News for today's 2018: 12/11/12

The Great News: SchoolNet won the WCED tender to supply all schools with one tablet per school! The Scary News: to be delivered within a week!

11:38 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><i>submitted by janet Thomson CEO of SchoolNet</i><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SchoolNet SA was delighted to be awarded the WCED tender to supply every government school in the Western Cape with one tablet computer and to conduct training for WCED department officials. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The drawback however was that the deliveries had to be concluded within one week! Finding 1 527 schools on a map was going to be difficult enough let alone tracking down the principals in order for them to sign to verify delivery.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></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/AVvXsEipTqYf1N58xqZlCzUaCJ1BgXHKguU_MRSTG5pPCp9pziPyLLsOyTSV7ep17W6m_1jcxTN20X9SrwXz9o95i8y9nb6Djzy5rgDiCT29oH134XGzk52243Z7lBWaUWIcz_qNHDuKjE6CV68/s1600-h/clip_image002%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="clip_image002" border="0" height="184" hspace="12" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG4SqHmUnP9XRcOnYuIXA3mC-Jv4umM3haXTliZgL0zOe6xxiVgNvU7yB4CKYv41dFLIgCGDl7_PuQMCVfNSBd38Z0zFwAYxsAYDXeeGugLktFLOb5J-MKAqy984CaiJQ9bK1biybQjM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="clip_image002" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donald Grant handing over a tablet</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nirvanen Moodle, the Managing Director of Softstart which is SchoolNet’s hardware partner, described the process as being “just like delivering credit cards”. Not surprisingly the process has had some hiccups, but the majority of devices were delivered within the deadline. The MEC for Education in the Western Cape, Donald Grant, was even able to make three of the deliveries himself. Here Donald Grant is seen handing over an Android tablet to Mrs Booi, Principal of Phandulwazi High School in Phillipi. Looking on is the District Manager for Phillipi, Ms Thandeka Jafta and Janet Thomson CEO of SchoolNet SA.  </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><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/AVvXsEjqyIpNuxLv7e3xtWe6YVbOixGBKk13E2odQoWzgWRgbtaf1pLFO6J1Jb0Z3acIwj_KtH5EhzxekKVkIcti5nCSxuHeFAMQHXYmcy2riHbnmm_exrAi_yizVlo_E0zBBD176yYzuHdhkEM/s1600-h/clip_image004%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="clip_image004" border="0" height="152" hspace="12" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-Yd5McKc6mowUBMhLMeem-v3nxYZZCfUDdQpd8MlvVXoPID7Zo2gKfM8Rl4cIbI9nQhDck-CXePKmPkQyNOAHNiiXbXaYz0_mAbJvcLzQLx79TrCfkKVrtZTodVaXlexY4f-jQI4dS8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="clip_image004" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Training of  WCED officials at Kuilsrivier</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SchoolNet SA’s core business is teacher training with a focus on improving learning through the effective use of technology in the classroom. It was logical therefore for SchoolNet to offer a higher level of training for schools than that specified in the terms of the tender. SchoolNet is currently developing a professional development course for teachers using tablet devices in the classroom. Fuel Online is partnering with SchoolNet on the digital design of the course which will use a blended model of delivery and have flexible choices of study from twelve modules about the effective use of tablets in education. The first training in this course for the Western Cape schools will commence in January 2013. Basic Training on the Tablet for WCED department officials has already taken place in Kuilsriver as can be seen in this photo. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SchoolNet is anticipating that there will be a great demand for this courseware as more teachers, schools and provinces recognise the value of using tablets, not only for improving communication between schools, districts and provincial officials but also for enhancing learning in the classroom.   </span><br /></div>

news The Great News: SchoolNet won the WCED tender to supply all schools with one tablet per school! The Scary News: to be delivered within a week!

submitted by janet Thomson CEO of SchoolNet SchoolNet SA was delighted to be awarded the WCED tender to supply every government school in th...

Turn That Frown Upside Down

9:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Cheers Chuckleheads…Matt-Man here.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDQSfFAfcJbrxTErojj0jQf0-Yp_m2CpvnDCMKQgCw9mR_SLHfl2MZiJ-1wY-vMOvf6_Z6dQvVO1at3lXMAkqCHLNGz3HaoXFFBFFrk4SKmQvY18xDykUZS2eSuvn74Io0lHGtr-tv1Y/s1600/Turn+that+Frown+Upside+Down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDQSfFAfcJbrxTErojj0jQf0-Yp_m2CpvnDCMKQgCw9mR_SLHfl2MZiJ-1wY-vMOvf6_Z6dQvVO1at3lXMAkqCHLNGz3HaoXFFBFFrk4SKmQvY18xDykUZS2eSuvn74Io0lHGtr-tv1Y/s320/Turn+that+Frown+Upside+Down.jpg" width="320" /></a>Those of you who know me, know that of late, I have been a grumpy stump.  Mr. Crabby Appleton.   One pissed off muthha---Shut Your Mouth!!<br /><br />Concerns over Schmoop’s health, her upcoming 4-7 hour surgery, and our tenuous financial state of affairs, has recently caused me to become a bitter, angry, and worrisome middle-aged man.<br /><br />So…<br /><br />Today I am going to think positive, try to stem the tide of doom and gloom, and perk myself up by listing upon these revered pages of the IWS website, some things that make me happy.<br /><br />A longtime friend of mine asked me the other day if I still enjoyed baloney sandwiches topped with cottage cheese and Cheetos.  That brought a smile to my face because I love them!!<br /><br />And then I realized, due to my advanced state of gum disease and rapidly deteriorating teeth, I can no longer enjoy the cheesy crunch of Cheetos, nor bread if it is crusty, and the baloney?  It has to be sliced into small bits…so, well…I can still enjoy a bowl of cottage cheese, I guess.<br /><br />One of the goings on here in the Bagwine digs that makes feel all warm and happy, is that sometimes early in the morning, our cat Corky will hop on my chest and sleep on me while I am doing the same.  I like that a lot, or at least I did.<br /><br />The other morning at roughly 7:15 in the AM as I was comfortably slumbering with Corky resting upon my chest, I was awoken by a sound that can be described only as, <i>“Shizzzz-Pffft!!”</i>   Uh-huh, my cat had sneezed on me, and not a cute, gentle, little feline sneeze.  Noooooooo.<br /><br />It was as if Sarah Jessica Parker had been lying on my chest and blew a sneeze out her uber-ample sniffer which covered my face with every drip, drop, and lining of her equine-sized sinus cavity.  A Ding-Dang-Do. Oh well.<br /><br />Oh!!  Here ya go…this made me very happy.  Schmoop and her brother got a hotel room for Thursday night in Columbus which is only 3-5 minutes away from the hospital.  It’s nice to know that they won’t have to get up at 3 in the morning on Friday, and drive from Bagwine to Columbus in order to be there for her surgery check-in time of 5 AM.<br /><br />Of course, since her brother has the car and will be staying with her throughout the surgery and her 7-10 day recovery, that means that instead of walking back and forth to work for <b><i>7</i></b>-10 days, I’ll be walking back and forth to work for <i><b>8</b></i>-10 days.  WTF?<br /><br />It is nice to know that Schmoop and I beat the man and unemployment eventually took her word over her boss’.   Damn right!!  Unemployment finally approved her claim!!  Of course, she can’t receive any money until her Doctor clears her to look for a job, and that won’t be until mid-January at the earliest.  Uuch.<br /><br />Okay, okay…I gots one for you, and yes, this one makes me happy without any negativity.<br /><br />As I am typing this, I am bitching and whining to myself about having an extremely sore throat, and the fact that I am losing my voice.  Well, while greatly saddened about Schmoop, I should be grateful, that I, unlike Schmoop, am suffering from a minor medical malady.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtD8LInO4PeS5z-aGC1jRnMwFDVYgEO8_dbb3n4aQ02CUeC4miwuUzZeXctdkpN1kRQEDW8l93Vv3HcmTmofFWG1AbbPEWOVidHLpYqfV7XNW9jpgMqPAZnb8tieHdZMQG95Ui_ptU5Lw/s1600/Anatomy-of-the-larynx.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/AVvXsEgtD8LInO4PeS5z-aGC1jRnMwFDVYgEO8_dbb3n4aQ02CUeC4miwuUzZeXctdkpN1kRQEDW8l93Vv3HcmTmofFWG1AbbPEWOVidHLpYqfV7XNW9jpgMqPAZnb8tieHdZMQG95Ui_ptU5Lw/s320/Anatomy-of-the-larynx.jpg" width="299" /></a>I am grateful and will be vastly more grateful if sometime Friday, I get a call at work from Schmoop’s brother telling me that the surgery went well and there is no cancer.  With soreness and raspiness of voice, I am going to laugh, cry, and celebrate in loud and jubilant song.<br /><br />Of course…<br /><br />After dropping a throat lozenge to ease the pain of my vocal outburst of joy, I will say to myself…<br /><br /><i>“I am so happy that my Schmoopie is cancer free, but this “sore throat” I have?  I bet it’s cancer of the larynx God Dammit!!”</i><br /><br />Man…this finding my happy place thing is going to take more effort.<br /><br /><i>Cheers!!</i><br /><br />Matt-Man<br /><br /><a href="mailto:mattmaniws@ymail.com"><i>mattmaniws@ymail.com</i></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: blue;">@MattMan_IWS</span></i></a></div>

Turn That Frown Upside Down

Cheers Chuckleheads…Matt-Man here. Those of you who know me, know that of late, I have been a grumpy stump. Mr. Crabby Appleton. One piss...

USA, CHINA AND THE GULF STATES: WHO SHOULD BE DOING THE GEOPOLITICAL HEAVY LIFTING IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

3:02 PM Tukiyooo 0

<br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJqdI5Ajaah5TQ0DDRTjeDtBuouh85jJtKMp09LJmRdjiISHC23FSQ8njrzK75MCFZ3KnFQP5MRiRoIVkJOVX0w73Z1s4dYke6kurgxCJoAfK6Xy3A-lCEmwZmqPFtOdWihbO7DiE-5Tf/s1600/China_USA_tensions-300x250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJqdI5Ajaah5TQ0DDRTjeDtBuouh85jJtKMp09LJmRdjiISHC23FSQ8njrzK75MCFZ3KnFQP5MRiRoIVkJOVX0w73Z1s4dYke6kurgxCJoAfK6Xy3A-lCEmwZmqPFtOdWihbO7DiE-5Tf/s400/China_USA_tensions-300x250.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">EXTERNAL SECURITY PROVISION IS STILL PROVIDED BY THE WEST, WHILE ECONOMIC PULL HAS SHIFTED TO THE EAST.</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Source: Oilprice By Matthew Hulbert </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">‘Stick or twist’ sums up the changes of political power in AMERICA and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/places/china/">CHINA</a> in November 2012. President Obama won another four year term in <a href="http://www.forbes.com/places/dc/washington/">Washington</a>, while <a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/xi-jinping/">Xi Jinping</a> assumed stewardship of CHINA. This intricate ‘CHIMERICAN’ relationship is fundamental to the global outlook anywhere you care to look, and nowhere more so than the MIDDLE EAST. External security provision is still provided by the West, while economic pull has shifted to the East. Sounds a simple division of labour, but the ‘roles’ actually become very mixed up once you take a closer look. Squaring this awkward ‘CHIMERICAN’ circle is going to be a tough task for GULF STATES to get right, but it’s absolutely critical to their geo-economic and geopolitical future to do so over the next four years.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">MIDDLE EAST: IS IT REALLY ALL ABOUT OIL AND GAS?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">From the U.S. perspective, the old mantra has always been that a threat to MIDDLE EAST oil supplies correlated to a direct threat to AMERICAN national security. This was explicitly spelt out in the 1980 Carter Doctrine that’s been the cornerstone of Washington’s role in the GULF ever since. But times are now rapidly changing, and doing so, precisely because the U.S. has seen enormous hydrocarbon production growth on home soil. The initial energy ‘revolution’ was in natural gas, making AMERICA the world’s largest single (651bcm) producer, and is now shifting towards liquids. U.S. oil production growth has been 500,000b/d over the past four years, with total liquids output expected to hit 11.4mb/d next year and onto 13-15mb/d towards 2020. That will make AMERICA the largest single liquids player in the world, surpassing even SAUDI production numbers, with the obvious upshot that Washington no longer sees MENA oil as the valued prize it once was. Whether you’re like the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/international/">International</a> Energy Agency and fully signed up to the ‘U.S. energy independence’ narrative or not doesn’t really matter: The Obama Administration believes it has sufficient ‘hydrocarbon’ space to pick and choose what it does or doesn’t decide to do to underwrite global energy supplies in future. That’s exactly what it’s going to do over the next four years.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background Information</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: <b><span style="color: red;">T</span></b></span><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">HE SECRET WAR BETWEEN CHINA AND THE US FOR AFRICA'S OIL RICHES</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/usa-china-and-africa.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/usa-china-and-africa.html</a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">LIBYA was the first warning shot where the U.S. took a back seat in ousting Colonel Ghaddafi in 2011, while in IRAN, AMERICA has deemed on-going nuclear containment as a higher political priority than oil market stability. Extreme SYRIAN instability sits uncomfortably somewhere in between. In a new age of AMERICAN priorities, securing global oil supplies no longer axiomatically tops of the list, in what’s been coined the ‘KUWAIT Question’</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE CORE THREAT TO GULF STATE STABILITY IN THE COMING YEARS IS THE PROSPECT OF FALLING OIL PRICES</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">AMERICA steps in to shore up a major oil producer in the region if things go wrong? The answer is not just highly uncertain, but extremely pertinent when we consider the core threat to GULF STATE stability in the coming years is the prospect of falling oil prices. And you’ve guessed it; <b>the main ‘supply side shock’ traditional producers face, comes directly from AMERICAN liquids supply growth creating downwards pressures</b>. Look at it like that, and Washington’s position comes full circle in the GULF. It’s still paying billions of dollars on external security to maintain open sea lanes from the MIDDLE EAST, only to see OPEC states internally implode under the weight of (U.S. inspired) lower oil prices. Contradictory stuff, at best.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CHIMERICAN CONTRADICTIONS</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Yet the ‘contradictions’ run far deeper when you bring US-CHINESE relations into the equation, and does so on two strategic levels. First, AMERICA is busy strengthening its military presence in SOUTH ASIA and AUSTRALASIA in what’s been coined an AMERICAN ‘pivot’ as a direct affront to growing CHINESE regional interests in the SOUTH PACIFIC / SOUTH CHINA SEA. The GULF is merely the secondary line of naval defense that Washington holds over Beijing, and one that gives AMERICA a useful bargaining chip to exact political concessions in CHINA’S backyard. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">EVERYONE KNOWS AMERICA HASN’T NEEDED MIDDLE EAST OIL FOR YEARS; IT NOW IMPORTS LESS THAN 12% OF ITS OIL FROM THE SAND</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But its position on the map still makes the MIDDLE EAST an important geopolitical asset for the State Department to maintain. Stay planted in the GULF, and AMERICA can make its presence felt more acutely in ASIA-PACIFIC and EURASIA. What was once a game of oil has turned into one of power for Washington.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE ONLY REASON AMERICA CAN MAINTAIN A STRONG PRESENCE IN THE GULF IS THANKS TO CHINESE PURCHASE OF U.S. DEBT</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Dnd3KlyHffqh15Di0dDAsCRl8GV9YzlDaQi5khXlJAAYertwdBZvvR3VdKeYPv82McMSU_VR_uM1W0oyk6-DxSDhigcbX-Gl15Omyg7qQqX_fk_Xj8la12mEYJQ8gNHva2I1OBYiZnDb/s1600/mideasyofchina1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Dnd3KlyHffqh15Di0dDAsCRl8GV9YzlDaQi5khXlJAAYertwdBZvvR3VdKeYPv82McMSU_VR_uM1W0oyk6-DxSDhigcbX-Gl15Omyg7qQqX_fk_Xj8la12mEYJQ8gNHva2I1OBYiZnDb/s400/mideasyofchina1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></b>That raises our second, deeply ironic strategic factor: The only reason AMERICA can maintain this position in the GULF is thanks to CHINESE purchase of U.S. debt. In geo-economic terms, CHINA holds the aces. It’s entirely Beijing’s call as to how long Washington plays an overlord regional role, letting AMERICA have its geostrategic cake and eat it. Outgoing President, Hu Jintao, was perfectly happy to keep a low profile, ‘free riding’ on the back of U.S. military muscle to quietly build up Beijing’s supply side links. MENA states account for more than half of CHINA’S 5.6mb/d total oil imports, and Hu wasn’t particularly picky about where he’s done business. KUWAIT, UAE, QATAR, YEMEN, OMAN are all on the list, as are SAUDI ARABIA, IRAQ and IRAN. But as the IRANIAN ‘supply option’ highlights, the lines are becoming increasingly blurred for CHINA between purely commercial relations and political imbroglios in the GULF. At some point Beijing needs to reconcile where its political preferences rest between the vast bulk of ARABIAN oil production and PERSIA’S predilection for proliferation. Just as Beijing needs to decide how engaged it’s going to be in regional political reform and how much maritime muscle it’s willing to invest in the region. The more CHINA plays a central economic role in the GULF, the more Beijing will be expected to take up some of the security slack. Regional players all know the U.S. can no longer be categorically relied on to cover their backs beyond conveniently sticking their finger in the Hormuz dyke. The ARAB flag will inexorably follow CHINA’S trade. Beijing needs to be ready.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">HIDDEN DRAGON</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But that’s Xi Jinping’s entire problem. It’s not that CHINA has been throwing its weight around too much in the MIDDLE EAST, but that it still sees the Gulf largely in commercial terms. For all the hype around CHINA’S ‘String of Pearls’ strategy spanning from the PERSIAN GULF to the CHINESE mainland via the Strait of Hormuz to the Malacca Straits, this amounts to little more than a maritime insurance policy should the U.S. 5th fleet in Bahrain haul anchor too quickly, not a blueprint for ensuring global oil supplies. Internal dynamics across the GULF are no different. Sure, CHINA consumes a vast amount of GULF oil, but it remains highly unlikely to do any heavy lifting rebuilding states such as IRAQ, YEMEN or LIBYA beyond narrow confines of energy infrastructure. When you strip CHINESE external energy policy down to its essentials, you get three core aims. ‘Security of supply’, ‘diversity of supply’ and ‘reducing price risk exposure’ through equity deals. That doesn’t mean meddling in the internal affairs of producer states, nor does it mean dropping the façade of ‘business is business’ ‘politics is politics’ line. But it does mean keeping as many supply side options open for as long as possible, irrespective of the political costs. Xi isn’t about to change that formula anytime soon. Military bulk and political swagger in its own backyard is one thing, but CHINA will remain a consumer of geopolitical stability, not a provider when it comes to the ‘big, bad, energy world’.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CHINA'S INVESTMENT IN THE AMERICAS</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Obviously none of that sits particularly well for the MIDDLE EAST’S security posture, but where the picture turns particularly ugly, is that CHINA’S also working very hard to avoid structural dependency on MENA oil thanks to global unconventional gains elsewhere. Beijing is under no illusions that it needs OPEC to fill its incremental supply gaps in the years the come (the vast majority of oil demand growth is going to come from the MIC markets (MIDDLE EAST, INDIA & CHINA)), but one of its key hydrocarbon investment targets is the AMERICAS. Not just in VENEZUELA, ARGENTINA, ECUADOR, BRAZIL and BOLIVIA, but NORTH AMERICA as well, deep into CANADA and AMERICA. The economic rationale is simple; CHINA has no compunctions supporting NORTH AMERICAN supply growth, even to the point of investing in uneconomic fields, so long as it hedges CHINA’S upstream energy portfolio, and in the long term, continues to provide downward pressures on benchmark prices. Cynics could even argue that CHINA is looking to repeat the U.S. shale gas experience that’s made gas a perennial buyer’s market and apply it to oil. The true prize is shifting liquids from a price based game to one of volume, with AMERICA acting as the lightening rod. Achieve that, and Beijing has secured nothing short of an ‘import’ miracle: with supply dependency set to run at 80%, CHINA still gets to drive through its industrial revolution on the cheap, rewriting the rules of the energy game as they go. Play to Washington’s energy independence dreams, all while working towards CHINESE interests.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE U.S. IS SLOWLY WINDING DOWN ITS POSITION IN MIDDLE EAST</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Obviously it remains to be seen how far that narrative will stick given rampant ASIA demand side growth, but if nothing else, it brings our ‘CHIMERICAN’ relationship full circle. The U.S. is slowly winding down its position in MIDDLE EAST on the back of AMERICAN liquid supply growth; investment for which will increasingly come from CHINA. The GULF is left holding the incremental oil baby, with Washington and Beijing not merely unwilling to underwrite security arrangements, but inadvertently working towards an oil market based on volumes, not price.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ENTROPIC FUTURE?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">To say that would be a disappointing outcome for GULF STATES would be an understatement. Back in the real energy world where OPEC – and more specifically – GULF STATES, are fundamental to the functioning of world energy markets, it would be remarkably helpful if Mr. Obama and Xi Jinging sat down to work out who should be doing the geopolitical heavy lifting for what (and where) in the GULF. IRAQ massively reduced U.S. stock in the MIDDLE EAST, as much as LIBYA has raised serious questions over AMERICAN resolve. Put the AMERICAN ‘energy independence’ narrative into the mix, and it’s abundantly clear that vacuums need to be filled. Instead of fighting CHINA for geopolitical primacy in the ASIA-PACIFIC, AMERICA should be pro-actively bringing CHINA into the international security fold: A shared division of geopolitical labour in the MIDDLE EAST would be a perfect place to start given CHINA’S economic significance in the region. Beijing has to start filling inexorable AMERICAN gaps, not just with ongoing treasury purchases from the Fed, but with military hardware to boot.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But leave this all to chance by playing narrower ‘CHIMERICAN’ games, and things are going to end very badly. Not just for GULF STATES struggling to maintain political stability in a lower price environment, but more explosive issues on IRAN where no common approach has been agreed. When the political powder kegs explode, it’s only then that markets will realise how crucial GULF STATES remain to balancing oil markets on a daily basis. Everything else will prove to be hot air; U.S. energy independence rhetoric won’t match supposed pricing power with market practice. Scorched earth. Scorched markets. Everyone loses out.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Despite the long odds, there could still be a final twist in the tale for the GULF here though. If Washington and Beijing end up passing the MIDDLE EAST buck in favour of their own perceived interests, as brutal as that might be for the region, once we finally enter a volumes based energy world thanks to U.S. supply growth, OPEC will almost certainly come out on-top. MIDDLE EAST oil vs. the U.S MID-WEST? The sand wins hands down in a utilitarian race to the ‘bottom of the barrel’, with OPEC not just reclaiming, but enhancing its share of global production to over 50% by 2030. That’s something that Mr. Obama and Xi Jinping would do very well to bear in mind in the years ahead. The MIDDLE EAST might be stuck between two hopeless ‘CHIMERICAN’ claimants right now, but writing the GULF off full stop, would be a very big mistake for the energy world indeed.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

USA, CHINA AND THE GULF STATES: WHO SHOULD BE DOING THE GEOPOLITICAL HEAVY LIFTING IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

EXTERNAL SECURITY PROVISION IS STILL PROVIDED BY THE WEST, WHILE ECONOMIC PULL HAS SHIFTED TO THE EAST. Source: Oilprice By Matthew Hulber...

Today's archidose #639

1:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

Here are some photos of the <a href="http://www.tamuseum.com/">Tel Aviv Museum of Art</a> in Tel Aviv, Isreal, by <a href="http://www.pscohen.com/">Preston Scott Cohen Architects</a> (2011). Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuk/">Pedro Kok</a>, who also shot some <a href="http://www.domusweb.it/en/video2/mediterranean-vortex/">videos of the building for domus</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuk/6892372862/" title="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel by Pedro Kok, on Flickr"><img alt="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel" height="423" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/6892372862_7f0f6dbaf0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuk/6232770603/" title="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel by Pedro Kok, on Flickr"><img alt="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel" height="423" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6211/6232770603_aa07617a98_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuk/7044546095/" title="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel by Pedro Kok, on Flickr"><img alt="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel" height="423" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5039/7044546095_e34e7d3b9b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuk/8247488772/" title="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel by Pedro Kok, on Flickr"><img alt="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8347/8247488772_3cc498f819_c.jpg" width="606" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuk/8206513770/" title="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel by Pedro Kok, on Flickr"><img alt="Museu de Arte de Tel-Aviv, Israel" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8348/8206513770_c1cb2a5480_c.jpg" width="606" /></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 #639

Here are some photos of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, Isreal, by Preston Scott Cohen Architects (2011). Photographs are by Pedro...

Senior Software Engineer (C/C++/C#/.Net/MFC, GUI, Java, OOA/OOD/OOP) (#108872)

10:45 AM Anonymous 0

<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Position</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">: Senior Software Engineer</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Location</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">: Milpitas, CA<BR>  </FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Duration</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">: Full time</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  <BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Job Description</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">:<BR>  The Surfscan-ADE division of KLA-Tencor is an industry leading supplier of wafer inspection and metrology systems. Wafer suppliers and device manufacturers worldwide rely on our measurement and inspection systems to certify and ensure the highest quality bare silicon substrates. Semiconductor device yields begin with the bare wafer, and our leading technology provides early insight into surface defect, shape, flatness and nanotopography and other advanced metrics of these 300mm substrates. In the near future our inspection and measurement systems will be able to handle next generation substrates with the diameter of 450mm. Our optical laser interferometry will support the next several generations of IC manufacturing.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  <BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Responsibilities:</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>    <P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">The successful candidate will join a world-class team of software engineers to conceive, design, develop, optimize, and integrate advanced algorithms and software modules used in geometric wafer inspection. She/he will be working independently to design, develop, and debug complex computer software systems, requiring in-depth evaluation of analysis of various factors, exercising judgment within broadly defined practices and policies in selecting methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining results. The successful candidate will work independently to design and develop software for current and next generations of Surface Metrology tool.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  <BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Required Qualifications:</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><BR>  </B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Good understanding of OOA/OOD/OOP and Design Patterns</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#1F497D" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">.<BR>  </FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Proficiency in C++ programming, including templates and STL</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Understanding of Windows OS internals (multi-threaded environment, memory management, ...)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Results-oriented; positive attitude; good verbal and written communication skills</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Strong problem solving and analytical abilities</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Ability to understand and work with existing code base.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  <BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Preferred Qualifications:</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><BR>  </B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- GUI programming overall and using Java, JNI in particular</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- .NET/C#, Interop with un-managed systems</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Understanding basics of COM</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Understanding of Scripting languages</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Signal/Image processing and scientific programming background</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">- Systems background in at least one of the areas: EE, Optics, ME</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Minimum Qualifications:</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><BR>  </B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Doctorate (Academic) with at least 2 years of experience.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">OR</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Master's Level Degree with at least 4 years of experience.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">OR</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Bachelor's Level Degree with at least 5 years of experience.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>  <BR>  </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Kindly send your resumes to</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"> </SPAN><A HREF="mailto:Sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial"><BR>  </FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>

Senior Software Engineer (C/C++/C#/.Net/MFC, GUI, Java, OOA/OOD/OOP) (#108872)

Position : Senior Software Engineer Location : Milpitas, CA Duration : Full time Job Description : The Surfscan-ADE division o...

30 Days of Google #14: How to create a live Hangout on Air

6:12 AM Tukiyooo 0

<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/AVvXsEgtaTkG9lwifRUp-CC1t6f9xQ0NRk4eZsOwmelqeDPW5ELtT_E7u9amNvihL7lF7TuUvyfjWyDH1bFzQm-55Uh3i4lfjWs_gpeHSBb-wIg3K29Thfz0jaXFgwid_tA7XymFUNDgHQzLzGlP/s1600-h/image3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8TwfGW6k8U7J4vcOr7IAtxuZNUP-CgXZ3nbrGHJNEarBeZ7KQWHkTSqHBPsWK_qzG5Aj-aZiIyDSf0QXNs0ZALZhi-X5TTel1vfFsBu3cAcKyjaF-9soOwAt69mqk4PovavbrDYguaif/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been quite fascinated by the concept of a Google Hangout plus the concept of Google+ Hangouts On Air, which lets you broadcast to an unlimited audience.  I have experienced both and this is a real hit from Google. (I can’t say that I fully understand it all perfectly) yet I must admit! In this post I want to talk more about the live Hangout on Air and show how to create one. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>What exactly is a Google Hangout on Air?</strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A normal Hangout can only have ten viewers but Hangouts On Air allow you to publicly broadcast your Hangouts on YouTube and your Google+ stream for anyone to watch. This is amazing – it’s like having your own live video show on the web! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When broadcasting, your video will stream live on your YouTube account as well as on your Google+ stream. This means you can share your YouTube URL with anyone who wants to watch your broadcast live or they can watch in your Google+ stream. </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><br /></strong></span><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what is the process then for a hangout on Air?</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a brief summary:</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1. </span></strong></span><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Create your hangout or schedule your hangout and invite people</span></strong>.<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you invite more than 25 people they won’t get a personal invite but<br />the invitation will rather just occur in your stream. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also note that this is the time you have to decide whether it will be a Hangout on air. Check the button that enables Hangouts on Air.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2</b>. <strong>Prepare your YouTube channel</strong>.</span>This might only be necessary the first time you use a Google+ hangout</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3</b>. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Edit Your Hangout When Complete</strong></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After your Hangout On Air, you can edit the video in your YouTube account(connected to your Google+ account). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simply go to your </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/my_videos" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Video Manager</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> page and click on the Video Editor link on top of the page.</span><br /><h5><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">4. Share Your Recorded Hangout</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Once you’re happy with your video, you can then share it just like any other YouTube video.</span></h5><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A Slideshare on how to create a live Hangout on Air</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Please take a look at this SlideShare entitled, ‘<i>How to create a Google+ Hangout on Air' </i>and which has more detail on how to create a Hangout on Air.</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="356" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15565646" style="border-bottom: #ccc 0px solid; border-left: #ccc 1px solid; border-right: #ccc 1px solid; border-top: #ccc 1px solid; margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="427"> </iframe> <br /><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/how-to-conduct-a-google-hangout-on-air" target="_blank" title="How to conduct a Google+ Hangout on air">How to conduct a Google+ Hangout on air</a> </strong>from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal" target="_blank">Fiona Beal</a></strong> </div><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Extra reading</span></strong><br /><a href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-hangouts-on-air-guide/" title="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-hangouts-on-air-guide/">http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-hangouts-on-air-guide/</a><br /><a href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/youtube-live-streaming/" title="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/youtube-live-streaming/">http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/youtube-live-streaming/</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/live/all" title="http://www.youtube.com/live/all">http://www.youtube.com/live/all</a><br /><a href="http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2012/05/how-to-hangouts-on-air/" title="http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2012/05/how-to-hangouts-on-air/">http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2012/05/how-to-hangouts-on-air/</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><br /></div>

30 Days of Google 30 Days of Google #14: How to create a live Hangout on Air

I have been quite fascinated by the concept of a Google Hangout plus the concept of Google+ Hangouts On Air, which lets you broadcast to an ...

Lucy’s Gluten Free Cookies

3:45 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr1508QEzOmqMkktlFdhscWYTEiNO46pcDW6AFz4v9teImsosiPpm9LDTOLVWBRhqtjzop7wKBgVGz2dN1i8kfgLQzsIer_KLoO9sWruK857ERLedQf15YS267gzyxuq-ye3_gMtaMVI/s1600/Lucy%2527s+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr1508QEzOmqMkktlFdhscWYTEiNO46pcDW6AFz4v9teImsosiPpm9LDTOLVWBRhqtjzop7wKBgVGz2dN1i8kfgLQzsIer_KLoO9sWruK857ERLedQf15YS267gzyxuq-ye3_gMtaMVI/s320/Lucy%2527s+cookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">First off I have to say I love the packaging that these cookies come in because they stand out like any other brand in their cute little boxes that look like boxes of presents!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Genius idea!  </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Do you have a sweet tooth and looking for a treat that’s not only healthy but tastes great too? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> These Gluten Free cookies have just that!  They are Guilt free as well , how awesome is that?!  Craving something sweet and guilt free? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> They are made with the finest ingredients without any peanuts, tree nuts, milk or eggs. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Chocolate chip- </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I was craving something sweet and chocolaty the other night and didn't want to feel guilty afterward. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> So I grabbed the pouch of Lucy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies with a tall glass of milk and opened the bag up. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I reached in and snatched my first cookie and took the very first bite. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> First thought to myself  OH MY GOD! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> These cookies are amazing! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> They are sweet, crunchy and really do the trick when your craving something sweet!<br /><br /><br /><b>Chocolate-</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFv2yPrP2qmPG5nJwACxIHZ1cRBiGdAy-EY8O2seZX7l77th5SANf36h-NpT7QezdsaezydQuiFkkESBnWKffDYBK6RG4GkvBvnoeCNPNi3XM_796VqZjOPc6FElWbA-EQvs1jOhiJH8/s1600/Lucy's+Chocolate+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFv2yPrP2qmPG5nJwACxIHZ1cRBiGdAy-EY8O2seZX7l77th5SANf36h-NpT7QezdsaezydQuiFkkESBnWKffDYBK6RG4GkvBvnoeCNPNi3XM_796VqZjOPc6FElWbA-EQvs1jOhiJH8/s320/Lucy's+Chocolate+cookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b><br /></b>I  liked this cookie but wasn't overly impressed with this flavor too much.<br /><br />It was crunchy, sweet but not too much chocolate flavor.<br /><br />One of the cookies in the package was crumbled in half already.<br /><br />Not a problem though since it was eaten anyways.<br /><br /><b>Ginger Snap-</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKfWVbdo0cJbIyqn02THqRErqdD5RIDbiixg1so_D52szInHnkty1CwfU2QUrIq-M5jPL5_5eED85evTM0-53NmkCq5PeFgQm6c8WCCS949DWd0-SXM5__skMYBlXxxJhNEL9uDVFO3s/s1600/Lucy's+Cookies+Ginger+Snaps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKfWVbdo0cJbIyqn02THqRErqdD5RIDbiixg1so_D52szInHnkty1CwfU2QUrIq-M5jPL5_5eED85evTM0-53NmkCq5PeFgQm6c8WCCS949DWd0-SXM5__skMYBlXxxJhNEL9uDVFO3s/s320/Lucy's+Cookies+Ginger+Snaps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><br /></b><br />Wow these Ginger snap cookies are amazing!<br /><br />They are made with real ginger, a hint of Tabasco sauce and lemon.<br /><br />The taste of ginger in the cookie really stands out, even on the first bite!<br /><br />It's sweet, crunchy and a little chewy inside.<br /><br />These are so yummy and go great with a glass of almond milk!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkCm1GRQEp-cmLj-N-qjwzUbew6WHW8d4D_3oYoal32OKbXyl76D2KauRVhLHZYfuL-EIOGBmKEz50JQ7noAW7nRcXULLDUpY5RHEMqontyTtwrXIa1d05IUR7wU0NAquqECoXD8ZSXQ/s1600/Lucy's+Sugar+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkCm1GRQEp-cmLj-N-qjwzUbew6WHW8d4D_3oYoal32OKbXyl76D2KauRVhLHZYfuL-EIOGBmKEz50JQ7noAW7nRcXULLDUpY5RHEMqontyTtwrXIa1d05IUR7wU0NAquqECoXD8ZSXQ/s320/Lucy's+Sugar+Cookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Sugar Cookie-</b><br /><b><br /></b>Wow amazingly delicious!<br /><br />You know how a candle or a cookie will smell and remind you of a certain Holiday?<br /><br />Lucy's Sugar cookies smell like Christmas!<br /><br />Just the scent of it brings back memories of baking sugar cookies and adding the finishing touches on them with the red and green sprinkles!<br /><br />The taste is so good and you don't even need to add a thing to it at all, except for maybe a glass of milk of course!<br /><br />Go ahead try them!<br /><br />You won't be disappointed.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1CxZXge3JpTW8ErLhy7AXlPuT2t-Ser1DAOFq_HTLYKGCtWDyZkKbcFRti_TnLxg_DT7TpxjhfW2utK8AKIpuA-swZZFaCewXbemakqt1CGRaeYOmHlTjGzK-U-DMkwyBwfRF7KEeHU/s1600/Lucy's+oatmeal+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1CxZXge3JpTW8ErLhy7AXlPuT2t-Ser1DAOFq_HTLYKGCtWDyZkKbcFRti_TnLxg_DT7TpxjhfW2utK8AKIpuA-swZZFaCewXbemakqt1CGRaeYOmHlTjGzK-U-DMkwyBwfRF7KEeHU/s320/Lucy's+oatmeal+cookies.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Oatmeal Cookie-</b><br /><br />Made from Tapioca!<br /><br />Wow, no wonder why it tastes so good!<br /><b><br /></b>These cookies are so delicious that they are called the Mona Lisa Simple Perfection.<br /><br />I loved the sweetness and crunchiness of the cookie.<br /><br />It was so good that I didn't even miss the icing on this cookie that most brands have.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHQ4w9f_dsZarewnn-pKPcdMGmP3TT2g-25qgekXGxb4NS0O98vIvvdFxWHNThCGiVXXF-SKgXTBphNqxc5l4lXkx3ua2sMZ6mrL6as7sHAKrlphY9wMchwIUTmDL_ps6juIAlPKt51M/s1600/Lucy's+Cookies+Cinnamon+Thin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHQ4w9f_dsZarewnn-pKPcdMGmP3TT2g-25qgekXGxb4NS0O98vIvvdFxWHNThCGiVXXF-SKgXTBphNqxc5l4lXkx3ua2sMZ6mrL6as7sHAKrlphY9wMchwIUTmDL_ps6juIAlPKt51M/s320/Lucy's+Cookies+Cinnamon+Thin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>Cinnamon Thin</b><br /><b><br /></b>These cookies right here are so good!<br /><br />Each cookie had a sprinkling of Cinnamon on them.<br /><br />I really liked how you could actually taste the Cinnamon whereas some desserts you can't.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53A8t6MzzbW5dS8IW9hGbjMnJYfBONC0YLyuH1-fE9SR5r2DQ2-71EJdnHxNdZp5KTnLLeiRtG6LTS9KM53Hh7XSd1bGdPMzRKiyG0bgF-3mmPghJHbM7vNrgXIwSZ1-RZcJ6zeAWkYo/s1600/Lucy's+Cookies+Maple+Bliss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53A8t6MzzbW5dS8IW9hGbjMnJYfBONC0YLyuH1-fE9SR5r2DQ2-71EJdnHxNdZp5KTnLLeiRtG6LTS9KM53Hh7XSd1bGdPMzRKiyG0bgF-3mmPghJHbM7vNrgXIwSZ1-RZcJ6zeAWkYo/s320/Lucy's+Cookies+Maple+Bliss.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><b>Maple Bliss</b><br /><b><br /></b>All I have got to say is WOW!<br /><br />This cookie is amazing.<br /><br />Reminds me of the smell of pancakes baking in the morning when I was a kid.<br /><br />The aroma of the maple syrup brought back memories.<br /><br />The flavor is phenomenal and not too sweet.<br /><br /><br />Lucy's Cookies are great, can't wait to try their other flavors!<br /><br />You can find them at Whole Foods Market and Shaw’s  Or online at these websites here:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DrLucys?fref=ts">Lucy's Face Book</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/lucys_tweets">Twitter </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.drlucys.com/">Website </a></div>

Lucy’s Gluten Free Cookies

First off I have to say I love the packaging that these cookies come in because they stand out like any other brand in their cute little box...

Two Mom's In The Raw Reviews

3:34 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4lT9lmL6kV566MkHshAdKZQBDGyGB6ET-rEJ4dtY3vdnbY7XPWfOvGGgIThgo5kGTL4r5rRw2cx9cs9pW6yNqtsh1yM64t27OhVTT9yjlmsLW84wRBeSAHl3BosLVpNPBtUd692jEbo/s1600/2+mom%2527s+in+the+raw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4lT9lmL6kV566MkHshAdKZQBDGyGB6ET-rEJ4dtY3vdnbY7XPWfOvGGgIThgo5kGTL4r5rRw2cx9cs9pW6yNqtsh1yM64t27OhVTT9yjlmsLW84wRBeSAHl3BosLVpNPBtUd692jEbo/s320/2+mom%2527s+in+the+raw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Almond Butter Cacao Truffles- </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> When it comes to eating healthier I still eat sweets, I am a woman who loves her sweets!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I was a bit skeptical at first about these truffles, because how can a product that is good for you and made with all natural and raw products taste just as good as one that’s not? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Here is how let me tell you!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> These truffles are made with almond butter,  agave (taste just like peanut butter only better) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Has Dark chocolate and has bits of almonds in them as well. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> When I first bit into it I was hooked right from the start!   It tastes just like a brownie, no joke!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> For those of you who love sweets healthy or not, you sure do need to try these!  You sure won’t miss brownies I am telling you!  These are so good and healthy too. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Pair these delicious treats with some coffee, or eat them just the way they are!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> What I loved about this sweet indulgence is that it’s  a great  snack that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating afterward.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Go to your nearest Whole Foods and look for these amazing truffles!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <b>Cranberry Nut Bar</b><br /><br /> It’s so hard when your on the run through out the day whether your shopping, picking kids up from school or going to work.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I have to say I’ve tried many granola bars and they just weren’t healthy enough or are filled with tons of chemicals that our bodies don’t need.   These products are great, and I love how they made their own snacks with all natural products. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> What I find best for me is to bring a snack with me that’s healthy so I won’t be tempted by junk food.   One of these healthy granola bars from Two Mom’s in The Raw will give you the extra boost you need and is jam packed with tons of nutty goodness! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This bar is made from organic almonds, pecans, walnuts for crunch with agave, sea salt and spices for flavor and the tartness of the cranberries make it so yummy!  I loved the great taste that it had, and didn't leave an after taste like some foods do either.<br /><br /><b>Golden berry Granola-</b><br /><br />I used to think that granola was healthy.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong some brands are.<br /><br />When looking for a good granola that's healthy you typically want one that's organic, fruit in it with no added sugars or oils.<br /><br />I am so glad I tried this brand!<br /><br />It's made from organic ingredients including almonds, pecans, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflowers seeds, golden berries, cinnamon, apples, oats and sea salt!<br /><br />The texture is a bit hard and chewy all at the same time, but amazingly good!<br /><br />The cinnamon you can taste really well which I love, because it adds to the tartness of the fruit.<br /><br />It's safe to say that I found a granola that's healthy and will buy a lot more! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Check them out on their pages!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Moms-In-The-Raw/114901304127?fref=ts"> Face Book</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/TMITR">Twitter</a></div>

Two Mom's In The Raw Reviews

Almond Butter Cacao Truffles- When it comes to eating healthier I still eat sweets, I am a woman who loves her sweets! I was a bit skepti...

child's play - the christmas mantel

2:30 AM Anonymous 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Last year, <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/12/tied-up-with-bow.html" target="_blank">the Christmas mantel</a> was all about the ribbon. This year however, I wanted to do something like...I had no idea. I never know when it comes to the mantel. I've accepted the fact that I will have chronic paralysis in this area- especially at the holidays. So I just thought I'd wait for inspiration to strike. And then I saw this.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg08S7o0kfV5wo-eVOeUt6DC9eM_0q8Trn_3oyOlggpo_6tkPBFdaU0Vp_5CJ-HjD0m4vtIEpMLkxPk5VmfC-A7Rp7c4EurEDVXgNDs5mljzB7xNP29PXE7kXU8MzhLCFcn7MSGAR_sFZN/s1600/PA230441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg08S7o0kfV5wo-eVOeUt6DC9eM_0q8Trn_3oyOlggpo_6tkPBFdaU0Vp_5CJ-HjD0m4vtIEpMLkxPk5VmfC-A7Rp7c4EurEDVXgNDs5mljzB7xNP29PXE7kXU8MzhLCFcn7MSGAR_sFZN/s400/PA230441.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />My 5-year-old, Amelia, took it upon herself one day to delicately remove everything from the coffee table and do her own decorations. "Mommy I made you a centerpiece. Isn't it beautiful?" She comes by it honestly.<br /><br />I am an encourager (and the enforcer, but that's a different post) so if she's got the styling bug, who am I to deny her the pleasure. So I decided that this year's Christmas mantel would be all about crafts ala Amelia. Eve would offer all the moral support that 20-month olds can provide.<br /><br />I had pinned this last year and thought it would be a great jumping off point.<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/AVvXsEiJvKXnBvji-ePT7I1x11We9wHGf44GYCJQb7i_x_grjhrqCYQedhGmxscB4EzYSJ960wTJTpyJupvqUa9XskhGpMU5A5qDkongwN1fQc4hzlk6wV6OKIxT2bKkMoUZP6KL1qvrFWRDPE4u/s1600/wrapthegift.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvKXnBvji-ePT7I1x11We9wHGf44GYCJQb7i_x_grjhrqCYQedhGmxscB4EzYSJ960wTJTpyJupvqUa9XskhGpMU5A5qDkongwN1fQc4hzlk6wV6OKIxT2bKkMoUZP6KL1qvrFWRDPE4u/s400/wrapthegift.jpeg" width="395" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thewoolacorn.blogspot.com/2010/10/tutorial-for-my-pinecone-christmas.html" target="_blank">The Wool Acorn</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/6896205649069897/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We went the speedy route and opted for pre-made little pom poms from Hobby Lobby instead of making our own. And we raided my mom's Christmas supply for a bunch of pinecones.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1H5DIpzzL-en36siqxT46Jh6rKvwBAZ4ku-2ixfRHjR3heBZ9Ql0Zd7xcJo6cwtQaBKGDkhVWGyaz9PwZ0KofEXBe_uN23xG09mB_IjMqPhNHUsutd2KfhrDKHrkOhj4ax6bIlZmbdcz/s1600/IMG_0766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1H5DIpzzL-en36siqxT46Jh6rKvwBAZ4ku-2ixfRHjR3heBZ9Ql0Zd7xcJo6cwtQaBKGDkhVWGyaz9PwZ0KofEXBe_uN23xG09mB_IjMqPhNHUsutd2KfhrDKHrkOhj4ax6bIlZmbdcz/s400/IMG_0766.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Amelia picked out the color schemes and decided on the placement.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQo8PqPAq6Pmy_773DbZWdFhRGUrbAMf3tAeOd1h43-e8NcA6jHCP5M1BGxiYTw35qgSI1VokcG0NxAb5WziDz1E1dBqPqpbTCu-wG2ub-A-XhVH4W8n73H8UpvBL0Ll_tCA5PhhqD-ae/s1600/IMG_0767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQo8PqPAq6Pmy_773DbZWdFhRGUrbAMf3tAeOd1h43-e8NcA6jHCP5M1BGxiYTw35qgSI1VokcG0NxAb5WziDz1E1dBqPqpbTCu-wG2ub-A-XhVH4W8n73H8UpvBL0Ll_tCA5PhhqD-ae/s400/IMG_0767.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />She would hand me a ball and say, "put that one there." I was merely the hot glue gun operator. The whole thing went really fast. I think we were done in about 4 Christmas songs (love Pandora). A perfect craft with little ones who don't have very long attention spans.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRNYfbtRbN5NzWK0XhCN0exYVvASuw1CxjH2Tf25_0F1tNhswgaxKcg2fm90m4ztFedyqExS2tvvQsqWDGdf-gHHdVwzmIAHG3CVCZWZM9VZRvotkMzsboygBowxrlxOa5MlWTynEIdSS/s1600/PineconeTrees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRNYfbtRbN5NzWK0XhCN0exYVvASuw1CxjH2Tf25_0F1tNhswgaxKcg2fm90m4ztFedyqExS2tvvQsqWDGdf-gHHdVwzmIAHG3CVCZWZM9VZRvotkMzsboygBowxrlxOa5MlWTynEIdSS/s640/PineconeTrees.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />She did a great job I think. This girl has got some mad color dispersing skills. And she practiced great restraint  I would have been gluing balls all over those things. That sounded weird.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP59-bxEGQTU_PV8yGELOz_41CSkZhTQf4uBbdanaMt2XjU7cOyI2qSdO7R7UnKsq0Xcka1CIupKzJDkA2fQMJ-DVWP_RAVpFmHd5EbJqVebrNV67wO9oRvnIxUKbzKFu9VNw1YWadCocK/s1600/PineconeTreeClose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP59-bxEGQTU_PV8yGELOz_41CSkZhTQf4uBbdanaMt2XjU7cOyI2qSdO7R7UnKsq0Xcka1CIupKzJDkA2fQMJ-DVWP_RAVpFmHd5EbJqVebrNV67wO9oRvnIxUKbzKFu9VNw1YWadCocK/s640/PineconeTreeClose.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Of course, I had to get into the mix a little bit. My contribution - an pink ombre pinecone.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliBnBtdEZ-DYU_3WQYJZUOuYOqx_rIdV7L1yV_KUF_sCezMKZXNOCXBaEzi7Q_CBBldSiNWiX0JRBvwrKO0Rv2zS7HjcOLKicaIG3U89QUNdcW2E0XufVu03jwufwsQHhKgMTYp6yTusJ/s1600/OmbrePineconeTree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliBnBtdEZ-DYU_3WQYJZUOuYOqx_rIdV7L1yV_KUF_sCezMKZXNOCXBaEzi7Q_CBBldSiNWiX0JRBvwrKO0Rv2zS7HjcOLKicaIG3U89QUNdcW2E0XufVu03jwufwsQHhKgMTYp6yTusJ/s640/OmbrePineconeTree.jpg" width="624" /></a></div><br />So with our pinecone Christmas tree village ready, we made some garland. And what kind of garland do you make when your husband works for Dunder Mifflin? A paper chain of course.<br /><br />Again, Amelia was in charge of picking out the colors. We talked about red and green but she wanted her favorite color - rainbow. She's learning about creating patterns at school, so this was a perfect activity.<br /><br /> An afternoon of quality girl time produced one colorful Christmas mantel.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb7hB-U9Ajec4uvqssYuAEZGyvn0OE7iD-nSUz5Fy_fQQ_3tJghZppRyMfOYVBp5mu6Pc8BZybWlGobKglbgOdyYAGaWc5DNmqIkRWeID5BjDHMfe2tCzOpHC6IiVgaqE1AZhpgOvjiV8/s1600/ChristmasKidsMantel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb7hB-U9Ajec4uvqssYuAEZGyvn0OE7iD-nSUz5Fy_fQQ_3tJghZppRyMfOYVBp5mu6Pc8BZybWlGobKglbgOdyYAGaWc5DNmqIkRWeID5BjDHMfe2tCzOpHC6IiVgaqE1AZhpgOvjiV8/s640/ChristmasKidsMantel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/12/i-paint-my-own-jewels.html" target="_blank">jewel votives </a>work really well with the colors in the trees and garland.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-m54ON25HZh4bpa8wWMankfAlf0pWwQJPNj80jw8knBvvj5-NxK6PVv8RM8jscpNOK8SPcpHNcq9T9_6VH8yr_aOuGgxgPYOKBFw8bVf4ko6nVnv-nwFk4bNcj1KBmd13dhypEK_vP3rA/s1600/Christmas+Mantel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-m54ON25HZh4bpa8wWMankfAlf0pWwQJPNj80jw8knBvvj5-NxK6PVv8RM8jscpNOK8SPcpHNcq9T9_6VH8yr_aOuGgxgPYOKBFw8bVf4ko6nVnv-nwFk4bNcj1KBmd13dhypEK_vP3rA/s640/Christmas+Mantel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl30igtgRVSvT3o0_9uirzXulg87dmJCTe-Se_tM7hZNscdRoUVi7jWoHnfyiWg_Y3D7s3tjHAcHynw27l3wguoCt-rh8Pe_hqSB9Rdnc7vlB-z1_nVZaOfRV4F2zUGejXBK71kJzm6T81/s1600/ChristmasMantel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl30igtgRVSvT3o0_9uirzXulg87dmJCTe-Se_tM7hZNscdRoUVi7jWoHnfyiWg_Y3D7s3tjHAcHynw27l3wguoCt-rh8Pe_hqSB9Rdnc7vlB-z1_nVZaOfRV4F2zUGejXBK71kJzm6T81/s640/ChristmasMantel2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Birds eye view.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ahDuE2JWLbpEi8wCM2VieNfdEpQ6ljL6aHZgCq2SbuE89wOiCdz1eVfkmUWH3XXRpgDHlSTliWvr_tA1TvwxKPJAxEwsi1cKqYU34TPLVD8v4D1_guMlwKtnfNsDLkZoyKkchrleL4gK/s1600/MantelColage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ahDuE2JWLbpEi8wCM2VieNfdEpQ6ljL6aHZgCq2SbuE89wOiCdz1eVfkmUWH3XXRpgDHlSTliWvr_tA1TvwxKPJAxEwsi1cKqYU34TPLVD8v4D1_guMlwKtnfNsDLkZoyKkchrleL4gK/s640/MantelColage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Christmas is the ultimate kid holiday, so I thought this was rather fitting. And since I get free reign of the house the rest of the year, I thought the girls should have some input into how our living room should look for Santa's arrival. As Amelia pointed out, the fireplace is like Santa's front door to our house.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EZPn6gjgTKvMXXslfgBc1WLF5bHpSgbngXGoCsoBo6jiu5_xpcYoz7xUiybzd-Ib_UGPh8YC74cBu8whCL-loGRfsC8B_IhumPQfXLg91DSWbHpiFpcWLSdh7uAcIICO0qyAEEK4aaUZ/s1600/Mantelshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EZPn6gjgTKvMXXslfgBc1WLF5bHpSgbngXGoCsoBo6jiu5_xpcYoz7xUiybzd-Ib_UGPh8YC74cBu8whCL-loGRfsC8B_IhumPQfXLg91DSWbHpiFpcWLSdh7uAcIICO0qyAEEK4aaUZ/s640/Mantelshot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />So, welcome Santa.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb7hB-U9Ajec4uvqssYuAEZGyvn0OE7iD-nSUz5Fy_fQQ_3tJghZppRyMfOYVBp5mu6Pc8BZybWlGobKglbgOdyYAGaWc5DNmqIkRWeID5BjDHMfe2tCzOpHC6IiVgaqE1AZhpgOvjiV8/s1600/ChristmasKidsMantel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwb7hB-U9Ajec4uvqssYuAEZGyvn0OE7iD-nSUz5Fy_fQQ_3tJghZppRyMfOYVBp5mu6Pc8BZybWlGobKglbgOdyYAGaWc5DNmqIkRWeID5BjDHMfe2tCzOpHC6IiVgaqE1AZhpgOvjiV8/s640/ChristmasKidsMantel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />How about you? Ever put the holiday decorations into someone else's hands? Any good holiday crafts you recommend for kids?  Have you ever tried to explain to a 5-year-old that rainbow is not a color, but rather a whole group of different colors? Don't bother, it is a loosing battle.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">I linked up to <a href="http://www.cleanandscentsible.com/2012/12/handmade-christmas-link-party.html" target="_blank">Clean & Scentsible</a> and <a href="http://www.athoughtfulplaceblog.com/2012/12/christmas-vignette-link-party.html" target="_blank">A Thoughtful Place</a>.</span>

child's play - the christmas mantel

Last year, the Christmas mantel was all about the ribbon. This year however, I wanted to do something like...I had no idea. I never know wh...

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 12/11/2012

1:30 AM Tukiyooo 0

<ul class="diigo-linkroll">      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://blog.popplet.com/english-lesson-plan-ideas-with-popplet/">English Lesson Plan Ideas With Popplet | Poppletrocks!</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">Many elementary teachers I know talk about how much they love popplet. Here's a blog post about how teachers are using Popplet to teach English in their classrooms. Lots of ideas. </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/engchat">engchat</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news.">news.</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/literature">literature</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 12/11/2012

English Lesson Plan Ideas With Popplet | Poppletrocks! Many elementary teachers I know talk about ho...