By William M. Macfadyen, Noozhawk Publisher | @noozhawk | Published on 03.30.2012
What were you reading on Noozhawk this past week?
1. Former Dos Pueblos Volleyball Standout Samantha Wopat Dies
Samantha ?Sam? Wopat was an up-and-coming member of Stanford University?s powerhouse women?s volleyball team.
She and her twin sister, Carly, were a package deal for the Cardinal and the smart, outgoing sophomores from Goleta looked to have the brightest of futures.
Tragedy struck March 17, however, and Wopat died a week later after an undisclosed medical emergency. She was just 19 years old.
The death was particularly painful for the Dos Pueblos High School community. The Wopat twins graduated from the school in 2010, their younger brothers are students there, and their mom, Kathy, is a popular math teacher on the campus. Their dad, Ron, is a math professor at SBCC.
Dos Pueblos High was on spring break this last week but grief counselors will be on campus Monday to help students and staff cope with the loss.
Among those grappling with the death are the young student journalists who, as members of The Charger Account staff, must report with care and maturity on an incident that, for many, is their first exposure to the passing of a friend. Trust me when I say that, even for those of us who have done it before, the task never gets easier. The Noozhawks will be visiting with The Charger Account team Wednesday to listen to their questions and discuss how to pursue stories no one wants to write.
The loss of a child has to be a family?s most dreaded fear, but the loss of a twin sibling must be particularly painful to the survivor. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the Wopat family, and especially to young Carly.
A memorial to celebrate Wopat?s life will be scheduled at a later date but a memorial fund has been established in her name. Click here to make a memorial donation through the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club.
2. La Casa de la Raza Takes Issue with Newspaper Articles, Demands Retraction
Angry leaders of La Casa de la Raza on March 27 denounced two local newspapers and demanded they retract a pair of articles that they claim unfairly maligns the 40-year-old nonprofit organization.
As first reported by Noozhawk months ago, La Casa de la Raza owes Santa Barbara County tens of thousands of dollars in back taxes for the property it owns at 601 E. Montecito St. Officials of La Casa de la Raza and the county have been in ongoing talks about the situation and both sides expect a resolution soon.
The newspapers ? the Santa Barbara News-Press and its apparent subsidiary, Santa Barbara Latino ? did not respond to requests for comment.
3. iPads Giving Students, Teachers New Ways to Get in Touch with Lessons
A pilot program at Dos Pueblos High is incorporating iPads as a high-tech academic tool and the Santa Barbara Unified School District is looking to roll out the program to all of its campuses. Using iPads, Apple TV and flat-screen TVs, the innovative set-ups can help shave costs over time while incorporating more of the tools and gadgets that modern students are accustomed to using.
On March 26, Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli took a closer look at the program and the district?s plans ? and challenges ? and even included a video clip of Dos Pueblos High teacher Todd Ryckman, SBUSD?s technology strategist who is doing his part to bridge the digital divide.
4. Judge Approves Revised Ballot Arguments for Veronica Meadows Project
Santa Barbara voters in June will decide the fate of a proposed bridge to the Veronica Meadows housing project on Las Positas Road. Although the City Council has approved the 25-unit development across from Elings Park, the project?s bridge has proved to be a sticking point for site owner Mark Lee. On March 23, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Donna Geck approved a stipulated judgment revising ballot arguments for the election. Click here to read a full copy of the arguments.
5. Inspired by Ailing Daughter?s Plight, Marathon Mom Is Running with a Cause
We?ve written before about Sorel Kolendrianos, a beautiful 6-year-old who suffers from Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder of the nervous system. Sorel?s mom, Megan, has been training to run the April 16 Boston Marathon to raise awareness for the disorder, which appears almost exclusively in girls and leads to developmental reversals, especially in the areas of expressive language and hand use.
Noozhawk intern Alexa Shapiro caught up with Megan for an update and shared with readers that there are now promising disease-modifying therapies in development at Children?s Hospital Boston.
?This trial is giving families enormous hope for a brighter future,? Kolendrianos said.
Kolendrianos and her friend, Santa Barbara personal trainer Jenny Schatzle, will be running the marathon together. Click here to make an online donation through Crowdrise.
It hasn?t quite reached Top 5 numbers but I?ve got to give a shout-out to Sloan Hanson, a 12-year-old Santa Barbara Junior High student who is on a spring break of a lifetime with his Santa Barbara Soccer Club team. Sloan and his mates are in England to train with some of the U.K.?s top professional football development teams and junior clubs. In his spare time, Sloan has been writing some very enjoyable accounts of his experience. If you haven?t read them, you?re missing a treat. And, as any of my friends will readily tell you, I don?t even like soccer!
Noozhawk was launched in 2007 to provide Santa Barbara County with a fresh, trusted source for local news. Every day, our experienced staff of professional journalists provides unmatched breaking news and in-depth reporting on the issues that matter to our community. You can come to us on the Web or we?ll go to you and your inbox, at 4:15 a.m. daily.
A sustainable Noozhawk requires support from a number of different sources, including our community of readers. If you value Noozhaewk and want to see it continue to provide a vital forum for the community, please consider becoming a Noozhawk supporter as a member of our Hawks Club ? or provide a one-time donation.
Click here to make a donation online, or mail your check to Noozhawk, P.O. Box 101, Santa Barbara 93102. Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to set up recurring credit-card transactions through our PCI-compliant payment gateway. Personal contributions to Noozhawk are not deductible as charitable donations.
Thank you for your support.
? Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
Noozhawk's comments are moderated, but by posting here you accept your responsibility to follow our rules as part of Noozhawk's shared online community. Please keep your comments civil and helpful. Don't attack other readers personally, and do not use vulgar, abusive or discriminatory language. Use the "Report Abuse" link if a comment violates these standards or our Terms of Use.
A free seminar entitled ?How to Raise Money,? will be hosted by the Wayne Brown Institute (WBI) on April 11, 2012. This event deals with the tough issues of raising money in Utah and features venture professionals in an open Q and A.
The presenters will discuss current trends, the fundraising process, finding the right investor and how to raise capital from an investor. Also, the seminar will introduce the importance of a business plan, what sources of capital are right for your business, the five Fs, Angels and Venture Capitalists, business structure and raising money legally.
Presenters will include a legal investor, someone from the lending and grants community and a serial entrepreneur.
?Entrepreneurs have the chance to get the correct answers to all their questions from the right people,? said Brad Bertoch, President of WBI.
The two hour event will commence on April 11th at 3:30 at the Miller Business Innovation Center 9750 South 300 West ? third floor, Sandy, Utah.
To find out more information please visit http://www.venturecapital.org/vc-events
Thanks to the Wayne Brown Institute for sending us this information?
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE: The Wayne Brown Institute is the nation?s oldest and most successful non-profit, 501(c)(3) venture accelerator. To date, of the over 700 groundbreaking high tech companies that have presented in a WBI program, 70% have participated in financial transactions totaling more than $5 billion in private equity, accounting for ?%-1% of venture capital dealflow in the United States.
ABOUT THE SPONSORS: The title sponsor for this event is Zions Bank. Another main sponsor is the Utah Division of Securities.
Tags: Wayne Brown Institute
This entry was posted on Friday, March 30th, 2012 at 10:36 am and is filed under Featured Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
The stars are aligning. Phil Mickelson won at Pebble Beach, and Rory McIlroy reached No. 1 in the world. And, of course, there was Tiger Woods in Sunday red, a winner again at last on the PGA Tour.
It's Masters time.
But even as the azaleas start to bloom, a thorny issue has returned ? the all-male membership at Augusta National Golf Club ? thanks to another achievement that took place far away from the fairways and greens. Virginia Rometty officially took over Jan. 1 as CEO of IBM, the first woman to be chief executive in the 100-year history of Big Blue.
IBM is a longtime corporate sponsor of the Masters, and its last four CEOs have been invited to be members.
Next in line, though, is a woman.
For Martha Burk, who led an unsuccessful campaign 10 years ago for Augusta to admit a female member, the solution is simple.
"What IBM needs to do is draw a line in the sand ? 'We're either going to pull our sponsorship and membership and any ancillary activities we support with the tournament, or the club is going to have to honor our CEO the way they have in the past,'" Burke said in a telephone interview.
"There's no papering over it," she said. "They just need to step up and do the right thing."
Club officials have declined comment, citing its policy that membership issues are private. At least there has been no mention of a "bayonet," the term used by former chairman Hootie Johnson that ignited this debate in the summer of 2002.
IBM has not returned phone calls seeking comment.
It would seem that something has to give ? the club's recent history asking IBM chief executives to become members, or its history of never having a female member since it opened in 1933.
To be clear, Augusta allows women to play as guests during the eight months it is open (October to May).
And the exclusivity of the club is limited in practice. Johnson, during a 2002 interview with The Associated Press, said Augusta National holds four parties a year in which only the members are allowed.
Still, these aren't your ordinary businessmen. The members include Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, CEOs from major insurance companies, financial firms and media companies, including Brian Roberts of Comcast, which owns Golf Channel.
None are women.
What has become clear is that questions about the way Augusta National does business ? and whom it invites ? are sure to get as much attention as the return of Woods or the emergence of McIlroy.
Anticipation has shifted from who's going to win the green jacket to whether a woman will finally wear a green jacket.
One difference this time around is that Burk can put a face on the controversy, even though Rometty has not said whether she is interested in becoming a member. In fact, Rometty is said to be play golf sparingly. She is more passionate about scuba diving.
Fortune magazine listed her at No. 7 last year in its annual ranking of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Business." It was the seventh consecutive year she has been on the list.
Augusta never talks about its members, although they are seen in green jackets during the tournament. That's how it was discovered that former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Lynn Swann was invited to join.
Johnson, and successor Billy Payne, made it clear that there is no timetable for inviting a woman to join, and if history is any indication, pressure from Burk or the media is not going to change that.
Burk worries that Rometty might feel pressure to avoid the all-male club, and says that's a much the fault of IBM as Augusta National.
"It does put IBM in a tough spot, but it's all their own making," Burk said Friday morning on CNN. "They have had nine years to help this club come into the 21st century. They've done nothing about it. Now, they're both in a bind.
"I wouldn't put this on the CEO to do," she said, referring to Rometty. "It is the board of directors' responsibility. Samuel Palmissano, who is a member of the club, has a great responsibility here as chairman of IBM. And they need to just step up and do the right thing and get this over with."
Rometty replaced Palmissano as CEO while he stayed on as chairman.
When Burk was leading her fight to open Augusta to women, the Masters did away with television sponsors for two years to keep them out of the fray. When corporate sponsorship returned for the 2005 Masters, only IBM came back. Coca-Cola and Citigroup did not.
Burk doesn't consider her campaign a complete failure, even though it fizzled at a protest during the third round of the 2003 tournament in a parking lot down the street from the club. Without that protest, "this wouldn't be on the table now."
Just like that, she is back in the news.
After CNN, she was to tape a segment for "NBC Nightly News" later Friday. She might get a phone call once a month on the Augusta membership, and now can't keep track of who's calling.
Augusta won the first battle. This time, Burk believes there potentially are two enemies of equal rights for women.
"The company has a huge responsibility here not to undermine its first female CEO," she said on CNN. "If they accept anything less than full membership ? or resign their sponsorship, which is another option ? they're going to undermine their new CEO. And they'll be making a statement that they don't consider her an equal to her predecessors."
I was tired of hearing that the Internet is the largest market in human history. Maybe so, but how could I reach those millions of people?
The answer, I discovered, is ezine advertising.
Ezines are sometimes called 'opt-in' lists because everyone who receives an ezine has chosen to do so.
And that's why ezine advertising gets results. People read ezines and they'll read your ad. And if you've matched the ezine to the product you're selling, you've reached your target audience.
There are currently around 90,000 ezines being published every month. So whatever you're selling, there's more than likely an ezine that will take your ad straight to the audience you want to reach.
Ezine advertising is not only effective, it's cheap as well.
A 5 line ad in an ezine that goes to 3000 people will cost you between $5 and $20 per issue.
As a general rule, you'll always get back at least the cost of the ad, and usually much more. So there's very little risk.
But there are some tips for successful ezine advertising. Here they are:
1. The first and most important rule is: "Track your Ads!" Say you place an ad in 5 different ezines and get a hundred responses. If you don't track your ads, you won't know which ezines were pulling responses and which weren't.
But how do you track your ads?
The simplest method is to place a key or a code at the end of your email address:
yourname@yourdomain.com?subject=ezineA
Then, when you get a reply with 'ezineA' in the subject field, you'll know which ezine it came from.
For a URL, it's the same principle:
http://www.yourdomain.com?ezineA
However, if you're going to code your URLs, you'll need a good webstats program to track the coded URLs. These two programs are excellent and they're both free:
Here's another way to code your URLs: for every ezine ad, create a duplicate of your homepage and name the page after the ezine that your ad will appear in. So, if the ad is appearing in EzineA, this is the URL you'd place in that ad:
http://www.yourdomain.com/EzineA
2. Target your audience. It may seem obvious but some advertisers overlook this. If you're selling a web-marketing course, don't advertise in an ezine that deals with stock options; they probably won't be interested.
Use the 'subject categories' in any ezine directory to find ezines that relate to the product you're selling. You can find a list of 56 ezine directories in 'The Free Directory of Ezines' at:
3. Once you've chosen a number of ezines that target your audience, subscribe to them and examine the ads closely. If you see an ad that keeps repeating issue after issue, you can be pretty sure that it's getting results. You've found a good ezine to advertise in.
4. Check to see how many ads are in the ezine. You probably won't get much response from an ad in an ezine that has 15 or 20 ads per issue. Readers of those ezines have become hardened to the ads and have learnt to skip them.
5. Check to see if the ezine publisher has a policy of never running ads for two similar products in the same issue - your ad will be much more effective if it's the only one of it's kind in that particular issue.
6. Small ezines Vs. Big ezines: bigger is not always better. The big ezines with 1000's of subscribers tend to have more ads than the small ezines. Also, small ezines with only a few hundred subscribers often have a much more targeted audience than the big ezines.
7. Repeat your ads. Research shows that off the Web, an ad has to be seen about 21 times before someone acts on it; on the Internet it's about 9 times. If your budget allows, try and have your ad repeated at least three times in a particular ezine. Most ezines offer discount packages for bulk advertising.
8. Email address Vs. URL. The advantage of giving an email address is that it gives you the opportunity to send a powerful sales letter to the person who responded to your ad. It's also much easier to track your ads with an email address than a URL.
9. Offer something free in your ad copy. It'll often tip the balance between a response and no response.
10. Keep your ads short, even if you're not using the number of words you're allowed. Short ads are more likely to be read. Keep your sentences short too; they pack much more power. Use the word 'You'. Don't describe your product but tell the reader what your product can do for them.
The case of an Australian couple that had a premature child born to them in B.C. has hit the headlines and elicited a lot of emotional response.? We all want to be compassionate, until the bill comes in.
According to press reports, the young mother gave birth to a daughter at 26 weeks into her pregnancy just prior to boarding a return flight to Sydney. The child, weighing less than one kg at birth, had to spend three months in a Vancouver hospital until it was stable enough to be released. The cost of care ran to almost $1 million.? Though the couple had travel insurance, they found it did not cover unexpected complications associated with pregnancy. The hospital settled for a $300 a month payment for over 200 years.
Then the firestorm: Why can?t the Australian government pay the bill? Why shouldn?t Canada pay since the child was legally a Canadian citizen? Why shouldn?t the travel insurance company pay?
According to the couple, they tried to find travel insurance that would cover pregnancy and they thought they had it, until they looked at the details. In fact, no travel insurance plan will pay for a pre-determined event such as childbirth, it?s not designed for that purpose. And travelling 26 weeks into a pregnancy, almost 8000 miles from home, is risky.
Despite all of the warnings travel insurers issue about their products covering only unforeseen, unexpected emergencies, not pre-existing conditions, and definitely not conditions that can be expected to result in the need for hospitalization or medical care while on their trip?customers are shocked when insurers refuse to pay. They?re also shocked at how much it costs to care for a dangerously ill patient in a modern hospital.
Well it?s time to get over the shock and start thinking clearly. Modern medicine is expensive because it works miracles, and we have come to expect miracles when one of our loved ones is in peril.? We demand nothing but the best?even when we?re in a foreign country.
Travel insurance, by its very nature, must be strictly limited to conditions and situations that are related to travel. It?s not a substitute for comprehensive, government health coverage as it?s known in Australia, Canada and many other countries around the world.? If it were, and if it covered births, hip and knee replacements, gastric banding, nose jobs and tummy tucks it would cost ALL travellers multiples more than it does now?even those needing no emergency services abroad.
There are tradeoffs that need to be made: affordable travel insurance limited to unexpected emergencies, or insurance that covers everything and can be afforded by very few.? Take your pick.
All travel insurers advertising on this sitemeet Travelinsurancefile?s acceptability criteria for out-of-country health benefits for Canadian residents. All offer a range of products that have varying medical eligibility standards and can meet the needs of most applicants?even those in less than perfect health. You can also complete your applications and buy online.?
Last week we featured London?s?Rita Catolino, and during her interview, she made strong mention of her coach Renee Primeau stating ?She?played a HUGE role in setting me up for success in that show, and the ones that have followed. I couldn?t have done it without her.?
Like any good website would, we wanted to know more about the woman whom Rita credited for helping transform her physique into what you saw last week. What we found is the credit Rita was giving her coach Renee was extremely warranted, as Primeau not only coaches Catolino, but many other big names in the fitness world, and is also a Personal Trainer & Holistic Lifestyle Coach.
It?s no secret we take pride in featuring some of the best that London, Ontario has to offer. While most students at Western U (Downtown London) may not be familiar with Fitness Forum (Southwest London), if any of them, or anyone else in London and surrounding areas, are taking the next step into the world of fitness, it?d be highly recommended they check it out.
Renee?works out of Fitness Forum a few days a week, with in-person clientele. The rest of the week, she works from home with distance based and local clientele. Anyone interested can reach her by emailing?renee@reneeprimeau.com.?Having?coached numerous high level physique competitors and fitness models (including regular Oxygen Magazine featured models, Regional, Provincial and Nationally level ranked competitors) you know you?ll be getting?great quality coaching.
Renee is also a fitness model herself doing print work for physique competitor geared training wear; workout shoots that have been featured in various online articles; ads and promotions for fitness related companies; and modeling for fine art and art gallery projects for gallery pieces.
We took the time to speak with Renee and asked her everything from what led her stay in London, to why she took a step back from competing in order to coach high some level of competitors, whom she was competing with. We asked about her diet, what being a holistic lifestyle coach means to her, and just about everything else we could think of.
Check it out below. It?s a must read for anyone in the fitness world.
Check out more Renee and Team Primeau at her: Blog, Team?s Primeau FanPage, Facebook?and Twitter?
2nd Place Finish at OPA London, Ontario Provincial Qualifiers 2010
Interview with Renee
Who are you?
My name is Renee Primeau. I was raised in Glencoe, Ontario. We also lived in a couple surrounding areas- our farm in Appin and a house in Wardsville. These are small towns that contain between 400 and just over 2000 people.
I have now lived in London, Ontario around 10 years.
I am a Personal Trainer, Holistic Lifestyle Coach (both online and in person) and have taken part in Physique Competitions and Physique Photoshoots since October of 2007.
I haven?t really thought about it before now, to be honest. My family lives close to here (about 30 minutes away), I went to high school here and moved here for college around the time I turned 18. In that time I?ve met a lot of people who are important to me, have become comfortable, and work has begun to expand here (Many clients are local).
We?ll see what the future holds but, as of now, I guess you could say everything I need is right here.
At what point in your life did you make fitness a lifestyle? What steps did you take to achieve this and what made you decide to make this change?
Over a couple years, I had begun making some pretty poor lifestyle choices, and decisions in many areas. These decisions had turned into some very unhealthy habits. I wasn?t happy with myself and what these habits were leading me to so I started to think about what I wanted to do about that. One of the things I came up with was to get a gym membership.
On February 25th, 2007 (I still have the old training journal I started on that day!) I signed up at Fitness Forum; it was right down the road from my new apartment at that time. A personal trainer weighed me, took measurements and checked body fat percentage. I made a promise to myself and to him that I would get my butt in there 6 days a week, follow a regime I had put together from some pieces of info gathered from the past, and leave behind any excuses. We then booked a 6-week assessment where numbers would be re-checked and compared to the start.
Over this 6-week period, it didn?t take long to fall in love with resistance training. I loved feeling strong and connected to my body.
I was also a smoker then, had started cutting down on smoking at that time, and eventually quit.
When it was time for my 6-week assessment, according to the methods used, my bodyfat percentage had not budged! AND my weight was still the same. I left the gym feeling very frustrated. But then, once admitting there were other areas of life that needed some changing if I really wanted to see and feel results, I began replacing some other unhealthy habits with healthier choices. The ?normal? staples I had adopted of Pizza, McDonald?s and nights filled with Vodka/Cranberries and partying were replaced with healthy whole foods, and doing a lot more of the things that actually mattered. I began spending more quality time with myself, my family and the other important and supportive people I was forming closer bonds with.
I would still have the ?cheats? but not more than a couple times per week, and times including alcohol were saved for special occasions/planned events.
This quickly became a lifestyle when I experienced how awesome I could feel, how much stronger I had become, and my body composition shifted like crazy! In just over a couple months after that 6-week check in, my body fat percentage had folded in half and it felt like my mind and body had awoken, and changed so much. It felt really amazing.
Who was, or is your mentor in the fitness industry?
I have had guidance and help from many really amazing people but my two main mentors/influences in the fitness industry are IFBB Pro Stephanie Worsfold and Carter Schoffer of Precision Nutrition and Body Transformation.
What was it like competing in your first show in 2007? What aspect made you fall in love with competitions?
I loved my first show. It was a fitness model competition in Windsor, Ontario and the whole time leading up to that day was fun. I was already quite lean before deciding on it, which helped make the prep relaxing, not too far off from my ?new-found normal? and just an all around awesome experience.
My Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister-In-Law, Coach at the time/great friend Stephanie Worsfold and a couple other friends came up to watch. It was awesome sharing that experience with them.
I fell in love with the learning behind each prep and the challenge. You become sort of a science experiment when it comes to training and nutrition changes, and especially with the final water and carb manipulations during the final week of prep. I always get so excited when trying out something new and watching my body?s reaction to it.
What is the most challenging part about prepping for a competition?
It can be time and energy consuming depending on the prep and the person. I found a few preps to be more energy and time consuming than others (especially the last two). This was probably the most challenging part, figuring out ways to manage time and energy so that a fair as possible balance with ?real life? and prep could be made. Like many other competitors, I still work, have other responsibilities and life doesn?t stop because a person decides to prep for a show.
Cardio is also not always a favourite, and this is often increased for me as the show date comes closer (as it is for many others as well). I would do the amount required, but it was a challenge some days, for sure.
Besides the challenges, what is the most rewarding part?
Getting through challenges is definitely rewarding.
It?s pretty cool how much getting through challenges in one area can have a positive impact on other areas, as well. I feel that I?ve gained a renewed sense of confidence from facing challenges and started to see that I really can accomplish anything I set my mind to.
There are still times where doubts creep up but, I believe, through a lot of these challenges faced, I?ve become a lot better equipped to recognize these doubts and push myself past them.
At what point did you realize you wanted to coach other competitors, and help assist them through their transformations?
A few years ago, my soon-to-be first coaching client, Meaghan Terzis was speaking with one of the trainers at Fitness Forum about looking into help for an upcoming shoot and possibly a show. He referred her to me, and Meaghan and I met up to go over her goals. I had never worked with a competitor before and hadn?t really assisted many people at all in a structured way at that point, so this was an exciting and new experience for me.
Meaghan has a beautiful and ideal fitness model physique, she is very dedicated and she has the determination/mind set to follow a structured plan to a T. This helped both of us learn so much from how her body reacted, what things seemed to work well, what didn?t and what to do better for next time. On show day, I loved helping her and the other girls backstage, seeing her on stage and sharing that excitement. It was so much fun to me!
More and more girls began contacting me and it has just kept growing from there.?
You?ve actually decided to take the step away from competing and focus soley on helping your clients? What was your reasoning behind that decision?
I don?t know if I?ll never compete again, but it didn?t feel like the healthiest decision or the most conducive to my goals and priorities anymore. I mean, I encourage the girls to find a healthy balance with training and nutrition, and a love/appreciation for themselves before starting the preps, or deciding to compete. One of the reasons being that, for the majority, stage shape is not realistic for an extended period of time, and you very likely won?t look like that all year. If you don?t appreciate who you are and how you look before getting into that sort of shape, the outcome may not be great after the shows/shoots are finished.
When I sat back and thought about it, I wondered if I had ever really given myself the chance to do that- to appreciate who I was without the idea of having a show or shoot on the horizon. Or, if I did have that healthy mindset at one point, I wanted to be sure that I still had it. I think it was a good decision to step back.
I also tend to go ?all or nothing? into shows. My focus is lasered in on that goal and, although I can juggle work and other things, I don?t give the focus to some of those important things that I started to think more about. I wanted to excel on a personal and professional level, and I realized to do that I needed to narrow my focus, and taking a break from the shows would likely be very helpful there.
How would you explain the title ?Holistic Lifestyle Coach.??
The word ?Holistic? can mean different things to different people so the title Holistic Lifestyle Coach may as well. To me, this means keeping site of the whole picture when it comes to assisting clients with healthy lifestyle changes and goals. Overall health/well-being, performance and body composition should all be seen as important.
Physique Competition preps are different in many ways than healthy lifestyle goals. During competition preps, there are some extreme aspects regardless of how you look at it. Water manipulation and getting down to unnaturally low body fat percentages are not healthy practices, and most people are not going to feel amazing throughout the entire show prep. But I feel a coach who keeps site of the whole picture (or views things holistically) aims to use the safest practices possible, is careful to think of the client?s health and well-being for the long-run (not just how great they look on stage) and maintains watchful concern for the client?s overall health and well-being throughout the entire show prep.
We came across you after featuring one of your clients, Rita Catolino. Who else are you currently, or have you helped make a name for themselves in the fitness world?
I have really been fortunate with the roster of girls I have worked with, and am working with now. There are numerous girls that are doing really well in the fitness world in their own way. A few have had great success in fitness magazines, more with the shows and in personal areas of life.
Some of the girls who have been successful in a public sense are Rita Catolino, Meaghan Terzis and Midori Rutledge. Rita and I have both worked with Midori. Rita, Meaghan and Midori are all regular features in Oxygen Magazine. Others have also been successful with shows, which is really awesome, but I don?t want to take away from the girls setting and reaching other great personal goals. These goals may not be as publicly seen, but they are just as important and it?s pretty incredible to watch these progressions and to be a part of them.
I think another important thing to note is that we all work as a team. Everyone plays a role in the support and success of the girls, and it?s pretty amazing. We all connect online, meet up for different workshops/seminars, workouts, yoga, etc., and I believe that the team atmosphere and support is so important for the success of many.
I love what we have built, and have a great feeling about where things are headed.
Some of your current clients have shows and shoots coming up. When and where are they, and how can we follow who?s competing?
Yes they do! Many of the girls are doing shows and shoots this season. The shows they will be taking part in are:
OPA Festival City Stratford Championships on April 14th
The Stephanie Worsfold Classic here in London on May 5th
The GNC Sudbury Championships on May 12th
The Ontario?s on June 2nd in Toronto as a part of the Toronto Pro Super Show
The OPA Nationals in August
The IFBB North American?s (dates and locations for Nationals and North American?s TBA)
There are quite a few exciting shoots, too and info on those will be posted as they happen.
If you would like to keep updated on shoot info, who is competing and how the preps are going you can check out my blog: ReneePrimeau.Wordpress.com, our team Facebook page: Team Primeau, my facebook page: Renee Primeau, or Twitter: @ReneePrimeau
If someone is looking to contact you for your services, whether it be training, prep or holistic lifestyle coaching, how can they contact you?
E-mail is best and renee@reneeprimeau.com is my address.
How many times a week do you go to the gym? What is your ?weekly routine? like?
It really depends on the goal and the program being followed at that time. Usually I am in the gym anywhere from 4-6 days a week, the programs change every 4-weeks, and I really enjoy being challenged and learning from many different types of training.
Right now I am completing mainly full-body workouts of both metabolic, or athletically oriented efforts, and ?real? strength training movements as a 4-day routine. These workouts are performed every other day and cardio is performed on 1-2 of the days in between. With this awesome weather I am really loving getting outdoors for some of that!
In a couple weeks I am beginning a new training block with Carter, and I am pretty excited to see what that looks like.
We see you?re now also an employee at Fitness Forum, which has been doing well since its opening in 1985. What makes it so successful?
Yep : ) I have worked out of Fitness Forum for about 4 years now.
Fitness forum is a different kind of gym. It is family owned and operated, the atmosphere is super friendly and so are the staff. We have members that have been there since Fitness Forum first opened (27 years ago!), and we all know each other.
It?s not just a fitness facility but a community, and I think this is what sets it apart, and makes it so special. Members range from young competitive athletes, to all ages of regular gym goers, to the elderly. Comments are frequently made from members about how welcome, comfortable and free they feel to do their ?own thing.? It?s a pretty cool place.
What is you diet plan like? What are your reasons for eating this way?
I am not really following a ?structured plan? right now. This is a weird experience for me after being structured for so long *laughs*. I just wanted to see if I could do that- maintain a healthy approach to food without being so ?food focused.?
I don?t think there is anything wrong with a structured plan, and think it may be a healthy approach for many and a great way to build new healthy habits, I just know that I?ve been food focused for a long time. It was like ?When am I going to get a chance to eat?? ?Where am I gonna be for my next meal?? ?If I don?t eat every 2 hours my muscle is gonna fall off and I?m gonna starve to death.? *laughs* Okay, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration but I definitely centered a lot of my days and activities around eating and wanted to change this.
I think we should plan to have good food choices on hand and to be sure we get the nutrients we need but my hardwired ?I NEED food at this specific time? mindset wasn?t really making sense to me, anymore.
Instead I am just following habits. Approximately 1 day a week, on a non-training day, I will complete a partial fast (anywhere from 4-8 hours after the time of waking) but, most days, my meals are spaced apart every few hours and amount to about 5 a day. I have a lean protein source with each meal, veggies (green and coloured) with at least 3 of the meals, healthy fat sources with 2-3 of the meals (olive oil and flax meal are used most frequently), clean carb sources (usually fresh fruit) timed earlier on in the day, and around my workouts. I don?t really think about specific counts of macronutrients, calories or anything else and, after a bit of an uncomfortable phase, I really enjoy living like this now.
?Cheats? are taken 1-2 times a week and usually include a desert, or a glass of wine with dinner, or a muffin during a coffee out with a friend. If I know there is a special event coming up, a friend or family member?s birthday, a special holiday, etc., I will save the cheats until then.
Maybe if I ever do decide to take body composition to another level again, or feel the need for more structure for some reason, this could change but, right now, this way feels awesome to me.
What are you plans looking forward?
There are a lot of exciting things in the works.
When it comes to work related plans, right now I am completing courses and taking part in various workshops/seminars (also career and future plan oriented).
I always want to keep learning, growing and improving. That will always be a part of my plans.
Do you have any final words for your fans, clients and the readers of Lions Den U?
Do what makes you happy, whatever that happens to be. Set your goals based on what you want for yourself and know that you can reach these goals.
Don?t limit yourself. Don?t base your beliefs on other people?s opinions, achievements or abilities. You have your own unique greatness to offer.
It really makes no difference what you?ve done, who you?ve been or where you are- You can make better decisions, and you can choose your way to the life you deserve at any time. We all deserve to know and experience that.
Thanks Renee!
Photos Courtesy: Renee Primeau,?Ric from Alienize Photography, Fred Boylan, Grant Jones of Digiography,?Jennifer Wilson, Bill Cresswell, Judi Stone Douglas, Sarah Dick, Jeremy J Shortt, Glen E. Grant,?Gerald Blanchard, Grzegorz Kiezkowski, Digital Art by Chasity E. Ijames (Child of Light Designs- Venice, Florida)
Tel Aviv, Israel ? Announcing that Hashsoft has just released myPill version 2.1, their birth control reminder app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Following many requests from its devoted users, this version finally bring the long-waited patch contraceptive theme, a contraception product. Just like nicotine patch works, this can be placed on the shoulder or other body parts, this hormon patch replaces the need of swallowing pills daily.
As a side note, Hashsoft reveals it plans on release an app totally devoted to the patch contraceptive, this will save the need for all configuration parameters required by the generic myPill and provide a faster on-boarding for new users.
Pack of patch contraceptive has three patches in it, each patch lasts for one week. myPill reminds to place the first patch, reminds replace it with a new patch every week and reminds to remove it after three weeks.
Another big news is five new translation languages added. Following the success of previous localization support, myPill now supports German, Dutch, Korean, Russian and Arabic. Now, along with French, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish ? myPill supports the top 10 popular languages worldwide.
Lastly, myPill has got a more appealing new app icon and iPad graphics has been adjusted to match the new iPad retina display.
Pricing and Availability: myPill ? Birth Control Reminder 2.1 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Health & Fitness category.
myPill ? Birth Control Reminder 2.1 Download from iTunes Screenshot 1 Screenshot 2 Screenshot 3 App Icon
Hashsoft is an iPhone apps company that strives for creation of useful, productive and high quality products. All Material and Software (C) 2010 Hashsoft / All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPod, the iPod logo, are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]At age 135, the man on the Quaker Oats label has never looked better. The plump, beaming, white-haired man known as ?Larry? recently got a makeover, making him look slimmer and a little bit younger. It?s a very subtle makeover that is not obvious to...
[ [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Afghan security forces and police killed three', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/H9BcJE', '[Related: Bales\' wife on his alleged shooting: \'He would not do that\']', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['looking for fireworks between the opposing camps', 16]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSvEsj', '[RELATED:\?It?s going to be a circus\?: Activists begin protests outside Supreme Court]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 8]], 'http://yhoo.it/GE6jSh', '[RELATED: Obama\?s health care law passed 2 years ago, but where are we now\?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GUovUP', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/61/261d2c36bccf0971c2734a4d4398aa5a.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP/David Goldman', ], [ [['Can you create commerce in order to regulate it', 9]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSgtu8', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/78/778e2416573870cd705774e92403447d.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP/Charles Dharapak', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
[ [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]
Land Accessible in TX: The Pros and cons of yank Real estate property Properties With the recovering economy of United states of america, people are reacquiring real estate properties. In Texas increasing numbers of people are now into ranching business again. Land Man LLC assists them to to locate well landscaped and well managed lands. With the economical crisis in year 2008, many people in the us have sold their houses and lands. Real properties back then were not costly because everyone was rushing to promote their house simply to have funds on hand, most on the properties within the height on the crisis were reacquired by banks because individuals cannot pay their mortgages. The U.S. economy is slowly regaining its strength with the help of the fiscal policies in the government. The values of land are also rising. Acquiring lands in the middle of crisis was quite challenging. Americans stood a tough time in buying new properties over the economic while in the Northern American region. The value of dollar earlier was suprisingly low. It resulted to the soaring high costs of commodity and capital for investments. What managed to get worse was that many Americans lose their jobs owing to nonstop retrenchment in a great many companies. The sustainability of the economy during that time was slowly faltering. Playing with insufficient time the economy of U.S. went back to its feet, and Americans slowly recovered by making use of government fiscal policies. In some section of U.S. ranching boomed again particularly texas. Selling ranches and huge lands in Texas was crowned major business once the crisis. In visiting Texas you?ll always be prompted having a sign Land To be found in Tx. Ranching is one of the hottest means of using immense size land. They have continuously provided a useful source of income possesses been a fantastic part of Texas history and culture. Texas, being the second largest state in the states by both area and population, is viewed as the most beneficial property investment state. In Texas it is rather present with see signs with written words Land Accessible in Tx. This market importance of Texas Ranches is continuously increasing, giving an enormous financial possibility for audience and investors.
There is certainly one land sales and marketing company which may facilitate and direct you towards finding good ranches while in the state of Texas, the Texas Land Man, LLC. They?re going to surely help you in finding ranches with good landscape and well managed land. Texas Land Man will ensure the profitability of your land. They may offer you comprehensive specifics of ranches for sale in Texas. In addition they assist you discover the ranch of the dream and ensure the land you buy has to be profitable one. Lasting plans for certain estate investment will definitely be achieved when you finally buy property properties from Land Man LLC. If you need more info about ranching and real estate investment in Texas you can visit their site at http://www.texas-landman.com/.
[ [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Afghan security forces and police killed three', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/H9BcJE', '[Related: Bales\' wife on his alleged shooting: \'He would not do that\']', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['looking for fireworks between the opposing camps', 16]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSvEsj', '[RELATED:\?It?s going to be a circus\?: Activists begin protests outside Supreme Court]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 8]], 'http://yhoo.it/GE6jSh', '[RELATED: Obama\?s health care law passed 2 years ago, but where are we now\?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GUovUP', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/61/261d2c36bccf0971c2734a4d4398aa5a.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP/David Goldman', ], [ [['Can you create commerce in order to regulate it', 9]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSgtu8', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/78/778e2416573870cd705774e92403447d.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP/Charles Dharapak', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
[ [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]
Crowds gather, Monday March 26, 2012 for Papal Mass by Pope Benedict XVI in the Plaza de la Revoluci?n Antonio Maceo in Santiago, Cuba. Pope Benedict XVI headed to Cuba on Monday, hoping to inspire the same outpouring of faith on the communist-run island as he did in Mexico's conservative Catholic heartland. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Patrick Farrell) MAGS OUT
Crowds gather, Monday March 26, 2012 for Papal Mass by Pope Benedict XVI in the Plaza de la Revoluci?n Antonio Maceo in Santiago, Cuba. Pope Benedict XVI headed to Cuba on Monday, hoping to inspire the same outpouring of faith on the communist-run island as he did in Mexico's conservative Catholic heartland. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Patrick Farrell) MAGS OUT
Pope Benedict XVI walks by the Virgen of the Chariry of Cobre as he arrives to celebrate a Mass at Revolution Square where giving a mass in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Monday, March 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2010 file photo, a woman holds a crucifix next to Cuba's patron, the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, during a year long pilgrimage with the statue to commemorate the 400th anniversary of her appearance in Cuban waters, in Veguitas, Cuba. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Prensa Latina, File)
Cuban President Raul Castro greets Pope Benedict XVI after a Mass in Revolution Square in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Monday, March, 26, 2012.(AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
People cheer upon the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Monday, March 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Prensa Latina)
SANTIAGO, Cuba (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI spent the night in a brand-new home built just for him near the sanctuary of Cuba's Virgin of Charity icon, where he will kneel in quiet prayer early Tuesday before heading to the capital for political meetings.
The pope's brief homage to the diminutive statue that many consider the symbolic mother of all Cubans ? Catholics and non-Catholics alike ? will take place in the morning in the small mining town of El Cobre.
Benedict planned to fly to Havana later to meet with President Raul Castro and possibly Fidel Castro, though that had not been confirmed. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is in Havana undergoing radiation therapy for cancer, did not ask for an audience but would be welcome to attend Mass in the capital's Revolution Square on Wednesday, a Vatican spokesman said.
Under a light rain late Monday, Benedict emphasized family and faith during a Mass celebrated before Raul Castro and tens of thousands of people including Cuban-Americans on a pilgrimage to the communist-run island.
"I appeal to you to reinvigorate your faith ... that you may strive to build a renewed and open society, a better society, one more worthy of humanity," he said in a country where practicing Roman Catholics now account for 10 percent of the population.
Aides held a white umbrella over the pontiff as worshippers approached to take communion, and Castro climbed the stairs to congratulate the pope when the Mass ended.
The 84-year-old pontiff's voice sounded tired and he seemed exhausted by the end of the day after a vigorous four days of travel. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, acknowledged Benedict's fatigue but said his health was fine.
Just before the ceremony began, a man tried to enter an area reserved for foreign journalists shouting anti-government slogans such as "Down with the Revolution! Down with the dictatorship!" He was led away by security agents. It was not clear who he was or what happened to him. The government did not comment.
Benedict's trip to Cuba comes 14 years after Pope John Paul II's historic tour, when the Polish pontiff who helped bring down communism in his homeland admonished Fidel Castro to free prisoners of conscience, end abortion and let the Roman Catholic Church take its place in society.
The current pope arrived in the afternoon in Santiago to an airport reception that included a military band, an honor guard, a gaggle of robed clergy, Raul Castro and Cabinet ministers.
Benedict gently pressed the longtime communist leaders to push through the reforms desired by their people, while also criticizing the excesses of capitalism. His words were subtle and appeared to take into account the liberalizing reforms that Raul Castro has enacted since taking over from his older brother in 2006 and the greater role the Catholic Church has played in Cuban affairs, most recently in negotiating the release of dozens of political prisoners.
The pontiff, who before starting his trip in Mexico said Marxism "no longer responds to reality," said he hoped his visit would inspire and encourage Cubans on the island and beyond.
"I carry in my heart the just aspirations and legitimate desires of all Cubans, wherever they may be," he said. "Those of the young and the elderly, of adolescents and children, of the sick and workers, of prisoners and their families, and of the poor and those in need."
Castro told Benedict his country is committed to freedom of faith and has good relations with religious institutions. He also criticized the 50-year U.S. economic embargo and defended the socialist ideal of providing for those less fortunate.
"We have confronted scarcity but have never failed in our duty to share with those who have less," Castro said, adding that Cuba remains determined to chart its own path and resist efforts by "the most forceful power that history has ever known" ? a reference to the United States ? to thwart the island's socialist model.
Benedict then traveled by popemobile into Santiago, Cuba's second city, barely waving through the glass to onlookers who lined the streets and waved flags.
"I thought this was amazing. This was such a labor of love and faith," said Rita Freixas, a Miami Beach resident who hadn't visited Cuba since her family left when she was 1 year old. She traveled back to the island with her sons and a friend as part of a delegation organized by the Archdiocese of Miami. "I am so happy to be back here. I am so happy to have come."
Tuesday was scheduled to be a day relatively light on public appearances by Benedict.
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski planned to celebrate a Mass in the afternoon in the Havana cathedral in the picturesque historic colonial quarter.
Late Monday, Benedict bedded down in a humble but air-conditioned house constructed in recent weeks with $86,000 in church funds, made of reinforced concrete designed to withstand a magnitude-8 earthquake.
It was just 200 yards (meters) from the El Cobre sanctuary, where he planned a private, spiritual moment Tuesday morning paying homage to the statue of the Virgin of Charity. Its 400th anniversary was cited as a main reason why Benedict chose to visit Cuba this year.
Just over a foot (35 centimeters) tall, the wooden statue is one of the most powerful Catholic icons in the world, and an object of pride and reverence for hundreds of thousands in Cuba. It was taken to Monday's Mass on the top of a truck to the joy of the faithful present.
"She is a beauty, the most extraordinary thing," Mercy Serra said as the statue made its way through the crowd. "She is the mother of all Cubans."
___
Associated Press writer Peter Orsi reported this story from Havana and Andrea Rodriguez reported in Santiago. AP writers Nicole Winfield and Laura Wides-Munoz in Santiago contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP reporters covering the pope: www.twitter.com/(hashtag)!/AP/pope-visit
Assets Account should be debited and liability account should be credited with the ?Fair Value? of leased asset. Fair value represents the price at which asset can be purchased on immediate payment. If fair value exceeds the ?Present Value of minimum lease payments?, asset and liability should be recognised at such present value. For calculating present value of minimum lease payment , discount rate to be used will be the Interest Rate implicit in the lease. If it is not practicable to determine such rate, lessee?s incremental borrowing rate should be used.
Initial direct costs incurred in connection with lease, such as negotiating and securing leasing arrangements should be debited to Assets Account.
Lease payments should be allocated between finance charge and reduction of the outstanding liability. The finance charge should be allocated to periods during the lease term so as to produce a constant periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability for each period.
Depreciation on asset should be provided in the usual manner consistent with the depreciation policy the lessee adopts for depreciable assets that are owned. If there is reasonable certainty that the lessee will obtain ownership by the end of the lease term, the period of expected use is the useful life of the asset; otherwise the asset is depreciated over the lease term or its useful life, whichever is shorter.
Finance charge and Depreciation will be debited to Profit and Loss Account.
Disclosures:
All disclosures required as per AS ? 6, AS ? 10 and under any applicable statute.
Assets acquired under finance lease should be segregated from the assets owned.
Net carrying amount (W.D.V.) of each class of asset at the balance sheet date.
A reconciliation between the total of minimum lease payments at the balance sheet date and their present value.
Total of minimum lease payment at the balance sheet date and their present value for each of the following periods:
Not later than one year, ,ii. later than one year and not later than five years, iii. later than five years.
Contingent rents recognised as income in Profit and Loss Account.
The total of future minimum sub ? lease payments expected to be received under non -cancelable sub leases at the balance sheet date.
A general description of the lessee?s significant leasing arrangements including:
The basis on which contingent rent payments are determined.
The existence and terms of renewal or purchase options and escalation clauses and
Restrictions imposed by lease arrangements such as relating to dividends, additional debt and further leasing.
WASHINGTON/SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - President Barack Obama weighed into the controversial killing of a black teenager in Florida in very personal terms on Friday, comparing the boy to a son he doesn't have and calling for American "soul searching" over how the incident occurred.
Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin, dressed in a "hoodie" hooded sweatshirt, was shot dead a month ago in Sanford, Florida by a 28-year-old white Hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer who said he was acting in self-defense.
"If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon," Obama said in his first comments about the shooting, acknowledging the racial element in the case.
"Obviously, this is a tragedy," Obama told reporters. "I can only imagine what these parents are going through.?And when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids."
The case has galvanized the nation and prompted rallies protesting the failure of police to arrest the shooter, George Zimmerman, and more broadly, a pattern of racial discrimination that black leaders cite in Sanford and elsewhere in the country.
Obama, the first black U.S. president, made his remarks at a White House event to announce his pick to lead the World Bank, waiting briefly after the announcement to take a reporter's question about the incident.
Martin's parents thanked the president for his words.
"The president's personal comments touched us deeply and made us wonder: If his son looked like Trayvon and wore a hoodie, would he be suspicious too?" they said in a statement.
Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law allows people to use deadly force in self-defense.
Similar laws are in effect in at least 24 states including Florida, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Calls are mounting to repeal them. Earlier this week, a Florida state senator said he was drafting new legislation to drastically change the law in Florida.
A South Carolina state representative said on Friday he had introduced a bill to repeal his state's law.
RACIAL DIVIDES
Bakari Sellers, a black Democrat and gun owner, said he wanted to prevent an incident like the Trayvon Martin shooting happening in his state. "I'm six-five and a black guy," he said. "I just know that it could have been me."
Obama said the "Stand Your Ground" laws should be studied.
"I think all of us have to do some soul-searching to figure out how does something like this happen.?And that means that we examine the laws and the context for what happened, as well as the specifics of the incident," he said.
"Every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this, and that everybody pulls together - federal, state and local - to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened."
Obama, the son of a white mother from Kansas and black father from Kenya, does not comment frequently on race, a sensitive topic in the United States, which still grapples with a legacy of slavery, segregation and discrimination.
Early in his White House tenure, Obama inflamed another racially tinged incident by declaring police had "acted stupidly" when arresting a well-known black documentary filmmaker, Henry Louis Gates, after an altercation at his home.
Obama later invited Gates and the white police officer, Sergeant James Crowley, to the White House, where the men shared a drink in what became known as the "beer summit."
In Sanford, Norton Bonaparte Jr., the city's manager, acknowledged tensions between the black community and police "go back many, many years." "The trust that existed is gone, so we have to start from ground zero," he said. Sanford's police chief and a Florida state prosecutor overseeing the case stepped aside on Thursday as criticism grew over police handling of the investigation.
The state's new special prosecutor, Angela Corey, arrived in Sanford after Gov. Rick Scott appointed her on Thursday night.
"We appreciate that an investigation was already done. We are going to review what was done. We are going to continue to investigate and then we'll proceed from there," Bernie de la Rionda, an assistant state attorney with Corey's team, told reporters outside the police department.
SUSPENSION, HISTORY
The U.S. Justice Department is also investigating. Senior officials from the department met with the Martin family in Florida on Thursday, along with their lawyer.
A Justice Department spokeswoman said early in the week that they must collect evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was or was not intent to violate civil rights laws.
And a Florida college announced it had suspended Zimmerman's enrollment.
Zimmerman was working toward an associates degree in arts at Seminole State College in Sanford. He previously earned a vocational certificate in an insurance field, the school said. "Due to the highly charged and high-profile controversy involving this student, Seminole State has taken the unusual but necessary step this week to withdraw Mr. Zimmerman from enrollment," a statement dated Thursday said.
Zimmerman has not commented publicly about the shooting and his whereabouts are unknown. His father has said he is being unfairly vilified.
On Friday, Florida court records reviewed by Reuters showed Zimmerman was involved in at least two previous legal incidents, including a 2005 domestic violence case with his former fiancee.
Zimmerman, who at the time worked at an insurance agency, and his ex-fiance both sought restraining orders against each other after getting into a pushing match. In her complaint, Veronica Zuazo said the two had been involved in two physical fights in 2002 and 2003.
Zimmerman was also arrested and charged with resisting a law enforcement officer with violence in 2005. The case was eventually dropped after he completed a program to avoid being formally charged.
(Additional reporting by Barbara Liston, Jeremy Pelofsky, Deborah Charles, Samson Reiny, Kevin Gray, Harriet McLeod, Colleen Jenkins; editing by Mary Milliken and Todd Eastham)
Recently I was working with a new client who had invested hundreds of dollars for a records management organisation to set up a filing system for his business.
The system looked impressive. The only problem was it didn?t work! It had been set up in a very complicated manner. The headings were so detailed that a master sheet with a myriad of categories had to be referred to before information could be filed or retrieved.
The system was far too complex for their specific needs.
Have you ever had that experience where a filing system had been set up for you and/or your department/business and you couldn?t find or file paperwork easily? How much time have you wasted looking for information? Time management is about managing your time. Spending precious time looking for paperwork is a great way to use up even more of your time.
Did you know that The Wall Street Journal once reported in a survey they had done that the average white collar worker spends 6 weeks a year looking for paperwork? If you?re serious about your time management, then having a filing system where you can easily file and find your work is very important.
How Do You Know You Need a New Filing System?
When it takes you longer than a couple of minutes to find something.
When you run out of floor space because there are too many piles of paperwork on the floor.
When colleagues or clients ask you for information and you frequently say, ? Can I get back to you later because I?ll have to find it!?
When you catch yourself saying several times a day ?I know it?s here. somewhere?.
When
the piles of paper on your desk are taller than you are.
Filing Basics
Clean out all old or irrelevant information.
Write down what types of information you need to keep.
Categories which may emerge include:
Advertising
Bank
Budget
Clients
Equipment
Insurance
Resources
Staff
Suppliers
Training
If required, sub-categories can be made:
Advertising
Bank
Budget
Clients
A separate file for each client
Equipment
Insurance
Building/Contents
Vehicles
Resources
Newsletters
Trade Journals
Staff
A separate file for each person
Resumes
Suppliers
A separate file for each supplier
Training
General
Files for specific areas ie. Time Management, Work/Life Balance
Depending on your situation a whole drawer/s of a filing cabinet may be required to house some of these categories ie. Clients, Suppliers, Staff.
The Final Word
When you can file your paperwork quickly and retrieve it easily, you know you?ve got a system that works well for you.
As part of your time management, being confident in having systems that are effective and take little time to use, will make your life so much easier.
It?s always the little things that make such a huge difference.
More details regarding the setting up of a successful filing system are available in my manual ?How to Gain An Extra Hour in Your Day? and Get Organised-Get a LIFE! Book. (See http://www.office-organiser.com.au)
About The Author
Lorraine Pirihi is Australia?s Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including ?How to Survive and Thrive at Work!?
To subscribe to her free ezine visit http://www.office-organiser.com.au
This article may be reproduced providing it is published in it?s entirety, including the author?s bio and all links. For further information please contact Lorraine Pirihi: lorraine@office-organiser.com.au
The case of an Australian couple that had a premature child born to them in B.C. has hit the headlines and elicited a lot of emotional response.? We all want to be compassionate, until the bill comes in.
