Why is it that Great White Sharks have been demonized for centuries, yet Grizzly Bears, an equally ferocious creature, has always avoided detection as a ruthless killer? The answer’s obvious! Bears have fur, sharks don’t. But, even if I could suddenly give Great White Sharks an evolutionary growth-spurt-miracle then I don’t think I could go through with it, mainly because I am slightly freaked out by wet fur, I will seriously strap on some running shoes and dodge any animal with wet fur by every means nessecary. Ever since a dog attacked me at the age of seven (I was seven, the dog looked ageless, as snarling vicious dogs do) I’ve had an enormous fear of that stuff–so the idea of being attacked by an enormous furry shark is just too much to bare.

There are other good reasons why these eponymous Bears can get away with doing pretty much whatever they like, of course, and quite rightly: Grizzly Bears come from Canada! Not that I am an expert. (While I can’t accurately attribute the actual place where a Grizzly Bear first growled its first GRRR!, I do know they live there en masse and are considered a national treasure.) Canada is a great country, therefore Grizzly Bears, no matter what sins they commit or how many they commit daily, will always be lauded. And quite rightly! Overall, more people are, statistically, killed by falling alien spaceship-parts every year and staring too hard into the eyes of cats (my statistics, but accurate I think), than by unprovoked Grizzly Bear rage. And who could blame them even if they did have to occasionally lash out? When you weigh a thousand pounds and are lugging massive sharp claws about, life has got to get you down.

The guys and girls at Enigin are all about questioning the things we take for granted on a daily basis. Rather than most business web-sites, which have the audacity to believe that every human invention is an important and essential one for mankind to never be without, the Enigin Money site doesn’t hold back voicing its opinion, in this case about all things financial. Hit the following link and write a comment about money if you feel the burn; good or bad, they would like to know your thoughts.

And it’s a good point. Money may be something we now cannot live without, but is it really worth the fibre it’s printed on? Well, clearly not if you look at the facts: the strangest thing about money is that it’s not worth a damn thing until you buy something with it. Sitting in a pile it’s as good a currency as banana skins and piles of nuts and bolts. (Not that you should think that a good reason to rob a bank, of course. Unless it’s a bank full of either banana skins or nuts and bolts, and even then I’m sure you’d be in a lot of trouble.)

So, you could say the whole money thing got me thinking about where we’d be without money. I mean, as much as I like the idea of bartering with sheep and goats and mules for digital cameras and laptop computers, can you imagine lugging all that lot in to town? No, I think the debit / credit-card wins that fight hands down.

Italy’s new slalom king, Giuliano Razzoli will be going all out for gold in the Winter Olympics taking place in Canada next month. He has a real chance of clinching a medal to cement his growing reputation on the alpine circuit.

Italy is becoming increasingly popular for ski enthusiasts from around the world. The combination of beautiful scenery, beautiful people and beautiful food, as well as a huge selection of runs that suit every skiier from the beginner to the expert, have seen it become the place to go this Winter. Ski Italy have a wide selection of information and resorts for those of you who will be inspired by the events of Vancouver 2010.

Whilst ski tourism is becoming increasingly popular in Italy, the fortunes of the country’s professional skiiers have been less successful in recent times. The legendary Alberto Tomba was the last great Italian champion, winning Gold medals at two Olympics and becoming World Champion at both slalom and giant slalom. It is now fourteen years since the success of Tomba La Bomba however and despite sporadic success since then, the azzuri are still waiting for their next major international victory. Giuliano Razzoli, an unassuming 25 year old from Castelnuovo ne Monti, is being seen as the natural successor to Tomba and next month could see him reach the heights in the Olympic slalom event.

Razzoli’s performances have been improving gradually over the last three years but 2010 has seen his big breakthrough. Zagreb saw Razzioli claim his first World Cup victory when he beat fellow Italian Manfred Moelgg, a frustratingly inconsistent performer this season, and Julien Lizeroux, the world Silver medallist from France. Razzoli has followed this triumph up with a 3rd place finish on a demanding Kitzbuehel course. Giuliano now finds himself in 6th place overall in the World Cup standings and his confidence will be high as the Italian team make their way to Vancouver.

Razzoli seemed genuinely overwhelmed to be congratulated by Tomba himself after his victory in Zagreb but it could be a moment that signalled the changing of the guard. I believe that the Italian ski team, with the young slalom king Razzoli at their head, could soon find themselves as successful as the wonderful resorts that they hail from.

I have been running for over ten years now, and normally enter 10k races. I have never run a marathon, although I have covered 20 miles in training, but rather than go straight from 6 miles to 26 miles I decided to try half-marathons first. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt running over 13 miles and I also ran the Sheffield half marathon last year. My time for the Great North Run last year was one hour 44 minutes, so I hardly think that I qualify as an elite athlete, but this year I aim to take a big chunk off of my PB and make it round in under an hour and a half: if I make it then I will be smiling all the way into the summer!

This year sees the twentieth running of the Great North Run and it has changed dramatically over the years. What was initially a relatively small field, a half marathon of local interest only, it is now, in my opinion, the world’s greatest half marathon. There will be over 54,000 runners in this years event and after all of the fun I had last year I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed that I will be among them.

What makes this event so different to the others that I have undertaken is the sheer scale. There is a great camaraderie between the thousands of runners and if you hit a bit of a sticky patch towards the end then there will be many fellow runners around you to encourage you and get you back into your rhythm. Of course, we can’t talk about encouragement at The Great North Run without mentioning the crowds! They line the streets in their tens of thousands, and you can feel the warmth from the spectators just willing you home over that finishing line.

Time is running out for the ballot so I urge you to get onto the Great North Run website and register today. Believe me, it is something that you will never regret - and there’s even the chance of getting your face on national television as you overtake a celebrity or two!

Before I go, I need to relish in a new purchase. I have just bought the greatest brooks running shoes that I have ever owned. London Marathon, here I come!

Lock, Stock and Improv, directed by Clare Stevenson was showing at the ADC Theatre. It makes you wonder why improvisation is used, despite the dangers of it going horribly wrong. After all it takes one idiot in the front row to spoil the show by answering ‘sex’ to every question. Sometimes the fine line between a pure witty performance and street side banter is too thin for comfort. I attended this show thinking I would either get a five star performance or a total humorless performance.

Overall it was a great performance that night, or the 12^th I must say as every night is different with such shows. The actors showed that they were able to create a great performance out of the sometimes unbelievable chants that came out of the audience. They were able to craft an entertaining shown that we all enjoyed as an audience. There were minor mishaps on stage, but I saw the funny side of thing.

There were a few less than impressive moments though which failed to raise a smile from any of us. But it was all improvised on stage and so you cannot complain much. It was not as pretty as it would have looked had everything been scripted with a great detail. Improvisation though can really separate the best from the rest and can show the true ability of many performers. Overall it was a great performance from the cast to keep the story flowing into a comedy spectacular with great creativity and skills.

Sadly though, the show is not longer on. I really hope they bring it back so it can be enjoyed by many more people. If they do bring it back, I hope it runs for a lot longer as genuine talent and on the spot chuckles are very hard to find.

Before I log off I have some vaguely interesting news, I have finally decided to go and book the appointment to get that tattoo that I had gotten when I was young and rebelious removed. It has been exasperating me for a really long time now, evidently I have grown out of that whole juvenile stage now. However, I was looking on the page for tattoo removal Maidenhead and I am uncertain if it will look better afterwards, some of the photos are a little bit unconvincing! What do you guys think is worse, a bird or a faint outline of one

This is, in no small part, down to the recent draft picks from previous poor seasons, and the captaincy and leadership of Shane Doan. The Coyotes may not play with the style and finesse of the Chicago Blackhawks, or the San Jose Sharks, but they do have a lot of grit, tenacity and passion for the game that has served them well so far.

It could be questioned just how far relying on the above qualities can get a team, but so far, it is serving them well and long may that continue. It is not as if the Coyotes are without style, Lombardi and Upshall have been impressive along with Doan and the goaltending of Bryzgalov has earned him a lot of praise.

Everyone loves an underdog and that is certainly the case with the Coyotes. As already mentioned, critics and pundits were writing them off before the season started, incidentally, a season that started with a win over Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they are suffering wtih some major financial issues.

The NHL ended up buying the Coyotes and are now searching for a buyer, so how long they will remain in Phoenix, or even remain the Coyotes is questionable, but for now at least, the fans can get behind this team and cheer them on to achieve even more.

A Stanley Cup win is probably out of the question, but throughout the season Phoenix have collected wins over the Sharks, the Devils and several other top of the league teams, so there is no reason why they can’t do it again should they meet these teams in the Play-Offs.

It has long been thought that issues off the ice, or pitch, depending on the sport, can affect a team when they play. However, the Coyotes are certainly proving that rule wrong as they continue to impress. Heading down to the Jobing.com Arena is no longer an easy two points. They Coyotes are simply getting on with business, letting their hockey do the talking and confounding the critics as they do it.

How does chalets val d isere competition sound to everyone? Everybody should really enter, this would be such a cool way way to spend Christmas!

From sloppy defense and a lack of creativity and passion to injuries, this has been a season to forget so far. Currently occupying the bottom of the NHL league, the Oiler’s only bonus this year is the possible aquisition of Hall and/or Seguin and hot prospect Eberle. All have given a great account of themselves this year and some great performances at the World Juniors helped to cement their place as top draft picks for next season.

Surely now the Oilers have to concede their season and realize that a top draft pick is more important for this team, that needs to rebuild desperately, than going on a end of season run that takes them to mid-table obscurity.

I think it is time for some experimentation with the lines, and time to give some of the younger players a chance to gain valuable experience as the veterans such as Horcroff, Pisani and Staios have been rather poor this season and should, if possible, be traded.

The Oiler’s wage bill is very high and the cap space is low, therefore, the acquisition of new talent will be difficult to come by until they offload some of the deadweight. As already mentioned, high wage earners such as Horcroff and Pisani should be traded, although after the season they have had, with their high wage demands, who will want them?

It has been mentioned that another high earner, Sheldon Souray, would trade himself to help out the Oilers. Souray has been one of the highlights in this poor season for the Oilers and I’m sure there would be offers for him. He has handed in a list of teams he would trade to so it’s a “watch this space” situation right now.

The Oilers need to sort out their team and this requires a full shake-up. Edmontonians have been waiting a long time for this team to deliver like it has in the past and it is time they got a decent season from their team. New talent is essential.
Important news, the ski accommodation bookings for our annual trip have been sorted out. Next week is the last chance for the payment, please get it to me as soon as possible.

January is the time when large numbers of people resolve to lose weight, get fit and look fabulous! Sadly, less than a month into the new year, most people will have given up their endeavours and may feel even less confident about themselves and their bodies, turning to comfort eating as a result.

The reasons that people fail to stick to their good intentions can vary but usually they involve a lack of planning or not having a clear diet and exercise plan to follow, hunger pangs caused by cutting out meals completely and confusion over which of the myriad diets to follow. Do any of these sound like you? Well in 2010 why not follow the celebrity weight loss plan that plainly works and start blitzing your weight away!

Hannah Waterman is one of Britain’s best loved actresses but the main reason that she is famous now is for her amazing weight loss that has left her looking simply incredible! Hannah knew that she had to take action when paparazzi photographs caught her size 16 body on a beach in a tiny bikini and she was faced with constant speculation that she was pregnant. Taking advice from nutritional and weight loss experts she devised her own programme that has seen her slim to a super sexy size 6 in a handful of months. Hannah now looks great, feels confident and is making positive changes throughout her life and now you too can follow her example in the highly recommended DVD ’Hannah Waterman’s Body Blitz’.

Top academic and nutritionist Martin McDonald worked alongside Hannah to create a pain free yet result delivering diet. The Body Blitz allows you to eat six times a day, so you will never feel hungry, yet the pounds will fall away.

The concept involves taking an even mix of seven different food types over the 42 weekly meals: protein rich foods; controlled fat intake; wholegrain foods; vegetables; fruit; calcium rich foods; iron rich foods. The DVD provides weekly meal planners that will allow you to balance these foodstuffs whilst maintaining around 1400 calories a day. This diet plan, when combined with a simple but regular exercise regime, will see you lose weight in a way that you had never dreamt possible.

The results on Hannah Waterman are there for everyone to see and soon people could be asking you for the secret of your success. You will look better and you will feel better so why not make 2010 the year that you finally succeed with your resolution and blitz your body!

There is so much talk nowadays about the acai berry and it’s effect on weight loss. Found in the heart of the Amazon, this plump roundish berry is said to be one of the healthiest fruits around that naturally burns body weight. So, how is this done?

Instead of acting as an appetite suppressant like other weight loss products, the acai berry boosts your body’s natural consumption of calories so that you burn more calories during normal physical activity. This results in you losing weight naturally without the need for heavy dieting and exercise.

Besides from being an effective weight loss aid, this fruit also has numerous other benefits such as reducing the aging process, helping with cell renewal, lowering blood pressure, improving digestion functioning, boosting the immune system, lowering cholesterol, flushing out harmful toxins from the body and many others.

The acai berry is loaded with large amounts of antioxidants which help with cell damage, increases energy and breaks down fat faster. Taken with a healthy diet and exercise regimen, one can begin to naturally lose weight fast and keep it off. There are no harmful side effects to the acai berry such as there are with those over the counter aids. In fact, they are quite healthy for you.

Also found in the acai berry are important nutrients such as Vitamin B, potassium and Omega 3, 6 and 9. These are said to counteract bad fats and smooth out the digestive process. Combined these work effectively to increase your energy, boost your metabolism and promote a healthy functioning body.

Instead of reaching for the box of OTC diet pills that could lead to serious side effects such as high blood pressure and heart disease, you might want to consider a more natural approach with the use of acai berry easily found in the form of a supplement in your local grocery and health food store.

When asked to talk about myself, usually the first thing I talk about was having the ability to fire my boss over 7 years ago and begin my journey as a stay at home mom and entrepreneur. I think I like to talk about this because it was always a passion of mine to be able to stay home with my kids and earn an income as well.

When I first left my job as a customer service manager for a newspaper company, I was getting involved in my own home based business. I am still with that business as of today. I didn’t take right off and begin to earn thousands of dollars, in fact it took me several years before I really saw any progress in my business. Now, that is total dedication right?

In any event, I went on to work some other part time gigs (from home) such as phone work to supplement my “very part time” home business income. I got quickly bored of being on phones in my own home so I began my home career as an article writer. I didn’t even know I could write! I started off by writing for myself and promoting affiliate products and and building myself a decent size portfolio of articles. I then went on to write for personal clients and earning money with each article.

At this point in my life, I am still writing for both myself and personal clients as well as running a successful home based business. I have surpassed the income I was making at my full time job and couldn’t be happier. When other moms come up to me and ask if it was worth it to quit such a stable job and if I thought they could do it too, my answer is always a definite yes!

Elizabeth’s surprise pre-wedding weekend: I think I know what we should do. We should book some val d’isere ski as a surprise.