Is Coffee Healthy?

<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Growing up i hated the idea of coffee. I didn't understand why it was needed and feared it because of the age old myth that "It stunts your growth!" but as I grew up and life got a little more demanding, the need for coffee in my life increased. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />I'm not too sure how or when i started drinking coffee but i don't think i'll ever be able to quit it completely. I often worried whether coffee actually fit into my healthy lifestyle but after some research, i've decided there is no harm in drinking coffee! </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>(Disclaimer- I am not saying you have to drink coffee! this is just for my fellow coffee lovers who may be having doubts) </i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Moderation is Key</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Just like with any other food or drink, you must have coffee in moderation. It is recommended to have no more than 3 cups a day. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>How to Prepare </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Coffee is all natural which is great for clean eating! but you must be careful with the additional ingredients you put in. I personally prepare my coffee with a dash of skimmed milk or soy milk and Sweetener or Stevia. Try to avoid creamers and heaps of sugar!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h3><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The Health Benefits</b> </span></h3><div><ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsq-vWiqb4xj41ox4tgza4XY39K6pCkiNRq91OUi7W8wg2UY4PCdNwqFrvLdgb1tWreBGmQcBrCvSzZpSo_DH57WU-Vy4x7tDVFmyynln0n_0UJW90NhiDf4o8IXz7faN7o-i1fdrQY5ng/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsq-vWiqb4xj41ox4tgza4XY39K6pCkiNRq91OUi7W8wg2UY4PCdNwqFrvLdgb1tWreBGmQcBrCvSzZpSo_DH57WU-Vy4x7tDVFmyynln0n_0UJW90NhiDf4o8IXz7faN7o-i1fdrQY5ng/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a><li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>Coffee can help burn fat-</u><br />Ever wondered why commercial fat burning supplements contain caffeine? well, due to caffeine's stimulant effect on the central nervous system, it raises your metabolism and increases the oxidation of fatty acids. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>Coffee can enhance your workout performance-</u><br />Again, caffeine is the one to thank here. Caffeine is a performance and endurance enhancer, it fights fatigue and also strengthens muscle contraction. And, probably the best of all, it reduces your perception of pain! so you wont feel that burn as harshly as usual in your workout.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>Coffee can lessen your risk of Type 2 diabetes-</u><br />Type 2 diabetes was always one of my biggest fears. I knew being obese at 14 only meant i was on the fast track to getting many diseases and illnesses. Of course, the best way to reduce your risk is to live a healthy lifestyle! but its nice to know coffee helps by helping the body use insulin and protection insulin-producing cells, enabling regulation of blood sugar. </span></li></ol><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So those are the 3 main health benefits i found most interesting but there are many more, they contain many <b>antioxidants</b>, reduce the risk of some cancers and contrary to prior beliefs they <b>don't actually dehydrate!</b> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><h3><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The Cons</b></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As biased as i am towards coffee, its only right that i also list the possible negative effects of coffee consumption. </span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Irritability </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nervousness </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anxiety</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Insomnia</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Raised blood pressure </span></li></ul><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I must point out that these side effects only occur when coffee is consumed too much, so as i said earlier- <b>Moderation is key!</b> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope this has helped any fellow coffee lovers and squashed any fears of our beloved beverage. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stay healthy</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">x</span></div><div><br /></div>

coffee drink fitness Food HEALTH is coffee healthy Weight Loss Is Coffee Healthy?

Growing up i hated the idea of coffee. I didn't understand why it was needed and feared it because of the age old myth that "It stu...

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Can You Say Double Entendre?

You can read more than one meaning into this slogan.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcEIsHG3BglBVWdLZiuDae6583mb0XC_G-hCzp0FAsz0o20a0ZuJvp_-awmi_vRn-QvjZfunOZOno82OupoE9LGkvz2cPp8g2enfnHY369oqEuZothvDOQyfFjt1snOrG3iMBu4aZwp0J/s1600/2016+Hitlery.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcEIsHG3BglBVWdLZiuDae6583mb0XC_G-hCzp0FAsz0o20a0ZuJvp_-awmi_vRn-QvjZfunOZOno82OupoE9LGkvz2cPp8g2enfnHY369oqEuZothvDOQyfFjt1snOrG3iMBu4aZwp0J/s640/2016+Hitlery.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Shamelessly stolen from <a href="http://www.theospark.net/">Theo Spark</a>.<br /><br />That is one busy place.<br /><br />Lot's of headlines and plenty of fine examples of the fairer sex too.

Can You Say Double Entendre?

You can read more than one meaning into this slogan. Shamelessly stolen from Theo Spark . That is one busy place. Lot's of headlines and...

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It's Not Always Doom And Gloom Around Here

Here, take your pick!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWQsejX_20Q-H2z5lKyLF_hJgPVBc58HdMHIk-4KmNLZSriuaf8QqwVwRW6M0ZEqFOTynnD_SqNoRkTGbxWl3DTmw0Y1My5ty4PAiQXAxhY2bTgCmmX-nmU21VoPcvB7Kg3Zevf-EdhPV/s1600/http:__acidcow.com_pics_20100319_celebrity_camel_toes_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWQsejX_20Q-H2z5lKyLF_hJgPVBc58HdMHIk-4KmNLZSriuaf8QqwVwRW6M0ZEqFOTynnD_SqNoRkTGbxWl3DTmw0Y1My5ty4PAiQXAxhY2bTgCmmX-nmU21VoPcvB7Kg3Zevf-EdhPV/s640/http:__acidcow.com_pics_20100319_celebrity_camel_toes_03.jpg" /></a>

It's Not Always Doom And Gloom Around Here

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NEWS/ Grey's Anatomy Season 10 Premiere Recap: The Storm Brings a Death and an Engagement

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.eonline.com/">http://www.eonline.com</a><br /><img alt="Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy" src="http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013625/rs_560x415-130725130311-1024.derek.mh.072513.jpg" /><br /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><em>Spoiler Alert: Do not continue reading if you've yet to watch</em> Grey's Anatomy<em>'s season ten premiere. Seriously, we meant it, spoilers are ahead! So no going down to the comments and complaining about us ruining your night. House rules!</em></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;">"We just want to survive the storm."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;">So says a voiceover courtesy of Chief Webber (<strong>James Pickens Jr.</strong>) in the season ten premiere of <em>Grey's Anatomy</em>, which found him fighting for his life after being electrocuted in the season nine finale. But there's no way<strong> Shonda Rhimes</strong>, evil genius showrunner that she is, would actually kill our beloved Chief, right? Right?!</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;">Alas, the nasty storm did cause at least one death at Grey-Sloan, but it also caused some rocky waters for many of the ABC hit series' fan-favorite couples, namely Callie (<strong>Sara Ramirez</strong>) and Arizona (<strong><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/jessica_capshaw" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;">Jessica Capshaw</a></strong>), as well as April (<strong>Sarah Drew</strong>) and Jackson (<strong><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/jesse_williams" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;">Jesse Williams</a></strong>)...</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/463869/omg-tv-moments-parks-and-rec-s-surprise-wedding-two-and-a-half-men-s-daughter-debut-debauchery-and-more" style="color: #00b1dd; 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clear: left; float: left; font-weight: bold; height: 110px; margin: 12px 25px 13px 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 196px;"><span class="evp-thumbnails" id="evp-thumbnail-212285" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><img alt="Video Thumbnail: Teresa Giudice's Tearful Interview" border="0" class="images" height="110" id="image-212285" src="http://thumbnails.eonline.com/p/newsnow_20130926_i_212285_196x110_50460227989.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; float: left; margin-left: 0px !important;" title="Video Thumbnail: Teresa Giudice's Tearful Interview" width="196" /></span><span class="play-btns" id="play-btn-212285" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://images.eonline.com/static/uberblog/images/play-btn.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 56px; margin: 27px 0px 0px 71px; position: relative; width: 56px;"></span></div><div class="video-thumbnail-roots" id="video-thumbnail-root-211780" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; float: left; font-weight: bold; height: 110px; margin: 12px 25px 13px 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 196px;"><span class="evp-thumbnails" id="evp-thumbnail-211780" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><img alt="Video Thumbnail: Kim Kardashian Shrugs Off Baby Shower" border="0" class="images" height="110" id="image-211780" src="http://thumbnails.eonline.com/p/kar_815_highlight_a_211780_196x110_50458691791.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; float: left; margin-left: 0px !important;" title="Video Thumbnail: Kim Kardashian Shrugs Off Baby Shower" width="196" /></span><span class="play-btns" id="play-btn-211780" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; 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background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://images.eonline.com/static/uberblog/images/play-btn.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 56px; margin: 27px 0px 0px 71px; position: relative; width: 56px;"></span></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><strong>He's Alive!: </strong>We can all breathe a huge sigh of relief as Chief Webber lived. Huzzah! But it still was close as his heart was too weak for the team to perform surgery, but Yang (<strong><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/sandra_oh" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;">Sandra Oh</a></strong>) and Bailey (<strong><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/chandra_wilson" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;">Chandra Wilson</a></strong>) butted heads over what to do. Too bad Webber has designated new mama Meredith (<strong><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/ellen_pompeo" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;">Ellen Pompeo</a></strong>) as his power of attorney. After some classic Meredith Grey melodrama, he was sent to the operating table, which ended up saving his life. (Bailey was right, leading her to yell, "When you know you know!" Bailey got her groove back!)<strong><br /></strong></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><strong>Mousy Down:</strong> Remember that time <em>Grey's</em> promoted all but one of the season nine interns to series regulars? Well, that should've been our hint that Heather aka Mousy (<strong>Tina Majorino</strong>) was not long for Grey-Sloan. Girlfriend died in, like, the first ten minutes! And her death will probably weigh heavily on fellow intern Shane Ross (new series regular <strong>Gaius Charles</strong>), who told her to go down to the basement, where she ultimately got electrocuted. Poor Smash!</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><strong>Sexual Healing?:</strong> Well, Cristina and Owen (<strong><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/kevin_mckidd" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;">Kevin McKidd</a></strong>) may not be on the same page when it comes to having kids (which is why they split), but they are definitely on the same page sexually. Get a room, you two! (Which they did, obviously.) But the joy was fleeting for fans of the couple, as Yang told him, "Just because I'm the one who said it was time doesn't mean this is easier for me." Excuse us while we sob along with her.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/463981/Engagement%20Drama:%20%E2%80%9CI%20am%20proposing%20to%20you.%20I%20want%20to%20be%20your%20wife.%20I%20want%20to%20marry%20you.%20So%20will%20you%20marry%20me?%E2%80%9D%20%20Despite%20April%20admitting%20she%20has%20feelings%20for%20Jesse,%20she%20ends%20the%20episode%20engaged%20to%20Matthew.%20" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank"><strong>SCOOP: Find out what's ahead on Grey's</strong></a></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><strong>Calzona Woes:</strong> Man, it's hard out there for a Calzona shipper! After Arizona's infidelity, Callie realizes she is done. So done in fact that she moves herself and their daughter Sofia out of their house and crashes at new parents Meredith and Derek's (<strong><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/patrick_dempsey" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;">Patrick Dempsey</a></strong>). Arizona? She's a mess. Callie? Hell hath no fury. So, so devastating, no?</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><strong>Engagement Drama:</strong> "I am proposing to you. I want to be your wife. I want to marry you. So will you marry me?" Despite April admitting she has feelings for Jackson (who tears into her about her flip-flopping between the two men), she ends the episode engaged to Matthew (<strong><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/justin_bruening" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;">Justin Bruening</a></strong>). (Now taking bets on how long it'll be until her next hookup with Jackson!)</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><strong>Line of the Night:</strong> Alex suggesting Arizona say this gem to Callie: "I'm sorry I'm such a slut." Also, this voiceover from Dr. Webber was aces: "We're all gonna die. We don't get much say over how or when. But we do get to decide how we're gonna live. So do it. Decide. Is this the life you wanna live? Is this the person you wanna love?" Deep thoughts, deep thoughts...</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;">What did you think of <em>Grey's</em> season premiere? Sound off in the comments!<strong><br /></strong></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 20px 0.5em 0px;"><a href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/4937/grey-s-anatomy-omg-moments" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank"><strong>PHOTOS: <em>Grey's Anatomy</em>'s OMG moments!</strong></a></div><ul class="blog_gallery clear" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20.390625px; list-style: none; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;"><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_4937" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/4937/grey-s-anatomy-omg-moments/220810" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Eric Dane, Grey's Anatomy" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100//eol_images/Entire_Site/2012828/634.dane.mh.092812.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Eric Dane, Grey's Anatomy" width="100" /></a></li><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_4937" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/4937/grey-s-anatomy-omg-moments/205984" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Grey's Anatomy" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100//eol_images/Entire_Site/2012626/_1024.greys.mh.062612.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Grey's Anatomy" width="100" /></a></li><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_4937" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/4937/grey-s-anatomy-omg-moments/181987" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Grey's Anatomy" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100//eol_images/Entire_Site/2012115/reg_293.ga.cm.21512.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Grey's Anatomy" width="100" /></a></li><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_4937" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/4937/grey-s-anatomy-omg-moments/181988" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy, OMG Moments" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100//eol_images/Entire_Site/2012310/reg_425.11greys.ls.41012.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy, OMG Moments" width="100" /></a></li><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_4937" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/4937/grey-s-anatomy-omg-moments/181990" style="color: #00b1dd; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy, OMG Moments" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100//eol_images/Entire_Site/2012310/reg_425.9greys.ls.41012.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy, OMG Moments" width="100" /></a></li></ul><br /></div>

NEWS/ Grey's Anatomy Season 10 Premiere Recap: The Storm Brings a Death and an Engagement NEWS/ Grey's Anatomy Season 10 Premiere Recap: The Storm Brings a Death and an Engagement

http://www.eonline.com Spoiler Alert: Do not continue reading if you've yet to watch  Grey's Anatomy 's season ten premiere. Ser...

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Flesh-rotting 'krokodil' drug emerges in USA

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">http://www.usatoday.com/<br /><div class="story-asset story-leadin-asset" id="module-position-496ddd06273111e3af83005056bd7fcb" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><h2 class="lead-in" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; line-height: 27px; margin-left: 60px; margin-top: -2px;">Two cases in Arizona are the first involving caustic, heroin-like IV drug that originated in Russia.</h2></div><div class="story-asset story-metadata-asset" id="module-position-496de03a273111e3af83005056bd7fcb" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><div class="article-metadata-wrap" style="float: left; margin: 0px 30px 0px 60px; position: relative; width: 180px;"><section class="storymetadata-bucket expandable-photo-module" id="module-position-MnjycY8sn5Q"><aside class="single-photo expandable-collapsed" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" style="margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative; z-index: 100;"><div class="image-wrap" style="box-shadow: rgb(200, 200, 200) 1px 1px 5px; cursor: pointer; padding: 3px; position: relative;"><img alt="Needles" class="expand-img-horiz" itemprop="url" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/df8d0655302292d588ab7703c2fc3b683dc3fad7/c=393-0-3042-1999&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/test/2013/09/26/1380242271000-AP-Needle-Exchange.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; min-height: 131px; vertical-align: middle;" /><span class="toggle" style="background-image: url(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/static/usat-web-static-5.2.0/images/sprites/asset-sprite.png); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; bottom: 0px; height: 21px; position: absolute; right: 0px; width: 21px; z-index: 200;"></span></div><div class="image-credit-wrap" style="color: #646464; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 16px; margin-top: 6px; padding: 0px 5px 0px 0px;"><span class="credit" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;">(Photo: Eric Gay, AP)</span></div></aside></section></div></div><div class="story-asset inline-share-tools-asset" id="module-position-496de2a6273111e3af83005056bd7fcb" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><div class="inline-share-tools asset-inline-share-tools asset-inline-share-tools-top" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="inline-share-tools-label" style="background-color: #e0e0e0; background-image: url(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/static/usat-web-static-5.2.0/images/components/utility-bar-noise.png); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) -2px 0px 4px -1px inset; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Futura Today Bold', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; height: 28px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.498039) 0px 1px 0px; top: 1px; vertical-align: top; width: 54px;">SHARE</span><span class="inline-share-btn inline-share-btn-facebook" data-share-method="facebook" data-uotrack="InlineShareFacebookBtn" style="border-right-color: rgb(214, 214, 214); 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border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1990e5; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 28px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;" target="_popup"><span class="inline-share-count inline-share-count-twitter" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: 'Futura Today Bold', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> 138</span><span class="inline-share-btn-label inline-share-btn-label-twitter" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 12px; position: relative; text-transform: uppercase; top: 1px; transition: color 0.1s;">TWEET</span></a><span class="inline-share-btn inline-share-btn-comments" data-share-method="comments" data-uotrack="InlineShareCommentsBtn" style="border-right-color: rgb(214, 214, 214); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 28px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span class="inline-share-count inline-share-count-comments" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: 'Futura Today Bold', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> 57</span><span class="inline-share-btn-label inline-share-btn-label-comments" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 12px; position: relative; text-transform: uppercase; top: 1px; transition: color 0.1s;">COMMENT</span></span><span class="inline-share-btn inline-share-btn-email" data-share-method="email" data-uotrack="InlineShareEmailBtn" style="border-right-color: rgb(214, 214, 214); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 28px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span class="inline-share-count inline-share-count-email" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: 'Futura Today Bold', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span class="inline-share-btn-label inline-share-btn-label-email" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 12px; position: relative; text-transform: uppercase; top: 1px; transition: color 0.1s;">EMAIL</span></span><span class="inline-share-btn inline-share-btn-more" data-share-method="facebook" data-uotrack="InlineShareMoreBtn" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 28px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span class="inline-share-count inline-share-count-more" style="color: black; display: block; font-family: 'Futura Today Bold', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span class="inline-share-btn-label inline-share-btn-label-more" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s; color: #999999; display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 12px; position: relative; text-transform: uppercase; top: 1px; transition: color 0.1s;">MORE</span></span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">A powerful heroin-like drug that rots flesh and bone has made its first reported appearance in the United States, an Arizona health official says.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Known on the street as "krokodil," the caustic homemade opiate is made from over-the-counter codeine-based headache pills mixed with iodine, gasoline, paint thinner or alcohol. When it's injected, the concoction destroys a user's tissue, turning the skin scaly and green like a crocodile. Festering sores, abscesses and blood poisoning are common.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Frank LoVecchio, the co-medical director at the <a href="https://www.bannerhealth.com/Locations/Arizona/Banner+Good+Samaritan+Poison+and+Drug+Information+Center/_Banner+Poison+Control+Center.htm" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="https://www.bannerhealth.com/Locations/Arizona/Banner+Good+Samaritan+Poison+and+Drug+Information+Center/_Banner+Poison+Control+Center.htm">Banner Good Samaritan Poison & Drug Information Center</a>, <a href="http://www.kpho.com/story/23521413/first-cases-of-flesh-eating-drug-reported-in-az" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.kpho.com/story/23521413/first-cases-of-flesh-eating-drug-reported-in-az">told</a> KPHO-TV that Arizona health officials have seen two cases during the past week.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">"As far as I know, these are the first cases in the United States that are reported," he said. "So we're extremely frightened."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">LoVecchio did not say where in the state the patients were located or provide details about their conditions.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">The drug — chemically called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desomorphine" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desomorphine">desomorphine</a> — emerged around 2002 in Siberia and the Russian Far East but has swept across the country in just the past three years, according to a <i>Time</i> magazine <a href="http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2078355,00.html" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2078355,00.html">investigation</a>.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Krokodil became popular in Russia because heroin can be difficult to obtain and is expensive. Krokodil costs three times less, and the high is similar to heroin though much shorter, usually 90 minutes.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">The average life expectancy among krokodil addicts in Russia is two to three years, according to <i>Time</i>, which called the narcotic "the most horrible drug in the world." Gangrene and amputations are common, and the toxic mix dissolves jawbones and teeth, much like the methamphetamine that Walter White cooks in <i>Breaking Bad</i>.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">As with all intravenous drug addicts, krokodil users are susceptible to HIV, hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases, and have compromised immune systems.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">One recovering Russian krokodil addict, Irina Pavlova, told <i>Time</i> in 2011 that she injected the drug almost daily for six years. She has a speech impediment and impaired motor skills because of the resulting brain damage.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">Her brother was among the dozen or so addicts she shot up with. "Practically all of them are dead now," she said. "For some, it led to pneumonia, some got blood poisoning, some had an artery burst in their heart, some got meningitis, others simply rot."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">A Russian woman using krokodil in June 2011 <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/krokodil-the-drug-that-eats-junkies-2300787.html" style="color: #1990e5; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/krokodil-the-drug-that-eats-junkies-2300787.html">told </a><i>The Independent</i> that a fellow junkie refused to go to the hospital.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 60px;">"Her flesh is falling off and she can hardly move anymore," she said.</div></div>

Flesh-rotting 'krokodil' drug emerges in USA Flesh-rotting 'krokodil' drug emerges in USA

http://www.usatoday.com/ Two cases in Arizona are the first involving caustic, heroin-like IV drug that originated in Russia. (Photo: Eric G...

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IWS Person of the Week...Sen. Ted Cruz

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The news coming out of Washington, D.C. of late can be summed up in two words...TED CRUZ.<br /><br />Damn right.  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is a Cuban-Canadian turned Lone Star State maverick which means of course, he is one bad ass mutha-Shut Yer Mouth, eh?<br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBerJVMq1giR7fKmfMw0HDqNpkXZ_cjUHMmx0PT-xsSqvNAav0VoVmv-xCKVWskQTsT-6thmZJkVAoz3y0Ti2iAIQl0hwDZsONz-eB4epURpl6VoQczzQRvHcAEhPQE0OQqbl8QyKqVW1/s1600/Ted+Cruz+Tea+Party+Rebel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBerJVMq1giR7fKmfMw0HDqNpkXZ_cjUHMmx0PT-xsSqvNAav0VoVmv-xCKVWskQTsT-6thmZJkVAoz3y0Ti2iAIQl0hwDZsONz-eB4epURpl6VoQczzQRvHcAEhPQE0OQqbl8QyKqVW1/s320/Ted+Cruz+Tea+Party+Rebel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He stood on the Senate floor this past week and for 21+ hours and spewed his righteous indignation toward the Black Magic of Obamacare and at anachronistic legislators whose relevance has long passed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some would prefer to run away and hide from the brutal truth and painfully prophetic words of Sen. Cruz. But he is blocking the door...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdnXewVj-5OKTC3xsyyQp8IY7aEY0Ui0VfVW89Acq4Hid6Zj3whPXNg3WODUu2pDJdsN8VXpgAuErMSkfSUMmO8bNZEE_0_k6mFi9JucwoLvotbtMUOHGJ8CH_7ydfApnMeDhawji1f73/s1600/Ted+Cruz+Stupid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdnXewVj-5OKTC3xsyyQp8IY7aEY0Ui0VfVW89Acq4Hid6Zj3whPXNg3WODUu2pDJdsN8VXpgAuErMSkfSUMmO8bNZEE_0_k6mFi9JucwoLvotbtMUOHGJ8CH_7ydfApnMeDhawji1f73/s400/Ted+Cruz+Stupid.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh sure, some people, Democrats and Republicans alike have tried to turn Ted Cruz into some sort of crazy, self-promoting monster, however...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When he is not being a human bullhorn for truth, justice, and the American Way, Teddy is a gentle, caring man, and a great listener.</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/AVvXsEigk7r9BrUDd45Vl3MCXjWvj-iZWuJAeAkG9wKEP9eM4avl0MdVyfcCLjof9x_7TViyTXV8gc9hHezu3f6QsLQGO3c5HV9cPl0lj6zEPFQOWGvulYkDXd0JqoRQiZdFiugcoFoJYsJMMUgS/s1600/Ted+Cruz+Sexy+Metrosexual.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigk7r9BrUDd45Vl3MCXjWvj-iZWuJAeAkG9wKEP9eM4avl0MdVyfcCLjof9x_7TViyTXV8gc9hHezu3f6QsLQGO3c5HV9cPl0lj6zEPFQOWGvulYkDXd0JqoRQiZdFiugcoFoJYsJMMUgS/s320/Ted+Cruz+Sexy+Metrosexual.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You know you want him, and pay no never mind to his playful coyness, this charming Harvard grad knows that you want him too...</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/AVvXsEjbGRDmjjqYxkLF_FFOjUu24YEREeOxjvPo1DOrGKqcbAF97rHEOLmK1aeRul5fGfQT1OSDANikIb2UH1ck9RwDj7XAq619J_0zmloqhfWGxBXzlX7qyVTXqa2q0Sac9_XW1BJOmodNVLw9/s1600/Ted+Cruz+Obamacare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGRDmjjqYxkLF_FFOjUu24YEREeOxjvPo1DOrGKqcbAF97rHEOLmK1aeRul5fGfQT1OSDANikIb2UH1ck9RwDj7XAq619J_0zmloqhfWGxBXzlX7qyVTXqa2q0Sac9_XW1BJOmodNVLw9/s400/Ted+Cruz+Obamacare.jpg" width="287" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Congratulations and Godspeed to Sen. Ted Cruz.  This week's, IWS Person of the Week!!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Don't forget to catch Jay and Matt on the<i><span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/09/29/cussin-the-egg-rolls" target="_blank">IWS Radio Show</a></span></i> today from Noon-2 PM ET on Blog Talk Radio. They have a HUGE line-up for you on this week's<i><span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/09/29/cussin-the-egg-rolls" target="_blank">Cussin' the Egg Rolls</a></span></i> episode.  How so, you ask? Well...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: none; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today is Confucius Day kids! How exciting is that?  Confucius' lesser known brother Profucius will be with us to share his very special kind of wisdom with our vast and diverse worldwide audience along with celebrating all that is great about China. We'll also be checking in to see if Ted Cruz is still talking, and have a special edition of <i>The McLaughlin Group!</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: none; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We'll explore the <i>Sensual Side of Life</i> with Drew Peacock and of course visit the Poet's Corner with Paul Piatt, AAAAAANNNNDDDD a first ever<i> "Smugly Superior w/ Dana"</i> report!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: none; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's also International Coffee Day and National River something day so we'll have a few thoughts on that too.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: none; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Plus, we'll take YOUR CALLS!!!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: none; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can join the fun and hilarity LIVE today from Noon-2 PM ET by clicking <i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/09/29/cussin-the-egg-rolls" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">HERE!!</span></a></i></div></div></div>

IWS Person of the Week...Sen. Ted Cruz

The news coming out of Washington, D.C. of late can be summed up in two words...TED CRUZ. Damn right.  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is a Cuban-...

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Business Loans vs. Deposits

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6xDiinpk3TQBDQQqxOnL63fI6x8scakJOyo_eCw74sySiAz34nXA-1H5aaexLO8SJOGo4kmDsr5AkrXVP-UjWa_WePHQmuFo0ejEYRRrA30dKkenAyG6MJ7_Vxy7zmwuGMElgYaaa10/s1600/Business+Loans+vs.+Deposits.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6xDiinpk3TQBDQQqxOnL63fI6x8scakJOyo_eCw74sySiAz34nXA-1H5aaexLO8SJOGo4kmDsr5AkrXVP-UjWa_WePHQmuFo0ejEYRRrA30dKkenAyG6MJ7_Vxy7zmwuGMElgYaaa10/s320/Business+Loans+vs.+Deposits.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />For the love of all that is holy, please stop depositing so much cash in the banks. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/quotes?item=qt0470647">They've already got the Holy Grail.</a> They certainly don't need yours!<br /><br />Some of us would like to actually earn more than <a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=mQM">0.49% on 5-year CDs</a> again. So stop already!<br /><br /><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1.0049^5 = 1.0247</b></span></div><br />2.47% total return in 5 years? I say bury that cash instead! What's the worst that could happen?<br /><br /><b>The Worst that Could Happen</b><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mrTubyoHsvc" width="420"></iframe><br /><br />Do *not* weasel your investment! Bury it deep! Cash makes a horrible mulch!<br /><br />This is gardening advice and as such should not be confused with investment advice.<br /><br /><b>See Also:</b><br /><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/12/hyperinflation-theories-poned-again.html">Hyperinflation Theories Poned Again</a><br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=mRS">St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart</a>

Business Loans vs. Deposits

Click to enlarge. For the love of all that is holy, please stop depositing so much cash in the banks. They've already got the Holy Grail...

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No Rest For The Wicked

Even on my day off I am busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.<br /><br />My Dad is back in intensive care again, his 76th birthday is tomorrow, my Mom has some kind of wicked cold or flu and with her already being worried sick about my Dad, she is pretty much a basket case. To top that whole situation off, my niece, her husband and a one week old baby are living there with them.<br /><br />I went to see my Pops and then went to see my 99 year old Granny in the nursing home. <br />The last four times I have been to see her she was out like a drunken sailor on a Saturday night, there was no waking her and she doesn't know who ya are anymore anyway. She was actually awake today and we had a nice visit, for what it's worth.<br /><br />At least she knew someone was there to see her..<br /><br />I called my youngest daughter because I hadn't heard whether or not her fucking car passed emissions after I spent $250 on oxygen sensors, fuck no.<br />The day after she left here the fucking check engine light came back on.<br />So, I told her to come back over so I can see why that is on again. <br /><br />If it's the oxygen sensor codes again then it is either the computer seeing something I don't or the wiring is fucked up.<br /><br />Either way that means a trip to the fucking Dealership.<br />My ass is bleeding just contemplating that possibility.<br /><br />I got the screening over the holes in the house foundation covered up again after the cats decided they wanted a daylight basement option. That involved drilling holes in the concrete.<br /><br /> My back is killing me from that and I had the boy and his cousin help me build a set of shelves, more of a small cabinet yesterday for the garage.<br /><br />I know I am forgetting something but it is all starting to blur together at this point.<br />Oh, yeah, the weather.<br />It is raining sideways and the wind is absolutely fucking howling outside.<br /><br />I got behind a semi getting on the bridge headed to Oregon and that sumbitch was all over the road.<br /><br />It didn't take long for the wind to start pushing me around too so instead of being the first one at the site of a tip over I went ahead and went around that guy.<br /><br />Someone at the store said we were supposed to get about ten inches of rain around here in the next few days.<br />While not unheard of around here, I have seen it dump a solid half inch of rain in less than a half hour, I will believe it when I see it.<br /><br />So if it gets a bit quiet around here it probably just means that I have finally fallen over dead exhausted.<br /><br />Y'all have a nice day and thanks fer stopping by.

No Rest For The Wicked

Even on my day off I am busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. My Dad is back in intensive care again, his 76th birthday is...

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Quote of the Day

<b>September 26, 2013</b><br /><a href="http://www.mining.com/china-investment-opportunities-today-jim-rogers/">China investment opportunities today: Jim Rogers</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>"In the 19th century in America, we had 15 depressions, with a 'd', and yet we became the most exciting and successful country in the 20th century."<br /><br />"China's gonna have a lot of problems. <span style="color: red;">I don't know what or when or why, but I know it's coming.</span> But when they happen, take advantage of the opportunity, <span style="color: red;">don't throw up your hands and say 'oh gosh, now I'm going to Denmark to learn Danish' or something</span>."</i></div><br />Based on what <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/07/sarcasm-report-v113.html">I've heckled about China</a> on this blog in the past, I'd definitely be throwing my hands up if I moved to China to learn Chinese. I'd be surrendering to the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/china.50/red.giant/prisons/wu.essay/">totalitarian authorities</a>. No doubt about it. Sigh.<br /><br />So yeah, if forced to choose, I'd prefer to go <i>to Denmark to learn Danish' or something</i>.<br /><br />I consider myself very fortunate to have been born in America. This freedom allows me to publicly state that I believe Jim Rogers is a <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=doofus">total doofus</a>. This is not his first <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/04/quotes-of-day.html">quote of the day</a>. He's always full of inspiring <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sarchasmic">"sarchasmic"</a> witticisms!<br /><br />This post inspired by <a href="http://www.creditbubblestocks.com/2013/09/the-high-price-of-digging-up-dirt-in.html">"The High Price of Digging Up Dirt in China"</a> as seen at <a href="http://www.creditbubblestocks.com/">Credit Bubble Stocks</a>.

Quote of the Day

September 26, 2013 China investment opportunities today: Jim Rogers "In the 19th century in America, we had 15 depressions, with a '...

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A Peek at "-Ism"

Earlier this afternoon I got a peek at the setup for The Architectural League's (sold out) <a href="http://archleague.org/2013/09/beaux-arts-ball-2013/">Beaux Arts Ball</a> at the 69th Regiment Armory, at 25th and Lexington. The party's theme is "-ism," which picks up on the fact that this year is the 100th anniversary of the influential <a href="http://xroads.virginia.edu/~museum/armory/entrance.html">1913 Armory Show</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.situstudio.com/">Situ Studio</a> (who graciously gave me a peek) is responsible for the environmental design (as well as the fabrication), but the party will be an immersive multimedia experience, with a lighting installation by Renfro Design Group, a performance installation by Processional Arts Workshop (PAW), a sound installation by Nathan Halpern (with Mary Lattimore and Chris Ruggiero), and a DJ set from Jon Santos.<br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSlQKpT1UJi_tVMcjJ3vLICvw-WKfcSL5mn4gwkmwI7kabln09BFdQypzNVgCAFHECFCzoyu-s2c7sjEtajY1eNnMnOmjqYvnM3mzLFbVhTjPlrmP-vexEDGuXFcS93rDafEf9rMTI0_n/s1600/situ2.jpg" /><br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaC9zNP2EYCBD-ejxdAtmyjZuI-QDxyTZJEMln16U-QrfVCRWimgwQ5-eb_cKfnhXCX5oe8_RRMGlp5Erbl0zQKXMBMZDGlyn-HfHPGhBOcwnlCSOkS8ml4J8QqgrYYGFOddWj8_n-R8Cz/s1600/situ3.jpg" /><br /><br />Situ Studio's design consists of lightweight vapor barriers forming diamond-like objects that seem to hover within the armory's grand drill hall. The triangular white panels are actually hung from existing cables that span from one side of the hall to the other; only some 10-foot sections of conduit piping and plastic ties accompany the recycled panels, which will be donated to PAW for future performances (more on PAW's contribution below).<br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwk3O35zFsxq6hYjuAYHurCknkAlP6y3MvCR5b2YebH89YDl0-tFm1tBrC-vs05zXPmlJ45vFZoa-jqIx0rzz_uaobrbUscdQoJavR1gh7jmsYksCNcuZXtl4KZ9PBsMdOjteI1bVPeMa/s1600/situ4.jpg" /><br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOQNdHMphcnfTaTVPAVKYtDvtr2oXob8WulhAcChZQ-OH7t4csjTsgKhSe5km4229eQ_zDPpMgCREBDUnqqfXtUaB2IC59Pf7bH-ZFmsmginQHk-FeYWf8c-VoW0LDp_s_SJlHdSOFdyQ/s1600/situ1.jpg" /><br /><br />Those lucky enough to snag tickets to the sold-out party will experience something much richer than what I was able to capture in my brief visit. The white surfaces will be canvases for light and color (including projected paintings from the 1913 Armory Show), creating micro-environments within the grand hall. Sound will add another layer of spatial definition, and PAW's puppeteers will don huge mylar suits (a couple pictured below) and roam about the hall, provoking revelers and becoming another canvas for the light show.<br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0b_-py0fJ_hUUfPauj9tg998rPrDHW4DA0JLgT26SePmYOFSFB-qKpulyx_SlZA-BD7TpocLOwvp9aevVZl6ZViiL5Tr5WLiGc0lZ_xos6H58kqfIkEhcOsXOz-ylXrA21A5umc-5ggxD/s1600/situ5.jpg" /><br /><br />Next week I'll post some photos from the party, showing how everything came together.

A Peek at "-Ism"

Earlier this afternoon I got a peek at the setup for The Architectural League's (sold out) Beaux Arts Ball at the 69th Regiment Armory,...

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Natasha's health nut cookies review

<div style="text-align: center;"><i>With the holidays approaching it can be tough to stay away from sweets especially if you want something sweet.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm bringing you a delicious review today that's sweet and healthy!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>These cookies are scrumptious and I'll tell you what makes them so superb! </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I was sent <a href="http://www.natashashealthnutcookies.com/">Natasha's Health Nut Cookies</a> for review and couldn't wait to try them out because they are health cookies!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Facts:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>All natural</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gluten free</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Diabetic safe</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Low glycemic</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Celiac diets</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I was sent these 3 flavors:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Raisin amaretto:</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uqjU0WldHjY/Ukcr5wbVl-I/AAAAAAAAJ9c/1H8_BN-iQUg/s1600/13+-+2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uqjU0WldHjY/Ukcr5wbVl-I/AAAAAAAAJ9c/1H8_BN-iQUg/s320/13+-+2" width="320" /></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I loved that they are soft and chewy and not crunchy. Loved the juicy plump raisins and sweet amaretto taste. Worked well crumbled on top of some pumpkin ice cream.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Cranberry orange:</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WefYw0IkZhE/UkcrlpTSO3I/AAAAAAAAJ9E/sryeMr40ASw/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WefYw0IkZhE/UkcrlpTSO3I/AAAAAAAAJ9E/sryeMr40ASw/s320/13+-+1" width="240" /></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>Haven't tried this flavor but I sure do love cranberry orange muffins and breads so I'm sure I'll love this!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Vanilla chocolate chip:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Can't wait to try this one I'm sure it will go great with milk or ice cream!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YbKU3gzYgzY/Ukcr5815oVI/AAAAAAAAJ9k/KziOuHQxcOE/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YbKU3gzYgzY/Ukcr5815oVI/AAAAAAAAJ9k/KziOuHQxcOE/s320/13+-+1" width="320" /></i></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Websites:</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Website:</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.natashashealthnutcookies.com/">http://www.natashashealthnutcookies.com</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Facebook:</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Natashas-Health-Nut-Cookies/121736951173303">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Natashas-Health-Nut-Cookies/121736951173303</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Natasha's health nut cookies review

With the holidays approaching it can be tough to stay away from sweets especially if you want something sweet. I'm bringing you a delici...

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Personal History: An Enlarged Heart : The New Yorker

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><p class="descender" style="border: 0px; margin: 7px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; outline: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">It began with a cough. Her brother had a cough. And, after all, what was a cough? They had all had them. In winter, they passed them around like sweets. Enough coughing meant no school. Although sometimes we sent them off anyway—risking a call from the school nurse, who only half the time would be convinced by our pleading that it was nothing—so that a few more hours might elapse before the apartment filled with their books and the paper wrappers from their snacks.</p><p style="border: 0px; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; outline: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">But now it was August, and we were at the beach. All winter we dreamed of the house, with its blue floors, the tiny periscope hole in the roof, the red chairs, the rickety porch with its view of the bay. The children turned brown. It was hot. The sea was flat. At low tide, a little pool appeared, and a sandbar, and she, the youngest at three, stood on tiptoe in the water, screeching when an inch-high wave hit. "I think the water's actually cold," she ran to tell us. "No, I think it's actually warm." We sat by the edge in our low beach chairs, the same chairs that used to embarrass us when our parents brought them to the beach. Why do we have so much stuff? we would ask them, eager to be free of it all, of the towels and swimsuits and bottles of juice and fruit, imagining ourselves alone on an empty stretch of beach, naked, with a rucksack. Now we're the ones who unload the car and carry the heaviest bags.</p><p style="border: 0px; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; outline: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">She's so little we let her run naked, even though we have learned that turning brown is bad. We are careless, self-indulgent, to let her do it. By late afternoon, the sun has slipped behind the enormous high dunes, and blue shadows lap at the water. When she comes up from the edge, she is shivering. Her older sisters and brother and their friends are far out in the waves, on their boogie boards and surfboards, unidentifiable in their black wetsuits. We keep track by counting. One, two, three, four, five, six. Is that Anna? We ask each other. Do you see Nick? There's Rose. "Come in now! Come in!" we scream at them, our arms making huge pinwheels so they will pay attention. It is easy for them to pretend they don't see us.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; ">During the night, she coughs on and off, and wakes once. The wind on the bluff pounds the house. In the morning, it is hot and blue again. We get to the beach after lunch, but the sun is still high. From the top of the dune, shielding our eyes, we look for the cluster of bright umbrellas that mark the colony of our friends. They hail us. The older children jump like seals into the waves and swim out to their pals. She stays by the edge. Today, there is another child her age, but she's cranky and won't play. It's too much sun, she didn't sleep, we explain to the other child's parents, chagrined. Secretly, we're annoyed: why won't she just play nicely? The younger children are fooling around with the surfboard, and she wants to try. A wave rears up suddenly, a dragon, foaming at the mouth, she's hurled underwater and onto the sand. Everyone races to help. How can we have allowed this to happen? This is appalling! She is young, much too young for these high jinks. She comes up sputtering. What kind of parents are we? Until someone else makes a mistake, our reputation is shaken.</p><p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; ">More ...</p></div><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/08/18/030818fa_fact1?currentPage=all">http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/08/18/030818fa_fact1?currentPage=all</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Personal History: An Enlarged Heart : The New Yorker

It began with a cough. Her brother had a cough. And, after all, what was a cough? They had all had them. In winter, they passed them around ...

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The Need To Get Fit

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Isaac Anthony</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>Today, many people live detrimental lifestyles, as they are affected by bad diet and prolonged periods of inactivity. These things cause them to be overweight and out of shape. Getting fit will help you lower your cholesterol, shed some pounds, build up endurance and help prevent you from getting sick. If you find it hard to add regular fitness and exercise into your busy routine, a treadmill at home can offer the flexibility of exercising whenever convenient.<br /> <br /> Merits of Treadmills<br /> <br /> Routine use of a treadmill, whether it be for walking or for running, can condition and shape up your body. Such cardio-intensive exercise helps you burn more calories than a cycling machine or most other gym workouts. The majority of today's treadmills come with workout apps that can help you lose pounds, build fitness and endurance, and tone up. Many people find that the treadmill machine is the best fitness machine to exercise on because it accommodates to so many different fitness needs and because it's so easy to use.<br /> <br /> Wide-spread Treadmill Features<br /> <br /> The ability to set speeds is a feature available on a most of treadmills. Incline adjustment functionality is another commonly found feature in treadmills, and it allows you to raise the tread belt to various heights. Having these kinds of treadmill trainer features allows you to stay motivated and interested in working out, because workouts sessions never have to always be the same.<br /> <br /> Many of today's treadmills ship with pre-configured workout apps. These programs include workouts designed for targeted fitness goals such as weight loss and training. Just select the app before you begin and follow the treadmill's instructions. As the workout program advances, you'll see that the speed and incline of the tread belt running change. The changes to the speed and incline levels are automatic and predetermined.<br /> <br /> You'll find many treadmills have heart rate monitors built into them. These heart rate monitors are often used with pre-configured cardio workout apps so that you can keep an eye on your vitals. may be. More expensive treadmill machine models utilize a chest-strap heart rate monitor, which many say is more accurate when it comes to monitoring your heart rate and calories burned. Tracking your fitness levels, such as your aerobic activity and progress through a heart rate monitor, is important to keeping fit and staying in shape.<br /> <br /> Something. The ability to remember customized workouts is most helpful when there are multiple users of the treadmill. A handful of treadmills out on the market can use the onboard memory to store workout history, making it easy to see the fitness progress made and to target new fitness goals.<br /> <br /> Premium treadmills often times have a feature called iFit Live technology included in them. This feature allows you to exercise on according to scenarios found on real life streets and trails. If you were signed up for a race, you could download and install a map of the course and train on it. Compare yourself with others racing through a specific course with iFit Compete Live. To use iFit Live, you need a treadmill that has both Internet connectivity and iFit Live capability. Check to see if these two specific features are offered on a machine if you're interested in this technology. Other premium features found on premium treadmill trainer models include features such as color touch displays or video functionalities.<br /> <br /> Parts of a Treadmill<br /> <br /> The first thing you see when you're checking out a treadmill trainer is its tread belt. It's run by a motor. The tread belt sits over rollers and is powered by the motor as you walk, jog and run on top. In addition to the tread belt and rollers, you'll find a tread belt. This component stretches out and it supports the you and your weight as you're on the machine. The deck can typically be adjusted at various inclines to provide more resistance during workout sessions. This gives you a good cardio workout and brings variety to your routine.<br /> <br /> The majority of treadmill machine running decks rest on top of damping parts. The most commonly used damping component is a cushioning system, which in certain cases can be adjusted with various tension levels. The components just described all work in conjunction in delivering varying workout experiences.<br /> <br /> In addition to the components described, you'll find that some treadmill trainer frames are foldable. The foldable variety may be more effective for home gyms where space is limited. What happens is you lift the deck up into a vertical position. Foldable treadmills often cost more than non-foldable ones. Most establishments, such as gyms, hotels, and health clubs use non-foldable treadmill machine platforms.<br /> <br /> Variety of Treadmills Available<br /> <br /> People will gravitate to treadmills and feature sets that they want, but look into the design of the product as well. Most budget treadmills are suitable for walking and jogging; more expensive treadmills are intended for running and sprinting. Your body weight could affect the performance of a treadmill trainer. There are treadmills with more robust motors to cater to for these type of users. Taller users need a treadmill with a longer tread belt that can easily accommodate their long strides. The more often a treadmill is used, the more important it is to get a reliable and durable machine. For some, these <a href="http://laceyharrison.tumblr.com/post/57577578924/comparing-a-treadmill-with-an-elliptical">cardio trainers</a> are worth the investment, and they're willing to pay more for the better designs.<br /> <br /> Wrap Up<br /> <br /> Health and fitness are topics that you should take seriously. Adding a treadmill trainer system to your home gym can help you better your body and well-being. When looking around for a suitable treadmill trainer, consider what your needs are and what features you're interested in. Don't forget to take accurate measurements of the location of where you want the treadmill trainer to go to ensure that it'll fit. Be sure you take into account the costs of different treadmill machine models. It's not hard to get caught up and choose something that's beyond your price range.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'><a href="http://fitnesslookout.blog.com/2013/08/15/treadmills-versus-ellipticals/">Treadmill review sites</a> are useful resources to collect info. Visit some and see what folks are sharing and what models are hot.</div><br /> </div><br />

The Need To Get Fit

By Isaac Anthony Today, many people live detrimental lifestyles, as they are affected by bad diet and prolonged periods of inactivity. T...

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TV Time

<span style="font-size: large;">We have a TV crew of 3 (Matt, Kevin & Nicola) in the house today.  They are filming an episode of "Extreme Homes" for HGTV for the American Market.</span><br><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">They will be working here for today and tomorrow and will end up with about an hours film which will be edited down to 5 minutes!!!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Ciaran is working hard doing lots of dialogue to camera and showing of all the special features of the house.</span></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bEs1bGbbpwjFwFerhJ1Dmmggv5bMiwTv9OCtU48ogaAmIJ5AWhz8YLKuujutZ28mKq3NDzMIJ_8F2mRTxzjUmnPAPYnBI7Szkjs1m-heBpnTmTUDe_Knpd24woEcui15dGUHqgS17EmV/s640/blogger-image--1279456170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bEs1bGbbpwjFwFerhJ1Dmmggv5bMiwTv9OCtU48ogaAmIJ5AWhz8YLKuujutZ28mKq3NDzMIJ_8F2mRTxzjUmnPAPYnBI7Szkjs1m-heBpnTmTUDe_Knpd24woEcui15dGUHqgS17EmV/s640/blogger-image--1279456170.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is director Nicola and cameraman Kevin up on the roof filming.  This was a camera set up on a piece of equipment with huge weights at the end if it - I can only imagine what their excess baggage charges for all their equipment on the airplane was!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM1dJhvc4QDoX1tqpkFm4zV77BK2C8AO7reuHu2KNpxzfGyzpawgG6VE9KEBwKIo45pvLCbX-sE8uQ0JHWmC-o_A0HkK1p9-vPNLPG9YovkZ4abBFuDhrdOP7YRN9Cl3DuwOq4jBvllOG/s640/blogger-image-1893675564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM1dJhvc4QDoX1tqpkFm4zV77BK2C8AO7reuHu2KNpxzfGyzpawgG6VE9KEBwKIo45pvLCbX-sE8uQ0JHWmC-o_A0HkK1p9-vPNLPG9YovkZ4abBFuDhrdOP7YRN9Cl3DuwOq4jBvllOG/s640/blogger-image-1893675564.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSMs0FqvKxjbKbtOrTak7I881KMTEjZRRhymgMQBajRR886QPD0vsTZ-0VICruNW03CHZ9QMf9CwLXU2tfr_uVQr2JQHndBCJjDXtJ2MiEf7i0zRcukQTAXRH8Q9nbpzOTKcpyi9nzeev/s640/blogger-image-891313991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSMs0FqvKxjbKbtOrTak7I881KMTEjZRRhymgMQBajRR886QPD0vsTZ-0VICruNW03CHZ9QMf9CwLXU2tfr_uVQr2JQHndBCJjDXtJ2MiEf7i0zRcukQTAXRH8Q9nbpzOTKcpyi9nzeev/s640/blogger-image-891313991.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cameraman Matt filming the front room (he's kneeling on an amazing Jan Kath rug, loaned to us by Conrad in RugArt).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqdxVDvdSb9O0fkgUbhM65mSYwd1Yi1nvswfweQEWkMncvl1NTPRVQIIxYowd31dnBXYSbJVl8rv1myGl6GZpLte9kw2TGaK3Cck1slbCy4-jq1x5NaC2OXgDgvQz7W6PZY_oZ_K6Havf/s640/blogger-image--1433336545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqdxVDvdSb9O0fkgUbhM65mSYwd1Yi1nvswfweQEWkMncvl1NTPRVQIIxYowd31dnBXYSbJVl8rv1myGl6GZpLte9kw2TGaK3Cck1slbCy4-jq1x5NaC2OXgDgvQz7W6PZY_oZ_K6Havf/s640/blogger-image--1433336545.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is Ciaran doing a close up of the wood cladding in the studio.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiML6e462e72NP-L1XSMgsfoAG2u776nvreGvIb99hljQDiGmElccGMHJTkNzsfNB0AlXHpE4RdOdMGiete-KT8JQHdqdb9XF_Ynr6umRxGl7PIdG3uYA1BBCXkby9xDdViwk26vhavGOV/s640/blogger-image--1989474585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiML6e462e72NP-L1XSMgsfoAG2u776nvreGvIb99hljQDiGmElccGMHJTkNzsfNB0AlXHpE4RdOdMGiete-KT8JQHdqdb9XF_Ynr6umRxGl7PIdG3uYA1BBCXkby9xDdViwk26vhavGOV/s640/blogger-image--1989474585.jpg"></a></div><br><span style="font-size: large;">The crew are such a team of professionals, extremely thorough and very pleasant to boot.  They do their work without leaving a trace that they have been there - it is very impressive to watch how they work.</span><br><span style="font-size: large;"><br></span><span style="font-size: large;">For more photos - click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.584795448223462.1073741853.122333021136376&type=1">here</a></span></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJcy2uK4pWBBvU9j_2BzOe4zKd9oNXM_7Im_aRw9Tl8GydCdAsnukaWJqBRddeuJT2xMJQi-THK01nj13lsHiJN9wNRCs17qGMrvn96SMIpaOqQDOeF4UHtj8TBhb7vPFuLoe9iM9JWTQ/s640/blogger-image--1851542527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJcy2uK4pWBBvU9j_2BzOe4zKd9oNXM_7Im_aRw9Tl8GydCdAsnukaWJqBRddeuJT2xMJQi-THK01nj13lsHiJN9wNRCs17qGMrvn96SMIpaOqQDOeF4UHtj8TBhb7vPFuLoe9iM9JWTQ/s640/blogger-image--1851542527.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">The sky looks great in the above pic - I'm glad Ciaran got the window washer out this week.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2qsWewFiYhKMPyWzGVRVnosEERkgCF_XzfG-kDzRx_QTQH5odkBZ0KAy9RqkUz1juwAVO8VZ-KxgDPHbDCsY12L2TPe7Z-pZzLCYLkVlFnHqqmTslAzoYQnfcmeSEMp2KA3AhMU4qoHO/s640/blogger-image-1461153225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2qsWewFiYhKMPyWzGVRVnosEERkgCF_XzfG-kDzRx_QTQH5odkBZ0KAy9RqkUz1juwAVO8VZ-KxgDPHbDCsY12L2TPe7Z-pZzLCYLkVlFnHqqmTslAzoYQnfcmeSEMp2KA3AhMU4qoHO/s640/blogger-image-1461153225.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ciaran points out the concrete wall detail</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvH32Sdja7FfUL2UCnArSAqFeoz92k8hd9QMttmFJsQhmuoB1SPzR-U8v9QW5AmMM7XVkmKUORde_4Y-ZjAIT2mI3BWZf9WyS3_vhW5WoiZWYQ5-lmjGK40JoFSf27aYYExijV7Z9cgQX/s640/blogger-image--765091750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvH32Sdja7FfUL2UCnArSAqFeoz92k8hd9QMttmFJsQhmuoB1SPzR-U8v9QW5AmMM7XVkmKUORde_4Y-ZjAIT2mI3BWZf9WyS3_vhW5WoiZWYQ5-lmjGK40JoFSf27aYYExijV7Z9cgQX/s640/blogger-image--765091750.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AZy2IyQmcpuUeo5R_-tqYTGlEfYJGzRkGOhZCXjgZCUxWZzqIT1xvvhFPlzAblZ3IC4zqsq_NL05bKkw7D0vA4Pl65Gl7LxE2t7qUDdyfKRlONDwMR4UCN1ViC0PB5booYtA5YCLKmcK/s640/blogger-image--2117104170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AZy2IyQmcpuUeo5R_-tqYTGlEfYJGzRkGOhZCXjgZCUxWZzqIT1xvvhFPlzAblZ3IC4zqsq_NL05bKkw7D0vA4Pl65Gl7LxE2t7qUDdyfKRlONDwMR4UCN1ViC0PB5booYtA5YCLKmcK/s640/blogger-image--2117104170.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4PhwAM60YDdvNxzqJXmAkWpWiGyaX_rcPx5E82F6FDsfTp1t4aikwNWLHe65-UYjFkD9jHsvxEdnRXjhcq8d3oSWHKir9lKdjk9KADbI67AQ9PDqEkMnLO_NP2PA7ws_R3SCYUjZ0hCw/s640/blogger-image-1289583078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4PhwAM60YDdvNxzqJXmAkWpWiGyaX_rcPx5E82F6FDsfTp1t4aikwNWLHe65-UYjFkD9jHsvxEdnRXjhcq8d3oSWHKir9lKdjk9KADbI67AQ9PDqEkMnLO_NP2PA7ws_R3SCYUjZ0hCw/s640/blogger-image-1289583078.jpg"></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">While Kevin & Nicola worked downstairs with Ciaran, Matt worked away filming the upstairs on his own.</span><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">I do like how the Laura Ashley wallpaper looks in this picture!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbe-JwJVCWlZ1vmW-f_U-AINE6xmhGrpsnapR8YmJ5bFUh5eYCJFTOPHslmLBt1V2JiFOCYWws0aXWiTrGKGBLXp5KvwqK6mmDjUcutNU8iQhOpgIe0A_BXTp7NOvNmMEbO81fyUb9g9lp/s640/blogger-image--453899059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbe-JwJVCWlZ1vmW-f_U-AINE6xmhGrpsnapR8YmJ5bFUh5eYCJFTOPHslmLBt1V2JiFOCYWws0aXWiTrGKGBLXp5KvwqK6mmDjUcutNU8iQhOpgIe0A_BXTp7NOvNmMEbO81fyUb9g9lp/s640/blogger-image--453899059.jpg"></a></div><br><span style="font-size: large;">I should mention that Bones the dog was not allowed in any shots.  He would mess up the continuity by being in different spots in different shots.</span><br><br><br></div>

TV Time

We have a TV crew of 3 (Matt, Kevin & Nicola) in the house today.  They are filming an episode of "Extreme Homes" for HGTV for...

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Whoa! Awesome TPP protest across from White House

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqzu49fJ5KMq8GEHBmgK1DKzgScojMIhc3yNyKKLUJevqEfH1EBH04V8Q2_s9QfaB4t91oGVwGfcEm_-_PJhMobY6xWQnDvQMp2uRuQWyMV54gjdnFdt7hvalOd68TmL1l-jzb-6N_fQZ/s1600/tpp+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqzu49fJ5KMq8GEHBmgK1DKzgScojMIhc3yNyKKLUJevqEfH1EBH04V8Q2_s9QfaB4t91oGVwGfcEm_-_PJhMobY6xWQnDvQMp2uRuQWyMV54gjdnFdt7hvalOd68TmL1l-jzb-6N_fQZ/s320/tpp+banner.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="tr_bq">The noontime protest on Monday against the TPP (the giant Trans-Pacific Partnership job-killing trade deal) could rank among the best ever, none other than the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/protesters-rising-to-new-heights/2013/09/26/465b6af8-26ea-11e3-b75d-5b7f66349852_story.html" rel="nofollow">Washington Post</a> reported:</div><blockquote>Eight “construction workers” in blue coveralls and odd “Stop the TPP” yellow hard hats somehow made their way up an unsecured scaffolding — the building is undergoing some exterior work — to the top, where they unfurled a 10-by-30-foot banner condemning the proposed treaty as a corporate giveaway. </blockquote><blockquote>Then five of the eight “workers” moved onto a lower balcony — we seem to recall it’s on the same floor as U.S. Trade Rep <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michael-froman/gIQA3Rcv9O_topic.html">Mike Froman’s </a>office — and hung two more banners. </blockquote><blockquote>The police finally showed up and briefly handcuffed one protester. But that was all.<br />The action had been planned for a month, said <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/maryland/candidates/Kevin_Zeese.html">Kevin Zeese</a> , an organizer with PopularResistance.org, and the coveralls and hard hats were ordered online. The door to the scaffolding was always open, he noted, and the group did a final scouting mission the Friday before the event. </blockquote><blockquote>But when the protesters arrived Monday in their “Stop the TPP” hats, he said, “we were shocked that there were no workers, no security. It was amazing.” </blockquote><blockquote>“We wanted to do something audacious,” Zeese said. “We wanted to be bold.” </blockquote><blockquote>Did we mention that the building is just across the street from the White House complex, specifically the Eisenhower Executive Office Building?</blockquote><div>Teamsters had joined an anti-TPP protest the previous Friday that included 100 people from diverse backgrounds: doctors, environmentalists, students and workers from other unions. The Teamsters ally Public Citizen explained the recent spate of TPP protests had to do with the secret negotiations going on in Washington: <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The TPP negotiators were not in Washington, D.C. for a formal round of negotiations, but for a below-the-radar “intersessional” meeting. Such secretive meetings are now being scheduled at a moment’s notice in countries across the Pacific Rim as the U.S. cracks the whip in desperate attempt to get negotiations all wrapped up and tied with a neat bow by the end of the year, despite the <a href="http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2013/08/final-tpp-round-not-final-are-even-more-secretive-talks-ahead.html">yawning controversies and gaps</a> in agreed-upon text.  </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">These “intersessionals” drive the backdoor TPP talks even further underground and away from public scrutiny. Unlike the formal rounds, USTR is not even revealing the location, timing or agenda of the intersessionals. And there are no “<a href="http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2012/09/flush-the-tpp-was-the-rallying-cry-heard-outside-virginias-lansdowne-resort-on-sunday-at-a-protestagainst-the-tra.html">stakeholder sessions</a>" to which concerned groups and the general public are invited.</blockquote></div>

Protests TPP Whoa! Awesome TPP protest across from White House

The noontime protest on Monday against the TPP (the giant Trans-Pacific Partnership job-killing trade deal) could rank among the best ever, ...

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Today's Teamster News 09.28.13

<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-27/regulator-said-to-look-other-way-on-unsafe-mexican-trucks.html" rel="nofollow">Regulator Said to Look Other Way on Unsafe Mexican Trucks</a>  Bloomberg   ...“They need these companies, they need the numbers,” said Fred McLuckie, director of federal legislation and regulation for the Teamsters, which unsuccessfully sued to stop regulators from allowing Mexican trucks. “They’re looking the other way...”<br /><a href="http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/22827341-418/chicago-teamsters-reject-rahm-emanuels-bid-for-contract-concessions-on-461-11-vote.html" rel="nofollow">Chicago Teamsters reject Rahm Emanuel’s bid for contract concessions on 461-11 vote</a>  Chicago Sun-Times   ...Already feuding with police, firefighters, teachers and other public employees, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration sought but failed to win concessions this week from the only major labor group that had supported Emanuel’s election...<br /><a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/funeral-industry-giant-sci-committed-unfair-labor-practices-labor-board-says" rel="nofollow">Funeral Industry Giant SCI Committed Unfair Labor Practices, Labor Board Says</a>  teamster.org   ...Region 13 of the National Labor Relations Board has found merit in several unfair labor practice charges filed against funeral industry giant Service Corporation International (SCI), which has locked out 59 funeral directors and drivers at 16 Chicago-area funeral homes...<br /><a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/teamsters-vote-wegmans-offer" rel="nofollow">Teamsters To Vote Wegmans' Offer</a>  teamster.org   ...Workers will cast ballots on the company’s proposal that would eliminate the pensions of more than 900 of its Rochester employees and dramatically reduce their compensation package...<br /><a href="http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2013/09/beware-of-outlandish-claims-about-economic-benefits-of-us-eu-free-trade-deal.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eyesontrade+%28Eyes+on+Trade%29" rel="nofollow">Beware of Outlandish Claims About Economic Benefits of U.S.-EU ‘Free Trade’ Deal</a>  Public Citizen   ...The study ignored the predictable social and economic costs that would result from such extreme regulatory rollback, such as an increase in the incidence of foodborne illness and a rise in financial instability...<br /><a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/09/federal-ruling-domestic-workers-protection-charts" rel="nofollow">4 Reasons Why the White House's Domestic-Worker Protections Matter </a> Mother Jones   ...Starting in January 2015, the federal labor laws that currently ensure minimum wage and overtime protections will be extended to the nation's direct-care workers—some 2 million people who perform jobs like caring for the elderly and the disabled. And yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights into law, expanding the legal protections for its estimated <a href="http://nelp.3cdn.net/6568360c9c5188e6d6_4hm6ibsc7.pdf">360,000</a> (PDF) domestic workers...<br /><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/" rel="nofollow">How the NFL Fleeces Taxpayers</a>  The Atlantic   ...Taxpayers fund the stadiums, antitrust law doesn't apply to broadcast deals, the league enjoys nonprofit status, and Commissioner Roger Goodell makes $30 million a year. It's time to stop the public giveaways to America's richest sports league—and to the feudal lords who own its teams...<br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/27/ron-wyden-nsa-systematically-deceived" rel="nofollow">Sen. Ron Wyden: NSA 'repeatedly deceived the American people'</a>  The Guardian   ..."the leadership of NSA built an intelligence collection system that repeatedly deceived the American people..."<br /><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/27/nsa-employees-used-surveillance-system-to-spy-on-spouses-lovers/" rel="nofollow">NSA employees used surveillance system to spy on spouses, lovers</a>  Raw Story   ... a woman told the NSA that she’d recorded a conversation between her husband and a foreign telephone number because she suspected he’d been unfaithful...<br /><a href="http://laborpress.org/sectors/green-initiatives/2778-school-bus-companies-ordered-to-restore-lost-wages-to-atu-1181-workers" rel="nofollow">School Bus Companies Ordered to Restore Lost Wages to ATU 1181 Workers</a>  LaaborPress   ...Judge Matsumoto ordered the companies to return to the bargaining table they abandoned in March; bargain in good faith with the union; rescind the wage and benefit cuts and all other terms and working conditions previously imposed by the companies; and restore the wages, benefits and working conditions in effect at the time the companies imposed their cuts...<br /><a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/09/27/i_worked_all_week_for_free_the_horrifying_true_story_of_0_paychecks/" rel="nofollow">I worked all week for free?!: The horrifying, true story of $0 paychecks</a>  Salon   ...Photos provided to Salon by the National Guestworker Alliance, the group behind the work stoppage, show checks reading “No Dollars and No Cents,” and a page dated June 25 warning guest workers on H-2B visas that, “Any worker who does not show up for your assignment will be immediately removed from Mister Clean Housing and will be reported as AWOL (Absent Without Leave) to ICE (Immigration Custom Enforcement)...”<br /><a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/09/27/american-workers-hanging-on-by-the-skin-of-their-teeth/" rel="nofollow">American Workers: Hanging on by the Skin of Their Teeth</a>  Counterpunch   ...Americans are losing faith in the nation’s economic recovery.” Because they don’t see any recovery...<br /><br /><br />

Chicago funeral directors contract negotiations economy FLSA Mexican trucks NFL school bus slavery spying trade Today's Teamster News 09.28.13

Regulator Said to Look Other Way on Unsafe Mexican Trucks  Bloomberg   ...“They need these companies, they need the numbers,” said Fred McL...

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Carol Lefelt - A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Chronicle - Health Rising

<base href="data:">At the onset of the illness I was 55 years old, happily married with two wonderful sons in their 30's. Successful in my job as a high school English teacher for 25 years, I was also the Humanities Supervisor and the district's writing guru. I served as K-12 Writing Coordinator and taught Composition, Creative Writing, Advanced Placement Language and Composition, and almost every other course in the English Department.<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oXOzELYSL14lOoRtqHdZxrQzT5fHFbfyi8HQELlhB63brs9LEx0vTl0j6oWaCiEOz0BaZLqP3d5UeoORMgBbI68bxaZU1TswwZHhr8G7IrETBVdfU1znAun5te-5KIQohBreFPozE0o/s1600/Carol-Lefelt-779330.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5928651222886449602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oXOzELYSL14lOoRtqHdZxrQzT5fHFbfyi8HQELlhB63brs9LEx0vTl0j6oWaCiEOz0BaZLqP3d5UeoORMgBbI68bxaZU1TswwZHhr8G7IrETBVdfU1znAun5te-5KIQohBreFPozE0o/s320/Carol-Lefelt-779330.jpg" /></a>I advised the high school literary magazine, started a peer-tutor writing center, and attended and often led writing workshops and professional development sessions. I published articles about teaching along with some poetry and a short memoir of my mother-in-law. I also mentored adult writers.<br><br>I have been sick with ME/CFS since a flu shot in 1999. After experiences with many, many doctors, I am currently seeing Dr. Ray and Dr. Klimas at the Center for Neuroimmune Disorders at Nova Southeastern University in Florida and taking Immunovir and Atenolol.  My condition has clearly improved since the early years, but I still experience significant relapses and suffer from (sometimes severe) Post-exertional Malaise. In between the relapses, however,  my "well" times are longer and "well-er".<br><br><a href="http://www.cortjohnson.org/authors/carol-lefelt/">http://www.cortjohnson.org/authors/carol-lefelt/</a><br><br>

Carol Lefelt - A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Chronicle - Health Rising

At the onset of the illness I was 55 years old, happily married with two wonderful sons in their 30's. Successful in my job as a high sc...

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The mountains are calling

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4Szp4tGr5MjPIcb72JtkrQ8jdQmFl7yntM5NbBQCj8xuAHGVTanwIetVdRvzNdCPm9bkUlR1od5HyKaGUe-jl7oJw8ThVAgciuE_RagLR5BEbePEU7dhn3Q9RfT89S-BRacIMRCOvdcA/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4Szp4tGr5MjPIcb72JtkrQ8jdQmFl7yntM5NbBQCj8xuAHGVTanwIetVdRvzNdCPm9bkUlR1od5HyKaGUe-jl7oJw8ThVAgciuE_RagLR5BEbePEU7dhn3Q9RfT89S-BRacIMRCOvdcA/s400/15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Going to the mountains is going home." --John Muir </div><br />Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell

The mountains are calling

"Going to the mountains is going home." --John Muir Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell

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Youth and Apprentice Deer Hunting Day for 15 and under

There's excitement in the air this morning for young hunters 15 and under....<br /><br /><h2 id="youth-deer-hunting-day">Youth and Apprentice Deer Hunting Day</h2><h4>September 28</h4><ul><li>Statewide.</li><li>Resident and nonresident youth hunters 15 years of age and under and holders of a valid apprentice hunting license, when in compliance with all applicable laws and licenses, may hunt when accompanied and directly supervised by an adult who has a valid Virginia hunting license or is exempt from purchasing a hunting license. Nonresident youth of any age need to have the appropriate licenses.</li><li>Deer of either sex may be taken.</li><li>Antlerless deer taken on the youth and apprentice deer hunting day are in addition to an antlerless deer taken under the youth antlerless deer regulation and on either-sex deer hunting days.</li><li>Deer harvested by youth or apprentice hunters count against their daily and season bag limit.</li><li>Blaze orange requirements and exceptions for firearms deer season are in effect (see <a href="http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/regulations/general.asp">General Hunting Regulations</a>).</li><li>Deer hunting with dogs is prohibited, except that tracking dogs are allowed (see <a href="http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/regulations/general.asp#hunting-with-dogs">Hunting with Dogs</a>).</li><li>Adult hunters accompanying youth or apprentice deer hunters: <ul><li>do not need a bear, deer, turkey license.</li><li>shall not carry or discharge a firearm.</li><li>shall maintain close visual and verbal contact with and provide adequate direction to the youth or apprentice hunter.</li></ul></li></ul>

deer season Virginia Youth and Apprentice Deer Hunting Day Youth and Apprentice Deer Hunting Day for 15 and under

There's excitement in the air this morning for young hunters 15 and under.... Youth and Apprentice Deer Hunting Day September 28 Statewi...

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Christmas Is Coming

I know,<i> I know</i>, please don't hurt me!<br /><br />I just wanted to give you an idea for a little stocking stuffer for your shooting enthusiast.<br /><br />I do believe I am going to get some of these just for fun.<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wht6OMKBdc4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Christmas Is Coming

I know, I know , please don't hurt me! I just wanted to give you an idea for a little stocking stuffer for your shooting enthusiast. I ...

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