Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 10/13/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2012/10/11/adlibs/">Make your own political campaign ad</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Students can make their own political ads on this new website from PBS. This is a cool idea, just realize that these topics are very emotional, so handle what you do well.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/politics">politics</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-bullying-prevention">Five-Minute Film Festival: Preventing Bullying</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">A recommended playlist of videos from YouTube to use when tackling bullying shared via Edutopia. </p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/bullying">bullying</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/edutopia">edutopia</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 10/13/2012

Make your own political campaign ad Students can make their own political ads on this new website fr...

Read more »

Stanford Medicine 25 - Stanford University School of Medicine

Welcome to the Stanford Medicine 25 website. Remember, this site is NOT the Stanford Medicine 25; it is only a map to a territory, one that must be explored in person! The Stanford Medicine 25 consists of hands-on sessions in small groups. You can't substitute for that, and we don't try to. However, this site provides a place to go to remind ourselves of what we have learned, or are about to learn in a hands-on session.<br /><br><br /><br>Why the Stanford Medicine 25?<br /><br><br /><br> • We recognized that after a med school physical diagnosis course, there is little emphasis on these skills in the 3rd and 4th years of medical school or in an internal medicine residency.<br /><br> • In the absence of a high-stakes clinical bedside final exam (as opposed to a high-stakes multiple choice exam), there is little impetus for people to learn and master bedside skills—truth is, you can be board certified in internal medicine and no one hasreally ascertained that your technique in doing an ankle reflex allows you to accurately say a reflex is truly absent. (You will be surprised how most 'absent' reflexes become 'present' when you learn good technique.) Does it matter? It does to us.<br /><br> • In observing students and residents perform physical diagnosis maneuvers at the bedside, we observe that though they know the theory, their technique may prevent them from eliciting the sign reliably.<br /><br> • We find a real hunger among our residents in internal medicine to sharpen their skills at the bedside.<br /><br> • Many diseases (almost all of dermatology for instance) are diagnosed by bedside exam. In neurology for example, even if the CT and MRI reveals a lot to you, only your exam can tell you what the functional consequence is in terms of motor or sensory loss or cognitive deficit.<br /><br> • For evidence-based medicine fans, a cautionary note here: we are not trying to prove anything, but we do want to be sure that when people write in the chart "reflexes intact" or "cranial nerves intact" or "S1 and S2 heard, no m or g" that it is not a form of fiction, but represents an accurate observation.<br /><br><br /><br>***<br /><br><br /><br>Thyroid Exam<br /><br>A good thyroid exam depends above all on knowledge of anatomy and proper technique.<br /><br><br /><br>Gait Abnormalities<br /><br>Abnormal gaits are commonly seen in the hospital and elsewhere. Many of them should be recognizable on sight and it would be a shame to subject a person to a CAT or MRI for lack of recognition. We review a number of abnormal gaits and their disease associations.<br /><br><br /><br>Examination of the Spleen<br /><br>An enlarged spleen can be easily missed. It is a prime example of how technique matters and even with the best technique, the spleen is not easily felt. <br /><br><br /><br>Examination of the Liver<br /><br>The liver, unlike the spleen is easily located when enlarged and its surface can be readily felt.<br /><br><br /><br>Liver Disease, Head to Foot<br /><br>Many if not most of the signs of liver disease are paradoxically to be found outside the abdomen. The clinician needs to be able to elicit and recognize these signs and here we review them from head to foot.<br /><br><br /><br>Ascites & Venous Patterns<br /><br>The simple act of observing venous patterns and the direction of venous flow on the abdomen can help us to differentiate inferior vena cava obstruction from portal hypertension from portal hypertension. The techniques for detecting ascites are reviewed here.<br /><br><br /><br>Knee Exam<br /><br>The knee is one of the most common causes of joint pain. A good knee exam helps us to rule out serious conditions such as a septic or inflammatory joint space and can also help make an accurate anatomical diagnosis of ligament or meniscus injury.<br /><br><br /><br>Shoulder Exam<br /><br>Careful examination of the shoulder can provide valuable information and help the physician determine when image studies may or may not be helpful.<br /><br><br /><br>Lymph Node Exam<br /><br>Do you know what a "shotty" lymph node is? Do you keep your nails neatly trimmed? Learn this and other tips from our experts and watch them perform a meticulous lymph node exam.<br /><br><br /><br>Deep Tendon Reflexes<br /><br>Subtle changes in your technique can elicit an otherwise absent deep tendon reflex. Having a proper reflex hammer helps. Here we review those subtle techniques to improve on this import exam skill.<br /><br><br /><br>Cerebellar Exam<br /><br>A number of signs and symptoms correlate with cerebellar disease and the clinician needs to be able to elicit them from head to foot. <br /><br><br /><br>Fundoscopic Exam<br /><br>When it comes to an ophthalmoscopic exam there's more to it than meets the eye! Here we take a look at the various ophthalmoscopes available to internists and review their proper use. <br /><br><br /><br>Pulmonary Exam<br /><br>The pulmonary exam is more than simple auscultation--in fact percussion and inspection often tell you much more than auscultation. Knowing the normal boundaries of percussion and the surface anatomy is critical. <br /><br><br /><br>Precordial Movements<br /><br>Palpation is a critical part of the cardiac exam. The size and the character of the PMI (PMI) can speak volumes and predict the presence of an S3 or 4.<br /><br><br /><br>Cardiac Second Sounds<br /><br>The second sounds and their variations can tell us volumes about everything from pulmonary or systolic hypertension to bundle-branch block. <br /><br><br /><br>Neck Veins & Wave Forms<br /><br>Identifying an elevated jugular venous pulse will almost always affect your management of a patient. An understanding of waveforms can help you recognize everything from canon "a" waves of complete heart block to "ventricularization" of the "v" wave in tricuspid regurgitation.<br /><br><br /><br>BP & Pulsus Paradoxus<br /><br>An accurate and reproducible blood pressure reading is a basic clinical skill. We review that skill and discuss how to test for pulsus paradoxus.<br /><br><br /><br>Ankle Brachial Index<br /><br>Measuring an ankle brachial index is a simple skill that can be done at the bedside and give you helpful information about a patient's peripheral circulation. This technique is reviewed here.<br /><br><br /><br>The Hand in Diagnosis<br /><br>The hands are a window to the body, and changes in the hands are linked to a plethora of illnesses. Recognizing these phenotypic expressions of disease is a basic clinical skill. <br /><br><br /><br>Bedside Ultrasound<br /><br>With improvement in technology, the bedside ultrasound is becoming frequent in use. Here we discuss the principles and basics of bedside ultrasound. <br /><br><br /><br>Rectal Exam<br /><br>A rectal exam is important to help rule out prostate issues, diagnosing causes of perirectal pain and looking for distal rectal masses. As the saying goes, "If you don't put your finger in, you will put your foot in!" <br /><br><br /><br>Pupillary Responses<br /><br>The pupillary response requires a complex integration of nerve fibers. An abnormal pupillary response can be a harbinger for disease or simply a benign process. We review the physiology behind this reflex and discuss situations where it will be abnormal.<br /><br><br /><br>Involuntary Movements<br /><br>There are many types of involuntary movements and the diagnosis rests on observation and knowledge of the types of involuntary movements and their causes. <br /><br><br /><br>Internal Capsule Stroke<br /><br>A stroke within the internal capsule leads to a unique number of physical exam findings. We review these changes and compare them with strokes in other locations. <br /><br><br /><br>The Tongue in Diagnosis<br /><br>Changes in the tongue occur in many situations. Systemic disease such as amyloidosis or lymphoma will affect its size and color. Localized infections may suggest underlying immune disorders. Nutritional deficiencies will cause abnormalities.<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://stanfordmedicine25.stanford.edu/">http://stanfordmedicine25.stanford.edu/</a>

Stanford Medicine 25 - Stanford University School of Medicine

Welcome to the Stanford Medicine 25 website. Remember, this site is NOT the Stanford Medicine 25; it is only a map to a territory, one that ...

Read more »

Where I want to be

It is 9:02 pm on Friday night, October 12, 2012 and it is Homecoming at Westwood. I'm on a plane to New Jersey getting ready to give a speech at the school of a person I admire very much, Eric Sheninger, a speech I agreed to give long before the football schedule was announced.<br /><br />Last week I was told this night was also senior night and that parents would escort their senior football players onto the field as they are announced to the cheering stands. I would be in the air between Albany and Atlanta during that time on the first leg of my flight.<br /><br />There is more than just a promise and contract here, on Monday, October 15, taxes are due. This speech and a tiny bit Kip and I saved up are what we need for taxes. Every speck of money I've earned in the past year has gone to whittle down a whopping debt due to an unexpected job situation several years a go. I need this speech to write that check on Monday.<br /><br />So, by the time I got to Atlanta, I knew that my husband and my father -- my son's "Poppa" would escort him onto the field. I'd already told the announcer and everyone that I wouldn't be there so hopefully it wouldn't be awkward.<br /><br />As I sat down to eat my taco salad by the baby grand piano, the pianist looked at me and began playing "Memory" from CATS. If I could have rolled my eyes at myself, I would have as I sniffled just a bit between bites.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5798743129470035538"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZwTT5krTMiyfxp2DoW6XKaEh4JxiDY_JscMqB_Q2sSfF9CjCeTmWwhC0vA75DsTLTqToe-nKWnR5Gq7bHPxdHY7uXLyyJAPR4LG0rbF6l1UVNcdAtwuXnILFVjJU5RDzoyy54pwAJb12/s288/4.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></center><br />Then I got it, the text message with a photo from my sister -- they had given my son a flower to give his Mom -- a flower that my Dad held proudly (somewhat awkwardly perhaps) and my husband beamed proudly at his arm. They were all beaming - my son looked even taller than his towering 6'6" frame already is. They had their moment, so then I had mine. I wept. Tearing up, I didn't want to blubber in front of anyone, so I sort of used my napkin and sniffed and wiped my eyes as if I had eaten some hot sauce or something. No one noticed me. It just wasn't where I wanted to be.<br /><br />But then, I just had to reflect all the times I was there. I was a stay at home mom when he was 1 until he was 8 and then took a job at the school to be near him. I've been at his school to see him grow up and learn. I taught him to type and computer science. I even took him to China to the Flat Classroom Conference a few years a go and we walked on the Great Wall together. I'm here every day and bought a fridge at school to stock water so he can grab a cold one during the day. I stock pencils and paper so he has that too. I've been here for just about everything in his life. So, why did this one night hurt so bad? Why was I so wounded?<br /><br />I guess I just want to be there for EVERYTHING. Now that he's a senior, every moment is precious. Each sand that drops through the hourglass is grain that floats into oblivion through my grasping fingers. I want him to shrink and let me throw him onto my hip again as we play outside with our dog Crash (long since gone on to that doghouse in the sky.) I want to go back and do science experiments and bake cookies on cold winter days. I want to study with him again for his first test and read Narnia aloud as we go on family trips to try to help the kids find books they love -so they'd read. <br /><br />Time is passing and EVERY moment is precious... but it always has been ... just now that there are less of those moments, each moment magnifies in its glory and potential memory.<br /><br />But I can't go back... time only moves in forward motion and I can't back it up. It doesn't work that way. So, I'm here at 9:15 pm on the bumpy plane watching stewards come through the cabin while trying to hold onto the seats and serve drinks without pouring them in the laps of thirsty passengers. I'm just not where I want to be right now.<br /><br />But you know what... this happens. Life happens. In history and even now there are Moms and Dads separated from their kids by oceans... not just missing senior night but missing their child's WHOLE senior year. There are Moms and Dads in cold cemeteries whose blank eyes won't open again to see their child walk the stage or get married. There are Moms and Dads tonight with children in cold cemeteries too or even worse, warm children whose eyes have closed for the last time. <br /><br />So, although I'm not the place I want to be, this is life and life happens. I have healthy children and although I don't know the score of the Homecoming game or if my son is playing well and has sacked the quarterback again, I do have a son and he has a Mom. I have a husband and two more children who will be here after this year. And it isn't like I'm sending him off forever. He's going off to college, but that is as it should be. We're driving each other crazy anyway. He's ready and we are too.<br /><br />These are the thoughts of a parent of a child about to graduate from high school. Full of self doubt, what ifs, and tears. I might just burst into tears at any time, like the other day as I looked at his favorite kind of Fruit Rollups (he doesn't eat them any more) although I do a pretty good job hiding those tears if it happens. I prefer to keep it to myself. It seems like a pretty sad thing to have such pity parties and I don't like them.<br /><br />I have a wonderful son and am blessed to have been given him to raise. He's not perfect but I'm far from it. We've had to forgive each other a lot but we've also laughed a lot and had a great time too. <br /><br />This is my son in whom I am well pleased. Tonight, I am where I should be... keeping a promise to a friend and using this opportunity to pay a bill that needs to be paid. Life isn't all about doing what you want to do. Besides, I've turned down that speech in January and another in February and a trip to Japan in March. I'm going to be here the rest of the year and have no regrets. If this is the only regret I have from this year full of memories, then I'll be doing well because I don't think any parent is ever there enough for these moments.<br /><br />So, now, I'm going to smell the Biscoff cookies the person next to me is eating (that I'm not going to eat) and review my 21st Century Influencer presentation just one more time and then settle back knowing that I may not be where I want to be, but I'm in the right place for where I should be at this moment in time. I pray that missing this one thing that my son will recall all the times I have been there and know that his Mom may be flying over Virginia right now but that I love him with all my heart and would be there if I could. I'm going to give the speech of my life, worthy for missing such a moment as this --because if the good Lord has taken me and put me here, I know Him well enough to know that He has me here for a very good reason. I'm going to give all I have.<br /><br />Goodnight friends and thanks for reading the thoughts of a Mom missing her child... missing tonight and already missing him for what I know is coming. Because I may always want to be with him, but it is for the best that I let him go. <br /><br />To all you parents out there who know exactly what this feels like... here's to you. We've spent lots of nights with sick kids, waiting up for kids who missed curfew, and wrapping presents for Christmas. We've planned birthday parties and sat in doctor's offices and stirred brownie batter. We've changed diapers and held hands and sung songs. I guess I could break into a rendition of "Days in the Sun" but that is enough. <br /><br />I'm proud of you, son. Mama would be there if she could tonight. I love you with all my heart. I dedicate my speech tomorrow in your honor. May it be one of the best I've ever given. Goodnight.<br /><br /><br />- Written on my iPad using Blog Press by Vicki Davis, author, Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds

Where I want to be

It is 9:02 pm on Friday night, October 12, 2012 and it is Homecoming at Westwood. I'm on a plane to New Jersey getting ready to give a s...

Read more »

Matt Said, Jay Said MCMLXVII

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Matt whispers sweet nothings.  Jay whispers sweet nothings.  Even though creeped out, you listen.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rxy26mmaeMkI6j3U9hsrgpPHTANl3YDTwoHNI5M2I7M1-anvI5cOijczeYsMZnVU5Q0tR68IDOqJcMpsSBLMGvDSoGokRzgcSvcryskIhi_00VANxOfRr2UMAl6zgluNjPzshtpDano/s1600/ben-affleck-argo-sexy+naked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rxy26mmaeMkI6j3U9hsrgpPHTANl3YDTwoHNI5M2I7M1-anvI5cOijczeYsMZnVU5Q0tR68IDOqJcMpsSBLMGvDSoGokRzgcSvcryskIhi_00VANxOfRr2UMAl6zgluNjPzshtpDano/s400/ben-affleck-argo-sexy+naked.jpg" width="400" /></a>Matt:  Hiya Chuckles!!<br />Jay:  Hi.  How’s Schmoop?<br />Matt:  Ummmm, she’s fine; would you like to know how I am?<br />Jay:  Ha, of course!!  I was kidding; you know I love you.<br />Matt:  Uh-huh…I’m fine.<br />Jay:  Great!!  But seriously…how’s Schmoop?<br />Matt:  Just duckie.<br />Jay:  Good.  That makes me happy.<br />Matt:  Whatever.<br /><br />Jay:  Hey…Are you going to watch the VP debate tonight?<br />Matt:  I’m not sure.  I’m still <i>debating</i> whether I should or not.  Ha!!  See what I did there!?<br />Jay:  Oh-Hooooooo. That was clever.  You keep making zingers like that and we’ll always be Number One.<br />Matt:  Ha!!  I know righ-<br />Jay:  Or something.<br />Matt:  I’m the Henny Youngman of show prep phone calls.<br />Jay:  That you are, and speaking of long dead comedians…do you have any ideas for Sunday’s show?<br /><br />Matt:  Well, I actually do.<br />Jay:  Really?<br />Matt:  I thought that since your sister has come to visit this week, we could talk about our families.<br />Jay:  That’s a great idea!!<br />Matt:  Really!?<br />Jay:  No, I hate it.  Oooooooo.<br />Matt:  What?<br /><br />Jay:  I just saw a commercial with Ben Affleck in it.  He’s a good looking guy.<br />Matt:  Excuse me, what about Ben Affleck?<br />Jay:  He’s a good looking guy.  What?  I am man enough to admit that a guy can be handsome.<br />Matt:  Oh he’s a good looking guy alright, it was just the lustful tone in your voice when you said it.<br />Jay:  Hey.  I am very secure in my masculinity <i>and</i> my heterosexuality, very. What about <i>you</i>, fancy boy?<br /><br />Matt:  I am, and in fact, in order to prove it, I have an idea for this Sunday’s show.<br />Jay:  I do too, and I think we are thinking the same thing here, Matt-Man.<br />Matt:  We always talk about the babes that we think are hot.<br />Jay:  IKR?  And that leaves out half the world’s population who may also be hot!!<br />Matt:  And that half would be?<br />Jay:  Hot guys!!  Come to IWS Radio and get your hot guys!!<br />Matt:  So that can only lead us to one topic for this Sunday, right?<br />Jay:  Right!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4d_153nMhPmWrheDHJbGBWXpR74jogDHZ5AUrDJoTqRhQrJCKrdgcR7EeBVvEVgJwDn-Prvw28WOe77dDWeI84IefFEwldRjPppsAaWEbBg7w63g6YBOroIxN-c8OWT9hnQNDiS0LGY/s1600/George_Hamilton+cigar+Sexy+Naked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4d_153nMhPmWrheDHJbGBWXpR74jogDHZ5AUrDJoTqRhQrJCKrdgcR7EeBVvEVgJwDn-Prvw28WOe77dDWeI84IefFEwldRjPppsAaWEbBg7w63g6YBOroIxN-c8OWT9hnQNDiS0LGY/s400/George_Hamilton+cigar+Sexy+Naked.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Matt and Jay:  <i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/10/14/man-crush-show"><span style="color: blue;">The IWS Man Crush Show!!</span></a></i><br /><br />Matt:  We’ll talk about the men whom we love and desire in a man hug sort of way.<br />Jay:  Exactly.  The hot guys who turn women’s heads and yet, we want to party with and get to know better.<br />Matt:  This could be huge.<br />Jay:  Not could be, it will be!!<br />Matt:  My nether regions are tingling just thinking about it.<br />Jay:  Mine as well, but I think it’s more due to the not so crispy catfish I had for lunch.<br /><br />Matt:  Either way, we will be tingling and singing the praises of hot guys this<span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/10/14/man-crush-show"> <i>Sunday at Noon ET</i></a>.</span><br />Jay:  True Dat...another Number One IWS show in the making.<br />Matt:  Alrighty then, our work here is done.<br />Jay:  Another great show prep session, and tell Schmoop that I asked about her.<br />Matt:  See you on<i><span style="color: blue;"> </span></i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/10/14/man-crush-show"><i><span style="color: blue;">IWS Radio this Sunday</span></i> </a>and you can tell her yourself.<br />Jay:  Will do.<br />Matt and Jay:  (click)<br /><br />You can catch all the IWS Man Crush show action live Sunday at Noon ET by clicking<span style="color: blue;"> <i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/10/14/man-crush-show">HERE</a></i>.</span><br /><br /></div>

Matt Said, Jay Said MCMLXVII

Matt whispers sweet nothings.  Jay whispers sweet nothings.  Even though creeped out, you listen. Matt:  Hiya Chuckles!! Jay:  Hi.  How’s Sc...

Read more »

Baseball...It Prevents Us From Going Crazy

You may think that the title of this blog is a little off. After all, the four series that took place this week all went to five games. A fan of any of the eight teams might be feeling a little crazy right now! Between the team that lost two games at home but managed to win all three games on the road (in a row!) to the teams that kept going into extra innings, to the team that just had to win one on the road...and it took them three tries and an inconceivable performance by their ace to do it.<br /><br />But could you imagine a fall season without baseball? It has happened before - but that was eighteen years ago, in 1994. <i>Sportscenter</i> was just beginning to become the regular hangout for people when they woke up in the morning. ESPN2 was still the place for skateboarding shows and men lifting tractor tires.<br /><br />Our normal lives kept the human race from going nuts. But in the days of 24-hour sports networks, Internet blogs (like this one!), and the constant barrage of social media, baseball is the only thing that is keeping the nation from overloading on...football.<br /><br />If we didn't have baseball right now, the only thing out there is football. High school football, college football, the NFL, fantasy football, Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, football commercials, football behind-the-scenes, football analysis, analysis of the football analysis, year-round speculation of football plots, and the Super Bowl. The NHL is locked out and all its players moved to Europe and Asia to play the game. All that the NBA does right now is argue with each other. That sport doesn't become relevant till Christmas.<br /><br />I imagine that if ESPN or the NFL Network had the chance, they would spend 24 hours straight dissecting the logo color of the Dallas Cowboys.<br /><br />The only thing that is stopping us from this madness? Baseball.<br /><br />Because of baseball, we have another outlet for our sports fandom. Anyone will tell you that if you spend your whole life doing just one thing, it will drive you mad. You need to add that second (or third or fourth or so on) hobby to relieve the stress and work another part of your brain. <br /><br />So thank you, baseball, for providing sports fans with an alternative choice of sports programming. It prevents me from having to read an article at the end of October about Aaron Rodgers' fifth word in his eighth interview of the day implying that his wide receiver's route in the eighteenth play of the fourth game of the season caused him to develop a pinky tic that may or may not prevent him from throwing a slant route pass against AFC teams with right-handed defensive backs who went to an SEC East (not West!) university.<br /><br />Because when we <i>do</i> see an article like that, we can just flip to baseball instead.<br /><br />Thank goodness.<br /><br /><b>Anyway...</b><br />A few other baseball <strike>playoff</strike>, oops, I mean <i>Postseason</i> oddities. The word "Postseason." In any official MLB promotional materials, they will never say playoffs. It  has to be "Postseason." And this from the only  league that doesn't have a Preseason...it's <i>Spring Training</i>. <br /><br />I wonder how long the Yankee's champagne bath lasted tonight. They probably have to be at the ballpark around 2pm tomorrow to prepare for that evening's game against the Detroit Tigers. Or maybe they did what they should do after a simple ALDS win...congratulate each other, take a shower, and go home! What's up with the constant locker room celebrations? I can understand celebrating a berth in the <strike>playoffs</strike> <i>Postseason</i>, but does beating the fifth-best (<i>second-best</i> Wild Card) team warrant the plastic over the lockers and the coolers full of horrible alcohol to waste?<br /><br />I seem to remember the 1995 Detroit Red Wings celebrating the Western Conference championship like they'd won the Stanley Cup. Then they got swept in the <strike>Finals</strike> <i>Final</i> by New Jersey and vowed never to celebrate that stupid trophy ever again. And they still don't celebrate it! Why can't teams take a cue - don't celebrate the little steps like you've won the championship. Win the championship, <i>then </i>celebrate!<br /><br />With the 2-3-2 NBA Finals-like setup of the ALCS this year, it is crucial for Detroit to get one of those first two games in Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have just played three straight games against a formidable Orioles team who gave everything they had. They showered each other in liquor for a while tonight (for some reason - see above). And now they've got two games on Saturday and Sunday against Detroit. This is the perfect time for Detroit to take advantage of that exhaustion - and the fact that the Yankee's lineup is depending on second-tier replacements to win games for them while their starters hit below the Mendoza line. <br /><br />I don't make predictions - I pray. Dear Lord, let the Tigers win in five. And thank you for preventing me from having to listen to Joe Buck for another week or two. Amen.

Baseball...It Prevents Us From Going Crazy

You may think that the title of this blog is a little off. After all, the four series that took place this week all went to five games. A fa...

Read more »

Today's archidose #626

Here are some photos of the "<a href="http://storefrontnews.org/programming/events?preview=true&e=489">Past Futures, Present, Futures</a>" exhibition at the Storefront for Art and Architecture (Oct 5 - Nov 24), curated by <a href="http://www.eva-franch.com/">Eva Franch</a> with exhibition design by <a href="http://www.leong-leong.com/">Leong Leong</a> and graphic design by <a href="http://projectprojects.com/">Project Projects</a>. Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/">John Hill</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8081338118/" title="Past Futures, Present, Futures by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Past Futures, Present, Futures" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8466/8081338118_a8b12f448e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8081346405/" title="Past Futures, Present, Futures by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Past Futures, Present, Futures" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8081346405_8b77c632c9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8081358120/" title="Past Futures, Present, Futures by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Past Futures, Present, Futures" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8081358120_a88227cd78_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8081357442/" title="Past Futures, Present, Futures by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Past Futures, Present, Futures" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8325/8081357442_56cce81c3a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8081355317/" title="Past Futures, Present, Futures by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Past Futures, Present, Futures" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8186/8081355317_02e5412df8_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 #626

Here are some photos of the " Past Futures, Present, Futures " exhibition at the Storefront for Art and Architecture (Oct 5 - Nov ...

Read more »

NAAEE 2012 EE--Certfication presentations

The primary reason for my attendance at this conference was to help present about Ohio's Environmental Education Certification program.  I was fortunate to be a part of the development of this program from the beginning and Jen Bucheit and I came out to sit in on two panel discussions to help other states that are interested in starting their own EE Certification program. They were called EE Certification 101 and 102.<br /><br />If you're not familiar with the EE Certification program, it is a professional certification process that is guided and accredited by NAAEE across the country.  NAAEE provides the guidelines, standards, and general policies for an EE Certification program and it's the state affiliates' job to follow those guidelines and standards as they develop their programs in order to gain that accreditation.  <br /><br />Ohio's program has been in development since 2006.  Our first pilot year was 2009 and we actually conducted two pilot years.  Our first full year was 2011 and we've just began our 2nd full year this past month.<br /><br />The premise of the EE Certification program is to provide a professional certification to those working in the EE field.  Most professions have some sort of certification that provides consistency, best practices, and a general base knowledge that helps ensure that those in the field are all on the same page.  It lends credibility to the profession and it looks good on a resume'.  <br /><br />Jen and I basically gave this information in our two sessions. We had fellow panel members from Kentucky, Utah, Maryland, Colorado and Pennsylvania to help with the presentation. There were a few states that had some questions, either because their state's programs were in disrepair or they didn't have a program at all. There were a lot of good discussions and it's always interesting to see how other states run their programs. Ours is fairly young and we "stole" ideas from several states, especially Kentucky. Collaboration is a great thing!<br /><br />If you are someone who is new to the field of EE, would like to increase your own knowledge, boost your resume', are in need of professional development or graduate credit, and want to give yourself a competitive edge in the field, you can check out Ohio's EE Certification Program online at <a href="http://www.eeco-online.org/">www.eeco-online.org</a>   The fee is $500 and that includes your meals, lodging and materials for three in-person meetings with instructors and your cohort throughout the school year.  The syllabus and application are on the website.<br /><br />

NAAEE 2012 EE--Certfication presentations

The primary reason for my attendance at this conference was to help present about Ohio's Environmental Education Certification program. ...

Read more »

Lance Armstrong and Our Doping Nation - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><nyt_text style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div id="articleBody"><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">An anemia drug has likely harmed hundreds of thousands of patients, soiled the reputations of two Fortune 500 companies and shamed one of our legendary sports heroes, the cyclist Lance Armstrong. Only that last part was at issue in the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/460432-10lede-usada-armstrong.html" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">United States Anti-Doping Agency report</a>, released on Wednesday, that laid out the astonishing evidence against him. It didn't explain the seductive power of the drug — an artificial blood booster called erythropoietin, or EPO for short — or how our health care providers and our culture pushed its irresponsible use.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">EPO is a naturally occurring hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells. As any anemic can tell you, without sufficient red blood cells we become exhausted, unhealthy and depressed. Those who couldn't make natural EPO, like dialysis patients and people without functioning kidneys, had to rely on blood transfusions to get it.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But that changed during the biotech drug rush of the 1980s, when a start-up called Amgen found a way to genetically engineer the hormone. After patenting its artificial EPO, Amgen formed a partnership with the marketing mavens at Johnson & Johnson and boomed into the world's largest biotech company.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Hailed as a wonder drug, EPO looked innocuous — 3,000 units of clear liquid swirling in a glass vial. To athletes, those tinkling vials also represented a way to "goose" the oxygen-carrying component of blood, increasing stamina. And really, what red-blooded American doesn't crave more energy? Our literature is rife with fictional drugs that bestow superhuman abilities — like the "spice" found in Frank Herbert's "Dune" — and so is our history; leaders from Grover Cleveland to John F. Kennedy used cocaine, "pep pills" or amphetamines.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But those energy boosts came with bad side effects. Not so, it seemed, with EPO, which was seen as safer than ephedrine, less risky than coke and more effective than a double espresso.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Before long, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson were selling two EPO brands — Epogen and Procrit. (Those who biked the short races called criteriums joked it was for "pro-crit riders.") By the '90s, in addition to cyclists, runners, skiers and other endurance athletes were injecting the stuff regularly — and illegally. All they had to do was pay a black-market dealer in Amsterdam or Marseille, France.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But it wasn't until 1994 that the marketing of these drugs burst into the mainstream. Amgen and Johnson & Johnson began trying to expand the uses of their energy-boosting drugs to include treatment for fatigue, depression and quality-of-life issues. Commercials depicted old, slow-moving people who, after a shot of Procrit, displayed a zest for life, and a young cancer patient, who after an EPO injection happily returned to work.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The aggressive marketing worked. Soon, exhausted but otherwise healthy people were begging doctors for a shot of what one Amgen executive called "red juice."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">And many doctors went along with these off-label promotions, even though regulators hadn't approved them. Indeed, in March 2007, Congressional hearings revealed that many oncologists were profiting. The drug makers paid doctors to prescribe the blood booster in high doses to unwitting patients. Some earned honorariums for speaking to their peers about the unapproved, off-label uses; others pocketed "education grants," or joined marketing studies that never quite addressed the safety of high doses even as they recommended them. The two drug companies were told to stop paying doctors for overprescribing, but that flew in the face of our cultural belief: if a little of something is good, then a lot must be better.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Increasingly, scientists were discovering that EPO doping doesn't work so well — in fact it can be lethal. Yes, it multiplies your red blood cells. But too many red blood cells turn your blood to sludge and make the heart work overtime. The drug <a href="http://www.natap.org/2011/newsUpdates/062711_04.htm" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">raised the risks</a> of strokes, blood clots and heart attacks. Even worse was that EPO could potentially multiply cancer cells. In fact, just last year, regulators warned most patients they should try and stay off the red juice completely.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But it's too late. We live in a world where the 7-year-old reality TV star Honey Boo Boo feels the need to drink "go-go juice" (a blend of Mountain Dew and Red Bull) just to maintain her energy and ratings; where a seven-time winner of the Tour de France feels emboldened to lie repeatedly about doping; where doctors would risk the health of their patients to make them better, quicker, and to make themselves richer.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">It's too bad about Lance Armstrong. But the real shame is that, in our get-rich, quick-fix, more-is-better culture, we are all culpable in this blood-doping scandal — both on and off the race course.</p><nyt_author_id><div class="authorIdentification" style="margin-bottom: 2.8em; "><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; font-style: italic; "><a href="http://www.kathleensharp.com/" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 15px !important; line-height: 22px; ">Kathleen Sharp</a> is the author of "Blood Medicine: Blowing the Whistle on One of the Deadliest Prescription Drugs Ever."</div></div></nyt_author_id></div></nyt_text><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/opinion/lance-armstrong-and-our-doping-nation.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0&pagewanted=print">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/opinion/lance-armstrong-and-our-doping-nation.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0&pagewanted=print</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Lance Armstrong and Our Doping Nation - NYTimes.com

An anemia drug has likely harmed hundreds of thousands of patients, soiled the reputations of two Fortune 500 companies and shamed one of ou...

Read more »

What a lovely morning!

<span style="font-size: large;">We are getting a security alarm fitted in the house today.  I was off work so I headed off for the morning to let the engineers do their thing.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1012/1224325187403.html">cycled</a> to Rathmines firstly to do a few chores and potter around the shops.  I then called to Rathmines Library where I signed up for membership.  They had a very different selection of books to the Library where I work so it was nice to browse as a "borrower" rather than as a Librarian.  Obviously I couldn't help making comparisons between my work library and this branch library!  ;-)</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I then cycled into town to meet my twin sister for something to eat during her lunch break.  She took me to the cutest little place, Estling & Anders, and treated me to a gorgeous hot chicken wrap with the nicest tangiest relish.  It was delicious!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">After our food we got a coffee in <a href="http://www.ocbs.ie/">OCB's </a>and took a stroll around the area near her office.  </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Twin coffees for the twinnies!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsAyi4gBIKq0iyLhmh4fX_5RqNWpMnWi_tifMJbNOw0KjN6Pg03hWIaoFPM391jOAuhWjSUsC6C5YpvFTbqCME0A3o1gvgXAcIaJIEoyxQP7kZawK3o2fQqcA30fXhTvZurbVn8yTkvxB/s1600/IMG_2193%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsAyi4gBIKq0iyLhmh4fX_5RqNWpMnWi_tifMJbNOw0KjN6Pg03hWIaoFPM391jOAuhWjSUsC6C5YpvFTbqCME0A3o1gvgXAcIaJIEoyxQP7kZawK3o2fQqcA30fXhTvZurbVn8yTkvxB/s320/IMG_2193%255B1%255D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Here is a picture of a little food market that was on down at the canal - Amy works just a few steps away from the Canal.  Lucky girl!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7X5jagHKRqhlNq6ZEmR9PHj2ovnqZDqOF2u44B29VudUz1h_ZlfRjlL-CTUxstdE-q6ST5FkqKozdLcte9e1bq30miYIWrI4jaLRHsgn57qUv-H3MpIkO6AhYzcZ9_PYf3SIl4SIgc7OJ/s1600/IMG_2192%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7X5jagHKRqhlNq6ZEmR9PHj2ovnqZDqOF2u44B29VudUz1h_ZlfRjlL-CTUxstdE-q6ST5FkqKozdLcte9e1bq30miYIWrI4jaLRHsgn57qUv-H3MpIkO6AhYzcZ9_PYf3SIl4SIgc7OJ/s320/IMG_2192%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The food market was just great!  There were about 20 different stalls selling various types of food including Thai Curries, Paella, Wings, Gourmet Burgers, Noodles, Burritos and also cakes and pastries.  There were loads of people sitting on the wall of the canal eating their delicious food.  I will definitely be meeting Amy here when the weather is warmer and we can sit out and eat in the open!</span></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Here's a picture of Miss Amy!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjU00mJbfB9ADAU77C-PNVbFD8NRqyD6ExupYTeQqOjoz_wHuyEOuJdgMKA8ABNtRRb0WrrwNt4iA7xdF8fznK1N2bENo79movF64RnIxQlIih6S16GL01jfwnlXAU1ow9ofYiawSrgNB/s1600/IMG_2191%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjU00mJbfB9ADAU77C-PNVbFD8NRqyD6ExupYTeQqOjoz_wHuyEOuJdgMKA8ABNtRRb0WrrwNt4iA7xdF8fznK1N2bENo79movF64RnIxQlIih6S16GL01jfwnlXAU1ow9ofYiawSrgNB/s320/IMG_2191%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Great days like this make me feel very blessed to live in Ireland!</span>

What a lovely morning!

We are getting a security alarm fitted in the house today.  I was off work so I headed off for the morning to let the engineers do their thi...

Read more »

Circulation Assistant - Chester Public Library

<strong>Circulation Assistant - </strong><span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Chester Public Library</strong></span> seeks a friendly, service oriented individual with strong interpersonal skills to provide high quality service to library users. Candidate must be able to juggle priorities, work independently, attend to detail, and be a welcoming presence in the library. Duties: The Circulation Assistant performs a variety of circulation and clerical tasks related to the operation of this small community library. The Circulation Assistant will check materials in/out, answer or refer reference questions, answer phone, shelve library materials, register new patrons, manage overdues, help patrons use library equipment and online catalog, perform data entry, open and close the library. Qualifications: Ability to work independently and handle multiple tasks in a busy environment. Ability to learn automated library system. Ability to climb stairs while carrying library materials. Familiarity with online research procedures and basic computer applications is strongly preferred. Library or related experience is a plus. Ability to work regular Saturday and evening hours with flexibility to work at other times is essential. Hours and Compensation: 15 hours per week at $12.00 per hour. No benefits. Send letter of interest and statement of qualifications to Linda Fox at <a href="mailto:chesterctlibrary@yahoo.com">chesterctlibrary@yahoo.com</a>. Deadline: <span style="color: red;">October 25, 2012</span>. Chester is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action employer.

Circulation Assistant - Chester Public Library

Circulation Assistant - Chester Public Library seeks a friendly, service oriented individual with strong interpersonal skills to provide h...

Read more »

Even More From Jay's Notebook

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />Hola y’all! It’s time again to see what all is in <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/search/label/Jay%27s%20Notebook">Jay’s Notebook</a>. I know you’re excited so let’s get right to it!<br /><br /><b>-</b> If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it.” – Henry Ford<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna27i4saWsitEuLOsrHNEwpjeC-cpme9fX1wsSUMl4Y9SLLFwwFrnJVzfRLwgBgsEUP0G7cUf6-65JMH20SuhA0IomU8nufkiArZqDPGMJB-k9nETTubEvnfXGWOLqKKJt7BzYhRuGK8/s1600/Paris+Hilton+Hot+Legs+Car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna27i4saWsitEuLOsrHNEwpjeC-cpme9fX1wsSUMl4Y9SLLFwwFrnJVzfRLwgBgsEUP0G7cUf6-65JMH20SuhA0IomU8nufkiArZqDPGMJB-k9nETTubEvnfXGWOLqKKJt7BzYhRuGK8/s320/Paris+Hilton+Hot+Legs+Car.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Man, what a beautiful quote. Have you ever noticed that it’s really rich people like billionaire Henry Ford who make moronic statements like that? Or things like “Money can’t buy happiness?” Total bullshit.  Rich people love to lecture poor people and working class folks and tell them that “money isn’t everything.” I have no doubt that Paris Hilton is constantly wondering why people think having money is such a big deal.<br /><br /><br /><b>-</b> Have you ever been driving down the road like at about 80 mph and decide that you need to turn on the air or heat. And just before you push the button to turn it on you think “Man, I hope my car doesn’t blow up the instant I hit this button.”<br /><br />And then you are actually hesitant to turn the air on because HOLY SHIT what if that really does happen? It happens in movies sometimes right? What if someone booby-trapped my car? Does my sexual deviant upstairs neighbor know how to do something like that? Shit, I’ll just roll the windows down. OH CRAP THEY’RE ELECTRIC TOO! Now you realize that you have to get home before it gets dark because if you turn on your lights: KA-BLOOEY!<br /><br />Driving can be scary man.<br /><br /><b>-</b> You know what sucks? Emptying the dishwasher. What a freaking hassle this is. It’s a pain because you never remember to until you’re holding something in your hand that you want to put in there. Like a big pot that you made chili in and you’ve washed it out and you open the dishwasher and realize the damn thing is full and you say “Aw shit! I gotta empty the motherfuckin’ dishwasher!”  And I don’t care if you’re fucking Mother Teresa, you will say “motherfuckin’ dishwasher” in that situation.<br /><br />Filling the dishwasher is no big deal because that happens a little at a time. But, you have to empty it all at once. And it’s a detail oriented activity too! You have to focus and make sure you put things where they belong. You don’t want to put the serving spoons in the wrong drawer or mix the salad forks with the dinner forks. This shit has rules people!<br /><br /><b>-</b> Do you guys watch “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo?” No, of course you don’t! What about “Swamp People?” No? It’s all so beneath us isn’t it. We’re superior intellectual beings to these people. Just look at our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr feeds. Nothing there but smart, educated observations about the world from us.<br /><br />Okay, I don’t watch Honey Boo Boo, but I do love Swamp People. Oh man, you gotta shoot them gators in the perfect spot right between the eyes cause they’re skin is tough and a bullet might not go through or go deep enough and that’ll just piss him off!<br /><br />Anyway, I was watching people on social media deriding these folks and I started wondering about who’s happier in their lives and about who and what they are. We love to make fun of these people but you know they seem to have it all figured out. They’re not trying to be something or someone they’re not. They’re not worried about follower counts or about finding something impressive about their kids to post on Facebook or any of that shit.<br /><br />They aren’t worried about looking smart, or dumb or silly. They are who they are they’re fine with that. I honestly think we could all learn a few things from them. Well, maybe some of you could. I totally keep it real all the time.<br /><br />Most of the time.<br /><br />Well, I try.<br /><br />Okay, that’s another exciting edition of Jay’s Notebook! Nothing but fun times kids!<br /><br />Jayman<br /><a href="mailto:Jayman@gmail.com">Jayman@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/jayman_iws">@Jayman_IWS</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Be sure to check out the I’m With Stupid podcast! The #1 Comedy show on Blog Talk Radio! <br /><br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.adobe.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="270" id="143577" name="143577" width="210"><param name="movie" value="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fim-with-stupid%2Fplay_list.xml%3Fitemcount%3D5&autostart=true&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf" flashvars="file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2fim-with-stupid%2fplay_list.xml%3Fitemcount%3D5&autostart=true&shuffle=false&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx&width=210&height=270&volume=80&corner=rounded" width="210" height="270" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" wmode="transparent" menu="false" name="143577" id="143577" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;">Listen to <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/">internet radio</a> with <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid">Im With Stupid</a> on Blog Talk Radio</div></div>

Even More From Jay's Notebook

Hola y’all! It’s time again to see what all is in Jay’s Notebook . I know you’re excited so let’s get right to it! - If money is your hope ...

Read more »

MIDDLE EASTERN EQUATION

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xVcYmnqjRfQ4vrwz_yquu-iB5_lxeQ4o2dVgnc3H6VeP2czIYRvX1qYZGrKpScpwoT4KmRfmaaGqwJIxURezR0DcXx-GEH_1AqV_78WC6FOBEadYgqA9emdedZUVDuhcZSFZh2vfWVid/s1600/94757362-benjamin-netanyahus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xVcYmnqjRfQ4vrwz_yquu-iB5_lxeQ4o2dVgnc3H6VeP2czIYRvX1qYZGrKpScpwoT4KmRfmaaGqwJIxURezR0DcXx-GEH_1AqV_78WC6FOBEadYgqA9emdedZUVDuhcZSFZh2vfWVid/s320/94757362-benjamin-netanyahus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true" DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99" LatentStyleCount="267"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" 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]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true" DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99" LatentStyleCount="267"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" 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; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">NETANYAHU’S DILEMMA: CAMPAIGNING ON A SECURITY TICKET WHEN IRAN CALLS THE SHOTS</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">via DEBKA<i>file</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><i> </i> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced an early general election in January, 2013. Most pundits agreed he would lead his Likud party’s campaign for reelection on the security ticket, namely the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran.  </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />Netanyahu explained his decision by his coalition partners’ refusal to make do with a “responsible budget” and  said he would rather have his government fall than increase the deficit, especially when the country’s top priority was stopping IRAN gaining a nuclear bomb.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><i>Running on the IRAN ticket subjects him to three major difficulties</i>:</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />1.   Tehran can be safely guaranteed to place every possible obstruction in the prime minister’s path to an election win because his failure in the polls would not just suit IRAN but be popular in the Arab world where he is portrayed as a fire-eating militarist although he has delayed attacking IRAN for three and-a-half years.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />2.   Tehran, helped by its proxies, the LEBANESE <b>Hizballah</b> and the <b>Palestinian Hamas</b> and <b>Jihad Islami</b>, will dig up every possible stratagem to tarnish his performance, such as the unmanned helicopter flyover which Saturday, Oct. 6 showed ISRAELI air defenses in a poor light , and the salvo of 55 missiles and mortars from the Gaza Strip two days later.<br />Until recently, it was generally believed that the ISRAELI government’s military decisions were motivated solely by considerations of national security without political undertones.<br />But that was only so long as the prime minister and the defense minister were of one mind.<br />However, the falling-out between them of late means that neither trusts the other’s decisions any longer. An election campaign in these circumstances could have disastrous fallout.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />3.  President Barack Obama’s campaign for reelection in less than a month will no doubt play into the Israeli election contest. The US president, who has accused Netanyahu of interfering in his race for a second term, will no doubt bring his weight to bear on the ISRAELI poll.  Last-minute cancellation of joint exercises, for example, or other such steps could reflect negatively on Netanyahu’s prospects.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Obama will be swayed most of all by his prospects against the Republican Mitt Romney. This consideration might persuade him to play the IRANIAN card and thereby indirectly affecting how the ISRAELI prime minister comes out of his election.<br /> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In this respect, Obama has three options: </span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">a) To exercise the AMERICAN military option and blowing away IRAN’S nuclear program – with or without ISRAEL. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">b) To meet IRAN’S leaders halfway for a diplomatic breakthrough that would amaze the AMERICAN voter and be inimical to ISRAEL and set back Netanyahu's chances or reelection; or </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">c) To do nothing.<br />It is hard to say at this time whether or not Mitt Romney if elected would give Netanyahu a leg up before he takes the oath of office.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />The rumor mills in Jerusalem, Washington and Tehran are buzzing with speculation about what to expect in the days ahead.  The new players in the ISRAELI ring, Labor’s leader Shelly Yacimovich who has never before faced a general election and Yair Lapid who has just founded “Yesh Atid” (There Is a Future) and whose platform is still an enigma, are unlikely to have cruckal effect on the eventual outcome of the high-stakes game of strategy in progress between Obama, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hassan Nasrallah, and Binyamin Netanyahu.  </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

MIDDLE EASTERN EQUATION

NETANYAHU’S DILEMMA: CAMPAIGNING ON A SECURITY TICKET WHEN IRAN CALLS THE SHOTS via DEBKA file   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has an...

Read more »

Breast cancer surgery rate differences 'raise questions' - Health - CBC News

<base href="data:">Mastectomy rates for breast cancer vary widely across Canada, according to a new report.<br><br>Thursday's report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information showed differences in the use of all surgical treatments for breast cancer. About 22,000 women in Canada have surgery for breast cancer each year.<br><br>Most of the breast cancer patients studied were treated for invasive disease. (iStock)<br>"These findings raise questions about how Canadian women are exercising their treatment options and the resultant quality of care," the report's authors concluded, based on data from 2007–2008 to 2009–2010.<br><br>Mastectomy rates ranged from 69 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador to 26 per cent in Quebec.<br><br>The differences decreased only slightly when age, income and travel time to a cancer centre were considered, the institute said.<br><br>Generally, clinical practice guidelines recommend breast conserving surgery, also called lumpectomy, and radiation therapy for the majority of women with breast cancer. Lumpectomy and radiation are less invasive and are associated with fewer complications with similar survival to mastectomy.<br><br>Dr. Geoff Porter, a professor of surgery at Dalhousie University in Halifax, called the report an important step in understanding differences in breast cancer surgery.<br><br>"We can only really understand where we're going if we know where we are," Porter said. "I think that's just very valuable when you think about optimizing the quality of breast cancer care. We need to know those patterns and trends so that we can see whether they're changing."<br><br>Porter said that the high rates of mastectomies and re-excisions or repeated surgeries if lab tests show that residual tumours may be present, could be higher in Newfoundland and Labrador because of differences in how the surgeries are counted in that province.<br><br>In many areas in Canada, core biopsies with a needle are used to make a diagnosis. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the tumour itself may be removed for the diagnosis and that surgery could be counted as the first one, he said.<br><br>Porter said the report offers a powerful way to look at breast cancer in the population. The tradeoff is that clinical data, such as the size of tumour and its stage, weren't included.<br><br>The type of surgery can also vary with income. In the report, women living in the least affluent areas had the highest rates of mastectomy. Long courses of radiation are generally recommended after lumpectomies and travel time appeared to significantly reduce use of less-invasive surgery, the authors said.<br><br>A third of mastectomies in Ontario were done as day surgeries but fewer than two per cent in Alberta and Saskatchewan were done that way.<br><br>"The extent of this variation raises interesting questions regarding the organization of care and resources issues."<br><br>The report was prepared by CIHI and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYCFGvc3tz8Fb1Mrh39tbXETO-SvSLa-qCh_INllBeF1-o2ovqamIvNGqCe3Hj1kK5MYboet5ttXR24uD9_-pMayxCPrS3-hmxWChGNxzm1AFbCHDScsqyMs5OQT2gPFrFSSZhjmzkzk/s1600/Data-714584.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5798162963459059570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYCFGvc3tz8Fb1Mrh39tbXETO-SvSLa-qCh_INllBeF1-o2ovqamIvNGqCe3Hj1kK5MYboet5ttXR24uD9_-pMayxCPrS3-hmxWChGNxzm1AFbCHDScsqyMs5OQT2gPFrFSSZhjmzkzk/s320/Data-714584.jpg" /></a><div><br><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/10/11/breast-cancer-surgery.html">http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/10/11/breast-cancer-surgery.html</a><br><br></div>

Breast cancer surgery rate differences 'raise questions' - Health - CBC News

Mastectomy rates for breast cancer vary widely across Canada, according to a new report. Thursday's report by the Canadian Institute for...

Read more »