Based on the amount of activity in your lifestyle, which animal would you be?
In Beth Wiffen's MSN article Why Guys Marry Some Girls (but Not Others), she lays out five things men look in a woman they want to marry. Which trait is the most important?
In an article, Are You a Selfish Girlfriend?, Jane Greer, author of What About Me? Stop Selfishness from Ruining Your Relationship, answers why she believes selfishness destroys relationships by saying "Everybody thinks that they are right, and they're invested in defending their point and securing their needs, no matter what. So when people enter relationships, the interaction is often positioned as combative and oppositional. This dynamic has become increasingly intense because our culture conditions and reinforces instant gratification over the hard work of getting along. Everyone has become emotionally grabby." Do you think selfishness could be the heart of many failed relationships and marriages?
In the recent episode of How I Met Your Mother, Robin tells Barney that she is pregnant. Initially, he says she needs to tell Kevin, but we find out Robin and Kevin have not had sex. The only person's baby it could be is Barney's. After hearing the news, Barney begins to celebrate. He is completely enthused over the idea of having a baby. However, does he seem like the father type? Considering his lifestyle of womanizing and drinking, is he really the person you'd want as a father?HIMYM: Would Barney Stinson make a good Father?
Ho! Ho! Ho! Join the Healthy Canmore Holiday Wellness Challenge Win a 3 Month Membership to LifeWorks Gym! Help yourself maintain a healthy lifestyle and still enjoy the holidays. At the same time, light up the Canmore & Area Health Care Foundation HOLIDAY TREE! The Healthy Holiday Wellness Challenge is for individuals that want to maintain healthy habits through out the holiday season. This challenge involves multiple daily components for points including: Tracking moderate physical activity. Tracking your fruits and vegetables. Tracking quality family/friend time. Minimizing or avoiding alcohol consumption. Avoiding sugary snacks and candy. Tracking the quality of your sleep. Canmore & Area Health Care Foundation Light-A-Bulb Campaign The Light A Bulb fund-raising campaign allows you to donate to the Canmore Hospital with funds raised being designated to Obstetrics. The funds raised will be put towards the purchase of 2 birthing beds and 2 infant warmers. Total cost: approx $160,000 The Holiday Challenge participant with the most "points" will be awarded a 3 month membership to Canmore's LifeWorks Gym including: <ul> <li>3 months membership pass</li> <li>3 free classes</li> <li>Free Infra-Red Sauna</li> </ul> Get all the details - <a href="http://www.healthycommunity.ca/Canmore/Challenge/Types/Wellness/?id=3c30c307-e988-4f4a-b02a-ff3c28bd605d">Click Here to Learn more!</a>
"California federal judge James Ware rejected the claim that former judge Vaughn Walker should have recused himself from hearing the Prop. 8 case because Walker is in a same-sex relationship," according to The Wall Street Journal blog. " Lawyers who represented the backers of Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California,, contended that Walker should have disclosed he was in a long-term relationship with a gay partner as the judge arguably stood to personally benefit from a ruling overturning Prop. 8." Should the sexual orientation of any judge, the sex of their partner, or their intent to marry ever have to be divulged in proceedings over gay marriage? Wouldn't that, then, set a precedent that any judge's potential lifestyle choices related to the theme of a particular case could be called into question? A black judge would have to recuse himself from cases regarding African Americans, divorced white male judges ought not rule in favor of other divorced white males, female judges would be banned from ruling on abortion cases. Or only female judges of child-bearing age-- one can assume we'd have to ask if she has children, how many, under what circumstances and if she is now menopausal and thereby no longer concerned with her own stake in her ruling. After all, if the gender of a judge's partner and status of one's romantic relationship are crucial information, where does it end?
There is a certain sexual excitement that comes from the forbidden, from the thought of the unknown, from the anticipation of exploring a new body. As my day dreams run wild and my blood starts to heat up I run for either my husband or one of my special “toys.” There is nothing wrong with fantasying, in fact I encourage it and for some there is nothing wrong with the occasional fling. We just haven’t decided if it is for us or not. We have talked of it on occasion each revealing a little more of our secret fantasies whether it be switching partners, threesomes or completely anonymous sex. I wonder often if the reason we have not joined the lifestyle is because really it is not sex that we fantasy about but the excitement leading up to the actual act.
Posted by Tom FornelliYes, you read that correctly. The country of Pakistan can now be known as not only the former home of Osama Bin Laden, but the new home of a Texas-themed sports bar. I'm sure Texas fans will love seeing their school mentioned in the same sentence as Osama Bin Laden.Seriously, 25-year-old Texas alum Shanil Ali opened up a sports bar in Karachi, Pakistan six months ago with a Longhorns theme. Ali’s Longhorn Sportsbar is decked out completely in orange and white and features the longhorn logo prominently. The food also has a Texas connection: it combines Tex-Mex flavors with Pakistani dishes. Ali is a huge basketball fan, so many of his dishes feature the names his favorite players.“I attended UT Austin and I became a fan of their basketball and American football team,” Ali explained to The Express Tribune. “After a while, I became a typical ‘longhorn’ and wanted to share their lifestyle and their love for sports.”In addition to the offer of good food and a sporty atmosphere, the Longhorn Sportsbar also invites guests to play X-Box and Playstation games on two large, flat screen TVs. Play has thus far been free, but once the bar gets through its three-week soft opening stage, they will begin charging 100 rupees per hour, which is about $1.20, for use of the gaming equipment. The article goes on to state that the menu ranges from buffalo burgers to a Pakistani yogurt drink called lassi. There is no word on whether the bar will carry the Longhorn Network. Either way, you have to think this is somewhat worrisome for coach Mack Brown.Having Texas fans stateside who are upset with him is one thing, but what happens when Al-Qaeda is upset you didn't go for it on fourth down?
Yes, you read that correctly. The country of Pakistan can now be known as not only the former home of Osama Bin Laden, but the new home of a Texas-themed sports bar.
I'm sure Texas fans will love seeing their school mentioned in the same sentence as Osama Bin Laden.
Seriously, 25-year-old Texas alum Shanil Ali opened up a sports bar in Karachi, Pakistan six months ago with a Longhorns theme.
Ali’s Longhorn Sportsbar is decked out completely in orange and white and features the longhorn logo prominently. The food also has a Texas connection: it combines Tex-Mex flavors with Pakistani dishes. Ali is a huge basketball fan, so many of his dishes feature the names his favorite players.“I attended UT Austin and I became a fan of their basketball and American football team,” Ali explained to The Express Tribune. “After a while, I became a typical ‘longhorn’ and wanted to share their lifestyle and their love for sports.”In addition to the offer of good food and a sporty atmosphere, the Longhorn Sportsbar also invites guests to play X-Box and Playstation games on two large, flat screen TVs. Play has thus far been free, but once the bar gets through its three-week soft opening stage, they will begin charging 100 rupees per hour, which is about $1.20, for use of the gaming equipment.
“I attended UT Austin and I became a fan of their basketball and American football team,” Ali explained to The Express Tribune. “After a while, I became a typical ‘longhorn’ and wanted to share their lifestyle and their love for sports.”
In addition to the offer of good food and a sporty atmosphere, the Longhorn Sportsbar also invites guests to play X-Box and Playstation games on two large, flat screen TVs. Play has thus far been free, but once the bar gets through its three-week soft opening stage, they will begin charging 100 rupees per hour, which is about $1.20, for use of the gaming equipment.
The article goes on to state that the menu ranges from buffalo burgers to a Pakistani yogurt drink called lassi. There is no word on whether the bar will carry the Longhorn Network. Either way, you have to think this is somewhat worrisome for coach Mack Brown.
Having Texas fans stateside who are upset with him is one thing, but what happens when Al-Qaeda is upset you didn't go for it on fourth down?
Los Angeles is not known for its subtlety.The vehicular debacle dramatically baptized "Carmageddon" overtakes Los Angeles for a little over two days this weekend and the region is in a panic over the presumption that a demolition project obstructing a ten-mile stretch of a major freeway, the infamous 405, will cripple the city. But exhaustive signage and news coverage have been warning citizens and commuters of the impending doom for some time, with the L.A.P.D. even utilizing popular celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga and Ashton Kutcher to spread the news on Twitter-- for those with a lifestyle just too fast-paced for the L.A. Times online.“Friday July 15 at 7pm we are going to start closing the off ramps between the 101 and the 405, by 10pm they’ll close traffic lanes and by midnight they will close the entire freeway," L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa detailed during a broadcast of “On Air with Ryan Seacrest“ Monday morning. "The freeway will be closed until Monday July 18th at 5am and the ramps won’t be re-opened in that area until 6am. This is 53 long hours.”The mayor also offered some helpful suggestions for how to get by during this trying time. “We are asking people to stay home, we are asking them to BBQ...they should get on a bike, walk, but you just don’t want to be in that area.””You can use the subway for free as well as the buses in the valley and on the west side and in the west valley area. You can go to the MTA website to get more information, but you will be able to use public transportation for free during that 53 hour period.”Are pampered Angelenos making a mountain out of a molehill despite being given ample time to prepare for the mega closure this weekend? Or will the 405 freeway fiasco actually freeze up sunny So-Cal?
Deciding to bring a new pet into one's home can be an enriching and fulfilling experience. And where that new pet comes from is the first step in accepting responsibility as a pet owner, acquiring a new pup or kitten must be in alignment not only with the household's financial constraints, but moral standards and capabilities raising and/or training an animal. Pets from certain environments can present very specific challenges. The heroic feeling of intending to provide a loving home for a lost soul from a shelter is incomparable. However, the unpredictable nature of adopting from a shelter is a drawback for many. Behavioral and social problems can often be shifted with patience and discovery of the root of the animal's problem, but issues that cannot be curtailed are a real risk. However, may dogs are sacrificed because their owner's living situation has changed, a new lease that does not allow pets or an allergy has developed for example.While adopting a brand new puppy or kitten from a breeder or pet store assures that the individual can raise and train the pet themselves, it does not provide a guarantee for a well-behaved companion with zero issues. Human error must always be taken into consideration. Common mistakes and lack of adherence to rules and regimens that teach pets their behavioral patterns sour the potential of any new animal. The weeks that an animal spends with its breeder in its infancy before becoming your pet are also an often overlooked factor. Many breeders are not equipped to provide nor are knowledgeable regarding proper early training or medical care, while some suppliers cultivate and raise their animals under conditions meant to maximize profit without regard to the animals' safety and well-being, such as puppy mills. Animals raised improperly during their formative years can display emotional and health problems down the road that may not be detectable while they are still young. Essentially, the consistencies lie in the inconsistencies. Being armed with solid information and taking the time to carefully evaluate potential pets and their environment are certainly a good start. The American Kennel Club offers a comprehensive tutorial on how to select a new pet, starting with three basic questions to keep in mind:- Have I found the right breed to fit into my lifestyle and home?- Will you have enough time to spend training, grooming and exercising a dog?- Am I willing to spend the resources to ensure the best future for a dog?But where to begin? Would your household adopt a new pet from a shelter, a store or a private breeder?
[Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched Sunday 8/7's episode, 'Bullet Points', you may want to catch up first.]It was clear to fans of AMC's Breaking Bad, that Jesse's repeated rounds of reckless conduct weren't going to come to a cheerful conclusion. Tonight's episode, 'Bullet Points' punctuates his pattern of poisonous behavior-- will it simply end with a period? "Walt also finds out that fingerprints were discovered at the crime scene," from fellow cooker and egghead Gale's murder, Hollywood.com recounts, "so he rushes to speak with Jesse, who is desperate to avoid conversation on the subject matter. His decadent party continues on until he gets a visit from Mike, who informs him of the identity of one of his party guests: one of the twins. Jesse is unconcerned, so Mike convinces Gus to allow him to take action, despite what this will provoke from Walt—the end of the episode sees Mike driving Jesse to an undisclosed location."It would seem that this is the end for Jesse, played by the painfully expressive Emmy Award-winner Aaron Paul. After hosting hazy drug-filled parties full of deviants day after day, the final misstep in his misguided 'generosity' is gingerly strolling upstairs for money at a party-goer's request for pizza funds, while a suspicious onlooker observes that the source of Jesse's wealth is merely a drawer in his room. Mike, who's obviously been observing the extreme liability of Jesse's lifestyle for Gus, arrives to inform an unphased Jesse of the heist, show him the bound and blindfolded culprit on the floor and speed Jesse away to parts unknown. The Slate.com's culture blog brings up the obvious problem that killing off Jesse presents a serious issue for Breaking Bad's writers in losing a main character. But it's easy to see how a show so bold might be okay with taking such a serious step to drive the plot. Contending with Walt's refusal to work without Jesse becomes another matter, though. So if Jesse isn't murdered by Mike, what will this terrifying-to-watch trip to the desert reveal?[Have an idea you don't see here? Leave it in the comments and we'll add it to be voted on! ]
Much of the recent national attention on Portland, Oregon has come from the IFC show Portlandia, by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. My city has appeared a couple other places in national conversation too, and I’m wondering if people living outside Oregon have an impression of Portland getting more attention than it has in the past, and maybe developing a reputation for being a hub of national culture, like Seattle was as the home of grunge in the nineties. A search on the LA Time website reveals two and a half pages of articles mentioning Portland from this year alone, including this article from the end of February about Voodoo Doughnuts, the much-hyped and not-very-good doughnut shop newspapers in other cities love to write about. A fashion designer from Portland won Project Runway at the end of last year; two of our restaurants were featured in a post on Details.com this month. And while I know we don't have sole claim to the term "hipster," it's very often applied to Portland's population... and Yelp has commandeered the term. It is Portland's irresistible influence? Maybe. Besides culture, we're also often cited for good policy and livability. Portland’s often been praised for its bicycle-friendliness, high quality public transportation (which I use every day, thanks Trimet!), and sustainability (sometimes called "greenness"). We also have Powell’s Books, the largest independent bookstore in the world, a thriving food cart scene, great coffee and beer… but you know these things. The question is, are we getting any cooler, or are we still just a bunch of unemployed hippies?
Much of the recent national attention on Portland, Oregon has come from the IFC show Portlandia, by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. My city has appeared a couple other places in national conversation too, and I’m wondering if people living outside Oregon have an impression of Portland getting more attention than it has in the past, and maybe developing a reputation for being a hub of national culture, like Seattle was as the home of grunge in the nineties.
A search on the LA Time website reveals two and a half pages of articles mentioning Portland from this year alone, including this article from the end of February about Voodoo Doughnuts, the much-hyped and not-very-good doughnut shop newspapers in other cities love to write about. A fashion designer from Portland won Project Runway at the end of last year; two of our restaurants were featured in a post on Details.com this month. And while I know we don't have sole claim to the term "hipster," it's very often applied to Portland's population... and Yelp has commandeered the term. It is Portland's irresistible influence? Maybe.
Besides culture, we're also often cited for good policy and livability. Portland’s often been praised for its bicycle-friendliness, high quality public transportation (which I use every day, thanks Trimet!), and sustainability (sometimes called "greenness"). We also have Powell’s Books, the largest independent bookstore in the world, a thriving food cart scene, great coffee and beer… but you know these things. The question is, are we getting any cooler, or are we still just a bunch of unemployed hippies?
Lindsay Lohan's little sister Ali (who now wants to be known as Aliana) seems to either be experiencing the world's most unfortunate awkward phase or has put herself into the hands of some seriously overzealous surgeons. The photo at left is of Aliana earlier this month, while the drastically different inset is only from March of this year. Are her looks shifting due to dropping baby fat and going through a teenage growth spurt? Or are her fuller and more pronounced features the result of professional restructuring?Prominent Hollywood plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Rey, known for his reality television show Dr. 90210, tells E! Online: "Ali appears to have lost quite a bit of weight, which can dramatically alter a person's face. Cheeks protrude more and [her] overall appearance is somewhat gaunt.""It does appear as if she may have had a rhinoplasty," Dr. Rey, who's in São Paulo participating in the Miss Universe 2011 pageant, reveals. "Because in her photos now, her nose appears narrower and the tip more defined." Not to mention her noticeably fuller lips, more defined chin and jawline, and less sleepy eyes, now appearing wider and more alert. Aliana signed a multi-year modeling contract with NEXT Model Management last month.She has also modeled for her sister Lindsay’s 6126 fashion line. "As a young girl who is growing up, it's natural for her facial features to change slightly, and we see this with many of the younger models we represent," says Alexis Borges, agency director of Next Model Management L.A. "Aliana is a beautiful 17 year old girl who is growing into her face and body, as is the norm for someone of her age." Borges added: "We take pastoral care of our models very seriously and encourage the models to maintain a healthy lifestyle and body shape."Is the sudden change in the young model's appearance simply a consequence of growing up, as her mother and reps are insisting? Or did the 17-year-old's appearance go awry after going under the knife to perfect her runway look?
In an article, State Intervention in Life-Threatening Childhood Obesity, appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, Harvard researchers, Lindsey Murtagh, JD, MPH; David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, make the following argument:Many biological, psychosocial, and behavioral factors affect energy balance and, therefore, childhood weight gain, with parents playing an important mediating role. Ubiquitous junk food marketing, lack of opportunities for physically active recreation, and other aspects of modern society promote unhealthful lifestyles in children. Inadequate or unskilled parental supervision can leave children vulnerable to these obesigenic environmental influences. Emotional distress and depression, or other psychological problems arising from abuse and neglect, may exacerbate this situation by leading to disordered eating and withdrawal from sports and other social activities.Even relatively mild parenting deficiencies, such as having excessive junk food in the home or failing to model a physically active lifestyle, may contribute to a child's weight problem. Typically, the potential harm involves an increased risk for obesity-related chronic disease later in life. Most overweight and obese children have the opportunity to ameliorate these risks through behavior change and weight loss..They continue stating 1/3 of US children are obese and overweight, and some of the extreme cases of obesity are likely to lead to serious health problems later on in life. If parents can't manage their children's obesity after being given a fair amount of time, the researchers recommend the state remove the kids from their household and place them under foster-care.This research has received a lot of critique and criticism, which is not surprising by any means. After all, the researchers are talking about removing children from their parent's home. Also, there are many holes and issues in the argument the Harvard researchers have put forward.For one, how do you know the child will become better in another household? A child's weight and obesity are not in the complete control of the parents. Other factors, such as biology also play a role. It cannot be said definitively that a child's parents are at fault. Removing the child, does not guarantee results.Also, our entire culture plays a major role in child obesity. Fast food, video games and computers instead of playing outside, and commercialism all play a major role in a child's obesity. With such external factors at work, to take the children away from the parents when they did not necessarily cause and the parents can not necessarily completely control all of the external factors seems extreme. From a practical standpoint, we could not afford to fund such a program properly. Our nation is broke, and implementing such a program would cost billions of dollars. We also don't have and wouldn't be able to get enough foster homes and parents willing to take in the children. Legally speaking, this program would be on shaky ground. The legal standard for when a child should be removed from his/her parent's household is only when the child's life is under imminent danger. For example, if a set of parents were refusing to treat a curable medical illness by refusing to administer life-saving medications and the results of such would lead to the child's death, the state can step in and take the child away charging the parents with child abuse.Anyways, what do you think? Should parents lose custody of obese and overweight children?
Many biological, psychosocial, and behavioral factors affect energy balance and, therefore, childhood weight gain, with parents playing an important mediating role. Ubiquitous junk food marketing, lack of opportunities for physically active recreation, and other aspects of modern society promote unhealthful lifestyles in children. Inadequate or unskilled parental supervision can leave children vulnerable to these obesigenic environmental influences. Emotional distress and depression, or other psychological problems arising from abuse and neglect, may exacerbate this situation by leading to disordered eating and withdrawal from sports and other social activities.Even relatively mild parenting deficiencies, such as having excessive junk food in the home or failing to model a physically active lifestyle, may contribute to a child's weight problem. Typically, the potential harm involves an increased risk for obesity-related chronic disease later in life. Most overweight and obese children have the opportunity to ameliorate these risks through behavior change and weight loss..
It should come as a surprise to no one that the same demographic that so desperately needed Bristol Palin to win Dancing With The Stars is having fits over post-op transgendered contestant Chaz Bono. It's been mentioned that reality television is not my forte, to put it politely, but this is less about the nail-biting conclusion to a glitzy dance competition and more about how humanity will perform. Will a bigoted bias reign over the show's results and run Chaz out of the competition? Or could his performances actually be judged fairly by the small-minded masses? (Palin came in third, by the way.)"In the past, the ABC celebrity ballroom dancing show has included Lance Bass and Margaret Cho, who are both proud members of the LGBT community," SheWired.com reported. However Chaz is the show's first openly transgendered contestant. "Media critics are wondering what a public vote for Bono as a contestant on DWTS will reveal about people’s attitudes towards the LGBT community." If the web offers a fair sampling, the odds aren't in Chaz' favor-- yet.Reuters citing the following unfortunate examples from the Dancing With The Stars message boards:"HUGE HUGE fan of this show since season two and eagerly await each season to get my dancing/entertainment 'fix'!! But when I heard that Chaz Bono was going to be on, I was sick. Not that I have anything personally again her/him, I just don't want that lifestyle choice continually flaunted in the media esp ABC.""Chaz Bono How low can this show sink. Well you have certainly addressed the gay commuity [sic]. Guess this will not be a family show any longer!!!! Lost my family!""YOUR choice to bring Chaz Bono into the mix goes too far. I am not about to risk the potential for on screen dialogue about sex changes and gender confusion while my 7 and 9 year old are watching. If you want the 'anything goes' hippy culture, then soon that is all you will get. You've lost us. In case any of you are wondering ... no, we are NOT tolerant. We are not tolerant to allow any and all influences to come unfiltered into our home and especially to our children. This is truly a sad farewell.""Chaz will have to dance with one of the girls because she/he says she/he is a man but chromesomes [sic] say different no matter how many surgeries you have."A group supporting Chaz has already sprung up on Twitter, fighting against the backlash with a more positive message of tolerance and acceptance. Does Chaz Bono stand a chance against a conservative demographic persecuting his how he feels compelled to live his life? Or could a loyal web-following rallying behind him ensure that he gets the opportunity he deserves to represent trans folks in the mainstream media?
Larry King
March Madness
Natasha Fame Leslie
Ryan Seacrest
Sanu Dellafiore
John Armstrong
Fred Hanna
Georgia Hester
