Jim Paull

A lot of meetings end up being a complete waste of time , but that wasted time also means wasted money. This calculator will show how much an unproductive meeting really costs.

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Love the idea of a smoothie for breakfast, but wish it filled you up a little more? I hear you, and I'm totally with you. My main criteria for any breakfast, including smoothies, is one that isn't going to leave my stomach grumbling a couple hours later.

The key to a good breakfast smoothie is making sure it has the power to carry me through the morning. One of the easiest ways to do this? Add a scoop of oats!

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My first encounters with casseroles were from a box, where you added hamburger meat or canned tuna to a mix of dried noodles, cooking liquid, and some mysterious seasoning packet. To say I loved these things was a big understatement.

As an adult, though, my tastes have changed, but my love of creamy, comforting casseroles hasn't. This quick-cooking tuna-noodle version has joined my cold-weather dinner rotation!

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NEW YORK: World oil prices fell below $32 a barrel on Monday for the first time in 12 years amid signs that Iran could be free to increase exports within weeks.

In New York trade, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February delivery slumped $1.75 to $31.41 per barrel, a level last witnessed on December 23, 2003.

European benchmark Brent North Sea crude for February delivery dropped $1.61 to $31.55 a barrel, a low last seen in April 2004.

Prices had already plunged by 10 percent last week as concerns about China, the world’s biggest energy consumer, eclipsed a strong US jobs report.

“At the moment not many people are expecting to see a significant rebound in oil, so prices are continuing to gush lower to multi-year lows as sentiment goes from bad to worse,” Gain Capital analyst Fawad Razaqzada told AFP.

Analysts still had to weigh looming geopolitical risks — including the Saudi Arabia-Iran spat — against the prospects of new supply coming onto the market from Iran as sanctions are lifted.

The European Union foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, said Monday she expected the Iran nuclear deal to be implemented “rather soon” with Tehran on track to meet its pledge to put a bomb beyond its reach.

“My expectations are that this day could come rather soon,” Mogherini said in Prague.

“The implementation of the agreements is proceeding well, it’s encouraging,” she added.

Implementation of the deal would lead to a lifting of economic sanctions on Tehran and possibly bring another one million barrels of oil per day onto the already flooded global market within months.

– AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Crude West Texas Intermediate (WTI) continued a ruthless downward spiral amid extended its selloff since the start of the new year, knocking prices down another US$1.75 to close at US$31.41 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Monday.

PETALING JAYA: Two Malaysian suicide bombers killed over 30 people in Syria and Iraq last week, the New Straits Times (NST) reported.

Terengganu-born Mohd Amirul Ahmad Rahim, according to the English daily, set off bombs strapped to his body and in the car he was in during clashes in Raqqa, an Islamic State (IS) stronghold.

Sources told the NST that Mohd Amirul 26 – who was also known as Abu Uqashah Malizi – left his family in Syria to be part of the terrorist group.

He was killed when IS launched an offensive on the 44th Syrian Democratic Forces coalition near Ain Isa which saw 21 Kurdish fighters killed.

Amirul’s death came five days before another Malaysian, Mohamad Shazwan Mohd Salim, blew himself up in Tikrit, Iraq.

Mohamad Shazwan, the daily reported, was among the seven suicide bombers who had made their way to a police training centre at Speicher military base, some 160 km north of Baghdad.

They were targeting a large group of police forces who were undergoing training when they were shot by their targets.

A source told the NST the 31-year-old was among those who detonated their suicide vests, killing 12 policemen, including three officers.

“It is understood that the two Malaysians were among those who had been recruited by the IS to be trained as suicide bombers.

“Until recently, Malaysians who joined IS rarely ended up as frontline fighters,” the English daily wrote.

It had been reported that they, along with several other nationals, including from India would usually be given menial tasks, including as cooks and cleaners.

MANILA: Two people died and hundreds were injured during a huge religious festival in the Philippines, where barefoot crowds hurled themselves at a statue of Jesus believed to have healing powers, authorities said Sunday.

More than a million people turned out for the festival of the Black Nazarene on Saturday, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, to see the life-sized statue wheeled through the streets of Manila.

Risking life and limb, shoeless men and women chanting “Viva!” (Long Live) ran over heads and shoulders to touch the icon as it made its way through the capital of Asia’s most fervently Catholic country.

Father Douglas Badong, rector of the Manila church where the statue is based, said one of the street vendors at the festival suffered a fatal heart attack.

“Because of the crowd, the heat, his body couldn’t take it,” he told AFP.

Another 27-year-old man, who was reportedly suffering from a liver ailment, passed out after helping to drag the statue’s float and could not be revived, Badong added.

Police said at its height, about 1.5 million people took part in the seven-kilometre (4.5-mile) parade, which runs to the icon’s home inside the downtown Quiapo church.

Many believe the Black Nazarene has miraculous powers and sick people will often resort to desperate measures to try to touch it.

Philippine Red Cross secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang said her agency, which had a field hospital at the site, treated almost 1,600 people who were injured during the festivities.

Some 55 of them were “major cases”, such as fractures caused by the huge crush of people or strokes caused by stress, more than double the number last year.

Many of them were already ill, she told AFP, adding: “They probably thought if they take part in the procession, they would get better.”

Manila’s civil defence chief Johnny Yu said the procession was “a successful event”, despite the deaths and injuries, some of which he said was down to sick people taking part.

– AFP

You probably already keep lettuce and other greens in the crisper, but if you line that drawer with towels, those greens will stay fresher longer, and they’re just a handful away from quick salads or other dishes. Here’s how (and why) it works.

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From Apartment Therapy → One Simple Step to a Healthier Year Ahead: Do a Pantry Purge

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Keeping productive is as much about maintaining your momentum as it is about managing your use of time. You’re better off finishing everything you start, not saving halfway done tasks for later.

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Cup noodles are pretty much last-resort or office food for most of us, but just because they’re all you have doesn’t mean they have to be disgusting. The fine Brothers Green Eats has a few methods to upgrade those waterlogged, microwaved noodles, providing you have a few extra ingredients handy.

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Chilly weather or no space for a garden doesn’t have to stop you from growing your own food . A trip to the garden store for some bulbs—which you can even get in cold weather months —some soil, and a five liter plastic bottle are all you need for a near-infinite supply of fresh onions.

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Ready to build your strength, flexibility, and balance with yoga? You’ll find yoga videos scattered across the web, but one site you might want to bookmark is DoYogaWithMe.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Hill funicular train service will stop for 10 days from January 11 to 20 so maintenance works can be carried out.

Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) general manager Lawrence Khoo Teng Cheok explained that the annual maintenance works needed to be carried out for safety reasons.

“Public safety is our utmost priority and all our engineers will be busy replacing the boogie to ensure that there would be no breakdown of services once it resumes,” he told newsmen here yesterday.

A boogie is a wheel-like component that ensures the coaches run smoothly.

Khoo said locals and tourists who wanted to visit the iconic Penang Hill during the temporary shutdown of services would have to hire four-wheel drives from Botanical Garden.

However approval from the Public Works Department (PWD), that manages the private hill road, must first be sought for those planning to drive up the hill.

GEORGE TOWN: The angpow tradition is changing these days, with the packets getting so much emphasis that some of them cost RM10 apiece, even before any money goes inside.

JITRA: Two couples unwittingly walked away with each other’s baby girl after a mix-up at a private hospital.

Usually, when someone offers a “Buy X, Get Y Free” deal, Y is something that costs the same or less than X. But that is apparently not the case for a deal currently being offered by Victoria’s Secret. 

Consumerist reader Kenny was confounded by the math behind the offer: buy a sports bra and get a free “sport pant” to go with it.

Makes sense for VS to be pushing workout gear, with so many New Year’s resolutions waiting to be fulfilled, but it struck Kenny as odd that lingerie-loving Vicky would give away sport pants that can go for as much as $72 just because someone bought a sports bra, which can cost as little as $30.

Here’s the deal:

The promotion, which runs until 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Jan. 10, has several caveats, including one free pair of pants per customer, and the purchase can’t include a clearance item. Additionally, to actually redeem the deal, shoppers must enter a code during checkout.

Of course it’s possible the retailer is offering the deal as a way to move inventory, or in the hopes that once shoppers have one pair of pants in their bag they won’t be able to resist adding another pair. Or the company could be hoping that people forget to enter the code for their free pants, if they have a cart full of items.

We reached out to VS to ask these very questions, but have yet to hear back.

It looks like some VS shoppers have already caught on to the unusual offer, since a number of items have already sold out.

Probiotics—or so-called “good” bacteria—have garnered some Kardashian-level celebrity status in the health world for their benefits on your digestion and links to overall health. Then there are prebiotics. Wait, they’re the same thing right? Not at all. Let’s clear the confusion.

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A Thai company pulled an advert for skin-lightening pills on Friday following an outcry on social media over a product sold with the tagline “white makes you a winner”. It is the latest marketing gaffe to draw accusations of racism in a kingdom obsessed with skin colour. The advertisement for Seoul...

Due to Christmas and New Year’s Day falling on Fridays, it’s been two weeks since our last installment of Flickr Finds. Let’s see what treasures have been submitted to the Consumerist Flickr pool in that period. Selection here were picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the lace where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas Gas Bhd has secured US$500m (RM2.2bil) term loan from Mizuho Bank Ltd which would be used to finance the group’s and/or its subsidiaries’ general corporate funding purposes including, but not limited to, capital expenditure.

NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves

• $11.99
• Amazon.com

If you'd like to take a deep-dive into kitchen horror, just read the comments on our brief guide to the mandoline this week. (Or, if you're squeamish about danger to fingertips, just skip it.) If you are drawn to the speed and advantages of a mandoline — it makes it so easy to eat more vegetables, for one! — but are, ahem, attached to your fingers, then here's a tool to try: cut-resistant gloves.

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Weight loss generally occurs when the body expends more calories than it takes in. That means, you have to burn off or eat fewer calories that you consume through meals and snacks. Many people cut calories from their diet and burn calories through exercise to achieve weight loss. Working out on a regular basis is helpful for weight loss, but may not be practical for some people due to health conditions, time restraints, or lack of interest. However, research shows that when it comes to weight loss, diet plays a much more important role compared to exercise.^[1] It's easier to decrease caloric intake by modifying your diet compared to burning off a significant amount of calories through exercise. Making a few changes to your diet and lifestyle can help you lose weight safely and effectively without planned exercise.

EditSteps

EditModifying Your Diet for Weight Loss

1. Count calories. Weight loss programs usually require you to modify your total calorie intake. Counting calories and being aware of how much you eat can help you lose weight. In general, you'll want to cut out about 500–750 calories daily to lose about one to two pounds weekly.^[2]
   
   • Figure out how many calories you can cut from your daily diet by first calculating the number of calories you should take in each day. Do this by searching online for a calorie calculator, then inputting your weight, height, age and activity level in order to calculate your recommended caloric intake. Each person is different, so it's best to get your own, personalized number.
   • Do not consume less than 1200 calories daily. A diet that's too low in calories puts you at risk for nutrient deficiencies as you cannot eat enough food to meet your daily requirements for most vitamins, minerals, and protein.^[3]
   • Be realistic. Since your regimen is not including exercise, the pounds may not drop off as quickly as you want. Cutting 1,000 or 1,500 calories a day to lose more than two pounds a week is unreasonable — your body will go into starvation mode and desperately cling on to those calories, impeding the weight loss process.^[4]
2. Write yourself a meal plan. If you are not exercising to burn calories, you must trim them from your diet in order to lose weight. Writing out a meal plan can help you plot out all your meals and snacks and make sure they fit into your pre-determined calorie range.
   
   • Spend some time writing out all your meals, snacks, and beverages for a few days or a week.
   • Allot a certain caloric amount for each meal. For example: 300-calorie breakfast, two 500-calorie bigger meals, and one to two 100-calorie snacks. This may help you choose what foods to eat for meals and snacks throughout the day.
   • Include foods from all five food groups most days. Review your meal plan to make sure you're getting adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and dairy.
   • Having all your meals and snacks planned in advance may keep you from making poor nutrition choices when you're in a rush.
   • Keeps snacks conveniently located and ready in the fridge, car, backpack or purse.
3. Eat a balanced diet. A diet that is calorie controlled and includes all five food groups is a good foundation for healthy weight loss.^[5] You should include all of the following most days:
   
   • Fruits and veggies. These foods are dense, filling, low-calorie and low-fat. Not only are fruits and veggies great for your waistline they have copious amounts of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants that you need for long-term health.^[6] Aim to make 1/2 of your meals fruits and/or vegetables.
   • Lean protein. Foods like poultry, eggs, pork, beef, legumes, dairy products, and tofu are great sources of lean protein. Protein will help keep you satisfied longer and may curb hunger cravings.^[7] Aim to include 3-4 oz of protein at each meal — this is about the size of a deck of cards.
   • 100% whole grains. Foods that are whole grains are high in fiber and some vitamins and minerals.^[8] Quinoa, oats, brown rice, millet, and 100% whole wheat pasta and bread are examples of whole grains to include in your diet. Limit your grains to about 1/2 cup or 1 oz per meal.
4. Snack healthy. Including one to two low-calorie snacks is appropriate when you're trying to lose weight. Many times, a snack will help support your weight loss.^[9]
   
   • Snacking may be appropriate when there is more than five or six hours between your meals. Sometimes, going for long periods of time without eating may make it harder for you to stick to your planned meal or portion sizes as you may be overly hungry.^[10]
   • Most snacks included in a weight loss plan should be calorie controlled. Aim to keep snacks between 100-200 calories.^[11]
   • Healthy snacks include: 1/4 cup of nuts, one individual greek yogurt, a hard boiled egg or celery and peanut butter.
5. Choose healthier cooking techniques. Don't sabotage the best of intentions with poor preparation methods. Cooking methods that use a lot of oil, butter, or other high-fat sauces or seasonings may cause your weight loss to plateau or slow.^[12]
   
   • Try cooking methods that use little to no added fat. Try: steaming, grilling, braising, roasting and poaching/boiling.
   • Switch to extra virgin olive oil or canola oil. When substituted for saturated fats (like butter), these healthy monounsaturated fats can help to improve blood cholesterol levels, thereby reducing risk for heart disease and obesity.^[13]
   • Avoid cooking techniques like: deep fat frying or pan frying. Also avoid cooking methods that use a lot of butter, oil, or margarine.
6. Drink adequate amounts of fluids. Staying well-hydrated is also essential to weight loss. Many times, thirst can feel similar to hunger and trigger you to eat. Drinking enough fluids can help prevent this mistake and promote weight loss.^[14]
   
   • Aim for about 64 oz or about eight glasses of clear, sugar-free liquids each day. This is a general recommendation, but is a good place to start.^[15]
   • Fluids that will count toward your daily goal include: water, sugar-free flavored waters, plain tea, and coffee without cream or sugar.
7. Ditch alcohol and sugary beverages. Both alcoholic beverages and sugary beverages contain excess calories that may work against your weight loss plan. It's ideal to completely pass these up as long as you desire continued weight loss.^[16]
   
   • Sugary beverages to avoid include: regular soda, sweetened tea, sweetened coffee drinks, sports drinks and juices.
   • At the maximum, women should consume one glass or less of alcohol daily and men should consume two or less daily. Again, if continued weight loss is desired, alcohol should be avoided.^[17]

EditMaintaining Your Weight Loss

1. Weigh yourself once or twice a week. Monitoring your progress is important when you're losing weight. Stepping on the scale regularly can help you see how effective your diet program is going and whether or not you need to make any changes.
   
   • Remember, safe weight loss is about one to two pounds per week. Be patient with your progress. You're more likely to sustain slow and steady weight loss in the long-term.^[18]
   • For the most accurate trend, it's best to weigh yourself at the same time of day, the same day of the week and in the same clothes (or choose to go without clothes).
   • If your weight loss has plateaued or you've begun to gain weight, recheck your meal plans and food journals and see if you can cut out any more excess calories to help induce weight loss.
2. Find a support group. Having friends, family members or co-workers supporting you through your weight loss plan may help you continue to lose weight and maintain it long-term.^[19] Build a support group to help you stay on track.
   
   • See if others you know also want to lose weight. Many times people find it easier to tackle weight loss together as a group.
   • You can also try finding online support groups or support groups that meet in person on a weekly or monthly basis.
   • Get support by working with a registered dietitian; she can customize your meal plan and provide on-going support.
3. Reward yourself. Having a motivating and enticing reward at the end of your weight loss goals can help push you through to the end. Set up something exciting for yourself as you meet your goals. Ideas to try include:
   
   • Buying yourself new shoes or clothes.
   • Treating yourself to a round of golf or other favorite sport.
   • Getting a massage or other spa treatment.
   • Avoid food-related rewards, as these can trigger old habits that might not be conducive to weight loss.

EditMaking Lifestyle Changes for Weight Loss

1. Start a food journal. Journaling your meals, snacks and drinks can help motivate you to stay on track. Also, people who journal typically lose more weight and keep it off longer compared to those who do not track their food.^[20]
   
   • You can either purchase a journal or download a food journal app. Try to track as many days as you can. Again, you're more likely to stay on track and stick with your meal plan the more often you record your foods.
   • Keep track of your food journal. This may be a good resource to evaluate how well your diet is going and how effective it is for weight loss.
2. Get adequate rest. Sleeping seven to nine hours each night is recommended for general health and wellness.^[21] However, adequate sleep is also important for weight loss. Studies show that people who sleep less than six or seven hours nightly or have poor sleep weigh more than those who get adequate rest.^[22]
   
   • Go to bed earlier. If you have to get up early, try to get in bed earlier to help increase your total sleep time.
   • To make sure you have a sound and undisturbed sleep, remove all electronics — like your phone or computer — from your bedroom.
   • Practice good sleep hygiene to ensure you get the most out of your sleep.
3. Increase your baseline physical activity. Baseline activity is activity that you already do everyday — walking up stairs, walking to and from the car, and doing daily chores.^[23] This type of activity does not burn a lot of calories, but can help support your weight loss.
   
   • Although it's very possible to lose weight without going to the gym or working out regularly, there are definitely benefits of being moderately active. Even by simply increasing baseline activity, you may notice more weight loss, improved mood, or increased energy.^[24]
   • Try to increase your baseline activity each day. Try: parking father away, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, standing during commercial breaks, or delivering messages to co-workers in person instead of email.
   • Encourage social gatherings that are a bit more active. Frisbee golf, swimming, or a simple picnic in the park with friends are activities that will get you moving (and get you fresh air). If weather is an issue, do something indoors like dancing.

EditTips

• Although losing weight is about losing more calories than you take in, it is also important that the calories you take in come from a well-balanced diet. Be sure to take in the appropriate amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in order to ensure your body is getting everything it needs.
• Carry a bottle of water around with you at all times. You'll be drinking water just as something to do and slowly develop a very good habit.
• Don't skip breakfast! It revs your body's engine in the morning, spiking your metabolism and getting you ready for the day.
• Whenever you feel hungry, try drinking water until you feel the hunger is gone. Often what we think is hunger is actually dehydration. Water has no calories it will do no harm to your dieting planning. Water also helps in weight loss.
• Drink water before meals. You'll feel less hungry afterwards.

EditRelated wikiHows

• Lose Stomach Fat Without Exercise or Dieting

EditSources and Citations

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NEW YORK: World oil prices fell to their lowest levels in 12 years Thursday as China’s market turmoil heightened worries about the state of the world’s second-largest consumer of crude oil.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February delivery fell 70 cents, or 2.1 percent, to finish $33.27 a barrel on the New York Stock Exchange. WTI had hit a low of $32.10 in early European trading, a level last seen in December 2003.

In London, European benchmark Brent North Sea crude oil for February fell 48 cents (1.4 percent) to $33.75 a barrel. Earlier Brent had fallen to $32.16, its lowest level since April 2004.

Tim Evans of Citi Futures said the selloff came after “a sharp seven percent drop in Chinese equities triggered a much wider risk-off trade flow, with investors around the world increasingly worried.”

“The market has been able to recover on bargain hunting at the lower levels, suggesting its sufficiently oversold to shift into consolidation mode, but we see the market as remaining fundamentally fragile, with the return of Iranian barrels currently held back by sanctions still to come,” Evans said.

Prices have fallen sharply since the beginning of the New Year on China worries but also in part due to fears that the ongoing row between key producers Iran and Saudi Arabia would dim prospects for output cuts.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which includes those countries, effectively dropped output limits in early December, despite the global oversupply.

– AFP

If you own leather shoes, taking good care of them will keep them in good shape for years . Wax-based polishes and shines are popular, but a cream polish may be better to keep the leather in good condition over the long haul.

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If you show up to work with a container of this lentil, sweet potato, and kale chili — and bring along some kabocha squash biscuits to accompany it — don't be surprised if your fellow officemates crowd around your desk and stare longingly at it.

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SINGAPORE: Oil prices plunged close to $33 a barrel on Thursday as crude extended losses on rising US energy stockpiles and China’s weakening currency.

At 0230 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for February delivery was down 60 cents at $33.37.

Its close of $33.97 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Wednesday marked the lowest settlement price since December 2008 during the global financial crisis.

In London, Brent crude for February delivery, the European benchmark, was down 62 cents at $33.61.

It had closed below $35 for the first time in more than 11 years at $34.23 a barrel. The last time the price of Brent was so low was in July 2004.

Oil erased earlier gains in Asian hours after the People’s Bank of China on Thursday weakened the yuan to the lowest since March 2011, a reminder of the August cut that sparked market turmoil.

“Given that oil moved directly after the fixing, that would indicate Chinese demand is going to be hurt by the weaker currency,” Angus Nicholson, a market analyst at IG Ltd. in Melbourne, told Bloomberg News.

Demand for crude tends to fall when the US dollar is stronger against currencies of purchasing countries. China is the world’s biggest energy consumer.

The US Department of Energy’s weekly report on Wednesday showed a sharp drop in US commercial crude inventories, by 5.1 million barrels to 482.3 million barrels in the week ending January 1.

“What was unexpected was the overwhelming inventory increase in gasoline and diesel fuel — the extent of the gasoline inventory build was a very big surprise,” said Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates.

“The petroleum product inventory build has led to pressure on crude oil prices because it impacts refining margins and they (refiners) might ultimately cut their demand for crude oil,” Lipow said.

The government data also showed a gain in US crude production, by 17,000 barrels a day to 9.22 million barrels a day, the fourth straight week of increases, and a rise in stockpiles at the Cushing oil hub in Oklahoma.

– AFP

SINGAPORE: Brent crude prices fell to fresh 11-year lows on Thursday as fresh concerns over China's economy added to huge storage overhangs, near-record production and slowing demand that have already pummelled prices.

Hot chocolate is always tasty, but for the best cup possible should you use powdered or solid chocolate? What about the amount of cocoa in your chocolate? An expert chocolatier reveals all.

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A suspension trainer like TRX is a great way to make your home workouts more flexible and challenging : just hook the set of straps to a door or other sturdy anchor, and you’re ready to go. This clickable graphic gives you a ton of ideas for what to do once you’re set up.

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