Industrial Production Has Gone Parabolic!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmPw3_qMILhzIoRUUUGKqmyOeelpEtnmzOSolavujGSUFRJwZQlEdU9KIsF0SPsiwe3w29cA496RS7Jjl_NuH7n9Sythye_O1z1ZjoHAS4hbxkhaGgvdGmB3e3wYjKXLdNbqUKLGHvkI/s1600/Industrial+Production+Index+v,2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmPw3_qMILhzIoRUUUGKqmyOeelpEtnmzOSolavujGSUFRJwZQlEdU9KIsF0SPsiwe3w29cA496RS7Jjl_NuH7n9Sythye_O1z1ZjoHAS4hbxkhaGgvdGmB3e3wYjKXLdNbqUKLGHvkI/s320/Industrial+Production+Index+v,2.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge</span><br /><br />It's just not the kind of parabola an optimist would wish to see. Sigh.<br /><br />This post inspired by <a href="http://maxedoutmama.blogspot.com/">MaxedOutMama's</a> post: <a href="http://maxedoutmama.blogspot.com/2013/09/and-add-on-to-yoy-decline-in-production.html">And The Add-on To the YoY Decline in Production Jobs</a>.<br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=mnP">St. Louis Fed: Industrial Production Index</a>

Industrial Production Has Gone Parabolic!

Click to enlargeIt's just not the kind of parabola an optimist would wish to see. Sigh.This post inspired by MaxedOutMama's post: And The Add-on To the YoY Decline in Production Jobs.Source Data:St. Louis Fed: Industrial Production Index…

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Matt Said, Jay Said 10100111001

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">Matt: Cheeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrssssssssss!!!!<br />Jay: Holaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!<br />Matt: We’re so damn cool.<br />Jay: The nerds out there envy us so much. <br />Matt: Totally. <br />Jay: I haven’t always been this cool though, you know. <br />Matt: You don’t say? <br />Jay: I’m serious! I used to be a bit of nerd myself. <br />Matt: YOU? No way! <br />Jay: IKR?! <br />Matt: I’ve always been cool. <br />Jay: It shows. <br />Matt: That’s where all my self-confidence comes from. <br />Jay: The easy life of the cool people. <br />Matt: I wish you could experience it too. <br />Jay: Yeah, me too. <br />Matt: But the nerdy, uncool life has its own rewards right?<br />Jay: Not really, no. <br />Matt: Well, that’s too bad. <br />Jay: Thank you for your understanding. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfKzE3qYvu065tkyuBh18hMU03qBLHqzvWPBJRPjJyCCOVJ4vkyEWURKFu1vN0Z5vC5FM01SxQciIZNsZ8bOGT31nyhkrI_CfE2dqH5CwWOl46LjfPK7XhOuogoKIu1UImueABYFcutnb/s1600/Felicia+Day+Hot+Nerd+Red+Hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfKzE3qYvu065tkyuBh18hMU03qBLHqzvWPBJRPjJyCCOVJ4vkyEWURKFu1vN0Z5vC5FM01SxQciIZNsZ8bOGT31nyhkrI_CfE2dqH5CwWOl46LjfPK7XhOuogoKIu1UImueABYFcutnb/s1600/Felicia+Day+Hot+Nerd+Red+Hair.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Matt: So, what was for supper tonight? <br />Jay: Spaghetti! <br />Matt: Ooooooooo that’s good! <br />Jay: Oh yeah, whatchu having? <br />Matt: Frozen pizza. <br />Jay: Nice, Putting anything extra on it?<br />Matt: I might just have it as is out of the box. <br />Jay: Rare move on your part. <br />Matt: I like to mix things up a bit. <br />Jay: Keeps you from getting into a rut. <br />Matt: What did you have last night? <br />Jay: Fish sticks and a baked potato. <br />Matt: Great combo. <br />Jay: What did you have? <br />Matt: Sausage patties and scrambled eggs. <br />Jay: Oh yeahhhhhhhhh! Delicious! <br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMLCcTdozbUH5g4wIsUAoBjEky6ZRebSK0UMDKzyTGdTdWC7jIjvZUxPr8G3HrMyEz0SKyuuM_Fzp3sloEXSiCpHHSlui8SCvy7_w1LHfsshk5Z1qCnmwsChyphenhyphenHy1MDgDxgzb1phG5KBwb/s1600/Daisy+Fuentes+Hot+Legs+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMLCcTdozbUH5g4wIsUAoBjEky6ZRebSK0UMDKzyTGdTdWC7jIjvZUxPr8G3HrMyEz0SKyuuM_Fzp3sloEXSiCpHHSlui8SCvy7_w1LHfsshk5Z1qCnmwsChyphenhyphenHy1MDgDxgzb1phG5KBwb/s1600/Daisy+Fuentes+Hot+Legs+2013.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Matt: You know what’s sad though?<br />Jay: What?<br />Matt: The box says serving size ONE PATTY! <br />Jay: Get out! <br />Matt: I’m serious! <br />Jay: Who do they think they’re bullshitting? <br />Matt: Nobody! They’re just being Provisionally Correct.<br />Jay: What losers! <br />Matt: More like Fascists! <br />Jay: Portion Size Terrorists! <br />Matt: Damn right! <br />Jay: This “Serving Size Recommendation” shit is outrageous. <br />Matt: It’s a threat to our very freedom as Americans. <br />Jay: We need to stand up to these people. <br />Matt: I think I’m thinking what you’re thinking! <br />Jay: We will discuss this outrage on the show Sunday. <br />Matt: Yes we will! <br />Jay: What else can we talk about? <br />Matt: Yom Kippur?<br />Jay: Call us up and atone people! <br />Matt: Hispanic Heritage Month?<br />Jay: I love Latinas. <br />Matt: Oh yeah! <br />Jay: OH! And the first ever CANADA REPORT W/ JAMIE! <br />Matt: That’s gonna be sooooooo hawt! <br />Jay: Hell yes! <br />Matt: And it’s National Farm Animal Awareness Week. <br />Jay: Hmm … Okay then: Food, Sex and Farm Animals! <br />Matt: Love it! Where did you get the sex part? <br />Jay: Food leads to sex.<br />Matt: Or is a substitute for it. <br />Jay: HA! Don’t I know it! <br />Matt: Poor nerd. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">So be sure to tune into IWS Radio as we celebrate <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/09/15/food-sex-and-farm-animals" target="_blank">Food Sexand Farm Animals</a> Sunday at 12 Noon ET!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>

Matt Said, Jay Said 10100111001

Matt: Cheeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrssssssssss!!!!Jay: Holaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!Matt: We’re so damn cool.Jay: The nerds out there envy us so much. Matt: Totally. Jay: I haven’t always been this cool though, you know. Matt: You don’t say? Jay: I’m s…

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Flight of the Butterflies: Truly soars

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b><i>Flight of the Butterflies</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><b>(2013) • <a href="http://www.flightofthebutterflies.com/home/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b> </b><br /><b>Four stars. Rating: G, and suitable for all ages</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 9.13.13</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nature is always awesome, but sometimes she’s jaw-droppingly unbelievable.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, if we’re lucky — if the right wildlife saga intrigues the right filmmakers — the results can be mesmerizing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><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/AVvXsEiRtLMXrP0UxFVsnAQCfSKiEaYSb3W2mfa6u1YQWMu4SVBPlxB93TqNp19hyf_y88F8-4rCY_ANcMedvD26ryZMM4slZaBeqHvbHpuEmCSriUijRyKfc9RT-aufUtQX5zkmDw-0rw6kWhM/s1600/Flight+of+the+Butterflies+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtLMXrP0UxFVsnAQCfSKiEaYSb3W2mfa6u1YQWMu4SVBPlxB93TqNp19hyf_y88F8-4rCY_ANcMedvD26ryZMM4slZaBeqHvbHpuEmCSriUijRyKfc9RT-aufUtQX5zkmDw-0rw6kWhM/s400/Flight+of+the+Butterflies+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Monarch butterflies lay eggs, emerge as caterpillars, grow until they "hibernate" in a<br />chrysalis and then emerge as adult butterflies to begin the cycle anew. You probably<br />thought this entire process occurs within a relatively small geographical radius, such as<br />within our city limits, right? Way, way wrong ... as this film demonstrates.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luc Jacquet’s <i>March of the Penguins</i> wasn’t merely a marvelous film and the surprise hit of the 2005 movie season; it also was a Hollywood game-changer, proving that well-made documentaries could hold their own against big-budget dramas. Walt Disney had demonstrated as much between 1948 and ’60, with his studio’s <i>True-Life Adventures</i> series, but — several generations later — the non-fiction genre had fallen out of mainstream favor, until Jacquet’s mind-bogglingly patient Emperor penguins came waddling along.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Out of favor, perhaps, but definitely not extinct.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IMAX theaters have been screening documentary shorts since 1971’s <i>Tiger Child</i>, slowly assembling an impressive library of titles that included hits such as 1984’s <i>Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets</i>, 1990’s <i>Blue Planet</i> and 1995’s <i>The Living Sea</i>. IMAX projects have grown even more impressive as filming techniques have improved, and the giant-screen format definitely came into its own with 1998’s one-two punch of <i>Everest</i> and <i>T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suddenly, IMAX movies were <i>cool</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of which brings us to <i>Flight of the Butterflies</i>, just now fluttering into Sacramento’s Esquire IMAX theater. And while these delicate winged insects admittedly aren’t as cute as tuxedo-clad penguins, they’re quite remarkable in their own right, as director Mike Slee’s 40-minute film makes abundantly clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At its core, <i>Flight of the Butterflies</i> is a lepidopterist’s mystery story, which Slee and co-scripter Wendy MacKeigan weave into a compelling depiction of the monarch butterfly’s unusual life cycle and amazing migratory habits.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charles Foster Kane had his Rosebud; Fred Urquhart’s world changed as a result of PS 397.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And therein lies a tale...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story begins in Toronto in the early 1920s, when as a boy Urquhart wondered where all the butterflies went each winter. This interest blossomed into an academic career as a zoology professor who maintained his fascination with butterflies; he and his wife, Norah, became obsessed with the concept of somehow tracking these winged insects.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But tracking meant tagging, a seemingly insurmountable issue: How could one tag something as delicate as a butterfly’s moisture-sensitive wing, without impairing its flight abilities?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very carefully, as it turned out, and by 1940 Urquhart was successful; he began tagging monarchs with tiny labels that read “Send to Zoology University of Toronto Canada.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What happened next, as depicted in Slee’s charming film, never would have been believed as fiction. Thanks to press releases and ads that Norah Urquhart placed in newspapers throughout North America, their embryonic Insect Migration Association enlisted thousands of volunteers across the United States and Canada to tag hundreds of thousands of butterflies, and then attempt to <i>find</i> them again, in order to track their migratory route.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As demonstrated by this film’s gallery of vintage newspaper photos and articles, joining the “butterfly brigade” became a cool thing to do in the free-spirited, counter-culture 1960s and early ’70s: a means of honoring good ol’ Mother Earth — remember, the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 — while (hopefully) contributing to scientific research.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In August 1975, Minnesota junior high school students Jim Street and Dean Boen, assisted by their teacher Jim Gilbert, fastened tag number PS 397 to a butterfly, and then watched it fly away.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, fellow “citizen scientists” Ken Brugger and his wife, Catalina Aguado, were searching for monarchs in and around the Michoacan region of Mexico. Brugger, a textile engineer and businessman from Texas, had become one of Urquhart’s soldiers entirely by accident; while driving on a road through the Transvolcanic mountain belt one day, halfway between Morelia and Mexico City, he had been amazed to discover that a pounding rainstorm was covering the road — and his vehicle — with thousands upon thousands of dead butterflies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brugger had kept one of Urquhart’s newspaper ads for years; he got in touch, and soon he and Aguado spent every free moment looking for monarchs. Her similar interest was serendipitous — she remembered being enchanted by monarchs as a little girl — because Brugger, being color-blind, could not distinguish different insects by appearance (an intriguing detail not mentioned in this film, although it certainly should have been).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They searched, and they searched, and they searched. And then, on Jan. 2, 1975...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, heck; I have to leave you wanting to see this film to find out, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I’ll add this much: Aguado made a memorable appearance on the cover of the August 1976 issue of <i>National Geographic</i>, a picture that remains famous — and breathtaking — to this day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fred and Norah Urquhart, Brugger and Aguado are played by actors in these re-created scenes, of course, but Slee handles his cast with a gentle touch, eschewing the phony-baloney bombast and overacting that infect so many television dramatizations. Nor do the factual details need to be enhanced; the saga is sufficiently fascinating in its own right.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Urquhart’s story is interwoven with cinematographer Simon De Glanville’s airborne and ground-level depictions of the monarch life-cycle, from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. The macro-photography is stunning throughout, although our glimpse <i>inside</i> a chrysalis is particularly breathtaking, thanks to advanced MRI and micro-CT scans. (Peter Parks, credited for macro photography and system design, has won two technical achievement Academy Awards for microscopic and special-effects photography.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most astonishing detail, however, concerns the monarch’s unusual generational phases. We’re certainly not surprised to learn that two or three generations of butterflies are required to make the initial trip north, while traveling from Mexico through the United States and up into eastern Canada. But then comes the corker: Once in Canada, the egg-laying adults somehow know to create a “super generation” that, when it emerges and grows through caterpillar infancy and becomes a butterfly, is larger, stronger and lives eight to 10 times longer than the “regular” generations.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These “super butterflies” then travel the entire distance from Toronto to Mexico, a journey of roughly 2,500 miles, in order to begin the cycle anew.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That <i>has</i> to blow your mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slee and MacKeigan don’t miss the opportunity for a bit of environmental advocacy, of course; no nature documentary could exist without it. The message is delivered gently, but is no less grim; monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed, which then becomes the sole diet of the rapidly growing caterpillar. Although once prevalent in fields across the continent, back in the day, industrial farming has wiped out massive stretches of milkweed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As shown here, this potentially dire situation is being addressed by homeowners who plant “butterfly-friendly” gardens, laden with both colorful flowers — to attract the monarchs — and milkweed, in order to nurture them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My one complaint with this film is completely regional: It does not cite the massive monarch butterfly preserve that we have here in California, at the Monterey Peninsula’s Pacific Grove, where millions of monarchs winter from mid-October through mid-February. California isn’t even acknowledged in this film’s depictions of the monarch migratory route, although a map included with the press notes shows a smaller route that apparently runs from the California coast to Nevada, Arizona and southern Utah, and then back again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not nearly as dramatic as the trip from Toronto to Mexico, to be sure, but I’d have thought we warranted at least a <i>mention</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No matter. <i>Flight of the Butterflies</i> is enchanting, absorbing and instructive: everything one could want from a nature documentary.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And De Glanville’s 3D cinematography makes it even neater. You’ll be hard-pressed <i>not</i> to grab at the air in front of your face, hoping to snatch a monarch in mid-flight. </span></span><!--EndFragment-->

2013 documentary Four Star Films IMAX Nature Flight of the Butterflies: Truly soars

Flight of the Butterflies (2013) • View trailer Four stars. Rating: G, and suitable for all agesBy Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 9.13.13 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false …

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Friday update!

Hello everyone - I am sorry I am just now posting.  I actually volunteered today at the PSTD Foundation where transitional homes are being built for veterans.  Anyway, where I live, the management company Camden closed all properties down and all 300 plus local employees spent the day getting 2 homes finished and the fences built, etc.  They had asked me to come take pictures.  IT WAS SO HOT.  I got a lot of walking in and a lot of sweating - hopefully I lost at least 1 pound ha!<br /><br />That's the reason there was no weigh in today.  I will do my next weigh in next Friday.<br /><br />I have to be honest, I am losing a little motivation.  I'm getting just frustrated that I can't do all I want to do.  I'm hoping to regain some motivation..........so positive words please!  :)<br /><br />I hope you all have a great weekend.<br /><br />Ellie

Friday update!

Hello everyone - I am sorry I am just now posting.  I actually volunteered today at the PSTD Foundation where transitional homes are being built for veterans.  Anyway, where I live, the management company Camden closed all properties down and all 300…

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Some Perspective on the "Rising" Interest Rate Environment

The following chart shows the 10-year moving average of the 10-year treasury yield.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHidp9L8U7DrbferBXTiRfaMNJOoFLESBnEzJImr3H6xPMZMPp6OxSwXvk6C9VbUWi6348bgpKgjQ0zHJbMcAXNJ6pHZOzwAPRqKE5Dkwo36p6A6LoypkZ2lFJJQt3OGlNzjmi8ldpW8/s1600/The+Rising+Interest+Rate+Environment.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHidp9L8U7DrbferBXTiRfaMNJOoFLESBnEzJImr3H6xPMZMPp6OxSwXvk6C9VbUWi6348bgpKgjQ0zHJbMcAXNJ6pHZOzwAPRqKE5Dkwo36p6A6LoypkZ2lFJJQt3OGlNzjmi8ldpW8/s320/The+Rising+Interest+Rate+Environment.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />Rising interest rates? In my opinion, the bond market is simply trying to climb back to the long-term declining trend.<br /><br />Long time readers know that I post a lot of exponential trend failures on this blog. You might therefore wonder why I trust this one not to fail. The simple answer is that I don't. It's more of a question of which direction it would fail.<br /><br />I am definitely in the minority. As seen in the chart, we're currently well below trend. I do not believe this economy is strong enough to support a sustained climb back up.<br /><br />This chart predicts that the 10-year moving average of the 10-year treasury yield will be 3.0% in August of 2018. That's roughly 5 years away. I shall take the under.<br /><br />It's just an opinion of course.<br /><br /><i style="color: #666666;">Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes.</i> - Voltaire<br /><br />My opinion isn't going to do much in the grand scheme of things. If I am wrong, no big deal. I'm in the minority here. Who cares what I think? It is the opinion of the masses, those in ivory towers, and those in power that would concern Voltaire most more than likely.<br /><br /><b>September 3, 2013</b><br /><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-ways-to-prepare-for-higher-interest-rates-2013-09-03">5 ways to prepare for higher interest rates</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>If you don’t like the idea of buying individual bonds but don’t want to get burned by raising rates, short-term bond funds are an alternative.</i></div><br />Yes, short-term bond funds! It's worked out great so far. Just get in there and patiently wait for the end of <a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=mnB">ZIRP</a>. It is <a href="http://muddywatermacro.wustl.edu/zero-bound-problem">bound</a> to happen any day now!<br /><br /><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pm?s=SHY">Yahoo: SHY Performance</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>3-Year Total Return (Mkt): 0.56%</i></div><br />This is not investment advice.<br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?id=WGS10YR">St. Louis Fed: 10-Year Treasury Yield</a>

Some Perspective on the "Rising" Interest Rate Environment

The following chart shows the 10-year moving average of the 10-year treasury yield.Click to enlarge.Rising interest rates? In my opinion, the bond market is simply trying to climb back to the long-term declining trend.Long time readers know that I po…

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Kashi Hummus Crisps Review!

<div style="text-align: center;"><i><img alt="" src="https://img.bzzagent.com/image/hummusCrisps.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=6030726957&Campaign=3710375657&Uid=1264101&token=35cffaad5fe760ab399988bee78e7e49" /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I was so psyched to get this campaign on bzzagent to test out Kashi's hummus crisps!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I absolutely love hummus whether it's paired with veggies, on a sandwich or crackers it just brings out the flavor and can really spice up your food.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>These crisps are great because their savory seasonings and seven whole grains make snacking guilt free and also the hummus is baked right into the chip!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>How awesome is that!?</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYa48XnN1j8/UjNvIHUK-cI/AAAAAAAAJsQ/qAuOuzP5oW0/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYa48XnN1j8/UjNvIHUK-cI/AAAAAAAAJsQ/qAuOuzP5oW0/s320/13+-+1" width="320" /></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I received the sea salt and olive oil flavor and it was simply delicious!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Right amount of spices and the olive oil taste wasn't overpowering.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>You can even dip them into a small bowl of your favorite hummus as well!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Kashi Hummus Crisps Review!

I was so psyched to get this campaign on bzzagent to test out Kashi's hummus crisps!I absolutely love hummus whether it's paired with veggies, on a sandwich or crackers it just brings out the flavor and can really spice up your food.These crisps are …

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A How To Manual For Popular Weight Loss Website Functionality

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Aaron Slot</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>You have to be able to teach yourself the ways of running a diet tips and weight loss information website through research. This will be a good investment of your time if you stay dedicated to building and maintaining your site. This informative article will help you through the process of learning and building up a successful site.<br /> <br /> Even voting contest can be launched. In that contest, winners can be selected by voting session. For example, if it is a fitness diet tips and weight loss information website, you can ask your visitors to submit a fitness tip and the winner gets the prize through voting system. It will encourage more visitors to participate and visit your website.<br /> <br /> If you are running an online shopping site, create a 'Add to cart' shopping system which accept coupons too. You can market or offer these coupon codes through networking sites or online ads. This will prompt visitors to come to your site and reap the benefits of these coupons.<br /> <br /> If your web host gives excuses for down times, then don't accept it. There are plenty other options from which you can choose from for serving your pages. Take your business to some other place, if your host has developed a pattern of crashing for even short periods of time.<br /> <br /> Another popular type of contest are review contests. These contests will help you increase your search rankings. For this contest people need to write about the contest to get an entry. Links that you get will give you traffic from Google juice and new visitors. It is important that you have a good prize to motivate people to write about your contest remember this before you begin.<br /> <br /> A webpage that takes a lot of time loses the window of opportunity to grab a user's attention. Many people tend to look elsewhere if the webpage takes longer than five to ten seconds to load. To minimize the loading time, reduce the graphics and compress images as much as possible so that you can keep the users on your diet tips and weight loss information website.<br /> <br /> It is not easy running a diet tips and weight loss information website. It takes a lot of hard work and energy to keep one up and running. At first, you will not get a heavy flow of traffic to your site, but don't get discouraged. The more you keep up with your website and keep writing new content, traffic will begin to grow.<br /> <br /> Bold layouts and designs, such as oversized footers, a bold typeface or incorporating graphics can be beneficial for some diet tips and weight loss information websites. These elements will help your website stand out and will grab the viewers attention. However, it is important to ensure that the site remains readable and easy to navigate if you incorporate these bold elements.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>Simply go to any widely used search engine and type in <a href='http://www.bestfatreduceblog.com'>phen375</a> if you need help with coming up with more helpful ideas about <a href='http://www.bestfatreduceblog.com/knowing-the-advantages-of-supplement-from-phen375-reviews'>fat burner</a>.</div><br /> </div><br />

A How To Manual For Popular Weight Loss Website Functionality

By Aaron Slot You have to be able to teach yourself the ways of running a diet tips and weight loss information website through research. This will be a good investment of your time if you stay dedicated to building and maintaining your site. This…

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RUSSIAN FORCES TAKE SYRIAN CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS UNDER CONTROL

<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"></h3><div class="post-header"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQVW_pzdNjI-Jnz5dbNQBBWNtkh0ZCrt4eWcLbmSVKq6DPBfiXIpSXNKdPNn3NHgS2_Gp6PM5tmtoSj0N2Ud8waD2mz4aPpcCGnTfUEHQV5lMopZmOgUVj7454MjvpQbm6vztZzgZAj-n/s1600/072312_sr_henry_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQVW_pzdNjI-Jnz5dbNQBBWNtkh0ZCrt4eWcLbmSVKq6DPBfiXIpSXNKdPNn3NHgS2_Gp6PM5tmtoSj0N2Ud8waD2mz4aPpcCGnTfUEHQV5lMopZmOgUVj7454MjvpQbm6vztZzgZAj-n/s400/072312_sr_henry_640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ALREADY IN DECEMBER 2012  </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIA ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SYRIA’S BIO - CHEMICAL WEAPONS HAD BEEN SECURED </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Source:   </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/russian-forces-take-syrian-chemical.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/russian-forces-take-syrian-chemical.html </a></span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Also in December 2012,  RUSSIA apparently went even further stating that:</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIAN FORCES TAKE SYRIAN CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS UNDER THEIR  CONTROL </span></b></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Source: </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Via DEBKA<i>file (<b>Dec 2012</b>) </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i> </i> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“At the moment, [SYRIA’S] chemical weapons are under control,” said senior ISRAELI defense official Amos Gilad, echoing the statement by RUSSIAN Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that “the SYRIAN<b> </b>government has “consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations amid a rebel onslaught and they are under control for the time being.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu then said enigmatically: “We are facing a near possibility of far-reaching changes in the SYRIAN regime with ramifications for the sensitive weaponry [chemical, biological] present there.”</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Like Lavrov’s comments, neither ISRAELI statement accounted for the sudden reversal of events in the last 48 hours in the turbulent history of its northern neighbor. As recently as Friday, Bashar Assad’s Scuds and warplanes were battling the rebels to keep his big chemical and biological warfare arsenals at the Al Safira complex near Aleppo out of the hands of al Qaeda adherents who were moving in fast on this target.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TWENTY FOUR HOURS LATER, THE RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ASSERTED THE WEAPONS WERE SECURE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">.</span></span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile’s military sources disclose that the battle of al Safira was abruptly interrupted by a foreign military force which stepped in and stopped the fighting in order to commandeer the chemical and biological stocks.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile identified this force as a <a href="http://www.debka.com/article/22627">RUSSIAN special unit.</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9ywDpkEfnrNOEsmmrVp4ilyNQ_XcPdPE2LYdgF0bpXu4aigVQk7bOQmNlz0VChEPwIgROsh7IpcxzyhWh68BOZz8-bb2bGIXC-bxbUn5-DB5X2vo30s-rAGo4mly6ABfShu_3M4jgtn5/s1600/Fabricating-WMD-%25E2%2580%259CEvidence%25E2%2580%259D-Israeli-Covert-Operation-inside-Syria-to-%25E2%2580%259CTrack-Chemical-Arsenal%25E2%2580%259D.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9ywDpkEfnrNOEsmmrVp4ilyNQ_XcPdPE2LYdgF0bpXu4aigVQk7bOQmNlz0VChEPwIgROsh7IpcxzyhWh68BOZz8-bb2bGIXC-bxbUn5-DB5X2vo30s-rAGo4mly6ABfShu_3M4jgtn5/s320/Fabricating-WMD-%25E2%2580%259CEvidence%25E2%2580%259D-Israeli-Covert-Operation-inside-Syria-to-%25E2%2580%259CTrack-Chemical-Arsenal%25E2%2580%259D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The entire episode is covered in a heavy blanket of secrecy, imposed from Moscow, Washington, Jerusalem and Damascus. <b>They are using the public preoccupation with the holiday period in the West to keep it dark. </b>However, from the scraps of evidence available, it is transpires that the foreign special unit reaching al Safira gave both sides, the SYRIAN army and the rebels, an ultimatum to hold their fire until the arsenals were removed, or else this special unit would mete out crushing punishment.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">DID THE RUSSIANS CARRIED OUT THEIR OPERATION FOR THE CAPTURE OF ASSAD'S WMD ALONE, OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE US AND ISRAEL</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Since then, the SYRIAN army and rebels do not appear to have resumed fighting and it is not clear which side remains in control of the al Safira military complex.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">One of the many enigmas surrounding this episode is whether the RUSSIANS carried out their operation for the capture of Assad's WMD alone, or in conjunction with the US and ISRAEL. And whether this cooperation extended up to and including implementation, or was confined to the intelligence and preparatory stages.<br />Amos Gilad’s comment points to a measure of international cooperation. <br />Furthermore, it is not clear whether the SYRIAN ruler gave permission for the removal of his unconventional weapons out of the reach of the rebels. Neither is their destination known.  And most of all, what makes RUSSIAN and ISRAELI officials so sure that they are in safe hands?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In his statement Saturday, Lavrov divulged that it had been “consolidated in one or two places” and that “RUSSIAN military advisers... kept close watch over [SYRIA’S] chemical arsenal.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CIVIL WAR BETWEEN ASSAD AND OPPOSITION FORCES FIGHTING TO TOPPLE HIM HAD BECOME DEADLOCKED</span></b></span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The ISRAELI defense official was in rare tune with Moscow on the fate of the SYRIAN ruler. He asserted that the civil war between Assad and opposition forces fighting to topple him had become deadlocked, but that the SYRIAN leader showed no signs of heeding international calls to step down.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"Suppose he (Assad) does leave, there could be chaos ... in the MIDDLE EAST you never know who will come instead. We need to stay level-headed; the entire world is dealing with this (another reference to multinational action in SYRIA). At the moment, chemical weapons are under control, despite the fact that President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of parts of the country," Gilad said.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Background Information</span></u></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">: </span> </span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/syria-cause-and-effect.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/syria-cause-and-effect.html</a></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/syria-israel-iran-and-usa.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/syria-israel-iran-and-usa.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">RUSSIAN FORCES TAKE SYRIAN CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS UNDER CONTROL</span></span></h3><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><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><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/AVvXsEiSPmdZKgab7bbDr1Srvdyt7vdSZHHH-_sm7dJ-SX76DImLs5tGHHSMYyfvGwHO_iyUMKjkO9LTebeg4OU0siIKTBkSNUrGkFXUmczjwhDzjHauUQoESqWX28sPjaL3puN6iLkc6fTINz1m/s1600/2092728766.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPmdZKgab7bbDr1Srvdyt7vdSZHHH-_sm7dJ-SX76DImLs5tGHHSMYyfvGwHO_iyUMKjkO9LTebeg4OU0siIKTBkSNUrGkFXUmczjwhDzjHauUQoESqWX28sPjaL3puN6iLkc6fTINz1m/s400/2092728766.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Alleged Syrian WMD storage site</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><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;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIAN FORCES DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN REMOVING THE WMD OUT OF THE REACH OF JABHAT AL-NUSRA TERRORISTS.</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;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></b></span><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="font-size: large;"></span></span></b><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></b><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: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Via DEBKA<i>file</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i> </i> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The chemical warfare threat looming over SYRIA’S civil war and its neighbors has taken an epic turn with the announcement by RUSSIAN Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Saturday, Dec. 22, that “the SYRIAN government has “consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations amid a rebel onslaught and they are under control for the time being.”<br />He added that RUSSIA, “which has military advisers training SYRIA’S military, has kept close watch over its chemical arsenal.”<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile’s military and intelligence sources report: The RUSSIAN foreign minister’s statement was a message to Washington that the transfer of SYRIA’S weapons of mass destruction to one or two protected sites was under RUSSIAN control. This had removed the danger of them falling into the hands of the al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra ,which had come ominously close Friday, Dec. 21, when the Islamists spearheaded a SYRIAN rebel assault for the capture of the al-Safira military complex and Bashar Assad’s chemical and biological stores.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Lavrov did not go into detail about how this arsenal was removed and to which locations. But his reference to “RUSSIAN military advisers training SYRIA’S military” clearly indicated that RUSSIAN forces were directly involved in removing the WMD out of the reach of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists. His assertion, that they were “under control” indicated that RUSSIA was also involved in safeguarding them.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Reason for RUSSIA’S military intervention</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE PREVENTION OF WESTERN MILITARY INTERVENTION IN THE CIVIL WAR BEHIND THE FORCES DEDICATED TO THE REMOVAL OF BASHAR ASSAD</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile’s Moscow sources add: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIA’S military intervention in the SYRIAN civil war achieved four objectives:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1.  The prevention of Western or ISRAEL military action for seizing control of SYRIA’S chemical and biological weapons arsenals;</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2.   The prevention of Western military intervention in the civil war behind the forces dedicated to the removal of Bashar Assad. The RUSSIAN military is now engaged in the dual mission of guarding his WMD arsenal and his regime;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> 3.  The RUSSIAN military presence in SYRIA delivers a heavy swipe to the rebels;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> 4.   RUSSIA’S intervention and military presence have laid the groundwork for Moscow and Washington to work out an accord that will bring SYRIA’S civil war to an end.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile SITREP Friday, Dec. 21:</span></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The SYRIAN Air Force is again firing Scud missiles, this time to stem the general offensive SYRIAN opposition forces, including jihadis, launched Friday, Dec. 21, to capture the SYRIAN army’s military-industrial complex at al Safira and the big chemical and biological weapons store adjoining the facility. It is there, that Scud D missiles stand ready for launching, loaded with chemical weapons.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLAxPZlJNjtH2q_yYoGgdx3RzfYaKavuPapJY9znAtVu6uYpP4vEn98Nt-FHqtgpi8kgFuoFtoAFdM7nCBgZHgxV0SEZoQxoSEvL21wdQ9BC-wPCPh6yZBA3w5_Xf6Z6q2cApzJ584lTD/s1600/Syria-chemical-400x256.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLAxPZlJNjtH2q_yYoGgdx3RzfYaKavuPapJY9znAtVu6uYpP4vEn98Nt-FHqtgpi8kgFuoFtoAFdM7nCBgZHgxV0SEZoQxoSEvL21wdQ9BC-wPCPh6yZBA3w5_Xf6Z6q2cApzJ584lTD/s320/Syria-chemical-400x256.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Rebel forces are converging on Al Safira from the east, the west and the south. Among them are brigades of the Jabhat al-Nusra which the US has designated part of al Qaeda in IRAQ.<br />debkafile military sources report extremely heavy fighting. The rebels have reached points 1-2 kilometers from the perimeter walls of the Al Safira chemical weapons stores and are being pounded by SYRIAN warplanes and assault helicopters as well as Scuds, in a desperate effort to halt their advance.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Success in seizing control of those stores would re-tilt the balance of the war in their favor and bring President Bashar Assad face to face with a decision on whether to broach the perilous dimension of chemical warfare on the rebels or even against NATO or US targets outside SYRIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />A prime factor in his decision would be the information received in Moscow and Tehran – and almost certainly passed on to the SYRIAN ruler – that taking part in the offensive are rebels who underwent training in recent weeks in northern JORDAN by US, CZECH and POLISH officers in tactics for seizing chemical or biological caches and dismantling them.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;">RUSSIAN and IRANIAN intelligence watchers suspect that elements from all three armies as well as JORDAN are present in the rebel assault force, in order to be on the spot when the weapons of mass destruction are captured and appropriate them to forces under NATO command.  They must beat Jabhat al-Nusra’s fighting brigades to this target, although at this moment, the jihadis are ahead of the race.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The battle for al Safira has brought US and NATO into direct intervention in SYRIAN hostilities. Western intelligence services estimate that even if Assad removed some of the banned weapons from this complex, large quantities remain and must be prevented from reaching the wrong hand</span>s.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>

RUSSIAN FORCES TAKE SYRIAN CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS UNDER CONTROL

ALREADY IN DECEMBER 2012  RUSSIA ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SYRIA’S BIO - CHEMICAL WEAPONS HAD BEEN SECURED Source:   http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/russian-forces-take-syrian-chemical.html Also in December 2012,  RUSSIA apparently went even f…

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What is a credible webpage? Let Easybib help you decide!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3G8xrySFQo5LSJ-D07Aq8ouLlmVB21XQXAgG3c_IVWzb2l4A9NG2TDjZUyydI4cZGg9e6PmG_kTjcss0sC2n3RD7K_wv3fLHC5sZ3W_OiTL4virET_AbzNUFCM5yjWe7cO3ZEl3SkvDk/s1600/Easybib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3G8xrySFQo5LSJ-D07Aq8ouLlmVB21XQXAgG3c_IVWzb2l4A9NG2TDjZUyydI4cZGg9e6PmG_kTjcss0sC2n3RD7K_wv3fLHC5sZ3W_OiTL4virET_AbzNUFCM5yjWe7cO3ZEl3SkvDk/s1600/Easybib.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easybib is a free Chrome extension that has two useful functions:</span><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first is to tell you whether a website is credible or not. If the source has not yet been evaluated Easybib will let you know.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its second function is to enable to to provide a quick citation of your sources in a bibliography. The bookmarklet will create a properly formulated citation for you.</span></li></ul><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really like the <a href="http://content.easybib.com/students/research-guide/website-credibility-evaluation/">Easybib website</a> that gives a clear description of how to evaluate a website. It has been embedded belo</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">w. The website gives a lot more useful information for students and teachers. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Visit the Easybib website</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span>Click on the bottom right hand corner of this image to be taken to the original enlarged PowerPoint web app for easier viewing</span><br /><br /><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="560px" src="https://skydrive.live.com/embed?cid=105696C4BC0FB6D1&resid=105696C4BC0FB6D1%21191&authkey=ANv5jvFTIyM7LFw&em=2&wdAr=0.75&Embed=1" width="406px">This is an embedded <a target='_blank' href='http://office.com'>Microsoft Office</a> presentation, powered by <a target='_blank' href='http://office.com/webapps'>Office Web Apps</a>.</iframe><br /><a href="http://content.easybib.com/students/research-guide/website-credibility-evaluation/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://content.easybib.com/students/research-guide/website-credibility-evaluation/</a><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Find out more about Easybib in this YouTube tutorial</span></b><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pOL43ggmivs" width="420"></iframe></div>

Chrome extensions Easybib Web tools What is a credible webpage? Let Easybib help you decide!

Easybib is a free Chrome extension that has two useful functions:The first is to tell you whether a website is credible or not. If the source has not yet been evaluated Easybib will let you know.Its second function is to enable to to provide a quick …

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Tru Whip Review

<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uGwGPzNB_pk/UjNjRbJAC0I/AAAAAAAAJr4/SekKJPmy-78/s1600/13+-+2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uGwGPzNB_pk/UjNjRbJAC0I/AAAAAAAAJr4/SekKJPmy-78/s320/13+-+2" width="320" /></i></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Ever think something is missing when you have some ice cream or smoothie, especially to add a little more sweetness to it!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>What's better on top of ice cream than a dollop of  <a href="http://truwhip.com/">Tru Whip</a> !?</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>What is it!?</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>An all natural whipped topping for:</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Smoothies</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Fruits</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Cakes</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Pies</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I was sent some coupons for review and couldn't wait to try it!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Banana cheesecake smoothie:</i></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L0sauP4V_m4/UjodpuaqqAI/AAAAAAAAJvI/oVUTAGVdzho/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L0sauP4V_m4/UjodpuaqqAI/AAAAAAAAJvI/oVUTAGVdzho/s320/13+-+1" width="320" /></i></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Wow I made a new recipe I came across on Pinterest and it tasted just like cheesecake!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Any who I topped it off with a dollop of tru whip and a graham cracker! </i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>It was heaven !</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Peanut butter banana Smoothie:</i></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VDj1C7yYyHU/UjNjRfsNVMI/AAAAAAAAJrw/ihPN9HsWBDE/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VDj1C7yYyHU/UjNjRfsNVMI/AAAAAAAAJrw/ihPN9HsWBDE/s320/13+-+1" width="320" /></i></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I put some on top of a smoothie and wow was it delicious!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>It was sweet and it didn't taste oily like other whipped toppings do which is great!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Links:</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://truwhip.com/"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>http://truwhip.com/</i></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Twitter:</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><a href="https://twitter.com/truwhip"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>https://twitter.com/truwhip</i></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Facebook:</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/truwhip?ref=ts&fref=ts"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>https://www.facebook.com/truwhip?ref=ts&fref=ts</i></span></a><br /><br /></div>

Tru Whip Review

Ever think something is missing when you have some ice cream or smoothie, especially to add a little more sweetness to it!What's better on top of ice cream than a dollop of  Tru Whip !?What is it!?An all natural whipped topping for:SmoothiesFruitsCak…

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Idol Albums Sales Hold Steady, Less Than A Month Until the Next Winner Release!

<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/AVvXsEjW76NgzmtDjSvrUlEeR0hWx01xVBrky06WWFn-8x_wTo8bO_El3tKki3FVfq1vjpGgI6kIEXiLYm-dj382C4zAIBBRwGnZwwbp9jVci6JuNoPZCgZmPUoe1qdXzTxR25-hp0jejShrkZhu/s1600/bb200-20130913.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW76NgzmtDjSvrUlEeR0hWx01xVBrky06WWFn-8x_wTo8bO_El3tKki3FVfq1vjpGgI6kIEXiLYm-dj382C4zAIBBRwGnZwwbp9jVci6JuNoPZCgZmPUoe1qdXzTxR25-hp0jejShrkZhu/s400/bb200-20130913.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">green = Mandisa, maroon = Phillip, dk green = Kelly, lt blue = Carrie, <br />orange = Fantasia, lt green = Jessica, med blue = Colton</td></tr></tbody></table>This week there are again five American Idol albums in the <a href="http://www.mjsbigblog.com/billboard-chart-date-092113.htm">BillBoard 200 chart</a>, with Mandisa again leading the way, this time at #45 from #29 last week. Albums on the Christian charts tend to last a pretty long time, with Colton Dixon's "A Messenger" still among the Top 40 Christian albums on that chart (increasing to number #33 from #39 last week.) If you notice his darker blue line in the chart, his album first came out about 30 months ago and is still selling fine in the Christian market, with his single "Never Gone" sitting at #1 on the Christian Hot AC chart.<br /><br />The other Idols on the chart all saw only slight movements on the chart. Phillip Phillip's "The World From the Side of the Moon" has been very steady for the past six weeks, just shifting around in the 50's (#57 this week after #55 last week.) Kelly Clarkson's "Greatest Hits: Chapter One" drops only a little from #75 to #84 this week, and Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" finally drops out of the Top 100, landing at #101 after 71 weeks (that is a long time!). Fantasia's "Side Effects of You" actually improved for a second week in a row to #115, so her sales are holding pretty well too.<br /><br />Now that it is September 13, that means that Candice Glover's "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Music-Speaks-Candice-Glover/dp/B00CTX6EUG">Music Speaks</a>" will be released in just three weeks from next Tuesday on October 8. Unfortunately there appears to be nothing going on to promote the album yet, which is scary indeed. Scotty McCreery's "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/See-You-Tonight-Scotty-Mccreery/dp/B00EV1AT96">See You Tonight</a>" album is officially on sale a week later, and he just released a new <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFlv4O7VE-A">music video</a> for the lead title single (which has been solidly stuck at around #40 on the country singles chart seemingly forever.) Scotty's fans might complain about having his single stuck at #40 for so long (thank the messed up state of country radio these days), but, frankly, that would be quite a nice "problem" for Candice to have, if she actually had a single playing on the radio at all! Candice does not even seem to have her own official website. Is her album going to be released on October 8th or not? Scotty's fans were able to figure out from the order numbers for his <a href="http://www.scottymccreerystore.com/index.php">pre-sales</a>, that he already should have <a href="http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=705521&st=580">sold around 10,000 just in first 48 hour pre-sale orders</a> pretty easily. What fraction of that will Candice sell on her release? Somebody help her out please!!<br /><br />Since Candice does not have a website or single or anything else to help promote her album, I may as well link to Scotty's new music video. At least there will be one recent Idol winner who will sell a lot of albums this fall!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dFlv4O7VE-A" width="420"></iframe>

Idol Albums Sales Hold Steady, Less Than A Month Until the Next Winner Release!

green = Mandisa, maroon = Phillip, dk green = Kelly, lt blue = Carrie, orange = Fantasia, lt green = Jessica, med blue = ColtonThis week there are again five American Idol albums in the BillBoard 200 chart, with Mandisa again leading the way, this ti…

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Restaurant Sales vs. Wages

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1BYG3wHb-aEp9EJ7jXRlKB5geh9k-xgnnv1xyq3HiEb4xcJvE6ThLDifM_1kkf7LTigu1zttLFjOQ847K9hi8P-WqHAtc_T-bdbmpChTsgaTPgZ3aZBLe7nT0_HBcjkxZvXoU_LUJL8/s1600/Restaurant+Sales+vs.+Wages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1BYG3wHb-aEp9EJ7jXRlKB5geh9k-xgnnv1xyq3HiEb4xcJvE6ThLDifM_1kkf7LTigu1zttLFjOQ847K9hi8P-WqHAtc_T-bdbmpChTsgaTPgZ3aZBLe7nT0_HBcjkxZvXoU_LUJL8/s320/Restaurant+Sales+vs.+Wages.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nZZ504TGDpE" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=mnh">St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart</a>

Restaurant Sales vs. Wages

Click to enlarge.Source Data:St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart…

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Something’s fishy with the TPP

<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">TPP is an abbreviation for the much-maligned Trans-Pacific Partnership. But it also works as shorthand for Terrible Policy for Pescatarians and is equally apt.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s1600/tpp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s320/tpp.jpeg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/trading-away-our-safe-seafood/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Capitol Hill panel looking at seafood and the TPP</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> raised serious concerns about what a flood of fish coming in from the 11 other nations involved in negotiations of the trade pact would mean both for consumers and industry workers. Lawmakers and experts said the livelihoods of fishermen and the health of the American public could be at stake.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mitch Jones, Food and Water Watch’s director of the common resources program who moderated the program, said as it stands the U.S. can’t keep up with imported fish:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2010 the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] had 92 full time equivalent border inspectors, which means that in that year each border inspector was responsible for inspecting 56.5 million pounds of seafood. No wonder less than 2 percent of our seafood is actually inspected before being allowed into the country and sold in our stores.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In an effort to stop the soaring importation of unsafe fish, lawmakers and experts agreed it is </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/help-derail-fast-tracking-of-TPP.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">key to stop fast track</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, which would allow a quick up-or-down vote on the TPP with little demand and no chance to amend the deal. Having Congress fully consider the agreement would not only help consumers’ health, it would protect hard-working Americans in many different industries.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reps. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.) and Walter Jones (N.C.), who hosted the briefing, were joined by Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) on a </span><a href="http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/11/members-of-congress-ask-obama-administration-to-ensure-seafood-safety-in-trade-negotiation/#.UjMrA2zD_cs" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">letter sent to the Obama administration last year asking that public health be a key focus</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of negotiators during TPP discussions. Unfortunately, due to the secretive nature of the pact’s negotiations, the public doesn’t know where things stand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As talks between trade negotiators begin to wind down, the Obama administration and Congress need to carefully weigh any deal. While Americans are for open markets, that doesn’t mean they want to trade good U.S. jobs and safe products made here for lost jobs, lower wages and foods that make their families sick. They demand fair trade.</span></div>

fair trade fast track food safety TPP Something’s fishy with the TPP

TPP is an abbreviation for the much-maligned Trans-Pacific Partnership. But it also works as shorthand for Terrible Policy for Pescatarians and is equally apt. A Capitol Hill panel looking at seafood and the TPP raised serious concerns about what a…

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