Yep, the random number generator has spoken, and we have our 5 winners!

They are:

Teeder Toddler
psmckeehan
Therese
Maisie100
littleme

If you are a winner, please email crabbymcslacker @ gmail dot com with your real name and mailing address by midnight, PST, Friday January 8th to claim your copy. Thanks!

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So I kept hearing the words "Spark People" floating around the web, and I knew it was a fitness website of some sort. I kept meaning to investigate, but I never got around to it.

And frankly, there was something that seemed vaguely amusing and possibly cultish about the name "Sparkpeople." I even got kind of a science-fictiony picture in my head: fit and cheerful aliens coming together to share tips. Live long and prosper, Sparkpeople!

I was thinking sort of like this, only maybe with
actual sparks coming out of their heads.
(Image: Serendigity)

But, it turns out that Sparkpeople are not aliens. And their website is pretty cool! It has all kinds of tools and advice and a whole community of determined people who have helped each other lose over 9 million pounds, burn 7 billion calories and drink 218 million cups of water. (No word, however, as to how many million bathroom trips were logged in the course of drinking all that water.) And they have a blog called the Daily Spark that has some great info in it too.

Anyway, the three niftiest things about Sparkpeople, in my opinion?

1. Their website is free and has a hell of a lot of stuff on it;

2. They don't promote a particular diet or exercise plan but instead they "encourage small steps," and stress goal attainment, accountability, education, and community;

And, best of all:

3. They have a new book that just came and they're giving us 5 FREE COPIES for a giveaway!

The only thing I'm not 100% on board with? According to their website content editor, "most everything we promote is upbeat and optimistic."


Well, nobody's perfect.


So what's in the book?

I haven't read it yet, but it apparently it crams a lot of the best and most helpful stuff from the website in there, plus some inspiring success stories, and it includes a 28-day plan to change your life.

Oh, and it's got "27 proven secrets of success." And I am SUCH a sucker for lists like that, that if I do nothing else I'm going to at least have to get around to finding out what the 27 secrets are. I'm hoping to see "eat more chocolate" and "take more naps" on the list. You think?

And if you'd like to win a copy of the book (Sorry, U.S. residents only) please leave a comment below! Contest closes Sunday, January 3rd, midnight PST, and I'll announce the winners (chosen by random number generator) on Monday. Do check back to see if you've won and email me by Friday the 8th, or I'll pick some new winners!

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So as I mentioned back on the main Cranky Fitness page, after whining about my sore feet on the blog, I recently got to try a pair of Kuru shoes. The Kuru people sell active footwear, including shoes for plantar fasciitis, and they let me try a pair for free to see what I thought of them.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR POST SKIMMERS: Sorry, at this point this is just a review of the shoes, not a giveaway. So please don't go thanking me in the comments for the great giveaway! You'll just make me feel all guilty for not giving you my shoes. But face it, unless you're a size 10 and don't mind my smelly feet having been in there first? You probably wouldn't want my pair anyway. Plus, the good news, is: a Kuru giveaway still remains a distinct possibility for the future!

Let's keep it simple, shall we? First the things I liked, then the things I didn't.

Some Awesome Things About Kuru Shoes:

1. The technology makes for an extremely comfortable, supportive shoe.

So they bill these things as having "the world's most anatomical midsole." The idea is that the Kuru sole is made out of stuff that enables the shoe to mold to your foot, offering "the support of a custom orthotic."

I'm not a podiatrist or anything, and of course every shoe maker says their stuff is the best in the world and they can't all be right. So I can't evaluate the science behind it.

But I can notice how they fit. And as soon as I put these on my feet and started walking around I said: Whooee! Yes!

I often find shoes to be either too hard and unyielding, or too springy and floppy and unsupportive. This pair of Kruzr's somehow managed to be both cushy enough inside to be comfortable on my sore heel, but firm and supportive enough all around so that I feel like I'm getting maximum protection from the kind of impact (and pronation problems) that got my foot messed up in the first place.

It's too early to tell whether these shoes will help my plantar fasciitis, because I'm nixing the long walks for now and not looking to risk irritating things by pushing it for the sake of a shoe review. But the shoes sure seem to be much better than my previous shoes at giving me the kind of support I think will help a lot in the long run.

2. They're Not Running Shoes But They Feel As Good.

I like to walk a lot, but generally if I'm going more than a couple miles or so I've learned to put on a pair of trail running shoes. Even "casual" non-running shoes tend to chafe or not offer enough support. Problem is, sometimes I don't feel like wearing running shoes if I'm walking, say, to a restaurant. Plus, how am I ever going to go to Europe again wearing shoes that scream "lazy American who can't ever manage to change out of her trainers?"

Kuru shoes are exactly the type of shoes that I've been looking for: athletic in terms of how they feel, but a slight step up in formality from your basic trail runner.

3. The Price Seems Very Reasonable.

A lot of times I've reviewed great products but then felt kind of guilty recommending them because I personally might be too cheap to spring for 'em myself if I hadn't scored them for free. The Kuru's, however, are in the $80-$90 range and seem well worth it. Most shoes this well-engineered would cost a heck of a lot more.


The things I didn't like as much about Kuru shoes:

1. They only sell online.

I like to try things on first. Now on the plus side, the Kuru folks let you send the shoes back for free, so there's no risk. But I'm lazy and I hate even the thought of having to send things back.

2. Depending on the model, the shoes look pretty wide and kind of clunky when viewed from the top.

This is partly my own fault--the model I really wanted to try wasn't available, and I went with color over style. I wanted a go-with-everything color scheme so I chose a gray and black pair, even though I had some fears about the width of the grey Kruzr's in the picture.

And sure enough, just as my feet were saying "ahh, these are so comfortable," my vain ego was saying "Eeek, my feet look so damn wide!"

Scary View of Kuru Shoes

In my own mind, I was seeing:

Photo: mliu92

And it's not that I have particularly fat feet--it's the shoes, I swear.




However, when I whined to the Lobster, she said, "really? They look pretty cute to me."

And I thought, how could this be? Doesn't she see my elephant feet?

Then she pointed out that no one else would be looking straight down at them like I was doing. She suggested I look at them from the viewing angle of other people. If I was going to let vanity threaten my enjoyment of my new awesome comfortable supportive shoes, I might as well get a more accurate idea of what they looked like to other people.

And sure enough, that helped a lot.

Much less scary from the side.

And fine from the front too!

And as further proof of Kuru's aesthetic coolness, here is Mizfit sporting a different pair. (And check out her Kuru review too).



See? Like I said, it was my own fault for picking the wrong pair. If you look at their website, they've got tons of other styles and colors.

Anyway, I am very happy with the shoes so far. I may even spring for the pair I really wanted with my own money! As a tight-fisted tight-clawed crab, that says a lot.

So when you guys find a comfortable, supportive pair of shoes do you fret about what they look like?

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Yep, this is the promised check-in post to see who's still interested in winning one of our awesome Big Fall Giveaway prizes. If you've already entered, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post saying you're still in. But make sure you do it by midnight, PST, Wednesday November 4th. After that, the contest closes.

And if you didn't catch the first giveaway post, it's not too late to enter! Just make sure you read the instructions.

Winners will be announced sometime after I get back, which could be late this week or early next week.

Good luck!

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UPDATE: CONTEST IS OVER, WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED ON THE MAIN BLOG. BE SURE TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE BY NOVEMBER 13th 2009!

Yes, it's time to bribe thank the awesome readers of Cranky Fitness with a big fall giveaway! This will coincide with our road trip to the west coast, which will take a dawdly three weeks or so.

Dear, you sure we're still on the interstate?
Photo: Plan 59

So we have a great Grand Prize (a TRX Home Training Bundle) plus a whole bunch of other neato prizes too. (See below). The only sad thing? Most of these are U.S. only--but we've got at least a few sponsors who will ship to Canada, so please, dear Canadians, don't give up on us entirely.

(The rest of the international community? I'm afraid you're S.O.L., sorry. But it so wouldn't be worth moving to the land of Big Macs and Rush Limbaugh just to be able to enter a blog giveaway, right?)

NOTE: Please read the instructions! This contest works a bit differently than most of our giveaways have.

Contest Rules:

1. Comment on two posts: Yep, to officially enter you need to comment both on this post, and the Pre-Giveaway Check-in Post, which will be put up sometime in the first week of November. The winners will be picked by random number generator from a pool of all those who commented on both posts. This random drawing will happen sometime around November 8th, depending on when I get back to civilization.

Why this annoying two-post requirement? It's because while we're using a random number generator to pick the winners, we'd be really happy if most of the winners were people who actually read Cranky Fitness on a regular basis! We can't cheat and go non-random, but I think it's fair to stack the deck on behalf of regulars readers. So the arrival of the Pre-Giveaway Check-in Post will be announced prominently on the main blog, and there will be a limited number of days in which to comment before the contest closes. I'm thinking folks who stop in regularly will be more likely to catch the announcement post and remember to comment again--while the fly-by-nighter "Cranky What? Did you say TRX and Vitamuffins?" people who just want to win stuff will probably comment once and completely forget to come back, and so they won't be officially entered. Sneaky, huh?)

2. In your comment to this post, let us know if you live in the U.S. or Canada.

3. Also in your comment here, let us know which prizes you're particularly interested in. And if you do it politely, you can also let us the ones you wouldn't have a current use for. We'll presume it's because you're allergic or something or already have one. No need to trash a prize that don't appeal to you unless you're just in a really foul mood and can't help it.

4. The winners will be selected strictly by random number, but the prizes may be apportioned depending on multiple factors, including the order drawn, expressed preference, and eligibility.

I'm going to draw numbers, and the first numbers picked will get higher value prizes--however, it helps to know what you'd actually like.

Note: you may still end up winning a prize you specifically said you didn't want, if yours is one of the last numbers picked. Sorry in advance for the Cranky Fitness customized toothpick holders. (Don't worry--not actually a real prize).

5. Once the winners are announced you will have a limited time to claim your prize, so don't forget to check back to see if you are a winner. Any unclaimed prizes will be redistributed based on additional random drawings.

6. Conflict of Interest Warning: These prizes have all been donated, so you can officially worry that if I say nice things about them I am just making it up so they will send us more stuff in the future. Also, there are cases where I've gotten free stuff or sponsorship from a prize provider in the past, which I've tried to remember to mention. Just assume I'm completely corrupt and dishonest because it's easier for all of us that way. (Is that good enough, FTC? Please don't fine me!)

7. Sleazy Sponsor Warning: We've occasionally had giveaway prize delays before, but so far we've never had a sponsor entirely flake out. However, it occurred to me when putting together a multi-sponsor post that if somehow one of our many sponsors should fail to deliver, I can't afford to personally cover for them. Therefore: be warned you are assuming the risk of any Sponsor Flake-Outs. That is, you could enter, win a prize, and never get that prize if the sponsor skips town.

However, if any sponsor is stupid enough to fail to deliver, you can bet that Cranky Fitness will be blogging about it incessantly and announcing to the world what buttholes they are and that they will be very, very sorry they ever messed with us.

Okay, enough of the dire warnings, on to the prizes!


Grand Prize: The TRX Home Training Bundle! (US Only)

Remember back when I reviewed the TRX and then kept it all to myself, rather than offer it for a give-away like a more generous blogger would do? Well, that's 'cause I liked it. Sorry. Here's a chance to make it up to you though, as this time we're giving one away.

So the TRX is a suspension system that uses your own body weight and gravity to provide resistance for a bunch of different strength training exercises.



To quote myself in the review post: "The small size and convenience of this system makes it a great choice for home exercisers, especially for those who don't have a gym membership or a lot of space or money for a full-on home gym. It's great for functional fitness types, because you get a lot of core work, and you can pick up the speed and do the strengthening exercises for cardio too. And it's a particularly handy choice for folks who travel because of how portable it is."

The Home Training Bundle retails for $169.95. (And conflict-of-interest reminder: I got my original review model for free.)


OTHER GREAT PRIZES:

A $150 Giftcard for a customized T-Shirt Quilt from Campus Quilt Co! (US only)



So what's a T-Shirt Quilt? Well, it's kind of a cool concept. These folks take your old cherished T-shirts, sweatshirts, blankies, baby outfits, or any other fabric that holds memories, and they craft the items into a quilt. Here's how it works:

"You choose the layout of your quilt, select the backing color, and add extra services like embroidery, photo squares, or sashing. The quilts are fully quilted to ensure durability so you can cuddle up in your quilt, hang it on the wall, or save as a keepsake." After you place your order, you'll "receive a quilt kit with order form, layout guide, fabric swatch card, bag to mail the clothing, and a pre-paid UPS mailing label. Send your clothing back and in 2-3 weeks, you will receive your finished quilt."


Seven Winners: Vitalicious Super Sampler Pack! (US only)

I've done a full review of the Vitalicious goodies before, and while they're a Cranky Fitness sponsor (for which I am very grateful), I also appreciate that they offer a healthy convenience food that you can enjoy without feeling terribly guilty. The muffins are 100 calories or less, use natural ingredients, and have fiber and protein and good stuff like that. The sampler packs are especially nifty because they have tons of different flavors you can try. (My personal faves: Banana Nut and Double Chocolate Dream).


Three winners: Great books from Green Mountain Spa! (US and Canada)

So yes, Green Mountain is also a Cranky Fitness advertiser! But also love to mention them when I can anyway because I love their sensible healthy approach to fitness and weight loss. (I'm also a big fan of their blog, A Weight Lifted, and I got a big kick out of it when their director Marsha did an interview for us).

Anyway, here are the three books they've generously donated for our giveaway:

The Diet Survivor's Handbook, by Judith Matz and Ellen Frankel;

Feeding the Hungry Heart: The Experience of Emotional Eating, by Geneen Roth; and

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Three winners: "Groove" headphones from 2XL! (US and Canada).

These are "hanger buds" that are designed to avoid bacterial build up that can happen in regular in-ear buds, and at the same time, "provide stellar sound quality."

(Plus, some folks who are squeamish like me can not stand having things stuffed in our ears and so hate regular earbuds. Yet these things look to be quite a bit cuter and sleeker than most over-the-ear alternatives.)

See? Compare: Groove headphones--


to the less sleek over-the-ear alternative:

Photo: Beard Papa

Two winners: Pulse Yoga I Basic DVD! (US Only)


Pulse Yoga "combines all of the best elements and disciplines of Pilates, Weight Training, and Yoga." It includes micro movements with free weights to tone and strengthen target areas such as the gluteus muscles, abdominals, upper arms and lower back."

Bonus: there is actually some published research about the effectiveness of this approach, which you can find on their site. (But note: it's a powerpoint presentation, not a web page).

Five winners: True North Sample Packs! (US only)

Note: Duh, Wrong Flavor, Sorry!

Each sample pack contains one bag each of Apple Cinnamon, Citrus Burst and Almond Cranberry, which are not pictured above because I spaced out and forgot to get jpegs from the sponsor. So use your imaginations.

The thing I like about True North (and I am personally a huge fan of their almond clusters) is that they make an effort to keep the ingredients healthy, but make the snacks tasty enough to feel like treats.

(I received a free sample pack myself, and while the straightforward almond clusters remain my personal favorite, these more fruity flavors were a big hit with the Lobster and our houseguests).


Five Winners: Atkins sampler, 3 Bars and a Shake! (US only)


Have you been curious about these Atkins snacks? They certainly look tasty, and they're coming out with new flavors to try. The sample pack will contain a bar from the Day Break, Advantage and Endulge lines in addition to an Advantage shake.


Fifteen winners: A half-gallon of Silk Heart Health Soy Milk! (US only)


Silk Heart Health is "a new soymilk product that combines the heart-health benefits of soy protein and plant sterols. Both have been proven to help reduce the risk of cholesterol and heart disease. A recent study found that people who enjoyed three servings of Silk Heart Health per day for four weeks, as part of a sensible diet, lowered their cholesterol by 7%."

They've also provided a link for a coupon for 55 cents off.

Five Winners: ME beverages



So this new entrant into the lower-cal beverage market takes an offbeat approach, promising beverages with "edgy flavors" and "tons of personality." Alas, "Whiny™" and "Slacker™" aren't yet options, but you can find out if you are Vivacious™, Curious™, Uninhibited™ or Unavailable™ by going to their interactive web site, "Find Your Me." The drinks have 70 calories per can, no caffeine, natural ingredients and come in flavors like tangerine pineapple, blueberry lime, pink grapefruit, and dragonfruit blackberry.

Thanks so much, Cranky Fitness readers--and good luck!

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So today we've got a review and giveaway of 3 sampler packs of Vitalicious products!

And is it just a coincidence that there's a big ol' Vitalicious banner ad running over on our main page all of a sudden? Er, well, not exactly! But here at Cranky Fitness we don't worry overly much about the feelings of the good people who give us samples or sponsor us or compensate us to review things, as is the case here. It's not that we're especially ethical--we're just too cranky and opinionated to be anything but honest. Oddly enough, sponsors are cool with that.

(Well, we don't know how warm and affectionate the Skinny Bitch video folks are feeling after Merry's honest review. But so far we haven't had any Skinny Bitches trying to bust down the doors of Cranky Fitness headquarters in order to beat the crap out of us. Yet. We'll keep you posted.)

Anyway, in case you haven't heard of Vitalicious, they sell muffins, muffin tops, cakes, mixes, brownies, and even coffee. Hungry Girl is a big fan. Their baked goods generally come in portion-controlled packs of 100 calories.

Our sampler pack of 24 muffins included:

VitaBrownies
Chocolate Fig VitaTops
Banana Nut VitaTops
Double Chocolate Dream VitaTops
Deep Chocolate VitaTops
Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTops
Golden Corn VitaTops
CranBran VitaTops
AppleBerry VitaTops
MultiBran VitaTops
BlueBran VitaTops

The Lobster and I tried every single variety, just to be thorough. We figured that calories can not possibly count if they're consumed while doing research!

So what did we think? Well, there were good things and bad things about the VitaMuffins. First the good news:

Things We Liked!

1. They're mostly whole grains, usually whole wheat flour, and generally it's the first ingredient.

2. A hundred calories isn't bad for either a muffin or a brownie. These are small, but they're fairly substantial and filling.

3. Most of the ingredients are pretty natural, and for those who don't like aspartame or sucralose, there doesn't seem to be any of that in there.

4. They're really convenient, and if you're trying to grab breakfast on the run, a stash of whole grain muffins on hand would serve you much better than a donut or a poptart.

5. For a hundred calories, they've got a fair amount of fiber and even a respectable amount of protein (typically 6 grams of fiber and 4 of protein).

6. They have 9 gazillion flavors (our sample pack didn't even get to them all) and chances are good you're going to find at least one of them you like.

I'd go with the Multibran or Banana Nut for breakfast, and either the Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip or the Double Chocolate Dream for a dessert. The Lobster's favorites were similar: the Golden Corn, Banana Nut, Apple Berry, and most of the chocolate flavors with one glaring exception (discussed below).

7. You can freeze 'em for up to nine months, or keep them around in the cupboard or fridge for about 5 days.

8. For a "convenience" food, they're a pretty darn healthy choice, and you don't have to feel horribly guilty eating them.

Things We Didn't Like:

1. I'm not a fan of adding vitamin supplements to food. I think it's best to get vitamins naturally whenever possible. And if I decide I need to supplement, I'd rather make a conscious decision about which sort of multivitamin formula makes sense to me--not get vitamins randomly added to processed foods. It's especially annoying to see this touted as a major selling point. If the vitamins occurred naturally because of all the healthy fruit in them, then sure, go ahead and mention that. But I wouldn't brag about throwing a vitamin pill into a muffin recipe. (On the other hand, the Lobster doesn't give a crap about the vitamin issue; no complaints there).

2. The taste was not quite as good as "real" muffins or brownies. They tasted more like virtuous, "not bad," compromise versions. The Lobster found them closer to the real thing than I did. I kept noticing a woody sort of taste, and the fruits added in lieu of extra fat tended to clash with the chocolate flavors. (The chocolate fig flavor was probably the worst of all. Neither of us liked that one).

But unless you live in fantasyland, there is kind of an expected flavor trade-off when eating a low fat, high fiber, vitamin fortified baked good. If you're feeling indulgent and want to splurge on the "real thing," these might not satisfy.

3. The Apple Comparison. In their marketing materials and on their website, Vitalicious compares the nutritional benefits of their products to those of an apple, implying that the muffins and brownies are a wiser choice.

I'm sorry, nice Vitalicious people, but come off it!

If you are honestly torn between eating an apple and eating a packaged processed vitamin-fortified muffin? Duh! Eat the apple!

The health benefits of Vitalicious products do not come from eating them instead of whole fruits and vegetables. They come from eating them instead of Krispy Kremes and Twinkies.

Overall: A sensible, healthy choice for a convenience food, especially if you crave muffins and brownies and are counting calories. If you're looking for a no-holds-barred indulgence, these probably wouldn't do it. But if you want something reasonably tasty, and are willing to experiment with finding your favorite flavor, these could become a great no-guilt alternative to much junkier options.

Now, On to The Giveaway--Where There is also Good News and Bad News.

First the bad news: U. S. residents only. So sorry!

And more Possibly Bad News: You need to provide an email address and sign up for a newsletter to enter.

But the Good News: There are three winners, and when you have even a slight contest entry barrier like a newsletter sign-up, you eliminate most of the competition! So if you sign up, there's a much better chance than usual that you'll win!

(Or, if that's too much hassle, the Vitalicious ad on in the left sidebar of our main page has a 10% discount if you want to try some without having to enter anything.)

Entry instructions:

Sign up for the newsletter here by the end of the day Wednesday, Sept 30.

Then come back and leave a comment on this post, or at the main Cranky Fitness post, letting me know you signed up.

The Vitalicious people will give me a list of the signer-uppers, and I'll haul out the Random Number Generator to pick the winner from those names.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

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It will take me 7 words to review this DVD.

The workout:



The music:

My overall opinion?

You want more words? Okay, here goes

Look, I'm sorry, but this is like the first Skinny Bitches exercise DVD that I reviewed: I can't find anything positive to say about either. I thought, from the cover, that there would be some weight lifting. I thought my muscles would get something out of this. All I got was a piano ear-worm. Skip it.

The DVD follows the usual routine: abs, legs, arms, and butt -- which the Skinny Bitches refer to as 'ass' during the workout because they're hip and cool. Or something like that.

By the time I finished sitting through the introductions (yes, plural), I'd lost any motivation that I ever had. The excessive patter turned me off before I'd even started.

A tip for people who make exercise DVDs: if the customer has already popped your DVD into their machine, that's not the time to give them a lecture on how exercise can help them -- they've already bought that proposition. And the DVD.

The warm up was so lightweight that I didn't feel like the core muscles got warmed at all.

The workout felt like a warm up.

And the music! Endless repetitions of piano muzak like being trapped in the elevator loop from hell. I kept thinking I was in a mall. Maybe that was the intention, to make people think shopping and Sex and the City trendiness. Because that's just so related to exercise. Or something like that.

My favorite part? A 5-minute meditation section at the end. Yes, for 5 whole minutes neither of these women says a damn thing! Not even the word 'ass'! I wouldn't have thought that was possible.

Okay, it was a little weird the way the camera stayed focused on them sitting there with their eyes closed for 5 minutes, but what the hell. Also, I wondered where the faint breeze came from -- this was filmed in what looked like an exercise studio -- but at least it looked artistic as it gently tossed their hair.

As with the Skinny Bitches Boot Camp DVD, there's a major disconnect between what the cover promises and what you get. Notice how the DVD cover at the top of this post shows a woman holding a dumbbell? I faithfully got out my weights when I started this thing, but I shouldn't have bothered. At no point in the DVD do they use weights. Presumably the picture of a woman lifting weights is supposed to be representative of fitness in general. It's symbolic. Or something like that. Bah humbug.

Want to feel hip and cool and get a workout at the same time? Rent a Sex and the City DVD and watch it while jogging on the treadmill. In high heels. You'll get more of a workout.

If you've got an alternative opinion of the Skinny Bitches, or their exercise DVDs, or if you have your own personal least favorite DVD, please leave a comment. You get bonus points if you can condense the comment to seven words :)

(Obligatory legalese: bonus points not redeemable for any cash value product. We're all about the verbal rewards here. Offer void where prohibited by law.)

Leopard:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tambako/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Scream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddsock/ / CC BY 2.0

Cat:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ra41/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

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