Great Lakes Home & Resort Acquires Assets of Kasson Manufacturing - Acquisition Marks Company Foray Into The Billiards Market

Great Lakes Home & Resort Acquires Assets of Kasson Manufacturing - Acquisition Marks Company Foray Into The Billiards Market

Officials at Great Lakes Home & Resort, a leading manufacturer of hot tubs, saunas and casual furniture for the home resort market, announced today the acquisition of all assets of privately-held Kasson Manufacturing, Babbitt, Minnesota, manufacturer of pool tables and accessories.

Holland, MI (PRWEB) March 16, 2005

Officials at Great Lakes Home & Resort, a leadingmanufacturer of hot tubs, saunas and casual furniture for the home resort market, announced today the acquisition of all assets of privately-held Kasson Manufacturing, Babbitt, Minnesota, manufacturer of pool tables and accessories.

Founded in 1983, Kasson is recognized throughout the billiards industry for high quality recreational and professional pool tables. The Kasson line, one of the most extensive in the industry, includes 17 different table styles. Kasson tables provide design, material and size options for the occasional player, the enthusiast and the professional markets.

“Kasson is a well-respected and widely recognized name in the billiards community,” said Rick Mouw, President, Great Lakes Home & Resort. “Adding the Kasson name to our growing portfolio of home resort products is evidence of our commitment to offering lifestyle products the entire family can enjoy. We want our customers to get the most enjoyment from their home investment, whether it’s a game of 8 ball in the rec room or a relaxing escape in the backyard hot tub. The Kasson brand, and its reputation for well-built, high value tables, is an excellent fit in our long-term strategy, and we look forward to the opportunities it offers our dealers and our growing customer base.”

Kasson has played an active role in promoting the sport of billiards, helping launch the WomenÂ’s Professional Billiards Association Tour in 1993, and sponsoring numerous nationally televised amateur, professional and celebrity events. Kasson pool tables will continue to be made in Babbitt, Minnesota.

About Great Lakes Home & Resort

Founded in 1969, Great Lakes Home & Resort is a leading manufacturer of home resort products, including Great Lakes Hot Tubs™, Almost Heaven Saunas® and The Greenbrier Collection™ of casual furniture.

Great Lakes Hot Tubs™ are offered in 8 different models, ranging from the popular round Sunlighter to the exciting new 5 person Penta to the roomy Manistee. All models are available in a variety of custom Geloy® colors and feature a full complement of hydrotherapy jets, seating configurations and comfort and convenience features. Sold through Great Lakes Home & Resort Dealers throughout the US.

Available in 7 designs for home use, Almost Heaven Saunas offer a healthy respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Offered in both traditional and infrared models, Almost Heaven Saunas are milled from solid 1 1/2” clear, kiln dried, Western Red Cedar heartwood in a ball and socket joint construction for long-lasting durability. Available through Great Lakes dealers or on-line at www. almostheavensaunas. com.

The Greenbrier Collection offers distinctive lines and inviting styles in select chairs, tables and occasional pieces. Available in teak or maintenance-free Weaterite™, Greenbrier furniture features stainless steel frames, heliarch welded for seamless strength and graceful lines. Faux stone tabletops available in complementing colors. Sold through Great Lakes dealers or on-line at www. greenbriercollection. com.

For additional information on the entire family of Great Lakes Home & Resort products, please visit www. greatlakeshomeandresort. com. Great Lakes Home & Resort is headquartered at 935 East 40th Street, Holland, MI 49423 800.458.1476

Contact:

Tom Murdoch, Murdoch Marketing

(616) 392-4893 tom@murdochmarketing. com

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Venture/Private Equity Firm Buerk Dale Victor Changes Name to Montlake Capital

Venture/Private Equity Firm Buerk Dale Victor Changes Name to Montlake Capital

New name recognizes growth of firm and expansion of investment team to Portland, OR, Boise, Idaho and Bozeman, MT.

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) January 12, 2010

Buerk Dale Victor, a leading venture capital and private equity firm with operations throughout the western U. S., has changed its name to Montlake Capital. The new name recognizes the firm’s evolution from a local partnership, founded in Seattle in 1999, to a growing regional firm with a significantly expanded investment team, geographic footprint and portfolio operations.

The name Montlake represents the rugged mountains and lakes of the West, as well as the spirit of adventure and pioneering history of one of the strongest U. S. regional economies in today’s global marketplace. Montlake is also one of Seattle’s most recognized neighborhoods and is identified with the University of Washington, one of the region’s epicenters of higher education, entrepreneurship and innovation. Close relationships with leading academic institutions throughout the Northwest have been a long-term source of value for the firm.

“Montlake recognizes our tradition and roots, while clarifying and distinguishing the firm’s brand and capital markets business,” said Andy Dale, Managing Partner. “Our strategy and commitment to investing in and supporting the most promising growth companies remains constant.”

Tracing its roots to the early 1980’s when its founders and early investors provided entrepreneurial capital to growing enterprises, Montlake Capital transformed into a private equity and venture capital fund management business 10 years ago. In recent years, the firm has opened regional offices and added partners in Portland, OR, Bozeman, MT and Boise, Idaho.

“The veteran team and network of regional offices we have assembled provide a unique advantage in identifying promising growth opportunities and accessing valuable resources for the benefit of our partner companies and investors,” said Dale.

Montlake has $100 million of principally institutional capital under management and invests in private growth companies across diversified sectors where the firm has unique knowledge and experience. Over the last decade, the firm has invested in more than 20 Northwest growth companies and has established itself as a long-term partner to its portfolio companies, syndicate partners and institutional and high net worth investors.

Most recent investments include the growth recapitalization of natural pet treat company, Blue Dog Bakery (www. bluedogbakery. com), and expansion financing of online human resources network, i4cp (www. i4cp. com). Other representative investments in the region include Wellpartner (www. wellpartner. com), Veriwave (www. veriwave. com) and ClearAccess (www. clearaccess. com) in Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA and Fresca Mexican Foods (www. frescamex. com) in Boise, Idaho.

In 2010, the firm will actively invest and seek partner companies with revenues between $2-20 million as it executes a strategy of long-term value creation for companies with solid growth potential.

ABOUT MONTLAKE CAPITAL
Montlake Capital is a leading growth equity firm partnering with rapidly growing private companies across the western U. S. Montlake Capital invests across multiple sectors including business or consumer products and services, health and wellness, retail and growth technology. With over 200 combined years of operational expertise, the Montlake team is uniquely positioned to help build successful enduring enterprises.

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Triangle Concierge creates in-house Concierge/Work/Life department for companies who care

Triangle Concierge creates in-house Concierge/Work/Life department for companies who care.

Triangle Concierge, The Concierge Consultants teaches companies how to create their own in-house concierge department so that they can provide Work/Life benefits to their employees. Companies make these great work/life programs a part of the employees benefit package. We provide companies with unsurpassed customized training and the best in customer service.

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) April 30, 2003

ItÂ’s hard to pick up a newspaper without reading about major layoffs these days. But even though the economic picture may not be as rosy as in recent years, that doesnÂ’t mean companies are slacking off on perks and benefits for their remaining staff. Without question, employee satisfaction and retention remain among the top workforce issues that companies face today.

With increasing emphasis in recent years on employeesÂ’ ability to strike a comfortable work/personal life balance, some companies have turned to in-house concierge services to help their workers achieve it.

“If employees are distracted due to problems and stress at home, their job performance will suffer,” says concierge services consultant and author Katharine Giovanni, president of Triangle Concierge and author of The Concierge Manual. Likewise, Long hours at work may also cause employees difficulty in running their households or event o find time to plan a personal life, all of which can result in distracted workers.

“Stress can result in illness and increased sick and personal days and a loss of productivity,” Giovanni added

An in-house concierge department can make good financial sense, Giovanni emphasized, and size doesnÂ’t matter: any company or organization can afford to add a concierge department. Triangle Concierge has trained concierge departments for the Justice Federal Credit Union with 95 employees, the Tennessee Valley Authority with 13,000 employees and Western University of Health Sciences, among others.

With concierges performing tasks such as banking, video return, grocery shopping, prescription pickup, returning library books, and so on, employees who take advantage of the service can reduce day-to-day stress. The company benefits from a more relaxed and focused employee whoÂ’s also now free to stay in the office and work instead of dashing to the pharmacy to pick up a family memberÂ’s prescription.

Other life-enhancing services that some concierge departments offer include modified house sitting, coordinating travel and vacation plans, modified house sitting, checking on sick or elderly relatives, business referral services, making dinner reservations, arranging city tours, and searching for sports or event tickets. Some in-house concierge services offer meeting and event planning.

“Saying that you care about your employees and proving it are two different things,” Giovanni added. “Making concierge services a part of your corporate benefits package will increase your employee retention and overall job satisfaction because they will be better able to concentrate on their jobs.

Triangle Concierge offers a corporate training program to teach companies how to add an in-house concierge department. “We will also teach companies how to make their new department run cost-effectively versus at a loss,” Giovanni said, “The department does not necessarily have to run at a loss.”

In most cases, the company makes the concierge service available to employees, but employees pay a small fee for the service. The advantage of an in-house service over using an outside service include having a dedicated service totally devoted to the company and its employees and control over salary and cost.

“Triangle Concierge provided exactly what we needed to get our concierge services department set up,” said Michael Garrett with Rowe Furniture in Virginia. “The most valuable part of the training has been showing us how to provide this benefit to our people by having the service pay for itself. This is a concept we never really considered. The price we paid for the training is going to pay for itself many times over.”

Triangle also just published a brand new e-book entitled "The In-House Concierge Manual" that teaches companies how to create their own in-house concierge department and offer it to either clients, employees or both.

Triangle Concierge, Inc. has been training concierge companies since 1998. They are one of the oldest concierge consulting companies in the U. S. and were actually the first company in the world to completely devote itself to training and informational services.

Headquartered in Apex, North Carolina, Triangle Concierge works with both individuals and companies from all over the world and currently has over 1600 clients from every US state as well as 16 countries including England, Ireland, Australia, Germany and Canada to name a few. Individual concierge consulting services are offered to those people who wish to start their own concierge company. Triangle Concierge gives individuals all the tools they need and those they never thought of to get started.

To learn more about Triangle ConciergeÂ’s corporate training programs, visit www. triangleconcierge. com, or call Katharine Giovanni at 919-303-1350

CME Outfitters Announces Live CE Activity: "The Impact of the Treatment Team in Redefining Remission and Recovery in Schizophrenia" Premieres Wednesday, April 20, 2005

CME Outfitters Announces Live CE Activity: "The Impact of the Treatment Team in Redefining Remission and Recovery in Schizophrenia" Premieres Wednesday, April 20, 2005

CME Outfitters, LLC, nationally accredited provider of multidisciplinary medical education programming and related healthcare communications services, is pleased to announce an upcoming live and interactive CE activity titled "The Impact of the Treatment Team in Redefining Remission and Recovery in Schizophrenia." Offered as a live satellite broadcast, webcast, and telephone audioconference premiering Wednesday, April 20, 2005, from 12:00 p. m.–1:00 p. m. ET, the activity will focus on exploring the role of the multidisciplinary treatment team in redefining remission and recovery in patients with schizophrenia.

Rockville, MD (PRWEB) March 31, 2005

CME Outfitters, LLC, nationally accredited provider of multidisciplinary medical education programming and related healthcare communications services, is pleased to announce an upcoming live and interactive CE activity titled "The Impact of the Treatment Team in Redefining Remission and Recovery in Schizophrenia." Offered as a live satellite broadcast, webcast, and telephone audioconference premiering Wednesday, April 20, 2005, from 12:00 p. m.–1:00 p. m. ET, the activity will focus on exploring the role of the multidisciplinary treatment team in redefining remission and recovery in patients with schizophrenia. The recorded satellite broadcast will re-air from 3:00 p. m.–4:00 p. m. ET; the archived webcast and telephone audioconference will be available shortly after the live broadcast.

Participation in this activity is free, as is obtaining a CE certificate; however, registration is required. Three forms of registration are accepted:

Fax: View the activity details page at http://www. psychCME. net/cmea. asp? ID=111 (http://www. psychCME. net/cmea. asp? ID=111), print and complete the activity details form, and fax to 240.243.1033

Online: Visit the psychCME TV page at http://www. psychCME. net (http://www. psychCME. net)
Phone: Call 877.CME. PROS (877.263.7767)

Statement of Need:

New advances in the understanding of schizophrenia etiology and treatment have created an increased interest on the part of patients, families, and the treatment team in redefining remission and functional recovery. It is becoming more apparent that patients and clinicians must change their frame of reference when defining remission in schizophrenia to focus on improvements in symptomatic, functional, and cognitive outcomes, as is the case in mood and anxiety disorders. The treatment team plays a critical role in redefining remission and functional recovery by identification of: functional improvements, barriers to compliance, and improved access to resources. Interventions to enhance medication adherence—careful assessment, assertive case management, psychoeducation, and use of long-acting intramuscular medication—can be useful tools for improving functional outcomes and obtaining remission in patients with schizophrenia. In this evidence-based psychCME TV activity, the experts explore the emerging recovery movement in mental health and discuss the role the multidisciplinary treatment team plays in improving patient outcomes.

PsychCME Chair and Moderator:

Prakash S. Masand, MD

Consulting Professor of Psychiatry

Duke University Medical Center

Durham, NC

Faculty:

Peter F. Buckley, MD

Professor and Chairman

Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior

Medical College of Georgia

Augusta, GA

Kathleen S. Jarboe, APRN, BC

Clinical Nurse Manager

Senior Research Project Coordinator

Wesley Woods Health Center

Emory University School of Medicine

Atlanta, GA

Activity Goal:

To explore the role of the multidisciplinary treatment team in redefining remission and recovery in patients with schizophrenia.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this CE activity, participants should be able to:

Redefine treatment success in schizophrenia beyond symptom improvement to include remission and functional recovery. Identify the attributes of the ideal treatment team to provide optimal care to patients with schizophrenia. Examine novel treatment programs in mental health that promote recovery in schizophrenia. Design a plan that includes the treatment team in the pharmacological and nonpharmacological management of patients with schizophrenia.

Target Audience:

Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, psychologists, social workers, certified case managers, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals with an interest in mental health.

Commercial Support:

CME Outfitters, LLC, gratefully acknowledges an educational grant from Janssen Pharmaceutica in support of this CE activity.

Credit Information:

CME Credit (Physicians):

CME Outfitters, LLC, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. CME Outfitters, LLC, designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 category 1 credits toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the activity.

Note to Physician Assistants: AAPA accepts Category I credit from AOACCME, Prescribed credit from AAFP, and AMA Category I CME credit for the PRA from organizations accredited by ACCME.

CNE Credit (Nurses):

This Educational Activity is presented by CME Outfitters, LLC, which has been approved as a provider of continuing education by the New York State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. It has been assigned code 5UYSJZ-PRV-0456. 1.2 contact hours (Pharmacology)

CEP Credit (Psychologists):

CME Outfitters, LLC, is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. CME Outfitters, LLC, maintains responsibility for the program. 1.0 CE credits

NASW Credit (Social Workers):

This program was approved by the National Association of Social Workers (provider #886407722) for 1 continuing education contact hour.

CCMC Credit (Certified Case Managers):

This program has been approved for 1 hour by the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC).

CPE Credit (Pharmacists):

CME Outfitters, LLC, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. 1.0 contact hours (0.1 CEUs)

Universal Program Number: 376-999-05-011-L01 (live presentation) 376-999-05-011-H01 (recorded programs)

To receive credit, participants must review all activity materials in their entirety, score 70% or above on a post-test, and fully complete and return both the credit request form and activity evaluation. A certificate or statement of credit will be mailed within 4–6 weeks to all who successfully complete these requirements.

About CME Outfitters:

CME Outfitters is a full service healthcare communications agency providing continuing education content development, production, marketing, accreditation, and project management services to the healthcare industry. Among its many collaborative ventures, CME Outfitters enjoys an exclusive role in producing, certifying, and supporting the popular psychCME series of educational activities originally developed at Duke University Medical Center. For more information on CME Outfitters, including a complete calendar of its free award-winning educational activities, please visit http://www. cmeoutfitters. com (http://www. cmeoutfitters. com), or call 877.CME. PROS (877.263.7767).

CME Outfitters' weekly e-newsletter, psychCME EXTRA, is a convenient way to stay informed of all upcoming psychCME activities, along with other news and information. To subscribe, visit http://www. cmeoutfitters. com (http://www. cmeoutfitters. com) and click on "Register for Updates."

Contact: Christopher Perez

CME Outfitters, LLC

240.243.1303 direct

240.243.1033 fax

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The International Food Safety and Quality Network Announces HACCP Training Products for Packaging Employees

The International Food Safety and Quality Network Announces HACCP Training Products for Packaging Employees

A range of HACCP training products designed for educating personnel employed in the packaging industry are now available from the International Food Safety & Quality Network website.

Manchester, United Kingdom (PRWEB) October 11, 2006

There is increasing demand from food customers for their packaging suppliers to have in place a sound product safety program based on HACCP principals.

Far from being a burden on the business an effective product safety program can be an excellent tool for providing not only safer packaging products, but also meaningful improvements, a safer and healthier workplace, satisfied customers and improved competitiveness.

Success of the product safety program relies heavily on the commitment of all staff and ultimately employees can make or break the program. However, developing employee commitment is not easy and can only be realized by nurturing employees understanding of the need for the product safety program and also their personal responsibilities for helping to make it work.

The IFSQN. com HACCP training products provide an informative and practical approach for helping to develop employees understanding, with the rich graphics and plain language they use ensuring the course content is communicated effectively:

The training products cover the following topics:

Foreign Body Contamination Chemical Contamination Bacterial Contamination Personal Hygiene Do's Personal Hygiene Don'ts Cleaning / Sanitation Hazard Identification and control

Suitable for educating current staff and for training new employees during the new employee orientation process the training products include self paced, on demand learning CD-Rom's, Booklets and Posters and will be useful to the following industries.

Primary and secondary food packaging plants Corrugated Manufacturers Plastic Packagers Label Manufacturers Flexible Packagers

Free samples and demonstrations are available on request from www. ifsqn. com.

Contact Information

International Food Safety & Quality Network

Simon Timperley

0044 (0) 1204 887168

Www. ifsqn. com

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New Book by Dennis Lewis Shows How Conscious Breathing Can Relieve Stress and Promote Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Well Being

New Book by Dennis Lewis Shows How Conscious Breathing Can Relieve Stress and Promote Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Well Being

Free Your Breath, Free Your Life will show you how conscious work with your breathing can have a profound beneficial impact on your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

(PRWEB) May 18, 2004

The way we breathe shapes every aspect of our lives, claims Dennis Lewis in his new book Free Your Breath, Free Your Life (Shambhala Publications, May 18, 2004). Unfortunately, "Few of us in today's stress-filled world breathe in a free, natural, and harmonious way," says Lewis. "Our mostly fast, constricted breathing undermines our physical, emotional, and spiritual health," and "reduces our capacity to sense, feel, think, and act in clear, sensitive, and effective ways."

To help remedy this situation, Lewis shows how breathing exercises really work. He does so by exploring the seven basic self-directed approaches to working with your breath: conscious breathing, controlled breathing, focused breathing, movement-supported breathing, position-supported breathing, touch-supported breathing, and sound-supported breathing. Within each of these approaches he offers a wealth of breathing practices and insights to help you open up the constrictions in your breathing, breathe with your whole body, and live with more presence and vitality in your everyday life. His emphasis throughout is on helping you to learn how to exhale more fully, to let go of everything that impedes the movements of your breath.

According to Lewis, we in the Western world donÂ’t pay much attention to the way we breathe, but the world's great spiritual traditions all have practices of breath awareness. Lewis maintains that "the breath of life" is what truly connects the different dimensions of ourselves--body, mind, and spirit--and that through conscious breathing we can help transform not just our health but also the very way we live. Lewis explores in depth both the physical and spiritual aspects of how we breathe, and discusses the many ways that our self-image (including the clothes we wear, the way we exercise, and our sense of self-importance) shapes our breathing and our lives.

Many books on breathing have appeared in recent years, but Free Your Breath, Free Your Life is one of the rare few that does not take a one-size-fits-all approach. Lewis explores the basic principles of healthy, whole-body breathing in clear, simple language, with numerous illustrations, and offers a variety of safe exercises and practices for experiencing these principles firsthand. And just as important, Lewis shows how you can apply these principles in relation to your own specific physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, so that you can live a freer, fuller, more conscious life.

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Dennis Lewis, a former businessman and long-time student of Taoism, Advaita, and the Gurdjieff Work, teaches natural breathing, meditation, and qigong in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationally. He has studied Taoist meditation, tai chi, and qigong with masters Dr. Wang Shan Long, Mantak Chia, and Bruce Kumar Frantzis. He is also the author of The Tao of Natural Breathing and the coeditor, with Jacob Needleman, of Sacred Tradition and Present Need and On the Way to Self Knowledge. He lives in San Francisco.

Free Your Breath, Free Your Life

By Dennis Lewis

May 2004

$13.95 paperback ● 226 Pages

ISBN: 1-59030-133-1

Shambhala Publications

The Naked Truth of Weight Loss -- The Lies and Fads are Stripped Bare

The Naked Truth of Weight Loss -- The Lies and Fads are Stripped Bare

Master Motivator Julia Havey strips off the lies in the weight loss industry and tells the naked truth. "The diet industry is filled with lies and liars. Don't put your health in the hands of fad peddlers."

Saint Louis, MO (PRWEB) September 30, 2005

LiL' Kim's new album is called The Naked Truth, funny, isn't she in prison for not telling the truth?

Honesty is something that is in short supply in the weight loss industry. Claims like "Lose 18 pounds in one month" or "Eat all the foods you love and still Lose weight" or even "the one week miracle body makeover transformation drop 2 sizes diet" are everywhere.

Dieters spend 45 billion dollars a year snapping up false promises and having their hopes shrink instead of their thighs.

"It's crazy! When is a brave District Attorney going to press charges against a diet book author, take them to court and send them to prison for lyingto the American public? Where is the FTC? Fad Diet peddlers lie to millions of consumers everyday and if that isn't fraud, I don't know what is!" says diet guru Julia Havey

Julia knows how costly the lies can be. After spending 12 years in a morbidly obese body and throwing good money after bad on failed diet attempts she was resigned to a life of FAT at 290 pounds. This is her now, wearing her old jeans--ones that were tight just 10 years ago:

Http://www. juliahavey. com/images/naked_image. jpg (http://www. juliahavey. com/images/naked_image. jpg).

Clearly, she shed the lies and stripped the pounds--130 of them; not be using pills, fads or potions but rather by discovering the truth.

Julia says: "It takes more than a few 'minutes in the morning' of exercise to get fit, you can't eat 'all of the foods you love you love to eat' and expect to lose and keep weight off and we aren't 'food combinging-restricted eating plan' deficient, rather we are have a few bad habits or "vices" that need busting. Our lifestyles are what must change change --permanently if we ever expect to end the Obesity epidemic in our nation -- and that is the Naked Truth."

Julia helps millions of people to bust their vices and motivates them to transform their current lifestyles which support their excess weight to lifestyles which promote health and fitness. Honest, effective and non-fad filled help that is long overdue in a market filled with snake oil and fast talking salesmen.

"Next time someone tells you that you can lose 18 pounds in one month; ask them if they did it and if the weight stayed off?! The next time someone tells you that only have to workout a few minutes a day, ask them how long they workout a day to look like they do. And finally, if someone tells you that you can eat the foods you love and still lose weight, ask them if that is the case, why you obese?--after all, you have NO problem eating the foods you love! If you want the truth and nothing but the truth, I recommend checking out my LifeChanger-The Vice Busting Diet and the eating plans available at eDiets. com--they will offer you sound nutrition, essential support and 2 pounds a week of real and safe weight loss."

Julia Havey can be found telling the truth and motivating the nation at www. JuliaHavey. com. Tired of lies--try the truth on for size.

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