist Destination">Pigeon Forge fire</a> took place in the heavily forested mountainous area outside of town.</div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />Read more at <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/579006/pigeon-forge-fire-smolders-after-monday-rain/#khjgGz2UOe2bbPKp.99" style="color: #003399; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">http://www.inquisitr.com/579006/pigeon-forge-fire-smolders-after-monday-rain/#khjgGz2UOe2bbPKp.99</a> </span></div>

Pigeon Forge Fire Pigeon Forge Fire Smolders After Monday Rain

Pigeon Forge, TN – The forest fire that once stretched across 300 acres dwindled down to less than a single acre after a full day of around-the-clock efforts and an evening rain Monday. The fire damaged over 70 cabins at the Black Bear Ridge Resort a…

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UCF Gunman's To-Do List Ended With 'Give 'Em Hell'

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">The University of Central Florida student who planned to massacre his fellow students had ordered more than $700 worth of weapons online, including two packages of ammunition, gun shooting DVDs, and accessories for his weapons that arrived on campus after the attack had already been thwarted.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">The packages contained even more ammunition for the attack that former UCF student James Oliver Seevakumaran, 30, planned to carry out Monday morning shortly after midnight.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">He already had a handgun, assault rifle, high capacity magazines, and four homemade bombs he hoped to use on fellow students after pulling the fire alarm and forcing them into the crowded hallways, according to police.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">University Police Chief Richard Beary said today that Seevakumaran had written out a detailed list of the actions he hoped to take Monday night and crossed off the items as he went, including getting drunk at a bar called Mad Hatters and pulling the fire alarm. Police confirmed that he did both.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">The last item on the list was "give 'em hell," but Seevakumaran killed himself before killing any fellow students, Beary said.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/university-central-florida-body-bombs-found-18755260" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">University of Central Florida Narrowly Avoids Tragedy Monday</a></strong></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">According to cops, the former business student pulled the fire alarm shortly after midnight, causing campus police to respond to the Tower 1 residence hall. He then returned to his apartment, where he pointed a rifle at roommate Arabo Babakhani.</div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_image_feature" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Image]&lid=view[Image]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="PHOTO: James Seevakumaran is seen in this undated handout photo from University of Central Florida, where he was found dead in a dorm room on March 18, 2013 from an allegedly self-inflicted gunshot wound." border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ht_ufc_seevakumaran_kb_130318_wg.jpg" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.5px; padding: 0px;" title="" width="199" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/image_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="photo_credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 11px; line-height: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right;">Courtesy University of Central Florida</div><div class="photo_caption" style="margin: 5px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">James Seevakumaran is seen in this undated... <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Image]&lid=view[Image]" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">View Full Size</a></div></div></div></div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Video_1]&lid=view[Video]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/WNT/abc_wn_gutman_0631_130319_wa.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/play_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">UCF Student's Massacre Plot Foiled: Roommate's 911 Call <a class="open" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Watch Video</a></div></div></div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_2" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Video_2]&lid=view[Video]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/abc_gma_thomas_130319_wa.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/play_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Alleged University of Central Florida Massacre Thwarted <a class="open" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Watch Video</a></div></div></div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_3" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Video_3]&lid=view[Video]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/abc_gma_muller_121120_wa.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/play_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Teen's Alleged Bomb Plot Revealed in Cell Phone Video <a class="open" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Watch Video</a></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Babakhani quickly hid in the bathroom and called 911 before Seevakumaran had a chance to shoot.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"As soon as the fire alarm happened, I open my door, I think something is burning on the stove. I open my door and I see my roommate with an assault rifle. I didn't stop and look, I slam the door in his face so he couldn't harm me. As soon as I open the door he just raised the rifle on me," Babakhani told ABC News.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Babakhani said Seevakumaran was a loner.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"For the most part if you said anything to him he would ignore you, he would stare off in the distance and pretend like you didn't exist. But he made eye contact with me when he pulled the gun on me. That was the best eye contact I ever had with him. He looked me dead in the eye and raised the gun," Babakhani said.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"I thought he went after my roommate but I didn't hear a struggle. Then I heard pops and then silence," he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">University police responded to the apartment and, in a dramatic video shown at a press conference today, spent tedious moments trying to find the right key to enter Seevakumaran's room while the fire alarm sounded around them. Upon entering, they found Seevakumaran dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Officers quickly backed out of the room where Seevakumaran's body was. Police said that he had four homemade IEDs that were laced with shrapnel in a backpack in his room, in addition to the guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">The suspect had a American Tactical .22 caliber assault rifle and a High Point .45 caliber handgun and high capacity magazines, including a drum magazine similar to the type used in the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Police discovered today that Seevakumaran had two additional packages that he never picked up at the campus post office that included a sling for his rifle, a magazine, and DVDs on shooting and using lasers with weapons.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Beary said that the suspect spent at least $700 on the weapons and ammunition for the attack.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Seevakumaran had purchased his guns online and picked them up at a local Orlando federal firearms dealer, according to Beary.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Police said they were still investigating the incident but that there was no discernible motive for the planned attack.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;"></div><h3 style="font-size: 15px !important; margin: 0px 0px 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Last Item on Gunman's List Was 'Give 'Em Hell'</h3><div style="margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Seevakumaran had been a student at the university from fall 2010 until December 2012, but he did not re-enroll for the 2013 semester. He was in the process of being evicted from the dorm when he killed himself. University officials said that it should not have taken as long as it did to evict Seevakumaran, but that the school took pains to be "compassionate" to students who had nowhere to go.</div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_image" style="clear: left; float: left; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Image]&lid=view[Image]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="PHOTO: A police officer shows a picture of a gun similar to the one found in a University of Central Florida dorm room, March 18, 2013." border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/abc_ucf_campus_threat_mi_130318_wg.jpg" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.5px; padding: 0px;" title="" width="199" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/image_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="photo_credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-size: 11px; line-height: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right;">ABC News</div><div class="photo_caption" style="margin: 5px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">A police officer shows a picture of a gun... <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Image]&lid=view[Image]" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">View Full Size</a></div></div></div></div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Video_1]&lid=view[Video]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/WNT/abc_wn_gutman_0631_130319_wa.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/play_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">UCF Student's Massacre Plot Foiled: Roommate's 911 Call <a class="open" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Watch Video</a></div></div></div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_2" style="clear: left; float: left; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Video_2]&lid=view[Video]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/abc_gma_thomas_130319_wa.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/play_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Alleged University of Central Florida Massacre Thwarted <a class="open" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Watch Video</a></div></div></div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_3" style="clear: left; float: left; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Babakhani said that his roommate was a loner.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"For the most part if you said anything to him he would ignore you. He would stare off in the distance and pretend like you didn't exist. But he made eye contact with me when he pulled the gun on me. That was the best eye contact I ever had with him. He looked me dead in the eye and raised the gun," Babakhani.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">His roommates said they had never seen him with guns or weapons.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">University police have stressed how the number of weapons and ammunition could have led to mass tragedy.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"Anybody armed with this type of weapon could have hurt a lot of people there, particularly in a crowded area as people were evacuating," Beary said. "It could          have been a very bad day."</div><br /></div>

UCF Gunman's To-Do List Ended With 'Give 'Em Hell' UCF Gunman's To-Do List Ended With 'Give 'Em Hell'

The University of Central Florida student who planned to massacre his fellow students had ordered more than $700 worth of weapons online, including two packages of ammunition, gun shooting DVDs, and accessories for his weapons that arrived on campus …

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LISA VANDERPUMP'S DOG Giggy Guns for Mirror Ball!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="0318_vanderpump_and_dog_getty" src="http://ll-media.tmz.com/2013/03/18/0318-vanderpump-and-dog-getty-3.jpg" /><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">There could be a canine calamity tonight on "</span><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Dancing with the Stars</strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">" ... because we've learned </span><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Lisa Vanderpump</strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">'s pooch </span><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Giggy</strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> will dance his paws off.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Giggy -- a permanent fixture on "</span><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Real Housewives of Beverly Hills</strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">" with more than 65,000 Twitter followers -- has been added to Lisa's inaugural dance number ... and if all goes according to plan (i.e. no poo mishaps) the pooch will hit the floor LIVE.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In fact, we're told Giggy -- who's slated to make his entrance at the end of the routine -- has been rehearsing non-stop with Lisa and her pro-partner </span><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Gleb Savchenko</strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Gleb might make the Pomeranian a permanent fixture ... it all depends on his performance ... and how well he wears sequins. </span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Pressure's on.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><iframe frameborder="0" height="225" scrolling="no" src="http://www.bravotv.com/video/embed/?/_vid2616950" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" width="400"></iframe><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><a href="" name="continued" style="color: #0b5777; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br /><div class="related" style="clear: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><h3 style="color: #cf0000; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">See also</h3></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /><br /></span></div>

LISA VANDERPUMP'S LISA VANDERPUMP'S DOG Giggy Guns for Mirror Ball!

There could be a canine calamity tonight on "Dancing with the Stars" ... because we've learned Lisa Vanderpump's pooch Giggy will dance his paws off.Giggy -- a permanent fixture on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" with more than 65,000 Twitter foll…

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Michelle Shocked Draws Fire for Anti-Gay Remarks

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="post-304183 post type-post status-publish hentry category-music tag-folk-music tag-homosexuality tag-shocked-michelle entry " id="entry-304183" style="background-color: white; border-top-style: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding: 15px 10px 0px;"><header class="postHeader"><h1 class="entry-title" style="color: black; font-size: 2.4em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.083em; margin: 6px 0px 4px;"><br /></h1><address class="byline author vcard" style="color: grey; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-style: normal; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-top: 2px;">By <a class="url fn" href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/author/james-c-mckinley-jr/" style="color: #666699; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;" title="See all posts by JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR.">JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR.</a></address></header><div class="entry-content" style="margin-top: 15px;"><div class="w190 right" style="clear: right; float: right; margin: 5px 0px 1em 12px; overflow: hidden; width: 190px;"><img alt="Michelle Shocked performing in Madison, Wisc., in 2011." height="251" id="100000002126374" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/03/19/arts/19artsbeat-shocked/19artsbeat-shocked-articleInline.jpg" width="190" /><span class="credit" style="color: #909090; display: block; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.223em; margin: 2px 0px; text-align: right;">Andy Manis/Associated Press</span><span class="caption" style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2727em; margin: 3px 2px;">Michelle Shocked performing in Madison, Wisc., in 2011.</span></div><div style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Michelle Shocked, the punk folk-singer, liberal activist and born-again Christian, has<a href="http://sfist.com/2013/03/18/michelle_shocked_launches_into_anti.php" style="color: #666699;">drawn fire</a> for an <a href="http://meowonline.org/michelle-shocked-god-hates-fags/" style="color: #666699;">anti-gay tirade</a> in San Francisco over the weekend, during which she said God hates homosexuals.</div><div style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;">One nightclub in Evanston, Ill., on Monday canceled a scheduled appearance in May after her remarks, at Yoshi’s jazz club in San Francisco on Sunday night. The Evanston club, Space, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/evanstonspace/posts/10151295791672245" style="color: #666699;">said on its Facebook page</a> that “it’s clear that this is no longer a show we’re willing to put our name on.” At least four other shows have also been canceled, including a March 29 show at the<a href="http://www.hopmonk.com/novato/music-and-events/events-detail/?event_id=276012" style="color: #666699;"> Hopmonk Tavern</a> in Novato, Calif., The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.</div><div style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Michelle Shocked cited Old Testament verses condemning homosexuality and told the audience she hoped the courts would uphold Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage, according to <a href="http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/folk-legend-incites-mass-walkout-anti-gay-speech-195312874.html" style="color: #666699;">Yahoo Music</a>. “I live in fear that the world will be destroyed if gays are allowed to marry,” she said. Then she also told the audience to go on Twitter and report that she had said God hates homosexuals, though it is unclear whether <a href="https://twitter.com/ultramundane/status/313543467039080448" style="color: #666699;">that remark was sardonic</a>.<span id="more-304183"></span></div><div style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Much of the audience walked out after her remarks. The club’s manager tried to end the show, but she continued playing until staff members pulled the plug and turned off the stage lights.</div><div style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Gay rights has been a touchy subject for Michelle Shocked over the years. In 1990, she <a href="http://www.dallasvoice.com/michelle-shocked-said-what-1990-outlines-interview-surfaces-10434.html" style="color: #666699;">told an interviewer at The Dallas Voice</a> that she had once had a relationship with a woman but did not want to be defined as a lesbian.</div><div style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;">In recent years, she underwent a religious conversion and started attending a Pentecostal church, and her statements about homosexuality became more tortured. She <a href="http://www.edgedallas.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=music&sc3=&id=73235&pf=1" style="color: #666699;">told The Dallas Voice in 2008</a> that she resented attempts by journalists to pin down her sexual orientation.</div><div style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“There are some inconvenient truths that I’m now a born-again, sanctified, saved-in-the-blood Christian. So much of what’s said and done in the name of that Christianity is appalling,” the singer told the weekly paper. “According to my Bible, which I didn’t write, homosexuality is immoral. But homosexuality is no more less a sin than fornication. And I’m a fornicator with a capital F.”</div><div style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Then in 2011, she became incensed when a member of the audience asked her position on gay rights at the Christian-oriented Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina, <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/4888/wild_goose_festival%E2%80%99s_%28mostly%29_welcoming_spirit_for_lgbt_christians_/" style="color: #666699;">Religion Dispatches magazine reported</a>.</div><div style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em;">“Who drafted me as a gay icon?” she said. “You are looking at the world’s greatest homophobe. Ask God what he thinks.”</div><div><br /></div></div></div><div class="entry-meta" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 10px 0px 0px;"><div class="shareTools shareToolsThemeClassic shareToolsThemeClassicHorizontal articleShareToolsBottom shareToolsInstance" data-description="Some venues have canceled upcoming shows after the folk singer's remarks about homosexuality at a performance in San Francisco." data-shares="facebook|,twitter|,google|,save,email,showall|Share,print" data-title="Michelle Shocked Draws Fire for Anti-Gay Remarks" data-url="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/michelle-shocked-draws-fire-for-anti-gay-remarks/" style="margin: 23px 0px 23px 10px;"><div class="shareToolsBox"><ul class="shareToolsList" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; overflow: auto; padding-left: 0px;"><li class="shareToolsItem shareToolsItemFacebook noLabel firstItem" data-share="facebook" style="background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: none; float: left; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; text-align: left; text-transform: uppercase;"></li></ul></div></div></div></div>

Michelle Shocked Michelle Shocked Draws Fire for Anti-Gay Remarks

By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR.Andy Manis/Associated PressMichelle Shocked performing in Madison, Wisc., in 2011.Michelle Shocked, the punk folk-singer, liberal activist and born-again Christian, hasdrawn fire for an anti-gay tirade in San Francisco over th…

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What doesn't kill me makes me stronger

I fought like hell to get my blog back up, then I don't post anything for almost a month. I've been busy, but not that busy!<br /><br />I don't feel like I have anything exciting or interesting to talk about in regards to weight loss or exercise. My weight went up to 206 even thought I've been going to Weight Watcher meetings consistently. The problem is that I haven't been "doing" Weight Watchers. Just paying the monthly fee and sitting through the meetings isn't enough. My best friend has been going with me and in the same time we've been going regularly (about eight weeks), she's lost 13 pounds. I could kick myself for not getting on plan. Every day I say I will, every day I don't. Same old story. <br /><br />Same with the gym, I was going on a regular basis but then got too busy. I had a great workout on Saturday, but that was my last workout. <br /><br />In my defense, as lame as it is, I'm having some sort of health problem. According to Google, my symptoms indicate a bladder infection or ovarian cancer. I know what you're thinking, stop looking up my symptoms on Google. Unfortunately, I'm very high risk for ovarian cancer. Age, postmenopausal, obesity (increases risk by 50%), reproductive history (never had kids - makes me a big risk), family history -- we're pretty sure my mom died from ovarian cancer, per her doctor, but they never ran any tests. He said since she was so old - 86 - and she was going to die anyway they didn't want to bother with doing any tests. Wish I'd forced the issue on that one.<br /><br />My doctor ruled out a bladder infection based on the urinalysis. Now she wants me to do blood work and get a CT scan. That was on Monday. Monday night I felt a lot better and thought it was a waste of money to get the extra tests done. Last night I thought I was dying so I'm calling today to schedule the CT scan. I'll get the blood work done too. It's better to try to find out what's wrong. I had an episode of the same kind of pain in January but it went away. Now it's back with a vengeance, with the pain much more intense this time.<br /><br />Okay, enough about my health. Want to hear how the divorce is going? Probably the worse divorce I've witnessed. I had to go to court last week on something trivial for another hearing. It's crazy because each time we have to go to court, it costs me a big chunk of money (I have to go with my attorney). I won't go into details about what my husband wanted, but the judge ruled in my favor. <br /><br />The bills are astronomical since I'm paying for everything, including his health and auto insurance (which annoys me, ordered by the court since he's still not working). <br /><br />His criminal trial is scheduled for June 11. Really dreading it since I have to testify. My best friend will be there with me. It'll be a jury trial with witnesses (there weren't any witnesses so not sure what they're talking about - except the police were there). I've already read about 30 pages of lies my husband has written about me and submitted in court. Some pretty amazing works of fiction, which I believe is considered perjury.  The divorce trial is still scheduled November 3. <br /><br />I wish this year was over. I want it to be 2014. <br /><br />My sister is doing well. I took her to lunch and for her hair appointment on Sunday. She seems to be happy. She continues to try to talk, and talks up a storm. Watching her try to tell the stylist how she wanted her hair done was rather comical. I always tell the stylist what she wants and usually my sister doesn't try to say anything. On Sunday she started chatting up a storm witht he stylist. I was sitting across the room and watched for about a minute. The stylist knows my sister had a stroke, but it was the first time my sister tried to talk to her. I thought I'd better rescue the stylist and went over to try and figure out what my sister was saying. We finally figured out she wanted her bangs cut short (we think that's what she wanted). My sister is talking more than ever, but it just doesn't make any sense. She can say "okay", "yeah" and "alright". That's the extent of her vocabulary that's understandable. I keep hoping that someday she'll say more words I can understand. <br /><br />My niece is coming for a visit over Easter to see her mother (my sister). I told my sister and she shook her head no, over and over, and then cried non-stop for ten mintues. I finally told her that maybe she wouldn't come and to not worry about it so much and she finally stopped crying. This is my good niece, my sister's favorite child. She has a lot of mental issues, but she's very kind and sweet. She's on bipolar meds, anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic meds, as well as a couple meds for depression. She checked herself into the hospital about a month ago and was admitted to the psych ward for a week. Then last week she went back to the hospital but they called her husband to come get her. She's 48 and a mess. Her husband called Friday and said she's not coming down. She call Sunday and said she is coming down. I'd prefer she wait until she's got her head on straight, but doubt that will ever happen. <br /><br />After reading this, I can see why I haven't posted for the last month. A rather sad and pathetic story. Oh well, it's my life right now.  I'm still standing, still going to work every day. I still have amazing and wonderful friends, and my faith in God. It's all good. I'll get through this period. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, right? <br /><br />

What doesn't kill me makes me stronger

I fought like hell to get my blog back up, then I don't post anything for almost a month. I've been busy, but not that busy!I don't feel like I have anything exciting or interesting to talk about in regards to weight loss or exercise. My weight went …

Read more »