Back on Weight Watchers

I have been anxious to get back to Weight Watchers, especially during those last few weeks of pregnancy, so I went back on Monday night, exactly 2 weeks postpartum. <br /><br />Our meeting center moved locations, and was upgraded to the fresher, more modern WW look that I had seen in other meeting centers (the green chairs, more private weigh-in stations, etc).  It was great to be back at the meeting, but I will be honest - I was so distracted the entire time I was there.  That was the first time I had left Avonlea and all I wanted to do was race back home to be with her.  It didn't help that I chose a meeting with a leader that isn't my fave.  You know how that can be - slightly off-putting.... demotivating, etc.  I will go to a different meeting next week for sure!<br /><br />Still, I was excited to get myself all set up online, and was anxious to get back into the Weekly's and see what new materials were available.  For example, I like this "My Routines" tool.  Something I was awful at in the past was eating my fruits/veggies.  Being such a picky eater, and obviously someone who would rather eat chocolate than an apple, it's a tough habit to get into with eating fruits/veggies.  I thought the "Eat vegetables or fruit with every meal or snack" was a good routine to select. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmx4Wt-n9fHpdyxBnm8Jsl6zmJ31pwcVKL7j9XqPI2R13W2J4hmrKRM-GsfmucQOc_jbQ0LT9zFqH5ZUtwtrPzGsYb8yqEUIlgWEUB1Zke5b3aYvuQ704u94Q-j6bQ4O8v3iy_P4hbzmM/s1600/routines.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmx4Wt-n9fHpdyxBnm8Jsl6zmJ31pwcVKL7j9XqPI2R13W2J4hmrKRM-GsfmucQOc_jbQ0LT9zFqH5ZUtwtrPzGsYb8yqEUIlgWEUB1Zke5b3aYvuQ704u94Q-j6bQ4O8v3iy_P4hbzmM/s400/routines.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />My last weigh in while pregnant was recorded the Friday before giving birth.  I was at 280 lbs.  For Monday's weigh in I was 252.4!  Can you believe I've lost nearly 30 lbs in just 2 weeks?!  Why can't it work like that <i>all </i>the time!! :)<br /><br />I'm now 2 days into the WW journey and I've already encountered my familiar challenges.  I forgot how well I do if I plan my meals in advance.  Tuesday was a clear reminder of what happens when I just eat and record the food as I go.  I'm out of Points before I know it!  Today (Wednesday) has gone so much better as I pre-tracked all of the main meals this morning. <br /><br />Something I also forgot about with doing WW is the desire to eat just because I have Points to eat.  Not that this is the healthiest thing ever, but during those 2 weeks postpartum, I was eating, on average, 1-2 meals per day.  That's all I needed.  I wasn't walking around thinking about what thing I could eat next.  I ate when I was hungry, until I was satisfied, and that was that.  I wish I could have that mentality all of the time, because then I wouldn't have to rely on WW!  Still, I was reminded on day 1 of being back on this journey that I don't need to eat my Points just because I have them.  I know that's a big WW faux pas, because they want you eating all of your Points, but I think, at least right now, it's more important for me to listen to my hunger cues than to eat just for the sake of ticking away at those Points.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">Do you share in the same sentiment with your PointsPlus values - eating them just because you have them?</span></b><br /><br />

Weight Watchers Back on Weight Watchers

I have been anxious to get back to Weight Watchers, especially during those last few weeks of pregnancy, so I went back on Monday night, exa...

Read more »

Union members' stories from across the USA

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0O2cAJdFKMwfKGj016623gsjjbJmkEYNeO2PXLXU5p9E4Yth05Qsw4f6sr0vTtY1a0FqqHXK2LP0j-rrcLv56q5Zl6sfwjXMP5_4mIw2krqPhA13SPOY8X8Zj0TYZxOOzZtoQ11NungZ/s1600/mike+kerwin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0O2cAJdFKMwfKGj016623gsjjbJmkEYNeO2PXLXU5p9E4Yth05Qsw4f6sr0vTtY1a0FqqHXK2LP0j-rrcLv56q5Zl6sfwjXMP5_4mIw2krqPhA13SPOY8X8Zj0TYZxOOzZtoQ11NungZ/s200/mike+kerwin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rick interviews Mike Kerwin.</td></tr></tbody></table>The good works, struggles and victories of union members are stories that need to be told. Our Teamster brother Rick Smith has been telling them for years on his radio show from Harrisburg, Pa. And since June 10, Rick has been traveling the country telling those stories from Pennsylvania to California.<br /><div><div><br />In St. Louis and Detroit, Smith spoke with Roy Gillespie,<a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/human-rights-commission"> Teamsters Human Rights Commission</a> representative, and Greg Nowak, president of Teamsters Joint Council 43 in Detroit. He also interviewed local labor historians about the history of organized labor in Michigan.<br /><br />Gillespie has asked Teamster locals in Missouri, Oklahoma and the New York area for help in recovering from natural disasters. Never was help refused. Said Gillespie, </div><blockquote class="tr_bq">We worked with the Red Cross and FEMA coordinating the type of union assistance that is needed after a disaster strikes. Whether it’s building stairs or transporting food or furniture, we have met the need. The Teamsters Human Rights Commission is a network of people who are community-minded. It’s what being part of a union is all about.</blockquote><div>Mike Kerwin, a labor historian and a director of the <a href="http://mlhs.wayne.edu/">Michigan Labor History Society</a>, described how Henry Ford, seen by many as a benevolent employer, actually pushed workers to their limit.  Ford forced them to work faster and longer on his production lines. Other auto companies followed a similar model. Then, said Kerwin,</div><blockquote class="tr_bq">...in December of 1936 workers in the General Motors plants had had enough of being pushed and sat down at work – and soon similar sit-down strikes occurred at other plants. But, union organizers were ready so 41 days later the workers had their first contract.</blockquote><div>Nowak said Michigan will rebound from the recent passage of Right-to-Work (for less) laws. The passage of the law in Michigan has long been the goal of CEOs and billionaires who want more of workers’ income for themselves. These laws weaken workers’ rights, lower wages and make workplaces more dangerous.<br /><br />Said Nowak,</div><blockquote class="tr_bq">Michigan and Detroit are resilient. Our main challenge will be to educate voters about how wrong Right to Work laws are. Lower wages, erosion of the middle class – that’s what Right to Work is about.</blockquote><div>Rick's daily labor radio show is available on <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/">Stitcher</a> and via his <a href="http://www.ricksmithshow.com/">website</a>. Listen to the shows from Detroit and St. Louis <a href="http://ricksmithshow.com/july-8%2C-2013-show">here</a>.</div></div>

Union members' stories from across the USA

Rick interviews Mike Kerwin. The good works, struggles and victories of union members are stories that need to be told. Our Teamster brother...

Read more »

Book Briefs #15: Even More Journals

<i>"Book Briefs" are an ongoing series of posts with two- or three-sentence first-hand descriptions of some of the numerous books that make their way into my library. These briefs are not full-blown reviews, but they are a way to share more books worthy of attention than can find their way into reviews on my <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/search/label/book-review">daily</a> or <a href="http://www.archidose.org/books/books.html">weekly</a> pages. See my recent installments on magazines: "<a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2012/10/book-brief-11-bunch-of-journals.html">a bunch of journals</a>" and "<a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2012/12/book-briefs-13-bunch-more-journals.html">a bunch more journals</a>."</i><br /><br /><img alt="BB15-1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/BB15-1.jpg" title="Covers" /><br /><br /><b>1: <a href="http://www.evolo.us/magazine/evolo-05/"><span style="font-style: italic;">eVolo #05: ARCHI73C7UR3 X3NOCUL7UR3</span></a> | eVolo Magazine | Winter 2013 | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1938740033/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1938740033&link_code=as3&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">Amazon</a></b><br />The fifth issue of <i>eVolo Magazine</i> is the first with a guest editor. Carlo Aiello hands over the reigns to Juan Azulay of <a href="http://www.ma77er.com/">MTTR MGMT</a> with Benjamin Rice. Xenoculture is the issue's theme, and its focus is on the other that dwells within; the exuberant, the grotesque, the mutations that the majority fears, or at least are wary of. It's a topic that can easily be limited to the aesthetic, but the editors insert some pretty interesting interviews among the predominantly visual pages. Across five "acts" are contributions from a diverse array of architects, artists, and photographers, from Nick Cave and Francois Roche in Act 01 to David Maisel and Perry Hall (who contributes the cover image) near the end of the XL issue.<br /><br /><b>2: <a href="http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/projects/hdm-35-architecture-s-core.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Harvard Design Magazine 35: Architecture's Core?</span></a> | Harvard GSD | 2012</b><br />Starting with issue 35 of its biannual magazine, Harvard GSD is exploring the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, and urbanism (urban planning and urban design), by looking inwards at their "cores" rather than outwards to their relationships with other fields. This may run counter to the popular thinking of inter-disciplinary processes and breaking down boundaries (or at least bridging) between disciplines, but as Dean Mohsen Mostafavi puts it his introduction to this issue, "we cannot speak of cross-fertilization...unless we understand and possess the know-how, creativity, and conventions distinct to each of these disciplines."<br /><br />What follows are contributions by familiar names in academic circles: Preston Scott Cohen, K. Micheal Hays, Stan Allen, Pier Vittorio Aureli, Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Mario Campo, and many others. I particularly like Cohen's essay on "the hidden core of architecture" relative to late 19th-century changes in the construction and the subsequent shift to an architecture of facade and appearance; his call for transforming the core is a good one. Reinhold Martin's dissection of two books on "digital culture" and Farshid Moussavi's analysis of 30 St Mary Axe are other highlights. The other essays come at the theme from a multitude of ways, though given that it's the GSD academic flourishes prevail.<br /><br /><b>3: <a href="http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/projects/hdm-36-landscape-architecture-s-core.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Harvard Design Magazine 36: Landscape Architecture's Core?</span></a> | Harvard GSD | 2013</b><br />Emily Waugh (Survey Studio) is guest editor for issue 36, the middle of the three-issue focus on the disciplines taught at Harvard GSD (I'm especially interested in 37, the forthcoming issue on urbanism). There's a stronger structure to this issue; instead of the previous issue's loose collection of essays, Waugh breaks the contributions into four sections: Features (Jane Hutton's and Antoine Picon's one-two punch of material culture and digital culture, respectively, is a highlight), Territories of Engagement, Conjectures, and Excerpts. The bulk is made up of the first two, and I'd imagine that landscape architects will be drawn to the second, in which leading professionals (Andrea Cochran, PEG, Topotek 1, Dlandstudio, etc.) describe how their work addresses four areas: Scale and Scope, Approach, Tools, Challenges. Unlike the academic preference of issue 35, this one is a good balance of academia and practice.<br /><br /><img alt="BB15-2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/BB15-2.jpg" title="Covers" /><br /><br /><b>4+5: <a href="http://bookstore.boundaries.it/en/boundaries/12-recycling-2239033205.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Boundaries n.5: Architecture and Recycling</span></a> + </b><b><b><a href="http://bookstore.boundaries.it/en/boundaries/14-container-2239033206.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Boundaries n.6: Container Architectures</span></a></b> | Boundaries · International Architectural Magazine | 2012 | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AES4ORS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00AES4ORS&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">Amazon</a></b><br />Each issue of the Italian magazine <i>Boundaries</i> is devoted to a theme, such as "<a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2012/02/two-magazines.html">Architecture for Emergencies</a>" and "<a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/05/14/three-journals/">Architectures of Peace</a>." Issues 5 and 6 have very similar themes, in that buildings made from shipping containers are another means of recycling; in fact, a couple of the projects collected in "Architecture and Recycling" use such containers. These two themes, and the projects found within, have a larger reach than, say, the first issue's focus on architecture in Africa; yet there still exists an emphasis on responsible architecture and finding alternatives for underserved people in much of the world. "Container Architectures" is an especially good issue, loaded with some of the best examples in the still-popular trend. It's as good (if not better in some respects) than the <a href="http://www.archidose.org/books/container.html"><i>Container Atlas</i></a>; and it's quite a bit cheaper.<br /><br /><b>6: <a href="http://monocle.com/magazine/issues/63/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Monocle Issue 63</span></a> | Monocle Magazine | May 2013 | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CVZ4JFY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00CVZ4JFY&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">Amazon</a></b><br />I have three issue of the UK magazine <i>Monocle</i>: the very first one, from March 2007; a special edition "devoted to building better cities, neighborhoods and residences" from summer 2008; and most recently an issue from a couple months ago. What is amazing when charting the changes between these three issues is how little has changed—the size, the design, the A-B-C-D-E structure, the page layout, the subjects, even the overall tone of the magazine. Sure, there are some tweaks to certain things (some flexibility in the column layouts, for example), but it's as if Tyler Brûlé and his crew had everything figured out before the first issue went to press. While the editors clearly have a knack for latching on to what's interesting, fashionable, and well-made, what I appreciate most about the magazine is just how much is crammed into each issue. Combined with a design that makes everything look appealing, the magazine is a great excuse for getting away from the screen and diving into some printed content. <br /><br /><b>7: <a href="http://www.abitare.it/en/in-edicola/december-january-528/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Being BIG</span></a> | Abitare | December-January 528 | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983820430/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0983820430&link_code=as3&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">Amazon</a></b><br />About every year or so, <i>Abitare Magazine</i> devotes a single issue to one architect after following them around for about the same amount of time. In 2009 it was <a href="http://www.abitare.it/en/in-edicola/abitare-497/">Renzo Piano</a>, followed by <a href="http://www.abitare.it/en/in-edicola/being-zaha-hadid/">Zaha Hadid</a> and <a href="http://www.abitare.it/en/in-edicola/being-jean-nouvel/">Jean Nouvel</a> in 2011, and most recently Bjarke Ingels at the end of 2012. Setting aside the fact of starchitect hero-worship and questions of if architects with the most press really need this much more, the idea is a great one. In the case of BIG, the editors are able to delve deeply into how Ingels travels back and forth between the offices in Copenhagen and New York, how he meets people, gets publicity, who he works with, what he's working on, what people think of him, and much more. The issue presents projects (most in-progress), but the focus is clearly on personalities, the architect(s) more than the architecture.

Book Briefs #15: Even More Journals

"Book Briefs" are an ongoing series of posts with two- or three-sentence first-hand descriptions of some of the numerous books ...

Read more »

A Personal Trainer Redwood City Shares Some Exercise Tips For Busy People

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Brandon Watkins</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>Redwood City is a city in California that is situated right in the San Francisco Peninsula. Today, the city is notoriously recognized for being the home of some of the biggest companies worldwide. Among these are Oracle and Electronic Arts. Because of the presence of these companies, most of the people in Redwood are busy professionals who cannot even think of their health and wellness. But despite how busy you might seem to be, your health should be your top priority, because as they say, health is wealth. So here are some fitness tips for busy people as shared by a leading personal trainer Redwood City.<br /> <br /> Sit On An Exercise Ball<br /> <br /> Instead of sitting on your usual office chair, invest on an exercise ball and use it as your office chair instead. Furthermore, the personal trainer Redwood City suggested that you look for that ball that is huge enough to allow you to reach your desk, forcing you to engage on your task so you can sit up. These balls are often used by yoga enthusiasts and it is guaranteed to improve your posture.<br /> <br /> Ride Your Bike To Work<br /> <br /> Instead of taking a cab or driving your car to work, do yourself a favor and ride a bike instead. Well, if your office is just a walking distance from home, then why not walk? If you cannot find time to exercise, then doing these things can somehow help to shed a few pounds off. Aside from helping yourself, you are actually helping the environment as well as this helps to lessen the pollution.<br /> <br /> Exercise With Your Family<br /> <br /> Always take the stairs whenever you are in your office building, at home or in the mall. This can somehow help you to shed off a few pounds. Others would in fact, use the stairs to exercise every day. So if you have stairs at home, the personal trainer Redwood City suggested that you take the stairs up and down for up to five times each day as this can make for a good exercise. This should take only a few minutes of your time each day but the benefits that you can gain in the future could be huge.<br /> <br /> Use The Stairs<br /> <br /> Always take the stairs whenever you are in your office building, at home or in the mall. This can somehow help you to shed off a few pounds. Others would in fact, use the stairs to exercise every day. So if you have stairs at home, the personal trainer Redwood City suggested that you take the stairs up and down for up to five times each day as this can make for a good exercise. This should take only a few minutes of your time each day but the benefits that you can gain in the future could be huge.<br /> <br /> If you are really determined to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle, then there are absolutely plenty of ways to that, despite of your busy schedules. But as much as possible, make an effort to allocate even two or three days in a week to train with a personal trainer Redwood City. Because no matter how rich you are, if your health isn't in good condition, all the money that you have saved for could be taken away from you.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>Becoming in excellent condition by using the aid of <a href="http://www.theperfectworkout.com/personal-trainer-redwood-city/">Personal Trainer Redwood City</a> not just boosts your entire body but also your health as well. The advantages that one can receive from <a href="http://www.theperfectworkout.com/personal-trainer-moorpark/">Personal Trainer Moorpark</a> are limitless.</div><br /> </div><br />

A Personal Trainer Redwood City Shares Some Exercise Tips For Busy People

By Brandon Watkins Redwood City is a city in California that is situated right in the San Francisco Peninsula. Today, the city is notori...

Read more »

How the media hyped an IRS non-scandal

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IgE093zCTqKecELX0hymaBd5w4CDEfcvN03o12bzobdAbpT3qDrXL_I4qkWsV0J3bKAsLvoeL1u9dWeQx28a0iQuhxhfEwCDN0U1k38tr44S6zDNJIXjxd1DblwL-jVIK5YcoiaK90Uf/s1600/anderson+cooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IgE093zCTqKecELX0hymaBd5w4CDEfcvN03o12bzobdAbpT3qDrXL_I4qkWsV0J3bKAsLvoeL1u9dWeQx28a0iQuhxhfEwCDN0U1k38tr44S6zDNJIXjxd1DblwL-jVIK5YcoiaK90Uf/s200/anderson+cooper.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The mainstream news media misses some of the biggest stories in North America today. You know, <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/26/mexicans-turn-to-social-media-to-report-on-drug-war/">drug war in Mexico</a>. Or the <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/04/30/the-failure-to-prosecute-corporate-crime-undermines-u-s-justice/">criminal bankers who don't go to prison</a>. Or the impoverishment of the working class. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">R.J. Eskow writes in "<a href="http://blog.ourfuture.org/20130709/where-the-hell-is-the-outrage">Where the Hell Is the Outrage</a>?"</span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Conditions continue to become objectively worse for the great majority of Americans. But these ongoing changes — in actual wages, in employment, in social mobility and wealth equity — have received very little media attention or meaningful political debate.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eskow explains why that's a bad thing: </span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s not that things aren’t changing. It’s that people don’t know they’re changing. And without that knowledge the public becomes a canary in a coalmine, only aware of its declining oxygen supply when it keels over and dies. </span> </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s an almost classic state of alienation, in which people may be acutely aware of their own increasing difficulties (although sometimes they can be numb to that as well) but experience them in a state of isolation. That turns the anger inward, leading to crippling reactions like guilt and despair. And repeated individual failures — failures made increasingly likely in a skewed system — lead to a sense of learned helplessness. </span></blockquote>If mainstream media reporters don't miss a story, they may well get it wrong. Like the IRS "scandal," where supposedly "liberal" IRS employees investigated "conservative" Tea Party groups.<br /><br />Only, it didn't happen. (And, by the way, even if it did, there's plenty of evidence that radical billionaires like the <strike style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.89583396911621px;"><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2011/10/bombshell-kochs-sold-oil-equipment-to.html" style="color: #336699;">Benedict Arnold</a></strike> Koch brothers are (a) <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/right-wing-billionaires-behind-mitt-romney-20120524">not disclosing their political contributions</a> and (b) funneling money to phony Tea Party groups like <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriebennett/2012/03/31/tracking-koch-money-and-americans-for-prosperity/">Americans for Prosperity</a>.)<br /><br />Alex Seitz-Wald in <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/07/08/how_the_media_outrageously_blew_the_irs_scandal_a_full_accounting/">Salon</a> blows the whistle on how the mainstream media "outrageously blew the IRS scandal."<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">...we know that in fact the IRS targeted lots of different kinds of groups, not just conservative ones; that the only organizations whose tax-exempt statuses were actually denied were progressive ones; that many of the targeted conservative groups legitimately crossed the line; that the IG’s report was limited to only Tea Party groups at congressional Republicans’ request; and that the White House was in no way involved in the targeting and didn’t even know about it until shortly before the public did. </blockquote>As a result of the media's misreporting, half of the American people wrongly thought the White House ordered the IRS to target Tea Party groups, Seitz-Wald writes.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have reporters corrected the record? </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We think you know the answer. </span>

campaign finance Koch tea party How the media hyped an IRS non-scandal

The mainstream news media misses some of the biggest stories in North America today. You know, drug war in Mexico . Or the criminal bankers ...

Read more »

Nutrition Information That Will Change Your Life

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Matt Willer</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>When you realize that you're going to eat better, you're ready to start having better nutrition and eat better foods. You don't have to set a deadline for this particular choice. When it comes to healthier eating habits, you can begin at any time. In fact, there is nothing wrong with easing yourself into a new dietary lifestyle.<br /> <br /> Eating raw foods is healthier when compared to other ways of preparing foods. Fresh, unprocessed food is the best way to ensure that you meet all of your body's nutritional needs while reducing the amount of unwanted fat and chemicals in your diet.<br /> <br /> Do not forget to add plenty of whole grains into your diet. Studies have shown that people who choose whole grains over refined carbs tend to be healthier. Some food suggestions to integrate whole grains into your diet are brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and whole wheat bread. You will get the fiber you need and any nutrients you are missing.<br /> <br /> Try to eat moderately if you want to be in optimal health. Eating too much food can overnourish your body, which doesn't feel very good and may cause you to store fat. This can damage your health due to decreased functionality.<br /> <br /> It is important that your diet is filled with whole grains. Those who consume more whole grains in their diet are generally healthier than those people who consume more carbs. Add in foods to your daily diet that are made of 100% whole grains. This will give your body the right amount of fiber that it would need, as well as the nutrients that carbohydrates lack.<br /> <br /> Do you want to reduce the amount of red meat you consume? If that's the case, try it as a condiment. Condiments provide a bit of extra flavor for grain or vegetable meals. The Mediterranean and Chinese cultures do just that and have a lower incidence of heart-related disease.<br /> <br /> You should drink plenty of water daily. Aim to make milk or juice a treat with just a meal or two, and focus more on drinking water the rest of the day. If they drink milk or juice throughout the entire day, there is more of a chance that they will not be hungry when you offer them meals.<br /> <br /> Try to reduce the amount of foods you eat that need to be cooked in the microwave. Anything you can nuke is going to be processed and stripped of any essential nutrients.<br /> <br /> Eat foods that contain a lot of zinc when recovering from an illness. Zinc strengthens your immune system, allowing you to rebound more quickly and protecting your health down the line. Wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, peaches and strawberries all have a lot of zinc. These particular foods are not only rich in zinc. They also contain numerous free-radical antioxidants, which help promote great health.<br /> <br /> A lot of nutritionists recommend fish in place of pork, beef or poultry. The fat that a fish's body stores is in the structure known as the omega-3 fatty acid. It has been shown in numerous medical studies that this particular fatty acid can improve the cardiovascular system and help reduce the amount of triglyceride fat reserves stored in the body. Because of the many species, cuts and recipes available, it is easy to find a fish dish to suit any palate.<br /> <br /> That way you won't be too hungry to think of something healthy and just eat whatever comes to mind. Since you'll have a variety of recipes in your notebook, you'll be less likely to quit dieting because you're tired of eating the same foods over and over again.<br /> <br /> You need to take baby steps when improving your diet. The ideas presented within this article are great steps towards your new horizon. There is no right way or wrong way to improve your diet, only healthy and unhealthy choices. As long as you remember that every step you take gets you even closer to your goals, you will be fine.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>Find out more about <a href='http://www.vitafusion.net/'>what are the best prenatal vitamins</a>, by visiting Matt's site <a href='http://www.vitafusion.net/compsat-health-safety-and-nutrition/'>www.vitafusion.net</a> for your needs.</div><br /> </div><br />

Nutrition Information That Will Change Your Life

By Matt Willer When you realize that you're going to eat better, you're ready to start having better nutrition and eat better fo...

Read more »

Part Time Children’s Librarian II - Prosser Public Library, Bloomfield

<strong>Part Time Children’s Librarian II - </strong><strong><strong><span style="color: #48286d;">Prosser Public Library</span></strong></strong>, Bloomfield. Two Positions Part Time: 15 hours weekly/20 hours weekly. $33.99 hrly (non-benefited). Prosser Public Library seeks two creative, youth services librarians who enjoy working as part of a team. Work will involve information and reader’s advisory service based on a strong knowledge of children’s and teen literature, collection development and the planning, publicizing and implementing of programs. Knowledge and experience in technology/technical services and its applications are required. Minimum Qualifications: Minimum requirements include Masters in Library Science (MLS) from a ALA accredited college or university, three years of related experience, including library computer systems. Must be available to work one week night, every third Saturday, as well as weekdays. Selection Process: Candidates will be rated based on education, experience, and skills identified on the application, resume and cover letter as they relate to the requirements of this position. Additional examinations may include computer skills testing, written subject matter tests, and/or oral interviews or may be a combination of any of the above. Applications: Town of Bloomfield conducts pre-employment drug testing. Applications may be obtained from the Department of Human Resources, 800 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield, CT 06002, or on our website at <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.bloomfieldct.org" href="http://www.bloomfieldct.org/" target="_blank">www.bloomfieldct.org</a> and must be submitted to Human Resources along with a resume and cover letter no later than 4:00 p.m. on <span style="color: red;">July 25, 2013</span>. AA/EOE.

Part Time Children’s Librarian II - Prosser Public Library, Bloomfield

Part Time Children’s Librarian II - Prosser Public Library , Bloomfield. Two Positions Part Time: 15 hours weekly/20 hours weekly. $33.99 ...

Read more »

Lose Weight Without Exercise

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Exercise is better, is it key to most weight loss plans because it helps you burn calories. But what if you don't like exercise? Is it desired to lose weight? There are some ideas to lose weight without exercise.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Lose Weight Without Exercise" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOk70guLDY3SD69kglXR_eSW8BhRt6SQbAaA_VwX1jG7uWeZGLPhKfFmbLhSa9VNP6pP_MUN9r4GtPwTE75MDecdiQRsIoyc0z_4zeYvv_MvHqRCE5-U0i4KWAafCBrHZEWETDT1t24o/s400/Lose+Weight+Without+Exercise.jpg" title="Lose Weight Without Exercise" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h1 style="text-align: left;">Lose Weight Without Exercise :</h1><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Get Enough Sleep</b> : Getting a six to eight hours of sleep on a nightly basis is another idea to train the body to work more efficiently during the day, which can burn more calories and lead to lose weight without exercise. Studies have shown that tired people, eat more foods.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Smaller Plate</b> : that the simple act of using a small sized plate can help people eat less at each meal. If you use a smaller serving spoon, you can serve yourself about fifteen percent less at each meal, and over a more month, that can add up to a lot less food and lose weight without exercise.</span></div> <br /><center><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-5028478688240504"; /* AdSense in Post */ google_ad_slot = "6975892477"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; //--></script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script><br /><br /></center> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Dim The Lights And Lower The Noise</b> : People who went to a fast food restaurant where the lighting was softer and the music was more soothing ate fewer calories than those who ate in the same place with bright lights and blaring music. Because cold food is less appealing than hot food.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Food Journal</b> : Writing down what you eat every day basis is another way people can keep track of their caloric intake while also making it easier to observe trends and bad behavior.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Eat A Good Breakfast</b> : For breakfast, eat a heavy-on-protein, consider yogurt, eggs, or peanut butter.. And don’t let more than 3 hours pass between eating. And be sure to have small snacks available to eat between meals.</span></div> <br /><center><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-5028478688240504"; /* AdSense in Post */ google_ad_slot = "6975892477"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; //--></script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script><br /><br /></center> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The <b>5 tips for Lose Weight Without Exercise</b> listed above, won't leave you with the ideal body overnight, but people who combine the tips with a reasonable diet and steady exercise will find the pounds downfall away.</span><br /> <center><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-5028478688240504"; /* AdSense in Post */ google_ad_slot = "6975892477"; google_ad_width = 336; google_ad_height = 280; //--></script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script><br /><br /></center> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> </div></div></div></div>

lose weight Without Exercise Lose Weight Without Exercise

Exercise is better, is it key to most weight loss plans because it helps you burn calories. But what if you don't like exercise? Is it d...

Read more »

the mouth returns

The mouth and the 'tude are back.  Out. Of. Control.  I want to stop, I think?  Not sure.  It's like a reflex with all the sass and fire that goes with it.<br /><br />I've tried. Lord knows, I've tried.  <br /><br />My shrink and I have broken up.  He's moving.  I could still go through the end of the summer.  No point,  I can't have the kind of medicine I need anyway.<br /><br />Surrendering or submitting or whatever you want to call it... hard to do that when the person you want to lead you is completely content in his role as resident teenager.<br /><br />Sending the control freak packing... not really possible when the world comes screeching to a halt every time you relax and let go of control.  Even harder when help is offered to me, not followed through with, making twice as much work for me later, and then he has the audacity to shine his condescending little smirk and comments when I look frustrated about it.<br /><br />One can bite her tongue for only so long.  Which then serves as proof that I'm not trying to behave.<br /><br />It's been a time trying to reconcile things.<br /><br />He's not interested in bettering anything other than his job.   <br /><br />I despise the role I must live.  There I said it.  I thought I just <i>wanted</i> different<i>.  </i>Nope, I despise every bit of how I am and my role in our marriage.<br /><br />I'm tense. I'm angry. I'm anxious.  Thank goodness for xanax.  The ADHD monster has long since taken over my head again and I'm his pawn.  The OCD monster is taunting me, begging me to come back to the dark side.  Not sure what to do or where to turn anymore.<br /><br />My current thought is to wait until this current little tiff between us rolls over. It's hard to settle things when you both <i>know</i> you're in the right and the other is being an idiot.  For the record, I genuinely am right this time...  not that it matters lol<br /><br />There are a couple of things/routines that I know settle me and help keep the family in order.  Even though I know these things make a huge difference, I <strike>struggle to</strike> rarely do them.  I need to plan meals and make them - otherwise we eat out, waste money and stress the family out.  I need to keep the kitchen island and the little sink clean - otherwise the kitchen breeds clutter that stresses everybody out.  I need to make lunches and set out clothes the night before - otherwise mornings are stressful.  I need to go to bed on time - otherwise I'm a cranky bitch the next day.  I'm going to ask for his help in enforcing them. I don't know if he will, or how he will for that matter.  But maybe this is a way to work through my end of the problems. <br /><br />In the meantime... I'll just keep putting on my happy face and keep saving the world, as always.<br /><br /><br />

the mouth returns

The mouth and the 'tude are back.  Out. Of. Control.  I want to stop, I think?  Not sure.  It's like a reflex with all the sass and ...

Read more »

Lending Desk Clerk - Windsor Public Library

<strong>Lending Desk Clerk - </strong><strong><strong><span style="color: #48286d;">Windsor Public Library</span></strong></strong> is seeking a part-time library clerk to work at the main lending desk. An enthusiastic individual with excellent customer services skills is needed to handle all front desk duties including checking materials in and out, answering phones, collecting fees, and answering questions about library borrowing policies. Approx 8-12 hrs. will include Friday, Saturday and Sunday shifts and occasional daytime or evening shifts as needed. Candidate will also be required to substitute at our Wilson Branch. Salary is $9.50-$10.50/hr depending on experience. Please apply at Human Resources, Town Hall, 275 Broad St. Windsor, CT 06095 or <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.townofwindsorct.com/humanresources" href="http://www.townofwindsorct.com/humanresources" target="_blank">www.townofwindsorct.com/humanresources</a>. Application deadline is <span style="color: red;">July 19, 2013</span>. EOE/AA.

Lending Desk Clerk - Windsor Public Library

Lending Desk Clerk -  Windsor Public Library is seeking a part-time library clerk to work at the main lending desk. An enthusiastic indiv...

Read more »

Jurassic Park in Augusta County?

<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Dr. Grant, my dear Dr. Sattler... Welcome to Jurassic Park."</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">John Hammond played by actor Richard Attenborough</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jurassic Park</i></div><br />Visitors who see dinosaurs peering through the trees around Grand Caverns in northeastern Augusta County may feel that they've entered Jurassic Park.<br /><br />Reporter Laura Peters with the <a href="http://www.newsleader.com/article/20130709/NEWS01/307090027/Dinosaurs-take-over-Grand-Caverns"><i>Staunton News-Leader</i></a> talked with Mark Cline, whose imagination is never at a loss for something new and different in the central Shenandoah Valley. Now, along the hiking trail in the Grand Caverns park, don't be surprised if you run into one of the prehistoric creatures, compliments of Cline's talented hand. Read the article complete with photos <a href="http://www.newsleader.com/article/20130709/NEWS01/307090027/Dinosaurs-take-over-Grand-Caverns">here</a>.

Augusta County Grand Caverns Grottoes Jurassic Park Laura Peters Mark Cline Shenandoah Valley Staunton News Leader Jurassic Park in Augusta County?

"Dr. Grant, my dear Dr. Sattler... Welcome to Jurassic Park." John Hammond played by actor Richard Attenborough Jurassic Park Visi...

Read more »

Calm down and take a breath

From <a href="http://thejohnfredericksshow.com/">radio host John Fredericks</a>:<br /><blockquote>Gov. McDonnell gifts: Get over it.<br /><br />Governor Bob McDonnell broke no laws and didn't do anything we can find that is legally unethical or in conflict with Virginia's very liberal gift laws. If you don't like it, change the laws. But don't impugne the Governor. Did he exercise poor judgment? That is speculative. Did he break any laws? From what we have seen so far: no, he did not. So right now, this amounts to a hill of beans, although we acknowledge the depth of different gifts is reaching critical mass. Should he resign? That is his personal decision, but certainly not over this nonsense.</blockquote>Conservatives are proving to be very good at joining their liberal counterparts in taking part in the court of public opinion <i>without even hearing from the Governor's side.</i> Last I heard, in America we are innocent until proven guilty....

Bob McDonnell John Fredericks Virginia Calm down and take a breath

From radio host John Fredericks : Gov. McDonnell gifts: Get over it. Governor Bob McDonnell broke no laws and didn't do anything we can ...

Read more »

Playing, and Losing, as a Medical Team - NYTimes.com

<div><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One of my patients died last month, a man I was particularly fond of. I had known him for almost 20 years. I had come to know his wife in person, the children in his frequently exasperated anecdotes and his grandchildren in blurry cellphone photos. His wife left a message with the unexpected news on a Monday morning.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It took me almost two weeks to get back to her.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">How typical, right? The doctor shrugs and moves on. The doctor forgets the symbolic value of closure. The doctor doesn't bother to show up at the funeral. The doctor ignores the obligations that endure after the patient passes.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But hold your judgments. I called Lenny's wife back promptly, repeatedly, leaving increasingly puzzled messages and never getting a response.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I suppose you could call it all a medical error. But it wasn't mine.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Medicine has become a team sport — that's old news. Everyone knows that the team now includes residents, physician assistants, <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/nursing_and_nurses/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier">nurse practitioners</a>, therapists, all taking over portions of the role that once belonged to the doctor alone.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">These colleagues slice and dice the doctor's time-honored obligations into fragments that can be difficult to reassemble. Residents routinely use my license number to write prescriptions; if the resident makes a big mistake, who is liable? Nurses inject medications per my orders; if I miscalculate a dose and disaster ensues, who pays?</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">These days, that's not the end of it, not by a long shot. Behind the medical team stands an increasingly large backfield, giant in numbers, humble in training. They answer the phones, arrange consultations, organize the billing, deal with the unrelenting demands of dozens of insurers. Say that a secretary, a pleasant, overworked person sitting with her colleagues in an airless back office, each fielding dozens of calls a day — say she forgets to confirm a phone number scrawled into the medical record long ago. Who is responsible?</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">You won't find the answer in the ethics textbooks. Experts continue to talk about the "physican-patient relationship," that storied historic and fiduciary entity, as if it were still composed of mutual trust and obligations between two people. They haven't noticed that those two people have turned into a crowd.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Lenny was impossible, the best and the worst kind of patient. He never complained, mostly because he minimized half his problems and overlooked the rest. He vastly preferred to ignore his health and discuss his latest computer acquisitions. We spent a lot of office time on Apple vs. Microsoft. Whose fault was that?</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the long run, it hardly matters. He died at 52 in an emergency room from overwhelming staphylococcal <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/sepsis/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier">sepsis</a>, a treatable bacterial infection undoubtedly worsened by his chronic <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/liver-disease/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier">liver disease</a>and his chronic denial — and by the impressive personal magnetism that endured to the end: Evidently he refused to let anyone call an ambulance till far too late.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Many things can go wrong in health care. These days more and more of them have nothing to do with actual health care. People leave a competent doctor for a marginal one because the first has a receptionist with a nasty disposition and the second has one who smiles. People change medications from good to not so good because their insurer pays for one set and not the other. People get their doctor on the phone right away because a secretary has the nerve to transfer the call to the staff lounge. People never hear from their doctor because a secretary forgets to confirm a phone number.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After 10 days with no word from Lenny's wife, I was beside myself. I couldn't leave any more messages. I couldn't fathom why she wasn't calling me back. I figured she was angry with me. So, of course, I got a little angry about that. Does everything have to be my fault? Then I remembered that I knew where she got her own medical care, at an office bound to have more contact information.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sure enough: I had been calling the wrong number the whole time, off by one digit.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Two conversations end this story. The first one, between me and our secretary, was brief. There wasn't much to say. I am not her supervisor. Mistakes happen. She didn't know Lenny; she seldom gets out from the back room to see our world — hers as much as mine — in all its dimensions.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Then Lenny's wife and I talked for a long time. The edge in her voice eventually softened. We agreed that he had been impossible, and would be grievously missed. I told her I would have been at the funeral, if I had only known, and that I would never forget I had missed it.</span></p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2013/07/08/playing-and-losing-as-a-medical-team/">http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2013/07/08/playing-and-losing-as-a-medical-team/</a></span></div>

Playing, and Losing, as a Medical Team - NYTimes.com

One of my patients died last month, a man I was particularly fond of. I had known him for almost 20 years. I had come to know his wife in pe...

Read more »

Today's Teamster News 07.10.13

<a href="http://americanmanufacturing.org/blog/recovery-not-jobless-full-mcjobs">The recovery: Not jobless, but full of McJobs</a>  manufacture this   ...195,000 new jobs would be great if they were the kind on which you could build a recovery. But they aren’t. Roughly a third of those jobs are in the leisure and hospitality sector; another 37,000 of them are in the retail sector. And these jobs don’t pay well. In fact, they pay even less than they did only a few years ago...<br /><a href="https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/ensure-american-infrastructure-repaired-american-materials-and-american-workers/x0fPz65f">Ensure that American infrastructure is repaired with American materials and by American workers.</a>  White House Petitions   ...The Verrazano Bridge in New York city is going to be repaired with Steel made in China...<br /><a href="http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/07/08/sec-3-the-secret-weapon-for-protecting-minority-voters/">The secret weapon that could save the Voting Rights Act</a>  MSNBC   ...Voting rights advocates are testing whether a little-used provision of the Voting Rights Act could limit the damage of the Supreme Court ruling that <a href="http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/06/25/chief-justice-roberts-canny-voting-rights-act-takedown/">struck down a key part of the landmark civil rights law</a>...<br /><a href="http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/fbis-terror-scam?page=0%2C0">Shocker: Only 1% of So Called Terrorists Nabbed by the FBI Were Real</a>  Alternet   ... there has yet to be a case of some Al-Qaeda operative providing the means for a wannabe terrorist to do an act of terrorism. It’s only the FBI that’s providing the means through these sting operations...<br /><a href="http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/WalMart-Threatening-to-Pull-Plans-for-DC-Stores-214795941.html?partner=nbcnews">Walmart Threatening to Pull Plans for D.C. Stores</a> NBC Washington ...Walmart, Inc. is threatening to pull its plans to build three urban stores in Washington, D.C. if Mayor Vincent Gray signs a new living wage bill into law that would force the large retailer to pay its employees and subcontractors at least $11.75 per hour...<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/2013/07/08/82e8e968-e807-11e2-aa9f-c03a72e2d342_story.html">Canadian train disaster sharpens debate on oil transportation</a>  Washington Post   ...The railroad put the small lakeside town of Lac-Mégantic on the map. And over the weekend, the railroad wiped part of the town off the map Saturday when an oil-laden train bound for a Saint John refinery derailed and exploded, leaving at least 13 dead and dozens unaccounted for...<br /><a href="http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/07/unions_turn_up_the_heat_on_law.html">Unions turn up the heat on lawmakers as first furlough week arrives</a>  Huntsville Times   ...A coalition of 20 unions that represents federal workers is turning up the heat on lawmakers in an effort to stave off the 20 percent pay cut that will hit Department of Defense workers in the next three months...<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-takei/anonymous-exposes-uss-big_b_3567035.html">Anonymous Exposes US' Biggest Private Prison Company as a Bad Financial Investment</a>   Huffington Post   ...The oldest and largest for-profit prison company is not what it would have you believe, at least according to Anonymous. A recently released report concludes that the publicly traded prison operator Corrections Corporation of America is not an efficient, profitable free-market solution -- but a bad investment for shareholders...<br /><a href="http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/0709aclu.pdf">Judge Says Capitol Free Speech Restrictions “Create Extraordinary Chilling Effect” </a> ACLU of Wisconsin   ...A federal judge yesterday granted a preliminary injunction in the Capitol free speech case, allowing groups of up to 20 people to gather without a permit inside the Capitol...<br /><a href="http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/indiana-working-families-not-advancing-on-path-to-prosperity/article_ce1d04e7-7884-56d2-babc-76d2c78554c8.html">Indiana working families not advancing on path to prosperity</a>  NWI Times   ... nearly half of Indiana children and altogether 2.24 million Hoosiers are officially "low income" -- earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $22,980 for an individual or $47,100 for a family of four...<br /><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ff-prison-strike-20130709,0,3801154.story">30,000 California prisoners refuse meals in apparent hunger strike</a>  Los Angeles Times   ...Officials said 30,000 California inmates refused meals Monday at the start of a prison strike involving two-thirds of the state's 33 lockups, as well as four out-of-state facilities...<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/nikki-haley-voter-fraud_n_3566194.html"> Nikki Haley Takes Heat After Report Blows Up 'Bogus' Voter Fraud Claims In South Carolina</a>  Huffington Post   ...For years, South Carolina Republicans have complained about the names of dead voters being used to cast ballots in a broad voter fraud scheme. Now that a <a href="http://www.free-times.com/blogs/18-months-later-sc-law-enforcement-closes-case-on-zombie-voters-finds-no">recent report by the State Law Enforcement Division</a> has blown up those claims, unable to find a single example of a "zombie voter" committing fraud, <a href="http://www.wistv.com/story/22784777/house-democrats-want-apology-from-haley-on-voter-fraud-claims">one Democrat is demanding</a> that Gov. Nikki Haley (R) apologize for her party's "bogus" crusade...<br /><a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/local-690-fights-hard-win-back-public-employee%E2%80%99s-job">Local 690 Fights Hard to Win Back Public Employee’s Job</a>  IBT   ...Local 690 recently came to the defense of one of its public defenders and won her reinstatement complete with back pay, benefits, and sick leave...<br /><a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/arbitrator-orders-doc-reinstate-four-monroe-correctional-employees">Arbitrator Orders DOC to Reinstate Four Monroe Correctional Employees</a>  IBT   ...An arbitrator has issued a stinging rebuke to the Department of Corrections in a ruling that favors four correctional employees at the Monroe Correctional Complex, who were disciplined by the DOC after the murder of Officer Jayme Biendl in the prison chapel in January 2011...<br /><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2013/07/08/ruralmetro-pledges-to-continue-ems.html?page=all">Rural/Metro pledges to continue EMS service if strike occurs</a>  Buffalo Business First   ...With a strike set to begin in a little over a week, executives at Rural/Metro Medical Services of Western New York are hoping to avoid a work stoppage but plan to continue coverage of emergency medical services...<br /><a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/dignity-memorial-solicits-striking-employee-apply-funeral-director-job">Dignity Memorial Solicits Striking Employee To Apply For Funeral Director Job</a>  IBT   ...Striking Funeral Director Lawrence Mandel was surprised that Dignity Memorial would bother offering him an “opportunity” to become a strikebreaker...<br /><a href="http://cranston.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/city-teamsters-local-251-reach-tentative-contract-deal">City, Teamsters Local 251 Reach Tentative Contract Deal</a>  Cranston Patch   ...The city of Cranston (Rhode Island) and the Teamsters Local 251 have reached a tentative deal on a new contract that will run through 2015 and gives municipal workers raises each year...<br /><a href="https://events.teamster.org/ei/cm.esp?id=4010034&pageid=_3FH0ULU6B">Have you signed up for the 2013 Teamster Women's Conference yet?</a>  IBT   ...There is still time left to register for the Teamster Women’s Conference, scheduled for September 19-21, 2013 in New Orleans. Join your Teamster Brothers and Sister for this dynamic gathering...

Today's Teamster News 07.10.13

The recovery: Not jobless, but full of McJobs  manufacture this   ...195,000 new jobs would be great if they were the kind on which you cou...

Read more »

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 07/10/2013

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://educationismylife.com/join-the-20-time-mooc-today/">Education Is My Life | Join the 20% Time MOOC Today!</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">From my friend AJ Juliani - if you want to do 20% time - perhaps you should join in this MOOC right now - it isn't too late. "In the past year we have seen a boom in 20% projects and Genius Hour projects happening in the K-12 classroom. Amazing educators have pushed this movement forward, and Angela Maiers Choose2Matter campaign is another way for students to find their passions and learn with purpose. This July we are running a “20% Time MOOC”. The course offers two outcomes. Teachers will learn about the research behind Google’s 20% policy and how it can be applied in K-12 education; and, learners will also participate in their own 20% project throughout the course and present as a final product. I want to encourage you to join this MOOC and connect with so many teachers who are giving their students the power to choose (Access Code for the course is ZXQ2B-8CWMV). We’ll be using the #20timeacademy hashtag throughout the course to share with each other!"</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/geniushour">geniushour</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/google20%">google20%</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/tumblr">tumblr</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2013/07/09/zombie-reader-how-the-corpse-of-google-reader-can-let-you-browse-your-archived-google-reader-data/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDigitalReader+%28The+Digital+Reader%29#.UdxrpKJwrK0">Zombie Reader: How the Corpse of Google Reader Can Let You Browse Your Archived Google Reader Data</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Cool trick to archive and keep what you've read in Google reader. Here's how you can do this trick -- that is if you ever used Google reader - or used it a lot (like I did for quite a period of time.) Very cool hack.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/google">google</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/reader">reader</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/rss">rss</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/googlereader">googlereader</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/tumblr">tumblr</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.wired.com/business/2013/07/dropbox/">Dropbox Blows Up the Box, Connecting Every App, File, and Device | Wired Business | Wired.com</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">If you're not already using Dropbox - you should. They had a developer conference and will likely end up everywhere in every app. Some very cool things coming. Just like Evernote - who has a powerful "trunk" features where developer work is showcased - Dropbox is going to find that opening up to development opens a whole new marketplace and ingenuity beyond what they have in house.  Some info from the wired article.  "But after all that single-mindedness, Houston and Ferdowsi now want to let their baby sing. Today, at Dropbox’s first-ever developers conference, the company is officially launching a new set of coding tools designed to push Dropbox into every corner of your digital life. Not content to stay sequestered inside the box, the company’s co-founders are unveiling ways for developers to meld their service with every app on every device you own. For the first five or so years of its existence, Dropbox was synonymous with its “magic folder.” Save your files in the Dropbox folder on your computer, and they “magically” reappear in your Dropbox apps on your phone and tablet and in your Dropbox account on the web. Now, if developers take to the company’s new tools, the service will escape the confines of this folder, fusing with third-party apps running on practically every computer and smartphone operating system. Houston wants Dropbox to become the “spiritual successor to the hard drive.” He says the hard drive needs to be replaced because so many of us are doing so much computing on devices that don’t fit the traditional paradigm for working with files. Users don’t interact with files on iOS, Android, or the web the way they do on PCs. Apps don’t have “open” or “save” options that launch a separate window where you tap through a folder tree."</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/dropbox">dropbox</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/edtech">edtech</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/tumblr">tumblr</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='https://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 07/10/2013

Education Is My Life | Join the 20% Time MOOC Today! From my friend AJ Juliani - if you want to do 2...

Read more »

The Google Summit hosted by SchoolNet and Parklands is coming up soon. Have you registered?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SchoolNet is thrilled to be hosting the Google Summit in Cape Town on 26th and 27th of September 2013. These summits are held all over the world very successfully by the Ed Tech Team from the USA, but this is a first for Africa. The summit aims at K-12 teachers and Higher Education. You can read more and find out how to register on the website created especially for the event. <a href="http://za.gafesummit.com/">http://za.gafesummit.com</a>. The team will be bringing out a grand array of speakers as well as some Google engineers – but they are also looking for local presenters. Our next blog post will focus on this.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The flier below can be downloaded <a href="https://www.box.com/s/50xzxwrt4d6rm4fhuc0t" target="_blank">here</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><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/AVvXsEjYAaNI3mVimzC5vF-mLcEO1YoogmIm5E9mJ8dMyUPEYyJw2Gx4sbkPBTziYtabdJb7-gwfgzWGmp4J_OflMHEjbhU3bcHk_bHoi5UkG1C5mPlAGtOd5dy6-Dbs3BgKrd6Ckpw_VXyMoKk/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5_aBGiOgeYSNZJ2hRUOEfY54Q_bEsRQPYysRwMjFeypVnL0djQgSuyhV2-fPjCxVESSHUrl3Lk0eGDdLRY5Z46ZgwOUSntzw5zQj0ZvYPY2Bn7UZKq3SbwthE6d1lSCDa0w1dJBVkIQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="475" /></a></div></div>

conferences google The Google Summit hosted by SchoolNet and Parklands is coming up soon. Have you registered?

SchoolNet is thrilled to be hosting the Google Summit in Cape Town on 26th and 27th of September 2013. These summits are held all over the w...

Read more »

as the mantel turns

Like sands through the hourglass, so is the mantel in my living room. The sucker is a revolving door of indecision. As my dear friend <a href="http://www.callingithome.com/" target="_blank">Linda</a> says, I'm mantelly challenged. In fact, I've even got a <a href="http://pinterest.com/ladybaum/mantels/" target="_blank">board on Pinterest</a> just for mantels - it is an obsession.<br /><br />The bug hit again not too long ago and I changed it up after seeing what <a href="http://brynalexandra.blogspot.com/2013/02/honored.html" target="_blank">Bryn did with a client's mantel</a>. I've got a collection of milk glass, why not put it to use.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK5whx4Y9GMA9e3tGRsf9_UwYS-8GN8uJ12FTHDhBcfiGa9DcO4heIz66Gm3oEZcstRVXohsMTwuQCKrP_JhqvXz0Me7w3amjoOAGJN0Oiozt9SwDMDB9ocUhyphenhyphenenBBVywqxn9NNZizMNA/s1600/littleblackdoormantle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK5whx4Y9GMA9e3tGRsf9_UwYS-8GN8uJ12FTHDhBcfiGa9DcO4heIz66Gm3oEZcstRVXohsMTwuQCKrP_JhqvXz0Me7w3amjoOAGJN0Oiozt9SwDMDB9ocUhyphenhyphenenBBVywqxn9NNZizMNA/s640/littleblackdoormantle.jpg" width="587" /></a></div><br />This is probably the happiest I've been with the mantel in a while. Says the girl that will probably change the whole thing around next month.<br /><br />I cannot begin to even count how many times I've changed this mantel around. This is the fourth mirror in 6 1/2 years, if that tells you anything. Psycho much?<br /><br />I even found a few pictures of the evolution.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho91LEyS3EnUq9r7QJOKvn-fS7ZPUMvKlYx9PUBOzcGvty8KIqAbignp7GZRkb8Er3pASxlPHOSc29N8zRjfeOvuBgK-dPHoIdrYtr6ODZqJJtAIB76NwSOFJ-yLg1bWJF9TZybPREfmcA/s1600/mantelupdate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho91LEyS3EnUq9r7QJOKvn-fS7ZPUMvKlYx9PUBOzcGvty8KIqAbignp7GZRkb8Er3pASxlPHOSc29N8zRjfeOvuBgK-dPHoIdrYtr6ODZqJJtAIB76NwSOFJ-yLg1bWJF9TZybPREfmcA/s400/mantelupdate.jpg" width="391" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQBUc7D0ERGF2rknrasgeBKdlfSp90ehCJyRl1HlmgCSGVLT400rx_hW61b2yFQG2chpy9WwNekmyYkt6RXDVKM_VZM0ND6HkB8_idgh7hQ6epNfnIahPrpLhXHOh12zAjbdzDrW7sGBo/s1600/P2184126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQBUc7D0ERGF2rknrasgeBKdlfSp90ehCJyRl1HlmgCSGVLT400rx_hW61b2yFQG2chpy9WwNekmyYkt6RXDVKM_VZM0ND6HkB8_idgh7hQ6epNfnIahPrpLhXHOh12zAjbdzDrW7sGBo/s400/P2184126.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfI1h3B2kZteYRkDUi659D6VHjcNrOIRfUjbDWdJsfmtohfIoWakEXJMYNq9LWW4qy4Z8TWdL-pM40XZtyS7z2QGAdv0ltBRQbTfqQzZ3xvdD_Gi7hvX3paDAemC7mxs6GojzxkMaSiPD/s1600/iPhoneMantel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfI1h3B2kZteYRkDUi659D6VHjcNrOIRfUjbDWdJsfmtohfIoWakEXJMYNq9LWW4qy4Z8TWdL-pM40XZtyS7z2QGAdv0ltBRQbTfqQzZ3xvdD_Gi7hvX3paDAemC7mxs6GojzxkMaSiPD/s400/iPhoneMantel.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9BcUFUGD6RHf5e8A1cbLBHFRns38icE3tXmc8c2fXRQ-6_VdKjwIsP82rYlwE0X0zUUyjtz0L2orFi2U_GpMx0K1PdXqqbs7YQkcWk5PsQ_orAxflbKbuJqfjoYt2ldJjCKfsQbnnHQ-/s1600/ChristmasKidsMantel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9BcUFUGD6RHf5e8A1cbLBHFRns38icE3tXmc8c2fXRQ-6_VdKjwIsP82rYlwE0X0zUUyjtz0L2orFi2U_GpMx0K1PdXqqbs7YQkcWk5PsQ_orAxflbKbuJqfjoYt2ldJjCKfsQbnnHQ-/s400/ChristmasKidsMantel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvB4GaUsNtIvhjkz_hdoz5-18PXjlS5t2hy78J2R0c8ZKICZwfu1AkLOuZ79p5CqkjvtaFmsXcFC0XGg1ZYDtQkGt1uoi2DRKD2lUDvUX1vcXeoUygoqPqUQ4Q9fTPQdUg_fQb6c_3Yea/s1600/im1.shutterfly-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvB4GaUsNtIvhjkz_hdoz5-18PXjlS5t2hy78J2R0c8ZKICZwfu1AkLOuZ79p5CqkjvtaFmsXcFC0XGg1ZYDtQkGt1uoi2DRKD2lUDvUX1vcXeoUygoqPqUQ4Q9fTPQdUg_fQb6c_3Yea/s400/im1.shutterfly-1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0jlzRTQ8w_jFMjWQs9ADYmiegeQ7VocBxxwjdkpEqWFuoi93bE2hs5yKgxSUNWKWRtprFrH_Izw4h7QXlexieHTlVTm_0rfC2ZLyZOr64PxcbOZldxwFL7sEJdj6ufphNmJdu7DTvSm3/s1600/littleblackdoorwrappingpapermantel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0jlzRTQ8w_jFMjWQs9ADYmiegeQ7VocBxxwjdkpEqWFuoi93bE2hs5yKgxSUNWKWRtprFrH_Izw4h7QXlexieHTlVTm_0rfC2ZLyZOr64PxcbOZldxwFL7sEJdj6ufphNmJdu7DTvSm3/s400/littleblackdoorwrappingpapermantel.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Lf5cJQJigI4tMCdkoPWxI6RzDKM37-EaSil7hNcObK6c3r5Pgp4J72HqJWO4Txj7gGgy5uNaZ8BfVAlQ8gcNS0AmCA4GhMORRfr3xmJX8oluOByHn4kQ9SkXRutrgyN7D-p0h1DQkA3W/s1600/oldmantel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Lf5cJQJigI4tMCdkoPWxI6RzDKM37-EaSil7hNcObK6c3r5Pgp4J72HqJWO4Txj7gGgy5uNaZ8BfVAlQ8gcNS0AmCA4GhMORRfr3xmJX8oluOByHn4kQ9SkXRutrgyN7D-p0h1DQkA3W/s320/oldmantel.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZ5jbZZ7TbEWIh6f1XgbDLCYLer4_ObfyldKDNGE09j96dR5XocuDKHxQEoB4ujoGD2BqJegOfkXA16CEmOCoxGD2W6BV9SUDBYCo25PAmXsFmyR3k_4yidPKBIV_2DIPZqoZrwLgc0mL/s1600/littleblackdoormantle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZ5jbZZ7TbEWIh6f1XgbDLCYLer4_ObfyldKDNGE09j96dR5XocuDKHxQEoB4ujoGD2BqJegOfkXA16CEmOCoxGD2W6BV9SUDBYCo25PAmXsFmyR3k_4yidPKBIV_2DIPZqoZrwLgc0mL/s400/littleblackdoormantle.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><br />Thanks <a href="http://www.cnn.com/LIVING/" target="_blank">CNN Living</a> for sharing my most recent mantel this week. Check it out <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/living/open-house-mantels/index.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />Is there a spot in your house that you change even more frequently than others? Do you have a mantel that you feel is never quite right? Want to place bets on how long before I change it all around again?

as the mantel turns

Like sands through the hourglass, so is the mantel in my living room. The sucker is a revolving door of indecision. As my dear friend Linda ...

Read more »

Today's archidose #690

Here are some photos of the Witte Kaap (2011) in IJburg, Amsterdam, Netherlands, by <a href="http://www.clausenkaan.nl/">Claus en Kaan Architecten</a>, photographed by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wojtekgurak/">Wojtek Gurak</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wojtekgurak/9191156740/" title="Witte Kaap by Wojtek Gurak, on Flickr"><img alt="Witte Kaap" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5346/9191156740_bd60a08153_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wojtekgurak/9188362077/" title="Witte Kaap by Wojtek Gurak, on Flickr"><img alt="Witte Kaap" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/9188362077_9359b34e00_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wojtekgurak/9188361889/" title="Witte Kaap by Wojtek Gurak, on Flickr"><img alt="Witte Kaap" height="427" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3814/9188361889_6b1441018d_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 #690

Here are some photos of the Witte Kaap (2011) in IJburg, Amsterdam, Netherlands, by Claus en Kaan Architecten , photographed by Wojtek Gurak...

Read more »

Saturday in Chesterfield: Susan Allen and 'The Remarkable Ronald Reagan'

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpogyKY3173EzBDQkBuBdh3erkwdFF_DAQvNFzCeMiO8osMBsqknti8a34ZdcybJcY3JMM3N7kgOH0ZRDMTLbdlpLLLCH6-xdfBC3gWx6hx1QUi5uYHg2jLF2I4hmumPaoOKoE5nmqrUN9/s1600/Susan+Allen+Reagan+book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpogyKY3173EzBDQkBuBdh3erkwdFF_DAQvNFzCeMiO8osMBsqknti8a34ZdcybJcY3JMM3N7kgOH0ZRDMTLbdlpLLLCH6-xdfBC3gWx6hx1QUi5uYHg2jLF2I4hmumPaoOKoE5nmqrUN9/s400/Susan+Allen+Reagan+book+cover.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br />Ronald Reagan was a remarkable man, and one person who would know that is Virginia's former First Lady Susan Allen whose husband George began his political career leading the Young Republicans for Reagan in 1976. Now Mrs. Allen has lovingly written about this man admired by many.<br /><br /><a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/05/susan-allen-author-of-the-remarkable-ronald-reagan-on-tour-june-2013/"><i>The Remarkable Ronald Reagan: Cowboy and Commander-in-Chief</i></a> is a children's book but I am eager to read it for two reasons: 1) it's about Ronald Reagan; 2) its author is Susan Allen. They are both people I greatly admire.<br /><br />Mrs. Allen and her book will be at the <a href="http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/80338">Chesterfield Town Center's Barnes & Noble</a> bookstore this Saturday, July 13, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. For those in the Richmond area, it's a wonderful opportunity to visit with Susan for story time and to have her sign your copy of the book.<br /><br />The Barnes & Noble website offered an overview of the book:<br /><blockquote>Ronald Reagan was a natural leader, well-remembered not just for his political leadership, but also for his warmth, kindness, dignity, and optimism. There’s a lot kids can learn from Reagan, about our country and about being good leaders and good people. <br /><br /><i>The Remarkable Ronald Reagan: Cowboy and Commander in Chief</i> is a fun, colorful look at his life, from his humble beginnings as the son of a shoe salesman, to his years as a Hollywood actor, his service in WWII, his life as a rancher, and finally the culmination of his political career in the Oval Office. Ronald Reagan is an ideal role model, not only as a leader and former president, but also as a shining example of self-sacrifice and determination. <i>The Remarkable Ronald Reagan</i> is a treat for the entire family. </blockquote><a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/05/susan-allen-author-of-the-remarkable-ronald-reagan-on-tour-june-2013/">TLC Book Tours</a> offered more in its assessment of the book:<br /><blockquote><i>The Remarkable Ronald Reagan</i> is a wonderful new children's book about our great president and his big dreams in life and his great accomplishments as our Nation's leader....Written for elementary students, adults will also enjoy the walk down memory lane with Reagan -- and everyone will learn something new about this remarkable man! Look forward to seeing you there! </blockquote>If you miss the Chesterfield stop on Mrs. Allen's book tour, she will be at the <a href="http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/80706">Charlottesville Barracks Road Shopping Center Barnes & Noble</a> on Saturday, July 20, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. <br /><br />Mrs. Allen <a href="http://www.myfoxdc.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9045784#.UdG9ejfrB1I.facebook">talked with the folks at the DC Fox News affiliate</a> in an interview about her book. Also, be sure to check out her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SusanAllenVA?fref=ts">Facebook page</a> for photos of various locations along the tour and updates about upcoming dates.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuLyp74IiFA07amxT7ePHbYQCAoAAqA3lCE5kSSYuetVCIDHhjABDU71OZdh1HyEKDMlcd8NFUxt6msptuseV6-6hPsygOB4LlXMwBcoOZfvVzllWP-ZIkWkOxAuIAdKQ_hCpK-PdwRZU/s1600/Susan+Allen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuLyp74IiFA07amxT7ePHbYQCAoAAqA3lCE5kSSYuetVCIDHhjABDU71OZdh1HyEKDMlcd8NFUxt6msptuseV6-6hPsygOB4LlXMwBcoOZfvVzllWP-ZIkWkOxAuIAdKQ_hCpK-PdwRZU/s1600/Susan+Allen.jpg" /></a></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>About Susan Allen</b></span><br />Susan Allen served as First Lady of Virginia when her husband, George Allen, was elected as the Commonwealth’s 67thGovernor. In that role, she worked on many initiatives including tourism, breast cancer awareness, and children’s issues.<br /><br />Accompanying her father-in-law, famed NFL head coach and Chairman of The President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Susan met Ronald Reagan in 1987 in the Oval Office. Reagan was an Allen family friend and the one who inspired her husband to run for office. George led Young Virginians for Reagan in 1976 and currently serves on the Board for Governors for the Reagan Ranch.<br /><br />Susan Allen resides in Mt. Vernon, VA, with her husband and is an avid fan of reading, history, and the outdoors. The Allens have two daughters, Tyler and Brooke, and one son, Forrest.<br /><br /><i>[And an unofficial added note from me: Susan Allen is an all-around classy lady.] </i>

Barnes and Noble book tour facebook Fox News George Allen Ronald Reagan Susan Allen TLC Book Tours Saturday in Chesterfield: Susan Allen and 'The Remarkable Ronald Reagan'

Ronald Reagan was a remarkable man, and one person who would know that is Virginia's former First Lady Susan Allen whose husband George ...

Read more »

A sarnie by the canal

Met my sis for a walk after work because it was such a lovely day.  We then stopped and picnicked by the canal.  <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGtjyqzRTzH87T2iHoW8smt7QK1wbckTEcib88muKaguCA7nPZ7gagcghWJ2m_JX6WD48RvByhe7ztWAyY_P9X6RGLCcOdfqJac36xxRzTE0RcNClym-ZmVlSxanlhqQd0SB8Ik7QyXcZ4/s640/blogger-image-664847482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGtjyqzRTzH87T2iHoW8smt7QK1wbckTEcib88muKaguCA7nPZ7gagcghWJ2m_JX6WD48RvByhe7ztWAyY_P9X6RGLCcOdfqJac36xxRzTE0RcNClym-ZmVlSxanlhqQd0SB8Ik7QyXcZ4/s640/blogger-image-664847482.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We had sandwiches from subway and then cookies for afterwards.  Sooo nice!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5bVzvxutCBv8PDtjePwKI5tKCYupITGUEFA3y7l_1az2BNislKbVDkW1e5kmXOLEEFY1DtBTHVYLQ8clPMUdkR_gdeMsO-tprzlzpq-x35KCf05E5UEe1YHsN4I0aFB6V4-9_sPvc-7n/s640/blogger-image--969705464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5bVzvxutCBv8PDtjePwKI5tKCYupITGUEFA3y7l_1az2BNislKbVDkW1e5kmXOLEEFY1DtBTHVYLQ8clPMUdkR_gdeMsO-tprzlzpq-x35KCf05E5UEe1YHsN4I0aFB6V4-9_sPvc-7n/s640/blogger-image--969705464.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div>

A sarnie by the canal

Met my sis for a walk after work because it was such a lovely day.  We then stopped and picnicked by the canal.   We had sandwiches from sub...

Read more »