I found the fat people

The fat people were grocery shopping this afternoon at my local supermarket. In fact, we looked like we were at a fat people convention. <br /><br />I went straight from the gym to the grocery store (and yes, I was a hot, sweaty and very unattractive mess...more on that later). I don't remember the last time I shopped on a Saturday afternoon. There were a lot of extremely overweight people there today, and my heart broke a little for each and every one of them. I know first-hand how much this hurts, physically and mentally. <br /><br />I'd guess the average BMI was 40+. There were a lot of people that appeared to be 250 to 300 pounds (and they weren't seven feet tall!). I'm a pretty good judge of weight. I'm 213 pounds, 5' 6", and I was probably one of the thinner of the fat people.<br /><br />I really try not to pass judgement on overweight people for buying junk food:  a.) it's none of my business and b.) I've been there. Yet, I couldn't help  myself as I peeked into their grocery baskets. I didn't see anyone even attempting to eat healthy. Mostly processed foods, frozen or canned, and a lot of chips, bakery goods, cookies and candy, and similar unhealthy choices. I wonder how many times someone has looked at my food choices and thought 'oh my goodness, she shouldn't be eating that food...she's already too fat!'.<br /><br />In an odd way, it actually helped me make really healthy choices. First of all, I'd just come from the gym which is the absolute best time for me to shop for food. When I've just worked out really hard and had a great workout, I truly have no desire to eat junk. Today I was thinking maybe that's the only time I should go grocery shopping, after a workout. Then I saw so many people in my situation, struggling with obesity, it just reinforced what I was already feeling about food. Make healthy choices.<br /><br />About the gym<br />I posted a few days ago about how much I dislike my gym, L.A. Fitness. It's filled with young, healthy people. Now, I have nothing against being young or being healthy. I was just having a problem with being the oldest, most unfit person at my gym. The close quarters of the free weights area, filled with young, muscular men, was the most annoying aspect of it. I love working out with free weights, but I was really feeling intimidated by the men.<br /><br />I found a solution! Today I did most of my free weights in the group class area that was empty. It's a huge room, mirrors on three sides, high ceiling and cooler (temperature) than the rest of the gym. Someone had left a set of 15-pound dumbbells and a 25-pound plate weight. Perfect for three of my upper body exercises. Then I used the 8-pound weights for some deltoids exercises, add in three machines for lats and delts, and I had a great weight workout. I was the only person in there, except for one young woman that came in and did some crunches. I checked the class schedule and there aren't any classes in there Monday, Wednesday and Friday until 8:30am. Perfect! <br /><br />Of course, there are some bench free weight exercises I still need to do, so I'll have fight for a bench and deal with the all-guy area (that's how I've come to think of it). I'll manage, and like some of you said, I have just as much to be there as they do.  <br /><br />I also faced the StairMaster today. I've been avoiding it with the logic I'm too fat for the StairMaster. Well, you're never to fat for the StairMaster! I was definitely slower than the guy next to me (yes, he was young and thin), but my average heart rate was 132, and I burned 236 calories in 30 minutes. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, and a lot more "fun" than the elliptical. More of a challenge and you can't cheat.<br /><br />Food has been nearly perfect today. This is the fourth day in a row of eating healthy and exercising. It feels good to be back.

I found the fat people

The fat people were grocery shopping this afternoon at my local supermarket. In fact, we looked like we were at a fat people convention. I w...

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A Different Star Every Day in August...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTekypTNK2tOlg__YIeZT3R-p6CevxmijikahItGEVcjmShQEIp53bJAVlg0Rd_PrqYlUtp94FdbefNuQ7YaED4UX33mgfqt5-Zk7Ct5NVaKKn5qQrrAXlFEq1TtW_fgA5MxaDB29EAR9/s1600/Summer+header+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTekypTNK2tOlg__YIeZT3R-p6CevxmijikahItGEVcjmShQEIp53bJAVlg0Rd_PrqYlUtp94FdbefNuQ7YaED4UX33mgfqt5-Zk7Ct5NVaKKn5qQrrAXlFEq1TtW_fgA5MxaDB29EAR9/s400/Summer+header+2.JPG" width="336" /></a></div><span id="goog_40881947" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span id="goog_40881948" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="goog_40881943"></span><span id="goog_40881944"></span> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Every year in August, Turner Classic Movies presents its popular month-long salute to 31 stars, each honored with a full 24 hours devoted exclusively to their films. August 2012 marks the movie channel’s 10^th annual <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Summer Under the Stars </i>celebration and among those being showcased for the first time this year are Marilyn Monroe, Tyrone Power, Anthony Quinn, Eva Marie Saint, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Kay Francis and Warren William.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />In addition, Jill of <a href="http://sittinonabackyardfence.com/" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">Sittin' on a Backyard Fence</a> and Michael of <a href="http://scribehardonfilm.wordpress.com/" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">ScribeHard on Film</a>  will be celebrating with a month-long blogathon to complement TCM's August event. <a href="http://scribehardonfilm.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/jill-and-michael-present-the-2012-tcm-summer-under-the-stars-blogathon/#comment-212" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">Click here</a> for more information...and check back <i>here</i> on August 4...<br /><br />And now, a glimpse, with a little commentary, of what this year's <i>Summer Under the Stars </i>has in store.<b> </b><br /><br /><b>Aug. 1</b> - <b>John Wayne</b> - Three iconic Ford Westerns, <i>Stagecoach </i>(1939), <i>She Wore a Yellow Ribbon </i>(1949) and <i>The Searchers </i>(1956); two great Hawks Westerns, <i>Red River </i>(1948) and <i>Rio Bravo </i>(1959) - plus  seven more.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Aug. 2</b> - <b>Myrna Loy</b> - 14 of Loy's films will be presented including several from the Pre-Code era as well as some of her best known films - like <i>The Thin Man </i>(1934), <i>Libeled Lady </i>(1936), <i>Wife vs. Secretary </i>(1936) and <i>The Best Years of Our Lives </i>(1946).<br /><br /><b>Aug. 3</b> - <b>Johnny Weissmuller</b> - TCM's first nod to this <i>Summer Under the Stars </i>honoree will spotlight 13 Tarzan adventures and three Jungle Jim features.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><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/AVvXsEgbyhSbUVtDR_YMlng1huHyZIs08wnoNq7EfflYYwh86CycJVeCS9CEDhwAgmah5ucXutduPRJQvr163VVLIsUGeMpHXR_XKDswXKA-w7HcJKTBmoJbkt8AhMiWM3wjXBwNT-YN_NQ05JxQ/s1600/MM+itch+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyhSbUVtDR_YMlng1huHyZIs08wnoNq7EfflYYwh86CycJVeCS9CEDhwAgmah5ucXutduPRJQvr163VVLIsUGeMpHXR_XKDswXKA-w7HcJKTBmoJbkt8AhMiWM3wjXBwNT-YN_NQ05JxQ/s400/MM+itch+window.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marilyn Monroe in Billy Wilder's <i>The Seven Year Itch</i> (1955)</td></tr></tbody></table><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aug. 4 - Marilyn Monroe</b> - She received credit in only 26 films and had only bit parts in several of them. TCM will air 12 of her best-know films, including every film she made from 1953 forward except her last (1961's <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2012/05/myth-making-misfits-1961.html" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank"><i>The Misfits</i></a>). </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aug. 5 - Claude Rains</b> will be honored with 13 films, from 1933's <i>The Invisible Man </i>to his final film, <i>Twilight of Honor </i>from 1963. Included is the “four” series: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Four Daughters </i>(1938), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Four Wives </i>(1939) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Four Mothers </i>(1941).<br /><br /><b>Aug. 6 - Van Heflin</b> is being recognized for the first time with 13 films including <i>Act of Violence </i>(1949), <i>Battle Cry </i>(1955) and <i>3:10 to Yuma </i>(1957).<br /><br /><b>Aug. 7 - Sidney Poitier</b> - A twenty year span of Poitier's career will be covered, from 1952 (<i>Cry the Beloved Country</i>) to 1972 (<i>Buck and the Preacher</i>, also directed by Poitier), with 12 films.<br /><br /><b>Aug. 8 - Rita Hayworth</b> - Cary Grant called her "Judy" in <i>Only Angels have Wings </i>(1939), but everyone remembers her as <i>Gilda </i>(1946). These are just two of the 13 Hayworth films scheduled on her day.<br /><br /><b>Aug</b>. <b>9</b> - <b>Toshiro Mifune</b>, one of Japan's preeminent actors, receives his first nod from TCM with six of his best-known Kurosawa films. Also featured <i>Samuarai I </i>(1955), <i>II</i> (1955) and <i>III</i> (1956) from Hiroshi Inagaki, <i>Samurai Rebellion </i>(1967) and Inagaki's <i>Muhomatsu, The Rickshaw Man </i>(1958).<br /><br /><b>Aug. 10 - Lionel Barrymore</b> - 14 films will commemorate Barrymore, from the silent <i>West of Zanzibar </i>(1928) with Lon Chaney, to one of his very last onscreen appearances: <i>Lone Star </i>in 1953 with Clark Gable and Ava Gardner.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><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/AVvXsEgbUHiuRHAP8kn0J8CNtW3Ey_5x1clNf_KpI84-fAw0IhHsd0w7N4Pqk-HwN9TTr4GEEgZPlTrNZgE2vq1Pv-Swyd9k4zoBkk0AIWNQh5S_tQIn-GjXBkVSFivIkYSsmfv2Ba0coqypNbY8/s1600/desertfox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUHiuRHAP8kn0J8CNtW3Ey_5x1clNf_KpI84-fAw0IhHsd0w7N4Pqk-HwN9TTr4GEEgZPlTrNZgE2vq1Pv-Swyd9k4zoBkk0AIWNQh5S_tQIn-GjXBkVSFivIkYSsmfv2Ba0coqypNbY8/s320/desertfox.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Mason as Field Marshall Rommell in <i>The Desert Fox</i> (1951)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aug. 11 - James Mason</b>, the handsome actor with the incomparable voice, will be honored with 10 films, among them <i>The Desert Fox </i>(1951), <i>A Star is Born </i>(1954), <i>Journey to the Center of the Earth </i>(1959), Kubrick's <i>Lolita </i>(1962) and <i>Lord Jim </i>(1965). If only <i>5 Fingers</i> (1952) <i></i>was part of the schedule!<br /><br /><b>Aug. 12 - Ginger Rogers</b> - Four of her films with Astaire - <i>Swing Time </i>(1936), <i>Shall We Dance? </i>(1937), <i>Carefree </i>(1938) and <i>The Barkleys of Broadway </i>(1949) - are among the 13 films that will celebrate her career.<br /><br /><b>Aug. 13 - Deborah Kerr<i> </i></b>will be honored with 12 films, including her own favorite among them, Jack Clayton's <i>The Innocents </i>(1961), and one of Powell and Pressburger's (The Archers) legendary masterpieces, <i>Black Narcissus </i>(1947).<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/AVvXsEjPm7C8ijm60IyLnOFyROJUP1vwllN3C4VgvJEpq8dlNCF_hgYsMydrMflVIJ6KeuXFgMBg6HGujpomYiy8Jq0qDoFdMkj8O5gQIKHB2rCiqEAqdD64kUIie__osTY8r_XHecnVBtkb4xs9/s1600/footlight-parade-blondell-and-cagney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPm7C8ijm60IyLnOFyROJUP1vwllN3C4VgvJEpq8dlNCF_hgYsMydrMflVIJ6KeuXFgMBg6HGujpomYiy8Jq0qDoFdMkj8O5gQIKHB2rCiqEAqdD64kUIie__osTY8r_XHecnVBtkb4xs9/s320/footlight-parade-blondell-and-cagney.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joan Blondell and James Cagney in <i>Footlight Parade </i>(1933)</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Aug. 14 - James Cagney </b>- 13 Cagney films, from Pre-Code Hollywood to his late career, plus the 1992 documentary <i>James Cagney: Top of the World</i>, hosted by Michael J. Fox.<br /><br /><b>Aug. 15 - Lillian Gish </b>- This is Gish's first year as a <i>Summer Under the Stars </i>honoree. D.W. Griffith's <i>Intolerance </i>(1916) will be featured as well as his <i>Broken Blossoms </i>(1919) and <i>Orphans of the Storm </i>(1921). 12 films in all, including two from Victor Sjostrom, <i>The Scarlet Letter </i>(1926) and <i>The Wind </i>(1928), plus Charles Laughton's<i> The Night of the Hunter</i> (1955) and <i>The Comedians </i>(1967), with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.<br /><br /><b>Aug. 16 - Elvis Presley </b>- <i>Jailhouse Rock </i>(1957) and <i>Elvis on Tour </i>(1972) are the highlights. 12 more are also on the schedule.<br /><br /><b>Aug. 17 - Katharine Hepburn </b>- Four films co-starring Spencer Tracy are on tap - <i>Woman of the Year </i>(1942), <i>Adam's Rib </i>(1949), <i>Pat and Mike </i>(1952) and <i>Guess Who's Coming to Dinner </i>(1967) - plus the ever-popular <i>Bringing Up Baby </i>(1938) and seven others.<br /><br /><b>Aug. 18 - Freddie Bartholomew</b> - This is the one-time child star's first turn on <i>Summer Under the Stars</i>. His signature pictures - <i>David Copperfield </i>(1935), <i>Little Lord Fauntleroy </i>(1936), <i>Captains Courageous </i>(1937) and <i>Kidnapped </i>(1938) - are among his 13 films set to air.<br /><br /><b>Aug. 19 - Eva Marie Saint </b>is also in the August spotlight for the first time. 10 films, including <i>North by Northwest </i>(1959) will be shown, along with the documentary, <i>Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest </i>(2000), which she hosted. Also screening: <i>On the Waterfront </i>(1954), <i>A Hatful of Rain </i>(1957) and <i>All Fall Down </i>(1962).<br /><br /><b>Aug. 20 - Anthony Quinn</b> - Another <i>SUTS </i>first-timer, Quinn will be honored with 11 films, including <i>The Ox-Bow Incident </i>(1943), <i>Lust for Life </i>(1956), <i>Requiem for a Heavyweight </i>(1962) and <i>Zorba the Greek </i>(1964).<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/AVvXsEgt62FQL7eS-dqaiTzA6Qd6JNgQd13PemAmxHVwUs2-iqVWUcHPWVeYBIAebGMu1g7oWKqASiZAOs8RrFkIe_pBzZDAj9PKPt4jW_tqOAyNYIS6Q-N2_wS0Cv3I0_cXqTuSYm0jgWcw_4SB/s1600/one+way+passage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt62FQL7eS-dqaiTzA6Qd6JNgQd13PemAmxHVwUs2-iqVWUcHPWVeYBIAebGMu1g7oWKqASiZAOs8RrFkIe_pBzZDAj9PKPt4jW_tqOAyNYIS6Q-N2_wS0Cv3I0_cXqTuSYm0jgWcw_4SB/s320/one+way+passage.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Powell and Kay Francis in <i>One Way Passage </i>(1932)</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Aug. 21 - Kay Francis</b>, the one-time Warner Bros. leading lady is yet another first-time <i>SUTS </i>honoree. 17 Francis films are on the bill and the majority are Pre-Code, including two with William Powell, <i>Jewel Robbery </i>and <i>One Way Passage</i>, both from 1932.<br /><br /><b>Aug. 22 - Jack Lemmon</b> - 11 of his dozens of films will be shown, beginning with the delightful <i>Phffft! </i>(1954) co-starring Judy Holliday and ending with the last film Billy Wilder directed, <i>Buddy, Buddy</i> (1981) with Walter Matthau. Two of his best, <i>The Apartment </i>(1960) and <i>Days of Wine and Roses</i> (1962) are part of the mix.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><br /><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aug. 23 - Gene Kelly </b>is being honored on his centenary this year. In conjunction with that anniversary, the Classic Movie Blog Association is sponsoring <a href="http://clamba.blogspot.com/2012/04/gene-kelly-centenarian-blogathon-august.html" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">a blogathon</a> in his honor...I’ll be blogging on one of his lesser films, the Marilyn Monroe vehicle (see August 4) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let’s Make Love</i> (1960), in which he made a cameo, but other bloggers will take a look at many of the films TCM will screen on the 23rd, including: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">An American in Paris </i>(1951), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Singin’ in the Rain </i>(1952), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On the Town </i>(1949), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invitation to the Dance </i>(1956) </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Aug. 24 - Irene Dunne </b>- 13 of Dunne's films, from the obscure to her best known and loved, will screen - including my all-time favorite screwball, <i>The Awful Truth </i>(1937).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><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/AVvXsEgfY1-LkB7dXNoY6bIZxrh2fN10r2DWTihou6984iogAMUvwC9ZbC3c2IA1_nLWrYqc_N2MIdlPnjJdidlzxnxnKjJ63u5GQK2ZPNqgShv8lNJwsAQjr-wbSvi6ybWxm7waLeQtfzKkwMov/s1600/jesse+james.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfY1-LkB7dXNoY6bIZxrh2fN10r2DWTihou6984iogAMUvwC9ZbC3c2IA1_nLWrYqc_N2MIdlPnjJdidlzxnxnKjJ63u5GQK2ZPNqgShv8lNJwsAQjr-wbSvi6ybWxm7waLeQtfzKkwMov/s320/jesse+james.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyrone Power in <i>Jesse James </i>(1939)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Aug. 25 - Tyrone Power </b>- Was he the handsomest man ever to grace the silver screen? I thought so the first time I saw his dark, striking face. Robert Osborne has written that Power was often described as “illegally handsome” and TCM will feature some of the films in which he stopped my young heart: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jesse James </i>(1939), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Johnny Apollo </i>(1940) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Yank in the R.A.F. </i>(1941). All that’s missing from this handsome-a-thon are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rains Came </i>(1939), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blood and Sand</i>(1941) and one or two others. TCM will also present some of the films in which Tyrone Power was given the opportunity to display his ability as an actor: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Razor’s Edge </i>(1946) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Witness for the Prosecution </i>(1957).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><b>Aug. 26 - Gary Cooper</b> - 11 films and one documentary will honor the actor on his day. One of the two films for which he won a Best Actor Oscar, <i>Sergeant York </i>(1941), will be shown, as well as one for which he was nominated, <i>The Pride of the Yankees</i> (1942). And there's even one I'd never heard of, <i>One Sunday Afternoon </i>(1933) with Fay Wray... </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aug. 27 - Jeanette MacDonald</b> is best known for her partnership with Nelson Eddy, and seven of their films are among the 12 of hers set to air. Also on the schedule: Ernst Lubitsch's <i>The Merry Widow </i>(1934), <i>San Francisco </i>(1936) with Clark Gable and <i>Smilin' Through </i>(1941) with Gene Raymond.<br /><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aug. 28 - Ava Gardner</b><b> </b>is one of very few who qualify as a true “Film Goddess.” She will be featured in pictures from her early days in Hollywood - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hitler’s Madman </i>(1943) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maisie Goes to Reno </i>(1944) - along with some of her most interesting films – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pandora and the Flying Dutchman </i>(1951) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven Days in May</i> (1964) – and the one containing her best performance - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Night of the</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iguana (1964)</i>. Also interesting is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bribe </i>(1949), a glossy MGM noir. One I haven’t seen and will be recording is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Forbidden Past </i>(1951) with Melvyn Douglas and Robert Mitchum.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><b>Aug. 29 - Ingrid Bergman</b> - An interesting mix of Ingrid's films this year -  Hitchcock's misfire, <i>Under Capricorn</i> (1949) is followed by the two films she made next with future husband Roberto Rossellini, <i>Stromboli </i>(1950) and <i>Europa '51 </i>(1952). Also, Ingmar Bergman's <i>Autumn Sonata </i>(1978). Of course, <i>Gaslight </i>(1944) and <i>Casablanca</i> (1942) are among the 12 Bergman films on the bill. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><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/AVvXsEjA2pBi4iuxFsrxYgtaRvknIr4aCsMpGOLHYolHzIgtSUt8Q1X61-edg1qihy7KZypEBqw_9dI1lSxjOxxPDiaNuu9GFxk8L5LZhtBsRDSzTFjn0BSAJbBIDMBfkbOV12W68QLczRiijcm7/s1600/Employees_Entrance_0092681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2pBi4iuxFsrxYgtaRvknIr4aCsMpGOLHYolHzIgtSUt8Q1X61-edg1qihy7KZypEBqw_9dI1lSxjOxxPDiaNuu9GFxk8L5LZhtBsRDSzTFjn0BSAJbBIDMBfkbOV12W68QLczRiijcm7/s1600/Employees_Entrance_0092681.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loretta Young and Warren William in <i>Employee's Entrance </i>(1933)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aug. 30 - Warren William</b> - Cliff Aliperti of <a href="http://warrenwilliam.com/" style="color: #cc0000;">WarrenWilliam.com</a>must be in seventh heaven! Some of William’s best known pictures will screen - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Skyscraper Souls </i>(1932), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gold Diggers of 1933 </i>(1933), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lady for a Day </i>(1933) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cleopatra </i>(1934) - along with many less known. Thursday, Aug. 30, will be a day to find out a whole lot more about the film work of "Pre-Code cad" Warren William. <a href="http://immortalephemera.com/21049/august-2012-tcm-summer-under-the-stars-preview/" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">Click here</a> for Cliff Aliperti's <i>SUTS</i> preview at his Immortal Ephemera website.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><b>Aug. 31 - James Caan </b>receives his first <i>SUTS</i> nod this year. Missing is the film that made him a star, <i>The Godfather</i> (1972), but Michael Mann's debut film, <i>Thief </i>(1981), is well worth watching. Also among the 12 Caan films on the schedule is <i>The Rain People </i>(1969), the last film Francis Coppola made before <i>The Godfather</i>; it co-stars Robert Duvall.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOpwAeCefGKT2amRr7f5GpMon70-TGhA7yS0nsU0PYZ7GdFL0ZYCJJNYqGmqbymTGkj3M1Rth5qRnuGVBFxBm-HbTEax6y1YHM-nDfvmQtGwOoKrtw2MVVAM9X550PkLGzZoR_1rk5Mh1/s1600/suts+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOpwAeCefGKT2amRr7f5GpMon70-TGhA7yS0nsU0PYZ7GdFL0ZYCJJNYqGmqbymTGkj3M1Rth5qRnuGVBFxBm-HbTEax6y1YHM-nDfvmQtGwOoKrtw2MVVAM9X550PkLGzZoR_1rk5Mh1/s400/suts+image.jpg" width="325" /></a></div></div>

Summer Under the Stars TCM The Lady Eve (author) Turner Classic Movies A Different Star Every Day in August...

Every year in August, Turner Classic Movies presents its popular month-long salute to 31 stars, each honored with a full 24 hours devoted e...

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SchoolNet hosts Tudor Clee who is creating an amazing 'Touchable Earth' app for tablets

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About Tudor</span>…</b></span><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Tudor Clee is a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEb7fnM9fKE7DLqZY4DqgG9lWWXXV513_X0qBHcI1v9HO4Mqymr9TUT4NK_a5MiTqFxe0JBxOdH4ejBsgCBGLzu-K2fWRNvf6JLgQs-sbFGz2_gzZNXP9IXIKK_YEUTA4rTtXcuuKQCH8/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img align="right" alt="image" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fAEwHXTUlAyvEZg2p5ZNiojScrWRnoSScRaAckKAaJKLfZ2u3co-Jyh2xbMVC7Q3gmPDL57xz-4f4r7viZs95CIuOx63GDeSxAgD2noGCcN_0i4_mW0yQi_fpOWW5sMoboO5t5rFVMc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; float: right; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="187" /></a> Zealand specializing in Criminal and Traffic law. After a series of uphill battles in New Zealand, Tudor wanted to do something to serve a greater purpose. He decided to create a Worldbook project called  'Touchable Earth'. SchoolNetSA was Tudor's host in South Africa and on the right you can see him along with Omashani Naidoo from SchoolNet. </span> </div><h6 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>About the Touchable Earth project</b>…</span></h6><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">‘Touchable Earth’ is going to be designed as an application for tablets to provide engaging, easy, hands-on information for children in countries across the world. The aim of the project is to capture children in their authentic environments to showcase indigenous culture, schooling, friends and every day facts about the participating country.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tudor has travelled to 14 countries in less than one month and has completed video footage and photo stories from Kurdistan, Romania, China, Nepal, Brazil and this week South Africa. Two schools in South Africa were visited and these were Lakeview Full Service Primary School in Soweto, Johannesburg and Isibongo Primary in Mpophomeni, near Howick in KwaZulu-Natal.</span> </div><h6 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>About Lakeview Full Service Primary School</b>…</span></h6><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lakeview Full Service Primary is in Dhlamini, Soweto. This school has been operational for 14 years and services the children from<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWae6eBuuZTOnpyu6GfTPQK6L3K6qs2p7PdES4WS3Bzu6FeTTb728zm6SA-kmGaa3dgdI0Qw_MIi3drpkEMlXmzr8zPGMcYfcSCzsrNZdHPnx18nZZqBciXpeoorbM6bqBEL22BXsbuq8/s1600-h/image%25255B5%25255D.png"><img align="left" alt="image" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxWwGitpZRAXjSmdhPcl0BTqi114g-43O6Zd29_pFAw-0PkZ45KtpZEvN1Xxis4LMf23C5w0R-26h5o6VUaD1i6J0XCE4AFAFww9msOMNvup8gqyzm2RUqYWgOy87TvL5Lijfyd30NtE0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="148" /></a> Kliptown, Chris Hani and Slovo Park. Children walk in excess of 5 km each way and about 60% are orphaned and living with extended family. As a full service school, the Principal, Mr Victor Bilankulu (featured on the left) advocates that children with minor learning disabilities be included in mainstream learning. To assist with this task, the school has a dedicated social worker and has teachers with Remedial Education expertise.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The learners at this school have started a food garden through the Soul Buddyz initiative and are successfully growing lettuce, </span><span style="font-size: small;">cabbage, cauliflower, spring onions and carrots. The school has a feeding programme for all needy learners.</span> </div><h6 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Making ‘Touchable Earth’ at Lakeview Full Service Primary</span></h6><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The day started with the principal hosting an assembly with children singing and dancing. Tudor got to work with his sidekick/tour guide and chauffeuse, Ms Omashani Naidoo of SchoolNet SA and captured the learners in class, playing with friends and then visiting a child’s home so that he could get video footage of indigenous games played outside school.</span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuu-kMZH491pUeidJlGcyXBQfQwKwsqE2brpF1Jq1r_C6k9XeHo8vQujWBm7-SRKwG2boYG1ddQygsZBo5t5_64kojux1yePeV5SdciZSFeiqN_mocDIgXytdBwPSFaJ9xwHQi5OvpSg/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuu-kMZH491pUeidJlGcyXBQfQwKwsqE2brpF1Jq1r_C6k9XeHo8vQujWBm7-SRKwG2boYG1ddQygsZBo5t5_64kojux1yePeV5SdciZSFeiqN_mocDIgXytdBwPSFaJ9xwHQi5OvpSg/s200/1.JPG" width="200" /></a></td> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmOfPQpSvTYd5Bmg87mPWcC_SIqBCuQb8o-68xdoc7ZG3d-v1MD9c2L_MufkKI8gRNC9SaYz32Afb6JTzTfFaKTGyPGkRgM9H9rGvt2gWBj1W_4oHwaXEyLHXI2jn4u4RpE1hmR8Cmwo/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmOfPQpSvTYd5Bmg87mPWcC_SIqBCuQb8o-68xdoc7ZG3d-v1MD9c2L_MufkKI8gRNC9SaYz32Afb6JTzTfFaKTGyPGkRgM9H9rGvt2gWBj1W_4oHwaXEyLHXI2jn4u4RpE1hmR8Cmwo/s200/2.JPG" width="200" /></a></td> <td></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CTlFcnzxfCvc5H5r5wE27aIPN1xzs1WcreaMUfnQniatGWyBlllJCohQk_lE9OB4U9mMretkBSbWtJOxT9ju-Ql9EldTcYWI_zKAB0tlZhxq4wC0To1v6iQ-P5zvelLG2FXSGbhq0QU/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CTlFcnzxfCvc5H5r5wE27aIPN1xzs1WcreaMUfnQniatGWyBlllJCohQk_lE9OB4U9mMretkBSbWtJOxT9ju-Ql9EldTcYWI_zKAB0tlZhxq4wC0To1v6iQ-P5zvelLG2FXSGbhq0QU/s200/3.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />All grades stand in a semi-circular configuration during assembly - an idea shared through an exchange programme with a school in Mauritius (top left).  </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Soul Buddyz club tends to the food garden (top right)</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">. The Grade 4s in their English class (left). </span></span></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6LJX75oRhYvrgIuHoYQdrEgGkrpvQVMArBfPaPDAZRgqXOEsB4lM4FRk49yWq_j-Qhr99i2exJQ8yZxW6mSz3fK8hEuB8oz9WACQDqTSx-ZHpGB2VzDP5ZvKFpm1-y041XJLCb9UyTE/s1600-h/image%25255B24%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6LJX75oRhYvrgIuHoYQdrEgGkrpvQVMArBfPaPDAZRgqXOEsB4lM4FRk49yWq_j-Qhr99i2exJQ8yZxW6mSz3fK8hEuB8oz9WACQDqTSx-ZHpGB2VzDP5ZvKFpm1-y041XJLCb9UyTE/s1600-h/image%25255B24%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>About Isibongo Lower Primary situated in Mpophomeni KwaZulu-Natal...</b></span><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Isibongo Lower Primary School is nestled close to the rolling hills of the KZN Midlands</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">.</span> When entering the premises of Isibongo Lower Primary School the first impression is one of a very well cared for school with neat flower borders and clean tidy classrooms. No children were visible outside and the sounds of singing practices were emanating from inside the busy classrooms.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiph38J_SkJsCxVvz3OO6gEilUr4FqEudHS9cJ3P0jlGeiejwJAWm1T0iElRKaWEXDN7jVszUkdtiADHCPNoVJiJD0cClsAeX-q8y_lxP4pDEKtFFZ9-35mT2GBRz6YpiQf4iYo6m-zL5Q/s1600/te3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiph38J_SkJsCxVvz3OO6gEilUr4FqEudHS9cJ3P0jlGeiejwJAWm1T0iElRKaWEXDN7jVszUkdtiADHCPNoVJiJD0cClsAeX-q8y_lxP4pDEKtFFZ9-35mT2GBRz6YpiQf4iYo6m-zL5Q/s400/te3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>        <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3AB04qAqK7j2kt388vt1_Jy7uL4Skl2Qf68l4TTdaVoQFhLVH2jZAolAcVz32AbwtC9qicPr_lSEWGYNctO6wynLp3Rotgmedldw9pxnTRGpVHIdzyx8GZQezH8IbPlVR5UPDLS5lrE/s1600-h/clip_image002%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" alt="clip_image002" border="0" height="163" hspace="12" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2vjpubTXeefL6d1PEvyAVl921_aXuWJedYz0hfcTwvksNri27iJwtbSHGgd7QM3ZXg_eUJwbAQv4SRGY2KyzoHIW8unFQw4ZoQDGaID2xqxjOrCZMLmIpv3vjVpQXv5nlZmH0BKlbEI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; float: right; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="clip_image002" width="244" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">In the photo on the top right you can see Sibongile Mshengu – IT teacher from Mpophomeni High School, Hlengiwe Mfeka from SchoolNet SA and the principal Mrs Dudu Ndlovu.<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hlengiwe and Sbongile had only been able to arrange the visit for the photo shoot by Tudor a few days prior to his arrival due to the school holidays. Fortunately Mrs Ndlovu the principal was very accommodating indeed and had met with Hlengiwe during the holidays. In this short space of time each of the classes had managed to create and polish their performances in a range of cultural dances and songs as well as traditional games and some public speeches about South Africa and Mpophomeni township itself.</span><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Making ‘Touchable Earth’ at Isibongo Lower Primary in Mpophomeni KwaZulu-Natal</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First up were these young ladies below who sang a traditional wedding song.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZgnYCFpBuKBLbhpIkz1Mtf7W-55xpS8z-l4QUyAXJlj_qOc0oyvfek1HGFMfi8PgwY6yS3VCmCMHUKDSI5yNesfFS3DxtKWigEPzn4XF2aGVXT8ddQYBICVgI1KNwGCpo3IgdeswamU/s1600-h/image%25255B46%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-TdZ0Q7NqMOQnvLuZg4CzvEi6UgbGY_DC2bqa0PtaNh-UPaO3sJY_EOzJCF6VjALEq-c-XCt8IqT177xTfee_8di17xYNKO7qS-V70SLQFSeHnEUw82R82s2OR0J-W_9NiVz3sUNYFM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="219" /></a>    <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdduTHrsiCQbh9qbPsa8yJ0AAPGMgIsUlnB_um8sMGSlwvYM7tQV12wxSKHpIwCAlkzlvFtKHa9HUid1CFQtNB8LpeJu8j-PuRT8hRgF3UsXd9Haur-Zns0iW8BBQVXpVVvOQ1hOUXgk4/s1600-h/image%25255B45%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfJIcl4p1MP67Yc2HrVP2x7RPB3-h4IiEBGsm-P7EAcGaQO1YTbehuANNGRTq2pfGYLIOfV3N3hgLGMYn__MRYvJ-e_VtBVNt8pCjPn5RdZ7lPMsgWHXlgsDsBVlOECE0mRd55IW_4jM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="161" /></a> <br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">T</span><span style="font-size: small;">hen it was the turn of Siphokazi and others to explain the features of the South African flag to the camera.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wp7gnDTJg2OWfNz5rEuPrlyA_6gSq_HzOoU8V6yTY0_b1RSW09X8waf0gfYVPdALKMMxhJWBZMddUksHpgoXC2GCMoU3dsugNJwqphiNzv8LwW9fUPdAIo3PvOjoK1v3ieDTga3KaQ8/s1600-h/image%25255B49%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdfbMO278AK-m3BICRhN_oIaBkBVOruRb79Lac30_B1srq1-TPYHhnh4ausyA9hFSNoUaY2zN0EeePDLFEXwgsdd74r_FNrb1eYW5rS78ddAlGajZrr4MC8IDtjgLy3HaCI5lz7DGaTg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a>  <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBg4A96iOnFK8XZiVPIJ4see9Qjl0bTGnq0iqprcZQufcSb-HcUOiB_sGBgR64duk1ZwQt4eKEsiO6gX_1h-OcYORgNWtTCuBEHIOiadAZ5mSu7MGhdC-xZG6q8BrVqlrYsHwhIubjvVo/s1600-h/image%25255B52%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJv0FQgx_-UlCVFl6T3MH3GZZs9GRNzZQ7tiTqHhVDp93BrU2JeckGIm5d0cUWWIXtE4cqwdx1cu5h7x0YtGYQ4OWYJ8VaIkEMopzEBBPOmy_-PXpjnH8XjkUk6A7VvGlekTHaD7H8-8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a> <br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tudor had asked for boys in traditional Zulu attire so gum boot dancers came next followed by the biggest 10 year old boy in the school – the “Zulu man” who was dressed for the occasion and who spoke extremely well on camera as well as providing some traditional dance moves.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqPfOc8Ur5-T9_3Q4QBAAP7Ej-GnZFMa0XL1qpGqTnfosyXe0EJ8xF46KBPuA6nDapVoqaSGDN-DXTtCjVD2B0w1HqUkIEbZOrJg5lJj3j6tk6w7HIn23p8cH1E3A3-GeAPJWZCVn-eQ/s1600-h/image%25255B55%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDvFMpvcyqxGga2y39SjzJZfv_AxiaycER8A3WoKSDW9gzpfqbUgFzch94Qexgh90_J0h2dPTGYZZfA6n1P089ydbb9kxifD47aVaAVjdCprG4-ktFDr7COEb1SURqOXNFOZOHkqFVTA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a>  <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURhdTPvDuk1OViiDkY3z59Lu7svSLTcczqJXXS0fBZdVRG0L6k6WHVE7kuTV7K0pz-WqB0_g65rsf6iK4FvHXIdBU7_hz9Yn1r6JfDJb_VJ7ocFurESgn1R27x-lMreEq_T8l_rJ1qig/s1600-h/image%25255B58%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxXY5MWz6D82LXZUwanm8kWHzjJz6xJ4acfr4SnEtn2BxAPS3PAGNxNL8J6LAk3lM2DBHbpwtGwj9srBmqxWCEbvV72VCFYzkrZ3MJL10p6WgslibZ52zWOIaRK5weQFSutwemvdx9vc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /> </a><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Traditional games from the playground were up next and these ranged from skipping, hopscotch and hand-clapping games to games with stones and one with cans. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tudor also showed some of the learners other versions of their games.  This one with stones being caught on the back of the hand was a new challenge (top left). Below on the left you can see the children drawing out a hopscotch grid. On the right below you can see them kicking  the cans then stingers from the tennis ball while Tudor videos them at play. </span></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFTW1XmaSR6dr4mfDJU74J4By1wggrfQc1QlNiLps16Fv-vbhA6K_n1gkO6JU4wnBlKIdDEYSZWLgWh_hrzGv84NHC5b8mYoEQ2iyrRKzIqurVfq9-Te2hqmS-2NFu8ib6ffeY3Va3xo/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFTW1XmaSR6dr4mfDJU74J4By1wggrfQc1QlNiLps16Fv-vbhA6K_n1gkO6JU4wnBlKIdDEYSZWLgWh_hrzGv84NHC5b8mYoEQ2iyrRKzIqurVfq9-Te2hqmS-2NFu8ib6ffeY3Va3xo/s200/7.JPG" width="200" /></a></td> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9u8xrsLPuV4oqNmgSgoEqz2FXAlTabDTU4D2fnKEKdo2mnvw5_9X9OHjnaeSHny72Sh6hfiWEaosZGjYuziQjOT9bPaUsJEwoeSHw1JIRSWZVCizRB48SHeG12lQbcQZDBt4e-bo6no/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9u8xrsLPuV4oqNmgSgoEqz2FXAlTabDTU4D2fnKEKdo2mnvw5_9X9OHjnaeSHny72Sh6hfiWEaosZGjYuziQjOT9bPaUsJEwoeSHw1JIRSWZVCizRB48SHeG12lQbcQZDBt4e-bo6no/s200/6.JPG" width="200" /> </a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Varieties of handshakes for different age groups were explored and videoed as were stories about friends. </span></div></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPb01b2KZAsV5qMjSEDScOLNSs0TAnqzC-Virmfu7iLKfLYw6FVR_TBruHMlQ6scE4l1LMKv0XKHFaQkU5hDlPpxrj6l0Zn6-2KMVeoFiiDid5l-4b_p07S3fgXywxBcrZtL6YNnAnLo/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPb01b2KZAsV5qMjSEDScOLNSs0TAnqzC-Virmfu7iLKfLYw6FVR_TBruHMlQ6scE4l1LMKv0XKHFaQkU5hDlPpxrj6l0Zn6-2KMVeoFiiDid5l-4b_p07S3fgXywxBcrZtL6YNnAnLo/s200/8.JPG" width="200" /></a></td> <td><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJE1JSjUnD1Md22i1Xu7672MqnEH_7XJ84rJKfHTQUWusp3QEIzmhtpCsw0eVbmNH3WPacj40HHr-hX2hENtuHpCYmwJ7wDZlLgCVJwbrq9FFkWk74zyy2SBTBj3wcbE_te9YZvoWJS8/s1600/handshake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJE1JSjUnD1Md22i1Xu7672MqnEH_7XJ84rJKfHTQUWusp3QEIzmhtpCsw0eVbmNH3WPacj40HHr-hX2hENtuHpCYmwJ7wDZlLgCVJwbrq9FFkWk74zyy2SBTBj3wcbE_te9YZvoWJS8/s200/handshake.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMu-DMegSR_fA8So8P7Vp_pY7yzINB6z5R2zGdbX4q2pEftSK6C5hUzkFPHflc2-UhFuGgkwxaGu5oKppPg1dqfK9teIySaVWFbTOjUst8oU9mUTdEoKQQzaH6EnGFwVfV3FurUOuIW18/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMu-DMegSR_fA8So8P7Vp_pY7yzINB6z5R2zGdbX4q2pEftSK6C5hUzkFPHflc2-UhFuGgkwxaGu5oKppPg1dqfK9teIySaVWFbTOjUst8oU9mUTdEoKQQzaH6EnGFwVfV3FurUOuIW18/s200/9.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In each country Tudor is filming children explaining the meaning of the symbols and colours on their flags – the children at Isibongo proved to be well versed in this knowledge and in this photograph were able to recite the name of the capitals of the country – although it did not seem logical to Tudor to have three separate capital cities. He was also surprised at the the size of the country's population and the location of their township (</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mpophomeni</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">)</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> in Kwazulu-Natal.  </span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTgl69dKfIaIMlmtqRiL54flZ9EWi3mt-O6SUHdXJGJDSGETO_jx7acYMi6qMQzUWVK5ModzYGualhSZ6__AOIoSQgoG4APcHJk_PzAovLC8liVGRpKiKIlALscYjXQYPU03i3lb5hnU/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTgl69dKfIaIMlmtqRiL54flZ9EWi3mt-O6SUHdXJGJDSGETO_jx7acYMi6qMQzUWVK5ModzYGualhSZ6__AOIoSQgoG4APcHJk_PzAovLC8liVGRpKiKIlALscYjXQYPU03i3lb5hnU/s200/4.JPG" width="200" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The staff at the school had prepared traditional food for Tudor. He was presented with a lunch consisting of tripe, cow’s head, Jeqe and patatas with Amawehu to drink.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">  </span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The final shoot was at the home of one of the learners – and the school had selected Siphokazi who had been the explainer of the colours behind the national flag. She is a delightful child who is very proud of her family and close to her grandmother, and she was able to express herself in English extremely well.</span></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHJXm_1EcV6vqF_K2CDVZ76_dapg0SKHjEmV1VOfL0JY9J-8O8-qHiLRj3boIDah-F6c-WtyxaikQXyOimTEufJYyz3cjASGX5t782JNwUUoGVZMxTctHMBWzInDIzbHtrUswP05oDyg/s1600/11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHJXm_1EcV6vqF_K2CDVZ76_dapg0SKHjEmV1VOfL0JY9J-8O8-qHiLRj3boIDah-F6c-WtyxaikQXyOimTEufJYyz3cjASGX5t782JNwUUoGVZMxTctHMBWzInDIzbHtrUswP05oDyg/s200/11.JPG" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPD5JnsULtjX12MUEzBAFdpSIr6BnfNBNKLB_dUbCAppAqzj2NOTRrYc9iBL6QTkClU7e8vKEIwEAKLZwXQLrJoISuH4WrkNfmNlbpMMQJ_czD0S1mt0RV19XaHIRNqMnJCpC5ZUOFLk/s1600/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPD5JnsULtjX12MUEzBAFdpSIr6BnfNBNKLB_dUbCAppAqzj2NOTRrYc9iBL6QTkClU7e8vKEIwEAKLZwXQLrJoISuH4WrkNfmNlbpMMQJ_czD0S1mt0RV19XaHIRNqMnJCpC5ZUOFLk/s200/10.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">About the future of Touchable Earth...</span></b></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tudor is promising to have the iPad app, Touchable Earth available to the public in the next couple of months and to have it functioning with a selection of countries he has visited recently. He hopes to develop the content for the remaining countries during 2012. The really exciting outcome is that Tudor aspires to becoming the biggest donor of tablet computers to schools in Africa - we look forward to that day. You can find more photos on the </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/home">SchoolNet photo gallery </a></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">SchoolNet would like to thank the Johannesburg Central District, Ms Lizzie Shiburi, Mr Lefty Segenote, Mr Allan Manual and Mr Jabu Tsotsetsi for their assistance and support in setting up the visit to Lakeview Full Service. This is an amazing project and we look forward to see the final outcome. Please visit Tudor's Facebook page to keep up with the progress of the project - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/touchableearth">http://www.facebook.com/touchableearth</a></span></div>

news SchoolNet hosts Tudor Clee who is creating an amazing 'Touchable Earth' app for tablets

About Tudor … Tudor Clee is a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand specializing in Criminal and Traffic law. After a se...

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The Blurb: Bob Wants Those Whippersnappers to Slow Down!

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mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">All right, NBC. I have been avoiding my television and computer since 2pm this afternoon so I wouldn’t be spoiled by anything leaked on either of those two devices. I am in my pjs, sitting in front of my television, ready to watch the prerecorded Opening Ceremonies. Here we go – a prerecorded diary, of sorts:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Barely one minute in, and I already have an amusing quip. The narrator talks about “beautiful minds have defined the measure of our planet.” British writers highlighted include William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Jane Austen, and…John Lennon and Paul McCartney? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve never really understood this opening highlight reel. It’s beautiful (this is my first summer Olympics in HD), but can’t we just get on with the ceremony? It’s pretty much hype at it’s most stressful. “These guys made our pre-game reel – if they don’t do well, they’re screwed.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Wait…is that Ewan McGregor doing the voiceover? It is!!! He’s acted with many accents, but I can identify that brogue anywhere.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bum! BUM! Bu-bum bum bum bum! Bum, bumbumbum, bumbumbum budadumbumbum!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bum! BUM! Bu-bum bum bum bum! Bum, bumbumbum, bumbumbum budadumbumbum!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hey Bob Costas. It must be Olympics time. He’s framed perfectly by the Tower Bridge up, letting a tall ship through the Thames. I wonder if NBC demanded that shot. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">They bring in Tom Brokaw to talk about security and cost. And he just insulted the mayor of London’s haircut! Ouch. Tom has gotten biting in his older years.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bob promises to make it to the Olympic Stadium in time for the parade of nations. Good – I can’t wait to hear what interesting tidbit of information he has to say about Myanmar.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We join Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer in front of a meadow…er, I mean Olympic Stadium. Behold: one of the main reasons that Track and Field doesn’t start till the second week of competition. Can you imagine Usain Bolt running around shepherds?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Best thing about blogging with DVR? I can pause to write down my thoughts! But I don’t have to in this first half hour because it’s just filler. In other words, it’s just Ryan Seacrest trying to be a real journalist.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Interviews in the NBC Studio <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i> your event…I don’t like that. Win your event, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">then </i>sit in those overstuffed chairs. I’m looking at you, Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas. Team gold and all around gold better come from the two of you, or I’m going to be very disappointed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So I was fast forwarding through the commercials, but then I realized I was fast forwarding through part of the opening of the Opening Ceremonies! Ooops.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Okay folks: forget Beijing, and just have fun with this one. You’ve all wanted to go to England, so just enjoy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Can you imagine watching this opening section on the big giant screen? How awesome would that be?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">All the old posters, and little kids with popping balloons. Two #6 balloons refused to pop.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">A Tour de France winner – the first from Britain - ringing the GIANT bell. I guess if I wasn’t from the U.S. he would be a bigger name.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I wonder if this kid is lip synching. Remember that little girl from Beijing who sang a song but a prettier girl was picked to lip synch it? If he’s really singing, he did a fabulous job. I love “Jerusalem.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Woot! Scotland! Land of my ancestors. Well, a few of my ancestors. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">They are really letting the cameras get up close to the actors. That’s pretty cool. The highlights of football and rugby matches could be eliminated, though.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Kenneth Branagh!!! He’s awesome. Speaking Shakespeare, of course, from “The Tempest” while “Nimrod” plays in the background. And another awesome aspect of these games? English!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fast forward through the commercials…yay!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">These drummers are a little different, signaling the change in era. We really skipped a lot of history here. Any actors going to portray Roman soldiers? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Seeing men in turn-of-the-century clothes dancing the way they are is quirky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Goodbye meadow. It sure wasn’t there for very long.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Any smokestacks going to malfunction, like the torch pillars back in 2010? Still one of my favorite Olympic memories – watching the Canadian torchbearers just stand there for a good five minutes not knowing what to do.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Suffaragists! Anyone hoping Mrs. Banks makes an appearance? Votes for Women! (“We're clearly soldiers in petticoats; And dauntless crusaders for woman's votes…”)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Pause to remember those who perished in WWI. Kinda wish they had Matthew Crawley amongst the soldiers. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This set sure has changed since the beginning. But when you think London at the turn of the 20^th century, you think smokestacks and dirty workers. Steampunk, y’know?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Welcome to the ‘60s! Could this be Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band? And British Army men (redcoats!)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Is that molten steel? This is nuts! What the heck is happening?!?!?! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Matt explains – it’s a map of London now, including the Thames. Thanks Matt. I still wish you guys wouldn’t talk so much. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Kenneth Branagh looking sinister with his top-hat buddies. Kenneth Branagh doesn’t have to dance. He’s too awesome. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ooh – more steel rings! Lots of scaffolding over the arena. I think I know what those rings are going to do…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Okay, this is all psychotic and crazy, but I really love this. Brits are crazy. I want to visit them.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And the rings are pyro-techniched! It must be the Olympics!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One ring just can’t stop leaking! Now it’s done.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Time for the royal entrance of the queen! To the screens – this is a film. It’s James Bond! Daniel Craig? James Bond?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>What’s with the dogs? It is James Bond. Mr. Bond knows you don’t address the queen till the queen addresses you. And never turn your back on the queen. It’s just proper etiquette.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The helicopter rises…AW I WANNA VISIT LONDON!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Queen still waves even in a helicopter. And Churchill waves back! Kinda wish some evil villan was chasing them in another helicopter, complete with the Bond music. Oh well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And just like that, the Queen changes the time of day! Wow – people say she has no power, but I say that’s really something!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Is James Bond really going to jump out of the helicopter?? Is the Queen?? Ah – there is the music. Did you know it’s the 50^thanniversary of Bond? Did you know it’s the 60^th anniversary of the Queen? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Matt and Meredith – it wasn’t the Queen. Just letting you know. But it’s still pretty clever. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I love that flag. This is so cool. I’m just so giddy! Thinking about a trip to London next summer. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hope none of the flagbearers trips on the sod. That’s quite a climb they had to make!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Queen Elizabeth – love the feather in your hair. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Who else can say they sang in front of the Queen in their pajamas? They sounded really good too!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Second to the right and straight on till morning…” It’s Children’s Literature Time! Teachers, sit back and enjoy!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s also saluting the National Health Service, and one particular hospital – GOSH – whom J.M. Barrie left all his money to when he died. J.M. Barrie – the author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peter Pan</i>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One of those beds looks really big – it’s an actual trampoline – every kid’s dream!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">J.K. Rowling! Introducing villans! Queen of Hearts! Captain Hook! Voldemort! Cruella De Vil! Ooh, Voldemort is really creepy. He’s huge! You may not want to put your kids to bed after this segment. There’s also a little girl suspended right by the Voldemort. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Mary Poppinses to the rescue! Mary Poppinses fighting evil! Y’know, when I think about the Poppins books, I think that there wasn’t enough fighting of evil by Mary. This just fulfilled my dream.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Good Christians, All, Rejoice” – CW 52 – with electric guitar. Rockin’.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Chariots of Fire!” What great music. It looks like it’s going to be a little more than a synthesizer or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Well, kind of – it’s a synthesizer AND MR. BEAN! Was not expecting that one at all. Mr. Bean has a smart phone. I feel bad for the pianist who has to play that awesome section whilst not laughing at Mr. Bean. Hilarious – my parents showed me some Mr. Bean shorts, so I know the humor.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The digital age – a parent’s worst nightmare. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Love the fluorescent tubes representing The Tube.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Oh, and while we’re talking about the digital age – NBC wants you to tweet!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Love all the music, by the way. So much good rock music has come out of Britain. The Stones, the Kinks, the Beatles (duh), <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David Bowie (complete with star men!), QUEEN! , the Eurythmics, Frankie Goes to Hollywood.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And after the 80s, I don’t know British music very well. It’s a bit too techno for my taste. Kinda sad there was no Chumbawumba. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Is that Muse?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tim Berners-Lee created the Internet? I thought Al Gore did.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Torch is on its way!!!! I see David Beckham driving the boat. Well, “driving” the boat.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here come the athletes!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">More Ryan Seacrest journalism. Was Mary Carillo not available? What about Lester Holt? I love those guys!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Time for Greece to make its entrance. Athletes from my ancestors’ homeland!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another awesome part of Britain hosting the Olympics: they’re going in alphabetical order according to the host nation’s alphabet. That’s English this year, folks. It will be easy to keep track of where we are in the order!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Unique costumes abound. But there’s a little girl with each delegation. What are those girls carrying? It looks heavy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is the first Olympics to feature men <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> women in every single delegation. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Argentina apparently hates Britain. They claim some islands. They also have boring outfits. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Oh – it’s a copper kettle. Thanks Matt.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nameplate holders have it a little easier than previous years. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Australia’s up – and we’re reminded of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe – my first swimming crush. That was the first Olympics I followed religiously.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Austria – one of the rare teams that has more athletes for the Winter Olympics than the Summer ones. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Oh, cool – all the flags are going to be planted on the giant green hill. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After commercial, which happened to coincide with a bunch of countries NBC doesn’t care about. Well, not really. Maybe it’s because Bob couldn’t think of anything interesting about those countries.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bangladesh – the largest of the 81 countries participating that’s never won a medal. Thanks Bob.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Benin? Anyone heard of Benin?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bermuda – time to show off their shorts!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bhutan has some pretty awesome outfits.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Look at those athletes – they are so excited. I love watching this. I love the Olympics.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Brazil – host of the next Summer Olympics. Where everything better be broadcast live, NBC. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Burkina Faso – awesome outfits.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ooh – Burkina Faso, your outfits were overthrown by Cameroon. So cool!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Canada – I still have a sore spot for Canada since they dominated the medal count in 2010. And of course, Bob has to remind us of Cindy Crosby’s OT goal in the gold medal hockey game against the U.S. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t think they are repeating songs during the parade of nations. That’s good – that got irritating in Beijing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here’s China – Yi Janlian takes over the flag for Yao Ming. They’re both really tall. Their contingency is a LOT smaller this time around. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sidebar: I have seen the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube in person from the highway in Beijing. It was incredible.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Cuba has little globes! Cute!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">WOOOOOOOO! CZECH REPUBLIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will root for the Czechs in everything they compete in. They also have awesome rubber boots. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The North Koreans have a giant flag as well as the normal flag – a reminder to Brits: “This one is our flag. Don’t forget it please!”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Aw that hill looks so cool with the flags.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Check out that Fiji flagbearer! He must be cold.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Dear Germany: your colors are not bright blue and pink. You look kinda ridiculous. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bob just said the athletes are moving at a quick clip – faster than any of the nine Ceremonies he’s done. Really? We’re only on G!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hungary – the water polo team to beat, apparently!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Four independent Olympic athletes – for the first time ever. Apparently, the Netherlands Antilles no longer is represented. Wow, those guys are having fun. How cool are they! Forget Team USA – I wanna be on that team! I hope they can urge all countries to have a flash mob dance when they enter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Remember the Titans.</i> Wouldn’t that be amazing?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ooh, Mexico has some suitably colorful outfits. That’s how it’s done, Germany. Take note.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">New Zealand – Like Lord of the Rings.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">St. John’s Jefferson – see Sweden’s shirts? You should get some like that!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Dear Ugandian flagbearer: You are flipping off the Brits by making that sign. Probably shouldn’t do that.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Wow – the U.S team gets a huge ovation by the crowd. Is that Grant Hill by Michelle Obama? Yes it is!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Some of those athletic uniforms looked like they were for the Winter Olympics.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And Great Britain is dressed in gold! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Noticing the crowd for the first time – I don’t see a full stadium. Is that on purpose? Or are they all using the loo? (Oh, I love how Matt and Bob have taken up the phrase “queuing.” We Disneyphiles have been using that phrase for years now. I hope it catches on.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The dignitaries speaking on that beautiful flag-covered hill. So cool. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Time for the Olympic flag and the Olympic anthem – it always makes me teary-eyed. This time it’s sans voices. I think the best renditions were the opera singer back in Canada and the children’s choir – I think that was Beijing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Whoa – he’s taking that torch up those steps three at a time! Careful with that torch, buddy. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I do love the “next generation” carrying the torch – that’s pretty cool. And my guess for the lighting of the torch – Robert Bannister – just got squashed by Matt. Are the youngsters going to light the torch?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And the significance of those copper pots finally becomes apparent – they all get lit up! All of the copper pots, representing each country, come together to burn as one. AW. HOW COOL!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Time for Sir Paul McCartney to sing one of my least favorite Beatles tunes – “Hey Jude.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And that’s the end of the broadcast! It was a very fun show, and I am so looking forward to the next seventeen days. I hope you all enjoy the Games!</div>

The Blurb: Bob Wants Those Whippersnappers to Slow Down!

All right, NBC. I have been avoiding my television and computer since 2pm this afternoon so I wouldn’t be spoiled by anything leaked on eit...

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Nice Bookstore

Recently I've seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxpCtfEJ4dY">a car commercial</a> far too many times that is shot partly, of all places, in a bookstore. My first thought was not, "Gee whiz, what a nice car," it was, "My, that's a nice bookstore."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxpCtfEJ4dY"><img alt="G-bookstore.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/G-bookstore.jpg" title="..." /></a><br />[Screenshot | click image to view commercial]<br /><br />Digging around the internet with keyword searches "bookstore", "tree", "car commercial", and combinations of those and other words, I could not find the store. But then I considered that most likely a commercial would be shot in Los Angeles, then <a href="http://www.hennesseyingalls.com/">Hennessey + Ingels</a> came to mind. I'd visited their Santa Monica store many years ago, and even though they no longer have that store on the 3rd Street Promenade (they moved to nearby Wilshire Blvd.)<s>, the commercial actually happens to be shot in their Hollywood store</s>.<br /><br /><s><a href="http://spacefifteentwenty.com/">Space 15 Twenty</a> is the name of "the unique retail setting" where <a href="http://spacefifteentwenty.com/shops_hennesseyingalls">Hennessey + Ingels</a> is located. It is one of nine stores (Urban Outfitters is the anchor) in "the curated environment" that also includes an outdoor courtyard, local music, film and art venues, a gallery and a pop-up shop. I'm not sure if the tree is a permanent fixture in the store or placed their for the commercial, but the curved ceiling and exposed structure are features shared by it and the other stores. Combined with the courtyard and skylights (note they light cast on her red dress from one), it adds up to a pretty damn nice bookstore.</s><br /><br /><b>Update/Correction:</b> As Quixote's comment indicates, I was wrong, wrong, wrong. The store is not Hennessey + Ingels, it's <a href="http://www.skylightbooks.com/">Skylight Books</a> on Vermont Ave. also in LA. Below is a photograph comparing H+I and Skylight Books:<br /><br /><img alt="SB-Bookstore.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/SB-Bookstore.jpg" title="Bookstores" /><br />[L: Hennessey + Ingels (<a href="http://spacefifteentwenty.com/shops_hennesseyingalls">source</a>) | R: Skylight Books (<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/stores/skylight-books">source</a>)]<br /><br />The reason for my confusion is evident, given the ceilings' shapes and materials, but the diagonal articulation of the wood members is clearly not happening at H+I, only at Skylight. Not sure how I'd think straight members are the same. Nevertheless, thanks to Quixote for fixing my error.

Nice Bookstore

Recently I've seen a car commercial far too many times that is shot partly, of all places, in a bookstore. My first thought was not, &q...

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guest post - Tiffany Leigh

Happy Friday all! Whoop Whoop! I'm wrapping up guest post week with a trip over to the lovely <a href="http://tiffanyleighinteriordesign.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tiffany Leigh</a> for Favorite Furniture Friday.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFqjkWP77eFyofxGySsYGNs4MsZG4Cajt2MnXEi7__s8bM-8VeRepk1nGHfU0r7fQ-QjS9MqjAKhyphenhyphen4ypmM5z8IgcAsJFF8gnSEqbGJUu-N646DLszoCMZhyjYYqIXo8LBqqBshI4odVTR/s1600/Tiffany-04.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFqjkWP77eFyofxGySsYGNs4MsZG4Cajt2MnXEi7__s8bM-8VeRepk1nGHfU0r7fQ-QjS9MqjAKhyphenhyphen4ypmM5z8IgcAsJFF8gnSEqbGJUu-N646DLszoCMZhyjYYqIXo8LBqqBshI4odVTR/s640/Tiffany-04.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Any guesses what my <a href="http://tiffanyleighinteriordesign.blogspot.com/2012/07/favourite-furniture-fridays-little.html" target="_blank">favorite piece of furniture is</a>? Hmmm.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

guest post - Tiffany Leigh

Happy Friday all! Whoop Whoop! I'm wrapping up guest post week with a trip over to the lovely Tiffany Leigh  for Favorite Furniture Frid...

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Today's archidose #602

Here are some photos of the Canada Water Library in Southwark, London by <a href="http://www.czwg.com/">CZWG Architects</a> (2011). Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/dwape/">Pawel Paniczko</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/7638949008/" title="Canada Water Library by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Canada Water Library" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7638949008_286d54aa99_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/7638964966/" title="Canada Water Library by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Canada Water Library" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7638964966_1437dd437a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/7639006752/" title="Canada Water Library by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Canada Water Library" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/7639006752_7544d59a38_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/7638932768/" title="Canada Water Library by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Canada Water Library" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8424/7638932768_4a5ed47606_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 #602

Here are some photos of the Canada Water Library in Southwark, London by CZWG Architects (2011). Photographs are by Pawel Paniczko . To con...

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WHY RUSSIA IS BACKING SYRIA

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/></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">FEARS OF ISLAMIC RADICALISM</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By Ruslan Pukhov</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Many in the West believe that RUSSIA’S support for SYRIA stems from Moscow’s desire to profit from selling arms to Bashar al-Assad’s government and maintain its naval facility at the SYRIAN port of Tartus. But these speculations are superficial and misguided. The real reason that RUSSIA is resisting strong international action against the Assad regime is that it fears the spread of Islamic radicalism and the erosion of its superpower status in a world where Western nations are increasingly undertaking unilateral military interventions.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SYRIA IS AMONG RUSSIA’S SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMERS, BUT BY NO MEANS ONE OF THE KEY BUYERS OF RUSSIAN ARMS</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Since 2005, RUSSIAN defense contracts with SYRIA have amounted to only about $5.5 billion — mostly to modernize SYRIA’S air force and air defenses. And although SYRIA had been making its scheduled payments in a fairly timely manner, many contracts were delayed by RUSSIA for political reasons. A contract for four MiG-31E fighter planes was annulled altogether. And recently it became known that RUSSIA had actually halted the planned delivery of S-300 mobile antiaircraft missile systems to SYRIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SYRIA is among RUSSIA’S significant customers, but it is by no means one of the key buyers of RUSSIAN arms — accounting for just 5 percent of RUSSIA’S global arms sales in 2011. Indeed, RUSSIA has long refrained from supplying Damascus with the most powerful weapons systems so as to avoid angering ISRAEL and the West — sometimes to the detriment of RUSSIA’S commercial and political ties with SYRIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">To put it plainly, arms sales to SYRIA today do not have any significance for RUSSIA from either a commercial or a military-technological standpoint, and SYRIA isn’t an especially important partner in military-technological cooperation.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Indeed, RUSSIA could quite easily resell weapons ordered by the SYRIANS (especially the most expensive items, like fighter jets and missile systems) to third parties, thus minimizing its losses. And even if the Assad government survives, it will be much weaker and is unlikely to be able to continue buying RUSSIAN arms.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The RUSSIAN Navy’s logistical support facility at Tartus is similarly unimportant. It essentially amounts to two floating moorings, a couple of warehouses, a barracks and a few buildings. On shore, there are no more than 50 seamen. For the Navy, the facility in Tartus has more symbolic than practical significance. It can’t serve as a support base for deploying naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea, and even visits by RUSSIAN military ships are carried out more for demonstrative purposes than out of any real need to replenish supplies.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIA’S current SYRIA policy basically boils down to supporting the Assad government and preventing a foreign intervention aimed at overthrowing it, as happened in Libya. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Comment by GEOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS AND MONITORING:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">PAYBACK TIME FOR BEING LEFT OUT OF THE LIBYAN EQUATION </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As mentioned numerous times on this Blog, RUSSIA and CHINA felt that they were left out of the equation regarding the LIBYAN operation instigated by the USA, FRANCE and BRITAIN. CHINA and RUSSIA invested heavily in LIBYA prior to the toppling of the LIBYAN regime, only to find out that they were kept completely out of the picture regarding the true intentions the Western coalition force had in mind with LIBYA once the regime was removed. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Subsequently RUSSIA and CHINA learned their lesson and thus would not make the same mistake regarding SYRIA, permitting LIBYAN style intervention by WESTERN and GULF STATES coalition forces. No matter that SYRIA lacks oil reserves or other natural resources worth fighting over, their veto was more of a symbolic gesture telling Western and Gulf States coalition forces: that’s how far you can go this time around, but no further. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIANS believe that the collapse of the Assad government would be tantamount to the loss of RUSSIA’S last client and ally in the MIDDLE EAST and the final elimination of traces of former Soviet prowess there — illusory as those traces may be. They believe that Western intervention in SYRIA (which RUSSIA cannot counter militarily) would be an intentional profanation of one of the few remaining symbols of RUSSIA’S status as a great world power.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ARAB REVOLUTIONS DESTABILIZED THE REGION AND CLEARED THE ROAD TO POWER FOR</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> FUNDAMENTALIST </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> ISLAM</span></b></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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Priority="32" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Such attitudes are further buttressed by widespread pessimism about the eventual outcome of the Arab Spring, and the SYRIAN revolution in particular. Most RUSSIAN observers believe that Arab revolutions have completely destabilized the region and cleared the road to power for the Islamists. In Moscow, secular authoritarian governments are seen as the sole realistic alternative to Islamic dominance.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The continuing struggles in Arab countries are seen as a battle by those who wear neckties against those who do not wear them. Russians have long suffered from terrorism and extremism at the hands of Islamists in the northern CAUCASUS, and they are therefore firmly on the side of those who wear neckties.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">To people in Moscow, Mr. Assad appears not so much as “a bad dictator” but as a secular leader struggling with an uprising of Islamists. The active support from SAUDI ARABIA, QATAR and TURKEY’S Islamist government for rebels in SYRIA only heightens suspicions in RUSSIA about the Islamist nature of the current opposition in SYRIA and rebels throughout the MIDDLE EAST.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Comment by GEOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS AND MONITORING</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It is interesting to note that Russia in particularly sees Turkey as part of the Islamist movement in the region. Relations between the two countries have been strained for some time now, mainly because of gas supplies and other energy issues which could alter the geo-strategic landscape of the region.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">See: <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/turkey-and-russia.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/turkey-and-russia.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">VIOLATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS IN LIBYA ARE SEEN AS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS FOR RUSSIA’S CURRENT STANCE ON SYRIA</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finally, RUSSIANS are angry about the West’s propensity for unilateral interventionism — not to mention the blatantly broad interpretation of the resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council, and the direct violations of those resolutions in LIBYA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According to this view, the West, led by AMERICA, demonstrated its cynicism, perfidy and a typical policy of double standards. That’s why all the Western moralizing and calls for intervention in SYRIA are perceived by RUSSIAN public as yet another manifestation of cynical hypocrisy.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">PRESERVING HIS OWN POWER IS ALSO ON MR. PUTIN’S MIND AS HIS AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENT BEGINS TO WOBBLE </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There is no doubt that preserving his own power is also on Mr. Putin’s mind as his authoritarian government begins to wobble in the face of growing protests that enjoy political approval and support from the West. He cannot but sympathize with Mr. Assad as a fellow autocratic ruler struggling with outside interference in domestic affairs.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But ideological solidarity is a secondary factor at best. Mr. Putin is capitalizing on traditional RUSSIAN suspicions of the WEST, and his support for Mr. Assad is based on the firm conviction that an Islamist-led revolution in SYRIA, especially one that receives support through the intervention of Western and Arab states, will seriously harm RUSSIA’S long-term interests.</span></span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></div>

WHY RUSSIA IS BACKING SYRIA

FEARS OF ISLAMIC RADICALISM   By Ruslan Pukhov Many in the West believe that RUSSIA’S support for SYRIA stems from Moscow’s desire to prof...

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