Why unions are livid about L.A.'s new teacher-evaluation experiment

The Los Angeles Unified School District is testing a pilot program for teacher evaluation that includes parent feedback and peer review. But unions are not happy.

Los Angeles

After years of frustration with its own teacher-evaluation system, the second-largest school district in the country is pilot-testing a new idea against the wishes of its union.

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With the Obama administration offering incentives for school systems to revamp how they evaluate teachers' effectiveness, the episode with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) carries important lessons nationwide, analysts say.

The fresh approach in Los Angeles meshes with the Obama administration's efforts to use more systematic and data-driven approaches to evaluate teachers. It includes parent and student feedback, students' standardized test scores, and more detailed observations given by peers ? who watch teachers and then type their observations and questions into laptop computers, then discuss their impressions the next day.

Two- to five-day training sessions have occurred throughout the district over several weeks, involving almost 1,000 educators who are paid to participate.

To some, the Los Angeles pilot program is a good one with positive lessons for the rest of the country.

?This is actually a great initiative in Los Angeles because rather than adopting a policy on teacher evaluation, they are actually developing one,? says David Plank, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education, an independent, nonpartisan research center based at Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Southern California.

But union officials say they are disappointed that the LAUSD has moved forward without their input.

?They are plowing on without consulting with us first, which is very unfortunate,? says Marla Eby, spokeswoman for United Teachers Los Angeles.

She and others tick off a list of problems that include: the inclusion of teachers and evaluators who are not up to par, focusing on individual teachers rather than on collaborative approaches, computer programs involved in evaluations that need bugs worked out, and evaluation categories that are too broad.

?This should be about trying to improve teachers rather than evaluating and judging them,? Ms. Eby says. ?Everyone agrees that the current system is no good, but they just unilaterally barreled forward on this without our input and paid people to participate. We are calling it a bribe.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/6IPijPogBcM/Why-unions-are-livid-about-L.A.-s-new-teacher-evaluation-experiment

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Revocable vs. irrevocable trusts ? know the difference | Fincance ...

In working with Medicaid structuring and estate planning, the subject of trusts and their uses often arises. Trusts are not an easy subject to understand. there are different kinds and the laws and regulations keep changing.even when we have the right answers, Congress or a state legislature or a court decision may disrupt everything and it is time to start over again.Here are some general ideas to navigate the difficult subject of trusts.Revocable vs. Irrevocable TrustsA revocable trust, as the name suggests, can be changed by the person (the ?settlor? or trust maker) who made it.after drafting, executing and funding the trust, the trust maker can change his or her mind about the terms or discontinue the trust entirely. Because the trust can be changed, for tax purposes and for many other purposes, a revocable trust is treated generally as though the settlor did not give the assets away in the first place.A revocable trust does not save federal estate taxes unless it is drafted with the same kind of language and terms that would be used in a will and, besides, at a $5 million unified credit, few people pay federal estate taxes now anyway.for long-term care, assets are still generally considered available. In other words, revocable living trusts do not help for Medicaid planning.Having said this, it might be wondered why people use revocable living trusts. there are several reasons to use a well-drafted and properly funded revocable living trust. They may not be the reasons that readily come to mind.it is also important to use a reputable practitioner in the field and not just one of the ?trust mills? churning out documents without regard to individual needs.Probably the most important reason to set up such a trust is to have a mechanism in place that can manage and can continue when one or both of the trust makers become disabled.even where people appoint themselves as trustees of their own living trust, such as Mary and Thomas Jones, trustees of the Jones family trust, with their grown children or a financial institution as successor trustees, working on the drafting of such an engagement can force them to think through what they really want. where real estate in different states is involved, a trust might accelerate settling an estate.Some of the same things that can be done with a living trust can also be done with a durable financial power of attorney and a will. So, when questioning which is better to use in an individual case, it is best to get expert advice.an irrevocable trust, as the name suggests, is one that, once established and funded, cannot be changed. Setting up an irrevocable trust is a lot like giving the assets away and is similarly treated for tax and other purposes.Here are some reasons for establishing an irrevocable trust.? Creditor protection ? if assets are given away directly, they may be subject to the claims of creditors or potential creditors of the trust beneficiaries. Giving the assets to a trust, if properly done, can in some cases, insulate the assets from claims against the trust beneficiaries and preserve available funds.? Tax structuring ? Some irrevocable trusts such as those gifting through a trust to minors either generally or for specific purposes and specialized trusts benefiting charities may have significant tax benefits.? Irrevocable income-only trusts ? These trusts may be used in connection with Medicaid structuring and have various names. Sometimes referred to as a Medicaid intentionally defective grantor trust, or MIDGT or an IIOT, generally they should be considered only where there are enough assets or resources in addition to those being placed in trust to carry the trust maker through five years of nursing home care. it is assumed in settling up the trust that the trust maker will initially be paying for his or her own care. the MIDGT is to protect additional assets when there is longer-term care over five years.Long-term care insurance can be combined with a MIDGT especially if it can carry through five years. We can put the plan together the same way but with insurance.Finally, there are other successful strategies even under the new Medicaid laws to deal with Medicaid and the five-year lookback than trusts. Discussion of these, especially for spouses, would take more than this column but the important point is to get professional advice when help is needed.Janet Colliton is a West Chester attorney whose practice is limited to elder law and estates. She is a principal of Colliton Law Associates PC and, with Jeffrey Jones, CSA, of Life Transition Services LLC. questions may be directed to 790 E. Market St., Suite 250, West Chester, PA 19382, or to 610-436-6674 or colliton@collitonlaw.com.

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Revocable vs. irrevocable trusts ? know the difference

Source: http://www.finance4noobs.com/revocable-vs-irrevocable-trusts-%E2%80%94-know-the-difference/

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German privacy watchdog dislikes Facebook's "Like"

FILE - In this July 16, 2009 file photo, a Facebook user logs into their account in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Schleswig-Holstein's data protection commissioner, Thilo Weichert, on Friday, Aug. 19, 2011 ordered state institutions to shut down the fan pages on the social networking site and remove the "Like" button from their websites, saying it leads to profiling that violates German and European law. The latest spat in Germany's issue Facebook comes a week after a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party in the state stepped down after admitting to having an affair with a 16-year-old he met over the social networking site. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick, File)

FILE - In this July 16, 2009 file photo, a Facebook user logs into their account in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Schleswig-Holstein's data protection commissioner, Thilo Weichert, on Friday, Aug. 19, 2011 ordered state institutions to shut down the fan pages on the social networking site and remove the "Like" button from their websites, saying it leads to profiling that violates German and European law. The latest spat in Germany's issue Facebook comes a week after a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party in the state stepped down after admitting to having an affair with a 16-year-old he met over the social networking site. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick, File)

BERLIN (AP) ? A German data protection authority is "unliking" Facebook's "Like" button.

The state of Schleswig-Holstein's data protection commissioner, Thilo Weichert, on Friday ordered state institutions to shut down the fan pages on the social networking site and remove the "Like" button from their websites, saying it leads to profiling that violates German and European law.

Facebook insisted Friday that is in full compliance with European data protection laws.

On Friday, Weichert issued a statement saying technical analysis by his office shows Facebook violated German and European data protection laws by passing content data to the social network's servers in the U.S.

"Whoever visits facebook.com or uses a plug-in must expect that he or she will be tracked by the company for two years," Weichert said. "Facebook builds a broad individual and for members even a personalized profile."

A Facebook spokesman conceded that the company can see "information such as the IP address" of users who visit a site with a "Like" button.

"We delete this technical data within 90 days," said the spokesman, who did not give his name in keeping with company policy. "That is in keeping with normal industry standards."

Weichert's office ordered website owners in Schleswig-Holstein to "immediately stop the passing on of user data to Facebook in the USA by deactivating the respective services" and threatened to take legal action if they fail to comply.

He also urged Internet users in general to "keep their fingers from clicking on social plug-ins" and "not set up a Facebook account" to avoid being profiled.

The keepers of Germany's strict privacy laws have repeatedly clashed on issues of privacy with international Internet giants, such as Facebook and Google ? often with success.

Last year Google allowed Germans who opposed its Street View mapping system to blur images of their homes, while Facebook in January granted members more control over their email address books, after a dispute over its "Friend Finder" service.

Germany's latest spat with the Palo Alto, California-based Facebook also comes a week after a leading member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party in Schleswig-Holstein stepped down after admitting to having an affair with a 16-year-old he met over the social networking site.

Christian von Boetticher's resignation sparked a debate about the role of social media in politicians' lives, with German newspapers carrying reports from party members, angry that the state legislator spent more time posting personal information to Facebook than focusing on his job. He has since deleted his Facebook profile.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2011-08-19-EU-Germany-Unliking-Facebook/id-5c4f79bc76ea4881a0b410479db0afee

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Rediscoveries, Recovery and Other Good News for Endangered Species

Every few months, I try to point out that the news about endangered species isn?t all doom and gloom. Oh sure, most of the stories I cover are pretty depressing, but then I come across the success stories that make it all worthwhile.

Recovered

First up, we have this week?s announcement that the Lake Erie water snake (Nerodia sipedon insularum) no longer needs to be protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because it has recovered from its previously threatened state. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are now about 11,980 of the snakes in their key habitats, double the number needed under the ESA to declare the species recovered.

The water snake is the 23rd species to be removed from the endangered species list due to recovery. It was listed as an endangered species in 1999 after years of habitat loss and humans needlessly killing the non-venomous snakes. A public awareness campaign helped inform people that the species was not dangerous. They also benefited from a new food source: invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanstomus), which crowded out many native fish and amphibians but now represents 90 percent of the Lake Erie water snake?s diet.

Rediscovered

Several species of other animals have been rediscovered recently, decades after they were last seen or were believed to have gone extinct.

A freshwater mussel known as the false spike (Quadrula mitchelli) was rediscovered in San Saba River in Texas, the first real evidence of the species?s existence in 30 years. This isn?t exactly great news for the mussel, as they didn?t discover a live specimen, just a shell with some tissue inside, but it?s a start.

It?s also been about three decades since the Silurian moth (Eriopygodes imbecilla) was last seen in Britain, but it has now been observed for the first time in 1976. Moth expert Dave Grundy told the BBC that ?the moth behaved very oddly in the trap, running round in circles. We wondered whether this was the reason for its scientific name?which roughly translates as ?idiot.??

A lichen species called Caloplaca haematites?not seen in more than 120 years?was found once again at Goodworth Clatford in the U.K. According to the BBC, conservationists had feared the lichen was driven into extinction in Britain by air pollution and a decline in traditional orchards, which, as we previously covered here in Extinction Countdown, were replaced by industrialized farming.

Also unseen for more than a century was Salvia peyronii boiss, a plant only observed once in Lebanon in the 19th century. But two French botanists spent the last 10 years looking for it and finally rediscovered it this year in the Jabal Moussa nature reserve. The exact location of the plant is not being disclosed to protect it from people who might accidentally or purposefully damage it.

Reborn

Finally, a rare feline is slightly less rare today as a sand cat (Felis margarita) has given birth to a kitten at Israel?s Zoological Center of Tel Aviv?Ramat Gan. Sand cats live throughout the Sahara and Arabian deserts, but they are extinct in Israel. Of course, because the endangered kitten is extremely cute, the story was covered by dozens of media outlets.

Photo: Lake Erie water snake, courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=5830f400a30653f1d06242c30bc99187

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Areleh Harel: The Orthodox Rabbi Helping Gay Men to Marry Lesbians (Time.com)

Six years ago, Areleh Harel, an Orthodox rabbi from the West Bank, devised a plan to help an Orthodox Jewish gay man fulfill his dream of becoming a husband and father while keeping him in good standing with the Jewish law and his community of believers. The solution: Marry him to a lesbian.

Through a friend, Harel found an Orthodox lesbian who also wanted a traditional family. Within a year, the couple married. They now have two children. No one suspects they are gay. Since that first arrangement, Harel has matched 13 gay-lesbian couples. (See why gay-marriage still isn't marriage for the religious.)

Until this spring, a handful of people knew of his matchmaking project. Then Harel mentioned it during a panel discussion in Jerusalem on gay rights. A local reporter wrote about it and the news went viral.

Many gay leaders criticized the marriages, calling them deceitful and repressive. But several prominent rabbis supported Harel, calling his work a mitzvah or good deed. As the news spread, Harel's phone began ringing. Orthodox gay men were calling to ask: Could this be right for me?

Video: The Orthodox Rabbi Who Marries Gay Men with Lesbians

Harel, 37, says the number of gay people seeking matches sparked his decision to take his project to the next level - the internet. By September, he plans to unveil an online matchmaking service for Orthodox gay people. "This is the best solution we can offer people who want to live within the halacha [Jewish law]," Harel says. "This may not be a perfect solution, but it's kind of a solution." (See pictures of same-sex couples getting married in New York.)

The matchmaking project comes at a time when Orthodox gay and lesbian groups are pressuring rabbis for acceptance. Prior to 2007, there were no Orthodox gay organizations in Israel. Now, there are five, including one based in Jerusalem. In many ways, Israel is ground zero for gay rights for Orthodox Jewish people. Advocates say that if rabbis in the Holy Land become more accepting of gay people, that tolerance will reverberate outward into Orthodox communities throughout the world, which often take their cues from Israel.

The online matchmaking service will be fully operating by the end of the year, Harel says. He's in the process of training five matchmakers, all of whom are heterosexual. Harel will stay on as a consultant, but will limit his involvement to spend more time with his wife and four children. Harel is working with a closeted gay man who uses the pseudonym Amit and runs an Orthodox-Gay organization called Kamoha, which is Hebrew for "like us." Their plan is to set up the online service through the Kamoha website. Subscribers would pay a fee of about $42 and fill out a survey explaining what they want in a mate. A matchmaker would then arrange meetings between potential couples. If a match is made, the bride and groom would each pay 1,500 shekels, the equivalent of $430. Harel and Amit plan to call the service ?nu, Hebrew for "we."

Amit, who is 28, has no interest in marrying a lesbian. He said after years of therapy he's come to realize he is "100% gay," but he said he knows other gay men who are "less gay" and enjoy sex with a woman. "We're not pushing this on people," says Amit. "This is for people who want this because Jewish law says this is the normal way and because it's the easiest way to have children."

See a timeline of the fight for gay rights.

But other religious gays say it's an unhealthy way to live. "I am not the one to judge, but if you ask me what a family is, it's about caring, loving and sharing," says Daniel Jonas, a gay Orthodox man who lives in Jerusalem and is the spokesman for an Orthodox-Gay organization called Havruta. "This kind of technical relationship, it is not based on love and I do believe that if the parents don't love each other the kids will feel it," Jonas says. "It's not healthy for the kids or for their parents to live like this."

The condemnation of homosexuality in Orthodox communities in Israel has historically been so strong that many gay Orthodox Jews have felt they had two choices: they could remain in the closet or they could stop being religious. That mindset has changed in recent years as leaders of Jewish Queer Youth, an "Ortho-Gay" organization based in Manhattan, began connecting with burgeoning gay-rights groups in Israel and offered support and advice. (See how Israel is using its gay-rights record to excuse its treatment of Palestinians.)

Orthodox rabbis continue to point to Leviticus 18:22 as proof that God does not accept homosexuality. The verse reads, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abomination." Harel concurs: "You can't change the laws of the Torah. This is what God wants. If God wanted gay people to live together he would come down and tell us."

In May, as part of a fellowship sponsored by the International Center For Journalists (ICFJ), this reporter found herself sitting a car on a lonely road at 2 a.m. with Rabbi Harel, waiting to meet one of the gay men he matched with a lesbian. A text came to Harel's phone. The man was ready. Harel pulled up to a man standing with his thumb out, as if he were hitchhiking. The man climbed inside and said he wanted to go by the name "Josh."

Josh is 30, a rugged man with close-cropped hair who wore crocheted yarmulke - the kind Orthodox Zionists wear. We drove to a desolate park. Josh was hesitant at first, but once he started talking, he opened up about what he called his life-long struggle with homosexuality. He said he spent most of his 20s trying to force himself to be straight, but it didn't work. He'd have girlfriends as a front, while having trysts with men. "I had a crisis with God," Josh said. "I felt like God screwed me." Josh desperately wanted to have a family and "feel like a normal man" and through an internet chat group for gay men heard about Rabbi Harel. (Watch TIME's video of gay couples getting married in the Heartland.)

In 2008, Harel introduced Josh to an Orthodox lesbian. Six months later, they married. They now have an 11-month-old son. Josh admits cheating three times, most recently in February with a former lover who is also gay and married to a straight woman. "I haven't told my wife but I think she knows. She can see it in my face when I come home," Josh said. "But she gives me space. I really love her because she understands me."

Harel says he raises the question of infidelity when he's making a match and tells couples they should be clear on what they want. "If he will go with another man it's his business. If she wants to go with another woman, that's her business. It's up to each couple," Harel says. "I don't accept it from the point of view of the Jewish law. But it's not my business."

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110816/wl_time/08599208727400

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Does Your Online Business Have a Wordpress platforms Web site? | News

So as a small venture managers will you have a WordPress Site?

How might you acquire more business enterprise?

There are no longer 1.9 million small businesses all around Australia ? several businesses are battling to thrive. Small enterprise know it is really getting more pricey and more challenging to stand before new prospective buyers. You?d like to at better ways to get and qualify your target market. You?d like to at practical strategies to get to new customers.

My consumers analyze constantly:

Inchthey may be informed they should have internet site and have situated on a Internet search, merely have no clue, how to do this.Inch

You almost certainly belong to this watercraft too.

It?s tough for Organization to stand in an audience because the large players are throwing bucket lots of cash Extravagant Advertisements and Television set marketing and advertising. There?re just making sounds.

InchTechnique web is great amongst Australians and, essentially, amongst shoppers. Small business owners are missing important opportunities to utilize the internet to advertise their business enterprise and make their customer base,Inch Claire Reed, Top dog of MYOB.

Businesses are seeking answers to decreasing earnings and purchases.

If you don?t own a website, then take a look at these stats

As of 27 Jan 2010 the populace of Australia get to 22,130,470, based on Melbourne Institution of Research Site.abs.gov.au In 2007 clearly there was 1 Small enterprise for every single 10 people australia wide, just about 1.93 million productive small businesses (1,927,590) australia wide, representing 96 percent of corporations (2,011,770)

ABS Number of Melbourne Enterprises, Like Articles and Generating a profit, August 2003 to darmowy BitTorrent August 2007 ? 8165., Desk 13 g 18.

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Australian make an online search so Small enterprise needs to have a website

1 . At the end of August 2009, there was 8.4 million productive web readers australia wide.1 . A digital client brand (DSL) accounted for 57Percentage (4.2 million) of them internet connections, which decreased from 63Percentage considering that Dec 2008 when DSL represented 63Percentage of not for dial-up entry internet connections.1 . That is mostly caused by an increase of Portable cellular readers from 20Percentage of not for dial-up internet connections (1.3 million) in Dec 2008 to 27Percentage (2 million) in August 2009. That may be an increase of 51Percentage on the half dozen-month period.

ABS8153. ? Online Hobby, Australia, Jun 2009

Small business enterprise and taking advantage of the Internet

97Percentage of SME?s owned your working computer of some description compared to carrier Small business this sits at 98Percentage Small business proprietors have take hold of the concept of being transportable with 63 Percentageof SMEs now running a notebook computer ? Sensis age-Small business Report -The Online Knowledge of Small, and Carrier Enterprises 2009 95Percentage tiny and carrier businesses are linked to the web, an increase of 1Percentage from a year ago. 96Percentage of SME have internet connection 97Percentage of SME make an online search, to communicate with consumers, buyers and suppliers, with 92Percentage applied to watch out for information about products after which it 91Percentage employing for research

Results with the MYOB Melbourne Organization Market research, 31 Scar 2009,

InchTechnique web is great amongst Australians and, essentially, amongst shoppers. Small business owners are Turbo Internet Booster download missing important opportunities to utilize the internet to advertise their business enterprise and make their customer base,Inch Claire Reed, Top dog of MYOB.

InchThe world wide web is usually a important information and connection software, a significant device for small businesses, in particular now with the existing economic disturbance,Inch carries on Mister Reed.

Survey Signal Report ? March 2009 http:OrOrmyob.com

The MYOB market research discovered only 39Percentage of small company were built with a internet site as well as these only 30Percentage could actually advertise on-line (online shopping or age-Industry option) Only 44Percentage of Small enterprise experienced registered a domain address, adjusted March 2009, with 52Percentage never need website name registered As of 30 August 2008 36Percentage of Melbourne corporations employ a website, for example corporations which has a internet site, internet site or position on a different entity?s internet site.abs.gov.auOrausstatsOrabs.The larger the corporation the higher the prospect of using a website ? an agency craigs list 200 businesses 96Percentage chances of using a website in comparison only 27Percentage for corporations utilizing -4 person?s [1] Sensis age-Small business Report -The Online Knowledge of Small, and Carrier Enterprises 2009 Enterprises utilizing -4 person?s constitute under 66 % on the populace you are able to relatively reduced number of cases of website.

These research display why corporations that do not choose a website will be remaining behind

If these figures help you to view the opportunities of having a web-based a name, then it?s time to undertake it.

What are the Power GG download Site options

You could make a website by yourself (Have plenty of time or know-how to understand html and exactly how add data files towards the a web server, most likely not or perhaps you might have a site)When you have a dork like a close friend, they?ll likely could develop which you web-site, They often have a lot of nice signal,(but are not extremely practical for advertising purposes)Get a web designer to construct which you web-site. You should know your own personal purpose and the pain you are looking to obtain ( the difficulty by using these websites, is whenever you need to upgrade them, you?ll want the abilities to upgrade them or pay the web development company, that?s why most Websites have dull articles) Start using a CMS Website Cms, like WordPress, or Joomla ! which take a tad effort to setup, but it is as effortless to get more articles, all you do is produce a record in expression, then cut and stick and click submit. Google loves CMS given that they have fresh new articles.

Most small businesses not have the ability to make a website and people who do challenge to maintain their internet site show up in the Internet search. Constructing a internet site the straightforward piece, the is getting the site situated on a Search.

If you may ask most business enterprise. InchIs he or she happy with the amount of traffic the website yields?Inch and InchCan they recognize how this traffic turns?Inch Most business people want increased traffic and have no clue whether or not it generates any excess business

If you thinking of getting a web-based position rather than confident how to, then Income Copywriting & Promotion would love to help you throughout the process.

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Source: http://dressedtokilt.org/archives/463

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Back Pain Exercises Done Correctly - Profound Health

I was talking to my doctor recently about back pain and the importance of exercise. He told me that many people complain that they don?t get relief from doing back pain relief exercises. He told me that usually it?s not due to the exercise not working but instead it?s because the patient either didn?t follow through with the exercise? consistently or because they aren?t performing the exercise correctly. People tend to stop the exercises once the pain has gone away or get sloppy in their form. That causes the pain to return quickly. I?m going to make sure I?m consistent in my form and frequency.

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Source: http://www.profound-health.com/health-and-fitness/back-pain-exercises-done-correctly/

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