Dubai: The Casablanca of Today?

<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-otbBAWKwMpSgedJFRdixfyFm9RpYHjn-U2hlnMa7W8X0QNhI2trcF9ngjB3hpxNBJPEl4UqNs5MfUD766qniKuNFdkU3xbXhCY_pKR6LN-P9d2pT65S9AkcC5Wg1-BMpPUcSy3c1y4r/s1600/6a00d8341bf7f753ef00e54f2438558834-800wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-otbBAWKwMpSgedJFRdixfyFm9RpYHjn-U2hlnMa7W8X0QNhI2trcF9ngjB3hpxNBJPEl4UqNs5MfUD766qniKuNFdkU3xbXhCY_pKR6LN-P9d2pT65S9AkcC5Wg1-BMpPUcSy3c1y4r/s320/6a00d8341bf7f753ef00e54f2438558834-800wi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="intro" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><span id="_ctl1_lblStoryIntro" style="width: 339px;">To much of the world, Dubai is an urban oasis with towering skyscrapers — including the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa — in the heart of an oil-rich country. But as James Rickards points out in his book "Currency Wars," espionage, assassination, gold and the fact that it is the world's largest transshipment point for paper currencies give Dubai its standing as the Casablanca of the 21st century.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="intro" style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><span id="_ctl1_lblStoryIntro" style="width: 339px;"> </span><span id="_ctl1_lblStoryIntro" style="width: 339px;"></span><span id="_ctl1_lblStoryIntro" style="width: 339px;">By </span></span><span class="intro" style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><span id="_ctl1_lblStoryIntro" style="width: 339px;">James Rickards via The Globalist</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon8x7xcyD34gnvaqfpo6fuWQ5QLR0HI87sKfwHUGBSNLPdfUgOPSUipRzO1j0CNECqKJdHTkAn-MCFtaPYIwJK5qbWH1yAcYauZjSLSNTd40j90JxWZlBMmQkH6yjI90P_S14dHHJu37Q/s1600/casablanca_movie_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon8x7xcyD34gnvaqfpo6fuWQ5QLR0HI87sKfwHUGBSNLPdfUgOPSUipRzO1j0CNECqKJdHTkAn-MCFtaPYIwJK5qbWH1yAcYauZjSLSNTd40j90JxWZlBMmQkH6yjI90P_S14dHHJu37Q/s320/casablanca_movie_poster.jpg" width="232" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="_ctl1_lblStoryBody">If "Casablanca" were filmed today, it would be called "Dubai." The classic film centers around Rick's Café Américain, where the owner, played by Humphrey Bogart, offers drinks, music and gambling, with intrigue on the side. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"></span><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 151px;"><tbody><tr><td><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width: 130px;"><tbody><tr><td> <img height="6" src="http://www.theglobalist.com/images/callouts/horizontal.gif" width="130" /></td></tr><tr><td><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Dubai is an island of relative calm surrounded by wars in Afghanistan and Syria and instability in Iraq and Lebanon.</b></span></td></tr><tr><td><img height="6" src="http://www.theglobalist.com/images/callouts/horizontal.gif" width="130" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">The exotic setting was Morocco during World War II. What defined Casablanca was its neutral mélange where enemies could mingle at ease. Nazis, refugees and gunrunners sat at adjacent tables to drink champagne and sing "As Time Goes By." That's just like things are in Dubai today. It is an island of relative calm surrounded by wars in Afghanistan and Syria, instability in Iraq and Lebanon, transition in Tunisia and Egypt and bitter enmity between Israel and Iran. It is the ultimate bad neighborhood. <br /> In place of Rick's, there is Atlantis, an over-the-top resort on the artificial Palm Island, itself dredged from the seafloor and laid out in a palm shape so vast it can be seen from space. <br /> Inside Atlantis are the best restaurants in town, where Israeli agents, Iranian provocateurs, Russian hit men, Saudi arms dealers and local smugglers sit side by side, escorted by tall, leggy blondes who look distinctly out of place in the desert. <br /> What they find in Dubai is what Rick's customers found in Casablanca — a neutral turf where they can meet, recruit and betray each other, all without immediate fear of arrest. That is what makes Dubai so conducive to international intrigue. <br /> The weather is excellent from October through March. Dubai is in the midst of a danger zone, surrounded by Mumbai, Lahore, Tehran, Istanbul, Cairo, Khartoum and the pirate dens of Somalia. <br /> It has excellent air and telecommunications links with the world. It is also famously overbuilt — boasting the world's tallest building and plenty of other post-modern glitz to dazzle visitors from more traditional and repressive societies. <br /> All this glamour and intrigue are accompanied by some Hollywood-style violence. In March 2009, a Russian warlord was shot dead in the upscale Marina section of Dubai near some its best beaches and hotels. <br /> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 151px;"><tbody><tr><td><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width: 130px;"><tbody><tr><td> <img height="6" src="http://www.theglobalist.com/images/callouts/horizontal.gif" width="130" /></td></tr><tr><td><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Dubai is famously overbuilt — boasting plenty of post-modern glitz to dazzle visitors from more traditional and repressive societies.</b></span></td></tr><tr><td><img height="6" src="http://www.theglobalist.com/images/callouts/horizontal.gif" width="130" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>Two suspects, one Tajik and one Iranian, were arrested and gave confessions implicating a member of the Russian Duma acting on orders from Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman of Chechnya. In a touch straight out of Ian Fleming's "The Man with the Golden Gun," the victim was shot with a gold-plated pistol smuggled in by a Russian diplomat. Historically, Dubai thrived on two activities, pearl diving and smuggling. Today, pearl diving is a small business carried on in part as an attraction for tourists. Smuggling is bigger than ever. <br /> The long wharf on the Creek, the old part of Dubai, is piled high with electronics, appliances, spare parts and other goods headed for Iran. The amount of gold and currency inside boxes marked with Sony or HP logos is anybody's guess. <br /> Across Baniyas Road, which runs alongside the wharf, are Iranian banks where letters of credit can be arranged on the spot to finance the shipment of goods — without regard to U.S. trade sanctions. <br /> On the Creek itself are the dhows — beamy, high-prowed wooden sailing vessels with large lateen rigs ready to embark on the voyage across the Persian Gulf to Bandar Abbas and other ports on the Iranian coast. In Dubai, smuggling is not even vaguely disreputable. Rather, it is a way of life. <br /> <h4 style="color: red;">Skyscrapers named gold, silver and diamond </h4>Dubai is an international financial center and tax haven, as evidenced by the fact that its boulevards and backstreets are choked with international banks. <br /> Dubai is the principal offshore banking center for Iran. Major Dubai banks act as correspondents to Iranian banks for the facilitation of payments and foreign exchange transactions with the rest of the world, including Iran's conversion of its reserves into euros and gold and slow dumping of the dollar. <br /> Dubai also acts as the banking center for the Somali pirate trade. While pirates, hostage crews and patrolling navies engage in standoffs in the Arabian Sea, pirate agents make the rounds in Dubai to negotiate ransom and provide wire instructions for final payment. <br /> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 151px;"><tbody><tr><td><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width: 130px;"><tbody><tr><td> <img height="6" src="http://www.theglobalist.com/images/callouts/horizontal.gif" width="130" /></td></tr><tr><td><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Dubai acts as the banking center for the Somali pirate trade. Pirate agents make the rounds to negotiate ransom and provide instructions for payment.</b></span></td></tr><tr><td><img height="6" src="http://www.theglobalist.com/images/callouts/horizontal.gif" width="130" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>For tangible wealth, there is the gold souk, one of the largest marketplaces in the world, where gold in every form — jewelry, coins, bars and ingots — is for sale and re-export in attaché cases to private hoards around the world, no questions asked. Dubai has a commodities center with separate glass skyscrapers named after the Arabic words for gold, silver and diamond. Beneath these towers is one of the largest, most secure vaults in the world, managed by Brink's. <br /> With Swiss banking secrecy under attack and oligarchs being harassed in Russia, converting wealth into untraceable gold and securing it in the desert is an attractive strategy. <br /> The gold that changes hands in the souk is the tip of the iceberg of wholesale wealth that transits Dubai. Paper currencies move continuously from engravers to central banks to customers, much of it circulating outside its home country. <br /> Dubai is the world's largest transshipment point for paper currencies. At secure sites near the Dubai airport, massive amounts of banknotes are stored, awaiting return to their issuing banks. <br /> Espionage, assassination, gold, currency and an international mix of actors at the crossroads of the world give Dubai its standing as the new Casablanca. Dubai, like Casablanca, is just a mirror of its time and place. Were it not for the corruption and dysfunction of the wider world, Dubai would have no clientele. <br /> Every war needs its neutral venue, and in the currency wars Dubai fills the bill. There is no currency anywhere that is not money good in Dubai — at a price. </span>

Dubai: The Casablanca of Today?

To much of the world, Dubai is an urban oasis with towering skyscrapers — including the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa — in the heart of an oil-rich country. But as James Rickards points out in his book "Currency Wars," espionage, ass…

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FPA Manager (FP&A, Financial, Planning and Analysis) (#108541)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><!-- Converted from text/rtf format --> </div><div dir="LTR" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b>Position</b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;">: FPA Manager</span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Location</b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;">: Milpitas, CA</span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Duration</b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;">: Full time</span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><br /> <br /> </span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b>Job Description</b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;">:<br /> The Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) organization provides leadership and support to executives and business leaders throughout the company.</span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"> Our role is to implement and manage the processes that support and enable the company's business decisions, such as forecasting, strategic planning, board of director presentations, and management reporting.<b><br /><br />Responsibilities:</b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><br /> </b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;">We are looking for a talented financial professional to join our Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis team as a manager.  This person will work closely with senior management and employees across the company as a key influencer and partner in developing business, economic and financial decision frameworks, leading planning, forecasting, and budgeting processes, as well as conducting analysis and reporting that drives and enhances the successful execution and communication of progress against K-T's short-term and long-term plans.  We apply a high level of analytical rigor to the work that we do on a regular basis and use that analysis to help drive improvements throughout the organization.</span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><br /><br />Preferred Qualifications:</b><br />◦Candidate should possess a demonstrated track record of strong analytical skills with deep technical expertise<br />in financial modeling<br />◦Excellent communication skills, particularly the ability to distill large amounts of data into coherent summary<br />written and oral presentations that clearly convey the key message including priority and risk tailored to<br />audiences from Board of Directors to entire company.<br />◦Ability to work both independently and as a member of a cross-functional team.<br />◦Demonstrated ability to establish and quickly build effective relationships throughout an organization, including<br />at remote locations.<br />◦Strong leadership and influencing skills with a sense of urgency and results orientation a must.<br />◦Ability to work, design and execute both strategically, operationally and proactively while being pragmatic.<br />◦Previous experience managing financial analysts preferred.</span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><br /><br />Minimum Qualifications:</b><br />◦Minimum 10 years experience in Finance, or equivalent.<br />◦Bachelor degree required, MBA strongly preferred.<br />◦Experience with SAP is a plus.<br /><br />Kindly send your resumes to</span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="mailto:Sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com"><span lang="en-us"><u><span style="color: blue;">Sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com</span></u></span></a></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div></div>

FPA Manager (FP&A, Financial, Planning and Analysis) (#108541)

Position: FPA ManagerLocation: Milpitas, CADuration: Full time Job Description: The Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) organization provides leadership and support to executives and business leaders throughout the company. Our r…

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SOX Senior Program Manager (SOX, Audit, Compliance, CPA) (#108507)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!-- Converted from text/rtf format --> <br /><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Position</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: SOX Sr. Program Manager<br /> </span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Location</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Milpitas, CA<br /> </span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Duration</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Full time</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Job Description</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">:<br /> This role is in Corporate Finance, specifically the SOX / Internal Audit group which is responsible for SOX<br />compliance, internal audit, and enterprise risk management for the company.</span><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Responsibilities:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />SOX Sr. Program Manager will work closely with Internal Audit, External Audit, and SOX control owners throughout the company. This individual will report to the Director, Risk Management and Compliance and be responsible for success completion of SOX 404 requirements annually.  Individual will drive day-to-day tactical details of 404 compliance work from start to finish including:  scoping of project, assisting control owners with design and documentation of internal controls over financial reporting,  facilitating / coordinating management and external audit testing, tracking and reporting on status of testing and remediation efforts, analyzing and categorizing deficiencies, assisting with resolution of issues. Individual will not have any direct reports but will work closely with managers and directors for each of the major functional area in 404 scope. Also will also be responsible for coordinating the quarterly 302 sub-certification process with all business units and regions in the company.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Preferred Qualifications:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Prior Big 4 audit experience a plus.  CIA, CISA or CPA highly desirable.<br />Working knowledge of AS5, US GAAP, COSO framework, SSAE 16 guidelines, SAP ERP FI/CO modules.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Minimum Qualifications:</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Bachelor's level degree in accounting or related finance field with at least 5 years of experience or Master's degree with at least 3 years of experience. Or, equivalent. Must have extensive experience running a SOX compliance program for a global, manufacturing company.  Proven success record for completing all requirements for SOX 404 on time and on budget.  Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills with a variety of individuals at different levels throughout the company.  Ability to travel to non-US locations for up to 2 weeks duration necessary.  Excellent spoken and written communications skills.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Kindly send your resumes to</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="mailto:Sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com"><span lang="en-us"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">Sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com</span></u></span></a></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span></div></div>

SOX Senior Program Manager (SOX, Audit, Compliance, CPA) (#108507)

Position: SOX Sr. Program Manager Location: Milpitas, CA Duration: Full timeJob Description: This role is in Corporate Finance, specifically the SOX / Internal Audit group which is responsible for SOXcompliance, internal audit, and enterprise …

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Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 08/28/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.randomconnections.com/three-collaborative-google-earth-projects/">Three Collaborative Google Earth Projects » Random Connections</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">I love these simple (although older) projects that you can use to integrate Google Earth into your classrooms. Most of them involve presentations, but I love what they are doing.</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></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.flatclassroomconference.com/publicity-germany.html">Publicity Germany - Flat Classroom Conference</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Information on the Flat Classroom conference in Germany December 6-8, 2012. We have incredible speakers in this Flattened environment where students and educators learn about and envision the future of education on a level PBL-based conferencing style. (We talk about this in Chapter 11 of our book Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds.) You leave transformed with friendships and ready to flatten your classroom. Once you go flat you never go back!</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> <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 08/28/2012

Three Collaborative Google Earth Projects » Random Connections I love these simple (although older) projects that you can use to integrate Google Earth into your classrooms. Most of them involve presentations, b…

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Librarian Assistant (Non Bargaining) - Northeast Middle School

<strong>Librarian Assistant (Non Bargaining) - </strong><span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Northeast Middle School</strong></span>, Bristol. JOB DESCRIPTION—DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Types and processes orders, reports, bibliographies, forms, library schedules, letters to publishers, catalog cards, and the like. 2. Enters orders and receives books, computer software, and other educational resources selected by the librarian and/or school staff. 3. Maintains files of catalog cards, vertical file material, publishers’ catalogs, and an electronic database of library and learning resources. Maintains an electronic database of school literacy materials. Maintains an electronic database of computer software. 4. Writes notices to homeroom teachers concerning overdue books, and collects fines for such books. 5. Makes simple repairs on damaged books. 6. Readies books for reserve on teachers’ requests, and maintains the reserve shelf. 7. Prepares current magazines for shelving and maintains the back-number stacks. 8. Assists in the inventory of library materials and the preparation of lists of missing books and books to be discarded. 9. Shelves incoming books. 10. Maintains current inventory of supplies and suggests items for acquisition as needed. 11. Oversees the general neatness and attractiveness of the library and learning resource center and its displays.12. Helps students locate library and learning resource center materials. 13. Coordinates library parent volunteers and supports school wide initiatives directly involving the library media center. 14. Facilitates district wide initiatives involving the library and learning resource center outlined by the library and learning resource specialist. 15. Performs such other tasks as the library and learning center specialist may from time to time assign. POSITION QUALIFICATIONS: Good typing and clerical skills, computer skills, ability to work well with students, teachers and parents, organizational skills, attention to detail, neatness and accuracy, some knowledge of children’s literature, adaptability. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: High school diploma or general education degree (GED). LANGUAGE SKILLS: Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of people. MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry. REASONING ABILITY: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES: Ability to operate personal computer. Ability to work with media equipment such as video, laminating machine and fax and typewriters. Must be able to pass a typing test at 55 words per minute. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing and ability to develop effective working relationships with students, staff, and the school community. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The employee must frequently push or pull up to 25 pounds and occasionally up to 75 pounds such as TV/VCR carts and boxes of books. WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. Work is performed indoors. SALARY RANGE: $14.72/ hour. Benefits--None. To begin as soon as possible. WORK YEAR: 10 months/year, 15/hours/week. APPLICATION: Apply in writing on or before <span style="color: red;">August 30, 2012</span>. Letters of application indicating background and experience should be sent to: Mr. Dennis Bieu, Director of Human Resources, Bristol Board of Education, P. O. Box 450, Bristol, CT 06011-0450. All other applicants must go to <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.bristol.k12.ct.us" href="http://www.bristol.k12.ct.us/" target="_blank">www.bristol.k12.ct.us</a> –District Departments—Human Resources—Online Application—Click Here and fill out an application for employment.

Librarian Assistant (Non Bargaining) - Northeast Middle School

Librarian Assistant (Non Bargaining) - Northeast Middle School, Bristol. JOB DESCRIPTION—DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Types and processes orders, reports, bibliographies, forms, library schedules, letters to publishers, catalog cards, and the l…

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30 days of webtools: #23 Use Mybrainshark to create online Powerpoints with voice plus more...

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2NQz0e258Rf2ZhyphenhyphenAKbnLdlwfmQ6IrGPscBeP5Cg1PGgnjqNqy1STXkZaY_Eg9qHHPQcFKQGKr914JhJeKTaOYpvRzFLmWvJPP7ut-cLsk_lQDT8dU9C2NokbC2G90Eok43TxRDkujnRw/s1600/brainshark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2NQz0e258Rf2ZhyphenhyphenAKbnLdlwfmQ6IrGPscBeP5Cg1PGgnjqNqy1STXkZaY_Eg9qHHPQcFKQGKr914JhJeKTaOYpvRzFLmWvJPP7ut-cLsk_lQDT8dU9C2NokbC2G90Eok43TxRDkujnRw/s200/brainshark.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mybrainshark is a place where you can easily create videos from your PowerPoint slides...but not only from PowerPoint slides! You can also add your voice to documents, a series of photos, and even voice over to a video or else the video with its own sounds. It is a fantastic free programme! So open Mybrainshark on <a href="http://www.brainshark.com/">http://www.brainshark.com</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My first attempt: How to make a Mybrainshark</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first attempt at a Mybrainshark was just to upload a PowerPoint on how to make a Mybrainshark and add voice to it. I just loved how easy it was and how you could read your speaker notes from the PowerPoint on screen as you narrated. </span><br /><br /><object data="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/viewer/getplayer.ashx" height="366" id="bsplayer44771" name="bsplayer44771" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="440"><param name="movie" value="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/viewer/getplayer.ashx" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="flashvars" value="pi=557312354&dm=5&pause=1" /><a href="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/viewer/fallback.ashx?pi=557312354"><video width="440" height="366" controls="true" poster="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/brainshark.net/common/getimage.ashx?pi=557312354&w=440&h=366&sln=1"><source src="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/brainshark.net/apppresentation/getmovie.aspx?pi=557312354&fmt=2" /><img border="0" height="366" src="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/brainshark.net/apppresentation/splash.aspx?pi=557312354" width="440" /></video></a></object><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My second attempt: How to make a blog</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my second attempt I became more ambitious:<br /><br />a) I added a <i>PowerPoint</i> with voice on how to make a blog (in case you have come to the conclusion that you need your own blog to embed tools as you make them!) <br /><br />b) After add the PowerPoint I also added a <i>movie </i>with its own voice<i> </i>which was exciting - because that meant I had added two different media. <br /><br />c) Thirdly I added an <i>attachment</i> which was the PowerPoint I used for the webinar last night. By the way, if you hover your mouse at the top of this page you'll see the attachment - this evening's presentation!  Anyone can download the attachment by just clicking on it. How is that!!! </span><br /><br /><br /></div><object data="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/viewer/getplayer.ashx" height="366" id="bsplayer84941" name="bsplayer84941" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="440"><param name="movie" value="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/viewer/getplayer.ashx" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="flashvars" value="pi=374239858&dm=5&pause=1" /><a href="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/viewer/fallback.ashx?pi=374239858"><video width="440" height="366" controls="true" poster="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/brainshark.net/common/getimage.ashx?pi=374239858&w=440&h=366&sln=1"><source src="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/brainshark.net/apppresentation/getmovie.aspx?pi=374239858&fmt=2" /><img border="0" height="366" src="http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/brainshark.net/apppresentation/splash.aspx?pi=374239858" width="440" /></video></a></object></div><div><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Last night's webinar recording</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last night's webinar was a short 15-20 minute presentation on how to make a Mybrainshark. The recording can be located at:</span><br /><a href="http://meet78641452.adobeconnect.com/p4tdhun88bb/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://meet78641452.adobeconnect.com/p4tdhun88bb/</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Classroom uses</b></span><br /><br /><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></div><span style="text-indent: -0.38in;"></span><br /><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.38in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Photo journal of an outing with narration</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;"><br />*Students can present a good project with a great mix of media</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;">*Great for a flipped classroom experience – giving instructions via a blog with voice</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;"><br />*If a teacher can’t be in a class that day she can send instructions this way. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;"><br />*My brainshark is useful for listening skills lessons where just the podcast section can be </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;">used.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;"><br />*The fact that you can edit everything at any time means it</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;">also allows reflection as learners get </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;">a chance to produce, present, edit, re-present, re-appraise during a further presentation.</span></span></div><span style="text-indent: -0.38in;"></span><br /><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.38in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;">*Students could make a short film as part of a project and add a commentary.  They could, for example, detail information about how the film was made, where it was filmed and why they directed it in a certain way.   The original film needs to have no or minimal sound as voiceover </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.38in;">can be added.  Background music can be added </span></div><span style="text-indent: -0.38in;"></span><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">There must be a whole lot more uses that I haven't yet thought of. </span><br /><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.38in; margin-top: 7.68pt; text-indent: -0.38in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.38in; margin-top: 7.68pt; text-indent: -0.38in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Further reading</b></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.38in; margin-top: 7.68pt; text-indent: -0.38in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2n6Y5lKCo8">1) A quick tour of MyBrainshark video</a></span></div></div></div>

30 days of web tools MyBrainShark 30 days of webtools: #23 Use Mybrainshark to create online Powerpoints with voice plus more...

Mybrainshark is a place where you can easily create videos from your PowerPoint slides...but not only from PowerPoint slides! You can also add your voice to documents, a series of photos, and even voice over to a video or else the video with its own …

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guest post - vivid hue home

<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am so flattered that Elizabeth has asked me to be a guest blogger while she enjoys some much needed R&R.  Hi, I'm Heather from </span><a href="http://www.vividhuehome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vivid Hue Home.</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">  One thing you should know about me is that I love color and patterns and textures.  And I love to mix them all together! </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vividhuehome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-NKkEZfaP7SNEJVc_hEnnl1HMOeUUS0O1_IYcDD6ns2vfWM39P82_zRILOUeoWQucWvBJ2uRCGQ-MOlY__0z5hB1O-cTwyj94tuYNet7YHKM5UZUhthnyRQGZ3eULH18O94yCAz0rMY/s640/banner.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">My philosophy is you should have fun with design. Don't be timid to mix and match patterns and styles. Use color. Mix antique with modern, flea market with new. Show your personality. You can't go wrong with doing what feels right.  </span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't believe me?  Here's proof from my </span><a href="http://www.vividhuehome.blogspot.com/p/house-tour.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">own home</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">:  </span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://vividhuehome.blogspot.com/2012/02/house-tour-sun-room.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5FFitBVQyJhnffcGVbvN3T4UNQiPsMZx73LdKOCGgytU9bi1ijulubhosR65k-T_I9KrFktJCc9MdhGjcqoWjughLDckCWIDPU2QyjPYEuTQPuVaWYk8atsipj70uCo6IphVFUZLAiQ/s640/design+post2.JPG" width="448" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I have long been a believer that fashion and decor are closely linked together.  The runway not only dictates fashion trends but also guides how colors, fabrics and styles will transcend into the home.  Apparently, I'm not the only one that thinks this.  The theme for this fall's </span><a href="http://www.highpointmarket.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">High Point Market</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2012 is "Fashion Focus."  </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to have some fun with ya'll today and show you some fabulous examples where runway fashion meets interior decor:  </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQmKanEQzO1SCtTyx8D4RrpOPNEscEqqcczM6QcAIicOqth5NYPCz0z50UCR2VKaJrXD7PU3BXvqr-fRihdwjO2mSaDy11-B2hRPRpF2qXNHDaMpYqYJVJq4j_S9k5FbP79qpFThi-DU/s1600/Versace+Fall+2012+RTW+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQmKanEQzO1SCtTyx8D4RrpOPNEscEqqcczM6QcAIicOqth5NYPCz0z50UCR2VKaJrXD7PU3BXvqr-fRihdwjO2mSaDy11-B2hRPRpF2qXNHDaMpYqYJVJq4j_S9k5FbP79qpFThi-DU/s640/Versace+Fall+2012+RTW+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Versace Fall 2012 RTW and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEiEykybrBkQqUoalBztNwuEjKsp8pUdz3qiUhAmdCeqe2wbt0jkbGTdBFzeknU1n9QSso3WrfFygFm7Fn9aQJEhcubo5PO7xtI9QPRQHTe1741ggsXuAS5Thaf7VOxM4rV12YAkQCig37A/s1600/Tracy+Reese+Fall+2012+RTW+and+Elle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEykybrBkQqUoalBztNwuEjKsp8pUdz3qiUhAmdCeqe2wbt0jkbGTdBFzeknU1n9QSso3WrfFygFm7Fn9aQJEhcubo5PO7xtI9QPRQHTe1741ggsXuAS5Thaf7VOxM4rV12YAkQCig37A/s640/Tracy+Reese+Fall+2012+RTW+and+Elle.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tracy Reese Fall 2012 RTW and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEjLogqL7LDB8sJVirLCnDwXNmx1KalPQfmdL7o3qohxo-9iaqw4QU6cJWF_DIj9Mhh4qvVMxFTd9ZBbFl8ujf843MBsR2iRDpaGXZUodYrfyJOPXLSuBgUeYo2lvqqiyR_wZHRQwn7pgws/s1600/Todd+Synder+Fall+2012+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLogqL7LDB8sJVirLCnDwXNmx1KalPQfmdL7o3qohxo-9iaqw4QU6cJWF_DIj9Mhh4qvVMxFTd9ZBbFl8ujf843MBsR2iRDpaGXZUodYrfyJOPXLSuBgUeYo2lvqqiyR_wZHRQwn7pgws/s640/Todd+Synder+Fall+2012+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Todd Snyder Fall 2012 and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEhXXcfIJbVNDcYjnU_ane6_-i3ZglUZBdgoZrqCRhOnX9dLEGafRpKGvOmOlDGesrhN7Lzlb4CYym5sLAzl4Y8aO3ihBqd_HbCAhpKv9KjEVAmvgq3LQlFBv_dyzN_N_LBiVyMBQL4BAc0/s1600/Prada+2013+and+Elle+decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXcfIJbVNDcYjnU_ane6_-i3ZglUZBdgoZrqCRhOnX9dLEGafRpKGvOmOlDGesrhN7Lzlb4CYym5sLAzl4Y8aO3ihBqd_HbCAhpKv9KjEVAmvgq3LQlFBv_dyzN_N_LBiVyMBQL4BAc0/s640/Prada+2013+and+Elle+decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prada 2013 and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEgWWzZFxojTEtPfP7HUDVJpSxlEV5NZxbBnBzIlHvoOZnzTkK-4qmpRGF0s0rcb4v48NH8eNX_czi7jLB5qRD7h40Gj2smU7XsW9q4sEretWzGNvbTozcQc4nvgy4w2C0U7q28XaCJkY0A/s1600/Mulberry+Spring+2012+and+Elle+decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWzZFxojTEtPfP7HUDVJpSxlEV5NZxbBnBzIlHvoOZnzTkK-4qmpRGF0s0rcb4v48NH8eNX_czi7jLB5qRD7h40Gj2smU7XsW9q4sEretWzGNvbTozcQc4nvgy4w2C0U7q28XaCJkY0A/s640/Mulberry+Spring+2012+and+Elle+decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mulberry Spring 2012 and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEjYJwyS0rq_pfs4rtmoK7XDxGkd7hYYKg6iBT6_nanwhXzMkxucPQnNaRjPGMidDa-V5jC2HjDhVTi2FlPmwZFb43UpokoKZmMmbqXfFhyphenhyphenqhLswMC98Ma4BXuiwv6N0YoBdN-1MBj-VVPU/s1600/Erin+Fetherston+Resort+2012+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJwyS0rq_pfs4rtmoK7XDxGkd7hYYKg6iBT6_nanwhXzMkxucPQnNaRjPGMidDa-V5jC2HjDhVTi2FlPmwZFb43UpokoKZmMmbqXfFhyphenhyphenqhLswMC98Ma4BXuiwv6N0YoBdN-1MBj-VVPU/s640/Erin+Fetherston+Resort+2012+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erin Fetherston Resort 2012 and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEhgxUnx3wB8RiXh-7NZPKxcVZKiJONe2yLg1i4eeRbAxAl2dWInlLXvCpZvcG6UgIksGeRISyMGZonq-ybEzxPK2Yhirr-g2WGfGZSY2uyq0feKyuyhvWa9Vd_bAuRGkTVSAXYaAxOkWN4/s1600/Elie+Tahari+Resort+2012+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxUnx3wB8RiXh-7NZPKxcVZKiJONe2yLg1i4eeRbAxAl2dWInlLXvCpZvcG6UgIksGeRISyMGZonq-ybEzxPK2Yhirr-g2WGfGZSY2uyq0feKyuyhvWa9Vd_bAuRGkTVSAXYaAxOkWN4/s640/Elie+Tahari+Resort+2012+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elie Tahari Resort 2012 and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEiBo1c5gk1Fo1Jy8jSIrm86rzJXZFTDBohqV4-qOD442zIv2tqu4CqgNiT7-SbLedGKEHOTv8vb-M4Fsb3jBN-_PVdHvMoFz0hWR7E00KZ_fvf0FrmxBHjyl1W5inV-UkKm9zOSoro8TOY/s1600/Burbery+Prorsum+Fall+2012+and+Elle+decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBo1c5gk1Fo1Jy8jSIrm86rzJXZFTDBohqV4-qOD442zIv2tqu4CqgNiT7-SbLedGKEHOTv8vb-M4Fsb3jBN-_PVdHvMoFz0hWR7E00KZ_fvf0FrmxBHjyl1W5inV-UkKm9zOSoro8TOY/s640/Burbery+Prorsum+Fall+2012+and+Elle+decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Burbery Prorsum Fall 2012 and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEiLdNqIdJleW96VqKGKoHjWGhZ8epTX7lQDaqWa80fGtPYEUJmCvik-0haI3yblu82qPi51T4YnodTmfnBEkdfY3_vouhXPXaIRz0x3Oug54hZE_La4FxyB16v4Cb0QRtfmJaB2vdmoWTU/s1600/Gen+Art+Fall+2012+RTW+and+Elle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdNqIdJleW96VqKGKoHjWGhZ8epTX7lQDaqWa80fGtPYEUJmCvik-0haI3yblu82qPi51T4YnodTmfnBEkdfY3_vouhXPXaIRz0x3Oug54hZE_La4FxyB16v4Cb0QRtfmJaB2vdmoWTU/s640/Gen+Art+Fall+2012+RTW+and+Elle.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gen Art Fall 2012 RTW and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEicDFyNA_2OS79O9ZlLMPv0lZBKoRTSxr5aK91ANZq_QPIBRGLtnrlYEylDGj1paimvVBF1IzUAejmA3q_FUoddcOLqFjEJIG2lSVlfphilSusjYiibufuEf7HXBHum3MbZ1YLg1pPXqPg/s1600/DVF+spring+2012+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDFyNA_2OS79O9ZlLMPv0lZBKoRTSxr5aK91ANZq_QPIBRGLtnrlYEylDGj1paimvVBF1IzUAejmA3q_FUoddcOLqFjEJIG2lSVlfphilSusjYiibufuEf7HXBHum3MbZ1YLg1pPXqPg/s640/DVF+spring+2012+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DVF Spring 2012 and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEjiOHRURTbgE31lqVDMZRi7R2dBdZm-eVoGwwm-2HByeAJgI-0r1VDrf77tZ6JMhTv-2Gk8idUPe1-Bl00GZDuc2uOQA7Qqb-YSMLl2yP7zRWT5mVAViftqgQDsahV-DxVpyM5GTy9RQ-c/s1600/chanel+resort+2013+and+elle+decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOHRURTbgE31lqVDMZRi7R2dBdZm-eVoGwwm-2HByeAJgI-0r1VDrf77tZ6JMhTv-2Gk8idUPe1-Bl00GZDuc2uOQA7Qqb-YSMLl2yP7zRWT5mVAViftqgQDsahV-DxVpyM5GTy9RQ-c/s640/chanel+resort+2013+and+elle+decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chanel Resort 2013 and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEiLKKY6EJfEIln5Ls1aTZOJQQpAIE9n2IbrKAycG0AHIcjDPLFCyDLNPpwUrQm6zPWCE5JK9f-Ggy5qV_BI_iurySzcpTdPdckL-rOp24lX8bR8e-n5Y_mM4FtZxvDDPKKd0VE21W06Lh0/s1600/mj+resort+2012+and+la+times.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKKY6EJfEIln5Ls1aTZOJQQpAIE9n2IbrKAycG0AHIcjDPLFCyDLNPpwUrQm6zPWCE5JK9f-Ggy5qV_BI_iurySzcpTdPdckL-rOp24lX8bR8e-n5Y_mM4FtZxvDDPKKd0VE21W06Lh0/s640/mj+resort+2012+and+la+times.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marc Jacobs Resort 2013 and Los Angeles Times</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEiOCAvsFzd0degmAlFKdcByKA2bPfS2XaWU_K95oeSbE7XfuiJS_lcn1xvRMogXNVveASlFqjXW4JTXMBUGjmtckojH9ubp3unJEGzhv4RFsGmnqJ76Q7qxEcRYRDcGMz4fc0gm1G141eM/s1600/gucci+resort+2012+and+apartment+therapy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCAvsFzd0degmAlFKdcByKA2bPfS2XaWU_K95oeSbE7XfuiJS_lcn1xvRMogXNVveASlFqjXW4JTXMBUGjmtckojH9ubp3unJEGzhv4RFsGmnqJ76Q7qxEcRYRDcGMz4fc0gm1G141eM/s640/gucci+resort+2012+and+apartment+therapy.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gucci Resort 2013 and Apartment Therapy</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEgGiZZKzJLIVg63i87il3t7TusQ_QGoHoCHeBOk8bKK7X_IleYJKqvbhrwlyV2gxdOu4f2ckGx01Bc4-U_-_WKKlGzQTeE97uQwDnOzNaywkC_wThLKt8CFPWc5ztA46VFVlV_zfS2WI8M/s1600/Michael+Kors+Spring+2011+RTW+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiZZKzJLIVg63i87il3t7TusQ_QGoHoCHeBOk8bKK7X_IleYJKqvbhrwlyV2gxdOu4f2ckGx01Bc4-U_-_WKKlGzQTeE97uQwDnOzNaywkC_wThLKt8CFPWc5ztA46VFVlV_zfS2WI8M/s640/Michael+Kors+Spring+2011+RTW+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Michael Kors Spring 2011 RTW and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><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/AVvXsEgj6sVpnrfHSytFeTRyCIYD2cciCwpur4X9keKSF6paem4K9tr0bgc-_6IFEj2eCVK_0xTE0eBnd6Mp1hk7Ntsg6My4eL5G954z2IL3RPUKc-t8rKt3yGLpdDRnFUJtyLdJvGQ8Txudr2k/s1600/Elie+Tahari+Fall+2012+TYW+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6sVpnrfHSytFeTRyCIYD2cciCwpur4X9keKSF6paem4K9tr0bgc-_6IFEj2eCVK_0xTE0eBnd6Mp1hk7Ntsg6My4eL5G954z2IL3RPUKc-t8rKt3yGLpdDRnFUJtyLdJvGQ8Txudr2k/s640/Elie+Tahari+Fall+2012+TYW+and+Elle+Decor.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elie Tahari Fall 2012 RTW and Elle Decor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">{All of these fabulous photos are courtesy of </span><a href="http://fashiondecor.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fashion Decor</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">}</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next time you're stumped with how to re-decorate that room in your home that doesn't quite seem like it's getting finished, try looking down at your outfit for inspiration--ha!  </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you've enjoyed this tour and I'd love if you came to visit me over at </span><a href="http://www.vividhuehome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vivid Hue Home</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.  Heck, feel free to stay awhile!  </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">xoxo Heather from Vivid Hue Home</span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.vividhuehome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN7Kh6wyYT62UIMuXEKiJjI_dqsnfQKKCwhpIeBJa_eN5t2mCTZ1Pl1vE8hdTvGGJfUdcu0OQZgRlaRtrNHmRvBy4MQ1k9WgglhG8xqfWIVS3t2_dJEd1mQ_drYY7TpaKNgMjhud-rgA/s1600/Heather-1-copy.gif" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

guest post - vivid hue home

I am so flattered that Elizabeth has asked me to be a guest blogger while she enjoys some much needed R&R.  Hi, I'm Heather from Vivid Hue Home.  One thing you should know about me is that I love color and patterns and textures.  And I love to mix th…

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La Biennale di Venezia

I'm in Venice this week covering the <a href="http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/">13th International Architecture Exhibition</a> of la Biennale di Venezia for World-Architects.com. Check out the <a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/biennale-architettura-2012">Insight feature</a> in <a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/emagazine/architecture-news">today's eMagazine</a> for some Day-1 photos and impressions.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/biennale-architettura-2012"><img alt="Insight-cover-3.jpg" src="http://www.world-architects.com/img/frontend/pages/1757/1000x750/Insight-cover_3.jpg" title="La Biennale di Venezia" width="640" /></a>

La Biennale di Venezia

I'm in Venice this week covering the 13th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia for World-Architects.com. Check out the Insight feature in today's eMagazine for some Day-1 photos and impressions.…

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Made to Crave - Ch 2 Reflections

I'm already on chapter 6 of this book!  I'm really enjoying the bits of advice so far.  Below are my reflections from chapter 2.<br /><br />Chapter 1 Reflections can be found <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/08/made-to-crave-ch-1-reflections.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br /><b>Chapter 2 - Replacing My Cravings:</b><br /><b><br /></b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b>1.  When it comes to your relationship with food, what repeated behaviors or events describe the cycle you experience and feel powerless to stop?</b></span></i><br /><br />When it comes to eating in general (not following a healthy eating plan), I have a major problem with emotional eating.  I eat out of boredom, sadness, stress and loneliness.  I also experience strong cravings for sweets. <br /><br />I feel powerless to stop the emotional eating because as much as it sucks after the binge, for that particular moment in time, there is nothing that will satisfy that emotion but shoving food into my mouth.  So, I guess I need to keep myself busy, happy, stress-free and around others? Easier said than done.<br /><br />I have proven to myself, <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/07/cutting-back-on-sugar-for-july.html" target="_blank">recently</a> in fact, that I can live without sweets, at least in the short term.  However, it's not beneficial to me because when I do allow myself to eat them again, I go crazy and binge on sweets.  I would like to limit my intake of sweets, to say, 1-2 sweet treats per day.  I mainly crave them after lunch and after dinner.  So there's a possible solution to this overabundance-of-sweets problem!  I'll give that a go this week and see how it goes. <br /><br />What I really need to do is incorporate prayer into these 2 situations when I feel powerless to food. <br /><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span><b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;">2. There are many reasons we have for wanting to eat differently - losing weight, fitting into a favorite pair of jeans, looking good for an important event.  What reasons motivate your desire to eat healthier?  Do these reasons give your struggles with food a purpose strong enough to help you resist unhealthy eating?  How do you respond to Lysa's statement: "I had to see the purpose of my struggle as something more than wearing smaller sizes and getting compliments from others....It had to be about something more than just me"?</span></i></b><br /><br />I listed 17 reasons for why I wanted to lose weight <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-do-you-want-to-lose-weight.html" target="_blank">here</a>.  I guess if those reasons were enough to have me eat healthier, I would be dropping weight like it's going out of style.  In years past, I think the typical reasons for losing weight (as mentioned in the question and in my previous post) were enough for me at the time.  Now, however, it's different.  I think that this time around it has to be more about improving on my relationship with God.  It's clear that I cannot do this journey alone - I need His strength and guidance to reach my goals.<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;">3. "I had to get honest enough to admit it: I relied on food more than I relied on God.  I craved food more than I craved God. Food was my comfort.  Food was my reward.  Food was my joy.  Food was what I turned to in times of stress, sadness and even in times of happiness."  Consider your eating experiences over the last few days or weeks.  Using the list below, can you recall specific situations in which you turned to food for these reasons?</span></i></b><br /><br />I want to point out that I think you can really insert any problem into this and all questions in this book. Replace the word "food" and insert the word(s) alcohol, drugs, shopping, sex, etc into the sentences above.  The same principles apply.<br /><br /><ul><li><b>Comfort</b> - I was feeling anxious last night about the amount of schoolwork I have piled up for the next several days, and so I ate (chocolate no less) while sitting in front of the TV to calm my nerves.  Please note that the chocolate didn't do the textbook reading for me!  </li><li><strike><b>Reward</b></strike></li><li><b>Joy</b> - Joel and I enjoyed ice cream and alcohol both nights while at the beach.... as a celebration of sorts for our vacation in a new place.</li><li><b>Stress</b> - on the drive home yesterday we stopped at a Wendy's to take a break from the blinding rain storm.  I ate and I wasn't even hungry.</li><li><b>Sadness</b> - I ate more before I went to bed last night because I was sad for not staying within my DPT yesterday.... as a result of poor eating earlier in the day.</li><li><b>Happiness</b> - this would be the same as joy...</li></ul><div><b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;">Keeping the same situations in mind, how do you imagine your experiences might have been different if you had relied on God, craved God, instead of turning to food?</span></i></b></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div>For starters, I wouldn't be spending the rest of this week trying to undo all the damage I did last night/yesterday.  I also believe I would have received more of a depth of comfort from God if I would have consulted Him with my troubles rather than turning to food.  Food cannot accomplish my studies for me, but perhaps by praying I could have found peace in Him knowing that He will help me get through whatever assignments I have mapped out for the week.  I <i>know</i> that turning to God will fulfill my needs completely, rather than food, but I <i>need</i> to practice turning to Him instead of food.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;">4. How do you respond to the idea of using your cravings as a prompt to pray?  How had prayer helped or failed to help in your previous food battles?</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I think using cravings as a prompt to pray is a great idea.  I haven't used this technique in the past so I have no immediate experience as it helping me before.  However, I think the same thing applies as I said in the previous question.  It is putting this idea into practice.  When I have a craving, my automatic response (most of the time) is to satisfy the craving without even thinking twice.  I need to get into the habit of recognizing the craving, then reminding myself to pray about it first, and <i>then</i> walk away from the craving knowing I can because of Him.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #674ea7;">5.  Brick by brick (or craving by craving), Lysa dismantled her tower of impossibility and used the same bricks to build a walkway of prayer, paving the path to victory.  Brick by brick in an effective way to dismantle something but it also takes time and careful work.  In your battles with food, are you more likely to choose a drastic, quick-fix approach or a moderate but longer-term approach?  What thoughts or feelings emerge when you consider dismantling your own tower of impossibility one craving at a time?</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I am more like to choose a moderate, long-term approach to removing this weight.  This is the longest I've ever stuck to trying to lose weight without completely giving up.  This is also because I am committed to finding something that works for the longterm, not just to meet some short term goals to only have it backfire later on.  For example, I've had people suggest that in order to accomplish sticking to a plan, I should just eat the same few things everyday - that way I don't have to worry about planning each week.  I did this before and it worked for me.  However, there are a lot of foods I cannot even stomach the thought of today because I just ate that same stuff over and over and over again.  Did it yield results?  It sure did, but eventually I gained all the weight back, plus 10 lbs.  I enjoy variety with my food, and I'm trying to find a longterm approach to getting to enjoy variety, while still being able to lose, and eventually maintain my loss.  </div><div><br /></div><div>Taking a more moderate approach takes time as well as trial and error.  There are days when I just want to revert back to eating the same 5 meals every single day just to get the weight off quickly.  However, I know this didn't work for me before and so I have to remind myself to be patient and deal with each issue as it comes.  I think if I can get a handle on my cravings, one craving at a time, I will enter into a world of joy and success!</div>

Made to Crave Made to Crave - Ch 2 Reflections

I'm already on chapter 6 of this book!  I'm really enjoying the bits of advice so far.  Below are my reflections from chapter 2.Chapter 1 Reflections can be found here.Chapter 2 - Replacing My Cravings:1.  When it comes to your relationship with food…

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 08/28/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.21stcenturycollaborative.com/2011/05/7-lessons-educators-can-learn-from-the-urban-outfitters-pr-disaster/">7 lessons educators can learn from the Urban Outfitters PR disaster | 21st Century Collaborative</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">An excellent story about how Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach's daughter, Amber, became part of a viral story. This is an excellent example of how social media influence can allow students to become activists.</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/socialmedia">socialmedia</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://maps.playingwithmedia.com">Mapping Media to the Curriculum » What do you want to CREATE today?</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Wes Fryer has created an excellent resource mapping media to the curriculum that starts off with what you want to create today. This is a fantastic resource to share.</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> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/evernote">evernote</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/neverendingsearch/2012/08/26/tlchat-live-get-ready-for-more-cafe/">#tlchat live & get ready for more Café « NeverEndingSearch</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Joyce Valenza, teacher librarian extraordinaire, shares about the #tlchat (teacher librarian chat) and how teacher librarians can join in and learn on Twitter. Joyce is a wealth of information, so if you're a teacher librarian, you should join in.</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></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>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 08/28/2012

7 lessons educators can learn from the Urban Outfitters PR disaster | 21st Century Collaborative An excellent story about how Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach's daughter, Amber, became part of a viral story. This is an exc…

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