Rand Paul and the principle principle

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><header class="entry-header" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px auto; width: 610px;"><div class="entry-meta" style="border: 0px; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="wp-byline" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: georgia; font-size: 1.1em; height: 20px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Posted by Chris Cillizza and Sean Sullivan on March 7, 2013 at <span class="get-the-time" style="border: 0px; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6:30 am</span></div></div></header><div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px auto; outline: 0px; padding: 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px;"><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rand Paul proved on Wednesday that a filibuster can be very good politics. In <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/rand-paul-conducts-filibuster-in-opposition-to-john-brennan-obamas-drone-policy/2013/03/06/1367b1b4-868c-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_story.html?hpid=z3" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">speaking for over 12 hours in opposition to the Obama Administration’s drone policy</a>, Paul did more to boost his prospects as a 2016 presidential candidate than anything he has done since coming to the Senate from Kentucky in 2010.</div><div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_34279" style="border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0.4em auto 0px; max-width: 96%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1034px;"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/files/2013/03/Rand.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul filibusters the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA. AP photo" class="size-full wp-image-34279" height="701" src="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/files/2013/03/Rand.jpg" style="border: 0px rgb(238, 238, 238); display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 6px; width: auto;" width="1024" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="border: 0px; font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.6em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul filibusters the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA. AP photo</div></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">What Paul proved during his “filiblizzard” — it hurts so good to write that — is that he is a politician with a) a core set of beliefs  and b) a willingness to stand up for them.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">That’s a rare thing in modern American politics where the tendency is to find where the public — or the primary electorate — is on a given issue and then find a way to get there.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">“People of all backgrounds yearn for leaders who believe in what they say and will stand strong for their convictions,” said Jesse Benton, who managed Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign and is now serving as campaign manager for Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s 2014 re-election race. “Senator Paul is one of those leaders, and the list of others is short.”</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">While the issue Paul chose — drones and, specifically, the possibility of strikes against American citizens in the U.S. — isn’t a high-profile one, it became clear as the Kentucky Republican talked (and talked) that he was creating a major moment for a party that hasn’t had very many of those since Nov. 6, 2012.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">“It was one of the first examples in a long time of messaging that made the base feel like we had control of the day,” said Rick Wilson, a Florida-based Republican strategist. “Rand Paul’s stock price rose sharply today, and being the guy who set Obama on his heels — even for a day — will pay dividends for Paul in the short term, at least.”</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">Need evidence that Paul’s filibuster was paying political dividends?  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio — a frontrunner for the 2016 GOP presidential nod — joined Paul on the Senate floor in both a symbolic show of support, and an acknowledgment of the power of the moment his colleague had created.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">By the time the 2016 Republican presidential race rolls around, the Paul filibuster will be a distant memory — even to the grassroots of the party. But, the motivation behind the filibuster — a combination of genuine conviction and a sense for the dramatic — will still burn strongly in Paul.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s why we continue to believe no one should underestimate Paul’s ability to have a major impact on the 2016 race. While his beliefs — particularly on foreign policy — are outside the mainstream of current Republican thought, Paul will get points among the base for actually believing what he says.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">“The public is looking for leaders with principles and conviction, even if they differ from some of their own views,” said Jon Downs, who did the television ads for Ron Paul’s 2012 campaign. “Nobody has to question whether Rand Paul is authentic, or what his core beliefs are.”</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">Call it the principle principle.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Obama dines with Senate Republicans:</strong> Obama extended an olive branch to the GOP Tuesday night, dining with a dozen Senate Republicans. And he even <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/03/06/obama-picked-up-gop-senators-dinner-tab/" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">picked up the tab</a>.</div><div class="column-five left padding-right margin-top-5 margin-right-15" id="article-side-rail" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 5px 15px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 300px;"><div class="left margin-right margin-bottom slug" id="slug_inline_bb" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://img.washingtonpost.com/rw/sites/twpweb/img/sprites/ad-sprite.png); background-position: 103px -398px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 300px;"><div id="wpni_adi_inline_bb" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="250" id="ad_iframe_inline_bb" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="ad_iframe_inline_bb" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/N701/adi/wpni.politics/blog/the-fix;sz=300x250;pos=inline_bb;poe=yes;ad=inline_bb;del=iframe;pageId=34277;u=o*287A77B485162852,60000178200018F7,,,article,abc;front=n;wa160=1;wa300=1;wa300x600=1;wa728=1;wapo160=1;wapo300=1;wapo300x600=1;wapo728=1;page=article;wpnode=politics/blog/the-fix;rs=d72008;rs=d70252;rs=d70244;rs=d70116;rs=d70107;rs=d70045;rs=d70044;rs=d70043;rs=d70042;rs=d70036;rs=d70035;rs=d70019;rs=d70016;rs=d70012;rs=d70010;rs=d70008;rs=j10488;rs=d71156;rs=d70105;rs=d72790;rs=d70675;rs=d70065;rs=j10604;rs=d70052;rs=d70028;rs=d71168;rs=d70053;rs=d70033;rs=d70027;rs=d70015;tile=3;ord=98250918556004770?" style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="300"></iframe></div></div></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">Obama is <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/03/06/obama-invites-republican-senators-to-dinner-wednesday/" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">ramping up</a> his outreach to the GOP and is set to meet with all four caucuses on Capitol Hill next week. We’ll find out in he coming weeks and months whether anything comes of the renewed outreach.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Markey leads in Massachusetts:</strong> Rep. Ed Markey (D) leads his Senate primary opponent, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D), by nearly 30 points, according to a new <a href="http://www.uml.edu/docs/UML-MA-RV-589-Mar2-5-2013-HIGHLIGHTS_tcm18-91426.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">UMass Lowell-Boston Herald poll</a>. The longtime congressman leads Lynch 50 percent to 21 percent according to the survey. But nearly a quarter (23 percent) of potential Democratic primary voters are undecided.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 22px; vertical-align: baseline;">In special general election match-ups, Markey and Lynch lead all three Republican candidates by double digits. Former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan runs strongest against the two Democrats, but still trails by about 17 points against each one.</div></div></div>

Rand Paul Rand Paul and the principle principle

Posted by Chris Cillizza and Sean Sullivan on March 7, 2013 at  6:30 am Rand Paul proved on Wednesday that a filibuster can be very good pol...

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Kool Aid worth drinking: the respect and admiration for the noble profession of teaching

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iW3gyfWuBMQ/SC4eYUJK37I/AAAAAAAAE-U/e9gas_w7rHc/s1600/Crump%252520Classroom%252520Photos%2525204-25-08%252520008.JPG" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="335" id="blogsy-1362658132899.7783" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iW3gyfWuBMQ/SC4eYUJK37I/AAAAAAAAE-U/e9gas_w7rHc/s500/Crump%252520Classroom%252520Photos%2525204-25-08%252520008.JPG" width="500"></a></div> <blockquote><p> "Every great poet is a teacher; I either wish to be considered as a teacher or as nothing."</p><p>William Wordsworth, loc 914, Six Centuries of English Poetry</p></blockquote> <p>A teacher or nothing? What is this profession of which poets aspire?</p> <blockquote><p>What office is there which involves more responsibility, which requires more qualifications, and which ought, therefore, to be more honorable than teaching?</p><p>Harriet Martineau</p></blockquote> <p>Anything more honorable than teaching? Oh, there are many honorable professions, I think. It wouldn't make sense to elevate one profession by putting down others. Being a good parent is an honorable thing for upon the family societies are built, or sadly, crumble. But the classroom is also a foundation of society. It is also a place where future generations walk and are inspired or angered. Truly, the great tread upon these halls, so walk slowly, look them in the eye, and talk warmly as you encourage the greatness among you.</p> <p>Yet, are we just baby sitters? Is school where kids go so they have something to do during the day? Let it not be!</p> <blockquote><p>"The true aim of every one who aspires to be a teacher should be, not to impart his own opinions,but to kindle minds." F. W. Robertson</p></blockquote> <p>Kindling minds? Is that what we are doing? Oh, I'm so fortunate, I feel I get to do that. Right now, however, I'm doing SAT prep which is far from mind kindling. I'm teaching them how to "beat" a test and outsmart the test makers to elevate themselves above other test takers. It feels important - to their future and lives -- but it isn't the spark kindling, mind blowing, excitement inducing lessons that they run to class for. This too shall pass, thank goodness. I can only imagine what I'd feel if all I did was test prep. God be with us! It would be not only awful, but sad. But I think the reason the students listen to me is because even amidst our least favorite material, they know that passion based learning is coming back on Monday. Oh yes, we'll be back.</p> <blockquote><p>Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.</p><p>Jacques Barzun</p></blockquote> <p>So, we know what we do is noble. We know that there is certainly an art to teaching. We know that there are not only some good teachers out there but there are great teachers out there. Then, why, then, tell me, do so many teachers feel that the ire of society is looking down upon them? Why do many feel unsupported, unappreciated and criticized? What is this toxic Kool-aid of looking down upon teachers that society has drunk?</p> <p><strong>I'm not drinking the kool-aid</strong>. While the media is required to give equal time to political candidates, it is not required to give equal time among the positives and negatives of a profession. Teachers make easy targets. There is always a 1% fool factor in any profession - those who do foolish things with power or take dumb paths. The fools among us are not only the greatest of fools but the most despicable of humans because they are working with innocent, malleable children. When a teacher messes up, it is most repulsive, especially to those of us who do it every day. And being such a large profession, there is always some of the 1% available to tar and feather in the media and give another instance of a profession gone wrong. </p> <p>But do you know, there are lawyers who do wrong - where are they? How about the garbage man who does something wrong or the secretary with sticky fingers who steals money? It is because when a teacher goes wrong, they have a living breathing victim and no one emotes, or should evoke more sympathy than an innocent child. They are our greatest treasures and should be treated as such. Of course, news of the victimization of one of these children spreads like wildfire, causing people to turn on the news - who, desperate for viewers, they will report on things that elicit responses and nothing does more so than a teacher gone wrong.</p> <p>But <strong>I'm still not drinking the kool aid</strong>. The 1% fool factor is not going to determine what I think of a noble profession. It is not. And it shouldn't for you.</p> <p>See the reporting and the misunderstanding for what it is. Teachers are an easy target. And say that we have not messed up but a parent says that we have, they can make up anything they want and take it to the media and we are bound by confidentiality, much like doctors or lawyers, except even more so. Because we are not at liberty to formulate our own responses because our districts and schools have lawyers who are out to protect the "system" not necessarily the "teacher."</p> <p>Yet. <strong>I'm still not drinking the kool-aid.</strong></p> <p>Teachers, you are noble. I'm not going to let a waning media convince me otherwise. I'm also not going to entirely blame the media. There are things fundamentally WRONG in education. There is a mismatch between how students learn and how they are being taught in many schools. But <strong>there is also a mismatch between what teachers are being asked to do and what they know is the right thing to do.</strong></p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t8GqgbsCqdc/SQyUpjF1JII/AAAAAAAAACM/EqxfrxGnz9s/s896/New%252520Kool%252520Aid.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br></a></div> <p>Fundamental changes need to happen in many schools who have forgotten the main purpose that they exist. We are here to kindle. We are here to inspire. We are here to encourage. A child may not have a reason to get up every day, but <strong>something should be so exciting at their schoolhouse, that they can't wait to get out of their house and head there</strong>. There should be at least one class, besides study hall, that kids are excited to get into. <strong>Not because we entertain them, but because we have captivated them</strong>. They are excited.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dkyCPJNaCiU/SPVrD8fMeqI/AAAAAAAACi0/REqj3P6KJFY/s320/koolaid-large.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br></a></div> <p>Learning should be fun. It should be a blast! Students should be excited. Teachers should too. But I refuse to believe all is lost. Sometimes, you can be lost in a bad neighborhood but are just one block over from your destination. Many schools have taken a wrong turn and leadership will get them back in the right place. </p> <p>But let me tell you, the wrongest turn for you as a teacher is to let suck-y things sour your attitude and your perspective on the bright, wriggling hope sitting in those seats before you today. <strong>We cannot let the frustrations and injustices of life keep us from admiring and respecting the profession that is most noble.</strong></p> <p>Remember your noble calling teacher and let the respect of this profession rekindle in our hearts and minds as we know and recognize that who we are and what we do is vital to society's future. Whether society itself recognizes or appreciates us or not, we are here as watchmen on the wall and will do our duty to guard these children, cast out the 1% among us who are fools and shouldn't be teaching kids anyway, and we will do our best every day whether anyone notices or cares.</p> <p>We love our students and are giving our lives every day to help them love learning. And that, my friends, is kool aid worth drinking.</p> <p> </p> <a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dkyCPJNaCiU/SPVrD8fMeqI/AAAAAAAACi0/REqj3P6KJFY/s320/koolaid-large.jpg" target="_blank" style="text-align: center; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; "><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="320" id="blogsy-1362658132888.2659" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dkyCPJNaCiU/SPVrD8fMeqI/AAAAAAAACi0/REqj3P6KJFY/s320/koolaid-large.jpg" width="294"></a><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

Inspiration Teaching Kool Aid worth drinking: the respect and admiration for the noble profession of teaching

"Every great poet is a teacher; I either wish to be considered as a teacher or as nothing." William Wordsworth, loc 914, Six Cen...

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Taylor Swift and Birthdays Suck

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Hola y’all! So Taylor Swift says that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are<a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-tina-fey-amy-poehler-taylor-swift-vanity-fair-20130306,0,3095338.story" target="_blank"> going to hell for mocking her</a> when they hosted the Golden Globes. Amy Poehler fired back “…I do agree I am going to hell. But for other reasons. Mostly boring tax stuff.”  I find this exchange pretty hilarious and very ironic since I’m probably going to hell for thinking that Amy Poehler and Taylor Swift would be an awesome Mother-Daughter three-way sex fantasy. <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/AVvXsEjNBfXMA4X0ftIoJUzsJv3o4ZVaC-o9-QIKSoy6Qdx_CBulhsEsLcLWTOiLtVdRlarU_fH78wPbO0AQn2t4Bi6QQbEbaiBuGNHoa4tn2zrjEyLzsCl7JAPfw6NH0tNbbh-lZTrr5hYD7Po/s1600/Taylor-Swift-Amy-Poehler-Lesbian-Fantasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBfXMA4X0ftIoJUzsJv3o4ZVaC-o9-QIKSoy6Qdx_CBulhsEsLcLWTOiLtVdRlarU_fH78wPbO0AQn2t4Bi6QQbEbaiBuGNHoa4tn2zrjEyLzsCl7JAPfw6NH0tNbbh-lZTrr5hYD7Po/s1600/Taylor-Swift-Amy-Poehler-Lesbian-Fantasy.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But, I’m not here to talk about the fact that Taylor Swift is a humorless cunt. Or whether or not calling Taylor Swift a “cunt” is appropriate or not. Or whether Taylor and Amy make for a great mother-daughter three-way fantasy or not. They obviously do. No, I only mentioned them for the page views. I’m here to talk about something that sucks even more than getting stuck in an elevator with a notoriously gassy Meat Loaf who just ate at Taco Bell.<span style="color: red;">* </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Birthdays!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Oh holy fuck another birthday is upon me. Why? Why do they keep coming around? How many have there been? 45? Once you hit 40 or so they come so fast you barely had time to get over the depression of the last one! And why does the state of Arkansas make us renew our driver’s licenses right before out birthday so we can damn near fail the vision test? So fucking cruel. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Your first birthday is probably pretty cool, even though you might not remember. Your 16^th is a big one, but I don’t really know why. Eighteen is significant because you can now buy cigarettes and porn legally, which means you’ll probably give both of them up. You keep going to clubs on weekends until you turn 21 and then you stop because it’s not that much fun if you aren’t using your fake ID. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">At some point in your life you will probably get a surprise birthday part. Usually one of those “milestone” birthdays like 21^st or any of the big decade birthdays 30, 40, 50, 60 etc. Those can sometimes be fun. Lots of people like to give friends “HAHAHAHA YOU’RE OLD” birthday cards because they’re hilarious. I totally approve of that. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What you should never do is go out to a restaurant for your birthday though. Someone who claims to love you will rat you out to the waiter and you’ll have to sit there as the whole damn staff comes out and sings their own special fast-paced-hand-clapping birthday song out of tune to you while everyone else in the place gives you a “thanks for ruining OUR dinner asshole” look. And then you blow the candle out on the stale piece of chocolate cake with whipped cream instead of actual icing on top. This just doesn’t sound like fun. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The exception to that is going to Denny’s for a free Grand Slam breakfast. That’s some good shit right there. Another exception would be getting a free lap dance from the super-hot Scarlett Johansson look-alike at the strip club. The best way to celebrate though is with a small group of friends (either in real life or online), drink beer/wine/Pepsi/bourbon, eat cupcakes and then order a big-ass pizza from Pizza Hut. Simple yet fun times. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It seems like every birthday is also a good time to update my Bucket List. By “update” I mean take things off that aren’t likely to happen. Like “Find true happiness” or “Make sure I won’t die alone.” On the other hand, I can add things to my list too. Like “go skydiving” or “Run with the bulls” because what the hell, my best days are behind me anyway, right? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Really, at this point the only positive thing about having another birthday is that I’m one year closer to one of my big goals in life. Becoming a Dirty Old Man. I’m right on track for that. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:Jayman3768@gmail.com">Jayman3768@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayman_iws" target="_blank">@Jayman_IWS</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">P.S. Hey y’all! Real quick like go to <a href="http://www.news-these-days.com/" target="_blank">www.news-these-days.com</a>. See what happened? You got sent here, didn’t you? Uh-huh. The Matt-Man bought this domain for my birthday. So, in addition to being a PREMIUM SHOW, we are also a DOT COM! Fuck yeah! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">*</span>I don’t KNOW that Meat Loaf has serious problems with flatulence, it just SEEMS as though he probably does. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But wait that’s not all! While you’re here being entertained you should totally check out our PREMIUM BLEND show we did on IWS Wednesday. We talked about going premium and found that BTR had been stockpiling all our old sound files which we had all kinds of juvenile fun with while we rambled about all kinds of important things. Give it a listen  and tell all your friends about us! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.adobe.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="105" id="143577" name="143577" width="210"><param name="movie" value="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fplaylist.aspx%3Fshow_id%3D4503731&autostart=false&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf" flashvars="file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fplaylist.aspx%3Fshow_id%3D4503731&autostart=false&shuffle=false&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx&width=210&height=105&volume=80&corner=rounded" width="210" height="105" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" wmode="transparent" menu="false" name="143577" id="143577" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;">Listen to <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/">internet radio</a> with <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid">Im With Stupid</a> on Blog Talk Radio<br /><br /><br /></div></div>

Taylor Swift and Birthdays Suck

Hola y’all! So Taylor Swift says that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are going to hell for mocking her when they hosted the Golden Globes. Amy P...

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Surgeons' Decisions and the Financial and Human Costs of Medical Care — NEJM (2010)

<base href="data:"><div style="color: black; text-align: left; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'">A popular animated Web video is circulating among members of my anesthesia department. It depicts a fictional exchange between an orthopedic surgeon and an anesthesiologist. The surgeon wants to book a case for the operating room: "There is a fracture; I need to fix it."<span class="ref" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; "><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1009621#ref1" class="showRefLayer" rel="#refLayer" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 104, 146); text-decoration: none; position: relative; top: -0.4em; line-height: 0; ">1</a></span> The anesthesiologist pushes him for more details, but the surgeon simply repeats his line: "There is a fracture; I need to fix it." Finally, the surgeon is asked whom the fracture belongs to, and he responds: "The fracture belongs to . . . a femur." The dialogue eventually reveals that the patient is a 97-year-old woman who was found unresponsive after a fall and presented to the hospital in cardiac arrest; attempts at resuscitation have failed.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'">The macabre humor of the video — a surgeon negotiating operating-room time for a patient who had already died — struck a chord with a number of my colleagues in anesthesiology. The fictional exchange, however exaggerated, recalled some of their own past discussions with surgeons. The orthopedic surgeons also found some truth in it; overhearing a discussion about the video, one resident chimed in, "There is a fracture. I need to fix it!"</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'">Despite the video's glib tone, it speaks to problems that carry important implications for the escalating costs of medical care in the United States. Some of these are exemplified by the experience of Madelyn Dunham, who underwent hip-replacement surgery to repair a hip fracture 2 weeks before she died from complications of cancer. Reflecting on his grandmother's care 6 months later, her grandson, President Barack Obama, recalled, "I don't know how much that hip replacement cost. I would have paid out of pocket for that hip replacement just because she's my grandmother. Whether, sort of in the aggregate, society making those decisions to give my grandmother, or everybody else's aging grandparents or parents, a hip replacement when they're terminally ill is a sustainable model is a very difficult question."<span class="ref" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; "><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1009621#ref2" class="showRefLayer" rel="#refLayer" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 104, 146); text-decoration: none; position: relative; top: -0.4em; line-height: 0; ">2</a></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'">In the months leading up to and following the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010, grappling with the President's "difficult question" — how to deliver health care that respects patient and family preferences while also controlling rising health care costs — has become a national priority. As a physician who works weekly in the operating room, I find that many of the conversations I hear on this topic ignore key gaps in our knowledge about how "those decisions," in the President's words, actually get made. Indeed, understanding physicians' choices to recommend for or against advanced procedures for patients in late stages of illness, frailty, or disability is a complex task. It is also a prerequisite for reforms that can limit the potential overuse of advanced medical procedures while also expanding the role of patient and family preferences in determining the goals of health care.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'">When I have asked surgeons about their experiences in making recommendations about procedures for patients near the end of life, their individual responses have ranged from the matter-of-fact to the emotional. They almost universally mention a reluctance to "give up." Some note that decisions to forgo surgery alter their own perspectives on their professional roles as doctors. A colleague in orthopedic surgery reflected, "It's so strange — thinking about it, I realize that once I've decided not to operate on a patient, I forget all about them. It sounds terrible, but it's really like `follow up in 6 weeks,' and that's it."</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'">The challenge surgeons face — to refrain from recommending a treatment whose overall potential to contribute to the duration or quality of a patient's life may be equivocal — is nothing new in U.S. medicine. However, the centrality of these decisions to surgical practice has decreased over time, as technological advances have lessened the risks associated with anesthesia and surgery, allowing patients previously deemed "too sick" to be cared for safely in the operating room. Indeed, a chapter titled "Surgical Judgment" in the 1960 edition of <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; ">Christopher's Textbook of Surgery</span>, the precursor to a major contemporary surgical textbook, states, "Often the highest product of a seasoned and responsible surgical judgment is the decision not to operate." It advises surgeons to "effectively resist . . . a number of influences irrelevant to the patient's welfare [that] may be brought to bear upon the surgeon in the formation of this important decision."<span class="ref" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; "><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1009621#ref3" class="showRefLayer" rel="#refLayer" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 104, 146); text-decoration: none; position: relative; top: -0.4em; line-height: 0; ">3</a></span> By 1972, the chapter on surgical judgment had disappeared from the textbook.<span class="ref" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; "><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1009621#ref4" class="showRefLayer" rel="#refLayer" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 104, 146); text-decoration: none; position: relative; top: -0.4em; line-height: 0; ">4</a></span> The current version, published in 2008, contains little advice on how to make a recommendation for or against an operation in a patient with progressive illness.<span class="ref" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; "><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1009621#ref5" class="showRefLayer" rel="#refLayer" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 104, 146); text-decoration: none; position: relative; top: -0.4em; line-height: 0; ">5</a></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'">In this context, the simple language of the video — "There is a fracture; I need to fix it" — becomes more profound. Anesthesiologists routinely state that a particular surgeon wants to operate, assuming that this desire arises from a belief that the surgeon can cure or palliate disease, a hope for gratification in the technical work of surgery, or in the most cynical view, an opportunity for financial gain. But the video points to something beyond volition: rather than saying that he wants to fix the fracture, the fictional orthopedist says he needs to fix it. It is as if, on some level, a decision-making process has been passed over, and an inevitable operative course, however absurd, set in motion not by a patient, but by the fractured bone itself.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'">These fictional and real depictions of surgeons' decisions highlight a neglected challenge for the next phase of health care reform: improving the way that physicians approach decisions to recommend for or against medical and surgical procedures whose potential benefits may be equivocal. Recognizing the centrality of this challenge to controlling the financial and human costs of hospital care in the United States will be essential to any progress we may hope to make toward achieving the system of health care that we deserve.</font></div></div><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1009621"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Helvetica Neue'">http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1009621</font></a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Surgeons' Decisions and the Financial and Human Costs of Medical Care — NEJM (2010)

A popular animated Web video is circulating among members of my anesthesia department. It depicts a fictional exchange between an orthopedic...

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Penn Medicine News Blog

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; ">Health News Stories, Ideas, and Perspectives from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Health System</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br></div><a href="http://news.pennmedicine.org/blog/">http://news.pennmedicine.org/blog/</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Penn Medicine News Blog

Health News Stories, Ideas, and Perspectives from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Health System http://news.pennmedici...

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LATIN AMERICAN ECONOMICS

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font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyu_VbGTFI_LHJoyb5_OJmfD3bjEl-zFlYi6R23ZpcNMM0pFSI9VPXxbRMkSD5Uv-R7aGsB7qUSI7hbIpWy_i8HljJcIeF0g5T2z0BzoGUytN00vDDJtRIOw1u8J2n6m1YwuFdGVARfha/s1600/FeaturedImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyu_VbGTFI_LHJoyb5_OJmfD3bjEl-zFlYi6R23ZpcNMM0pFSI9VPXxbRMkSD5Uv-R7aGsB7qUSI7hbIpWy_i8HljJcIeF0g5T2z0BzoGUytN00vDDJtRIOw1u8J2n6m1YwuFdGVARfha/s320/FeaturedImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></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: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BUSINESS CLIMATE IN LATIN AMERICA REACHES 18-MONTH HIGH </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">&</span></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">JPMORGAN <span style="font-size: large;">CONF<span style="font-size: large;">IRMS </span></span>EXPANDING ARGENTINE BUSINESS AFTER BARCLAYS LEAVES,</span></b></span></span></div><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CONTRARY TO WHAT LEADING ARGENTINE DAILY AND OPPOSITION PAPER <span style="font-size: large;">"</span>CLARIN<span style="font-size: large;">"</span> CLAIMED</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Climate for business in LATIN AMERICA reaches 18-month high; COLOMBIAN economic growth expected to increase; PERU to campaign for EUROPEAN and ASIAN investment</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><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";">GRADUAL RECOVERY IN ECONOMIC GROWTH AFTER THE FIRST TRIMESTER OF 2013, DUE TO THE RECOVERY OF BRAZIL, ARGENTINA, AND COLOMBIA</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The business climate in LATIN AMERICA improved in January, reaching its <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/america-latina-presenta-el-mejor-nivel-en-su-clima-de-negocios-en-18-mese"><span style="color: blue;">highest level in 18 months</span></a>.  This is according to indicators released last Wednesday by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), a private economic institute, and the University of Munich.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The LATIN AMERICAN Economic Climate Indicator reached <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/america-latina-presenta-el-mejor-nivel-en-su-clima-de-negocios-en-18-mese"><span style="color: blue;">5.5 in January</span></a>, higher than the 5.0 registered in January 2012.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This was the highest level since July 2011, when the indicator reached <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/america-latina-presenta-el-mejor-nivel-en-su-clima-de-negocios-en-18-mese"><span style="color: blue;">5.6</span></a>. By October 2011, the indicator had fallen to 4.4 as a result of the deepening international economic crisis.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to the study, the recent improvement in the business climate is principally attributable to expectations that regional economic growth will continue to increase.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While the regional business climate improved in LATIN AMERICA, <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/america-latina-presenta-el-mejor-nivel-en-su-clima-de-negocios-en-18-mese"><span style="color: blue;">some countries saw a decline</span></a> in their indicator between October 2012 and January 2013.  VENEZUELA saw the greatest decrease in the business climate with its indicator falling from 3.4 to 1.5.  ECUADOR and BOLIVIA also saw their indicators decline.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">In BRAZIL, the largest economy in the region, the Economic Climate index fell to 5.9 in January down from 6.1 in October.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">PARAGUAY and PERU received the <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/america-latina-presenta-el-mejor-nivel-en-su-clima-de-negocios-en-18-mese"><span style="color: blue;">highest evaluations</span></a> with respect to their facilitating a favorable climate for businesses.  Both received a score of 7.0.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">They were followed by </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">CHILE (6.6), </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">URUGUAY (6.3), </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">BRAZIL (5.9), </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">MEXICO (5.7), </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">BOLIVIA (5.4), </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">COLOMBIA (5.3), and </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">ARGENTINA (5.2).</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; 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";">VENEZUELA (1.5) and ECUADOR (4.0) received the lowest score.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The FGV and University of Munich data on LATIN AMERICA’S business climate is released every trimester.  It calculates the Economic Climate Indicator based on the average evaluation of <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/america-latina-presenta-el-mejor-nivel-en-su-clima-de-negocios-en-18-mese"><span style="color: blue;">138 specialists in 18 countries</span></a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">COLOMBIAN ECONOMIC GROWTH EXPECTED TO INCREASE</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Juan Manuel Ruiz, chief economist at BBVA Research’s LATIN AMERICA  division, asserts that the COLOMBIAN economy will <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/colombia-en-busca-de-un-crecimiento-del-5-para-proximos-anos"><span style="color: blue;">recover this year</span></a> thanks to an improvement in the mining and petroleum sectors. Even more importantly, increased investment in civil works could result in gross domestic product (GDP) growth of over <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/colombia-en-busca-de-un-crecimiento-del-5-para-proximos-anos"><span style="color: blue;">4 percent</span></a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘There are preliminary data that suggest [COLOMBIA] is recovering its economic dynamism,’ Ruiz asserted.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Additionally, the Central Bank recently stated that COLOMBIA’S 2012 growth did not reach its potential.  2012 growth numbers are still unknown, but the Bank estimates that the economy grew by approximately <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/colombia-en-busca-de-un-crecimiento-del-5-para-proximos-anos"><span style="color: blue;">3.7 percent</span></a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Failure to maximise economic output in 2012 has created greater optimism for 2013 growth which is currently predicted to reach 4 percent.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For 2014, the BBVA estimates that COLOMBIA could maintain dynamic economic growth, potentially reaching growth levels of <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/colombia-en-busca-de-un-crecimiento-del-5-para-proximos-anos"><span style="color: blue;">5 percent</span></a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><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";">GRADUAL RECOVERY IN ECONOMIC GROWTH AFTER THE FIRST TRIMESTER OF 2013, DUE TO THE RECOVERY OF BRAZIL, ARGENTINA, AND COLOMBIA</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqwgnTcjC_Q9Dm7k7I9R9G0ANfEzD-EpxIaEPjPWZD8NdSKpAIk-1LJwDW-qgXyv_Uf8rghAuQkY4nprrcoUlKGZTKCxgtDLiFDHmn7Kc3k8IIirUTyvGFbYb_npScsI66ya_LlCL6QFf/s1600/tumblr_lkdqkxJPX21qi7ua6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqwgnTcjC_Q9Dm7k7I9R9G0ANfEzD-EpxIaEPjPWZD8NdSKpAIk-1LJwDW-qgXyv_Uf8rghAuQkY4nprrcoUlKGZTKCxgtDLiFDHmn7Kc3k8IIirUTyvGFbYb_npScsI66ya_LlCL6QFf/s640/tumblr_lkdqkxJPX21qi7ua6.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With respect to regional growth in LATIN AMERICA, the BBVA projects growth of 3.6 percent in 2013, up from 2.8 percent in 2012.  For 2014, the projection is even more optimistic: 3.7 percent.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘There will be a <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/finanzas/colombia-en-busca-de-un-crecimiento-del-5-para-proximos-anos"><span style="color: blue;">gradual recovery</span></a> in economic growth after the first trimester of 2013, due to the recovery of BRAZIL, ARGENTINA, and COLOMBIA. This growth will continue on the back of strong internal demand and high primary resource prices,’ according to the BBVA report.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PERU TO CAMPAIGN FOR EUROPEAN AND ASIAN INVESTMENT</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PERU will solicit investment from EUROPE and ASIA for projects that are currently being planned for 2013, according to <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/comercio/peru-promovera-proyectos-de-inversion-en-europa-y-asia"><span style="color: blue;">Javier Illescas</span></a>, director of the Agency for the Promotion of Private Investment (Proinversión).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Illescas specified that the investment promotion campaign will travel to London (UNITED KINGDOM), Frankfurt (GERMANY), Dubai (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES), Beijing (CHINA), Seoul (SOUTH KOREA), Tokyo (JAPAN), and Toronto (CANADA).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to the director, these countries possess <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/comercio/peru-promovera-proyectos-de-inversion-en-europa-y-asia"><span style="color: blue;">strategically-important companies</span></a> that specialise in construction and infrastructure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Illescas stated that PERU will be developing many new projects this year.  Among these will be the construction of a new metro line in Lima, a major road to cross the Andes, and the Chinchero international airport in Cuzco.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In addition to EUROPE and ASIA, the Proinversión campaign intends to <a href="http://www.americaeconomia.com/economia-mercados/comercio/peru-promovera-proyectos-de-inversion-en-europa-y-asia"><span style="color: blue;">increase its activities</span></a> in AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND, where it hopes to attract businesses interested in investing in PERU.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TEl-jDvEbx9YeguCFSn6SZKQPw4CqxhlzV0ggPC8RnYl7Nhj4iIJ-53_AGDRCZ8GWJIUMXPrbQO7dQR2e8DVCkcdIxYlFHkAwqpbraXFdwckbDyW7c5EHRLpe9nlwRJLSeLdQnTybPvK/s1600/iS1FXGaVfpa4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TEl-jDvEbx9YeguCFSn6SZKQPw4CqxhlzV0ggPC8RnYl7Nhj4iIJ-53_AGDRCZ8GWJIUMXPrbQO7dQR2e8DVCkcdIxYlFHkAwqpbraXFdwckbDyW7c5EHRLpe9nlwRJLSeLdQnTybPvK/s320/iS1FXGaVfpa4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">JPMORGAN CONFIRMS EXPANDING ARGENTINE BUSINESS AFTER BARCLAYS LEAVES,</span></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CONTRARY TO WHAT LEADING ARGENTINE DAILY AND OPPOSITION PAPER "CLARIN" CLAIMED.</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By Camila Russo </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/JPM:US" title="Get Quote"><span style="color: blue;">JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)</span></a> is expanding its business in <a href="http://topics.bloomberg.com/argentina/"><span style="color: blue;">ARGENTINA</span></a> as the country remains a ``key'' market in the region, the bank’s senior country officer said. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank, is leasing an additional three floors in its headquarters in Buenos Aires and hiring about 15 people this year, Facundo Gomez Minujin said. The New York-based bank has operated its local investment unit in ARGENTINA since 1985, according to its website. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘‘ARGENTINA remains a key element of our JPMorgan franchise in LATIN AMERICA,” Gomez Minujin wrote in an e-mail. “In the last 12 months we have increased our headcount.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">JPMorgan is expanding in SOUTH AMERICA’S second-largest economy even as competitors have cut staff and closed divisions amid a tightening of currency controls and financial oversight by President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s government. <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/BARC:LN" title="Get Quote"><span style="color: blue;">Barclays Plc (BARC)</span></a> closed its wealth management office in Buenos Aires in January 2012 “for strategic reasons” while Exotix, a brokerage, last year transferred some staff to New York and <a href="http://topics.bloomberg.com/london/"><span style="color: blue;">London</span></a>due to regulations. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gomez Minujin denied a report published today from Buenos Aires-based newspaper <u>Clarin</u> that the bank was leaving the country by the end of the month. </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“We’re maintaining our presence ARGENTINA just like we always have,” he said in a telephone interview. </span></div>

LATIN AMERICAN ECONOMICS

BUSINESS CLIMATE IN LATIN AMERICA REACHES 18-MONTH HIGH  & JPMORGAN CONF IRMS EXPANDING ARGENTINE BUSINESS AFTER BARCLAYS LEAVES, CON...

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Walking Battery Park City

This Saturday, March 9, I'll be giving an architectural walking tour of Battery Park City. The weather forecast looks like it might just dry up and warm up a little by then. Those interested can find <a href="http://www.92y.org/Tribeca/Event/Battery-Park-City-Architectural-Walking-Tour.aspx">more information and tickets at the 92Y Tribeca</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/7384025674/" title="AIANY Boat Tour by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="AIANY Boat Tour" height="850" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7384025674_7398295d1b_b.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><b>Update 03.07:</b> Turns out the BPC tour has been cancelled. Pardon any confusion.

Walking Battery Park City

This Saturday, March 9, I'll be giving an architectural walking tour of Battery Park City. The weather forecast looks like it might just...

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Dial Coconut Body Wash Review and Giveaway

<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Congratulations to Amy Orvin, Laura Jacobson</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v7pP2WvyG8jB_jI8pZ-jrhzC2Wzpwf3xuJt9okbfoaWbOO6rUkG81jIUfu6LYEF3sRHk2eS8hF9lfz0LDJAI4ZOADI9W-cASvO44QKKtyZs0kFVa7lDX2z51ak6b-1fqNNsEEZy4CTM/s1600/Dial+Coconut+Water+Body+Wash+purex+insider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v7pP2WvyG8jB_jI8pZ-jrhzC2Wzpwf3xuJt9okbfoaWbOO6rUkG81jIUfu6LYEF3sRHk2eS8hF9lfz0LDJAI4ZOADI9W-cASvO44QKKtyZs0kFVa7lDX2z51ak6b-1fqNNsEEZy4CTM/s320/Dial+Coconut+Water+Body+Wash+purex+insider.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Weather can be tough and also makes our skin become drier than usual.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whether it's your hair or your body or even your hands that become dry in the winter time it becomes a hassle.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So you continuously lather up with lotion a few times a day making you look like a melting ice cream cone!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It works for the time being but some products just don't cut it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's either too expensive, doesn't work, too thick or runny!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We need a product that hydrates our skin so we will feel at our best without being all uncomfortable from dry skin!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have tried many products to help with the dry skin for the winter and it just doesn't work, until now that is!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This product is amazing!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not only does it re hydrate my skin, it smells fantastic! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being a Purex Insider I received Dial Coconut Water body wash for review!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It contains real coconut water to hydrate your skin while showering.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>About the product:</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coconut water found in green coconuts which are basically baby coconuts!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rich in antioxidants and electrolytes.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Known as the super water for natural hydration and health benefits.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No wonder why coconuts are so popular in every product you see on the shelf!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Had a long day?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone needs time to relax whether it's reading a book or taking a nice hot bubble bath!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So grab a cocktail or your favorite indulgence and hop in the tub and lather up with the exotic aroma of coconut and leave all your troubles behind!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*Giveaway Rules*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I was given three coupons to giveaway to three lucky winners!</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Good Luck!</b></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. How do you hydrate your skin?</span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Want an extra entry? </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2.  Must Follow my blog.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">3.Then also follow me via Twitter, here. https://twitter.com/kelli_bliss </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">4. then Re tweet my post about the giveaway and if you tweet on your own make sure you use #hydratingbodywash</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">5. leave me a link here to your tweet.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">6. Like their face book page as well please! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dial?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/Dial?fref=ts</a></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*Sweepstakes*</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dial Brand is sponsoring a consumer sweepstakes to promote the release of The Dial Coconut Water Body Wash.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the sweepstakes you can be a $1,000 grand prize winner!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or 250 first place winners will win a free bottle of Dial Coconut Water Body Wash.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">post on the Dial's face book page and mention you came from my blog to enter to win!</span><br /><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dial/app_425567240793613"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">https://www.facebook.com/Dial/app_425567240793613</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disclosure:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Due to FCC Rules </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dial soap provided me with a sample of the new Dial Coconut Water Body Wash in exchange for a product review. All, the opinions expressed are my own.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Dial Coconut Body Wash Review and Giveaway

Congratulations to Amy Orvin, Laura Jacobson Weather can be tough and also makes our skin become drier than usual. Whether it's your hai...

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