WW Helpful Habit: Mange Your Thoughts

If you follow WW, then you know they have some "mental" strategies for getting the weight off - referred to as Helpful Habits and Tools for Living.<br /><br />This week I decided to <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/03/helpful-habits-manage-your-thoughts.html" target="_blank">re-focus</a> on the Helpful Habit "Manage Your Thoughts" and the Tool for Living "Empowering Beliefs".<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKzcn91xkSNSnCgxyd3H8n7AfZ4tFtP7PUIEcbHkn5bvRP7r7BRhYBgS0hGDB3Qg2E2KKOWRCNMz0UiFMoesXAK2GvzqokrnGNuhhzVAKd9_o78ZMh33Ju7nnf_QcbA2dplVw_HnzC7M/s1600/empowering+thoughts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKzcn91xkSNSnCgxyd3H8n7AfZ4tFtP7PUIEcbHkn5bvRP7r7BRhYBgS0hGDB3Qg2E2KKOWRCNMz0UiFMoesXAK2GvzqokrnGNuhhzVAKd9_o78ZMh33Ju7nnf_QcbA2dplVw_HnzC7M/s320/empowering+thoughts.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKPQ9VJytomrVAjbZyduOXGpi1L_cG0qDZa92bNr3eFuSQFZmnR2p5jFz0beETIh-6E2m5mrJoe1WrF2fmBeg_og2ocvyz4OZVTf8cdvkRYfadTebRXXWhYEsbPBczmJGX43UgyjA2lA/s1600/empowering+thoughts+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKPQ9VJytomrVAjbZyduOXGpi1L_cG0qDZa92bNr3eFuSQFZmnR2p5jFz0beETIh-6E2m5mrJoe1WrF2fmBeg_og2ocvyz4OZVTf8cdvkRYfadTebRXXWhYEsbPBczmJGX43UgyjA2lA/s320/empowering+thoughts+2.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><br />The concepts are all about positive thinking and being kind to yourself.  I'm sure you've been asked this question before, but would you give your best friend the same kind of response you give yourself when you've had an "off plan" day?  You know - the harsh self-deprecation?  I highly doubt it.  In fact, I find much enjoyment out of encouraging others.  But encouraging myself feels....selfish.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8AhjUtUSuq4Q-GjJiiJ42hmjVUJQDwF45gE__U7aPm-Xk6b7MgtPkBzmjjPrJIMgPhwSOX7Jcs1BbpxzIs2MaqSFwhAwA50YRSFKcjlcV7o2KI66jFCdBAZvTMztOESAlJbfXWJilIU/s1600/manage+thoughts+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8AhjUtUSuq4Q-GjJiiJ42hmjVUJQDwF45gE__U7aPm-Xk6b7MgtPkBzmjjPrJIMgPhwSOX7Jcs1BbpxzIs2MaqSFwhAwA50YRSFKcjlcV7o2KI66jFCdBAZvTMztOESAlJbfXWJilIU/s320/manage+thoughts+1.jpg" width="211" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6LCAOW9bYAL9P-AgMOk-VP_EAgVey_yKwRG76-ccIvBP_D-E6CX28pacFSCcFP6rsyFd8azlQbRp0auUbJjrFJp7r7vV8VUMH0Rw0i0aS09iV71LYbpTdSAk-pHm5knZt0JqOFAV9_M/s1600/manage+thoughts+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The bottom line is this: telling myself that I suck is not getting me anywhere.  It's not motivating me to do better, otherwise I wouldn't be in this boat.  I should be my own cheerleader!  <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/AVvXsEim6LCAOW9bYAL9P-AgMOk-VP_EAgVey_yKwRG76-ccIvBP_D-E6CX28pacFSCcFP6rsyFd8azlQbRp0auUbJjrFJp7r7vV8VUMH0Rw0i0aS09iV71LYbpTdSAk-pHm5knZt0JqOFAV9_M/s1600/manage+thoughts+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6LCAOW9bYAL9P-AgMOk-VP_EAgVey_yKwRG76-ccIvBP_D-E6CX28pacFSCcFP6rsyFd8azlQbRp0auUbJjrFJp7r7vV8VUMH0Rw0i0aS09iV71LYbpTdSAk-pHm5knZt0JqOFAV9_M/s320/manage+thoughts+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manage Your Thoughts</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I <i>know </i>positive self-talk works.  Not only have I had success with it in college when I lost 50 lbs, but I've had success with it in other areas of my life as well.  Remember those<a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/search/label/5K" target="_blank"> two 5K's</a> I ran two days in a row in early summer?  What do you think got me through that?  I certainly wasn't telling myself "Hilary, you're never gonna finish.  You might as well just start walking.  You're too fat to run the entire 3.1 miles."  No, I said none of those things.  I kept encouraging myself the entire time, little by little.  Not focusing on the big picture, but instead concentrating on each step I took.    <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/AVvXsEh0RG0YGaNOlsij4P6CrVGo5Bky8B0PayiBssIfKjtF2533fcuSPhO4-ZcJ-jfUENHnU2eis1aTK5kF3rGc5YSd9GUKaaUax8fEQPTD1hCXiBa0kpuzY6O1irysYHSRhxYHth-GCP83Y00/s1600/manage+thoughts+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RG0YGaNOlsij4P6CrVGo5Bky8B0PayiBssIfKjtF2533fcuSPhO4-ZcJ-jfUENHnU2eis1aTK5kF3rGc5YSd9GUKaaUax8fEQPTD1hCXiBa0kpuzY6O1irysYHSRhxYHth-GCP83Y00/s320/manage+thoughts+3.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manage Your Thoughts</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I can meet my goal of approximately 165 pounds.  I am capable of eating right and making better choices all the way around.  I'm not meant to live this way, carrying around The Big Weight on my shoulders.<br /><br />I was meant to live happily and that's just what I'm gonna do.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrR3hmX3IEQs9t5FFOb7EXvNP8-3s6Ry10fIQWV3CQYz385uDAhvyHB2pJ_HwXIM1MKpb1uspxyk6xUFYJyh9KNinWdQ0yHYfoiJdNnzSjsgInHYuKgUFDJXEthwXy1NzcJ0Q_1IEESk/s1600/erma+bombeck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrR3hmX3IEQs9t5FFOb7EXvNP8-3s6Ry10fIQWV3CQYz385uDAhvyHB2pJ_HwXIM1MKpb1uspxyk6xUFYJyh9KNinWdQ0yHYfoiJdNnzSjsgInHYuKgUFDJXEthwXy1NzcJ0Q_1IEESk/s400/erma+bombeck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #666666;">*you can pick up your own copy of the brochures at your local WW meeting center!</span>

Weight Watcher Pamphlets Weight Watchers WW Helpful Habit: Mange Your Thoughts

If you follow WW, then you know they have some "mental" strategies for getting the weight off - referred to as Helpful Habits and Tools for Living.This week I decided to re-focus on the Helpful Habit "Manage Your Thoughts" and the Tool for Living "Em…

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Innovative Teachers-Share Your Genius by Eric Williams, Superintendent

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5z-qdVppM7IG7AfiNeAfiVzHe9tm79kR7ZhY5FQvmjBuO77EjyicbgqoseVSMvlH6dJMrz5DjuY86ghik25jaBdTDZxFkUuIqAzVZG29l0KYJNYGE8InUHAszkgQV_tyfEK4bZOkY7TcW/s1600/dot-day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO857xzkZuf9UkE3e6tW95HaouHZcXb9YorRhwIgudVk6Nj3E01x7UGyS5iPEQGhbEoBx7bpdMZy6QJ5zR5yZnF9brwea6FmaeLrkpehSJpkODWaTf4MI6MgeLR98ktzJHWW-y8bQFvX9D/s1600/Williams+headshot+0710+cmprss.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO857xzkZuf9UkE3e6tW95HaouHZcXb9YorRhwIgudVk6Nj3E01x7UGyS5iPEQGhbEoBx7bpdMZy6QJ5zR5yZnF9brwea6FmaeLrkpehSJpkODWaTf4MI6MgeLR98ktzJHWW-y8bQFvX9D/s200/Williams+headshot+0710+cmprss.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>This guest post was written by Eric Williams, Superintendent of the York County School Division in Virginia. Eric tweets as <a href="http://www.twitter.com/#/ewilliams65" target="_blank">@ewilliams65</a> and blogs at <a href="http://promotingstudentengagement.blogspot.com/">http://promotingstudentengagement.blogspot.com/</a>. (Note from Vicki: My dear friend Angela Maiers came running over to me at Microsoft's Partners in Learning teacher forum and said, 'You've got to meet Eric, he's something special. I agree.)<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The world needs your unique talents and insights for engaging students in work that matters. Understanding and acting on this truth, as championed by <a href="http://promotingstudentengagement.blogspot.com/2012/07/choose2matter-dont-underestimate.html">Angela Maiers</a>, can change the world.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">You are a teacher who understands the importance of giving students opportunities to make a difference locally, nationally, or globally. The teachers at Microsoft’s recent <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/teachertech/archive/2012/08/02/microsoft-partners-in-learning-2012-us-forum-finalists.aspx">Partners in Learning</a> Forum in the United States (#PILUS) understand too. (<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Press/2012/Aug12/08-02PiLWinnersPR.aspx" target="_blank">See a list of all winners</a>.) I had the pleasure of judging at this event. Here are two examples of #PILUS teachers and the projects they presented:<o:p></o:p></div><br /> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://youthvoices.adobe.com/youth-media-gallery/media/217?noview=true&sort=view_count&video=true" target="_blank">Greg Witkin</a>’s students create media presentations which serve as vehicles of social change.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal">Julie Hembree’s 4^th grade students created <a href="http://www.pil-network.com/Resources/LearningActivities/Details/46A88FAB-1323-4E92-9D39-F1D7AFF0DE05">book trailers</a> regarding favorite books to persuade their peers which books to read. Peers accessed their videos via SchoolTube and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.denso-wave.com/qrcode/index-e.html" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="QR code">QR codes</a> affixed to books in the School Library.<o:p></o:p></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal">Many innovative teachers, observed <a href="http://novemberlearning.com/team/alan-november/" target="_blank">Alan Novembe</a>r at #PILUS, prefer to focus on innovation rather than on promoting innovative instructional practices. Innovative teachers, let’s break this stereotype!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">You have unique talents and insights for engaging students in work that matters. Some teachers almost instinctively identify the big ideas and important skills of their curriculum and design projects that allow students to master these concepts and skills. Other teachers brilliantly support students’ leveraging of technology to connect with a global audience for the students’ work. Still other teachers wow us with their ability to coach students’ collaboration with peers and adults. As Angela Maiers emphasizes, claim your genius by acknowledging your genius.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h2>Share your genius!</h2><div class="MsoNormal"> The system, comprised of schools, school districts, state governments, federal governments, and other entities, needs vast improvements in terms of opportunities for teachers to share their genius. Even as I work to improve these opportunities within my district, I encourage you not to wait for the system to improve its capacity for genius sharing. Take advantage of the opportunities that already exist to share your genius.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Share your geniu</b>s within your school and encourage your colleagues to do the same. Share at a department meeting, grade level team meeting, or faculty meeting. Share examples of student work. Tell the story of your design of the learning in your class. Provide rubrics and other resources.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Share your genius </b>outside your school. Present at a conference. Employ digital tools to amplify your impact. Tell your story via Twitter, a blog, or YouTube. If you have not actively used any of these tools, stick your toe in the social media water by learning just one tool.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Use whatever opportunities exist.</b> You may not have opportunities to attend conferences or to formally present within your school or district. Perhaps you are hesitant to wade into the social media pool. Recognize that while the twittersphere and blogosphere are social spaces where people interact, the hallways, teacher lounges, and classrooms of our schools are also social spaces. Raise awareness of innovation by sharing student work with a colleague and sincerely soliciting advice regarding improving the student work. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Carve out new spaces for you and your colleagues to share their expertise with one another. Recruit other teacher-leaders in your school or district to organize sharing opportunities to supplement or replace presenters from outside your district.<o:p></o:p></div><div><br /></div>  <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5z-qdVppM7IG7AfiNeAfiVzHe9tm79kR7ZhY5FQvmjBuO77EjyicbgqoseVSMvlH6dJMrz5DjuY86ghik25jaBdTDZxFkUuIqAzVZG29l0KYJNYGE8InUHAszkgQV_tyfEK4bZOkY7TcW/s1600/dot-day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5z-qdVppM7IG7AfiNeAfiVzHe9tm79kR7ZhY5FQvmjBuO77EjyicbgqoseVSMvlH6dJMrz5DjuY86ghik25jaBdTDZxFkUuIqAzVZG29l0KYJNYGE8InUHAszkgQV_tyfEK4bZOkY7TcW/s320/dot-day.jpg" width="268" /></a><br /> <div class="MsoNormal">Connect with other teacher-leaders via #DotDay and #Choose2Matter.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tens of thousands of educators participate each year in <a href="http://fablevisionlearning.com/dotday/">International Dot Day</a>, which is inspired by the award-winning children’s book <i>The Dot</i>, written by Peter Reynolds. In <i>The Dot</i>, a teacher inspires her student to leave her mark on the world. This year, as a follow-up to Dot Day, teachers and students will connect their dots by collaborating to do work that makes a difference locally, nationally, and globally. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Choose2Matter" target="_blank">Choose2Matter</a>, a hashtag created by Angela Maiers, reflects the notion of using one’s genius to change the world. The world needs your genius so Choose2Matter. Others will benefit from your genius and you will be enriched by the connections as well!<o:p></o:p></div><br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=0fb0ecf5-c85a-4cb2-b555-34f5490b1054" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

guestblogger Teaching Innovative Teachers-Share Your Genius by Eric Williams, Superintendent

This guest post was written by Eric Williams, Superintendent of the York County School Division in Virginia. Eric tweets as @ewilliams65 and blogs at http://promotingstudentengagement.blogspot.com/. (Note from Vicki: My dear friend Angela Maiers cam…

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Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 08/21/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.wiziq.com/academic/">Free Virtual Classroom Premium Membership for Academicians on WizIQ</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">"All teachers working at educational institutions (K-12, College or University) are eligible for our free membership. You'll get features equivalent to our Solo Pro Premium account, completely free!" If you want an online classroom, you can get one now from WIZiq for free. (Full disclosure, they do advertise on my blog.)</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.sharemylesson.com/article.aspx?storyCode=50006056">iPad Competition Winner - Resources - Share My Lesson</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">If you share the most quality lessons on the Share my lesson website, you can win an ipad.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/sharemylesson">sharemylesson</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/tumblr">tumblr</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 08/21/2012

Free Virtual Classroom Premium Membership for Academicians on WizIQ "All teachers working at educational institutions (K-12, College or University) are eligible for our free membership. You'll get features equiv…

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Part-Time Library Media and Teen Services Assistant - Farmington Libraries

<strong>Part-Time Library Media and Teen Services Assistant</strong> - <span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Farmington Libraries</strong></span>. We are looking for an outstanding individual to work with the Director of information and Teen Services to continue the teen services and media production legacy. If you are technologically savvy and self-starting with an understanding of how to work with teens and accomplish daily goals within a team environment, we want to talk with you. This is a part-time, 19 hour per week position. E-mail a letter of qualification and resume to Laura Horn, Director, Information and Teen Services, at <a href="mailto:lhorn@farmingtonlibraries.org">lhorn@farmingtonlibraries.org</a>.

Part-Time Library Media and Teen Services Assistant - Farmington Libraries

Part-Time Library Media and Teen Services Assistant - Farmington Libraries. We are looking for an outstanding individual to work with the Director of information and Teen Services to continue the teen services and media production legacy. If you a…

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Children's Librarian - Guilford Smith Memorial Library

<strong>Children's Librarian</strong> - The <strong><span style="color: #48286d;">Guilford Smith Memorial Library</span></strong> in South Windham, CT is seeking an intern for Children’s Librarian. This is a paid internship. Applicants must have experience working with children and computer skills. No library experience is necessary. Education students are encouraged to apply. Prior experience working in childcare, child development, pre-school or Elementary Education is desirable. This internship is 10 hours a week. Hours are Tuesdays 1-8PM and Thursdays 5-8PM with one rotating Saturday a month from 10AM - 2PM. The successful intern will be hired permanently. To apply for the job please email your resume to the Library Director, Afton Seal at <a href="mailto:aseal@biblio.org">aseal@biblio.org</a>.

Children's Librarian - Guilford Smith Memorial Library

Children's Librarian - The Guilford Smith Memorial Library in South Windham, CT is seeking an intern for Children’s Librarian. This is a paid internship. Applicants must have experience working with children and computer skills. No library exper…

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Librarian 1 (Public Records Archivist) - Connecticut State Library

<strong>Librarian 1 (Public Records Archivist)</strong> - <span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Connecticut State Library</strong></span>. The Office of the Public Records Administrator, Connecticut State Library, is recruiting for a full-time Librarian 1 – Public Records Archivist. The position will be responsible for performing professional records management duties in any of the following areas: records appraisal and analysis, records scheduling and disposition, storage, file and database management, policy development, and other related tasks. The preferred candidate will have knowledge of professional principles and practices of records management including records creation, use, handling, control, maintenance and disposition; paper and electronic records management systems; classification systems, reference sources and techniques; database creation and maintenance, preferably using Microsoft Access; interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; and the ability to analyze and solve problems relating to records management methods and procedures. A Master's degree in Library Science or Information Science from a library school accredited by the American Library Association is required. For the full job announcement including closing date, salary, and application instructions, go to <a href="http://das.ct.gov/HRDocs/JobsExams/Job_Posting__Librarian1.pdf" target="_blank">http://das.ct.gov/HRDocs/JobsExams/Job_Posting__Librarian1.pdf</a>.

Librarian 1 (Public Records Archivist) - Connecticut State Library

Librarian 1 (Public Records Archivist) - Connecticut State Library. The Office of the Public Records Administrator, Connecticut State Library, is recruiting for a full-time Librarian 1 – Public Records Archivist. The position will be responsible f…

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Children/Youth Service Intern - West Haven Public Library

<strong>Children/Youth Service Intern</strong> - The <span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>West Haven Public Library</strong></span> is seeking a resourceful, self-motivated graduate student to become a member of the Children and Youth Services team for a Fall Internship beginning in September, 2012. The position will allow the student to gain understanding working with a diverse community of children and young adults. The successful candidate will have a willingness to learn, appreciate working with children and young adults and have passion to serve the community. This opening will give graduate students valuable experience and hands on involvement in the everyday activities of the Graham Room (our children/youth area). The student will procure knowledge in programing for infants and toddlers, reading clubs for pre-teens to young adults, reader’s advisory, teen advisory program, as well as circulation duties and collection development. The student will have the chance to observe, learn and conduct some of the programs offered. This internship will be 10-15 hours a week with a flexible work schedule. This is an unpaid internship. Interested candidates should contact Bernadette Niedermeier at <a href="mailto:bniedermeier@westhavenlibrary.org">bniedermeier@westhavenlibrary.org</a>. West Haven Public Library, 300 Elm Street, West Haven, CT 06516. (203) 937-4233.

Children/Youth Service Intern - West Haven Public Library

Children/Youth Service Intern - The West Haven Public Library is seeking a resourceful, self-motivated graduate student to become a member of the Children and Youth Services team for a Fall Internship beginning in September, 2012. The position wil…

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Youth Services Assistant - Booth & Dimock Memorial Library

<strong>Youth Services Assistant</strong> - <span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Booth & Dimock Memorial Library</strong></span> in Coventry, CT, is seeking an energetic, service-oriented individual for a part-time position (10-15 hrs/wk) during afternoons, some evenings and Saturdays. Primary responsibilities include performing circulation desk duties; assisting in planning, promoting, and conducting Children’s Room activities, programs, and services; providing reference assistance and reader’s advisory; creating displays; providing technology assistance and troubleshooting; and occasional staffing of the Teen Services desk. The ideal candidate will have previous experience working with children and the public; strong computer/technology skills (including demonstrable experience with Microsoft Office/social media/library databases); and the ability to work well in a shared and cooperative environment. M.L.S. candidates and those with equivalent experience preferred. Please send resume and cover letter to Amy Dexter and Kristi Sadowski, Co-Directors at <a href="mailto:bdsearch@coventryct.org">bdsearch@coventryct.org</a>.

Youth Services Assistant - Booth & Dimock Memorial Library

Youth Services Assistant - Booth & Dimock Memorial Library in Coventry, CT, is seeking an energetic, service-oriented individual for a part-time position (10-15 hrs/wk) during afternoons, some evenings and Saturdays. Primary responsibilities includ…

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Senior Staff Electrical Design Engineer (Analog | High-Speed | RF - Radio Frequency | low noise) (#108445)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Job Title:</span></b></span><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family: Arial;">S</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">enior</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Staff Electrical Design Engineer</span></span><span lang="en-us"><br /> <b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Location:</span></b></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Milpitas, C</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">A.</span></span><span lang="en-us"></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Duration</span></b></span><span lang="en-us"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">:</span></b></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Full time </span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><br /></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Job Description:</span></b></span><span lang="en-us"><br /> </span></div><div dir="LTR"><br /></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Company Overview  </span></b></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC), a leading prov</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ider of process control and yield management solutions, partners with customers around the world to develop state-of-the-art storage, compound semiconductor, photovoltaic, and other related nanoelectronics industries.  With a portfolio of industry-standar</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">d</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> products and a team of world-class engineers and scientists, the company has created superior solutions for its customers for over 35 years.  Headquartered in Milpitas, California, KLA-Tencor has dedicated customer operations and service centers around t</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">h</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">e world.  Additional information may be found at www.kla-tencor.com.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><br /></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Business Unit  </span></b></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Wafer Inspection Division (WIN) of KLA-Tencor is the world leader in design and manufacturing of systems that are used for capturing yield-impacting defects throu</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">gh optical inspection of patterned wafers for semiconductor manufacturers to ramp and maintain yields for their products.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><br /></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Responsibilities </span></b></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The WIN division is seeking a S</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">enior</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Staff Electrical Design Engineer to enhance engineering team. The successful engineer will work with multi discipline teams to deliver innovative and high performance electrical designs for cutting edge Wafer Inspection Ma</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">chines.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The primary responsibilities are high speed/low noise (over 100MHz BW) linear and non-linear analog hardware design, signal conditioning design and precision low noise power supply design. Responsibilities also include defining subsystem specifica</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">tion, requirements, technical analysis/modeling, simulation, complete design from schematic, layout and verification to characterization, procurement of prototype, prototype testing, design validations and ensuring manufacturability. </span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Responsible for designing high speed RF</span></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> (Radio</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">Frequency)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">which includes high speed, low noise analog, high speed digital interface and digital synthesizer design. The candidate will work closely with FPGA and fir</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">mware design team to perform circuit debugging and PCB test.</span></span><span lang="en-us"></span></div><div dir="LTR"><br /></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Qualifications </span></b></span><span lang="en-us"><br /> <span style="font-family: Arial;">•</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">BSEE with 10+ yea</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">rs, or MSEE with 6+ years or PhD EE with 5+ years low noise and high speed analog design experience.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">•</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Must have extensive experience in designing low noise high speed analog/mixed signal PCBs (schematic and layout), modeling and functional simulation.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">•</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mus</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">t have very strong skills with design and simulation tools (such as OrCad, Spice, Hyperlynx and etc.).</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">•</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Must have strong diagnostic skills and capability of resolving complex, system level issues.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">•</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Must have the ability to multitask, work independently and</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> good team player.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">•</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Strong written and verbal communication skills and have a track record of well documented designs.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">•</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Experience with PMT application is a plus.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><br /></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Bachelor's Level Degree with at least 7 years of relevant experience. OR</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Master's Level Deg</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">ree with at least 6 years of relevant experience. OR</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Doctorate (Academic) with at least 5 years of relevant experience.</span></span></div><div dir="LTR"><br /></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Please send your resumes to abhinav.rajkumar@kla-tencor.com <br /></span></span></div></div>

Senior Staff Electrical Design Engineer (Analog | High-Speed | RF - Radio Frequency | low noise) (#108445)

Job Title: Senior Staff Electrical Design Engineer Location: Milpitas, CA.Duration:  Full time Job Description: Company Overview  KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC), a leading provider of process control and yield management solutions, partners w…

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Today's archidose #610

Here are a few photos of Dock E at Zurich International Airport in Zurich, Switzerland, by <a href="http://www.agps.ch/">agps architecture</a> (2003), photographed by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/">John Hill</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/7831801946/" title="Dock E by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Dock E" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7831801946_b397763198_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/7831800770/" title="Dock E by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Dock E" height="800" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/7831800770_64f720b9cf_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #610

Here are a few photos of Dock E at Zurich International Airport in Zurich, Switzerland, by agps architecture (2003), photographed by John Hill.To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just::: Join and add photos to the archidose pool, and/…

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garden stool makeover

I've had my eyes out for a garden stool for <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/04/garden-stools-for-everyone.html" target="_blank">quite some time</a> and I think I finally found a winner.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB31dtQ5Q_pfll3vjFNgEmyyA6JF20YT5obherrfxsLvrjAA7_zcsa0UbwcfiEHKzp75sVTRKHxr1f6iK22Jg3m-wlNYePj0U6wIJd-h-C5gju7QdiN5T05UIgTKC0ilIsZTfPCvL1dv_/s1600/gardenstool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB31dtQ5Q_pfll3vjFNgEmyyA6JF20YT5obherrfxsLvrjAA7_zcsa0UbwcfiEHKzp75sVTRKHxr1f6iK22Jg3m-wlNYePj0U6wIJd-h-C5gju7QdiN5T05UIgTKC0ilIsZTfPCvL1dv_/s640/gardenstool.jpg" width="532" /></a></div> I love the various shades of maroon and grayish green. And the roses. The Golden Girls style is making a comeback. I mean, everything about the 80's was so beautiful.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzTQ009ht4ttWTjtXZvMLLITrAAVV4quMF4I5CyE6Wrf4T2-EZIrotL0pxwr6KSuqbVsjkVjSTIwHDU5FABm19fNbidOskkUN42vbChw21P16sP2X6mVRadhR8ZkxdjYrfcHjnPrPQzKH/s1600/gardenstooltop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzTQ009ht4ttWTjtXZvMLLITrAAVV4quMF4I5CyE6Wrf4T2-EZIrotL0pxwr6KSuqbVsjkVjSTIwHDU5FABm19fNbidOskkUN42vbChw21P16sP2X6mVRadhR8ZkxdjYrfcHjnPrPQzKH/s640/gardenstooltop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>KIDDING!<br /><br />This lady is fugly. But she was only $12 so I couldn't pass her up.<br /><br />Originally I just planned to <a href="http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=400" target="_blank">spray</a> her white and call it a day.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IKu1SCfDtw5cCISpis3uhFBDriLpkfetYtUK04edDBwpkHYYxEGI77JaXkgvnQ4Kgcg0P-Pa408zhdcflxszAWBBiMYfMagoed0PSP-3dyWJ2DtRlpNhC6bFRun-sNAfOfsXM15lqX5-/s1600/gardenstoolwhite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IKu1SCfDtw5cCISpis3uhFBDriLpkfetYtUK04edDBwpkHYYxEGI77JaXkgvnQ4Kgcg0P-Pa408zhdcflxszAWBBiMYfMagoed0PSP-3dyWJ2DtRlpNhC6bFRun-sNAfOfsXM15lqX5-/s640/gardenstoolwhite.jpg" width="544" /></a></div>But after all the <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/08/seeing-spots.html" target="_blank">fun talk</a> of DIY'ing some gold polka dots last week, I couldn't resist.<br /><br />I already had some leftover stencil sponges and gold paint (of course) so all I needed was a <a href="http://www.michaels.com/mod-podge%C2%AE-tracing-templates%2C-basic-shapes/gc2274,default,pd.html?cgid=products-generalcrafts-modpodge&start=9" target="_blank">stencil from Michaels</a>. (This was such a spur of the moment decision that I didn't even think to take this pic until after the fact. Bad blogger!)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg358ZXCg0wDsHAaU8L_1OGN3DToYcfX_EJbHHGCq3iyI2Wd7eapgw_LaV2DUg1V7-ZY5chzI0ti9woJLrwcszrOZfli8jdvYlimW7xVGr-w4HCKqnUp2DgnkPHH5WU3Q_Ju7Z5NrkMl09_/s1600/supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg358ZXCg0wDsHAaU8L_1OGN3DToYcfX_EJbHHGCq3iyI2Wd7eapgw_LaV2DUg1V7-ZY5chzI0ti9woJLrwcszrOZfli8jdvYlimW7xVGr-w4HCKqnUp2DgnkPHH5WU3Q_Ju7Z5NrkMl09_/s640/supplies.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>I was a bit worried that the paper stencil wouldn't really hug the rounded stool well enough, but it worked like a charm. And a great perk was that any mistakes I made wiped up easily.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8tcvq_UnwaGqEjgrXBiV4cnPkYEsdKiKz6qI79brOyBHPfCsvGlHIgm2z5xKvui-dtHoY8HJnJ-Z-yMQeSwephcInNAXPj26giT4Mhba-zx8RkFZK4Q1EZRvNoDSH5h6fxGC4LuCc-ZH/s1600/goldstencil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8tcvq_UnwaGqEjgrXBiV4cnPkYEsdKiKz6qI79brOyBHPfCsvGlHIgm2z5xKvui-dtHoY8HJnJ-Z-yMQeSwephcInNAXPj26giT4Mhba-zx8RkFZK4Q1EZRvNoDSH5h6fxGC4LuCc-ZH/s640/goldstencil.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>I didn't really have a plan (surprise surprise) and just randomly 'polka-dotted' as I saw fit. The whole project was 15 minutes.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTghyphenhyphenL3k2uKKjNcdOQ_t9vPt7QBUClF1Up3UZHocCf2SrQvxT-33b9DeSwHCpm-5TQsUYU6iaRD8hy1vsqdKesA-IeRHYlNN7-HDw4FJ2Pd05Rdu-4b9OAn8TyR2IgW6MC9Z_zFwdxYobc/s1600/goldpolkadotgardenstool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTghyphenhyphenL3k2uKKjNcdOQ_t9vPt7QBUClF1Up3UZHocCf2SrQvxT-33b9DeSwHCpm-5TQsUYU6iaRD8hy1vsqdKesA-IeRHYlNN7-HDw4FJ2Pd05Rdu-4b9OAn8TyR2IgW6MC9Z_zFwdxYobc/s640/goldpolkadotgardenstool.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>No styled image available yet as this sucker will be in the <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/08/and-your-time-startsnow.html" target="_blank">living room</a>, but I'm loving it so far. Somebody better take my gold away before I painted my children.<br /><br />Have you tried to style a garden stool? Impossible. Any good stencils you recommend? Anyone else ready to kick Ramona off the island? (I love my RHNY)<br /><br />Happy Tuesday!<br /><br />

garden stool makeover

I've had my eyes out for a garden stool for quite some time and I think I finally found a winner. I love the various shades of maroon and grayish green. And the roses. The Golden Girls style is making a comeback. I mean, everything about the 80's was…

Read more »

Gene Kelly's Brief Sojourn, "Let's Make Love" (1960)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFHDehvR9cXY8uVKrILLD5wVJPzRjlqHGdJ_RFQiWjVDouT8zVs2OdfJk3DKOtHaVb-k93fNPH-ILdgj8zYA4cYRGJDfiMVCCvXAWqD0QUfgXKBqLqlSEJ_mteFGameolAl8lPJwpzNvP/s1600/movie+title+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFHDehvR9cXY8uVKrILLD5wVJPzRjlqHGdJ_RFQiWjVDouT8zVs2OdfJk3DKOtHaVb-k93fNPH-ILdgj8zYA4cYRGJDfiMVCCvXAWqD0QUfgXKBqLqlSEJ_mteFGameolAl8lPJwpzNvP/s400/movie+title+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Classic Movie Blog Association is sponsoring the Gene Kelly Centennial Blogathon from August 20 - 25 and this is my contribution to the event. Please <a href="http://clamba.blogspot.com/2012/04/gene-kelly-centenarian-blogathon-august.html" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">click here</a> for links to the other participating blogs.</span></span></i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~</div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1960 was the year that</span></span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHcvsmRtU3GLYZmXcvTuqQMCpGv0kNNjOYi-dGq5HrdScGx4BzBU3vOWJdzfwFc7fWc9syezBv0ZSEYS3emxB1gZWzYsmDpood13VeEDw6ea-Zn-gQMMCqzmKvsJPliU1qWpXg9mP6c6S/s1600/echo+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHcvsmRtU3GLYZmXcvTuqQMCpGv0kNNjOYi-dGq5HrdScGx4BzBU3vOWJdzfwFc7fWc9syezBv0ZSEYS3emxB1gZWzYsmDpood13VeEDw6ea-Zn-gQMMCqzmKvsJPliU1qWpXg9mP6c6S/s320/echo+I.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Echo I</td></tr></tbody></table><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over Russia and its pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was imprisoned there</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">young Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) won the gold medal in the light heavyweight competition at the Summer Olympics in Rome</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Harper Lee's <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> and John Updike's <i>Rabbit, Run</i> were published</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NASA launched the first communications satellite, Echo I, into space</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the first working laser was built by American T. H. Maiman</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">#1 hit songs of that year included the Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown," The Drifters' "Save the Last Dance for Me" and Percy Faith's version of the theme from <i>A Summer Place</i></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">on TV, Western series ruled the ratings, with <i>Gunsmoke</i>, <i>Wagon Train</i> and <i>Have Gun Will Travel</i> ranked one, two and three for the year</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Camelot</i>, starring Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet, debuted on Broadway</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">John F. Kennedy was elected the 35th President of the United States</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the new decade dawned and the U.S. prepared to embark on a <a href="http://www.ushistory.org/us/56b.asp" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">New Frontier</a>, Hollywood was in a state of flux, still reeling from the impact of television on movie attendance. Alfred Hitchcock, whose films since 1954 had been almost exclusively Technicolor/Vistavision dazzlers featuring top stars, shocked audiences and critics with the psychological thriller <i>Psycho</i>. Filmed in black and white, with TV production values and just one bankable star who is killed off in the first half-hour, <i>Psycho </i>was the highest grossing film for that year in the U.S. None of the top ten box office hits of 1960 were musical films. Two musicals did surface in the year's top twenty, Vincente Minnelli's <i>Bells are Ringing </i>with Judy Holliday and the George Cukor-directed Marilyn Monroe vehicle, <i>Let's Make Love</i>.</span></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60Hlb_JruztnhXgfkYvOsID1Z0P0Wf_IQDqK2Gu1EfOd7g_Eid-s4VVLGskucNgNLzPH240pPEoESAbt4NbATIdIY0ikcKkPX5grVckdwyGv7jjhnCHzhdARBDmUl_gtjIbCET0AT9uV3/s1600/les+girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60Hlb_JruztnhXgfkYvOsID1Z0P0Wf_IQDqK2Gu1EfOd7g_Eid-s4VVLGskucNgNLzPH240pPEoESAbt4NbATIdIY0ikcKkPX5grVckdwyGv7jjhnCHzhdARBDmUl_gtjIbCET0AT9uV3/s320/les+girls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, Gene Kelly and Taina Elg - <i>Les Girls</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gene Kelly had made his last musical for MGM, the studio with which his name and career are forever intertwined, in 1957<i>. </i>The film was <i>Les Girls</i>, a vibrant extravaganza directed by George Cukor, co-starring Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall and Taina Elg. Cukor was unhappy about Gaynor in the leading lady role ("one of MGM's flat tires") and with the prospect of Helen Rose designing costumes. He had to live with Gaynor but insisted on Orry-Kelly for costumes and the designer went on to win an Oscar for his work.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kelly's next film, the drama <i>Marjorie Morningstar </i>(1958), teamed him with a nearly grown-up Natalie Wood. Later that year he would return to Broadway and direct the original production of <i>The Flower Drum Song</i>, a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that went on to garner six Tony Award nominations and to win one.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the musical film genre on the wane, Kelly happily accepted an invitation early in 1960 from A.M. Julien of the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the Paris Opéra and Opéra-Comique and travelled to Paris to devise a modern ballet for the company. While in France Kelly made a quick trip back to the States to appear in George Cukor's latest film-in-progress.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Billionaire</i>, a romantic comedy/musical was offered to Marilyn Monroe by producer Jerry Wald of 20th Century Fox. Though it had been hoped Billy Wilder would direct, he was already working on <i>The Apartment </i>(1960). And so the package Wald brought to Marilyn and that she accepted included director George Cukor, screenwriter Norman Krasna and co-star Gregory Peck. The film's slight premise followed the shenanigans of a billionaire (Peck) who discovers that an Off-Broadway revue spoofing him is in the works. When he surreptitiously attends a rehearsal of the show, its star (Monroe) mistakes him for an actor on audition. The billionaire falls for the cabaret star and decides he must learn to be a nightclub performer so he can join the act and woo her. Incidentally, since he is a billionaire and can afford the best possible tutors, he eventually hires three of great expertise - Milton Berle to instruct him in the art of comedy, Bing Crosby to help him learn to sing and Gene Kelly to teach him dance moves.</span></span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp-ITsawz_D3DYD_9VOha2Ue9nOe35C21OjYMnfkJHSEeZVdZN5N5rQzb-Z8bWpNq1yDl5_0EL7Zb-4Q-u1R3V-mfixa23Sg9L7s0rbTKCpS9h84KoLfWDTmsjsa1a7w7G1BToIhLxK5O/s1600/An-Evening-with-Yves-Montand-Playbill-10-59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp-ITsawz_D3DYD_9VOha2Ue9nOe35C21OjYMnfkJHSEeZVdZN5N5rQzb-Z8bWpNq1yDl5_0EL7Zb-4Q-u1R3V-mfixa23Sg9L7s0rbTKCpS9h84KoLfWDTmsjsa1a7w7G1BToIhLxK5O/s320/An-Evening-with-Yves-Montand-Playbill-10-59.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Playbill</i>, 1959</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just as the production got underway, the Writers Guild went on strike. Because there were script problems, this was a major setback. To keep the project moving, Jerry Wald approached Marilyn's husband, playwright Arthur Miller, offering him the job of developing and rewriting the script. Miller, surprisingly, broke ranks with the striking writers and agreed, quickly delivering revisions. Wald then sent Miller's script directly to Gregory Peck who, alarmed at the extent to which Marilyn's role had been enlarged, balked and asked to be released from his role as the titular billionaire. Many actors were mentioned, but French singer/actor Yves Montand, who had lately taken Broadway by storm with his one-man show, won the part; he would make his American film debut in the film now titled <i>Let's Make Love</i>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As with each of Marilyn Monroe's late-career films, there would be problems on the set. Though the star was coming off a smash hit film, the one considered the best of her career, Billy Wilder's <i>Some Like it Hot </i>(1959), she was in trouble. According to her half-sister, Berniece Miracle, "It was in 1960 that Marilyn began to come completely apart." She believed the drugs Marilyn had initially taken to relax and get to sleep "had turned against her," affecting her moods and ability to work.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though George Cukor struggled mightily to keep filming on track, the production fell expensively behind schedule. Arthur Miller was called back for further rewrites. And the powers at Fox, mystified by her capricious demands, began to believe that Marilyn was actually mad. As if there wasn't enough chaos, Marilyn created a public scandal by openly carrying on an affair with Yves Montand, whose wife, Simone Signoret, had just won the Oscar for Best Actress.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the midst of this commotion, Gene Kelly made the 6,000 mile flight from Paris to Hollywood to film his cameo for the picture. Arriving on a Sunday night, he filmed for two hours with Montand on Monday and departed for Paris and his ballet project on Tuesday. Quickly in and out, his may have been the best experience of anyone on the film.</span></span><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/AVvXsEi5LM9QI0EsWZUKqU4FG3or8vdiIhJLCvxiLRrqbgLzPmTxdVDVrND5LqdnQtUhBeIFUsBJclX4JmF0SIyxD-fbI73ey4zsjXxA0SRTGGvf2J1Op0YUXEl6pJlCCCpSJJJlHV4a_bxYl7jB/s1600/LML+Montand+Marilyn+and+Kelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LM9QI0EsWZUKqU4FG3or8vdiIhJLCvxiLRrqbgLzPmTxdVDVrND5LqdnQtUhBeIFUsBJclX4JmF0SIyxD-fbI73ey4zsjXxA0SRTGGvf2J1Op0YUXEl6pJlCCCpSJJJlHV4a_bxYl7jB/s320/LML+Montand+Marilyn+and+Kelly.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yves Montand, Marilyn Monroe and Gene Kelly on the set</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Let's Make Love </i>opened to great fanfare in September 1960. 20th Century Fox slyly used the Monroe/Montand affair to generate publicity and the crowds turned out - taking the film to #17 among 1960's U.S. box office hits. How audiences managed to sit through the film's first hour is hard to fathom. <i>Let's Make Love</i> gets off to a painfully long, slow start and never gains enough momentum to stir much interest. The cameos of Berle, Crosby and Kelly are highlights, and Montand's charms emerge, at last, during the final 20 minutes or so. But, though the film was promoted with the (silly) tagline, "It's dedicated to the <b>NEW</b> Monroe Doctrine!", Marilyn, whose physical appearance thankfully improves over the course of the film, conjures nothing so much as a careworn rendition of a character that, by now, had become a clich</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">é. It is saddening to watch an actress, a great and gifted star, who had so wished to be taken seriously, wriggle, writhe and whisper her way through the film. Character icons Tony Randall and Wilfred Hyde-White are wasted in a muddle that might best be described, to use a term of the time, as "dullsville."</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gene Kelly's 45-minute jazz ballet, <i>Pas de Dieux</i>, was a great success in Paris. His next film, the critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated Stanley Kramer drama, <i>Inherit the Wind</i>, was released just a few month after <i>Let's Make Love</i>. He would remain busy throughout the 1960s - appearing in the 1962 - 1963 TV series, <i>Going My Way</i>, the 1964 Fox musical comedy/romance, <i>What a Way to Go! </i>with Shirley MacLaine (in a role originally intended for Marilyn Monroe) and the imaginative Jacques Demy musical, <i>Les demoiselles de Rochefort </i>(1967) with Catherine Deneuve and her equally beautiful (now long-lost) sister, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.newwavefilm.com/french-new-wave-encyclopedia/francoise-dorleac.shtml" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">Françoise Dorléac</a>. The decade would also bring Kelly opportunities to direct - the poignant Jackie Gleason vehicle <i>Gigot </i>(1962), the comedy hit <i>A Guide for the Married Man </i>(1967) starring Walter Matthau and the musical <i>Hello, Dolly! </i>(1969) starring Barbra Streisand.</span></span><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/AVvXsEgK6Hw55rWYpT1Q52DHdemKfYs4gfEPe1az3_-4vVMpJ_cP9CrCU55X1H-Ft3hB1VoIadFBi59sbnXosEyr5iNusCrbyuzSfD9qUPsp_nhyAMpmptdh_MObT59MKNMDE76CHjf6nHo2nsg1/s1600/kelly+and+doreleac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6Hw55rWYpT1Q52DHdemKfYs4gfEPe1az3_-4vVMpJ_cP9CrCU55X1H-Ft3hB1VoIadFBi59sbnXosEyr5iNusCrbyuzSfD9qUPsp_nhyAMpmptdh_MObT59MKNMDE76CHjf6nHo2nsg1/s400/kelly+and+doreleac.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gene Kelly and<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Françoise Dorlé</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ac in <i>Les demoiselles de Rochefort</i></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">  ~ </span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">  </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Turner Classic Movies honors Gene Kelly's centenary birthday today, August 23, with 24 hours of his films as part of its annual <i>Summer Under the Stars </i>celebration in August. <a href="http://www.tcm.com/summer/#/gene-kelly" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">Click here</a> to learn more...And <a href="http://sittinonabackyardfence.com/2012/08/23/day-23-gene-kelly/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=day-23-gene-kelly" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">click here</a> for links to blogs participating in Michael and Jill's <i>Summer Under the Stars </i>blogathon on Gene Kelly's day.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">~</span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u><b>Sources</b></u>:</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Marilyn Monroe </i>by Barbara Leaming, Crown (1998)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>George Cukor: Master of Elegance</i> by Emanuel Levy, William Morrow & Co. (1994) </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span>

Gene Kelly George Cukor Let's Make Love Marilyn Monroe The Lady Eve (author) Yves Montand Gene Kelly's Brief Sojourn, "Let's Make Love" (1960)

The Classic Movie Blog Association is sponsoring the Gene Kelly Centennial Blogathon from August 20 - 25 and this is my contribution to the event. Please click here for links to the other participating blogs.~1960 was the year thatEcho Ian American U…

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