Mutt Ugly

<span style="font-size: large;">I brought Bones to the groomers today.  I had got him booked in with his usual groomer but I had to cancel as it was too inconvenient to get across the city to him.  </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCtiIonJ31YrjFApZw6dZX9MceiO6PigeYtF4gVa5_5oPvRpj1RKcS_TTooy8dZMaRzy4yQxDFSHrg33gz-pLBLGV4xsjE3Bmu-WveoqWcuWvr_I0zBCwgqC8FSLYCLimH2EIadgTq-u6/s1600/IMG_2421%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCtiIonJ31YrjFApZw6dZX9MceiO6PigeYtF4gVa5_5oPvRpj1RKcS_TTooy8dZMaRzy4yQxDFSHrg33gz-pLBLGV4xsjE3Bmu-WveoqWcuWvr_I0zBCwgqC8FSLYCLimH2EIadgTq-u6/s320/IMG_2421%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">I booked him in with Mutt Ugly which is in the village where we live.  When he came out he was wearing a </span><a href="http://www.muttugly.com/murphy-models-new-muttugly-bandanas/" style="font-size: x-large;">smart blue bandana</a><span style="font-size: large;"> that they give to all the dogs on their first visit!  Too cute!!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IqG9idGP5ZEtWWBAu4iU0xogqcsPkLRlJPYDYdeB4QoGUckriC3BBnUryuRKN77lUidE8Iaa1t54NGmj3p8euPnJ4gjELFOQ8NSwycooBxpURAumY23pGF2eqw5X0q0UE0dh-YECEjGE/s1600/IMG_2422%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IqG9idGP5ZEtWWBAu4iU0xogqcsPkLRlJPYDYdeB4QoGUckriC3BBnUryuRKN77lUidE8Iaa1t54NGmj3p8euPnJ4gjELFOQ8NSwycooBxpURAumY23pGF2eqw5X0q0UE0dh-YECEjGE/s320/IMG_2422%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>

Mutt Ugly

I brought Bones to the groomers today.  I had got him booked in with his usual groomer but I had to cancel as it was too inconvenient to get...

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Spin Pin

Being a Blogger, I received the Beauty Blogger Vox Box courtesy of Influenster. In the box I received the spin pin hair accessory from Goody. I loved how you could twirl your hair up into any kind of style and go about your day. It's great for all hair types short or long. <a href="http://www.goody.com/Products/Hair%20Accessories/Simple%20Styles%20Mini%20Spin%20Pin?colId=82c0585c-ca4c-4112-ac17-93a95e00f1de&c_id=1a7ea079-c44c-481e-8d02-db7cd0b32277"></a>

Spin Pin

Being a Blogger, I received the Beauty Blogger Vox Box courtesy of Influenster. In the box I received the spin pin hair accessory from Goody...

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Kiss Ever Pro Lashes

I received Kiss eye lashes in my Beauty Blogger Vox Box courtesy of Influenster. I love how the eye lashes stay on and don't fall off upon wearing them. They were so easy to put on. I love how they make my lashes more fuller looking!

Kiss Ever Pro Lashes

I received Kiss eye lashes in my Beauty Blogger Vox Box courtesy of Influenster. I love how the eye lashes stay on and don't fall off up...

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Information Literacy Program Internship - DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Fairfield University

<strong>Information Literacy Program Internship</strong> - <strong><span style="color: #48286d;">DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Fairfield University</span></strong>.<strong><span style="color: #48286d;"> </span></strong>DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Fairfield University. Description of Program: In concert with the mission of Fairfield University, the DiMenna-Nyselius Library Instruction Program seeks to develop information-literate lifelong learners. We define information literacy as the ability to recognize when information is needed; to effectively locate and organize information while considering the myriad of information sources and formats available; to logically and critically evaluate and assimilate information while seeking objective truth and personal meaning; to synthesize and use information to communicate conclusions persuasively; and to apply these skills ethically and legally throughout life, with a sense of social responsibility. Description of Internship: The Intern will play an active role in our Information Literacy Program. The Intern will: Work closely with the Instruction Coordinator to design and deliver approximately 8-10 library instruction classes. The exact number and types of classes will be determined through careful review of the Intern’s experience and interests, as well as our Program’s needs. Have the opportunity to observe seasoned instruction librarians, and receive substantive feedback on content and delivery of instruction. Work collaboratively with faculty on lesson plans. Depending on experience, career interests, and need, the Intern could also produce a project related to our instruction program. The Intern would work closely with the Instruction Coordinator on such a project. Meet regularly with the Instruction Coordinator for ongoing feedback and discussion. Depending on experience, previous coursework, and interest, readings and discussions of information literacy related readings may be included. This internship is an excellent opportunity to work in an academic environment, learn about Information Literacy Standards in theory and in practice, and gain valuable instruction experience. This internship begins in January and runs through May, 2013. Qualifications: Interns must be currently enrolled in a graduate level Library and Information Science or School Media program. Relevant class work in reference or instruction preferred. Contact: To apply, send a brief letter of interest and availability to Jessica McCullough, Senior Reference and Instruction Librarian. Jessica McCullough: <a _fcksavedurl="mailto:jmccullough@fairfield.edu" href="mailto:jmccullough@fairfield.edu">jmccullough@fairfield.edu</a>, (203) 254-4000 x2138.

Information Literacy Program Internship - DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Fairfield University

Information Literacy Program Internship - DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Fairfield University . DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Fairfield University...

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Library Media Specialist - Wilton High School

<strong>Library Media Specialist - <span style="color: #48286d;">Wilton High School</span></strong>. 1.0 FTE. Wilton High School Grades 9-12. Preferred Qualifications: Appropriate Connecticut Teacher Certification. Experience/training with computer technology applications in student library services such as Destiny, Edline, and ICONN/eLibrary databases. At least one full year of successful professional work experience within the past three years with the age group appropriate to the duties of the position. Proven skill in teaching disparate ability levels in the same classroom. Special education training/experience desirable. Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may find appropriate and acceptable. To apply, go to: <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.applitrack.com/wilton/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?AppliTrackJobId=345&AppliTrackLayoutMode=detail&AppliTrackViewPosting=1" href="http://www.applitrack.com/wilton/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?AppliTrackJobId=345&AppliTrackLayoutMode=detail&AppliTrackViewPosting=1" target="_blank">www.applitrack.com/wilton/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp</a>. Date available: December 17, 2012.

Library Media Specialist - Wilton High School

Library Media Specialist - Wilton High School . 1.0 FTE. Wilton High School Grades 9-12. Preferred Qualifications: Appropriate Connecticu...

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Media Center Assistant - Wilton High School

<strong>Media Center Assistant - </strong><strong><span style="color: #48286d;">Wilton High School</span></strong>. 0.6 FTE. Grades 9-12. Monday - Friday, 4.2 hours per day (afternoon). Preferred Qualifications: High school diploma. Advanced training/education desirable. At least one full year of successful professional work experience within the past three years with the age group appropriate to the duties of the position. Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may find appropriate and acceptable. Performance Responsibilities: Catalog books and audio visual materials using Follett Destiny software. Maintain and correct Follett Database. Maintain reserve collection for special projects. Help students access databases/Destiny. Cover circulation desk (Phone, Xerox, Book Checkout). Provide active supervision of students. Assist Library Media Specialist with special projects. To apply, go to: <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.applitrack.com/wilton/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?AppliTrackJobId=346&AppliTrackLayoutMode=detail&AppliTrackViewPosting=1" href="http://www.applitrack.com/wilton/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?AppliTrackJobId=346&AppliTrackLayoutMode=detail&AppliTrackViewPosting=1">www.applitrack.com/wilton/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp</a>. Closing date: <span style="color: red;">November 26, 2012</span>. Open date: January 2, 2013.

Media Center Assistant - Wilton High School

Media Center Assistant - Wilton High School . 0.6 FTE. Grades 9-12. Monday - Friday, 4.2 hours per day (afternoon). Preferred Qualificatio...

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RugArt

<span style="font-size: large;">As you know we have a photo shoot for a UK interiors magazine taking place in our house this weekend.  <a href="http://rugart.ie/">RugArt</a> very kindly agreed to lend us some rugs for the photo session.  They delivered 3 rugs to us this afternoon and I have to say I think they are just amazing!!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">What do you think?!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbYo3B7kzCYCS7_iabvmAGj3y7MSFaHHIzs6C2r7OhaBHVoG6q8D6NOs8HicB7yCD-RHsFWO1JOibsmq-G-mnwU5q1eqXH9D7DZuLLAeP9-UL6kl_CGoruHcgDT8curVuSP8d5qemERqj/s1600/IMG_2423%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbYo3B7kzCYCS7_iabvmAGj3y7MSFaHHIzs6C2r7OhaBHVoG6q8D6NOs8HicB7yCD-RHsFWO1JOibsmq-G-mnwU5q1eqXH9D7DZuLLAeP9-UL6kl_CGoruHcgDT8curVuSP8d5qemERqj/s320/IMG_2423%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-whTgNhbVGo4EJ_SMPPFJ_x8HSRFTyjw20RAg1VXeDxY9xnd1WRExCVY25akHC6WJUXOuIVXgmT2M5-mBbKhY-iqvAHn2_Zhn1ScEESuVWN1IPwo04OZnM59D2M2MWAWw1HHWcxI3_6RA/s1600/IMG_2425%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-whTgNhbVGo4EJ_SMPPFJ_x8HSRFTyjw20RAg1VXeDxY9xnd1WRExCVY25akHC6WJUXOuIVXgmT2M5-mBbKhY-iqvAHn2_Zhn1ScEESuVWN1IPwo04OZnM59D2M2MWAWw1HHWcxI3_6RA/s320/IMG_2425%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The two pictured rugs are from the <a href="http://www.jan-kath.de/">Jan Kath</a> Collection.</span>

RugArt

As you know we have a photo shoot for a UK interiors magazine taking place in our house this weekend.   RugArt  very kindly agreed to lend u...

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Today's archidose #634

Here are a couple photos of <a href="http://www.bellaskycomwell.dk/">Bella Sky Comwell Hotel</a> in Ørestad, Copenhagen, Denmark by <a href="http://www.3xn.dk/">3XN Architects</a> (2011). Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevorpatt/">trevor.patt</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevorpatt/8189573970/" title="IMG_2298 by trevor.patt, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2298" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8337/8189573970_79f21a1f42_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevorpatt/8188492533/" title="IMG_2310 by trevor.patt, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2310" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8188492533_b4c1fc2079_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #634

Here are a couple photos of Bella Sky Comwell Hotel in Ørestad, Copenhagen, Denmark by 3XN Architects (2011). Photographs are by trevor.pa...

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Dr. Sanjay Gupta: The truth about prescription medication addiction – The Chart - CNN.com Blogs

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><p class="cnn_first" style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">Whenever I hand a prescription for pain pills to a patient, I tell them, "Remember not to drink any alcohol when taking these medications."</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">For years, we in the medical community thought that simple message was getting through. It turns out we were wrong.</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">Every 19 minutes someone dies because of misuse of prescription medications. Sometimes it is because they take too much. Many times it is because they forget or ignore the warning their doctor gave about combining the medications with alcohol. And tens of thousands of people die every year as a result.</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">As much attention as we pay to illicit drugs such as cocaine or heroin, the truth is prescription medications kill more people in this country than those illicit drugs combined. Perhaps it is a perception issue: "It came from a pharmacy, therefore, it must be safe."</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">They certainly can be safe, but they can also be incredibly addictive, with more than 1.9 million Americans hooked on prescription pain medications alone.<br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; "><span id="more-35326" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "></span><br style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; ">These painkillers are particularly dangerous because they depress the central nervous system, slowing down breathing and the brain stem's responsiveness to CO2 to the point where someone abusing these medications can simply stop breathing. Combine these painkillers with alcohol, another depressant, and you've got a recipe for disaster.</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">Researchers are racing to find something that can help, and there are a few promising things in development. A recent study, the first large-scale trial aimed at painkiller dependence, offered some hope.</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">Almost half of those addicted to painkillers - 49% - were able to reduce their drug abuse when taking Suboxone for at least 12 weeks. The drug works by reducing withdrawal symptoms and relieving cravings.</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">Unfortunately, the success rate dropped to less than 10% [8.6%] once patients stopped taking the drug. In the study, patients receiving intensive addiction counseling did no better than those who didn't.</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">Naltrexone – sold under the brand names Revia and Vivitrol, an injectable, long-acting formulation – has also been used for prescription painkiller abuse. But naltrexone only has the potential to work in patients who are already off the painkillers long enough that the drugs are out of their system.</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">Truth is most of the researchers I have interviewed over the last decade all seem to agree on one thing: addiction is a brain disease. The latest science shows how the dependence on drugs or alcohol can change the brain chemistry, altering pain and reward centers. As a result of this latest science, the idea of therapy alone to treat addiction is waning.</p><p style="padding: 0px 0px 3px; margin: 12px 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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); ">I should point out that millions of patients use prescription pain medications every year safely, without becoming addicted, and certainly without dying. For nearly 30,000 people a year though, they pay the price with their lives.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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; ">As a doctor, I will look my patients in the eye every time I hand them a prescription to tell them the concerns about the pills they will take. It won't just be a casual reminder about not taking the medications with alcohol, but a forceful warning backed up with scary but forceful statistics. I will remind them that they could become addicted, and they could die. That is our jobs as doctors, and it is one way to save thousands of lives.</p></div><a href="http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/22/dr-gupta-in-depth-the-truth-about-presciption-addiction/">http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/22/dr-gupta-in-depth-the-truth-about-presciption-addiction/</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Dr. Sanjay Gupta: The truth about prescription medication addiction – The Chart - CNN.com Blogs

Whenever I hand a prescription for pain pills to a patient, I tell them, "Remember not to drink any alcohol when taking these medicatio...

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you light up my elephant

That is the one and only time I will ever reference Debby Boone. Promise.<br /><br />As I <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/11/if-i-had-million-dollars.html" target="_blank">discussed the other day</a>, my youngest has quite a love for elephants. She's so in style these days, I know. So of course when I saw this <a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/shirley-fintz-table-lamp-w737/?pkey=ctable-lamps&cm_src=table-lamps||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-" target="_blank">Shirley Fintz lamp</a> I thought of my daughter's infinite happiness.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkYt34GEIohbVcHuNEfv7flbxShuW9gEnAzaz-p6QWoch-FfdfGXUzawEqPuxwzv8isYpAc9ww84dqpzQ6VowcVYMx-WWqdIMojF08pNZ7KE1kRtbPY4BlwxLXVQZgWRj4AIX0lSQwFoH/s1600/westelmlamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkYt34GEIohbVcHuNEfv7flbxShuW9gEnAzaz-p6QWoch-FfdfGXUzawEqPuxwzv8isYpAc9ww84dqpzQ6VowcVYMx-WWqdIMojF08pNZ7KE1kRtbPY4BlwxLXVQZgWRj4AIX0lSQwFoH/s400/westelmlamp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/shirley-fintz-table-lamp-w737/?pkey=ctable-lamps&cm_src=table-lamps||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-" target="_blank">West Elm</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Oh how she would love that in her room. But I could never seem to pull the trigger on the $250 for someone who isn't yet 2 and has a habit of breaking pretty much everything in her path.<br /><br />The goddess of restraint rewarded me though when my mom and I found this little dude out on the town.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6VEkrwlhY6Vydy15Mx_pImSqnPUnuDSdKh69TWPOeG3wHlmPXdN8HGWPQvqfOp2wycwabOsRiGXiTXrRCCTcBFYTYI5kHUlnPbpUHdDzKHUT7bm0FkH5SwGenajgkUviMHxniCWRWMGj/s1600/BlueandWhiteElephantLamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6VEkrwlhY6Vydy15Mx_pImSqnPUnuDSdKh69TWPOeG3wHlmPXdN8HGWPQvqfOp2wycwabOsRiGXiTXrRCCTcBFYTYI5kHUlnPbpUHdDzKHUT7bm0FkH5SwGenajgkUviMHxniCWRWMGj/s640/BlueandWhiteElephantLamp.jpg" width="444" /></a></div><br />Clearly not exactly the same. He's more of a lone wolf than the West Elm clique but as my 5-year-old would say, "same difference". And he was $18 so wahoo!<br /><br />He did come without a shade. This one is just a temporary fix from the basement, so clearly he needs something more...fitting.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWQvW27cfg3GohIfOD-A9_OtMhCg09NSo5BHBT91gCXDjbknwM5owIPcTtqS9tFuvqHj-icaxFYb35ULQwRvBNI-AJNDfpb1vjrKhGY9mEvxMcoaiG1qfuzUtyiSiO3ndVnFMiuN06iB1/s1600/ElephantLamp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWQvW27cfg3GohIfOD-A9_OtMhCg09NSo5BHBT91gCXDjbknwM5owIPcTtqS9tFuvqHj-icaxFYb35ULQwRvBNI-AJNDfpb1vjrKhGY9mEvxMcoaiG1qfuzUtyiSiO3ndVnFMiuN06iB1/s640/ElephantLamp2.jpg" width="608" /></a></div><br />He's got the cutest little face.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzHkIiretB9oSxOjTFh4FWkirSaB2Uqoh4tlEd7Yn9bENlFrr0FB1xpHCSgBxJi0bW4iFXTT9r0CmBqVrcNH8mKsm8gM-zP9s-E8A-GIebrI8UDuiogvaOCRgpUj6gGBV8AtyQDLs3lXL/s1600/ElephantLamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzHkIiretB9oSxOjTFh4FWkirSaB2Uqoh4tlEd7Yn9bENlFrr0FB1xpHCSgBxJi0bW4iFXTT9r0CmBqVrcNH8mKsm8gM-zP9s-E8A-GIebrI8UDuiogvaOCRgpUj6gGBV8AtyQDLs3lXL/s640/ElephantLamp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I also think I want to do something to spruce up his pole thingy... whatever you call that part between the lamp base and the light bulb. It's too long and plain. OK, this is going in the wrong direction.<br /><br />The point is - cute lamp. Cheap lamp. Blue and White. Good times. Expect to see this little dude spruced up soon.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6VEkrwlhY6Vydy15Mx_pImSqnPUnuDSdKh69TWPOeG3wHlmPXdN8HGWPQvqfOp2wycwabOsRiGXiTXrRCCTcBFYTYI5kHUlnPbpUHdDzKHUT7bm0FkH5SwGenajgkUviMHxniCWRWMGj/s1600/BlueandWhiteElephantLamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6VEkrwlhY6Vydy15Mx_pImSqnPUnuDSdKh69TWPOeG3wHlmPXdN8HGWPQvqfOp2wycwabOsRiGXiTXrRCCTcBFYTYI5kHUlnPbpUHdDzKHUT7bm0FkH5SwGenajgkUviMHxniCWRWMGj/s640/BlueandWhiteElephantLamp.jpg" width="441" /></a></div><br />Score any good finds lately? Doing anything exciting for the weekend? Want me to come over for dinner? I always bring my sparkling wit and usually some good liquor.

you light up my elephant

That is the one and only time I will ever reference Debby Boone. Promise. As I discussed the other day , my youngest has quite a love for el...

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Five Lamps, Dublin Craft Beer

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">New to the market is a craft beer brewed in Dublin called the "Five Lamps".  Ciaran and the ODKM crew (www.odkmarchitects.com)were given samples by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.448778088491866.89499.122333021136376&type=1">Nolan's Food Fare</a> in Terenure. They all agreed it is fairly delicious and will be looking out for it on draft in select pubs and nightclubs.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mkNgTGAkdAtvNbEzaLbf7cMovi6PcGUrc_ejuUnkjqudER4oQ7CyvHLv9hvA0q_vd4_PVlAk3gZIpCS1TRs4UHhgZ_tSTIYgssPBf026qclWS3bTutjz2Htp-pJmVKiAXlpseUFkZZhX/s1600/IMG_2405%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mkNgTGAkdAtvNbEzaLbf7cMovi6PcGUrc_ejuUnkjqudER4oQ7CyvHLv9hvA0q_vd4_PVlAk3gZIpCS1TRs4UHhgZ_tSTIYgssPBf026qclWS3bTutjz2Htp-pJmVKiAXlpseUFkZZhX/s320/IMG_2405%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://dublincitypubliclibraries.com/dublin-buildings/five-lamps">Five Lamps in Dublin</a> are on the Northside of Dublin.  It is quite near the large GAA stadium, Croke Park.  When people come up from the country to watch a Gaelic Football game they sometimes meet at this point.  </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">However, tourists should be warned that if they ask a true Dubliner do they know where the Five Lamps are, they will get a witty and quite rude answer back.  Have a look at the side of the beer bottle - this is what they are alluding to!!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBr0C26aNNautehXFDD4xBV5-KIcW5o3NWqVOeUhZ-coyeaLPpPolQkmDqgCNXHwvaBuJQE-Uz4lBcPSHHT8_PIOwtJ93ZttW7nVfR8LF_moLfk55xf2iEZaGmLyPquLE6BIA0kP9wWbD/s1600/IMG_2408%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBr0C26aNNautehXFDD4xBV5-KIcW5o3NWqVOeUhZ-coyeaLPpPolQkmDqgCNXHwvaBuJQE-Uz4lBcPSHHT8_PIOwtJ93ZttW7nVfR8LF_moLfk55xf2iEZaGmLyPquLE6BIA0kP9wWbD/s320/IMG_2408%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <span style="font-size: large;">What do you think the answer to the question might be?!!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nS-lICvC5-pbBfZxIcE5Xc3HT0F0WEwnvNG8PSKZsoH_ezZ6UIAzz8nFvz_PzM85oKOCu6uMQIxRwrjcriieZIAr9Wo5cK97AVqRNdyQ3KnoTjEMN-Jh4i6TtiaXfaoK6H8Vk920gbeD/s1600/IMG_2409%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nS-lICvC5-pbBfZxIcE5Xc3HT0F0WEwnvNG8PSKZsoH_ezZ6UIAzz8nFvz_PzM85oKOCu6uMQIxRwrjcriieZIAr9Wo5cK97AVqRNdyQ3KnoTjEMN-Jh4i6TtiaXfaoK6H8Vk920gbeD/s320/IMG_2409%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />

Five Lamps, Dublin Craft Beer

New to the market is a craft beer brewed in Dublin called the "Five Lamps".  Ciaran and the ODKM crew (www.odkmarchitects.com)were...

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30 Days of Google #7: Have you discovered Google Hangouts?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div><i>Submitted by Fiona Beal</i></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/AVvXsEgq1XrRXmvtX4qT5D6-BXwUH9O3WB82bASy6KFx3YYRvHbROuCjXArOJ6Ra35gwetzwVnXDKqRT4bQC6RmrWteRZJt-yRFxNKoT0rmOTKV48v9YW5ls6QBiO-B1t8D_hky3ffQRAAC-v6w/?imgmax=800" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="h10 - Copy" border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1XrRXmvtX4qT5D6-BXwUH9O3WB82bASy6KFx3YYRvHbROuCjXArOJ6Ra35gwetzwVnXDKqRT4bQC6RmrWteRZJt-yRFxNKoT0rmOTKV48v9YW5ls6QBiO-B1t8D_hky3ffQRAAC-v6w/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="h10 - Copy" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda Yollis</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most days I think that Google must be the most exciting company on the planet right now. Perhaps this is because I was exposed to their extreme creativity at the recent Google Teacher Academy I attended in New York!  Every day something new pops up with Google.  For example, I have just read and tweeted about another amazing thing that is happening in the Googlesphere from the Google blog! "If you ever dreamed of playing in a band, now’s your chance to be a rock star. <a href="http://jamwithchrome.com/">JAM with Chrome</a> is an interactive web application that enables friends in different locations to play music together in the Chrome browser on their computers. No matter what your level of talent—from daydreaming air guitarist to music pro—you can JAM together in real time over the web.” This could be such fun! You can read about that here: <a href="http://goo.gl/mpZ8K" title="http://goo.gl/mpZ8K">http://goo.gl/mpZ8K</a>. but back to the topic of Google hangouts…</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google hangouts</span></strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXZRYM1LZ6YolbkAdbripTYhngNtI8Ulk8Bj4OCA4m543FbDy9w5J7je-9aAKge0gQaiDA9P2er_fUQtrLPl9Y4bC8PfSsQa-dsAi7asrhGWmJrNzNXh7Qml0V007HdODx_a8lLaltMA/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJV2zp4NS2F4RINRAIY8ZJjNs_717g8UrdDNrkz3I_LTXz0PmYMBXGNxScheIozw-6C1elL6O-trTVRKDLB_JYbas0bEq93B-J_V1MrMb91JRz_CpqwRpx2OatuI1BFTvW3racQPAHBc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="242" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one of Google’s really incredible offerings and if you haven’t discovered it yet, now is the time. It has enormous implications for education and the global classroom. Google+ is Google's social networking tool. Once you have created a <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Create-Circles-in-Google-Plus">circle of friends</a>, you can choose to hang out with them on Google+. This allows you to video chat, IM chat, watch YouTube videos together, and more. A hangout is a similar concept to Skype but you can do so much more with it. You can chat live face to face with a circle of people, share documents, work on and edit a Google document together during the hangout, create a video of the chat and upload it to YouTube, and a host of other things…all for free!</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Latest news on hangouts</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another new thing has just happened today! Google announced today that it has extended the limit for the number of people you can invite to a Google+ hangout from 10 to 15 when it is used for education. <a href="http://goo.gl/GIkBD" title="http://goo.gl/GIkBD">http://goo.gl/GIkBD</a>. </span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How do you create a hangout?</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a really simple process. You schedule a hangout in a calendar entry, join a hangout directly from Gmail. For a detailed step-by-step process read this article in Wiki-how <a href="http://goo.gl/cu5aQ" title="http://goo.gl/cu5aQ">http://goo.gl/cu5aQ</a></span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My experience of a hangout today</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The possibilities available with hangouts are endless. I have just been part of an amazing hangout that was a reunion of eight friends from the Google Teacher Academy in New York. How it all started was that Brent Catlett, a District Instructional Technology Trainer in the US wrote a post called <a href="http://brentcatlett.blogspot.com/2012/11/gtany-part-7.html">#GTANY Part 7</a>  reflecting on several of the people he had met during the Google Teacher Academy in New York. He then tweeted those he had mentioned and next thing we had arranged a reunion hangout which has just happened. The time was 3:30 am for me but I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMmFSR8R868V6z1uACVOyeWTVmKuhsm6-U8skpxFFqmR8QL7gBAbGEcg4hIkSbm7iGpL2RNkdlxFRZD-iptF7DmuGo02EPNMDsi-iNX9Pa9WjJBVG0X-iiNWz-TgMbIu8PJNVlY1njDk/s1600-h/h6%25255B4%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="h6" border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDg6Lr6YK1ebwA4HyGvZoOHRdtD-_UezjkkfJ7bOIwK-_qwlFKJrdChF4ieT_G8gszLRFLFJRt_NNgS5PYnnDvsDSJCLBJsHM3FLuTdCyJwi0Q26cydiNCzUjnHGje4ht38PIJfyBTkII/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="h6" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brent Catlett</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was awesome just catching up and hearing some news. Linda Yollis a Grade 2 and 3 teacher in Los Angeles has a world famous blog <a href="http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com/">Mrs Yollis’ classroom blog</a> . Her class recently had a hangout with <a href="http://www.edtechwithgo.com/">JR Ginex-Orinion</a>'s class (JR is a chemistry high school teacher). You can read about it in her post. <a href="http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/mr-jrs-science-stop-matter-matters.html" title="http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/mr-jrs-science-stop-matter-matters.html">http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/mr-jrs-science-stop-matter-matters.html</a>.  JR’s class imparted Science safety tips and  information to Linda’s class and got them really excited about Science! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtItnx8KVhbfYqd5KRUt_BVWcpCRlspDm0uYm0aIlNefkHTt6t42vLpW72QnZAR9zFPI0rG9vITOBaWOl6zRMqffvdkmHl1qJpUZEXzRsS_0td9vJqxA2ORTey0NqJZAAeznnovrDw-CA/s1600-h/h4%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="h4" border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCECCaUIxRTJBLwy_ovEfUiqlaYNcUMY2xP4yznNa81aNmHSQXggYkMazxwHICaC_Atxt3PNinUh5zjNg0of5e1dEB5eW6CAazNogEc8DCJoAWodmr9Ultcw9ZYukYz-aL_n6GlQnRPWg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="h4" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JR Ginex-Orinion</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AL_uO7hycWGDn_7mkM4ZG8_29UoYE_c1pXdQRnl2qKOSLqztP5ac__CNa54I8OOhmqG1Mx7pJy8gmhMV_XfDCQUykhAK1KivMzJJ2LWF-VSRZ5QCWLtsJI_eoU7mYTqaedN-P8lWI8k/s1600-h/h5%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="h5" border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIupHlT-5YZN2wgjz65VZk_2Fl2CunsUNKICvs9LxrxKplWez73v6dOGi_nKGu4Xettnh9QD-x3s5Br-Mg5_G10_78guf_iJ53Q1O0e9s_Ao3olsl766wj5RjCLHSBx2ybIwcSIlqDkXc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="h5" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda Yollis</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brent Catlett from the USA and Tanya Avarith from Canada mentioned how they are already creating digital footprints for their own very young children at home and teaching them safety online while they are young. In fact Tanya is part of a big safety online research project that is taking place and she will be going to visit Facebook soon as part of this project. Others on the hangout shared about how their schools conduct professional development sessions which was very interesting to hear about. And so we chatted and shared our news….</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Google effects in hangouts</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As everyone was signing off Linda and I were experimenting with the Google effects you can use during a hangoout. Google has added 100+ apps to their hangouts.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4h1eJ4WwlMvC5CfMdjeKDIy-0DqHFy-FjHduAnkWkj9867CpJWrOgxvCANwucvc9bDsSkkZtd36Kg-41kJs_tD-nt_KS7firWx1NQvjIaLZqQ2XuwiKCFvjQW-o21G7i5We_scODlVo/s1600-h/h7%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="h7" border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZ2k6xFw5Qa0ub1n_WnTqy3FIEbPDsaygG5ezVe8QObPWEUa4vd8wZKBs3GhY6_Uv-9nAEE9ZxwRlm39gteB8GryCTD4ccQaZW0elXZ5SvdcF7E9DnWmp_EyBmvcx6Vr9hWe8pTlTcR4/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="h7" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda Yollis and Fiona Beal</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You never know what you might learn on a hangout! Last week Brenda Hallowes and I were having a hangout and Brenda invited a teacher from the Global Classroom project in Mexico who happened to be online to join us. He was busy teaching a Grade 6 class which he introduced us to. Lo and behold his students were all working away on their iPads as though using a tablet was the most natural thing in the world. Incredible for a South African teacher to observe!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />So please explore using a hangout. It will be an incredibly enriching experience. </span></div></div>

30 Days of Google 30 Days of Google #7: Have you discovered Google Hangouts?

Submitted by Fiona Beal Linda Yollis Most days I think that Google must be the most exciting company on the planet right now. Perhaps this i...

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30 Days with Google #6: Create a classroom newspaper using Google Docs (a SchoolNet webinar presentation)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Google Docs is an amazing way to create a classroom newspaper. Last night we scheduled a SchoolNet webinar featuring Brenda Hallowes from Port Elizabeth, where she outlined how she uses Google Docs to create classroom newspapers with Foundation Phase students. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH4fyoQDkb_-8eMVEBy2dL0vnt-E4BDwKm9Y1qPeXlC56MP-1_222MxnR_CmpzyIendhasNFPSEjIyfsxYkRZrMB53tYpMot9OiH4tStEdeXS307-lf90QgjdwVvhSucdN7ErcsL4M7U/s1600-h/image%25255B13%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6i8lIaOMPIeUTVRykpxKo17Xi9Zqw9Aim4-yaWL930YdMJ1gvONAU-BTtBkoeVwCYCh6qxnyfQ3HBkBrgZMkvCUcl0ng8UWcsAzpyQDxJSi6QLFZprEyUXj79DWUxrq-AcZT54ddJy9Y/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First she starts off with a template like this one shown below. This template can be accessed <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/19gCOhhfpVmFIZT1gQFPgavGG6YRpUgRdfd0_lk2loTA/edit">here.</a></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9A9TashRam4sgxrHKYf516XSTlaVZrBew_pJgpGeWMORIqBUwrGbZlxXvVrIkfDh-2p4MARBArHy2EJDmwf5SKm5ZvPfIpDm7CDCki9yTHbpZPtq1Fl5upegG6XSc2rhSjqg53yt7tk/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyh4khx0j9GigxUlkX4eQmwp_1Mc5v-ybIbU6pDDjLmpgOP0FVCpzBRYkSDkDVnRYPUaGcjtkS7ptyrWmrL_L9undIaDtQvauJaBzoQfKvfZcksm0S1_Qvru8feM5B485Q5NX0Fg7fBs/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is another template sample that can be accessed <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VazgVfizzEW5tgo7uFmPd1MLeUNm125hg-Gh5OpCGXI/edit">here</a>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLeZjN0SxAnMDB5gKji5REnxOVjmlqOG1tl5fpmtZ5zZkmBiQUuvXusAal55JTMq0ygOpj7jQlFwNYZXuqPH5NQg-pflPkhvznd_S6jEm8HVlUBKNmSUJFVFqG817em5IW15wRxSMjcY/s1600-h/image%25255B9%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxKyjmg81_UicoT3KAgeogtV5yV_agip9zgaza99nc7H3l1WHDqoQdOnVt-IkzCkIIhjW1-CbGv-4MNE209CxTSmCeikd1SvteOqKpuAIY7krGgyr_ehP-nX6PJXakAbYvfHiJvB3pEA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The class is then assigned different parts of the template to write on at the same time. This is the beauty of working in a collaborative programme such as Google Docs. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the screencast that Brenda created for the webinar. Take a look and listen. </span><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="305" scrolling="no" src="http://screencast-o-matic.com/embed?sc=clX228VVww&w=402&v=3" width="402"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am hoping that Brenda will send me a link to the finished product. This is a fantastic lesson to do with a class that has computer access. Thank you for sharing this Brenda.</span></div>

30 Days of Google 30 Days with Google #6: Create a classroom newspaper using Google Docs (a SchoolNet webinar presentation)

Google Docs is an amazing way to create a classroom newspaper. Last night we scheduled a SchoolNet webinar featuring Brenda Hallowes from Po...

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Holiday Horoscope 2012

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZKvzfo4cqYfKSjX07E4_i8alBm1Ad-51GXg7UdPz0o1gMgdycNYBJiCj4vgzsClD-RfCGEwj0LnBBadPXGc-nFhih4klPxvlzbVLD8ghFyhcOF6ckbezVQuJp9UCk_9ugBvNYoPaDLg/s1600/Larissa+Summers+Sexy-Fortune-Teller-Costume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZKvzfo4cqYfKSjX07E4_i8alBm1Ad-51GXg7UdPz0o1gMgdycNYBJiCj4vgzsClD-RfCGEwj0LnBBadPXGc-nFhih4klPxvlzbVLD8ghFyhcOF6ckbezVQuJp9UCk_9ugBvNYoPaDLg/s400/Larissa+Summers+Sexy-Fortune-Teller-Costume.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>Hi all my darlings...Lana Jouray here with my astral tea leaf reading of whether this holiday season you will enjoy the gift of life, or spray yourself down under the mistletoe of indignity...<span id="goog_1638929596"></span><span id="goog_1638929597"></span><br /><b><br /></b><b>Aries March 21-April 19</b><br /><br />Sure it’s nice to know that grabbing the winning side of the wishbone is yours to make a wish, but it is less nice to know that you spent your wish wishing it hadn’t come out of your own rib cage.<br /><br /><b>Taurus April 20-May 20</b><br /><br />You will discover that saying to your Thanksgiving Day sex partner, <i>“Oh it’s just too many cranberries.”</i>, is in no way a good cover for the fact that you have hemorrhoids.<br /><br /><b>Gemini May 21-June 20</b><br /><br />Your wife tells you that she wants this Christmas to be perfect.  That’s why you string the lights in an awesomely straight line, and then move to Tahiti and have sex with a chick who can suck an entire breadfruit through her mouth without gasping for air, and more importantly, not putting on weight in spite of the carbs. Perfect!!<br /><br /><b>Cancer June 21-July 22</b><br /><br />It’s nice that you volunteered for the Salvation Army, but telling people, <i>“I don’t need donations God Dammit, I just like to ring bells.”</i>, is not helpful to the cause.<br /><br /><b>Leo July 23-August 22</b><br /><br />Hanukkah is great, but that doesn't mean that you, celebrating your Judaism, have to spin your girlfriend atop your dreidel for eight straight days against her will, while yelling at her, “Antiochus Must Die!!”<br /><br /><b>Virgo August 23-September 22</b><br /><br />You will become famous overnight, when it is discovered that you are the one person in the world, who truly enjoys the fruitcake that you received.<br /><br /><b>Libra September 23-October 22</b><br /><br />You’ve always believed in the theorem, “The love you give, is the love you receive.”, and that is why on Christmas Eve, an evil man holding a ten pound sledge hammer will be decking your cranial halls.<br /><br /><b>Scorpio October 23-November 21</b><br /><br />Sure, he fucked your wife, but after you took pictures, extorted him, and received a new gas grill and a Jaguar for your efforts, you believe in Santa Claus even more.<br /><br /><b>Sagittarius November 22-December 21</b><br /><br />The late President Millard Fillmore will resurrect himself, buy a gun, greet you with a “Merry Christmas”, and then shoot you.  He will then say to the Washington Post, “At least people will remember me now.”<br /><br /><b>Capricorn December 22-January 19</b><br /><br />A bearded man and his wife from Galilee will come to your hotel, and unfortunately you will have to tell them that you are full.  You will come to regret this when a little boy continuously plays drums outside your establishment.<br /><br /><b>Aquarius January 20-February 18</b><br /><br />On TV, Yukon Cornelius said that Bumbles bounce, but unfortunately for you, they bite as well.<br /><br /><b>Pisces February 19-March 20</b><br /><br />A New Year brings hope and inspiration, which is why the hope you had after your parole will bring you the inspiration to knock over a liquor store three days later.<br /><br />Ad Astra per Aspera<br /><br /><i>Lana</i></div>

Holiday Horoscope 2012

Hi all my darlings...Lana Jouray here with my astral tea leaf reading of whether this holiday season you will enjoy the gift of life, or spr...

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30 Days of Google #5: The AMAZING Google Chrome (webinar presentation)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><i>Submitted by Fiona Beal</i><br />My experience of Google Chrome is that it is one of the fastest internet browsers available today. It also offers some great features, including synchronization across computers, multiple browsers, autofill, application and extensions for every browsing situation. The webinar last night mentioned some of these features. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Thank you very much to all who attended the SchoolNet webinar last night entitled 'T<i>he AMAZING Google Chrom</i>e'. I hope you were inspired to try more of what this browser offers.</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b>The presentation on SlideShare</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />If you would like access to the presentation used in the webinar it can be downloaded from Slideshare as a PDF. Here is the link:</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="356" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/15169088" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="427"></iframe><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/the-amazing-google-chrome" target="_blank" title="The AMAZING Google Chrome">The AMAZING Google Chrome</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal" target="_blank">Fiona Beal</a></strong> <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Recording</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you missed the webinar (18 minutes) and would like to list to what was said, here is the recording link: </span><a href="http://meet78641452.adobeconnect.com/p29kfsqcsu3/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://meet78641452.adobeconnect.com/p29kfsqcsu3/</a></div></div></div></div>

30 Days of Google 30 Days of Google #5: The AMAZING Google Chrome (webinar presentation)

Submitted by Fiona Beal My experience of Google Chrome is that it is one of the fastest internet browsers available today. It also offers so...

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It's Called "Valuable" For A Reason

Hey everybody! Miguel Cabrera won the MVP!<br /><br />For all of the hype and hoopla over whether Mike Trout was going to unseat Cabrera due to his dynamic June, July, and August, the end result was a little...lacking.<br /><br />22 first place votes to just 6? Is this the battle of the old fogey sportswriters against the Internet stat masters? If this vote had been 10 years in the future, would we be talking about the result being far different?<br /><br />Well, it doesn't matter. Cabrera won.<br /><br />Whenever an MVP debate surfaces, I always ask myself, "It's called the <i>Most Valuable Player</i>." What exactly does that mean? Well, it means that the player has the ability to lift his manager, teammates, and city up to the caliber that is expected of them. That can be through offense, defense, and being the leader in the clubhouse.<br /><br />When it comes to stats, each side will find the numbers to support their man. Yes, Cabrera won the Triple Crown. Yes, Trout won the battle for Wins Above Replacement. But what matters most to me is that in the long run, the Tigers were able to conquer the teams in their division and win the crown, while the Angels - even with the likes of Trout - couldn't beat <i>two</i> other teams in their division, and Trout's numbers declined when September hit - the most crucial part of the season.<br /><br />To be completely honest - and I don't like doing this often - but I'm inclined to state that Trout will fade into the shadows come next season. Eventually, we may even laugh at this debate between a potential Hall of Famer and a "one-hit wonder." There are lots of players in Major League Baseball who can be solid hitters and fielders for a few months at a time - but only the most solid players can step up and make a long-lasting impact.

It's Called "Valuable" For A Reason

Hey everybody! Miguel Cabrera won the MVP! For all of the hype and hoopla over whether Mike Trout was going to unseat Cabrera due to his dyn...

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GAZA MISSILES HIT TEL AVIV

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXqNB8CixmIP4QoTRlwcRlEHL1j0L8hY60-QS-L1iy8KSNWqjPRLdi8jsVojuAV54CVBh7p8HFtpanzNAL_YIQrQq1MjKbDdRV3Cdi9h5hXY1PSIc_8vRUpHv3m8tIGFFPRGuwo7nGaZ-/s1600/TelAviv_aerial(194).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXqNB8CixmIP4QoTRlwcRlEHL1j0L8hY60-QS-L1iy8KSNWqjPRLdi8jsVojuAV54CVBh7p8HFtpanzNAL_YIQrQq1MjKbDdRV3Cdi9h5hXY1PSIc_8vRUpHv3m8tIGFFPRGuwo7nGaZ-/s400/TelAviv_aerial(194).jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">First three Gaza missiles hit Tel Aviv. Israel drafts 30,000 reservists</span></span></div><span class="articleDescription">via DEBKA<em>file</em></span> <span class="articleDescription red italic"></span><div class="articleBodyWrapper"><div class="photoContainer" id="photoContainer" style="width: 150px;"><div class="photoContainerCaption" id="caption"><br /></div></div><span class="articleBody"> <span style="font-size: large;">The first three Palestinian missiles reached the Tel Aviv conurbation, Gush Dan, Thursday night, Nov. 15. shortly after a long-range missile exploded in Rishon Lezion southeast of Tel Aviv and sirens sounded in outlying towns of Holon, Ness Ziona, Gan Raveh and Beer Yacov. None report casualties or damage. Defense Minister Ehud Barak has ordered 30,000 army reservists drafted. The IDF spokesmen earlier reported units of the elite paratroop and Givati Brigades were mustering outside the Gaza Strip on the second day of Israel's counter-terror operation Pillar of Cloud.</span><br /><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"> From <span class="debka">debka</span><span class="file">file</span>'s earlier report Thursday:  As the rockets kept coming through Wednesday night – and the first three fatalities Thursday morning, Nov. 15 -<strong> </strong>the cautious lift in Israeli spirits generated by the death of Ahmed Jabari, who fashioned Hamas into a paramilitary machine of terror, and the destruction of dozens of missile sites in Gaza, gave way to resignation for a long haul before southern Israel is free of its decade-long rocket nightmare.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNujSzFWoCKQ-j-3WNQ-ILcB9R-8EBk7smo-gjuH24lZoHbIYx4_l8mD_Zz2hrYrsvSPLZBnCnzsMW-pVGaPBKkgFYXXBhkfD6M11nPaS-qq9uPeUVzBuFiq6gpLhXAk7TxgMYssNlmd5/s1600/israel-map-e1353002601276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNujSzFWoCKQ-j-3WNQ-ILcB9R-8EBk7smo-gjuH24lZoHbIYx4_l8mD_Zz2hrYrsvSPLZBnCnzsMW-pVGaPBKkgFYXXBhkfD6M11nPaS-qq9uPeUVzBuFiq6gpLhXAk7TxgMYssNlmd5/s400/israel-map-e1353002601276.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Thursday morning, a rocket from Gaza killed three Israelis in Kiryat Malachi. By then, some 120 rockets – mostly targeting the major towns of Beersheba and Ashdod, but also smaller locations – had followed Jabari's death. Iron Dome intercepted 27.The first reserve units had been mobilized for possible ground action in Gaza to supplement the air offensive against the Palestinian missile arsenal.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> But Operation Pillar of Cloud’s first part showed a favorable balance: Palestinian missile fire was as erratic as ever, although intense; Iron Dome filtered out the rockets aimed at Israel’s major towns; Israeli casualties were relatively low though painful; and the enemy in Gaza was decapitated – for now.<br /> But most of all, the Palestinians and their allies in Tehran and Hizballah suddenly discovered that the old IDF had come roaring back.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> In the only former major Israeli operation in Gaza, Cast Lead (late 2008, early 2009), the IDF was slow, unwieldy and unfocused. Its counter-terror offensive was foreshortened by heavy diplomatic pressure before achieving anything, owing to the government’s lack of resolve. In the 2006 Lebanon War, the army was stalled before developing an effective tactical offensive.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"> The IDF of 2012 is in a different class, recalling its rapid-fire performance in the Six-Day War then fought on multiple fronts.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> In just a few hours late Wednesday, Nov. 14, Pillar of Cloud achieved more than Cast Lead managed in weeks: It was driven by clockwork, integrated intelligence by the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence, precise, surgical air force strikes and a command-and-control with fast reflexes which recalled Israel’s military skills of 45 years ago.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" 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/AVvXsEjGPLwBem48s67ZnAT8sRwmHHeLOAYw8FuxD-n2YVMHUIXX1MU8cruK92gez2u0tuB5e7VjBYVABeFrZ79aOdPD1xM7LOI8q07OJVy1db_IH_HtLYXzHDPKY5XIA3HyHID0eT4wIJu3DRtd/s1600/Crossing-Red-Sea-620x431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPLwBem48s67ZnAT8sRwmHHeLOAYw8FuxD-n2YVMHUIXX1MU8cruK92gez2u0tuB5e7VjBYVABeFrZ79aOdPD1xM7LOI8q07OJVy1db_IH_HtLYXzHDPKY5XIA3HyHID0eT4wIJu3DRtd/s400/Crossing-Red-Sea-620x431.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="articleBody">"Operation Pillar of Cloud’s<span style="font-size: x-small;">"</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Biblical reference</span> </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">The rapid destruction of scores of Fajr-3 and Fajr-5 rockets, whose respective ranges of 45 and 75 kilometers placed Israel’s heartland in line of Palestinian strikes, compared with the destruction of the Egyptian air force on the ground in the early hours of the 1967 war, rather than the bombardment of Hizballah’s long-range missiles in 2006 which failed to draw its sting.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> In 1967, the Egyptian army had to fight in Sinai without air cover. In 2012, the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip were stripped of their key commander and terror strategist and lost substantial, though not all, its missile arsenal.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> Wherever Operation Pillar of Cloud goes next – and the IDF is preparing for a long, hard haul – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz deserve kudos for their performance thus far. It may be said that Israel’s Gaza operation did in fact start on Oct. 24 in Sudan with the attack on the Yarmouk complex manufacturing Iranian missiles near Khartoum. Former Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin Wednesday confirmed <span class="debka">debka</span><span class="file">file</span>’s exclusive report that the factory had housed the emergency reserve stocks of the Palestinian Hamas and Jihad Islami in the Gaza Strip.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> Its destruction contributed to their loss of infrastructure.The tough part of the Israeli operation to eliminate the terrorist war peril hovering over southern Israel from the Gaza Strip is still to come. For now, Hamas is at a loss for a strategic answer to the IDF offensive – unless one is provided by Tehran or Hizballah coming to its rescue.</span><br /> </span> </div>

GAZA MISSILES HIT TEL AVIV

  First three Gaza missiles hit Tel Aviv. Israel drafts 30,000 reservists via DEBKA file   The first three Palestinian missiles reached the...

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Uniquely CMC!

<span style="font-size: large;">Tonight I was considering what design point are what I call "uniquely Ciaran".  When looking at plans and designs from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ODKMarchitectsanddesigners?fref=ts">ODKM's office</a> there are certain items that identify Ciaran as being the lead designer as he tends to include certain things.  They are little things but I think they are becoming signature items of his! </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">He is a big fan of both bench seats and pocket doors.  He likes bench seats so much that we ended up with two large bench seats in our house - both can seat 10 people.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">In just about every house that he has designed recently he has put in a pocket sliding door.  When remodelling our last house he put a pocket door in to our utility room.  My twin sister and I developed a fascination with this room - we reckoned that one day I would open it and find the Stasi Secret Police sitting in there listening to all of our conversations - it just had a very East German feel to it!!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Another thing that Ciaran always does when designing kitchens is that he specifies that the cabinets are built to the ceiling.  Generally kitchen cabinets in Ireland only have two shelves and then have a dust catcher at the top of them.  CMC insists that there is three shelves in the kitchen cabinets - I guess it is just a clever use of space to build them all of the way to the ceiling.  I don't know why all designers don't do it!</span>

Uniquely CMC!

Tonight I was considering what design point are what I call "uniquely Ciaran".  When looking at plans and designs from ODKM's ...

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Droid Perk

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jxCzqqexE9URF9flwTg1XEzbZtt3C2ZrXYc9UTWxyhS9enLsITrrFFyLR4LHC_9WQ2PHK3m8WabOJR2P4rmX8rSaTDwauMBFE4rxIbDuWncix-f_934OQYWyihSFPwTT92BIA_728Yw/s1600/Droid+perk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jxCzqqexE9URF9flwTg1XEzbZtt3C2ZrXYc9UTWxyhS9enLsITrrFFyLR4LHC_9WQ2PHK3m8WabOJR2P4rmX8rSaTDwauMBFE4rxIbDuWncix-f_934OQYWyihSFPwTT92BIA_728Yw/s320/Droid+perk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> This afternoon I had a surprise waiting for me on my doorstep. I was so excited when I found out that it was a box from Klout. I was so anxious to open the box to see what was inside. So I went to get my scissors to cut the box open. I was ecstatic to find the Galaxy cell phone from Verizon! I can not wait to use this and share my review! Thanks so much @Klout and Verizon!

Droid Perk

This afternoon I had a surprise waiting for me on my doorstep. I was so excited when I found out that it was a box from Klout. I was so a...

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Modernism Prize 2012: Hizuchi Elementary School

On Tuesday evening I attended the lecture for the <a href="http://www.wmf.org/modernism/">2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize</a>, given to the Architectural Consortium for <a href="http://www.wmf.org/slide-show/hizuchi-elementary-school">Hizuchi Elementary School</a> for their restoration of Hizuchi Elementary School in Hizuchi, Yawatahama City, Ehime Prefecture, on Shikoku Island, Japan. I had seen the press release last month, as well as a couple photos there and picked up on the Internet, but Tuesday night at MoMA was my first in-depth look at a building that was also a discovery for the jurors.<br /><br /><img alt="Hizuchi01.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/Hizuchi01.jpg" title="© Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru" /><br />[Veranda of East and Middle Building | © Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru]<br /><br />The opening remarks of jury chairman Barry Bergdoll positioned the 2012 award in some contrast to the previous two recipients: Bierman Henket's and Wessel de Jonge's restoration of the <a href="http://www.wmf.org/slide-show/zonnestraal-sanatorium">Zonnestraal Sanatorium</a> in Hilversum, the Netherlands (awarded 2010); and Brenne Gesellschaft von Architekten's restoration of the former <a href="http://www.wmf.org/slide-show/adgb-trade-school">ADGB Trade Union School</a> in Bernau, Germany (awarded 2008). Those two buildings were known (if not extremely well-known) modern buildings, and therefore the awards "reintroduced the buildings to a larger audience."<br /><br /><img alt="Hizuchi03.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/Hizuchi03.jpg" title="© Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru" /><br />[02 East, Middle, and West Buildings from the North | © Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru]<br /><br />Hizuchi Elementary School, on the other hand, was a "real discovery" for the jury, whom were not familiar with the building or its architect, Masatsune Matsumura. After the lecture I even consulted David Stewart's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/4770029330?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=4770029330&linkCode=xm2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>The Making of a Modern Japanese Architecture</i></a>, where I figured there might be some mention, but he was nowhere to be found. Working as municipal architect for Yawatahama City at the time (the school was constructed from 1956 to 1958), the architect was considered one of the ten most influential architects in Japan—alongside Kenzo Tange and other familiar names—before embarking on a private practice. Yet outside Japan he was little known, as I'm sure municipal architects from other locales have rarely gained renown in a wider geography.<br /><br /><img alt="Hizuchi02.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/Hizuchi02.jpg" title="© Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru" /><br />[East Building Second-Floor Stair (Classroom on Left, Corridor on Right) | © Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru]<br /><br />Following Bergdoll's remarks and the award presentation, historian and consortium member Yoshiaki Hanada gave a lecture on the school, the architect, and the restoration. He shared the above information about the architect's top-ten status, for example, and he boiled down the design and the restoration into numbered bullet points (noted below). At the end of the lecture, Hanada poetically summarized the project and its influence.<br /><br /><img alt="Hizuchi04.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/Hizuchi04.jpg" title="© Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru" /><br />[Middle Building First-Floor Teachers’ Room and View of Stairs | © Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru]<br /><br />Important aspects of Matsumura's design, as articulated in Hanada's lecture:<br /><blockquote>1 - Cluster-style school with classroom and corridor separate.<br />2 - "Dual facade fenestration" (windows on opposite sides of classroom) achieved through internal "daylight gardens."<br />3 - Hybrid structural system of wood (columns and beams) and steel (cross bracing). </blockquote><ol></ol><img alt="Hizuchi05.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/Hizuchi05.jpg" title="© Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru" /><br />[Middle Building First-Floor Corridor in front of Teachers’ Room | © Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru]<br /><blockquote>4 - "Rich spatiality" that contemporary architecture lacks.<br />5 - "Spatial embodiment of democratic thought in education" after World War II (stairs and overlook in first photo are illustrations of this).<br />6 - "Original interpretation of Western modern architecture."</blockquote><img alt="Hizuchi06.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/Hizuchi06.jpg" title="© Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru" /><br />[Corridor Connecting Middle and West Buildings | © Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru]<br /><br />Important considerations for restoration and addition of western wing, again as articulated by Hanada:<br /><blockquote>1 - Restore whole building to original design, respecting its cultural value.<br />2 - Bring in line with today's seismic codes.<br />3 - Restore original classrooms into specific rooms (home ec, music, etc.). </blockquote><img alt="Hizuchi07.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/Hizuchi07.jpg" title="© Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru" /><br />[First-Floor Stairway in West Building | © Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru]<br /><blockquote>4 - Make wall at teacher's room more transparent (visible in fourth photo).<br />5 - Create two classrooms in central building (previously offices).<br />6 - Improve functional performance (plumbing, acoustics, etc.). <br />7 - Build new west wing with four additional classrooms.</blockquote><img alt="Hizuchi08.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/Hizuchi08.jpg" title="© Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru" /><br />[Second-Floor Multi-Purpose Space in West Building | © Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru]<br /><br />These last few photos show the addition designed by consortium member <s>Kouichi Wada</s> Kazutomi Takechi. The addition is sensitive to the original's structure, materiality, and circulation (the shallow stairs of the original are reiterated in the addition, for example), but it veers from it in terms of space—it opts for a radial plan rather than a linear one. As a whole the building is marvelous, particularly in the way daylight infuses every space, from the classrooms to the offices and the circulation. It looks like a fantastic environment for learning.<br /><br /><img alt="Hizuchi09.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/Hizuchi09.jpg" title="© Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru" /><br />[Façade of the West Building | © Architectural Institute of Japan Shikoku Chapter/Photographer KITAMURA Toru]

Modernism Prize 2012: Hizuchi Elementary School

On Tuesday evening I attended the lecture for the 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize , given to the Architectural Consortium fo...

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