Ballina Family Resource Centre are taking part in the 16 Days of Action Campaign and have 159 pink tombstones on display in their centre to remember all of the women murdered in Ireland since 1996.  They also have a candle and lillies display  in their window and are displaying the Women’s Aid 16 Facts for 16 Days during the campaign.

They will mark the end of the campaign by holding a coffee morning in the centre on 10th December to raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence.

For more information contact Sheenagh Honan on 096-75573 or by email ballinafrcadmin@eircom.net.

A estas alturas del curso ya sabéis que me gustán mucho las líneas de tiempo. Una grave carencia de manuales de Economía de la Empresa de bachillerato es que desarrollan desordenadamente conceptos y escuelas, y  al final os crea un batiburrillo en la cabeza.

Teoría: enfoques de gestión

No podemos entender la aportación de Elton Mayo si antes no valoramos lo que hicieron Taylor y Ford. Ni tampoco la obsesión de Ouchi por conocer los secretos de la industria japonesa sin maravillarnos antes del descubrimiento que les transmitió  Deming.

Parece evidente, pero este es el mayor agujero negro de los libros de texto.

La mayor parte de ellos hablan de la dirección por objetivos de Drucker (1950) como si la hubieran descubierto y aplicado hace dos días…

Normalmente las editoriales son muy conservadoras. Se copian la misma estructura unas a otras, y más ahora, en el que el sector editorial está sufriendo la mayor crisis de su historia,  los despidos son masivos y los directivos buscan más pasar desapercibidos y conservar su puesto,  que innovar y crear los libros de calidad que la nueva sociedad del conocimiento demanda.

En Economía de 1º,  Mc-Graw Hill se atrevió con el Penalonga a innovar, y logró el libro de más exito del mercado. Lamentablemente no ha salido un Penalonga de 2º de Bachillerato.

Para la línea de tiempo,  he intentado elegir a los grandes entre los grandes. Sólo me he permitido una pequeña licencia con el último nombre: Pilar Jericó.

Con sus libros (“Gestión del Talento: Del profesional con talento al talento organizativo”, “La nueva Gestión del Talento: construyendo compromiso”  y  “NoMiedo en la empresa y en la vida” ), se ha convertido en una auténtica referencia a la hora de abarcar este nuevo horizonte de la administración de empresas que es el talento.

De sus libros me encantan su elección de citas y sus didácticos esquemas.

I took a trip out yesterday to check on the progress of the cycleway / walkway from Newport to Mulranny that is currently under construction. The route follows the old Achill railway line for the most part, with only very short stretches not on the disused line.

Its total length is something like 18 km, with hopes that it can be further developed in both directions in the years to come, forward towards Achill and back towards Westport.

The track will be a truly great additon to Mayo’s tourism offer.

The track will take us through the Atlantic blanket bogs of West Mayo, affording stunning views of both Clew Bay’s many little quiet inlets to the West and The Nephin Beg mountains and its lakes to the East. The first stage of the track ends just beyond Mulranny village, at the junction between the roads to Ballycroy and to Achill.

Here are just some photos I took yesterday to give you an idea of what this wonderful new amenity will offer. I’ll be walking its full length before the end of the year and will add new photos here as I do so.

Como las señoras que no asumen que dejan de ser guapas, Allen Iverson ha comunicado esta madrugada que deja el baloncesto profesional. Hay muchas cosas que no me gustaban de este chico de Virginia. Muchas más de las que me seducían. De hecho sólo me gustó su preocupación por defender, algo encomiable con un físico tan limitado en la NBA. Pero uno de esos tipos que se juegan cincuenta lanzamientos en cada partido… directamente lo mataría.

Marcó una época en los Sixers, a los que llevó a la final en 2001, pero siempre me pareció un chulo de barrio sobrevalorado. ¿Es suyo el problema?, quiero decir ¿Ese tipo de chupones egocéntricos podrían ser reeducados a lo largo de su carrera?, ¿Es culpa suya, o sus entrenadores tienen peso en sus defectos?. Se marchó de Philadelphia con su camiseta como una de las más vendidas del torneo, cosa que ayuda a su valoración, y recaló en Denver, en un equipo campeón, al que se devoró. Porque esos jugadores, si coinciden con otros estrellitas, revientan vestuarios. Ridículo en los Nuggets.

En media temporada, cambiaron cromos con Detroit, y se trajeron a Billups, un base neutro, muy jugador de club, buen tirador, con materia gris dentro de la cabeza. Resultado: Denver equipo ganador. Nuestro protagonista no hizo ni el huevo en los Pistons y su último escalón han sido los Grizzlies, donde compartía protagonismo con Mayo, Gay, Randolph… demasiados gallos para que no saliera a la palestra reclamando más minutos. El que el entrador no le diera bola ha forzado su marcha.

Pero no se va con la cabeza alta, sino altivo. Dice que tiene baloncesto pa una boda, y viene a dar a entender que el mundo no le comprende, que ya no le dan los balones sobre la bocina. Un tipo diez veces allstar, y con 27 puntos de promedio en su carrera, merece mi respeto, pero nada más. Elegancia es lo que te faltó siempre Allen. Y que coste que no quería ser ventajista pero, por un lado esperaba tu resurrección para darte la tollina en lo alto, y por otro, mi ventajismo es un fruto que fuiste regando temporada a temporada.

Winter can be a great time for bird watching in the West of Ireland. Here are three of the more interesting birds I’ve seen recently.

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

This bird does not ‘belong’ in Ireland, let alone the West. However, as I was driving south through Galway and its terrible floods the other day, a large white bird caught my eye in a flooded field at Kilcolgan. I stopped and observed the Great White Egret for 10 minutes, before continuing on my way. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera, so here is a picture from the UK’s RSPB website.

Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Geese

North West Mayo carries internationally important numbers of this bird during winter, when they migrate south from Greenland. I saw five recently at Blacksod Bay, but, again, didn’t have my camera. The Iniskea Islands hold very large numbers of these during winter. Note the pale white / cream face on an otherwise black upper body head and neck.

Brent Goose

Brent Geese

Again, the North West of Ireland holds important wintering flocks of Brent Geese. I saw three on the beach at Dromard, Co. Sligo recently. That day, I did have the camera. Click on the picture to increase its size and note the Brent’s distinctive thin white collar, which is visible on the bird on the left.

Today is Day 1 of the 16 Days Campaign, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and there is a huge variety of things happening around the country:

• “In Her Shoes” exhibition in Longford
• 16 Rights for 16 Days exhibition in Sligo
• Poster display and lily campaign in Mayo
• Aoibhneas Refuge’s “Step Out of the Shadows” campaign
• Galway Rape Crisis Centre’s social media campaign
• Art and Poetry is on display in Donegal
• Pavee Point is running a pampering session for staff, and various invited guests
• “Break the Silence” ceremony and solidarity campaign in Leitrim and Sligo
• Panel discussion and film screening in Wexford
• “In Her Shoes” exhibition in Clare, Limerick and Tipperary
• NUIG Femicide Awareness Campaign in Galway
• Dundalk Women’s Aid asks “What are you doing about it?”
• Annual Big Breakfast and Pampering Day in Limerick
• Pamper morning for women in Blanchardstown
• Women’s Aid’s campaign begins with a Public Action outside the Dáil Éireann, and the first of the 16 Facts for 16 Days emails

Show your support and get involved in something in your area!

Erris Local Area Network Opposing Violence Against Women invites you to The ‘Lantern Experience’ at the Docks in Belmullet, Tuesday 8th December at 6.00pm. 159 Chinese Lanterns will be released in memory of the 159 women in Ireland who have lost their lives through violence since 1996. Please show your support for and solidarity with these women and their families by coming along to the event. For €2.00, you can show extra support and sponsor a lantern. Refreshments will be served in the Western Strands Hotel after the Docks. For further information, contact Rose at Iorras Le Chéile: 097 20828

Erris Local Area Network is facilitated by the Iorras Le Chéile Community Development Project in conjunction with Mayo Women Support Services and Mayo Rape Crisis Centre. It’s main objectives are:-

• To create a zero tolerance to Domestic Violence in Erris

• To raise awareness of the issue of violence and abuse against women.

• To work to improve services and supports for women and children living with abuse and those who have survived abuse.

“The individual and collective response to creating a community free from domestic violence must come from the community itself”. Women can contact Mayo Women’s Domestic Violence Service on 094 9025409 or Mayo Rape Crisis Centre on 094 9025657.  Iorras Le Chéile is on Main Street, Belmullet 097 20828.

ENERO:

17 de enero: San Antón. Los Madrileños llevan a sus mascotas a las iglesias para que las bendigan.

FEBRERO:

Carnaval. En casi todas las ciudades, se celebran fiestas con disfraces, siendo las ciudades más famosas Tenerife, Cádiz o Sitges (Barcelona).

MARZO:

19 de marzo: Las Fallas de Valencia.

ABRIL:

Semana Santa. La fiesta española más piadosa y espectacular. Hay procesiones religiosas en toda España, siendo más famosas en Sevilla, Valladolid, Toledo, Murcia y Cuenca.

El Lunes de Aguas. En Salamanca. Segundo lunes después del Domingo de Resurrección. Fiesta tradicional, repite la costumbre de los estudiantes de la Universidad de Salamanca que, después de la Cuaresma y la Semana Santa, podían volver a disfrutar de la buena comida y felices compañías. Es costubre salir al campo a comer el hornazo.

Moros y Cristianos en Alcoy (Alicante). Se celebra desde hace más de doscientos cincuenta años, comenzando con el vistoso defiles de Alardos y recordando lo sucedido en la batalla de 1275 cuando los caballeros católicos y el patrón, San Jorge, reconquistaron la ciudad y expulsaron a los invasores moros.

Feria de Abril (Sevilla) representa la hospitalidad de Andalucía. Muchos hombres y mujeres visten durante estas fiestas los trajes típicos de Andalucía, bailan sevillanas y flamenco, montan a caballo.. Esta feria es única por su explosión de color, música y baile.

MAYO:

15 de mayo: San Isidro. Dos semanas de corridas de toros en honor del patrón de Madrid. Además conciertos, actividades culturales y museos especiales.

JUNIO:

18 de junio. Fiestas de los Patrones de la ciudad de Málaga. San Ciriaco y Santa Paula. Hay verbenas populares por estas fechas.

24 de junio. La Noche de San Juan. En muchos lugares de España todavía se encienden hogueras para celebrar el solsticio de verano.

29 de junio: La Batalla del vino en Haro (La Rioja). Se arrojan unos a otros miles de litros de vino delicioso de La Rioja. Puede ver cómo la gente usa la bota del vino como única arma.

JULIO:

A partir del 7 de Julio: Sanfermines (Pamplona).

AGOSTO:

Muchas Fiestas y Verbenas locales se celebran por todo el país en agosto y septiembre. Conciertos, fuegos artificiales, ferias para los niños, música y baile en muchas Plazas Mayores.

Mediados de agosto: La Semana Grande en San Sebastián con el Festival de Música en la Calle, fuegos artificiales, eventos deportivos y Toros de fuego.

28 de agosto: Fiesta de la Tomatina cubre todas las calles de Buñol (Valencia) con tomates.

SEPTIEMBRE:

Comienzan el 8 de septiembre. Ferias de la Virgen de la Vega. En Salamanca. Actividades para niños, danzas tradicionales, parque de feria ambulante, teatro, verbenas y fuegos articiciales.

24 de septiembre: La Merced se celebra en Barcelona con conciertos, fuegos artificiales y comparsa de Gigantes y Cabezudos.

OCTUBRE:

12 de octubre: Fiesta del Pilar (Zaragoza): Los niños de Zaragoza se visten con trajes regionales para las procesiones religiosas y la competición del baile de la jota.

NOVIEMBRE:

1 de Noviembre: Todos los Santos. En algunos pueblos de Cáceres se celebran los calvotes.

DICIEMBRE:

28 de diciembre. Es día de los Santos Inocentes. Se suele gastar bromas entre amigos.

Seriously.  I want the person who told people – out loud – that the recession would be over by the holiday on my doorstep.

Whoopdy doo – good news.   Yay for money and jobs!

But really now, we’ve come head to head with my love/hate relationship.  Advertising.  I like ads for the most part, but they should be in their place – not hidden inside magazine articles or designed to look like instructions on something that should be useful.  Holiday editions of magazines are THE WORST.  It’s not like they’re showing a shopping guide (I like those.)  It’s that 3/4 of the magazine is advertising and the other 1/4 is so badly done that the ads are more attractive.   It’s not like someone just announced that suddenly it was going to be Christmas in December and it’s this new thing we need to rush around for.  Come on now, isn’t there like an archive of something or other you can set aside say sometime in July?

I was 3 pages into a decorating article before I realized it wasn’t just another shitty ad from Pottery Barn. (Really, have you just caught on to the whole “people decorate with brown and a pastel” trend yet?  My bedroom has been two shades of brown with “pops” of color for over 5 years now.  Even all my Ikea furniture matches.)

Last year, magazines were slender because advertisers were using their cash efficiently and thriftily. I have a tiny shelf unit in my bookcase that holds 18 months of Real Simple and a year of Architectural Digest.  It’s maybe 18″ of shelf space.

This year, they’re 200 pages with 50 pages of actual content that’s squeezed into half a page because of the Hellman’s mayo ad taking up the opposite page and spilling over.   My Real Simple came in the mail and is an entire inch thick!  (I measured it.  It really is.)  I got home from the hospital yesterday and saw it on the edge of the couch and Shaun said “it’s huge!  It will take you a week to read it!”  But no.  It was mostly advertising.

See – the sandwich method is being fucked up!

The Sandwich Method is an informal rule you’ll probably only learn person to person in the breakroom at work.  It’s a bald-faced manipulation tactic that is used mainly on evil supervisors or stodgy neighbors.

Here’s how it works:  when you give someone bad news, first you say something good then say the bad thing then immediately follow up with more good news.  It goes like this:  Hey Jimmy, I noticed that your flowers outside bloomed while I was checking on the soft spot in the grass.  It turns out your septic tank is leaking.  Hey, did you hear about the 50% off sale at Home Depot?

Your target is still getting the info – the septic tank is leaking – but you at least have a pleasant lead-in and a get-away plan.  The sandwich method is not to form an action plan.  It is meant to inform and escape.  Then after the escape, your target can think about what you said in the middle at their own pace.

This is also the basic theorem of advertising within content.  You have 10 minutes of TV, then 2 minutes of 30 second commercials with the expectation that if you sit there and watch them, soon you will get 10 more minutes of content you care about.  If it’s any longer of a time, the target will run away or take up under-water basket weaving or something.

Because what you want the customer to SEE is the middle.  That’s the meat.  What the customer is there for is the package – the sandwich.  What your advertising should be is the MAYONNAISE!  The customer takes a bit thinking “wow, turkey and bread are great, we should do this more often.”  Then they taste the mayo and go WOW, mayo is awesome!  Then you keep slipping in stuff and they start to expect the cleverness and interest your mayo adds to their experience.

The problem is when your sandwich comes with 6 oz of mayo, a thin slice of turkey, and a handful of croutons that were graciously called “bread” last week.   Then your customer is not only gone, but they’re pissed off.  When they think of your brand they’re going to think of a giant, goo of white fat that has overtaken the awesome memories of a plain ole turkey sandwich.

What you have said is “Jimmy, I got out of my car and noticed your yard was sinking into a puddle of shit.  Your flowers look nice, but that’s only because of the “extra fertilizer.”  Here’s the name of the most expensive guy in town and he’ll even beat you with a monkey wrench if you complain about the bill.”

And now advertisers have money again and they’ve forgotten about their role as unexpected, awesome goodness that’s needed as a layer of fat and flavor in between actual content.

Magazine editors – you should be ashamed of yourselves!  You cheap floozies!  So yeah, we toughed it out for a while, but if you’re going to suck this bad just sell the company to the advertiser and let them frame some made-up content with pretty pictures.    It appears that your skilled writers and photographers all work for the advertising companies now.

I can honestly say that in this 200 page magazine I just finished had 2 interesting things in it.  (Normally I flag 30 or so things to follow-up on.)  It was a giant mayo glob with poo pellets and some regurgitated wheat germ.

This is also an apt analogy from one of my favorite movies, Robin Hood:Men in Tights

(apparently my rant has now turned into another episode of the “free business analysis for how to not suck” segment of my blog.)

One of the local bloggers, Seattle Food Geek, shows us just how simply making your own mayo can be.

Personal note, my friend and I once tried to do this by hand and it was much more difficult. We were also unaware that the mayo is supposed to be yellow, as opposed to the store-bought stuff that is perfectly white.

Enjoy.

If I had the choice of opening a box of Allen & Ginter or Mayo, I’d have to go with the Mayo.  I like the overall design better, and it doesn’t contain a lot of those gimmicks you find in A&G.  Congrats to Matthew Stafford on having a great game over the weekend.  His ‘09 Topps Mayo card is one of my favorite base rookies.

I usually double the recipe because it is very popular dish with my family. They are good hot or cold. You can use canned or fresh corn.

• 1 cup of corn kernals
• 1 cup of self raising flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of fetta (crumbed into mixture)
• 1/4 – 1/2 soda water to make batter
• Olive oil for frying
• Dill (fresh or dried) to taste (optional)
  I recommend making the wasabi mayo first (see below)
  To flour add salt and pepper, add soda water to make batter. Drain corn if using canned and add to batter. Break up fetta into mixture. Mix together. Don’t over mix. You want it to be light and fluffy. Think muffins.
  Heat oil in pan and cook in batches of 3 or 4 fritters per batch in hot oil. If you are health conscious you can shallow fry but I like to deep fry them. Drain on paper towels. When frying think pancakes. Turn over when bubbles appear on top of fritter. There is nothing worse than a fritter which is not cooked in the middle. I sometimes put them in the oven on low heat whilst cooking all the batches.

Wasabi Mayo

I love these fritters with wasabi mayo but you can use tzatziki or any yoghurt based dipping sauce or a salsa is nice too!

• 1/2 cup of plain yoghurt
• 1/2 cup of any whole egg mayo (or your favourite)
• 1 tsp of wasabi paste (or to taste)
• juice of one lime or lemon

Mix together and refridgerate for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

Después de varias especulaciones sobre la fecha definitiva del estreno de sexta y última temporada de Lost en EEUU, ayer los ejecutivos de la cadena ABC dieron a conocer el día y mes del debut de la historia: el 2 de feberero de 2010. Además, de acuerdo a la televisora, ese mismo día se emitirá un especial de la serie a las 20 horas y una una hora después arrancará el capítulo doble LA X.

La información fue replicada luego por el productor del drama de los sobrevivientes del Oceanic 815 en una misteriosa isla del Pacífico, Carlton Cuse, en su cuenta de Twitter.

Mientras, como antesala al nuevo ciclo del programa, ya se han develado algunos detalles de la trama que llegaría a su final el 18 de mayo.

1. “Dr. Linus” es el título del séptimo episodio de la última temporada de Lost, que estará centrado en Ben rompiendo la secuencia que se centraba en los personajes de los primeros episodios de la primera temporada 1.

2. El octavo episodio acogerá la participación de un personaje llamada Selena, una mejer de 30 años que además de saber sacar ventaja a su belleza, demuestra mucha confianza en situaciones tensas. Según los últimos spoilers, Selena va a acostarse con un hombre atractivo que ella misma eligió, pero después de ver que los términos de un acuerdo de negocios cambiaron, pasa a no saber en quien confiar para salvar su empleo. Se piensa que Selena podría ser alguien del equipo de Dharma o de las industrias Widmore.

3. Jeff Fahey (Frank Lapidus) ingresó en el elenco de actores que tiene status de regulares en la serie. Zuleikha Robinson, la misteriosa morena Ilana, también fue confirmada como regular y aparecerá a lo largo de toda la temporada. Esto corrobora la importancia del personaje para el último acto de la trama que incluye la revelación del parentesco de ella con Jacob.

4. La actriz Rebecca Mader aceptó la invitación de los productores del programa y va a reaparecer en la última temporada interpretando a su personaje, Charlotte. “Estoy más que entusiasmada con mi regreso a Lost. Formar parte de esa serie fue uno de los mejores momentos de mi carrera hasta ahora. Quiero ver de nuevo a todos”, comentó Madder.

5. En una entrevista a los Los Angeles Times sobre la experiencia de haber formado parte de la historia y de sus expectativas sobre V, su nueva serie en la cual es protagonista, la actriz Elizabeth Mitchell dio una buena pista para aliviar la ansiedad de aquellos que todavía tenían dudas sobre su participación en la serie: “Ya grabé escenas con Sawyer, y puedo decir que será el tipo de situación que parece una cosa, pero en realidad es otra muy diferente”.

What you need to enjoy this:

1 pkg (15 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed, I run it under warm water to thaw then squeeze water out
16 oz. sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise (do not use miracle whip)
1 pkg dry leek soup mix (knorr brand)
1 can Water chestnuts, chopped and drained
Mix everything together. Chill for 6 hours.
Serve with baguette bread, crackers or veggies. Double recipe if you can’t stop yourself either. Enjoy!

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24  hours in a day is not enough;
remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of  coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy  class
and  had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
he  picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and start to fill it with  golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and  poured
it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again
if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand
and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded
With an unanimous  ’yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the  table
and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the  professor, as the laughter subsided,
‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things – God,  family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions
Things  that if everything else was lost
and  only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else –
The small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar  first,’ he continued,
‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf  balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy  on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that  are
important to you.

So…

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time
to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

‘Take care of the golf balls first –
The things that really  matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand
and inquired what the coffee represented.

The  professor smiled.

‘I’m glad you asked’.

It just goes to show you that  no matter how full your life may seem,
there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

Please share this with other “Golf Balls”

Yum! Another new (to me) recipe that’s here to stay!

This broccoli chicken salad recipe is pretty similar to my mom’s Mad Hatter Salad, which I’ve posted about before. I think this one is better, easier, and likely healthier than that one. (I can’t say for sure, because I don’t know the nutritionals on either. But, come on. This one doesn’t have butter in it.)

Of course, being me, I made some changes to the original recipe. (Confession: I added more of the “good” stuff because I was concerned about the broccoli content of this recipe. I usually don’t “do” raw broccoli.) You guys also know I don’t measure anything, so here are some approximations.

1.5 cups cubed chicken breast – I grilled this in the grill pan before cubing. Delish!
1.5 cups fresh broccoli florets
0.5 cup chopped red onion (recipe called for 0.25 cup – the recipe was probably right. This was too much.)
0.25 cup salted sunflower kernels (recipe called for 2 Tbsp)
0.25 cup dried cranberries (recipe called for 2 Tbsp golden raisins, but I don’t like raisins)
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (I used pre-cooked bacon)
0.333 cup mayo (I used olive oil mayo)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (I used more, but I’m not sure how much more. Could have used still more!)

In a bowl, combine everything except the last 3 ingredients, mix. In small bowl, combine last three ingredients, mix well. Toss in broccoli/chicken mixture. Chill until serving.

This was really good. I could totally see bringing it to a picnic, or something. Yeah, it’s not exactly seasonal, but good taste knows no season, right?

Oh, yeah. And I used waaaaayyy too much onion. Way too much. I didn’t think that was possible, but it apparently is.

Looking forward to the leftovers!

Mayo Women’s Support Services are organising a number of activities to take place during the 16 Days Campaign. These include;

1. 16 Days of Action poster and/or light displayed in the window of businesses in various towns in Mayo
2. Laying of Lillies in memory of women who lost their lives through violence
3. Campaign to get people to wear white lillies during the 16 Days
4. Libraries, Art Centres and Family Centres will create a display highlighting local services
5. Adverts will run on Mid West local radio with information on local services

Further information is available from Mayo Women’s Support Services at 094 9025409

Many have been searching the Internet for details about this very popular diet because it has a good reputation for success. But there is one problem here. These kind of diets has not been validates, studied or maybe reviewed by the mayo clinic. The truth is, they do not approve of these diets in any way. They say it’s unhealthy and really dangerous to our health.

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For years people have passed around versions of the mayonnaise hospital Grapefruit Diet, from email to fax as the diet predates the web. Motivated dieters have requested it and searched online for it, due to its urban legend name for success. The only problem is these diet plans were never reviewed studied or endorsed by the renowned mayonnaise clinic. In fact the mayonnaise clinic doesn’t endorse it and calls it unbalanced and dangerous. Originally the word mayo was suppose to refer to mayonnaise but somehow man’s instinct being what it is turned into the mayo clinic in an effort to make it appear more legitimate.

How it got started doesn’t really matter. Know this : The mayo Clinic grapefruit diet is a parable. Such a diet wasn’t developed by the mayo clinic and it definitely doesn’t endorse it. It was not valid in the 1940’s and it isn’t valid now.

One common characteristic to all versions of this legendary and unhealthy diet is this : they’re’one-size-fits-all’ diets which limit the variability of foods and promise dramatic weight loss.

The mayonnaise hospital encourages you to consume a minimum of three fruits per day. You can eat 4-8 servings of entire grains, 3-7 servings of beans, fish, and low fat dairy. As for fats, you can only eat 3-5 servings. Processed sugars are the most restrictive and only up to seventy five calories of your total diet are made of this group.

Be aware of the number of calories per serving of foods as they play a massive role in figuring out your healthy weight. Fatty foods have lots of calories in a very tiny quantity of food. So if you would like to attain your healthy weight, mayo clinic recommends dieters to eat tons of foods with low energy density, that’s low calories to volume.
Just know that this mayonnaise Clinic grapefruit diet or any version pushing eggs or beef in unhealthy proportions at the expense of other foods ( i.e, balance of whole grains, vegetables and fruit, and so on. ), is a hoax. This mythical mayo Clinic grapefruit diet is certainly not one of the healthy weight loss plans.
With any diet, it is much easily followed it if you have the support of the people around you. It’s a good concept to have a chat with your pals and family before you being and tell them how they can help you follow the diet. There are also resources online that can link you up to folk who are following the same diet as you. This will help you if you are having any issues or you need some advice.

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Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet Is It Legit?

White Heat – 1949

Director – Raoul Walsh

Starring – James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, and Edmond O’Brien

The title of this film, White Heat, clearly comes from the boxed up frustration and rage capable of the late great James Cagney.  The character, Cody Jarrett, is a hot-headed gangster with some not so subtle mother issues.  Rounding out the cast of a 1000 dysfunctions is his wife, Verna, ready to cross him the moment he goes away, his right hand man, Big Ed, itching to step in and take his place, and his mother, Ma Jarrett, more than willing to accept and encourage his dependence on her.  Together, these characters set up the conditions for a dramatic explosion of volatility and emotion, and explode they do.

Feeling the heat for the robbery we see him commit at the start of the film, Jarrett confesses to a lesser crime alibi that he had set up beforehand.  Sent up to prison in Illinois, the federales plant a man on the inside in an effort to gain Jarrett’s trust.  While on the inside, Cody’s gang is strong-armed, and his wife is swept off her feet by, who else, Big Ed.  Without giving away too much of the story, things continue to fall apart from there.

Cagney’s performance matches perfectly with my pre-conceived image of him from the few film clips that I’ve seen, and through his performance in Angels With Dirty Faces.  Since White Heat and Angels are among some of his most popular and well-known films, unfortunately, that means that his characters don’t seem like carefully crafted creations so much as they seem like him just playing himself.  Whether or not Cagney possessed any similarity to the Cody Jarrett character, I’m not sure, but I had the distinct impression that he wasn’t really acting so much as talking.  Now I may be completely wrong on that point, lord knows I was completely wrong about my preconceptions of Humphrey Bogart, but that is yet to be discovered.

Each other character is overshadowed by Cagney’s performance, and while each probably fulfilled their roles quite adequately, none were stand outs.  Despite this fact, the story was still a very quick paced, enjoyable yarn about a self-destructing gangster.  The inevitability of Jarrett’s disintegration was never in question, the drama lay in watching how he would flame out (if you have seen this film already…pun intended.  If you haven’t seen the film…you’ll get it when you do).  Just remember when life is snapping at your heels, and it seems like everyone is after you, it never hurts to yell out “Top of the world, Ma!”

Together with Lough Lannagh Lodge holiday accommodation here in Castlebar, I am offering two days of lovely winter walking around west Mayo, for the weekend of January 15, 2010.

This is all about getting ready for a great 2010, letting the power of winter’s natural world blow away your 2009 cobwebs. This is about being exhilarated by nature and preparing for a new year.

Friday : Arrive in Lough Lannagh for dinner at 8 pm and an orientation presentation on what we will be doing over the weekend. A quiet drink in one of the town’s best pubs.

Saturday : Four hours gentle walking around Moore Hall, a ruined ‘big house’ and the adjoining Lough Carra, a gem among the many lakes of County Mayo. This is a wonderfully tranquil and serene place in the middle of the Plains of Mayo.

Sunday : Four hours walk on The Bangor Trail, surely Ireland’s most remote and isolated waymarked way. This trail brings us in to the very heart of rural, wet, wild and mountainous west Mayo. The place is a pure joy, perhaps even more so in winter, where we experience the trail in its full grandeur, battered by the North Atlantic weather, its wind and rain.

The weekend includes 2 x Bed and Breakfast in twin rooms (single supplement applies), 2 x dinners, 2 x packed lunches and a whole lot of outdoor fun. Drinks are not included.

Full use of Lough Lannagh’s gym, sauna and steam room are also included. A drying room is also freely available.

Itinerary : Just arrive at Castlebar by 8 pm on Friday, to enjoy the dinner. Departure is around 4 pm on Sunday.

What to bring : Raingear, to include waterproof jacket and waterproof ankle hiking boots. Changes of clothing. Lots of enthusiasm and a love for the outdoors.

Price : Euro 199 per person sharing, or Euro 219 single supplement.

Places are limited, so to reserve yours, please call me on 094 – 9027797, or 086 – 8318748, or e-mail me on info [at] tourismpure [dot] com.

Just come walking !

I love mustard. I’ll put it on anything. The tangy, twang that makes my face perspire simply cannot be matched by any other condiment–not even mayo. Now I’m not saying that mayo isn’t good stuff, it is. I’m just saying that I rather have mustard on all my sandwiches. Is that a crime? Well, it seems to be around this neck of the woods. Where I come from, mayo rules. The people I know put mayo on everything–from scrambled eggs to steak sandwiches. I mean, really. That’s just gross. The heat from cooked eggs makes mayo a runny and nasty mess.

I had a male friend who put mayo on oatmeal. Can you imagine? Okay. So what’s with me talking about mayo and mustard today? There was a big thing around my house last night about which is better. I know. We’re pretty pathetic, right? But you see, the boyfriend was making a late night snack, and he put heaping spoonfuls of mayo on his sandwich. I was completely grossed out and told him so. But did he care? Nooo. He looked me right in my face as he gleefully took a monster bite of his sandwich and then laughed when the mayo squirted out from his bread and landed all over the table. AND it was all over his mouth. I don’t have to tell you what it looked like. And he knew it bothered me so he began chewing with his mouth open, displaying the most grotesque mess one could witness.

Gosh, I have so much writing to do, but I couldn’t let this go without an honorable mention–kind of like when I keep talking about nose pickers . . . Oops. Did I mention that again??

          Continúo con mi recorrido por la memoria de mis recuerdos, y viene desde lo más profundo de mi añoranza un cálido susurro de canciones dedicadas a la Inmaculada, que por estas fechas comenzaban a tomar forma en la imaginación de las más osadas y afortunadas que tenían el privilegio de contar con el duende de la poesía y la prosa, y de los dedos que rasgueaban una guitarra cualquiera pedida prestada a alguna Hermana que nos la cedía para los incesantes ensayos.

           Pedíamos angustiadas, cuando ya la fecha se acercaba, alguna hora a algún profesor piadoso para poder ensayar nuestra obra de arte, quizás canciones que nunca llegarían a nada en el mundo de ahí fuera, pero que en el mundo de las Esclavas sería un escalón más en nuestra madurez como personas, que nos hizo compartir y sobretodo ser pacientes las unas con las otras.

          Unos papeles llenos de garabatos y de tachones, rodeados de notas musicales que sólo nosotras sabíamos interpretar. Unas letras de rima fácil que hoy, cuando después del tiempo pasado recuperas de algún cajón donde llevan tanto tiempo escondidas, te hacen sonrojar imaginando aquella hora en que aquella letra fue ganadora con el primer premio, de un COU que hoy no existe, y salir triunfantes de un salón de actos con la recompensa de volver a cantar nuestra, y sólo nuestra, canción, ya sin nervios y disfrutándola, porque la prueba estaba superada.

          Sólo una emoción semejante me viene a la memoria cuando recuerdo los sorteos por ser la elegida de entre todas las alumnas para subir al camarín de la virgen de nuestro colegio para coronarla como reina del mes de María, el mes de Mayo. Méritos eran pocos los que intentábamos hacer; no aparecer en las “listas”, acudir a la misa de antes de recreo durante todo el mes de Mayo, buen comportamiento, y todos esos méritos a la merced de poder portar la corona de flores que por mayo ofrecíamos a nuestra Inmaculada…

          De nuevo he encontrado nostalgia en este altillo de mis recuerdos, de un tiempo lejano que ya se fue para siempre, pero que agradezco haber vivido y guardarlos en mi memoria hasta que el olvido se persone en los recuerdos de este ayer.

(Artículo publicado en www.cajadepandoracole.blogspot.com)

Hellmann's or Miracle Whip: Which do you prefer on your B.L.T.?

Condiments were flying during the mayo and mayo-alternative food fight that ensued this week. Hellmann’s launched a holiday campaign emphasizing the product’s “real” ingredients. Meanwhile, Miracle Whip, the Kraft brand sandwich spread that prides itself on having more “zip” than mayo, was in a full-on war with Stephen Colbert over its “don’t be so mayo” commercials.

Hellmann’s campaign

I first heard about the Hellmann’s Real Holiday Helpings campaign when Bobby Flay tweeted from its launch event Friday (yes, although I feel nerdy admitting it, I do follow Bobby Flay on Twitter). The campaign involves videos of Flay creating dishes using mayo, holiday recipes, behind-the-scenes videos exclusive to Hellman’s fans on Facebook and a chance for consumers to win a year’s supply of groceries.

The idea of ”real food” is a key message of the Real Holiday Helpings campaign. Flay’s videos feature him demonstrating how to make the five recipes he created using Hellmann’s products. He uses the phrase “it’s all real food” at least once in each video and explains that Hellmann’s is made of eggs, oil and vinegar. Each video ends with the Hellmann’s logo above the tagline “It’s Time for Real.”

Miracle Whip vs. Colbert

On October 15’s ”Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert drew attention to Miracle Whip’s most recent commercials featuring the term “don’t be so mayo.” Colbert took great offense to the advertisements and proclaimed that he is pro-mayo, then showed his own spoof commercial for mayonnaise. Miracle Whip retaliated by taking out a full-page ad in various newspapers serving as an open letter to Colbert. The memo was written in a humorous tone and announced that Miracle Whip had purchased ads during every commercial break of Thursday’s “Colbert Report.”

Think about it, Mr. Colbert. In a sense, we will own you. We’re on a mission. We’re taking no prisoners. We’re raising Hell, man.

Miracle Whip proceeded to air several versions its commercials addressed to Colbert. One invited him to “come over to the other side where all is sweet and tangy.” Another explained the talk show host’s “vicious attack” on Miracle Whip to viewers:

During Thursday’s episode, Colbert addressed the situation:

Well Miracle Whip, I know when I’ve been bested. Thank you for buying ad time on my show because let’s face it. Revenue is down throughout the television industry and I could certainly use the money to buy more delicious mayonnaise.

Needless to say, fans of both products and of Colbert took stances on the issue and voiced their opinions online. Miracle Whip’s Facebook page wall is covered in comments (both negative and positive) about the Colbert feud. Chrissy Dunham wrote:

The marketing was pure genius all around! I never even paid attention to the add or took much stock into Colbert’s comments until Miracle Whip struck back! (By the way, the original adds were no where near as stupid some others I’ve seen recently.) And for those of you who think Colbert is somehow upset by such stupid …banter…Have you ever WATCHED his show? This is exactly the thing he thrives on! A tad idiotic, yet ultimately clever comebacks. It wouldn’t surprise me if they planned this stunt together – Either way, I thank you both Colbert and Miracle Whip for my fair share of entertainment this evening!

Battle for publicity

Though Hellmann’s holiday campaign launch is unattached to the Colbert/Miracle Whip feud, I believe it is somewhat related to Hellmann’s desire to compete with Miracle Whip in the mayo market. By getting a highly respected celebrity chef like Bobby Flay to endorse its products and by continuously pointing out that it uses all real ingredients (a jab at Miracle Whip?), Hellmann’s seems to be reminding consumers that it makes a superior product.

As for Miracle Whip, Thursday’s move was a creative and entertaining marketing stunt that fit its brand image well. Though it elicited many negative comments from consumers, it mostly drew attention to its product in a big way. Miracle Whip’s marketing team showed America how the spread differs from “boring” mayonnaise (implying Hellmann’s) and made it easy for fans of both products to take sides.

Perhaps Hellmann’s wasted their time hiring Bobby Flay… Stephen Colbert was willing to act as spokesman the entire time.