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	<title>CultureFeast</title>
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	<link>http://www.culturefeast.com</link>
	<description>fresh culture. served daily.</description>
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		<title>Chipotle&#8217;s Transforming Fast Food into &#8220;Happy&#8221; Meals</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/chipotles-transforming-fast-food-into-happy-meals/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=chipotles-transforming-fast-food-into-happy-meals</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/chipotles-transforming-fast-food-into-happy-meals/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:49:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chipotle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restaurants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[videos]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2973</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Care about what you eat, but still have to find a way to get a meal on the go? Yes, you&#8217;ve heard that Chipotle burritos have more calories than most. But what you didn&#8217;t know may cause you to reconsider. This video may surprise you.
Similar Posts:

Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth? REALLY?


]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fchipotles-transforming-fast-food-into-happy-meals%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fchipotles-transforming-fast-food-into-happy-meals%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>Care about what you eat, but still have to find a way to get a meal on the go? Yes, you&#8217;ve heard that Chipotle burritos have more calories than most. But what you didn&#8217;t know may cause you to reconsider. This video may surprise you.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAAFI9WH_Mk"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/IAAFI9WH_Mk/default.jpg" width="130" height="97" border=0></a><strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/does-coffee-stunt-your-growth-really/" rel="bookmark" title="November 14, 2009">Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth? REALLY?</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Leslie Scribner: The Toy Man</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/leslie-scribner-the-toy-man/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=leslie-scribner-the-toy-man</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/leslie-scribner-the-toy-man/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:01:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jen Winn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[people]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grapevine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kidd Kraddick]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leslie scribner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[southlake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[toy man]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2954</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you are a resident of Southlake or Grapevine, chances are that you have seen this man walking down the street or in a local store with his toy truck following not too far behind.
Many who saw him wondered who he was and why he dragged a toy truck with him everywhere he went. If [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fleslie-scribner-the-toy-man%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fleslie-scribner-the-toy-man%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p><a rel="attachment wp-att-2956" href="http://www.culturefeast.com/leslie-scribner-the-toy-man/toyman1/"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2956 alignleft" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="toyman1" src="http://www.culturefeast.com/wp-content/uploads/toyman1-343x275.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="214" /></a>If you are a resident of Southlake or Grapevine, chances are that you have seen this man walking down the street or in a local store with his toy truck following not too far behind.</p>
<p>Many who saw him wondered who he was and why he dragged a toy truck with him everywhere he went. If you took the time to know him, you would have found that <strong>Leslie Scribner </strong>was a wonderful man with a heart of gold.</p>
<p>This is one of those stories you expect to hear on <a href="http://www.kiddnation.com" target="_blank">Kidd Kraddick in the Morning</a> &#8211; real life local stories that move our hearts and spur us to do something on behalf of our community.</p>
<p><span id="more-2954"></span>On Monday morning, Leslie was struck by a vehicle off Ira E. Woods and Grapevine Highway. He later passed away at Baylor Grapevine from his injuries.  The crash appeared to be an unfortunate accident, and no charges are expected to be filed.</p>
<p>The Scribner’s were a well known family in Grapevine since 1891 and even have a street named after them. Leslie was the last surviving member of his family. His wife passed away many years ago from diabetes and his daughter to cancer. The only known relative is a brother in law by marriage.  Tragically, when Leslie was 12, he witnessed his father being struck and killed by a car returning to Grapevine from Dallas. His Grandfather passed after being struck by a vehicle as well.</p>
<p>Since Leslie was the last surviving member of the Scribner family, the community has decided to take matters into their hands to see that Leslie gets a proper burial. Several members of the community have set up a Facebook group at <a href="http://www.grapevinetoyman.com" target="_blank">www.grapevinetoyman.com</a> where you can make donations towards his funeral. A toy drive has been organized to remember Leslie. <strong>The Leslie Scribner Toy Drive </strong>will span three cities: Grapevine, Southlake, and Trophy Club.  All toys will benefit The Children&#8217;s Medical Center in Dallas, which is appropriate as Mr. Scribner had such a sweet and childlike air about him. For more information please visit: <a href="http://www.grapevinetoyman.com" target="_blank">www.grapevinetoyman.com</a>.</p>
<p><a rel="attachment wp-att-2962" href="http://www.culturefeast.com/leslie-scribner-the-toy-man/toyman2-jpg/"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2962" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="toyman2.jpg" src="http://www.culturefeast.com/wp-content/uploads/toyman2.jpg-366x275.jpg" alt="" width="283" height="212" /></a></p>
<p>Please be sure to visit the website to read the amazing stories about Leslie from the community. He touched many people’s hearts and we hope he knew how loved he was by the community.</p>
<p>Kidd Kraddick, this is exactly the type of local story you have brought onto your show in the past. We hope you will help us honor him by rallying the community to help pay for his funeral? Thank you for all the ways in which you touch people&#8217;s lives.<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/taylor-leaves-kidd-kraddick-in-the-morning/" rel="bookmark" title="November 15, 2007">Taylor Leaves Kidd Kraddick in the Morning</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/william-and-the-black-eyed-peas-take-on-the-world/" rel="bookmark" title="August 17, 2007">Will.I.Am and the Black Eyed Peas Take On the World</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/kidd-kraddick-launches-the-gas-money-tour/" rel="bookmark" title="April 21, 2008">Kidd Kraddick Launches the Gas Money Tour</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/what-ever-happened-to-taylor-from-kidd-kraddick-in-the-morning/" rel="bookmark" title="January 16, 2009">What Ever Happened to Taylor from Kidd Kraddick in the Morning?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/freddy-interviewed-live-on-kidd-kraddick-in-the-morning/" rel="bookmark" title="April 25, 2008">Freddy Interviewed Live on Kidd Kraddick in the Morning</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Wake Up, Church! The Time Has Come for Pastors of Online Ministry</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/wake-up-church-the-time-has-come-for-pastors-of-online-ministry/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=wake-up-church-the-time-has-come-for-pastors-of-online-ministry</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/wake-up-church-the-time-has-come-for-pastors-of-online-ministry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:31:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Dessinger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web 2.0]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[discipleship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[healing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ministry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online ministry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online pastors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prophecy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teaching]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2944</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Have you noticed that the larger churches have made some serious upgrades to their website in 2009? Churches now have Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages, and blogs. Their members who are getting it done in the workplace are stepping up and bringing their local churches kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
Content that used to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fwake-up-church-the-time-has-come-for-pastors-of-online-ministry%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fwake-up-church-the-time-has-come-for-pastors-of-online-ministry%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>Have you noticed that the larger churches have made some serious upgrades to their website in 2009? Churches now have Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages, and blogs. Their members who are getting it done in the workplace are stepping up and bringing their local churches kicking and screaming into the 21st century.</p>
<p>Content that used to be impossible to find is now making it to the Web. Sermons, skits, teachings, music, conferences, testimonies, signs, and wonders are nudging their way toward mainstream availability.</p>
<h3><span id="more-2944"></span>How Do You Measure Success?</h3>
<p>What is the measure of your success, and where will you devote your time and energy online? Is it good enough to have a thousand sermon views per month? Is that success? What happens to those people afterward? Who is shepherding them? Who is loving them in lieu of a brick and mortar church? Is your purpose to scatter seed? To evangelize? To administer healing? To deliver prophetic words? To disciple? What is your goal, how will you know when you&#8217;ve accomplished your goal, and what will you do to keep from diluting your efforts on unnecessary avenues?</p>
<h3>Who Will Man the Webz?</h3>
<p>This is perhaps the scariest question of all. Organizations that implement online strategies well may draw significant attention to their websites and social media profiles, resulting in hundreds of comments and questions. Who is manning the interwebz, Church? Whom have you given the authority to respond, answer, pray, and minister to the online sheep? Or do you just want to wildly cast your seed out into cyberspace and hope some of it lands on good soil? Is that what a faithful steward does with the talents God has given him?</p>
<p>Assuming you&#8217;ve graduated to the point of actually allowing comments on your site, fan pages, and profile pages, who is handling responses? Have you dumped these responsibilities on your pastoral assistant? Your receptionist? Your youth pastor? Who is qualified to do this? Who understands the Web well enough to not insult people by acting against standard social media community protocols? Who can afford to dilute their current focus?</p>
<p>It&#8217;s the same problem businesses without a solid understanding of social media are facing right now. They have no employees qualified or available to man the sails. Social media profiles and blogs become virtual ghost towns neglected by those who had the idea but not the calling to see it through.</p>
<h3>The Time Has Come for Pastors of Online Ministry</h3>
<p>The fields ARE white with harvest. And some of those fields are virtual. Entire ministries could be built RIGHT NOW ministering God&#8217;s grace and love to people online who don&#8217;t attend a church, or whose church doesn&#8217;t offer the type of ministry you can provide online.</p>
<p>Right now, people are ministering prophetically through Twitter. People are mentioning their needs and their sorrows online. You can find them with real-time search. <strong>Someone</strong> could reach them.</p>
<p>Prayer. Encouraging words. Words of knowledge. Words of wisdom. Teaching. Discipling. It&#8217;s all possible. It&#8217;s all right there. You just need a vision for it and equip your local body of believers to do the work.</p>
<p>And let&#8217;s get to it. It&#8217;s time for some churches to hire Pastors of Online Ministry. These are web savvy people mature in the faith and trustworthy who can be sent out and supported by the church to minister to the lost online.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s time to catch the vision, pastors! It&#8217;s time to gather to yourselves those members of your flock who are faithful and equipped and to release them into the virtual highways and byways.<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/dressing-for-church/" rel="bookmark" title="July 9, 2006">Dressing for Church</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/praying-for-our-neighbors/" rel="bookmark" title="November 3, 2009">Praying for Our Neighbors</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>New Year Resolution 2.0</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/new-year-resolution-2-0/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=new-year-resolution-2-0</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/new-year-resolution-2-0/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:37:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Dessinger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new year resolution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new years day]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2932</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
It&#8217;s time for all of you who take the New Year seriously as an opportunity for personal growth and change to formulate your New Year resolution.
3 Quick Steps
My advice? Have fun with it, but take your resolution seriously. Only resolve to do what you care enough about to change. And make your resolution public.
Okay, let&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fnew-year-resolution-2-0%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fnew-year-resolution-2-0%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p><a rel="attachment wp-att-2933" href="http://www.culturefeast.com/new-year-resolution-2-0/ratetheresolution/"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2933" title="ratetheresolution" src="http://www.culturefeast.com/wp-content/uploads/ratetheresolution-500x271.png" alt="" width="449" height="243" /></a></p>
<p>It&#8217;s time for all of you who take the New Year seriously as an opportunity for personal growth and change to formulate your <a href="http://www.ratetheresolution.com" target="_blank">New Year resolution</a>.</p>
<h2>3 Quick Steps</h2>
<p>My advice? Have fun with it, but take your resolution seriously. Only resolve to do what you care enough about to change. And make your resolution public.</p>
<p>Okay, let&#8217;s see here. Take it seriously? Check. Only resolve to do what I care enough to change? Check. Make it public? Uh&#8230; how exactly?<span id="more-2932"></span></p>
<h3>This year, GO PUBLIC</h3>
<p>Well, there&#8217;s always Facebook and Twitter. But they don&#8217;t focus on New Year resolutions, so go ahead and share it with your friends there, but this year, rate your resolution with the rest of the social Web. Visit <a href="http://www.ratetheresolution.com" target="_blank">RatetheResolution.com</a>, submit your resolution, then hang out<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">None Found
</ul>
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		<item>
		<title>Jack Bauer Interrogates Santa Claus</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/jack-bauer-interrogates-santa-claus/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=jack-bauer-interrogates-santa-claus</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/jack-bauer-interrogates-santa-claus/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:27:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Dessinger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[television]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[24]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jack bauer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[santa claus]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2920</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The perfect video clip for the holiday season. Even Jack Bauer can be beaten.

Thanks to Destiny for pointing this out.Similar Posts:
None Found


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fjack-bauer-interrogates-santa-claus%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fjack-bauer-interrogates-santa-claus%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>The perfect video clip for the holiday season. Even Jack Bauer can be beaten.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6yUCbqAGrg"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/X6yUCbqAGrg/default.jpg" width="130" height="97" border=0></a></p>
<p>Thanks to <a href="http://www.belgexan.com">Destiny</a> for pointing this out.<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">None Found
</ul>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Why Don&#8217;t You Update Culture Feast More Often?</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/why-dont-you-update-culture-feast-more-often/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=why-dont-you-update-culture-feast-more-often</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/why-dont-you-update-culture-feast-more-often/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:31:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Dessinger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culturefeast]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2903</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I hear this one from time to time. I know, I know: it seems like CultureFeast.com goes through periods of hibernation, then bursts on the scene with a flurry of new content, then disappears again.
The short and simple answer is that I&#8217;ve grown tired of pop culture. It&#8217;s always the same flashing lights. I&#8217;m pursuing [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fwhy-dont-you-update-culture-feast-more-often%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fwhy-dont-you-update-culture-feast-more-often%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>I hear this one from time to time. I know, I know: it seems like CultureFeast.com goes through periods of hibernation, then bursts on the scene with a flurry of new content, then disappears again.</p>
<p>The short and simple answer is that I&#8217;ve grown tired of pop culture. It&#8217;s always the same flashing lights. I&#8217;m pursuing more substance, which leads me to write more often on my <a href="http://www.danielthepoet.com">personal site</a> or <a href="http://www.renewmymind.com">RenewMyMind.com</a>.</p>
<p><span id="more-2903"></span>I long for the day when I can write more. But truth be told, I started too many websites. Now I can&#8217;t keep them all going. Not without help. I need some serious writers to come alongside me and pitch in.</p>
<p>For now, I&#8217;m doing my best, which means a few posts a week spread out across my sites.</p>
<p>My vision for Culture Feast is to get back to more of a sober view of the world and culture today. If you pray, please pray that I will find the time to accomplish this (without losing income, of course). <img src='http://www.culturefeast.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> <strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
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<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/culturefeast-gift-shop-opens-online/" rel="bookmark" title="March 7, 2008">CultureFeast Gift Shop Opens Online!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/want-to-contribute-your-own-writing-to-culturefeast/" rel="bookmark" title="October 20, 2006">Want to Contribute Your Own Writing to CultureFeast?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/top-12-cf-articles-of-2008/" rel="bookmark" title="January 1, 2009">Top 12 CF Articles of 2008</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/welcome-to-culturefeast/" rel="bookmark" title="November 1, 2005">Welcome to CultureFeast</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/changes-are-coming/" rel="bookmark" title="January 12, 2008">Changes are Coming</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>My Grandfather&#8217;s Radio Show Now Online</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/my-grandfathers-radio-show-now-online/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=my-grandfathers-radio-show-now-online</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/my-grandfathers-radio-show-now-online/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Dessinger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spirituality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lennard darbee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[podcasts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[radio sermons]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2881</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope you are well and taking this time to cherish your loved ones. Whether they be family, coworkers, or lifelong friends, give thanks to God for the people He has blessed you with.
If you find some time this holiday weekend and would like to listen to something out-of-the-ordinary, my grandfather&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fmy-grandfathers-radio-show-now-online%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fmy-grandfathers-radio-show-now-online%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope you are well and taking this time to cherish your loved ones. Whether they be family, coworkers, or lifelong friends, give thanks to God for the people He has blessed you with.</p>
<p>If you find some time this holiday weekend and would like to listen to something out-of-the-ordinary, my grandfather&#8217;s radio messages are now online. Lennard Darbee was a healing evangelist from the 50s to the 80s. His radio broadcast, Rays of Faith, touched the lives of many.</p>
<p>I am making these 15 minute talks available via podcast at <a href="http://www.lennarddarbee.com">LennardDarbee.com</a>. Please take some time to check them out. I plan to post one per week, and I have several hundred, so we should be adding new content for quite some time.<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">None Found
</ul>
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		<title>I Could Care Less about the New Twilight Movie: New Moon</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/i-could-care-less-about-the-new-twilight-movie-new-moon/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=i-could-care-less-about-the-new-twilight-movie-new-moon</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/i-could-care-less-about-the-new-twilight-movie-new-moon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:11:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Dessinger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anne rice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twilight]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vampires]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2898</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve been reading a lot of chatter on Twitter over the past month about the 2nd Twilight movie: New Moon. Here&#8217;s where I get real. Confession: I went to see the first Twilight movie with my wife at the theater. Having admitted that, I am compelled to also inform you that I was less than [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fi-could-care-less-about-the-new-twilight-movie-new-moon%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fi-could-care-less-about-the-new-twilight-movie-new-moon%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>I&#8217;ve been reading a lot of chatter on Twitter over the past month about the 2nd Twilight movie: New Moon. Here&#8217;s where I get real. Confession: I went to see the first Twilight movie with my wife at the theater. Having admitted that, I am compelled to also inform you that I was less than thrilled.</p>
<p><span id="more-2898"></span>It&#8217;s not really fair, I think. We&#8217;ve become inundated with vampiric content over the past two years. The CB has a vampire show. HBO or Showtime has a popular vampire show. And Twilight is selling books like Harry Potter (well, almost). So part of my disdain for the arrival of New Moon stems from my irritation with all the other vampire content out there.</p>
<p>Truthfully, I&#8217;m not into vampires anymore. I loved the Anne Rice novels in the &#8217;90s. I loved them too much. There is a fantasy and a romanticism temptation that comes along with these stories. Immortality, walking the night, murder for food, romancing the living: all these are intriguing concepts that lure people in.</p>
<p>But these stories don&#8217;t bring life. The real danger here is how they might affect the minds and thoughts of our teenagers. Speaking from experience, I was lost in a sea of fantasy as a teenager that I allowed to keep me from living in, understanding, and maturing in the real world. That is not Anne Rice&#8217;s fault &#8211; at least, not the majority. But the lure and hook are what hold us in complacency and self-pleasuring imagination.</p>
<p>Having said that, I may or may not see New Moon. I can&#8217;t really say yet. It&#8217;s not a priority, to be sure. The quality of acting and cinematography was good enough that I can respect the talent that went into production of the first film. But it should take more than talent to draw me to the theater. Content and message are more important.</p>
<p>Will you go see New Moon? Why or why not?<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/book-review-twilight-2/" rel="bookmark" title="December 11, 2008">Book Review: Twilight</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/book-review-twilight/" rel="bookmark" title="September 24, 2008">Book Review: Twilight</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/book-review-%e2%80%93-tcm-2008-dvd-catalog/" rel="bookmark" title="April 5, 2008">Book Review: TCM 2008 DVD Catalog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/just-call-me-john-hughes/" rel="bookmark" title="May 14, 2008">Just Call Me John Hughes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/movies-violence-and-michael-haneke-part-iii-of-iv/" rel="bookmark" title="April 4, 2008">Movies, Violence, and Michael Haneke (Part III of IV)</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth? REALLY?</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/does-coffee-stunt-your-growth-really/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=does-coffee-stunt-your-growth-really</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/does-coffee-stunt-your-growth-really/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:57:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beverages]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[black tea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coffee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dr. pepper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green tea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mercola]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sodas]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2882</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m here to tell you that coffee is very unhealthy for you. Everything is relative, of course, so it is undoubtedly healthier for your body than other energy drink alternatives. This post is written from the perspective that &#8220;some foods actually promote health while some endanger your health.&#8221; So healthiER might not be actually healthy [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fdoes-coffee-stunt-your-growth-really%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fdoes-coffee-stunt-your-growth-really%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>I&#8217;m here to tell you that coffee is very unhealthy for you. Everything is relative, of course, so it is undoubtedly healthier for your body than other energy drink alternatives. This post is written from the perspective that &#8220;some foods actually promote health while some endanger your health.&#8221; So healthiER might not be actually healthy (in the health increasing sense), just less toxic or dangerous than some alternatives. Today we&#8217;re going to talk <strong>COFFEE</strong>, so let&#8217;s dive in.</p>
<p><span id="more-2882"></span></p>
<h3>DISCLAIMER: I LOVE COFFEE</h3>
<p>Before you think I&#8217;m a &#8220;holier than thou&#8221; type, know that <strong>I love coffee</strong> more than any other beverage. Wait. That&#8217;s historically not true. I&#8217;ll back up in a bit and go through my beverage history so you know where I&#8217;m coming from.</p>
<p>For now, let&#8217;s see what <a href="http://www.mercola.com" target="_blank">Dr. Mercola</a>, the leading osteopathic doctor on the Web, has to say about coffee.</p>
<h3>Coffee can:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Increase your risk of stomach cancer and leukemia</li>
<li>Interfere with your body’s ability to use water, and promote fluid loss</li>
<li>Interfere with your body’s ability to use folate, and vitamins B12 and B6</li>
<li>Raise your cholesterol</li>
<li>Send your insulin levels out of control</li>
<li>Contribute to rheumatoid arthritis and stroke</li>
<li>Damage your blood vessels</li>
<li>Increase your risk of heart disease</li>
<li>Contribute to Parkinson&#8217;s, prostate cancer, and miscarriages from the pesticides heavily sprayed on coffee trees</li>
<li>Stimulate your adrenals and eventually burn them out</li>
</ul>
<p>Before you run away thinking this is all just a bunch of bad news, <a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/14/Is-Drinking-Tea-or-Coffee-the-Smarter-Choice.aspx" target="_blank">read the rest of the article by Dr. Mercola</a> to read why he strongly recommends a specific type of organic green tea over coffee or even black tea. It&#8217;s worth the read. He puts it in a much more positive, make-you-want-to-be-healthier light.</p>
<h3>If you think YOU&#8217;RE a mess, just read my history</h3>
<p>Before you think I&#8217;m one of those semi-alien health nuts who never ate a french fry in his life, check out my beverage history below:</p>
<p><strong>1991-1995: Mountain Dew / Dr. Pepper.</strong> I drank several per day.</p>
<p><strong>1998-2005: Dr. Pepper. </strong>I literally drank 6-12 Dr. Peppers daily. I had to have one with me at all times. No, really. I&#8217;d stop important conversations to drive to Racetrack or Diamond Shamrock just so I could have a Dr. Pepper on hand. This habit lasted at least 8 years. I drank almost no water. Except after playing basketball or right before bed.</p>
<p>I used to tell people that I&#8217;m lucky they don&#8217;t make a Dr. Pepper flavored alcohol. I&#8217;ve never been much of a drinker, but that would have pushed me over the edge!</p>
<p><strong>2005-2008: Coffee and Starbucks Lattes. </strong>I quit drinking Dr. Pepper as often after I quit smoking a pack a day (smoked a pack a day for most of 10 years). Dr. Pepper washed the cigarette smoke taste out of my mouth, but reminded me too much of smoking after I quit, so it had to go.</p>
<p>My coffee craze started out as a Starbucks iced venti vanilla latte obsession (3 shots of espresso in every cup). I had one a day. Sometimes two. I switched to coffee with cream and sugar to save money. Eventually my body became too acidic and I had some, ahem!, side affects which will not be discussed here.</p>
<p><strong>2009: Black Tea. </strong>As much as I love love love coffee, it does me wrong. I had to make a change. Black tea provided a good caffeine kick but was MUCH gentler on my system, so I made the switch. Still dosing my organic black tea with a good deal of organic sucanot, a less processed and unbleached type of sugar.</p>
<p><strong>Late 2009: Green Tea.</strong> I am now making the switch to Organic Royal Matcha Green Tea, per <a href="http://products.mercola.com/green-tea/" target="_blank">Dr. Mercola&#8217;s recommendation</a>.</p>
<h3>And now, the takeaway</h3>
<p>Before you leave, I want you to hear my heart on this. I&#8217;m writing this because I care. I want to make a difference in your life, and I&#8217;m not one of those judgmental health nuts who will try to shame you into changing your habits.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s my motto: <strong>find just ONE THING that you can do to upgrade your health to the point you can actually FEEL the difference.</strong> Just ONE. That&#8217;s all. Once you&#8217;ve experienced living at a higher level, add ANOTHER SINGLE THING to upgrade your health and quality of life. You can do a dozen things that have long term benefits but yield no short-term results, and if you do them, you&#8217;ll lose hope and feel like nothing&#8217;s changed and you&#8217;ll be more likely to revert to your old easier way of life.</p>
<p>Just do ONE thing that makes a difference, and <strong>that small victory can lead to another</strong>. And one step at a time, you&#8217;ll move forward into a better experience of life.</p>
<p>If you want some suggestions on where to start and what ONEthing to try, hit me up with a comment below or fill out my contact form. It&#8217;s all about you here, and I&#8217;m here to help. Pretty soon I hope to share the ONEthings that piece by piece have brought me out of a toxic manic depressive pit and into a more centered and enjoyable life.<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/frito-lay-has-new-green-fleet-but-we-know-which-green-theyre-after/" rel="bookmark" title="March 9, 2009">Frito-Lay Has New Green Fleet, but We Know Which Green They&#8217;re After</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/live-foods-live-body/" rel="bookmark" title="August 20, 2006">Live Foods = Live Body</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/live-foods-lack-some-essentials/" rel="bookmark" title="September 1, 2006">Live Foods Lack Some Essentials</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Blogging is More Than Formulas</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/blogging-is-more-than-formulas/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=blogging-is-more-than-formulas</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/blogging-is-more-than-formulas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:50:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[authenticity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogging tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culturefeast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[purpose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transparency]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2875</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve spent years reading, studying, and writing blogs to fit formulas in search of the golden ticket. And I&#8217;ve recently had my cathartic moment of truth when I realized my bloglife had to change.
Money is great. It pays bills. It feeds families. But I can&#8217;t blog anylonger with money as my chief goal. The message [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fblogging-is-more-than-formulas%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fblogging-is-more-than-formulas%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>I&#8217;ve spent years reading, studying, and writing blogs to fit formulas in search of the golden ticket. And I&#8217;ve recently had <a href="http://www.danielthepoet.com/my-blogs-have-all-but-failed/" target="_blank">my cathartic moment of truth</a> when I realized my bloglife had to change.</p>
<p><span id="more-2875"></span>Money is great. It pays bills. It feeds families. But I can&#8217;t blog anylonger with money as my chief goal. The message has to be <strong>AUTHENTIC</strong>, from the heart, and free of gimmicks. Much love to all the &#8220;how to blog&#8221; blogs out there, but my #1 goal is to write content worth writing.</p>
<p>Maybe that&#8217;s what they&#8217;ve been saying all along. But <strong>I was so busy trying to game the system that I went about blogging all wrong</strong>. I wrote what I thought people wanted to hear first. I did the keyword research. I used search engine optimized titles. I am, after all, a professional SEO (among other things). But I looked to the tactic to drive traffic instead of the content.</p>
<h3>I abandoned my first love.</h3>
<p>Don&#8217;t beat me up over semantics. I mean &#8220;my first love&#8221; in regards to blogging.</p>
<p><strong>It takes more than a formula or a set of tricks to make a blog popular. </strong>It takes heart. It takes passion. It takes commitment. It takes focus. It takes expertise. It takes a person who loves the subject matter more than the dollar he/she makes from the subject matter.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t mind the fact that legacy CultureFeast.com articles cover the costs of hosting and domain registration. But I&#8217;m headed in a new direction, even if that direction comes slow as molasses. There is no life insurance policy like living your dream and sharing your passion.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m on the path to a better quality of life (some might call it &#8220;the <strong>ABUNDANT life&#8221;</strong>), and I hope you&#8217;ll ride along with me.<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/blog-crazy/" rel="bookmark" title="October 24, 2006">Blog Crazy</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/want-to-contribute-your-own-writing-to-culturefeast/" rel="bookmark" title="October 20, 2006">Want to Contribute Your Own Writing to CultureFeast?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/creativity-vs-revenue/" rel="bookmark" title="April 20, 2009">Creativity vs Revenue</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/blogging-and-social-media-reshaped-my-job-duties/" rel="bookmark" title="July 24, 2008">Blogging and Social Media Reshaped My Work</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/why-i-dont-blog-much-anymore/" rel="bookmark" title="July 25, 2008">Why I Don&#8217;t Blog Much Anymore</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Praying for Our Neighbors</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/praying-for-our-neighbors/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=praying-for-our-neighbors</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/praying-for-our-neighbors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:35:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Daniel Dessinger</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Dessinger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[people]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friendship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ministry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neighbors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prayer]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2840</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My wife and I have lived in this neighborhood since 2003. Prior to selecting our first home, we had visions of energetically greeting our neighbors and offering them friendship and ministry. I saw us opening our home and inviting the neighborhood over once a week for food, fellowship, and worship.
THEN we moved into the senior [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fpraying-for-our-neighbors%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fpraying-for-our-neighbors%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>My wife and I have lived in this neighborhood since 2003. Prior to selecting our first home, we had visions of energetically greeting our neighbors and offering them friendship and ministry. I saw us opening our home and inviting the neighborhood over once a week for food, fellowship, and worship.</p>
<p>THEN we moved into the senior citizen mecca of DFW. Somewhere in the ballpark of 85% of our neighbors were retired and completely uninterested in making any move to say hello or welcome to the neighborhood.</p>
<p><span id="more-2840"></span>That&#8217;s no excuse. I should have and could have reached out and been a friend. But I didn&#8217;t. In fact, I spent so little time in my neighborhood outside my home that I went months without even waving to a single neighbor.</p>
<p>The point: over the weekend, I heard that my neighbor&#8217;s 20 something year old son died of cancer. He was bedridden for months. We only heard about his condition for the first time maybe a month ago. We weren&#8217;t involved in our neighbors&#8217; lives and people are dying.</p>
<p>If that weren&#8217;t enough, my neighbor on the other side of us lost his wife a couple years ago. I never knew she had died. She had Alzheimer&#8217;s and never really left the house. One day he just mentions in passing that his wife died a year before, and I stood there in disbelief. How could I not know the pain and trouble my neighbors were feeling?</p>
<p>Easy. I don&#8217;t spend time with them. I don&#8217;t know them. I am embarrassed and a little ashamed. The truth is, I didn&#8217;t have the faith to pray for healing and actually expect healing for the longest time. I don&#8217;t know that my prayers would have done any good. But my concern, my time, and my love would have made a difference. I have failed for too long to reach the people easiest to touch. They are literally next door, yet I know more about people halfway across the country because of their tweets.</p>
<p>Confession: despite all this, I don&#8217;t have the greatest desire to know my neighbors. We don&#8217;t appear to have many common interests. I&#8217;m 32. Most of them are 50-75. I have a young child. Most of them don&#8217;t. I&#8217;m all about the Web. They&#8217;re all about cable tv and fixing up their yards.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not that I can&#8217;t find a way to bless them. It&#8217;s that I don&#8217;t see them as potential close friends. And because of that, it&#8217;s more difficult to will myself to step outside my comfort zone and talk to them. But some of them may be very lonely. Some of them don&#8217;t get many visitors. I wonder what I could do to bless each one.<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/wake-up-church-the-time-has-come-for-pastors-of-online-ministry/" rel="bookmark" title="January 7, 2010">Wake Up, Church! The Time Has Come for Pastors of Online Ministry</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/of-course-you-have-real-friends-dont-you/" rel="bookmark" title="February 4, 2008">Of Course You Have Real Friends&#8230; Don&#8217;t You?</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Making Time to Work Out</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/making-time-to-work-out/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=making-time-to-work-out</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/making-time-to-work-out/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:38:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jenni Hammitt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Jenni Hammit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exercise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prioritizing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[working out]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2852</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am pretty much always on the go. Even when I am home, I’m usually working on something. That was always my excuse for not working out regularly. I didn’t have time for the gym or a work out video. I had lost some weight by watching my food intake, but that will only take you so far.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fmaking-time-to-work-out%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fmaking-time-to-work-out%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2855" title="wii-fit" src="http://www.culturefeast.com/wp-content/uploads/wii-fit.jpg" alt="wii-fit" width="480" height="361" /></p>
<p>I am pretty much always on the go. Even when I am home, I’m usually working on something. That was always my excuse for not working out regularly. I didn’t have time for the gym or a work out video. I had lost some weight by watching my food intake, but that will only take you so far.</p>
<p><span id="more-2852"></span>Then I was going to Vegas. I wanted to lose a few pounds for the trip. I wasn’t looking to be a size 4, but I wanted to lose a few pounds so I could wear my sundresses without feeling self conscious. Motivating myself to go to the workout center was harder than I thought it would be. I was embarrassed and self conscious. I tried the ballet work out DVD and it worked, but it still wasn’t enough to keep me hooked.</p>
<p>I decided it was time to brush the dust and bird fluff off the Wii. I do not have a Wii FIT yet, but I did enjoy playing the sports games. This time I tried something different. I tried the training options. This is where things started to turn around.<br />
Yes, I don’t have a personal trainer, I can’t go Yoga, and I can’t run with just my Wii, but I can do things I enjoy doing. I like batting practice, learning how to play tennis, working on hitting home runs, doing a couple rounds with the punching bag, and learning how to dodge tennis balls.</p>
<p>I could easily come home from work every night and put in at least 25-45  minutes with out even thinking about it.  I get my cardio, I work my legs and arms, and I even work on my abs a bit while I train. I also like using the Wii because you can chart your results.  I take the fitness test once a week just to make sure I am improving myself even just a little through the training,  and even occasionally playing one of the games.</p>
<p>Another plus to the WII is that is exercise I actually like. It may have started as a way to lose weight for Vegas. It may have even kept momentum because I want my Halloween costume to look awesome. However, it is part of my everyday routine now. Plus once I have started exercising, I am more apt to do the things I don’t like. The stretches, crunches and push ups on the ballet DVD may be torture, but I am actually in a mood to do them. Being bored on the exercise bike or treadmill may not be my favorite thing to do, but already being  in exercise mode helps.</p>
<p>Maybe I can actually keep this up and be at my target size by New Year&#8217;s?<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
<ul class="similar-posts">
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/get-ready-for-swimsuit-season/" rel="bookmark" title="May 30, 2008">Get Ready for Swimsuit Season</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/the-supreme-discipline-of-running/" rel="bookmark" title="April 24, 2008">The Supreme Discipline of Running</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/won-over-by-wii/" rel="bookmark" title="January 13, 2009">Won Over By Wii</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Welcome Back Dexter</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/welcome-back-dexter/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=welcome-back-dexter</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/welcome-back-dexter/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:26:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jenni Hammitt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Jenni Hammit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[television]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cbs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dexter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[john lithgow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[keith carradine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael c hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[primetime tv]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2848</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
It is finally October. Yes, my favorite month is here. Fall is in full swing. It is the one month a year my bat purse doesn’t make me odd, dark make up is okay, and I get to watch all the cheesy horror movies until I want to  gouge my eyes out with a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fwelcome-back-dexter%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fwelcome-back-dexter%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left"><img class="size-full wp-image-2849 aligncenter" src="http://www.culturefeast.com/wp-content/uploads/dexter.jpg" alt="dexter" width="499" height="250" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left">It is finally October. Yes, my favorite month is here. Fall is in full swing. It is the one month a year my bat purse doesn’t make me odd, dark make up is okay, and I get to watch all the cheesy horror movies until I want to  gouge my eyes out with a dull spoon (and that is a good thing). Another thing I love about this time of year, my favorite serial killer is back with new episodes. Yes, I am talking about Dexter.</p>
<p><span id="more-2848"></span>I didn’t have Showtime during the first season, but CBS aired edited versions of that season during the writer’s strike. I was hooked immediately. I love <strong>Michael C Hall</strong> from Six Feet Under (another dark cable show). When I moved, I upgraded my cable to include the premium channel.</p>
<p>This season we find our twisted hero…protagonist…eh I’m not sure what to call him juggling the new baby, a life in the suburbs, his job and of course his dark secret.  I know I shouldn’t like Dexter.  He’s a killer, but they have created a character that you can’t help but root for. We know he’s a killer. We know he’s sick. However, he kills the bad guys the police can’t take down.  We hope week after week he gets his target, doesn’t get caught and keeps it all together. They take a person who by definition we should all hate, and make him some how enjoyable.</p>
<p>Dexter is well written, well acted (most of the time) and tends to have lots of twists and turns every season.  They keep coming up with new fresh ideas that keep the show from getting boring or just repetitive.  This season it looks like Dexter’s nemesis will be <strong>John Lithgow</strong>. Lithgow will be playing another serial killer: the Trinity killer. This guy started his killing 30 years ago in Miami, and now he is back. <strong>Keith Carradine</strong> returns as Lundy….he’s on the hunt for the Trinity killer. How will this effect Dexter and Deb this season? Will Dexter be able to get a full night’s sleep? Can he juggle it all? Every season he comes so close to losing it all, but he always comes out ahead. Will his luck keep up?</p>
<p>There are other things going on this season too. I am curious to see what they do with <strong>Joey Quinn</strong>. I wonder how the whole Batista /Laguerta relationship will work. I see Astor getting to the age where she is going to start to rebel. As if Dexter doesn’t already have enough to worry about! Will Rita learn Dexter’s secret?<br />
Only time will tell. For now my calendar is booked  on Sunday nights.<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
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<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/ocds-end-tv-shows-the-right-way/" rel="bookmark" title="September 1, 2009">OCDs End TV Shows the Right Way</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/midseason-tv-is-back-and-sorrier-than-ever/" rel="bookmark" title="January 14, 2009">Midseason TV Is Back, and Sorrier than Ever</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/so-what-does-your-dvr-list-say-about-you/" rel="bookmark" title="September 29, 2008">So What Does Your DVR List Say About You?</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Flying the Not So Friendly Skies</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/flying-the-not-so-friendly-skies/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=flying-the-not-so-friendly-skies</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/flying-the-not-so-friendly-skies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:09:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jenni Hammitt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Jenni Hammit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[airlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carry-on luggage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[detroit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flight attendant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flying]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2843</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I travel somewhat regularly. While I have watched the changes (especially those in air travel) make the experience less user friendly. However, my last trip gave me a much clearer insight. I flew with a friend who had not been on a plane in over a decade. It is  one thing to deal with [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fflying-the-not-so-friendly-skies%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Fflying-the-not-so-friendly-skies%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2844" title="skies" src="http://www.culturefeast.com/wp-content/uploads/skies.jpg" alt="skies" width="500" height="250" />I travel somewhat regularly. While I have watched the changes (especially those in air travel) make the experience less user friendly. However, my last trip gave me a much clearer insight. I flew with a friend who had not been on a plane in over a decade. It is  one thing to deal with new rules, extra charges and other changes each time you fly. It is another thing to almost all the rules change since your last flight.</p>
<p><span id="more-2843"></span>Those of us who fly frequently are almost conditioned to tolerate the lack of meals included, paying for snacks and maybe one beverage service on a four hour flight. We understand that with the extra fees for checking luggage, more people are just sticking with carry ons. That means there are more bags in the over head bins. Some less polite fliers from the back of the plane will put their carry ons in the bins in the front of the plane, leaving no  space for those actually sitting in the front of the plane.</p>
<p>Even if you opt for carry on only, even with the carry on restrictions, your bag still might get checked. Yes one carry on and one personal item can be “abused” or some people who really should keep their one bag under the seat in front of them will insist on taking up bin space. We have been there done that, and it is  like we are desensitized to the whole ordeal.</p>
<p>Maybe we shouldn’t be. Maybe we should still feel the outrage like we did the first time  we experienced this.  My friend had a very eye opening experience. She was amazed and annoyed by the fact that she could take her razor in her carry on, but she wasn’t able to take her shampoo and conditioner unless she bought travel sized items. You either have  to pay the baggage fee , or spend  money to meet the security requirements. She was  outraged when the flight attendant was very rude to us on our first flight. We didn’t try to board early.</p>
<p>We waited until they called our row, and in theory their should have been space around our seats for our bags. However, there was not. We had to go all the way to the back of the plane to find open space in the bins. Did we hold up progress while we did this? Yes. Did we have an option? No. Did that stop the flight attendant from yelling at us? No. Apparently we were the ones being rude in her mind. I was annoyed, but what else could I do but say sorry and get back to my seat? My friend was outraged. To her, if the airlines are going to institute fees that make more people do carry-ons only, the flight attendants should stop passengers from putting their bags in front when they are sitting in back. There should be a better system in place. I agree. There has to be a better way.</p>
<p>I also agree the flight attendant was rude, but I guess I just had become accustomed to the system being broken and hoped that the flight attendant was just having a bad day. We were holding up boarding, and I am sure that was frustrating. My friend only saw that if boarding had been more organized, we wouldn’t have been forced to go in search of bins. This was just the beginning of the observations.</p>
<p>It was very interesting to hear her take on the things that  have changed. Some of her frustrations were actually set in her not being familiar with airline and security procedures. We were supposed to have another person with us. On our first flight her seat remained open, but on our two longer flights the seat was given to another passenger. She didn’t understand the whole people flying stand by and overbooking policy.</p>
<p>In Detroit, we had to walk from the far end of concourse A to the other side of the airport to get our connecting flight in concourse B. It was a haul, (and the Twin Peaks esque tunnel is a little creepy)but it is one of these reasons you never book anything with less than an hour layover. It just is how things work. Still, I can see how people who aren’t familiar with all the rules can get frustrated rather quickly.</p>
<p>Flying used to be  more of a luxury, service was better, and your biggest concern was making it to your destination safely.  Now there are more little things you have to take into consideration. The big thing I take away from this is should we be outraged? Are we just dealing with the changing times, or should we be more vocal about the decline of quality and sometimes infringement on our well being? Is this a case of just needing to put our big girl  panties  on and deal, or should we be doing more?<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
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<li><a href="http://www.culturefeast.com/airline-customer-service-issues/" rel="bookmark" title="July 21, 2009">Ridiculous Airline Customer Service Issues</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Away on Vacation: Fact or Myth</title>
		<link>http://www.culturefeast.com/away-on-vacation-fact-or-myth/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=away-on-vacation-fact-or-myth</link>
		<comments>http://www.culturefeast.com/away-on-vacation-fact-or-myth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:47:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jenni Hammitt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Jenni Hammit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vacations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=2837</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I remember going on vacation when I was young and even in high school. You didn’t call your friends on the road. You might write them a letter or send a postcard, but that was it. When we went to France, I didn’t call home once. I went for 21 days without talking to anyone [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Faway-on-vacation-fact-or-myth%2F"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.culturefeast.com%2Faway-on-vacation-fact-or-myth%2F" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p>I remember going on vacation when I was young and even in high school. You didn’t call your friends on the road. You might write them a letter or send a postcard, but that was it. When we went to France, I didn’t call home once. I went for 21 days without talking to anyone on the home front. It didn’t seem weird, it was just how things were. If you were on vacation, you were not in communication. That is no longer the case.</p>
<p><span id="more-2837"></span>Are we ever really on vacation? We have become so digitally acclimated that it seems like even when we are “out of town” we aren’t really out of reach. Honestly, unless we go somewhere completely isolated (and even then if we are willing to pay for access we can sometimes get it)we have the access to keep up with our friends, e-mail and work.</p>
<p>Six years ago we were already heading that way. I could  only afford to go on vacation because I was staying in a hostel. I couldn’t afford a laptop, or a hotel that had internet access, but I had my brick of a cell phone and access to internet cafes.  It wasn’t ideal, and I usually wasn’t online for long, but it was still a way to connect with home. However, I wasn’t going to spend the money on extra time to check my work e-mail.  Now it is a whole new ball game.</p>
<p>Many of us have laptops. Aircards are becoming more and more common place. Heck wireless providers are selling netbooks with their wifi system already built in (you have to also purchase the internet package). Yes, many hotels and resorts charge out the nose for internet access, but most of us can find free access pretty easily. I know I discovered at recent conference there was a fee for wifi, but you could waive it if you were an AT&amp;T customer. They had process in place similar to Starbucks and other AT&amp;T hotspots. Just enter your user name and password and you were connected. Working for a DJ/Karaoke company, I have learned many bars (just like coffee shops) also have free access. It is just a matter of keeping your eyes open and in some cases just checking it out yourself.</p>
<p>Even if I didn’t have a laptop or a netbook, I could still check my personal e-mail, P3 e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo Messenger (which I only use for work) from my phone. I have a Blackberry, but even people without smart phones can get in on the action. Even my mom (who I love but is behind the curve on technology) can get e-mail on her cell phone. Twitter and Facebook (ok and Myspace…but really who uses that anymore)  have mobile options. Even if you do not have a data plan, you can use text messages for both Twitter (which started as a text service)and Facebook and Yahoo messenger. Not to mention, if your boss (or anyone) has your cell phone number, they can reach you by phone or text.</p>
<p>I’m all about being connected. I like that if something goes wrong, I have the option of getting a hold of someone quickly and cost effectively. However, I also see my vacation time as my me time. I want to be able to relax and just be off the clock for  few days.</p>
<p>I leave for vacation in less than ten hours. I will be taking my netbook with me, but I am not paying for wifi. I’m mainly taking it to do write ups and if we want to look something up  we can waddle on over to a hot spot and check it there. I will not be checking my work e-mail. I refuse to do it. I will send updates on Twitter and Facebook on my phone, but I am not connecting to work. When I was on my cruise, I didn’t pay for wifi, turned off my phone’s data and turned the thing off. I have international coverage on it, but I didn’t want the extra texting fees or long distance charges that came with that plan. If I needed the phone, I had it. Otherwise it was a paper weight.</p>
<p>I chose to (for better or worse) make that boundary. If I didn’t I would most likely end up working from my vacation destination.  I know how tempting it is just to check the e-mail, check in on the office, or just look at some data one last time. Maybe I’m just weak, but I see this as a trend. Ina  world where we are always connected, how do we keep our work and our personal time apart?<strong>Similar Posts:</strong>
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