A fantastic way of integrating technology into your Social Sciences curriculum

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently I have taken interest in integration the curriculum with Social Sciences so I started doing a websearch. Its amazing what treasures you come across when you do that. After looking through and bookmarking an enormous amount of sites including the Edublogs 2011 winner sites, I came across a social studies Ning site that had won one of the Edublogs awards. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://sschat.ning.com/">http://sschat.ning.com/</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLDUkvq3pfueuu4OSEq94zrEvaBDalFJ57xUcDP8my6_c3rhKI-uaxSojf7HU1vfajHvCWvHRI3qvsiWWTjAHXPy6KYZKtXZNbXGjI40DN2LNkhr-0X9fqU9R9mqJVeRzcx9YuoEzVUY/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LELa5xOB7aIn80ux60H_Pp0w77XG16KUTPpzLI2guxgP6v_9RDpP19BbJujTBKLR_2GcgLdTQeXVMmHBkELOJ9vUpRGRrBP4SYVybhCrFeGfoVfAOW9TTi_rnMuVEMaK3s_iv22wK8U/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="466" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">After looking around the Ning I came across a family, the <i>van Soyes</i>,  who will be taking a 400-day around-the-world journey to raise geo-literacy in K-12 students. They will be publishing emails, photos and video from 50 counties and 6 continents.  Wow, they already have an enormous collection of amazing stuff from just preparing for their travels and they have documented it so well. I thought I would record some of it here as it gives great ideas for the classroom.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Embed PDFs into blogs or wikis</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a sample from where they plan to be in February. They have created their documents colourfully in a word processor it seems, and have then converted them to PDFs. They then embedded them into their website. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.trekkingtheplanet.net/docs/W02_Hawaii_Education_Module.pdf">http://www.trekkingtheplanet.net/docs/W02_Hawaii_Education_Module.pdf</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvq6pBtoizAPWeTd933HV-_txpsHIq4t2UlCgyS-Tckl1N1URj8_0Mw3WxQEWMAtkr3TCFr7n9VNGYdKPfYt10DKtdkghyphenhyphenoeMrqu-L5asvczI01SqhyS5VeHo5XjSMiMnCsJKKlESWNc/s1600-h/image21.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbx7wXwF3RnQcXPcQ3NVdtB7Xm8rQoaxrpR7UjOStpNK2oWsaQKXYeQ_oXW8FPI8eno8-5AENJS781x0_BLgzLYjqd5Ck_F_hPWoxmA983MervNpIhkm7RjL2yYe_NEEyl0WOTDEBPDI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="477" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Actually it looks as though they have been very busy with their planning as they have already done all their research and documented it ready for when they actually get there.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTGEMkpZVS2VBV_2Trhi243dLgvWv125C-sciYnk8Y0KcNyl1LLXYpGj1fY-EnfSPzEgP1yz9YuEKfukQpCuTYNQVNOQdZFv7La_nOiqm1zNAhGbta4SN7LHBKcgqwm9f_haK0VReWTU/s1600-h/image28.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="563" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdJFa9ZpeIbGnegajWMhAXW4ayCFJvDYvmU8iwcvwVfEoGxtqnasgiw5VAfaiItGCHMjvQh7OuG8BtMiVv2xtXJ2qjQmVkRXQhG6HQPchn5wRpZAN659csSq5ZqqlVeLsx9tGgkQmRAo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="437" /></a><br /><br /><u><b>Classroom idea</b></u><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">This gives me the idea of getting the learners to study a country using a programme like Microsoft Word to record the details details. They then turn it into a PDF and place it on a blog or wiki. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Make use of podcasts</span></b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <i>van Soyes</i> have a beautiful website for recording their travels with podcasts, webcasts etc. This will be a good website to keep in mind. They would also like to visit schools along the way. I have just checked and they won’t be visiting South Africa unfortunately or we could have arranged for them to visit a school or two!</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.trekkingtheplanet.net/">http://www.trekkingtheplanet.net/</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDI1AIyeSKnQ-QvhvzpgaohUE3vIN8wo_x9WQfxaQQ6Trzr-UYDw2RxI23j0jumd89PYRrb85jxevCqGohfYdN0jV83uqVvuay8zqzSmNwRBiiENQdubLm35-mPzPuNGPgohlrPSGvapg/s1600-h/image22.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QSAIk11VVurx-5gSCHfgHTt8a6xzWQTLrB0FGOxa3bwYHoD8lyo5Uk1dwBi11PX0PeeBviCL6TyqnSTCWSVUrGU9MS58gx2Ns_W-NU4KRVqEcNYA0pDx_Eg6UVQxqq-x1vjB0dmYKNM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="482" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><br /></u></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><b>Classroom idea</b></u><br />This gives me the idea that using audio podcasts and getting the learners to make short videos about various aspects of a trip can add great interest to classroom work. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Make use of webcasts</span></b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I see on their website that they made a webcast giving background to their intended journey. You can view it here:</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.spreecast.com/events/trekkingplanet">http://www.spreecast.com/events/trekkingplanet</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfYPGwKbVBdInQfmrGHAhrV1nDQmXZ5717onp2kfDTseDKq5OS8-ZkSmLz85OnnRxUj6XbYLA_DSrHXmgo-De_OSvi6fWQw61XfDTf3H0xVvtFer2JPUUVnc2HEq0uFmbTK0LX1Kha_0/s1600-h/image33.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="523" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgcsQvIUZHUZTJLwhSPUroOrAwvHnCAIhEjMFC-XUX99C-Kqf95Z5YmXhj9OKxR0Gd-0MelLSZDt6HZ_PWd2f8wfTwAk5QjzdysZomYbhbnFKHxbnW47PBWjcZrqSLcxrPUZJBBd7efU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="387" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><b>Classroom idea</b><br /></u>This gives me the idea of using a programme such as Spreecast for webcasts, (<a href="http://www.spreecast.com/">http://www.spreecast.com</a>)  I have just taken a look at it, and it is a social video platform that allows  people to broadcast together.  It says:<br />Up to 4 people on camera at once. <br />*Unlimited number of people can view (can also be private). <br />*Recorded live and immediately available for playback. <br />*Viewers: Chat, ask questions, join in on camera! <br />*Creators: You control who goes on camera and when. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, this is a project I for one will take a great interest in next year. Why not join me? </span></div>

Technology integration A fantastic way of integrating technology into your Social Sciences curriculum

Recently I have taken interest in integration the curriculum with Social Sciences so I started doing a websearch. Its amazing what treasures you come across when you do that. After looking through and bookmarking an enormous amount of sites including…

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minty fresh

What do you bring over to your dear friends' house that will go well with champaign (New Years Eve champaign) and also make 5 kids under 10 happy? Chocolate - mint cake. I made this for our New Years Eve celebration after drooling over the recipe <a href="http://issuu.com/feaststl/docs/feastmag/63" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TMJ-s06l-3RayF31_98IfoDOsBwZDzLvSa6jWg5nvwiPYfHQ2QzxVv5maKAuzok5-evJj7jhE3LdiCrviAhV2zhWk02evEIxzByG1rjtAOd1QCSbBQE1Lmtb627ePSXoaMgR0I095hFy/s1600/PC312905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TMJ-s06l-3RayF31_98IfoDOsBwZDzLvSa6jWg5nvwiPYfHQ2QzxVv5maKAuzok5-evJj7jhE3LdiCrviAhV2zhWk02evEIxzByG1rjtAOd1QCSbBQE1Lmtb627ePSXoaMgR0I095hFy/s320/PC312905.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My layman's attempt</td></tr></tbody></table>Chocolate, peppermint and almost 3 full sticks of butter? Yes please! All that's missing is bacon and this would be the worlds best recipe. OK, maybe not bacon in the cake, but you know what I mean. And, even better, I had a bag of peppermints left over from my <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/12/good-enough-to-eat.html" target="_blank">wreaths</a>. It was obviously ment to be.<br /><br />You can get the cake recipe from the link above, so I won't repeat it here. Instead I've give you my insider tips. The perfect 'I wish I'd known this' accompaniment for all your baking needs.<br /><br /><br />1. <b>You need some muscle.</b> The thing that makes peppermints perfect for wreath making is what makes them 'challenging' for cake decorating. Those suckas are hard.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzb3Dubb7PP4mb7Q1bWEf6CLTcFwWxopkkK9xpp48LKt0x1d6H3I-p7dsGdtQob8xFws2cnI7HVBUfdGy-GE6EqY0-K2rbggWRgtmLcp3vCZ0p1-2rRb0Vnhn644Shm_1b88BwkCWL7hX/s1600/PC312860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzb3Dubb7PP4mb7Q1bWEf6CLTcFwWxopkkK9xpp48LKt0x1d6H3I-p7dsGdtQob8xFws2cnI7HVBUfdGy-GE6EqY0-K2rbggWRgtmLcp3vCZ0p1-2rRb0Vnhn644Shm_1b88BwkCWL7hX/s200/PC312860.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had them switch to something stronger than serving spoons.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbMOS5AW0kXcG9MzmiUqkWuS_ON53D2An01e1vW9XL2JgPpeM7vwSGvYYGSDfTKXD02nd-1BCn4XSmpLFkqclD0EjdmS5wN1Q9mO6hSn2ZOauDkTKwcVVnknj-Pyx_BGQZF2myZ0mMg4Y/s1600/PC312879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbMOS5AW0kXcG9MzmiUqkWuS_ON53D2An01e1vW9XL2JgPpeM7vwSGvYYGSDfTKXD02nd-1BCn4XSmpLFkqclD0EjdmS5wN1Q9mO6hSn2ZOauDkTKwcVVnknj-Pyx_BGQZF2myZ0mMg4Y/s200/PC312879.JPG" width="200" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The whole 'haphazard, randomly broken into varying shapes and sizes peppermint' is actually hard to attain. I had two helpers whacking away at those suckers for a good 20 minutes. I would recommend 1 - 3 glasses of wine (depending on the strength of your whackers) to drown out the loud ringing in your ears. (hard candies equal hard whacks)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>2. <b>Invest in a vat.</b> If the cake serves 18-20, then the frosting must serve 40-50. We cooked the frosting in my big pot. The one I use for spaghetti. And that sucker was full. We had enough left over to frost 2 other cakes and a dozen cupcakes. Luke suggested I freeze the rest in a tupperware container and use it the next time I bake a cake. I'm sorry, I don't have a tupperware container big enough to hold a vat of frosting.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4Lt-CM0cHusk2Ycc_Y7GomXZaXPsu0IzC2LQVr08kLnNQHzeHegXd919HO1pnteg-tdsxytT_FoqOv6AWrhGXUHhS50ERX0PCwVr4ghyphenhyphenKq26JCqyLnQAUj3XGIAkm2qwMmgRwH0qfSex/s1600/PC312868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4Lt-CM0cHusk2Ycc_Y7GomXZaXPsu0IzC2LQVr08kLnNQHzeHegXd919HO1pnteg-tdsxytT_FoqOv6AWrhGXUHhS50ERX0PCwVr4ghyphenhyphenKq26JCqyLnQAUj3XGIAkm2qwMmgRwH0qfSex/s320/PC312868.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leftover frosting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. <b>Its flourless cake with the flour</b>. This cake is three layers. Wonderful layers, but very dense. Almost like fudge. Mmm, fudge. I am an anal freak, bordering on Rain Man precision, when it comes to following recipes but for whatever reason I thought the actual cake would be a bit spongy-er. (that can to be a word).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tu1miUZtwXo5tFzNCdJPHDFWtJnpHZDvWPQYNUypBDThYFnSAxLSm8xSIfVlDg9W7f6fCHFFP5cd95F1Qy7SqkyP6Ry6XCmnLERNPbic3qcE4rO4UJl2OTFwSYV-QNvt5VQRv05NpGc5/s1600/PC312894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tu1miUZtwXo5tFzNCdJPHDFWtJnpHZDvWPQYNUypBDThYFnSAxLSm8xSIfVlDg9W7f6fCHFFP5cd95F1Qy7SqkyP6Ry6XCmnLERNPbic3qcE4rO4UJl2OTFwSYV-QNvt5VQRv05NpGc5/s320/PC312894.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> 4. <b>Feeds an army...or 18-20</b>. Wait, what? Had I noticed the small print that says serves 18-20 I might have rethought the whole thing. But as Dr. Phil would say - lets get real - is there ever too much chocolate cake? Turns out the answer to that is yes. A little piece of this goes along way. It is rather tasty, but be sure to enjoy it with your entire neighborhood, church or office...or friends (if you are that popular).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLYAM9nfa2pCSGy73kGpnSJH32HJ7ltmmjuF7yU6Rj1xYWMYOWEF0kKkdzaqDsFmqUdLLVGiGDjqfIeUD3Vb7RlH30ai2NKkMCgFHNq1pJqq15jWjk6cOgyvWwZs2VobikjV5mnXLeLwJ/s1600/PC312896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLYAM9nfa2pCSGy73kGpnSJH32HJ7ltmmjuF7yU6Rj1xYWMYOWEF0kKkdzaqDsFmqUdLLVGiGDjqfIeUD3Vb7RlH30ai2NKkMCgFHNq1pJqq15jWjk6cOgyvWwZs2VobikjV5mnXLeLwJ/s320/PC312896.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />With all of that said, it <i>was</i> a fun family baking activity. And a tasty treat.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktvCPX-9XapmdDWBBbBd6Vtth0JSC0Z2Y0Rr__msAHxGYdCwpWzJ1tzpKZhmM246jkXXjlgV0biz1ZBeGc4Vqw96HsefAFvjlzioINY9n9xWKl8CH9voS5alUAzvAZgtdpW0oBJW9FIJn/s1600/PC312899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktvCPX-9XapmdDWBBbBd6Vtth0JSC0Z2Y0Rr__msAHxGYdCwpWzJ1tzpKZhmM246jkXXjlgV0biz1ZBeGc4Vqw96HsefAFvjlzioINY9n9xWKl8CH9voS5alUAzvAZgtdpW0oBJW9FIJn/s320/PC312899.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />We finally finished the last piece...yesterday.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIuqSv001w1Jsg1jNreMk-5ztb2rTjHQ35oQILeYZUfteBw0y32AcKNQ6NW5D8-ki8EflDIM5uopWma-_jkJZoX_t6-UfemlAegTNnDWL1kNlhT0hpXB196K9BKoAjBAkVho0W7jnHaJZ/s1600/PC312902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIuqSv001w1Jsg1jNreMk-5ztb2rTjHQ35oQILeYZUfteBw0y32AcKNQ6NW5D8-ki8EflDIM5uopWma-_jkJZoX_t6-UfemlAegTNnDWL1kNlhT0hpXB196K9BKoAjBAkVho0W7jnHaJZ/s320/PC312902.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />

minty fresh

What do you bring over to your dear friends' house that will go well with champaign (New Years Eve champaign) and also make 5 kids under 10 happy? Chocolate - mint cake. I made this for our New Years Eve celebration after drooling over the recipe her…

Read more »

How to ask touchy interview questions

<br /><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -30px;"><div class="hdr_org_bld" style="color: #ff6600; font: normal normal bold 18px/normal arial, helvetica;"><h1 id="articleHeadline" style="color: #ff7700; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span id="cbArticle_lblHeadline">How to ask touchy interview questions</span></h1></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/kd/ar5f26v7935x3s9j0vkd.gif?time=6/28/2011%202:56:31%20pm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/kd/ar5f26v7935x3s9j0vkd.gif?time=6/28/2011%202:56:31%20pm" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333; font: italic normal normal 16px/normal arial, helvetica;"><span id="cbArticle_lblHeadline2">Bringing up salary, benefits and vacation during the interview</span></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder Writer</span></b><br /><br /><div class="cbmsnArticleImage">Unless you belong to a select group of people, you need a job in order to survive. Oprah Winfrey doesn't need to work another day in her life. The rest of us would have a hard time paying the electric bill without a job.</div></div><div class="ArticleContent" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Yet, when we're going through the song and dance of interviewing for a job, we pretend as if money isn't on the top of our list of priorities. Job-search etiquette dictates waiting for the employer to bring up salary, benefits and vacation. Conventional wisdom says that if you bring it up, you appear more focused on the perks than on doing the job, which sends a bad sign to employers. So you interview over the phone and in person, and after days or weeks of conversation about the job, you don't know how much it pays or if you would be able to leave early on occasion to pick up your son from school. These issues can be deal breakers for many job seekers, but they're taboo topics during the interview process.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If time is money, then both the hiring manager and the job seeker should be happy to get the basics out of the way before wasting time with interviews that might not matter if the salary is too low. We decided to find out if there is a way to bring up these touchy subjects in a more timely manner.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Should you do it?</b><br />Before job seekers can even ponder how to bring up these issues, the primary concern is whether they should even broach the subjects or if they would be making a heinous misstep. For many employers, as long as your approach is reasonable and tactful, you don't need to worry.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"It's definitely fine to ask about the salary, benefits and perks early in the process," says author and corporate recruiter Vicki Salemi. "Think of it this way: Sometimes recruiters will push candidates to give them a ballpark salary requirement and they'll say they can't proceed without knowing so everyone's on the same page. Shouldn't you also feel entitled to knowing information upfront to not waste anyone's time? You're doing everyone, including yourself, a favor by asking and getting an overall idea of the complete package."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You certainly can ruin your chances of being hired by asking the questions the wrong way, Salemi says, but the topics alone won't overshadow your résumé and experience. Workplace expert Lynn Taylor, CEO of Santa Monica-based Lynn Taylor Consulting, also views these supposedly taboo topics as essential information for job seekers.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"You have every right to know what you will and won't get, so don't be afraid to ask before the end of the second interview," Taylor advises. "During the first interview, you'll want to get a general idea, ideally from the human resources department (assuming you were interviewed by HR), as these are more administrative questions."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">That said, Taylor does suggest making this line of questioning one of your last orders of business, but not because it could harm your chances of getting hired. Instead, Taylor says, waiting can help you receive a better salary offer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Often there is room for negotiation on everything. The more valuable you are as a candidate, the more leverage you have. You are best served to determine how well-suited you are for the job before you begin asking about perks," she explains.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How to do it</b><br />Now that you know that you can safely bring up sensitive topics during an interview on your own timeline, you need to know how to do it. After all, asked in the wrong way, any question can be damaging during a job interview. Here are five guidelines from career experts on how to raise the questions, get the information you need and stay on the interviewer's good side.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Be assertive but reasonable</b><br />"Simply ask in an assertive way," says Salemi, author of "Big Career in the Big City." "You can couch it with a statement such as, 'I don't want to sound presumptuous as if I expect to already get this job, but I would like to know the salary range before proceeding.' Or, 'I am actively interviewing and evaluating offers right now which include evaluating not only the salary but personal time off and benefits, as well as perks. Would you be able to share this information with me at this point in time?'"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Prove why it's in their interest, too</b><br />"[Recruiters] don't want to waste their time, so remind them of that fact," says Alex Buznego, business development and marketing services manager for marketing organization Inktel. "'Mr. Recruiter, I know your time is valuable and that the last thing you'd want to do is waste your time on a candidate who wasn't a perfect fit. With that in mind -- and I acknowledge these questions are difficult to discuss upfront -- would it be OK if we discussed some uncomfortable questions today?'"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You want to know about this information so you don't waste your time, and the interviewer probably feels the same way, too.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Be polite</b><br />When you want to bring up an uncomfortable topic, whether it's benefits or work schedules, you can ease into it by asking for the interviewer's permission to ask the question, Buznego says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"It's a simple gesture and somewhat of a rhetorical one," Buznego asks. "'Do you mind if I ask a couple of uncomfortable questions?' Don't worry, they are going to say yes, and it starts to break down the tension."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Wait for the right moment</b><br />Syndi Seid, founder of Advanced Etiquette, a business and social etiquette consulting organization, suggests job seekers wait for a chance to ask their question rather than force it into the interview. When the interviewer asks if you have any questions at the end of the interview, Seid suggests you take this as your cue.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"You then say, 'Thank you for asking. There is one item I realized we didn't discuss ...'" Seid says. "Always couch and sandwich difficult situations by saying something good and nice to start, hit them with the hard stuff, then end with something uplifting and positive."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Ultimately what matters is that you read the cues of the interviewer and ask what makes you feel comfortable and what suits the mood of the moment. As long as you're polite and ask your questions in a reasonable manner, you can walk out of the interview without any regrets.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, </i><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>The Work Buzz</i></a><i>. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.</i></div></div>

How to ask touchy interview questions

How to ask touchy interview questionsBringing up salary, benefits and vacation during the interviewAnthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder WriterUnless you belong to a select group of people, you need a job in order to survive. Oprah Winfrey doesn't need t…

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Manager of Library Public Services - Groton Public Library

<strong>Manager of Library Public Services</strong> - <span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Groton Public Library</strong></span>. We are seeking an innovative leader with exceptional managerial and interpersonal skills. The responsibilities of this position include managing, planning, organizing and supervising the Library’s Public Services division which includes all services and activities provided for children, young adults and adults. The Manager supervises 8 professional librarians and 6 support staff, works collaboratively with the Manager of Circulation and Technical Services and reports to the Director of Library Services. We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced individual with excellent technology skills and an interest in programming and public relations activities. The position requires effective verbal and written communication skills and knowledge of budget preparation, collection development, and staff training and development. Qualifications include an MLS and three years of public library experience. Full-time, 40 hours per week, salary range $68,842 - $81,955 with excellent benefits. Job posting and application are available online at <a href="http://www.groton-ct.gov/jobs" target="_blank">www.groton-ct.gov/jobs</a> or Human Resources Office, Town of Groton, 45 Fort Hill Road, Groton, CT 06340. Applications accepted through <span style="color: red;">January 27, 2012</span>. The Town of Groton is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Manager of Library Public Services - Groton Public Library

Manager of Library Public Services - Groton Public Library. We are seeking an innovative leader with exceptional managerial and interpersonal skills. The responsibilities of this position include managing, planning, organizing and supervising the…

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Reference Librarian - Woodbridge Town Library

<strong>Reference Librarian</strong> - The <span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Woodbridge Town Library</strong></span> has an opening for a Part Time Reference Librarian to work approximately 25 hours per week. We’re looking for a positive and organized individual who has superior customer service skills. Responsibilities include: general reference assistance, reader’s advisory, interlibrary loan services, excellent computer skills and ability to learn new technologies, eBook knowledge, materials purchasing, and the ability to relate to patrons of all ages. Daytime, evening, and Saturday rotation hours included. Library experience and MLS preferred. Hourly range $20.00-$22.00 commensurate with experience. Please send cover letter, resume to: Director, Woodbridge Town Library, 10 Newton Road, Woodbridge, CT 06525 by <span style="color: red;">January 26, 2012</span>.

Reference Librarian - Woodbridge Town Library

Reference Librarian - The Woodbridge Town Library has an opening for a Part Time Reference Librarian to work approximately 25 hours per week. We’re looking for a positive and organized individual who has superior customer service skills. Responsi…

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LATAM ECONOMIC DOWNGRADING TACTICS BY CORPORATE MEDIA

<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Defying sheep syndrome seems to work. Brazil has overtaken the UK and thus has become the world’s sixth largest economy!</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reading the <i>Economist</i> and other western corporate media outlets one is made to believe that Argentine and Brazilian economies will stagnate this year and that economic growth will drop significantly due to declining demand on agriculture commodities etc. What you won’t read in mainstream corporate media is that due to economic shifts from west to east and north to south, and a subsequent declining European economy, Brazil has overtaken the UK and thus has become the world’s sixth largest economy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>LATAM not adhering to vulture finance system dictated by IMF, World Bank and Corporations</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">As for Argentina things look promising as well, despite the deliberate negative economic outlook prognosis published by corporate media who simply can’t accept that by defying the IMF, World Bank, Wall Street indoctrinated Global Eco – vulture finance system, still succeeded in achieving economic growth. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">As mentioned numerous times on this blog, even if there is a decline in demand for agricultural commodities, Argentina will still continue exporting agriculture commodities and thus keep on stimulating its economy. Argentina has one advantage over most of other agriculture economies around the world, it still has vast amount of fertile land available, something which other agriculture commodity producing countries don’t have.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>FAO: INCREASED FARM LAND PURCHASE BY FOREIGN INVESTORS IN LATAM</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">A prove as to what global impact Argentina’s agronomics have is the high number of foreign agriculture land ownership, the significance of which the current Argentine Government realized and subsequently passed a bill, restricting foreign land ownership. Interest in Argentine fertile farm land also has stirred the attention of the <b>UN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION</b>, <b>FAO</b>, who recently warned of intense land purchase in Argentina and Brazil for the production of food. <u>The FAO warns that the region’s governments must find ways of ensuring that the process of land concentration, and land in foreign hands do not have negative effects for the food security and local economy</u>. </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>According to the FAO there is a massive resurgence in the interest to invest in land in the region. It is much stronger than presumed be in terms of investment in land or the concentration phenomenon.</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In ten years the value of land in Uruguay and Argentina increased seven-fold and a tremendous concentration process of land in Latin America. By giving away massive land to foreign entities Argentina is giving away the gold of the future: “WATER”. According to a study conducted by the UNEP - <span class="en">United Nations Environment Program</span>, certain countries, including Argentina, bordering the Andes Mountains will be essential for world food export in the not too distant future, because of the combination of fresh water supply and fertile land in order to produce animal feed as well as crops. </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Further prove is Saudi Arabia's largest dairy company announcing it was buying Argentine farm operator Fondomonte for 83 million dollars to secure access to a supply of animal feed. Fondomonte operates three farms in Argentina. The acquisition will give Riyadh-based Almarai Co. <b><u>control of roughly</u></b> <b><u>30,000 acres</u></b> of farmland just ahead of the implementation of the foreign ownership of productive land bill, instigated by the Argentine Government to curb in foreign land ownership in Argentina.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Almarai said the deal is in line with Saudi’s policy of “<b>securing supplies and conserving local resources</b>”.In spite of its desert climate, Saudi Arabia for decades produced millions of tons of home grown wheat with the help of generous farm subsidies. It is now trying to wind down domestic production because of concern over dwindling water supplies. </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>WATER: THE COMMODITY OF THE FUTURE, even George BUSH junior realized the significance and bought land in ARGENTINA containing various fresh water wells!!!</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">In view of increasing water shortage, Argentina has the advantage to develop water export industry and ship water to Middle Eastern countries which suffer notorious water shortages. Oil-rich Gulf Arab nations have shown increased interest in buying farmland and other agricultural assets particularly in Argentina to ensure reliable food supplies. Even George Bush junior realized the significance of water and bought land in Argentina containing various freshwater wells!</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b> NATURAL RESOURCES BALANCING ACT  </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z7u1z_6uRn5DgtmbSiKjD_VymVPb1oCVlHbR20Zt1HSpUvngJdS2d2opytOvAoQSk8YRRbh2L-4azXMcco6TCJqDkmWdFyqYpRG1I9KfNHJfhyphenhyphenQqU0fIYHrcjIA_EYtZxDaJoioHIqE/s1600/0200-water-region-EN.gif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z7u1z_6uRn5DgtmbSiKjD_VymVPb1oCVlHbR20Zt1HSpUvngJdS2d2opytOvAoQSk8YRRbh2L-4azXMcco6TCJqDkmWdFyqYpRG1I9KfNHJfhyphenhyphenQqU0fIYHrcjIA_EYtZxDaJoioHIqE/s320/0200-water-region-EN.gif.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nevertheless it will need a fine balancing act by the current and future governments of Argentina when it comes to water related issues. On the one hand oil and gas extraction as well as mining are lucrative industries in Argentina, promising large revenues but require enormous amount of water and have devastating environmental impact on the country. On the other side, agronomics are also lucrative and also require water. To make the right choice will be difficult. </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN FERTILE FARM LAND AND MINING INDUSTRY PROVES THAT INVESTORS ARE CONFIDENT WITH ARGENTINA’S ECONOMIC STRATEGIES </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">If the economic outlook was really as bleak as projected by Corporate Mainstream Media, and entities such as the IMF, World Bank etc. no country or corporation would invest strongly in farm land acquisition or natural resource extractions in Argentina and the rest of LATAM.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE FEAR OF THE 1^ST WORLDS RULING ELITE TO LOSE POWER AND INFLUENCE TO 3^RD WORLD EMERGING ECONOMIES </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">In view of these facts it becomes evident as to why Corporate mainstream media such as the <i>Economist, Wall Street Journal, </i>to name but a few,<i> </i>try to portray a economic doomsday scenario for Argentina and other LATAM countries, because key players of 1^st world nations fear to lose eco political influence to emerging 3^rd world emerging economies. </span></div>

LATAM ECONOMIC DOWNGRADING TACTICS BY CORPORATE MEDIA

Defying sheep syndrome seems to work. Brazil has overtaken the UK and thus has become the world’s sixth largest economy! Reading the Economist and other western corporate media outlets one is made to believe that Argentine and Brazilian economies wil…

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Book Review: Angels + Demons

On to something a little different.  When I first started blogging, I wrote at <a href="http://prittygoodbooks.blogspot.com/">Pritty Story to Tell</a>, where I did simple book reviews.  Once I began The Big Weight, that blog fell to the wayside.  I enjoy recapping the books I've read and so I'm just making it a small extension of this blog... adding a tab at the top.  Feel free to ignore the rest of this post or future book posts if you'd like :).<br /><br />I'm a little behind the book reading trend.  Angels & Demons was popular about 2-3 years ago and I'm just now getting around to reading it.  You can see why:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CO4Z64LapHXifr0YdXk4GDHgA2uHOwpvrDm4S244ywcqRKblIyqhvrq1ehDRAVbRLJ2_yfmv1__eQBiJdUzL7bi7g-xvQ2MetW99xmj4kUgFc_jg9bZL36J4C0VswqmqP3pMMnIoWgA/s1600/NYE+2012+006.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CO4Z64LapHXifr0YdXk4GDHgA2uHOwpvrDm4S244ywcqRKblIyqhvrq1ehDRAVbRLJ2_yfmv1__eQBiJdUzL7bi7g-xvQ2MetW99xmj4kUgFc_jg9bZL36J4C0VswqmqP3pMMnIoWgA/s400/NYE+2012+006.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />Those are all of my UNREAD books!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2AkP9w7Pf39d9eTfICQCuhpNDWsap4DM-sS92yFx8cXxwDGkB2gjPtn3QbvZVax5y0vj6yrclgY97EKvnJfgH861hoXV0p9bX4wy2aJf6e3xSvt17D3MPGuE7gKP6ZCC8ai-6aw-2es/s1600/NYE+2012+008.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2AkP9w7Pf39d9eTfICQCuhpNDWsap4DM-sS92yFx8cXxwDGkB2gjPtn3QbvZVax5y0vj6yrclgY97EKvnJfgH861hoXV0p9bX4wy2aJf6e3xSvt17D3MPGuE7gKP6ZCC8ai-6aw-2es/s400/NYE+2012+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />A tragedy I know.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTA_zlZX-Qp8qs815zz4a11KdXAgETfDCsDMhuDEPJj2VuhjOdLiBTnp0h1b-geTP2lxIGhvGlObkQEAGmqLGrUk6hkatCpQ2rQKXdv1FL_re7z09TOJj3L6q9sILXfuYmWhyJRYVH9oA/s1600/NYE+2012+011.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTA_zlZX-Qp8qs815zz4a11KdXAgETfDCsDMhuDEPJj2VuhjOdLiBTnp0h1b-geTP2lxIGhvGlObkQEAGmqLGrUk6hkatCpQ2rQKXdv1FL_re7z09TOJj3L6q9sILXfuYmWhyJRYVH9oA/s400/NYE+2012+011.JPG" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">seagull wine glass while reading? yes please!</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm such a slow reader, and I'm also addicted to buying books.  Two problems that need rectified in 2012.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRn8Enui6y0qxfl_nD2xQ6X61joPGdga8c60brP_vW2OFY4C592dzxCukxVeTTdvHZ9i-uEH3Yaip3jcra1r6NczynyrKAOtY92coqwKXdLlTy_IovET_wTdI46fn3mmbxehyphenhyphenIXRLzCZd/s1600/914-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRn8Enui6y0qxfl_nD2xQ6X61joPGdga8c60brP_vW2OFY4C592dzxCukxVeTTdvHZ9i-uEH3Yaip3jcra1r6NczynyrKAOtY92coqwKXdLlTy_IovET_wTdI46fn3mmbxehyphenhyphenIXRLzCZd/s200/914-1.jpg" width="109" /></a></div>I finally decided to dust off the cover and crack open this book, after having toted it around for 2 moves now.  I have put it off because I wasn't a fan of Brown's Da Vinci Code.  I liked his other books, but the Da Vinci Code took me FOREVER to get through. I mean months and months.  I struggled.  I was concerned that A&D would be the same.<br /><br />Well, I do like Dan's style of short chapters that keep the pages turning, but that's about where it stops for me and this series.  I can't quite pinpoint why I'm not a fan of these books, but I'm just not.<br /><br />In short, for those who haven't read it, the gist of the book is that two scientists in Europe create this highly explosive chemical-like substance called antimatter.  If handled incorrectly, it will vaporize an entire city in a split second.  Well, this antimatter substance is stolen by the infamous Illuminati (or is it???).  Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon is recruited to help crack the code behind the mysterious Illuminati, all the while saving Vatican City (where the antimatter resides after its confiscation).  Of course, the antimatter must be found in less than 24 hours, or Vatican City and it's surrounding area will be no more.  Almost 700 pages are devoted to hunting down the Illuminati and the antimatter with Langdon leading the way, beside scientist and antimatter creator Vittoria Vetra, the Swiss guards, and the "sit in Pope".<br /><br />I jumped at the chance to rent A&D from Redbox when I saw it in my local kiosk a few weeks ago.  It was just what I needed to get me through the remainder of the book.  I stayed up until 10:45 PM Monday night to hull my butt through it.  I did not want to get too far into this year reading a book I clearly wanted to finish ASAP.<br /><br />So, have you read Angels & Demons?  What did you think?<br /><br />The third and final book in this series is The Lost Symbol, which I already own and plan to read later this year.  I am one of <i>those </i>people... once I start something I have to finish it!<br /><br />By the way, this is my book list for 2012.... what are you reading this year?<br /><br /><style media="screen" type="text/css"> .gr_grid_container { /* customize grid container div here. eg: width: 500px; */ } .gr_grid_book_container { /* customize book cover container div here */ float: left; width: 98px; height: 160px; padding: 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; } </style> <br /><div id="gr_grid_widget_1325694252"><h2> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/222778-hilary?shelf=2012-books&utm_medium=api&utm_source=grid_widget" style="text-decoration: none;">2012 Book Montage</a> </h2><div class="gr_grid_container"><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13143.Pop_Goes_the_Weasel_Alex_Cross_5_" title="Pop Goes the Weasel (Alex Cross, #5) "><img alt="Pop Goes the Weasel (Alex Cross, #5)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166543086m/13143.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79378.Roses_Are_Red" title="Roses Are Red (Alex Cross, #6)"><img alt="Roses Are Red" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170966297m/79378.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63033.The_Savage_Detectives" title="The Savage Detectives"><img alt="The Savage Detectives" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GHi0vZnRL._SX106_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71776.At_Home_in_Mitford" title="At Home in Mitford (Mitford Years, #1)"><img alt="At Home in Mitford" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170790148m/71776.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112872.A_Light_in_the_Window" title="A Light in the Window (Mitford Years #2)"><img alt="A Light in the Window" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171663777m/112872.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112874.These_High_Green_Hills" title="These High, Green Hills (Mitford Years #3)"><img alt="These High, Green Hills" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171663787m/112874.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8905140-made-to-crave" title="Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food"><img alt="Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1308973987m/8905140.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6411961-the-lost-symbol" title="The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, #3)"><img alt="The Lost Symbol" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1303391374m/6411961.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2807199-american-wife" title="American Wife"><img alt="American Wife" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320446676m/2807199.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6314655-flowers-on-main" title="Flowers On Main (Chesapeake Shores #2)"><img alt="Flowers On Main" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255636550m/6314655.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4185796-love-your-life" title="Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole"><img alt="Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266572347m/4185796.jpg" /></a></div><div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7089888-big-girl" title="Big Girl"><img alt="Big Girl" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320474668m/7089888.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><a class="gr_grid_branding" href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/222778-hilary" style="clear: both; color: #382110; float: right; font-size: .9em; text-decoration: none;">Hilary's favorite books »</a> <noscript>&lt;br/&gt;Share &lt;a href="http://www.goodreads.com"&gt;book reviews&lt;/a&gt; and ratings with Hilary, and even join a &lt;a href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/"&gt;book club&lt;/a&gt; on Goodreads.</noscript> </div>} </div><script charset="utf-8" src="http://www.goodreads.com/review/grid_widget/222778.2012%20Book%20Montage?cover_size=medium&hide_link=&hide_title=&num_books=20&order=a&shelf=2012-books&sort=position&widget_id=1325694252" type="text/javascript"></script>

Books Book Review: Angels + Demons

On to something a little different.  When I first started blogging, I wrote at Pritty Story to Tell, where I did simple book reviews.  Once I began The Big Weight, that blog fell to the wayside.  I enjoy recapping the books I've read and so I'm ju…

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How to fit a wide YouTube video into a blog post

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I have found that sometimes a YouTube video spreads over to the side bar in a blog, so if you occasionally have that problem and don't know what to do about it, please read on. I am going to explain how to change the width of the video so that it fits in to the body of the blog. <br /><br />1. Open up the YouTube video that you wish to embed, and click on '<i>Share</i>' and then '<i>Embed</i>' <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74tPXPXqph1i89kbPiVBXt_qjLSVDQMhJMzp5H3tx6qxjtUSmtHQ3kTnwunKVh7_nkc7aSQXZJVPXRU_FXZyQEL1wANpTke8San2QtyhmmchkjIqMS58Ae0QcQadO-rQoQXqGA8WUJPM/s1600/Change+your+embed+code1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74tPXPXqph1i89kbPiVBXt_qjLSVDQMhJMzp5H3tx6qxjtUSmtHQ3kTnwunKVh7_nkc7aSQXZJVPXRU_FXZyQEL1wANpTke8San2QtyhmmchkjIqMS58Ae0QcQadO-rQoQXqGA8WUJPM/s400/Change+your+embed+code1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> 2. Copy the embed code but when you have put it into your blog post (in the HTML part), change the width of '560' to '420'. Don't change anything else.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktU1xBnGv_iHPJhwjOr5S30CDQvWG_fYj6x8VsxOkilrNt7FS69hDCC9FR4gmhxsTXPLzhaIIQIIZYfTmwn1vbjnBFIOxUixuyfrmxxirkNM72wghFIk_RTgm7QYjmcKkPmHkk6T0K_Y/s1600/Change+your+embed+code2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktU1xBnGv_iHPJhwjOr5S30CDQvWG_fYj6x8VsxOkilrNt7FS69hDCC9FR4gmhxsTXPLzhaIIQIIZYfTmwn1vbjnBFIOxUixuyfrmxxirkNM72wghFIk_RTgm7QYjmcKkPmHkk6T0K_Y/s400/Change+your+embed+code2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />3. You'll see that it now fits in perfectly. Save and publish your post. <br /><br /><br />Here is the link if you want to print or download this information:<br /><a href="http://www.box.com/s/sefbs6gvzofu7mexiaq5">http://www.box.com/s/sefbs6gvzofu7mexiaq5</a><br /><br /><br /></div><br /></div>

Tutorials videos How to fit a wide YouTube video into a blog post

I have found that sometimes a YouTube video spreads over to the side bar in a blog, so if you occasionally have that problem and don't know what to do about it, please read on. I am going to explain how to change the width of the video so that it fit…

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