Payless ShoeSource plans to close all of its roughly 2,300 stores when it files for bankruptcy later this month, according to media reports.
Sources close to the matter told Reuters that Payless has been unsuccessful in finding a buyer and is preparing to run going-out-of business sales next week.
This would be Payless’s second bankruptcy filing, after emerging from an April 2017 filing about 18 months ago.
A string of bankruptcies have already claimed thousands of U.S. stores this year, including some GAP, Gymboree, Things Remembered and Crazy 8 stores. Last year some high-profile businesses like Toys “R” Us, Sears and Bon-Ton —parent of Elder-Beerman — closed thousands of stores after filing for bankruptcy.
There are Payless locations in the Dayton Mall, Mall at Fairfield Commons, Sugar Creek Plaza, Midpointe Center in Middletown, on Salem Avenue in Dayton, at Bechtle Crossing in Springfield, on Voice of America Drive in West Chester, Bridgewater Falls in Hamilton and others in the Cincinnati area.
There is also a distribution center that employs 550 people in Brookville.
Basketball players depend on their feet to jump, cut, and sprint, so it’s essential that they have the right pair of shoes. The perfect kicks should be a blend of lightweight court grip and lockdown support, so that every movement, from stops and starts to explosive leaps and bounds, feels comfortable.
Performance is important, but so are looks. Since pro basketball takes place indoors under the bright lights of NBA arenas, the court becomes a de facto fashion show, with the most visible players getting the flashiest, best performing shoes under their own lines. As one of Nike’s early ad campaigns for Michael Jordan taught us, at least part of his otherworldly game has gotta be the shoes.
For the rest of us, a hot look paired with a good fit is what counts when we hit the rec court. Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. and associate fitness editor Brett Williams compiled this list of the best high-flying kicks in the game right now, with the buzziest signature shoes and some low-key top performers for anyone just looking for a pair to lace up and ball.
The newest LeBron sneakers build on the eye-catching battle knit design of 2017’s LeBron 15s, once again delivering a combination of bounce and support, especially if you’re a post player. The best part: an improved traction pattern on the bottom that’ll have you feeling in control on hardwood and blacktop alike—and almost completely eliminate slipping. – Eb
Puma is back in the game after a long hiatus, but the brand has come out of the gate strong with high-profile endorsements and flashy social media campaign. All that noise would mean nothing if the shoes themselves couldn’t perform—but the second pair of kicks in the Puma Hoops line, the Uproar, live up to the hype. We got a sneak-peek before they hit the market in time for the 2019 All-Star weekend in Charlotte, and found that the super-light sneakers provide a lockdown fit, with just enough cushion to keep the feet comfortable on the hardwood. -Brett
The 33rd edition of His Airness’ kicks do away with the most basic thing on your kicks: Laces. Their replacement: A FastFit cable solution that has you simply pulling hard to secure. And yes, it works, solidly locking down your entire foot, and even securing your heel. The result: A durable, light shoe that’ll have you comfortably changing direction on the court. -Eb
Low-top lovers will find their on-court match with the third iteration of reigning NBA MVP James Harden’s signature adidas line. The kicks feature the same Boost foam that runners depend on for major energy return, so prep for big bounce, while the lockdown strap over the forefoot keeps you dialed in. -Brett
Paul George’s signature shoe is all about freedom. The PG3s feel light and unrestrictive, letting you elevate with ease, but still offering cushioning on landings and enough ankle support to make you feel comfortable changing direction. A grippy sole completes an underrated package that won’t shatter your wallet, either. -Eb
Top-notch performance is implied in the Marquee Boost’s name—and a midsole filled with adidas’ most popular cushioning material makes it clear this shoe is no slouch. Added ankle support gives those wary of a low-cut basketball shoe some extra comfort, too. -Brett
UnderArmour updates one of its best shoe designs with the new Spawns, super-breathable kicks that offer a tight fit and surprising flexibility in the forefoot—the kind of flexibility that players who cut and change direction often will love. -Eb
If you’re not looking to drop triple digits on a pair of shoes for your weekend rec league, these mids from Nike fit the bill. You’ll still get a flashy Max Air unit in the sole and a dynamic lacing system without the extra bling from the association with a big-name endorser. -Brett
This pair of mids from Under Armour offers performance in a no-frills package for a low cost. Extra padding around the tongue and ankle collar makes the fit more comfortable, and built-in ankle support can help to keep even the clumsiest post players from rolling their ankles. -Brett
These mids from Jordan might be one of the brand’s more low-key offerings, but that doesn’t mean the shoe won’t perform on the court. The Lift Off clearly takes design cues from the Jordan VI, a classic from the Jumpman’s Chicago Bulls days—you just won’t need to wait for a hyped retro release or pay top dollar to play like Mike in the shoes today. -Brett
BRETT WILLIAMSBrett Williams is an Associate Fitness Editor at Men’s Health.
EBENEZER SAMUEL, C.S.C.S.Ebenzer Samuel, C.S.C.S., is the fitness director of Men’s Health and a certified trainer with more than 10 years of training experience.
The experts have spoken: Not all toilet paper is made equal!
Source: TODAY
By Tracy Saelinger
Toilet paper. Everyone uses it, yet most of us automatically buy the same toilet paper month after month, without giving it much thought. So, we recently got to wondering: What would a germ expert do?
We turned to a bonafide germ expert, Kelly Reynolds, Ph.D., a professor and program director at the University of Arizona, who specializes in public health research, and picked her brain on what you should be thinking about when you buy — and use — toilet paper.
Here’s what we learned: It’s all about the barrier.
When it comes to toilet paper, the thicker the barrier, the better.Getty Images stock
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST TOILET PAPER
“Theoretically, the more barrier you have between your hands and the contamination you’re wiping will have an impact on reducing the chance of germs getting on your hands,” Reynolds told TODAY. “So, in that sense, two-ply is better. But, you could also use one-ply — you’d just have to use more.”
She does caution, though: “It takes a lot to make a complete barrier, so theoretically, you can’t use enough toilet paper to block everything that might be present.”
Even if you folded the toilet paper 10 times, Reynolds added, the “toilet paper itself is probably contaminated” from germs in the bathroom. (Yikes!)
EVEN WITH THE BEST TOILET PAPER: WASH YOUR HANDS
No matter what kind of ply you use, you should also probably pick up some anti-bacterial soap. You have to really scrub those hands: “You can’t avoid washing your hands if you want to avoid contamination,” Reynolds said.
CHOOSE THE TOILET PAPER YOU LIKE BEST
If you’re concerned about sustainability: Most toilet paper nowadays is designed to biodegrade, Reynolds noted, though some companies may use more sustainable manufacturing processes than others.
At the end of the day, “it’s really a personal preference,” Reynolds said. “Aesthetically, what you like, in terms of scents and softness.”
Point taken! Since a strong barrier can’t hurt, we took Reynolds’ advice to heart, and set out to find some of the thickest toilet paper out there. Who knew 3-ply existed?!
Here are some of the thickest, strongest, and best-reviewed we found:
THE BEST TOILET PAPER, ACCORDING TO GUIDANCE FROM OUR EXPERT
This three-ply toilet paper earned enthusiastic — and hilarious — reviews … more than 7,290 of them! One called it “the Cadillac of TP.” Another: “My bum felt like it was on a cloud.” Most importantly, people rave about how it doesn’t shred (an important consideration for households with pets and kids). It is also biodegradable, according to the company, and is made in accordance to standards of the Sustainable Forest Initiative. One tip: The supreme roll is too large for some TP dispensers, reviewers noted, so if you have the same issue, you may want to try the double-roll size.
2. Charmin Ultra Strong Clean Touch Toilet Paper, $30 for 24 family mega rolls, Amazon
Charmin Ultra Strong Toilet Paper, 24 Family Mega Rolls (Equal to 123 Regular Rolls)
This classic, two-ply workhorse gets solid Amazon reviews for its strength: “It doesn’t fall apart when the going gets tough,” one reviewer said. Charmin calls this version its “strongest two-ply toilet paper” with “washcloth-like cleaning and strength,” and claims it is septic-safe. Again, if the mega roll is too large for your dispenser, you may want to try the double-roll size.
3. Cottonelle Ultra Clean Care Toilet Paper, $25 for 36 family rolls, Amazon
Cottonelle Ultra CleanCare Toilet Paper, 24 Mega Rolls
If you prefer a ripple design to a quilt, then Cottonelle may be for you — the company says its Wavy CleanRipple texture “removes more at once” than the “leading brand.” It’s also septic-safe and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for its environment-friendliness. It’s one-ply, but don’t let that scare you off: Reviewers say “the toilet doesn’t get plugged up nearly as often,” with it, and it is “very soft, yet strong.” And, perhaps the highest praise: “It works like in the commercial.”
TODAY IS THOMAS JEFFERSON’S birthday, and what might the president, on his special day, have had to eat?
Perhaps chicken fricassee, baked Virginia ham, or bouilli—beef boiled with onion, carrots, turnips, and celery, and topped with a mushroom-and-caper sauce. Any of these may have been accompanied by asparagus or peas, both of which—according to Jefferson’s meticulously kept Garden Book—were often available from the Monticello gardens by early April. And the meal may have been polished off with ice cream, pastry, pudding, or crème brûlée, and followed up with an after-dinner glass of Madeira, which Jefferson believed was good for the health
Whatever was served on the Jeffersonian birthday table, it was almost certainly delicious. Unlike Bill Clinton, whose favorite meals once featured cheeseburgers and Egg McMuffins, or George H.W. Bush, who touted pork rinds, popcorn, and hot dogs, Thomas Jefferson was renowned for his discerning and sophisticated taste in food.
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Of his many accomplishments, the three that Thomas Jefferson chose to be engraved on his tombstone were his authorship of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom, and the founding of the University of Virginia. He didn’t mention French fries, champagne, macaroni, waffles, ice cream, olive oil, or Parmesan cheese. In fact, these probably didn’t even make it into his top tombstone ten, but Americans owe him a considerable debt for expanding our diets to include these items. Without Jefferson, we might just possibly still be stuck with cornmeal mush and dried-apple pie.
Though common dogma holds that French cooking arrived in the United States in 1961 when Julia Child’s now-classic, 524-recipe Mastering the Art of French Cooking hit the stands, Thomas Craughwell, author of Thomas Jefferson’s Crème BrûléeThomas Jefferson’s Crème Brûlée, argues that it arrived much earlier, with Thomas Jefferson and his French-trained chef/slave, James Hemings. And, despite Jefferson’s passionate interest in all things food, Hemings gets the hands-on credit here. Jefferson, for all his talents, was no cook. According to his household staff, Jefferson never entered the Monticello kitchen except to wind the clock.
Strange fossil may be rare insect preserved in gemstone
During his five years as American minister to France, Jefferson reveled in French culture. He went to concerts and plays, visited the Louvre, bought furniture, silver, paintings, sculpture, mirrors, and kicky kitchen equipment: He came home with a coffee urn, a pasta machine, a waffle iron, ice-cream molds, and a bowl for cooling wine glasses.
And he certainly enjoyed fine food. He had offered 19-year-old James Hemings his freedom if James would learn French cuisine and pass it on to cooks at Monticello. James seems to have more than lived up to his half of the bargain. He became fluent in French and was soon such a skilled cook that Jefferson’s dinner parties, attended by the best and the brightest in France, were famous for scrumptious dishes.
Despite unsubstantiated culinary legend, Jefferson didn’t invent any of the foods that are associated with his name. Instead, since the public paid avid attention to what was served on the president’s table, he had a bully pulpit for popularizing his favorites. For example, ice cream. While ice cream in one form or another had been around for hundreds of years, Jefferson’s recipe is the first recorded by an American, and it was during his administration that it became an increasingly universal treat. The president seems to have favored it encased in pastry. Guests to the President’s House (now White House) describe “balls of frozen material” in a pastry crust. When Jefferson’s French cook, Honore Julien, left the president’s service in 1810, he opened a confectionary business, offering ice cream to customers on Sundays and Wednesdays. By 1824, when Mary Randolph (a Jefferson relative) published The Virginia House-Wife, she included twenty different recipes for ice cream, including one flavored with oysters.
Similarly, Jefferson was a proponent of the now all-American standard: macaroni and cheese. In fact, he served it at a state dinner in 1802.
Not everybody appreciated Jefferson’s culinary predelictions. Patrick Henry— obviously a cornmeal mush man—excoriated him for abjuring “his native victuals in favor of French cuisine.” According to his granddaughter, Jefferson’s preference for such dishes as bouilli and crème brûlée caused his enemies to accuse him of colluding with Napoleon Bonaparte.
Jefferson, however, had a foot in both food camps. While supporting foreign newbies such as olive oil, champagne, and Parmesan cheese, Jefferson also promoted the best of foods from home. French apples, for example, didn’t meet his standards: announcing that there was nothing in Europe to compare to the Newtown pippin, he begged James Madison to ship him a barrel. In his French garden, he grew American corn. During his years abroad, he missed Virginia hams (“better than any to be had”) in France and he ordered American shipments of pecans and cranberries.
Thomas Jefferson may have been America’s first foodie—the first to embrace today’s acceptance of a vast and fascinating range of cuisines. Today we leap insouciantly from sushi to tacos, lasagna to Yorkshire pudding to paella to boeuf bourguignon—but historically that hasn’t been the case. For many, it was at Thomas Jefferson’s table that people had their first taste of a new food world.
Perhaps even more important, Jeffersonian dinners were known not just for creative food, but for social connections and lively conversation. An often-repeated quote by John F. Kennedy, remarking on a White House dinner of Nobel Prize winners, references “the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”
Thomas Jefferson, however, did his best never to dine alone.
SodaStream Source Review of the Best Soda Making Machine
In this article, I want to talk about The SodaStream Source, and hopefully help you decide if it is the right Soda Maker Machine for you.
Advantages Of The SodaStream Source
Very Easy to Use and Set Up
Affordable
Made by a Reputable Company
Has a Very Easy and Simple bottle Locking Mechanism
Consistent Carbonation every time
Doesn’t Use Electricity
Saves money
Disadvantages Of The SodaStream Source
Slightly more expensive than older SodaStream Models
Cannot Use the larger 130-liter CO2 cylinders
Can Only Carbonate Water.
The SodaStream Source.
The SodaStream Source is one of the latest innovations from the SodaStream Company, which is the largest home carbonation appliance company, it is a culmination of all the past SodaStream models.
The Source, in my opinion, is one of the Best Soda Making Machine.
Instructions On The SodaStream Source Video
Pros Of The SodaStream Source
1-Easy To Use And Set Up
The SodaStream Source like most SodaStream appliances is very easy to use and set up.
You won’t need any tools or skills to set up, you can watch the video above to see how simple it is.
2-Affordable
Though the Source isn’t the cheapest Sodastream around that title goes to the SodaStream Fizzi,
The Source is mid-tier in the price range, and when taking to account all the cool features in comparison to cheaper models like the Fizzi it is very much worth the couple extra bucks.
Like the saying goes you get what you pay for.
3-Made By A Reputable Company
The Source is made by the SodaStream Company which is the largest maker of carbonation appliance in the world.
This means that;
Parts and accessories will be easy to find
Warranties will be honored, unlike buying a knockoff from a Chinese company
This is one of the features that give the Source an edge over all the other SodaStream, the mechanism that is used to snap the carbonation bottle in place is seamless and flows naturally for the Source.
Unlike the SodaStream Jet and Fizzi have a more tricky screwing mechanism.
The snap mechanism is a recent innovation and is patented by the SodaStream company.
5-Consistent Carbonation Every Time
Another great feature the Source has is that it gives you a consistent level of carbonation every time you use it there is no guesswork.
How it does so is based on the LED lights, which are illuminated when the water reaches a carbonation level, this allows you to know when to stop pressing the carbonation button and when to keep pressing.
Older SodaStream models have a lot of guesswork in play and with outdated waiting for buzzing sounds that are hard to hear and sometimes never happen.
This visual guide allows you to have more control over your SodaStream.
6-Doesn’t Use Electricity
The Source even though it has LED lights and so many features it still doesn’t use electricity so it won’t be sending your utility bill up.
Also because it doesn’t use electricity it won’t pose as an electrical hazard in your kitchen. This can be a potential risk since you are dealing with water.
7-Saves Money
Like all SodaStream the Source will help you to save money this is because it is usually cheaper to make your own sparkling water at home.
It works out to 0.25 cents for a liter of sparkling water if this is lower than the price of sparkling water in your area you will save money.
1-Slightly More Expensive Than Older SodaStream Models
The Source carries with it a slightly higher price than the SodaStream Jet or SodaStream Fizzi both of which are older SodaStream models that lack the LED Light and Snap-on Bottle System.
In my opinion, the extra features that the Source have are well worth the few extra bucks.
2- Cannot Use The Larger 130-Liter CO2 Cylinders
SodaStream offers two sizes of cylinders the 60-liter and the 130-liter.
The Source can only use the 60-liter cylinder which for me is the biggest drawback for the Source.
You see the 130-liter cylinder will last more than twice as long as the 60-liter, this means you won’t have to get refills as often.
The main reason why SodaStream designed the Source to only use the 60-liter is that they are trying to phase out the 130-liter cylinder.
This is because the 60-liter tanks are smaller and much easier to ship.
SodaStream is trying to build up a better logistical network for delivering SodaStream Cylinders, so the fact that they will only have one size of cylinder makes their systems more streamlined.
3-Can Only Carbonate Water.
The SodaStream Source like all SodaStream can only carbonate water if you do attempt to carbonate other beverages you risk making a mess and losing your warranty.
Now if you want a carbonation appliance that can carbonate any beverage check my article on Alternatives to Sodastreams.
Who Should Get A SodaStream Source
The Source is ideal for a family who wants to make their own Sodas, and it is also perfect for someone who wants to buy a new updated SodaStream.
It is not ideal for businesses or individuals who need to make tons of sparkling water, you should probably go with a DIY Method of carbonation.
The Source was made for home use, not commercial usage.
A Soda Making Machine is a home appliance that can make sparkling or carbonated water which can then be used to make your own sodas.
These machines use gas cylinders which contain the CO2 gas which is then used in the carbonation process.
These cylinders have to be bought with the appliance and when emptied be exchanged for a full cylinder of CO2. Places such as Walmart and Costco usually offer exchanges.
I will give you a link at the end of the article to where you can find places near you to get exchanges.
Why Would You Want A Soda Making Machine
We see our kids and maybe even ourselves drink bottle after bottle of sugary sodas, and you know it is not good yet we allow ourselves and our little ones to continue with this unhealthy habit.
I know Sodas taste good and its a tough habit to break, Soda companies dedicate millions of dollars to make and keep us addicted.
One of the ways I have found to help is to make our own healthy homemade sodas, by doing this we are in control of what’s inside our sodas.
How To Make Soda Using Your SodaStream Source
Now once you have made your sparkling water, you can then proceed to make your water into tasty Sodas.
You can add syrups or you can infuse with healthy fruits.
