Matt Said, Jay Said LVI

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Matt coughs.  Jay sneezes.  You grab a surgical mask, and listen.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_Q5nO-b9AJewuZZqF23xgwMEffYfBxnFPObojNxvM9txdywygmWPjVLSzDfU4s9nE6Ws0n_xHE4VVzdftGmFUfyElKcy8VNsJvQWW-Kh17kkohxZrPBkGHApIB9oltjHnIbilKw7lJo/s1600/Sexy-Nurse.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_Q5nO-b9AJewuZZqF23xgwMEffYfBxnFPObojNxvM9txdywygmWPjVLSzDfU4s9nE6Ws0n_xHE4VVzdftGmFUfyElKcy8VNsJvQWW-Kh17kkohxZrPBkGHApIB9oltjHnIbilKw7lJo/s400/Sexy-Nurse.jpeg" width="225" /></a>Matt:  Hey Jay.  Thanks for doing a Thursday morning phone call instead of our normal Thursday night.<br />Jay:  No prob.  I have people covering my pre-existing conditions, er…appointments.<br />Matt:  This sore throat is a bitch. Hurts to eat, to drink, to talk.  Oy.<br />Jay:  Wow.  Should I list you as probable, questionable, or doubtful for Sunday’s show?<br />Matt:  What?  Are you suffering from Fantasy Football withdrawal?<br />Jay:  Not at all, why?<br /><br />Matt and Jay:  (Cough, Sneeze, Cough, Sneeze)<br /><br />Jay:  Hey?  In this Sunday’s intro and since you are not well, should I replace your singing with a file off the bench?  Say…Mitt Romney singing America the Beautiful in order to bolster our line-up?<br />Matt:  Our Line-Up?  Focus Man.  Dear God.  There is no Fantasy Football this ye---<br />Jay:  Oh wow…Man I don’t know where my head was at.  I am sorry.  Okay I’m good to go now.<br />Matt:  Okay.  It’s all good.<br /><br />Jay:  Man…Between my allergies, your whatever, and now this withdrawal thing, we’re a medical mess.<br />Matt:  No shit…It’s amazing how even simple medical maladies can screw one’s life up even for short periods.<br />Jay:  IKR?  I had to throw a half a plate of Lemon Poppy Seed muffins away, because I sneezed on them.<br />Matt:  Really?<br />Jay:  Well yes and no…I mean, I did sneeze on them, but I figured it was my own sneeze, so…I didn’t really throw them away.<br />Matt:  Understandable.  I guess you just considered them to be glazed at that point.<br />Jay:  Exactly. It’s a sin to waste food, y’know.<br /><br />Matt:  (Cough)<br />Jay:  Hey…This Sunday we could talk about all of this.  You know, how it sucks to get sick.<br />Matt:  It is that time of year.  Cold and Flu season is fast approaching…obviously.<br />Jay:  Exactly.  We could talk about the times we have been sick.<br />Matt:  Hospital stays.<br />Jay:  Hot Nurses.<br />Matt:  Funny diseases.<br />Jay:  Death Panels.<br />Matt:  The color of the gallon of funk they drained from my lung.<br /><br />Jay:  What color was that, exactly?<br />Matt:  I guess you’ll have to wait til’ this<i><span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/09/30/a-couple-of-sickos" target="_blank">Sunday at Noon ET</a></span></i> to find out!!<br /><br />Jay:  Aw Man, this is gonna be epic.  I may even impart what kind of Doctor I always wanted to be.<br />Matt:  I have an idea as to what that might be.<br />Jay:  Maybe so, but you won’t know for sure until this Sunday at Noon ET as IWS Radio presents…<i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/09/30/a-couple-of-sickos" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">A Couple of Sickos.</span></a></i><br /><br />Matt:  I like it.<br />Jay:  Me too.<br />Matt and Jay:  I think we’re set.<br /><br /></div>

Matt Said, Jay Said LVI

Matt coughs.  Jay sneezes.  You grab a surgical mask, and listen. Matt:  Hey Jay.  Thanks for doing a Thursday morning phone call instead of...

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Made to Crave - Chapter 6

Tonight I just finished Made to Crave!  Finally!  It was a 193 page book - it shouldn't have taken me so long to read it.  But my excuse, as will continue to be for everything that I lack these days, is because of school.  I wish I would have stayed more on track with the book so as to stay in the spirit of it all while I read it.  Ah well.  I'm finished and that's what counts.<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/08/made-to-crave-ch-1-reflections.html" target="_blank">Chapter 1 Reflections</a></li><li><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/08/made-to-crave-ch-2-reflections.html" target="_blank">Chapter 2 Reflections</a></li><li><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/08/made-to-crave-ch-3-reflections.html" target="_blank">Chapter 3 Reflections</a></li><li><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/09/made-to-crave-ch-4-reflections.html" target="_blank">Chapter 4 Reflections</a></li><li><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/09/made-to-crave-chapter-5.html" target="_blank">Chapter 5 Reflections</a> </li></ul>Highlighted passages from this chapter:<br /><br /><ul><li>"How do you grow closer to God?"  "By making the choice to deny ourselves something that is permissible but not beneficial.  And making this intentional sacrifice for the sole purpose of growing closer to God.  After all, Jesus said, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'"<br /></li><li>"Yes, I want to lose weight. But this journey is so much more than just that. It really is about learning to tell myself no and learning to make wiser choices daily.  And somehow becoming a woman of self-discipline honors God and helps me live the godly characteristic of self-control.  The fruit of the Spirit is a list of godly characteristics: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  In the end, pursuing self-control does help my heart feel closer to Jesus and more pure to receive what he wants for me each day...." <br /></li><li>"....live with the willingness to walk away when the Holy Spirit nudges you and says, 'That food choice is permissible but not beneficial - so don't eat it.'"<br /></li><li>Prayer to pray: "I need wisdom to make wise choices.  I need insight to remember the words I've read in Scripture.  I need power beyond what I can find on my own."<br /></li><li>When the apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:18-19 that "'their god is their stomach', he means that food can become so consuming that people find themselves ruled by it. [....we find that certain foods are impossible to wlak away from - we can't or won't deny ourselves an unhealthy choice in order to make a healthier one - then it's a clue we are being ruled by this food on some level.  Being ruled by something other than God diminishes our commitment and will make us feel increasingly distant from Him."</li></ul><br />Chapter 6 was titled "Growing Closer to God".  The reflection questions are:<br /><br /><span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><b>1.  What is your response to the idea that we grow closer to God when we deny ourselves something that is permissible but not beneficial?  Have you ever had an experience of denying yourself that helped you grow closer to God? Do you believe this could be true for you in your battle with food?</b></i></span><br /><br />I would definitely agree that we grow closer to God when we are sacrificing something that we've made a priority in our life.  It makes total sense.  I would say that people who experience addiction can attest to this.  If you're trying to kick that habit (smoking, alcohol, drugs, food, whatever!), you know how incredibly hard it is, especially taking that first step.  You <i>need </i>God's help to get you through those critical moments.  <br /><br />I cannot say I've had an experience where I've denied myself of something and it has resulted in a closer relationship with God.  Though, that is what I have gotten out of reading this book.  If I want to be truly successful at weight loss, I need to start asking Him for help - because I prove to myself almost daily that I'm not capable of doing it alone!   By seeking His guidance, the relationship will flourish from there.<br /><br /><span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><b>2. The apostle Paul lists self-control among the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  Are there areas of life in which you experience self-control and feel that your self-discipline and wise choices honor God?  For example, in your spending decisions or how you manage your time? What insights about your strengths in those areas might help you to honor God and grow in self-control with your food choices?</b></i></span><br /><br />I have thought about this exact concept over and over in my weight loss journey.  I am so disciplined with finances & concentrating on my studies, why cannot I not be that disciplined when it comes to weight loss?  I don't live beyond my means financially.  When school is in session, I don't procrastinate with studying.  Why, when it comes to weight loss, can I not translate that same level of self control to my journey?  I don't know!<br /><br />The way I've approached school and money management is simple:  I will not fail.  I will not spend more than I make.  I will not procrastinate/not do my homework.  Failure to abide by my goals for those two things scares the crap out of me.  Yet, with weight loss.... ugh.  So, I know I have it in me to be disciplined.  I know how to do it.  I just have to figure out how to apply that to my weight loss journey.<br /><br /><span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><b>3. Have you ever had the experience of the Holy Spirit nudging you in connection with your food choices? If so, what was that like? If not, how do you hope the Holy Spirit might help you now?</b></i></span><br /><br />I think God is that little voice in the back of my head saying, "Hilary, you don't need to stuff your face with x, y and/or z."  Yes, I know I've heard that voice many times telling me I didn't need more of what I was eating at the time.  While there have been a few times that that voice was enough to stop me, sadly, more times than not, it hasn't.   <br /><br /><span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><b>4. As Christians, our calling - and our source of spiritual nourishment - is to do God's will and finish His work (John 4:34).  To what degree have consuming thoughts about food impacted your ability to pursue your calling and receive spiritual nourishment?</b></i></span><br /><br />I've definitely had days where I start off completely focused on my weight loss journey, ready to tackle the mountain of to-do's I have, and then something negative happens.  This could be a stressful situation at work.  A disagreement with Joel.  Whatever the case might be - something goes awry.  And then, sometimes, the way I deal with that negative emotion is to eat.  Then everything quickly goes south.  I can no longer focus on what I originally had planned to do that day because now I'm swimming in a pool of guilt for having just eaten away a day's worth, if not a week's worth, of Points.  This is just a small example.  I've had "fat days", where I just feel like such crap about myself, I cannot even get out of bed to go to work.  Now, I try not to make a habit of this (for so many reasons!), but it has been known to happen on occasion.  It's sad.  And it is getting in the way of living my life to its fullest! <br /><br /><span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><b>5.  Would you say you are spiritually well fed, spiritually malnourished, or somewhere in between?  Have you ever tried to use food to satisfy your feelings of spiritual hunger?  What was the result?</b></i></span><br /><br />I would definitely say I'm somewhere in between.  I've definitely eaten out of all sorts of emotions on SO many occasions.  And I'm doing that to try to find happiness.  The result is the similar to the phrase "Money doesn't buy happiness".  Well, food doesn't provide happiness either.  It just digs that emotional hole even deeper.  <br /><br /><span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><b>6. If we find certain foods impossible to walk away from, this is a clue that we are being ruled by food on some level.  Are there foods you can't or won't deny yourself in order to make healthier choices? Why are these foods especially important to you?  What thoughts and feelings arise when you think about potentially giving them up?</b></i></span><br /><br />My major problem is sugar.  I love sweets.  I've tried giving them up in the past and it does bad things to me.  And what I mean by that is, I've given them up entirely with the hopes of losing weight.  What ends up happening is that I just substitute one addiction for another.  So while I've given up sugar, I end up consuming larger quantities of other things that I normally wouldn't.  Then I really gain the weight! <br /><br />One thing I have to come to terms with about one of the main points of this book is "deprivation".  Lysa, in my opinion, says that if we deprive ourselves of certain foods, we then form a closer relationship with God (not automatically of course).  That might be the case.  I'm not opposed to a closer relationship with Him.  However, I don't believe that that is the answer for me.  Yes, I know I need to limit the quantity of food I eat daily.  Yes, I do believe there are foods that I should cut out of my life completely because there is just no nutritional benefit to them.  However, I don't want to give up sweets entirely.  I just want to learn how to have them in moderation.  I believe that God can help me achieve that as well.<br /><br />I don't know why sweets are so important to me.  When I think about giving them up for eternity, I'm afraid I'm going to miss out on some epic tasting food!  Frankly, it just seems wrong to live without chocolate.  I'm not even being funny!  It's how I feel! <br /><br />I just want to do the best that I can with what I've been given.  And right now, I am fully willing to admit that I cannot go it alone.

Made to Crave Made to Crave - Chapter 6

Tonight I just finished Made to Crave!  Finally!  It was a 193 page book - it shouldn't have taken me so long to read it.  But my excuse...

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Today's archidose #622

Here are some photos of the recently opened <a href="http://www.stedelijk.nl/">Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam</a> in Amsterdam, Netherlands, by <a href="http://www.benthemcrouwel.nl/">Benthem Crouwel Architects</a> (2012), photographed by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthijs_borghgraef/">Matthijs Borghgraef</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthijs_borghgraef/7999808241/" title="Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam by kwikzilver, on Flickr"><img alt="Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8037/7999808241_40cd47d15b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthijs_borghgraef/8000076222/" title="Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam by kwikzilver, on Flickr"><img alt="Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8031/8000076222_5c4658fa41_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthijs_borghgraef/8004102834/" title="Stedelijk Museum Bookshop by kwikzilver, on Flickr"><img alt="Stedelijk Museum Bookshop" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8321/8004102834_6146e5b948_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthijs_borghgraef/8000437325/" title="Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam by kwikzilver, on Flickr"><img alt="Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8173/8000437325_04a0409bae_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthijs_borghgraef/8001228334/" title="Escalators 2 by kwikzilver, on Flickr"><img alt="Escalators 2" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/8001228334_d838e7582c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthijs_borghgraef/8003980085/" title="Escalators 1 by kwikzilver, on Flickr"><img alt="Escalators 1" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8031/8003980085_ba2e48b483_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthijs_borghgraef/8000522229/" title="The new Stedelijk: it's ON! by kwikzilver, on Flickr"><img alt="The new Stedelijk: it's ON!" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8317/8000522229_e1c2665773_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 #622

Here are some photos of the recently opened Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in Amsterdam, Netherlands, by Benthem Crouwel Architects (2012), ph...

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Think Before You Tweet

Today on social media I saw someone write gritty, gross details of her cat's stomach ailment and another person described the moves that she learned in her yoga pole dancing class <i>(with names too adult to share here.) </i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6CZFUUlKUAMHJwBlFOOkyY1QMcZMRLbD6lZJ-LvBVRfaqNFljM_23Uw56jeWZ8e8TZ4-D3SAaRhLohgEwQYt3bI9W1ao8TkJh_vpAFS_LWLsemQT1HnHVeCTcWsSUj3b743-u71BnOs0/s1600/bigstock-Blue-bird-32532500+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6CZFUUlKUAMHJwBlFOOkyY1QMcZMRLbD6lZJ-LvBVRfaqNFljM_23Uw56jeWZ8e8TZ4-D3SAaRhLohgEwQYt3bI9W1ao8TkJh_vpAFS_LWLsemQT1HnHVeCTcWsSUj3b743-u71BnOs0/s320/bigstock-Blue-bird-32532500+(2).jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br />I'm trying to understand why either of them would think those two things would enlighten or improve the lives of other people.<br /><br />These ill advised shares mar the timelines of otherwise interesting professionals.<br /><br /><h2><b>Don't make this mistake</b></h2>I am going to admit something here. One time, about two months after I joined <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Twitter">Twitter</a>, someone sat next to me at an airport and unashamedly did the unthinkable right beside me! I tweeted about his flagrantly loud gastric distress and my shock. At the same time someone at a workshop in Virginia was talking about how useful Twitter was and was showing my Twitter stream as a good example of someone who was so helpful. <br /><br /><h3><i>And across goes my ill-advised Tweet.</i></h3><br />When I got the direct message, I was humiliated and deleted the offending Tweet but I couldn't take it back. I looked like an idiot and made someone else look dumb too. I'll never forget what I learned that day.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rmlQTLvrM8G6CFH7I7-WfhhcrCFa8TZom0OEchxmDJUNmElc7SZ7lBF_SQOXvnhcrm-mry_VNCNeyAF9Al0TNr8DPCFeU4oGaqhUfiXCRzx5vdJJazkPpBFlJ7bsPenG-44mvarPHJM_/s1600/bigstock-Tweeting-Birds-Doodle-5459231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rmlQTLvrM8G6CFH7I7-WfhhcrCFa8TZom0OEchxmDJUNmElc7SZ7lBF_SQOXvnhcrm-mry_VNCNeyAF9Al0TNr8DPCFeU4oGaqhUfiXCRzx5vdJJazkPpBFlJ7bsPenG-44mvarPHJM_/s320/bigstock-Tweeting-Birds-Doodle-5459231.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><h2>Twitter is not a confidante. </h2>It isn't your long lost friend who lets you whisper secrets in his ear while you go stumbling through life. She isn't smiling and nodding her head in rapt attention at your every word. Neither is <a class="zem_slink" href="http://tumblr.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Tumblr">Tumblr</a> or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://facebook.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Facebook">Facebook</a> or any other social media tool.<br /><br />Like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Heston" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Charlton Heston">Charlton Heston</a> yelling in the movie <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.soilentgreen.net/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Soilent Green">Soilent Green</a>, I want to shout from the mountain top, <br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>"Your Twitter stream is people!"</i></blockquote><br />Social media is made up of many many people. It is a complex ecosystem that you cannot ever understand. <b>You never know WHO is looking at your stream. </b>Never. You know the sequence of events but you are the only one - others splash in and out of your streams like Hobbits heading to Mordor. Every tweet, status update, and post stands alone.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbX11Hn9wZqvnqQ8mFVigONMJGP5zOla9y6nwOMUnqvyOVctpUCFIxMy0lPvrdjrL4qjnLDP4elpuaGoW64z8FjXRFDJ1cqS5FsL6LR_ht_2gjin8G8eJT4Ink6Ie5aIRgSdZEI6Mnhw4/s1600/bigstock-World-social-media-network-19958630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbX11Hn9wZqvnqQ8mFVigONMJGP5zOla9y6nwOMUnqvyOVctpUCFIxMy0lPvrdjrL4qjnLDP4elpuaGoW64z8FjXRFDJ1cqS5FsL6LR_ht_2gjin8G8eJT4Ink6Ie5aIRgSdZEI6Mnhw4/s320/bigstock-World-social-media-network-19958630.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Please learn from my humiliation. Cat barf and pornographic yoga poses don't belong in the stream of a professional and neither should you share it if a big guy sits next to you and makes a intestinal noise that would cause middle school boys to go into hysterics. If you have to talk about those things, join <a href="https://path.com/" target="_blank">Path </a>and friend just a few close people who love you enough to even share the more personal things about your life.<br /><br />The easiest way to negate your nobility is to throw mud on yourself.<br /><br />Yes, be a real person. You can share some about your life. But the unsavory and potentially disgusting parts of your life should be kept private. Your short lived desire for someone out there to hear and understand your situation isn't worth the long term impact you can have on your professional image if the wrong person is looking at your stream at the wrong time.<br /><br />I'm so lucky that the person who I disappointed respected me enough to tell me I screwed up so I could learn a hard lesson. Don't say that you've never done it because you might have but just didn't know.<br /><br />Tweet well and prosper.<br /><br /><br />Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-32532500/stock-photo-blue-bird" target="_blank">Big Stock</a>, may not be used without licensing from Big Stock<br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=97f52c4b-b5e5-4ba8-b2d1-89ce5b982f56" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

Think Before You Tweet

Today on social media I saw someone write gritty, gross details of her cat's stomach ailment and another person described the moves that...

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the souvenir treatment

As you might have guessed, I like to do a little bit of <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/09/thrifting-thru-south.html" target="_blank">shopping on vacation</a>. (last vacation related post, promise) But I never really gravitate toward souvenir type things. We've already got enough crap at home, we don't need any additional t-shirts or koozie holders.<br /><br />But there is one exception. Sea shells. For some weird reason I'm wicked psycho about seashells. It is physically not possible for me to walk down the beach without bending over every two steps to pick up a shell. It's great cardio. I even have a type of shell that I look for each year - this year was sand dollars. (told you - psycho much?!)<br /><br />This means however that each year, at the end of our annual beach trip, I have a huge basket of seashells that I can't bring myself to leave behind. So I also pick up these old glass canisters from the local architectural salvage thinking I'll store all my shells like some awesome organized person.<br /><br />And each year they sit in the garage of some awesome unorganized person.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOH8N0NZ67vAEczalWkFnlalTXLAdXn9gXquPA1fXneCH_YcNa05xvuTCCWYcMgcPB6DY3qoW4hdm6I0jyU_VWSW4evKfPSZ3CW9MDRPTs6ATCaZ8IxOLdJTBnvIvItgEyiNpZV5uhW2_/s1600/AntiqueJars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOH8N0NZ67vAEczalWkFnlalTXLAdXn9gXquPA1fXneCH_YcNa05xvuTCCWYcMgcPB6DY3qoW4hdm6I0jyU_VWSW4evKfPSZ3CW9MDRPTs6ATCaZ8IxOLdJTBnvIvItgEyiNpZV5uhW2_/s640/AntiqueJars.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />So this year, damn it, I was going to get these things cleaned and put in their place.<br /><br />First things first, I followed <a href="http://www.seashells.org/cleaningseashells.html" target="_blank">these steps</a> to clean the shells. I had to do them in batches and they took forever to dry, but otherwise not hard at all.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3rCJaRALryL67XjrBBYUnZ0Tijae8CQTXsX9AWr9ACbOR5XuPBYx6doPsr7LjJtCrj6PzecAdGy1OrMzHgLXh0Joi7f1Tc9M-E2IfVtSCe_GStr28T3vCh7SlQ37Fr2rF-IgXZZDkoB_/s1600/CleanShells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3rCJaRALryL67XjrBBYUnZ0Tijae8CQTXsX9AWr9ACbOR5XuPBYx6doPsr7LjJtCrj6PzecAdGy1OrMzHgLXh0Joi7f1Tc9M-E2IfVtSCe_GStr28T3vCh7SlQ37Fr2rF-IgXZZDkoB_/s640/CleanShells.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I wanted to add a label to mark each year but I didn't want to stick or spray anything on the canisters. So I went to Michael's and picked up some labels Martha made some for me, and grabbed the twine from the garage. (which ironically was right next the the shells on the shelf)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBTpaMwuPfG1ZEa3oyZIGEpfgg4HkGAwF_iszkGu-uayXlh7ITVpYeoMUe7NEIwWendm4ZzxVMC7vp2RVjOvxaval1dVG0tjOb8c_kzg0FEzsEEcAvbtXEj37TRqGFdwFuTqGYjt36fT7/s1600/supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBTpaMwuPfG1ZEa3oyZIGEpfgg4HkGAwF_iszkGu-uayXlh7ITVpYeoMUe7NEIwWendm4ZzxVMC7vp2RVjOvxaval1dVG0tjOb8c_kzg0FEzsEEcAvbtXEj37TRqGFdwFuTqGYjt36fT7/s400/supplies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I didn't want anything to precious or perfect but rather relaxed and easy - just like vacation. So I just wrote the year on each label and tied them around the top of the jar with the twine.<br /><br />Voila.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowwyiy0h9a8HRh4rZH0Dt2JzbIUJbxHmprGyEaueqv8tBGCD6vf9xwFuLRvidGY4qRWodPbtko_CflsyZBI1MCsZSgMTL6fM6XhRrunGgin_efOZK-04-noznGql8aOR36wUSwW9iNab7/s1600/seashellcloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowwyiy0h9a8HRh4rZH0Dt2JzbIUJbxHmprGyEaueqv8tBGCD6vf9xwFuLRvidGY4qRWodPbtko_CflsyZBI1MCsZSgMTL6fM6XhRrunGgin_efOZK-04-noznGql8aOR36wUSwW9iNab7/s640/seashellcloseup.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Each year lined up and ready to go.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGZbjU_JvK2bYxqGMWqTpC_vlzfK61zGHepKSRBpd8sZPgeX2xAKkgEpNjdoBWTjktJR02LWF6HqBwP3WJaKcMzKTwLix813T3_o48SxuuIOdduM5PDenqIGEKLk2AWDWfl_nRvCOVD_3/s1600/seashellsdone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGZbjU_JvK2bYxqGMWqTpC_vlzfK61zGHepKSRBpd8sZPgeX2xAKkgEpNjdoBWTjktJR02LWF6HqBwP3WJaKcMzKTwLix813T3_o48SxuuIOdduM5PDenqIGEKLk2AWDWfl_nRvCOVD_3/s640/seashellsdone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />For now they are living on the bookshelves in the <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/p/basement.html" target="_blank">family room</a> so I can look at them while I watch TV and remember good times. (the trips, not the tv show) Dynomite!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMwZU6WnNcklsVCJg426KE2WM3sh4KLJmwvXsTM_Z8UmQEzhA08s2kkIF4vA2jYE5Wei2MGuvDWymAC0LHQMRzQK9dNjM22odGfAMCywtSMttIaNXNdK6KjJckHIya3TjnS3MzqM1xO7G/s1600/seashellbookcase2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMwZU6WnNcklsVCJg426KE2WM3sh4KLJmwvXsTM_Z8UmQEzhA08s2kkIF4vA2jYE5Wei2MGuvDWymAC0LHQMRzQK9dNjM22odGfAMCywtSMttIaNXNdK6KjJckHIya3TjnS3MzqM1xO7G/s640/seashellbookcase2.jpg" width="590" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">btw - I HATE taking pictures in the basement. Crap lighting.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />What do you bring back from vacation? Does it end up in the closet? Have you found a special place for it?<br /><br />

the souvenir treatment

As you might have guessed, I like to do a little bit of shopping on vacation . (last vacation related post, promise) But I never really grav...

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 09/28/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/233980/the-casual-vacancy-5-reactions-to-jk-rowlings-adult-oriented-novel">The Casual Vacancy: 5 reactions to J.K. Rowling's adult-oriented novel - The Week</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">JK Rowling as a new adult fiction book amidst mixed reviews.</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/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/literature">literature</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/authors">authors</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>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 09/28/2012

The Casual Vacancy: 5 reactions to J.K. Rowling's adult-oriented novel - The Week JK Rowling as ...

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Arthurs Day/Marketers Day?!

<span style="font-size: large;">Really enjoyed "Tuesdays with Morrie" last night.  Thought it was an excellent production.  In particular I thought that Terry Byrne who played Morrie was brilliant.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">On the way home we drove through the city and up Camden Street.  It was crazy!!!  The Village had a live band on for Arthurs Day and 2FM were there recording it.  Every pub on the street was packed and there were people all over the place, even walking on the road. Traffic had come to a complete standstill.  </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I think Arthur's Day has only been celebrated for the last few years - the cynic in me is beginning to see it as just one big marketing opportunity even though it is great for all of those less well known bands who get to play in all of the great venues all over Dublin.  </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I think the whole concept of Arthur's Day just leaves me a little cold. </span>

Arthurs Day/Marketers Day?!

Really enjoyed "Tuesdays with Morrie" last night.  Thought it was an excellent production.  In particular I thought that Terry Byr...

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The Captivating Teacher Manifesto

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtdwG6D7FaY9JhRT48atpplOLPZ8O5vt_X_aiaT4hxN9QZJfeITWNGGbO4byyeZV8PXO-5pnxAf6DmCa-DXeyKktGmxADJAO0t2lTZnrIjPy2qWE5DhCprWf0AFvC5aDmGrKICiO6vpTg/s1600/bigstock-Digital-Age-Concept-1668013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtdwG6D7FaY9JhRT48atpplOLPZ8O5vt_X_aiaT4hxN9QZJfeITWNGGbO4byyeZV8PXO-5pnxAf6DmCa-DXeyKktGmxADJAO0t2lTZnrIjPy2qWE5DhCprWf0AFvC5aDmGrKICiO6vpTg/s640/bigstock-Digital-Age-Concept-1668013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I want to be captivating. I want to entrance students with my subject. I want students fascinated to walk into my classroom.<br /><br /><b>I am the teacher of THIS subject. </b>I can't make all their subjects captivating, that isn't my job. I can speak of the importance of English, Math, Science, History and pull a little into my topic, but<b> I will make my class one they want to come to.</b><br /><b><br /></b><b>I will be that teacher who captivates them. </b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVouclyeoAlDktbFVYeJXzgDXV3Oz3oq8WHbtmvQmC29-IA6Fx0fOYt8jqdQR1xTFDz_tugLa1wA7DdO-BsWpkiYg-0XHcUYEjXococcIOmaHEs92cbu__7mdgPPgGlXD2gc-uMBbmRmV/s1600/bigstock-Camp-Fire-At-Night-Flame-And--1821425+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVouclyeoAlDktbFVYeJXzgDXV3Oz3oq8WHbtmvQmC29-IA6Fx0fOYt8jqdQR1xTFDz_tugLa1wA7DdO-BsWpkiYg-0XHcUYEjXococcIOmaHEs92cbu__7mdgPPgGlXD2gc-uMBbmRmV/s320/bigstock-Camp-Fire-At-Night-Flame-And--1821425+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b>When I see the spark in their eyes, I will fan it with my energy, excitement, and education in the subject until it flames into a bonfire that will never go out.</b><br /><br />I will drive myself to be interesting and interested in what interests my students. I will be on top of my game and push myself to innovate more and be more.<br /><br />I will never let a filing cabinet of lesson plans determine what is next. I will take every lesson and add one innovative element and do ONE thing differently.<br /><br />I will take the lessons that I know bore students and <b>MAKE THEM BETTER.</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgSaA0qL6M5z5aoaGK66Sl8PmxkMS_PoTnI1b87CvXVwCWxtbyqlh0bvKuYCbwW6AUqNk_yKRtFN6yCsywk1MzIQatKw4jZ2PYDYcbXU6io5Xg3CSlGl8-4aCeiJ0yZ3xKslalxOzpJpI/s1600/bigstock-Six-Students-Running-Away-From-3917395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgSaA0qL6M5z5aoaGK66Sl8PmxkMS_PoTnI1b87CvXVwCWxtbyqlh0bvKuYCbwW6AUqNk_yKRtFN6yCsywk1MzIQatKw4jZ2PYDYcbXU6io5Xg3CSlGl8-4aCeiJ0yZ3xKslalxOzpJpI/s320/bigstock-Six-Students-Running-Away-From-3917395.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I will take those lessons that get students EXCITED and figure out what it is about those lessons and<b> DO THAT MORE.</b><br /><br />I'm not here to <b>ENTERTAIN </b>or <b>BABYSIT</b>, I'm here to <b>EDUCATE</b>, <b>ENGAGE </b>and <b>EXCITE </b>them about learning.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66q8rDmKk16ZDEwuJqhIHDUxAitz8a5yrnSqPqEIg5R40fEPIhK03QhVtACu25RVUTNPKKGC5jRbPGO8MZj2hUanVB6Vw7mRmANWLRmfnFcL4i9KcuS4WpmtF5hH2y7mkQIPIKgp52tYZ/s1600/bigstock-Will-you-choose-I-am-a-Winner--21747167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66q8rDmKk16ZDEwuJqhIHDUxAitz8a5yrnSqPqEIg5R40fEPIhK03QhVtACu25RVUTNPKKGC5jRbPGO8MZj2hUanVB6Vw7mRmANWLRmfnFcL4i9KcuS4WpmtF5hH2y7mkQIPIKgp52tYZ/s320/bigstock-Will-you-choose-I-am-a-Winner--21747167.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I will gamify my classroom and allow them to <b>LEVEL up their learning</b> in ways that give <b>HONEST praise</b> for ACHIEVEMENTS earned and an <b>understanding of FAILURE</b> that it is part of the learning journey, not a dead end. I will never give <b>false praise</b> or let kids lie in thinking that they are failing when they are learning. I will never say a child is learning when they are just taking up space. <b>Honesty is part of what I do.</b> Students and teachers trust my word and integrity so when I speak, everyone knows it is out of a sincere heart.<br /><br />My classroom will be <b>a safe place</b> of mutual respect, common sense, and discipline. It won't feel like a toboggan ride down a virgin hillside, but an intentional trek on a <b>journey of discovery</b>.<br /><br />When I see the spark, I'll see the possibility another flame has begun.<br />When I see my students hurry to class, I'll know I've won. <br />When they are so <b>excited </b>that they are teaching me and each other more than I'm teaching them, I'll know I'm done.<br /><br />They have been captivated and are becoming captivating teachers themselves.<br />I don't make students, I inspire teachers, leaders, and thinkers to make themselves more.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu74bf502lEiAbz91QXmxj1Vymuzv22bjwrwrxfffissR2dAVB9ap1r9lygEE80e_fBEukVPkB31my0UsvFnvmWG8Uemxu3neDtjtSG9Kf2HGPbmBucYmIZygeBNcmW0gzC-7lOpXL_4a/s1600/bigstock-Hand-Raised-Among-Others-Hands-4275615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu74bf502lEiAbz91QXmxj1Vymuzv22bjwrwrxfffissR2dAVB9ap1r9lygEE80e_fBEukVPkB31my0UsvFnvmWG8Uemxu3neDtjtSG9Kf2HGPbmBucYmIZygeBNcmW0gzC-7lOpXL_4a/s320/bigstock-Hand-Raised-Among-Others-Hands-4275615.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I don't make copies in school, I make <b>originals</b>.<br />My students aren't numbers, they are individuals.<br /><br />Each one has a unique mystique that I will use to pique their interest in a personalized way.<br /><br />While I teach among fantastic teachers, I have to teach like I'm the only <b>excited, professional</b> teacher that they will see all day. Not every teacher relates to every student. I will fall flat on some of them, but  I will work at being captivating, I am the only classroom I can control. I am the only teacher teaching this subject this year.<br /><br />Being captivating starts with lighting my own fire of learning, love, and longing every day.<br />I will <b>learn something</b> new every day.<br />I will <b>love </b>my students.<br />I will long to be the teacher who doesn't give up, gives all she has, and gives kids <b>hope </b>for their future.<br /><br />I will capture my own negative attitudes, trite platitudes, and wobbly incertitudes and turn them into<br />grateful <b>gratitude</b>, unstoppable <b>aptitude</b>, and a determined <b>mood </b>as I<br />and conclude that <b>my students will not delude me or elude me</b>!<br /><br />I will do whatever it takes to <b>reach </b>them, <b>teach </b>them, and <b>touch </b>them.<br />They are made in God's image and deserve my <b>respect</b>. I will be the <b>captivating</b>, <b>loving</b>, <b>unstopping </b>teacher that I want my own children to have.<br /><br />My classroom isn't about me, my convenience, or my own way - it is about my <b>students</b>. It is always about my students.<br /><br />I don't expect them to love me. I don't yearn for popularity. I want a <b>reputation</b>. A reputation for being <b>fair</b>, for loving my <b>subject </b>and for <b>loving </b>them.<br /><br />They are children and I am an adult. I have <b>control </b>over my emotions and can choose my response to life. I'll flee any lunchroom, locker room, or teacher's room that zaps my <b>energy </b>and <b>attitude </b>with negativity.<br /><br />I'll pray every day and look for new ways to reach these kids.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkND2fTgvwRa5kOlVCgs3PoQOGn3_HEEl2pYppsmG2YqK7RnVcDnsrHPmsJl4-DMVzECF06t8b5FuEoxmC-ewUXTApjlh4wGU_TZwGzmsTIBHKr6_rzmPg8MN-6rJb2w-bgn4BGuMfgKxH/s1600/bigstock-Student-collage-27335630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkND2fTgvwRa5kOlVCgs3PoQOGn3_HEEl2pYppsmG2YqK7RnVcDnsrHPmsJl4-DMVzECF06t8b5FuEoxmC-ewUXTApjlh4wGU_TZwGzmsTIBHKr6_rzmPg8MN-6rJb2w-bgn4BGuMfgKxH/s320/bigstock-Student-collage-27335630.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />These precious students are mine<br />I'll <b>love </b>them all the time<br />To <b>teach </b>them things they couldn't<br />and lots of things they wouldn't<br />have ever done without me,<br />a teacher, the modern <b>nobility</b>.<br /><br /><br /><br />Photo Credits: <a href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/download/bid-1435357/" target="_blank">Big Stock</a>, used under license. No permission for reuse.<br /><br /><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=efaba677-cacd-487a-9fc5-77e453a4dac7" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

The Captivating Teacher Manifesto

I want to be captivating. I want to entrance students with my subject. I want students fascinated to walk into my classroom. I am the teache...

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paint a rug party - week 2

I <i>should</i> be giving an update on my progress (<a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/09/paint-rug-party-week-1.html" target="_blank">click here</a> if you missed last week). But really I'm going to use each and every one of you for your brilliant and creative minds to help me make a decision.<br /><br />I can't decide on a color combo. Am I going:<br /><br />1.Navy/White<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6os8HhlOdk9Dx_uqqfw8CTbGvfBtPPrJpsraKoySsaaxcR2hyphenhyphen2Y961FhG9wQmWoqh4ckSlD-he-LcwDd8xVkBmDQngLVyQjvze4fYIGcKSJUupKNz72fJ-7AoYGG6xiOlXG0uqHU-5u3O/s1600/oldnavy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6os8HhlOdk9Dx_uqqfw8CTbGvfBtPPrJpsraKoySsaaxcR2hyphenhyphen2Y961FhG9wQmWoqh4ckSlD-he-LcwDd8xVkBmDQngLVyQjvze4fYIGcKSJUupKNz72fJ-7AoYGG6xiOlXG0uqHU-5u3O/s200/oldnavy.jpg" width="161" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXw2TLVlJnYL7Rg6ms_07PwexrhkzvyJEjJGJTHDhZvX8cILbeOIbjQu3R3YYTGHGXFHKUprV7hr2bQxa4e2bcNt5gHFBNM9cDHNGZLvEZ9DxQMZG0X77dMH_Qg1cqvsUV-H2ZKAptr5p/s1600/white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXw2TLVlJnYL7Rg6ms_07PwexrhkzvyJEjJGJTHDhZvX8cILbeOIbjQu3R3YYTGHGXFHKUprV7hr2bQxa4e2bcNt5gHFBNM9cDHNGZLvEZ9DxQMZG0X77dMH_Qg1cqvsUV-H2ZKAptr5p/s200/white.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Raspberry/White</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_m4SJJQtHM_T5SPVQ-8z6vpdvKiV3gv2LvHKPLkq05MDvkHbcxDzi547Mo2zSMUjlUDM-u5bag3zVWRgzz3kx4Vy72nfSdBk8BcqdedPwKXof4BbGvrJYj9ZnTAtOUVyciHAek9ZLuUV/s1600/pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_m4SJJQtHM_T5SPVQ-8z6vpdvKiV3gv2LvHKPLkq05MDvkHbcxDzi547Mo2zSMUjlUDM-u5bag3zVWRgzz3kx4Vy72nfSdBk8BcqdedPwKXof4BbGvrJYj9ZnTAtOUVyciHAek9ZLuUV/s200/pink.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXw2TLVlJnYL7Rg6ms_07PwexrhkzvyJEjJGJTHDhZvX8cILbeOIbjQu3R3YYTGHGXFHKUprV7hr2bQxa4e2bcNt5gHFBNM9cDHNGZLvEZ9DxQMZG0X77dMH_Qg1cqvsUV-H2ZKAptr5p/s1600/white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXw2TLVlJnYL7Rg6ms_07PwexrhkzvyJEjJGJTHDhZvX8cILbeOIbjQu3R3YYTGHGXFHKUprV7hr2bQxa4e2bcNt5gHFBNM9cDHNGZLvEZ9DxQMZG0X77dMH_Qg1cqvsUV-H2ZKAptr5p/s200/white.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Or, wait for it </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Navy/Raspberry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6os8HhlOdk9Dx_uqqfw8CTbGvfBtPPrJpsraKoySsaaxcR2hyphenhyphen2Y961FhG9wQmWoqh4ckSlD-he-LcwDd8xVkBmDQngLVyQjvze4fYIGcKSJUupKNz72fJ-7AoYGG6xiOlXG0uqHU-5u3O/s1600/oldnavy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6os8HhlOdk9Dx_uqqfw8CTbGvfBtPPrJpsraKoySsaaxcR2hyphenhyphen2Y961FhG9wQmWoqh4ckSlD-he-LcwDd8xVkBmDQngLVyQjvze4fYIGcKSJUupKNz72fJ-7AoYGG6xiOlXG0uqHU-5u3O/s200/oldnavy.jpg" width="161" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_m4SJJQtHM_T5SPVQ-8z6vpdvKiV3gv2LvHKPLkq05MDvkHbcxDzi547Mo2zSMUjlUDM-u5bag3zVWRgzz3kx4Vy72nfSdBk8BcqdedPwKXof4BbGvrJYj9ZnTAtOUVyciHAek9ZLuUV/s1600/pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_m4SJJQtHM_T5SPVQ-8z6vpdvKiV3gv2LvHKPLkq05MDvkHbcxDzi547Mo2zSMUjlUDM-u5bag3zVWRgzz3kx4Vy72nfSdBk8BcqdedPwKXof4BbGvrJYj9ZnTAtOUVyciHAek9ZLuUV/s200/pink.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Again, here is the pattern.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_ARTKEjC8fh3_DGqNhrTgITy9WU3HJ0wCi8eu6-4_Q9anLFxN5dQe1E19aI0FZ7-q61H0i8vjNVtTQN3V9RZmIsnn6DO1dKXWu7_b0843KkYBiJa-I3K1onIm_upnC7_KX5OO8R22ZLb/s1600/21.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_ARTKEjC8fh3_DGqNhrTgITy9WU3HJ0wCi8eu6-4_Q9anLFxN5dQe1E19aI0FZ7-q61H0i8vjNVtTQN3V9RZmIsnn6DO1dKXWu7_b0843KkYBiJa-I3K1onIm_upnC7_KX5OO8R22ZLb/s400/21.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a small rug, that will be used in the foyer or possibly the kitchen. And it is by no means precious or expensive, so I figure why not have fun with it. What's the worst that could happen...right?</div><br />So cast your vote - 1, 2 or 3?<br /><br />And be sure to check in with all the other lovelies who I'm sure are farther ahead on their rugs than I am.<br /><br /><br /><div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Chinoiserie Chic</a></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://designdumonde.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Design du Monde</a></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.designpostdaily.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Design Post Interiors</a></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://thejunkhouse.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">The Junk House</a></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://mybestfriendcraig.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">My Best Friend Cr</a><a href="http://mybestfriendcraig.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">aig</a></span></div><span class="HOEnZb" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #888888;"><div style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://mycraftyhomelife.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">My Crafty Home Life</a></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.pawleysislandposh.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Pawleys Island Posh</a></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://blog.thepinkpagoda.us/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">The Pink Pagoda</a></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://roomrx.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Room Rx</a></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://seekersbazaar.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Seekers Bazaar</a></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><a href="http://simpledetailsblog.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Simple Details</a><br clear="all" /><div><a href="http://trappedinnorthjersey.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Trapped In North Jersey</a></div></span></div></span></span></span></span>

paint a rug party - week 2

I should be giving an update on my progress ( click here if you missed last week). But really I'm going to use each and every one of y...

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 09/27/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://teachingwithsoul.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/mentoring-monday-get-the-new-twitter-profile-page/">Mentoring Monday: Get the New Twitter Profile Page | Teaching with Soul</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">There is a new setup for the Twitter profile page. Here are instructions on how to set this up for yourself.</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/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/twitter">twitter</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>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 09/27/2012

Mentoring Monday: Get the New Twitter Profile Page | Teaching with Soul There is a new setup for the...

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Ticket Giveaway this Sunday for "Lawrence of Arabia 50th Anniversary Event" on October 4th

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxtp7O6hoA8LMv71pMkExfAM2_r1084cC2b8zg9Nga_BsjUESpe8c7xhecULuIpNJxJLVG4Nw4deKFukXC9dUsfUyCrjuWdWTMqRLtN4tq3D0VWZ1mGbT3WPzpXhqRa-5PL0AFOzF7oQ/s1600/Lawrence+of+Arabia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxtp7O6hoA8LMv71pMkExfAM2_r1084cC2b8zg9Nga_BsjUESpe8c7xhecULuIpNJxJLVG4Nw4deKFukXC9dUsfUyCrjuWdWTMqRLtN4tq3D0VWZ1mGbT3WPzpXhqRa-5PL0AFOzF7oQ/s1600/Lawrence+of+Arabia.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The 35^th Academy Awards ceremony, honoring the films of 1962, took place at Santa Monica's Civic Auditorium on April 8^th, 1963. Frank Sinatra, who nearly missed the event because he forgot his parking pass, hosted the festivities. The big winner that evening was David Lean’s epic production of <i>Lawrence of Arabia</i>, winner of seven golden</span></span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> statuettes - for:</span></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Best Picture</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Best Director</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Art Direction/color </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cinematography/color</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Film Editing</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Music Score </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sound</span></span></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The film also garnered nominations for Peter O’Toole in the Best Actor category, Omar Sharif as Best Supporting Actor and for its screenplay.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1962 was not a mediocre movie year - among other notable films that season were <i>The Birdman of Alcatraz</i>, <i>Cape Fear</i>, <i>Days of Wine and Roses</i>, <i>Dr. No </i>(the first James Bond film), G<i>ypsy</i>, <i>How the West Was Won </i>(one of only two dramatic feature films made using the three-strip Cinerama process), <i>Jules and Jim</i>, <i>To Kill a Mockingbird, Knife in the Water</i>, <i>Lolita</i>, <i>The Longest Day</i>, <i>The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance</i>, <i>The Manchurian Candidate</i>, <i>The Miracle Worker</i>, The<i> Music Man</i> and <i>Ride the High Country</i>. Lean’s sweeping tale, filmed in Super Panavision 70 and based on the legendary experiences of British Army lieutenant T.E. Lawrence in Arabia during World War I, became a legend in its own right and is today listed as #7 on the AFI’s “100 Greatest Movies of All Time.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now, in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the film's release<i></i>, Sony Pictures and Fathom Events presents <i>Lawrence of Arabia 50^th Anniversary Event: Digitally Restored</i> in theaters on Thursday, October 4. The 50^th anniversary restoration of the Director’s Cut was conducted with the latest digital imaging technology and went through a painstaking color grading and re-mastering process. This special event presentation features an introduction by Omar Sharif, newsreel footage of the film’s New York premiere as well as an interview with director and film preservation/restoration champion Martin Scorsese who talks about the film and its enduring influence.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Update: Congratulations to Lorraine in Illinois, winner of the ticket giveaway!</b></span></span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On Sunday, September 30, I’ll conduct a random drawing for a pair of tickets to the one-day-only screening. Please send your entry, including your <span style="color: blue;">name</span>, <span style="color: blue;">mailing address</span> (no P.O. boxes, please) and <span style="color: blue;">theater selection</span> (for a list of participating theaters, <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><a href="http://www.fathomevents.com/upcoming/alllocations.aspx?eventid=1134">click here</a></b></span>) to <b><a href="mailto:ladyevesidwich@gmail.com">ladyevesidwich@gmail.com</a></b>. The winner will be notified immediately and tickets will be sent directly from Pure Brand Communications. This special presentation of <i>Lawrence of Arabia </i> screens at 7pm local time on October 4 in theaters nationwide.</span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3987pwNzC24" width="560"></iframe> </div></div>

Lawrence of Arabia The Lady Eve (author) Ticket Giveaway this Sunday for "Lawrence of Arabia 50th Anniversary Event" on October 4th

The 35 th Academy Awards ceremony, honoring the films of 1962, took place at Santa Monica's Civic Auditorium on April 8 th , 1963. Fran...

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Today's archidose #621

Here are some photos of "<a href="http://thedesertforest.com/">The Desert Forest</a>" at <a href="http://www.burningman.com/">Burning Man</a> in Black Rock City, <s>Arizona</s> Nevada, by Phoenix, (2012), photographed by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/red_gloww/">Ben Lepley</a>. More information on the installation can be found at <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/918828755/the-desert-forest-burning-man-2012">Kickstarter</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/red_gloww/8000043673/" title="the desert forest by Ben Lepley +_+, on Flickr"><img alt="the desert forest" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8437/8000043673_96cea75e65_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/red_gloww/7998347690/" title="The Desert Forest by Ben Lepley +_+, on Flickr"><img alt="The Desert Forest" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/7998347690_0831390575_c.jpg" width="630" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/red_gloww/8000051458/" title="the desert forest by Ben Lepley +_+, on Flickr"><img alt="the desert forest" height="509" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8036/8000051458_26ef332cd2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/red_gloww/7998426706/" title="The Desert Forest by Ben Lepley +_+, on Flickr"><img alt="The Desert Forest" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8303/7998426706_f7690c0c12_c.jpg" width="541" /></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 #621

Here are some photos of " The Desert Forest " at Burning Man in Black Rock City, Arizona Nevada, by Phoenix, (2012), photographe...

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And You Think That You Have Had Some Wacky Dreams!?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As many of you know, I have been under the weather of late, not eating, and have been downing cold/sore throat pills by the gross, and sleeping…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxBe6y0VUqrhUbJAfq_9E-iXa1xy_t5DiH-Bx_BjcFKt-3IFz8Tl5CA27gKwYGDUYrHty7PHO5OPfw_RRZkBTo5R0zhfQl16wfLRH58FSkuyaEGVcJePcSwRSiE57ZtyPWQwV_T6ZOtc/s1600/sleeping+on+the+couch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxBe6y0VUqrhUbJAfq_9E-iXa1xy_t5DiH-Bx_BjcFKt-3IFz8Tl5CA27gKwYGDUYrHty7PHO5OPfw_RRZkBTo5R0zhfQl16wfLRH58FSkuyaEGVcJePcSwRSiE57ZtyPWQwV_T6ZOtc/s400/sleeping+on+the+couch.jpg" width="400" /></a>A Lot!!<br /><br />I bet that over the last 72 hours I have, and I’m not exaggerating, slept 48-50 hours, and…<br /><br />When you combine the illness, along with the no food, the drugs, and the sleep, strange things are bound to happen, and strange things have happened to me, in the form of the unbelievable dreams I have had during this period of an over zealous sleep cycle.<br /><br />Now dig it…<br /><br />These crazy dreams began Sunday night, when I dreamt that Mitt Romney went on national TV, it may have been 60 Minutes, and declared to the nation that it was more than fair for him to pay a lower tax rate than a family making 50,000 a year because when rich people like him pay a lower rate, they invest, spur growth, and create jobs.<br /><br />Ha, IKR!!?  Tell me that ain’t some whacked out Salvador Dali type of a dream.<br /><br />I mean c’mon, you’d have to be a totally out of touch asshole and worthless Presidential candidate to say that on national TV.  Ha…I woke up to go the bathroom after that, and peed all the floor I was laughing so hard.<br /><br />And Monday night?  Oh Dear God, Monday night I went to sleep for good at about 11:15.  The dreams I had between then, and 9:30 Monday morning.  You can’t make this shit up.<br /><br />I was dreaming that I was officiating the Green Bay/Seattle football game.  I was standing in the end zone watching a scrum of players go up for a last second Hail Mary pass.  Not only did I miss a blatant offensive pass interference call, I ruled that the guy who didn’t actually catch the ball, actually did…and for a game winning TD no less.<br /><br />Can you imagine the furor that would take place over something like that if it happened in an actual NFL game on Monday Night Football?  Oh My…I shudder to think.<br /><br />Tuesday morning after waking, falling back to sleep, and evidently still thinking about the botched call dream from earlier, I had a dream about Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.  It was pretty damn funny.<br /><br />They were talking about how they were outraged by the replacement refs, and wanted the real, unionized refs back on the field officiating NFL games.<br /><br />I got up to take a shower, and was chuckling the entire time thinking…<br /><br /><i>“Romney and Ryan calling for the return of Union employees? You’re losing your mind Mahoney; you’d better eat something.”</i><br /><br />Well I still had no appetite, but I did get good news in the form that I didn’t have to go into work, so what did I do?  That’s right, I laid on the couch, and within a few minutes, was sound asleep and once again dreaming.<br /><br />My first dream?  I dreamed that Schmoop came home early, with not only beer for her, but two Vitamin Waters for me, and then proceeded to pre-make dinner for me should I decide to eat later.  Ha!!  Yeah right, like that would ever happen!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRpZSjTpR_QGlxcRuy3K-Cx38i8DKaM4J1wZxlAUjdXnI4WNUnvqyZ0ZC9mI4pSDdY5XmQ3-mlVSXj_SdlipJB8QLEcOo0FbEbmuhsNaFvYKSE6A3MkMOMO8zqwrvhS5smqRY06weyKQ/s1600/Romney+Ryan+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRpZSjTpR_QGlxcRuy3K-Cx38i8DKaM4J1wZxlAUjdXnI4WNUnvqyZ0ZC9mI4pSDdY5XmQ3-mlVSXj_SdlipJB8QLEcOo0FbEbmuhsNaFvYKSE6A3MkMOMO8zqwrvhS5smqRY06weyKQ/s400/Romney+Ryan+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And then listen, no seriously, I actually had dream about this…it was so freaking surreal.<br /><br />I had a somnolent vision of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan standing before a crowd at the Dayton International Airport, and the crowd assembled begins chanting, <i>“Ryan!! Ryan!! Ryan!!”</i><br /><br />Ha!!  And only after Romney tells the crowd...<br /><i><br /></i><i>“No, No, It’s…Romney/Ryan!! Romney/Ryan!! Romney/Ryan!!”</i> do they say, <i>“Okay, whatever.”</i>, and then chant softly, but politely, <i>“Romney/Ryan.”</i><br /><br />People often say that truth is stranger than fiction, but I’m telling you, truth would have to be pretty damn strange to top the dreams I have had the last few days.<br /><br /><i>Cheers!!</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Matt-Man</i><br /><i><a href="mailto:mattmaniws@ymail.com">mattmaniws@ymail.com</a></i><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: blue;">@MattMan_IWS</span></i></a></div>

And You Think That You Have Had Some Wacky Dreams!?

As many of you know, I have been under the weather of late, not eating, and have been downing cold/sore throat pills by the gross, and sleep...

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Mitt Romney: This is Easy!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hola voters! As you know on Monday of this week I sat down for a very special, in depth interview with President Obama. Because we are always fair and balanced here at IWS, we offered GOP nominee Governor Mitt Romney the same opportunity. Luckily we are part of the 53% of interview requests he agrees to.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6JU1ZAvaQPLT23U0CEJpHdJVpfSGjQ7JzkI0xI_SjnreLeApWK_7-9KzaffZtXjbbKOsrrPXfobEAB03Q-Ms_PGoXC5UPmv72xA6bkBTEg_JX38-9YD7cJajHL6SwRJIpV-4zWH6CC0/s1600/mitt-romney-money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6JU1ZAvaQPLT23U0CEJpHdJVpfSGjQ7JzkI0xI_SjnreLeApWK_7-9KzaffZtXjbbKOsrrPXfobEAB03Q-Ms_PGoXC5UPmv72xA6bkBTEg_JX38-9YD7cJajHL6SwRJIpV-4zWH6CC0/s320/mitt-romney-money.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Jay: Governor Romney, let’s get right to it. A few days ago pres…</b><br /><br />Mitt: I’m sorry to interrupt but, are you sure this neighborhood is safe. I’m pretty sure I saw a young colored man while walking to your apartment.<br /><br /><b>Jay: Oh don’t worry. It’s perfectly safe. Besides, it’s daytime.  Aaaand the secret service guys are outside.</b><br /><br />Mitt: Okay then.<br /><br /><b>Jay: The other day President Obama sat in that same chair and basically said that the majority of the economic problems are George W. Bush’s fault. Do you agree with that assessment?</b><br /><br />Matt: Of course not! That’s just plain crazy. President Obama inherited an economy that had strong fundamentals and turning things around should have been easy and straight forward. He should be creating 600,000 jobs a month without even breaking a sweat.<br /><br /><b>Jay: 600,000? That’s a big number!</b><br /><br />Mitt: Well, look at what a great job President Bush did overall. He inherited an economy that had just suffered the shock of 9/11 under Clinton. He picked up all the pieces and put it all back together. The only thing that he wasn’t able to do was lift the huge burden of regulation from Wall Street in time to avoid a downturn there at the end of his presidency. That of course was because he had a democratic congress to deal with.<br /><br /><b>Jay: Uh … Okay. Anyway, we’ll move on. Governor, you have made the claim that you will balance the budget without any real pain or sacrifice on the part of the American people. How are you going to do that?</b><br /><br />Mitt: Well, that’s not exactly what I’ve promised. I have said that I’m going to bring austerity to poor and working class and even some middle class Americans who, quite frankly, have it a bit too good right now. These people are going to have to finally pay their fair share.<br /><br /><b>Jay: Okay, so how do you balance the budget then?</b><br /><br />Mitt: I’m just gonna do what Ronald Reagan did. I’m going to cut taxes, restore the military to its previous greatness and bring the economy back to ITS greatness and the budget will be balance purely through economic growth and the creation of millions and millions of new jobs.<br /><br /><b>Jay: But, you can’t do that without some spending cuts, right? What would you cut?</b><br /><br />Mitt: We’re gonna cut funding for Planned Parenthood, the National Endowment for the Arts and start running commercials on PBS. That should be enough.<br /><br /><b>Jay: Riiiiiight. Okay, let’s try foreign policy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a powerful speech at the U.N. today. You have been very critical of Obama’s handling of Iran and what you believe to be his lack of support for Israel. How would things be different in a Romney administration?</b><br /><br />Mitt: My relationship with Israel is so good that the people of Israel and American Jews are starting to call me Mittanyahu! Hey-OOOOOOO!  Heh.  Anyway, I understand that since Obama is a Muslim he is naturally unfriendly to Israel, but I think he just needs to face reality.<br /><br /><b>Jay: And that reality is?</b><br /><br />Mitt: Well, he started a war with the wrong country. He went into Iraq when he should have launched an attack on Iran. Simple.<br /><br /><b>Jay: *Stares in disbelief* Governor, I think there are few holes in your … um … facts.</b><br /><br />Mitt: Nope. I don’t think so. Hey look, I gotta skedaddle. We’ve got the family jet warming up at the Boone County International Airport, so I need to go. Ann and I have reservations at Per Se in New York. We’re having dinner with Donald Trump. Exciting huh!?<br /><br /><b>Jay: Oh yeah! Lots of fun. Thanks for your time Governor.</b><br /><br />Okay, there you go. We’ve got a couple of straight shooters running for president huh? I hope these two interviews this week have helped you make up your mind.<br /><br />Jayman<br /><a href="mailto:Jayman3768@gmail.com">Jayman3768@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayman_iws" target="_blank">@Jayman_IWS</a><br /><br /></div>

Mitt Romney: This is Easy!

Hola voters! As you know on Monday of this week I sat down for a very special, in depth interview with President Obama. Because we are alway...

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Antibiotic Prescription? It May Depend on Where You Live - NYTimes.com

A new study has found that older men and women in the South are more often prescribed antibiotics than older Americans elsewhere, even though there is no evidence that the South has higher rates of pneumonia and other diseases for which antibiotics are necessary. The findings suggest there are greater rates of antibiotic overuse in that part of the country.<br /><br><br /><br>Many experts have expressed concerns that antibiotics are being overprescribed and overused, leading to unnecessary spending on prescription medicines as well as more widespread bacterial resistance to the drugs. In the elderly, who are more likely to suffer adverse side effects and reactions from antibiotics, the health consequences can be amplified.<br /><br><br /><br>Despite this vulnerability, antibiotic use among seniors has not been as closely studied as it has been among younger Americans. So a team of researchers looked at prescribing patterns among men and women over 65 across the country, comparing rates over a period of several years and doing breakdowns quarterly. Their research, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that during a typical three-month period, about 21.4 percent of older Americans in the South used an antibiotic, compared with about 17.4 percent in the West. The rate in the Midwest was 19.2 percent, and in the Northeast it was 18.2 percent.<br /><br><br /><br>The researchers adjusted their findings for health status, demographics, insurance coverage and other differences that could have influenced the findings. Even after controlling for these variables, the rate in the South remained higher. The study was not designed to determine specifically whether antibiotics in the South are overprescribed, but the data point to overuse as a likely explanation, said Dr. Yuting Zhang, an author of the study and assistant professor of health economics at the University of Pittsburgh.<br /><br><br /><br>"We don't know the exact reason," she said, "but what we can say is that antibiotic use is higher in the South, and this is consistent with previous research that shows the quality of prescribing is poorer in the South compared to other regions."<br /><br><br /><br>Dr. Zhang and her colleagues found that there were also seasonal variations in antibiotic use. Regardless of region, antibiotic prescription rates tended to peak in the first quarter of the year, from January through March, and then drop to a nadir during the third quarter, from July through September. The seasonal peak is probably related to the rise in respiratory infections during the winter months, Dr. Zhang said. But since many people are infected by cold and flu in the winter months and these viral infections are not susceptible to antibiotics, the seasonal trends may reflect further evidence of poor prescribing patterns.<br /><br><br /><br>The findings were based on Medicare data collected from the beginning of 2007 through the end of 2009. The data was based on about one million patients per year.<br /><br><br /><br>Though antibiotic overuse remains common in all areas, one lesson from the findings is that it may be worthwhile to target the South with programs aimed at reducing unnecessary antibiotic use, Dr. Zhang and her colleagues noted, using rates in low-prescribing areas like the West as a goal.<br /><br><br /><br>An accompanying editorial from public health experts went further, calling the persistence of antibiotic overprescribing "a failure to translate national public health priorities and evidence into local practice and policies."<br /><br><br /><br>"We need to find better ways to compel individuals and organizations to address the significance of the problem of antibiotic overuse," they wrote. "Strategies to achieve transformation at these levels may need to differ substantially from the current educational approaches that have been in use among patients and clinicians thus far."<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/antibiotic-prescription-it-may-depend-on-where-you-live/?hpw">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/antibiotic-prescription-it-may-depend-on-where-you-live/?hpw</a>

Antibiotic Prescription? It May Depend on Where You Live - NYTimes.com

A new study has found that older men and women in the South are more often prescribed antibiotics than older Americans elsewhere, even thoug...

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For Veterans, a Surge of New Treatments for Trauma - NYTimes.com

Suicide is now the leading cause of death in the army. More soldiers die by suicide than in combat or vehicle accidents, and rates are rising: July, with 38 suicides among active duty and reserve soldiers, was the worst month since the Army began counting. General Lloyd Austin III, the army's second in command, called suicide "the worst enemy I have faced in my 37 years in the army." This Thursday, the Army is calling a "Suicide Stand-Down." All units will devote the day to suicide prevention.<br /><br><br /><br>There are many reasons a soldier will take his own life, but one major factor is post-traumatic stress.<br /><br><br /><br>Anyone who undergoes trauma can experience post-traumatic stress disorder — victims of rape and other crimes, family violence, a car accident. It is epidemic, however, among soldiers, especially those who see combat. People with PTSD re-experience their trauma over and over, with nightmares or flashbacks. They are hyperaroused: the slam of a car door at home can suddenly send their minds back to Iraq. And they limit their lives by avoiding things that can bring on the anxiety — driving, for instance, or being in a crowd.<br /><br><br /><br>PTSD has affected soldiers since war began, but the Vietnam War was the first in which the American military started to see it as a brain injury rather than a sign of cowardice or shirking. A study of Vietnam vets 20 years after the conflict found that a quarter of vets who served in Vietnam still had full or partial PTSD.<br /><br><br /><br>America's current wars may create even more suffering for those who fought them. In the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts soldiers have been returned to these wars again and again, and they face a deadly new weapon — improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.'s — which cause brain injuries that, terrible in themselves, also seem to intensify PTSD. "We surmise PTSD will be worse," said Dr. James Kelly, the director of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, which studies and treats the intersection of PTSD and traumatic brain injury. "Some people are on their 10th deployment. Previously, people didn't have those doses. And there are multiple blast exposures and other blunt blows to the head. This kind of thing is new to us."<br /><br><br /><br>When we think about treating PTSD, we usually picture a single patient and a psychotherapist. The two treatments in widest use are, in fact, just that: cognitive processing therapy, where patients learn to think about their experiences in a different way, and prolonged exposure, in which the therapist guides the patient through re-experiencing his trauma again and again, to teach the brain to process it differently.<br /><br><br /><br>These therapies help a lot of veterans — about 40 percent of those who go through treatment are cured. But there are many, many more suffering veterans who are not helped. It's not just that these treatments don't work for everyone — no therapy does. More important, they are not broad enough. PTSD is often accompanied by and entwined with other serious problems — depression, sleep disorders, chronic pain and substance abuse. Sometimes these resolve if the PTSD does, but often they require specific attention — which the standard PTSD therapies don't provide.<br /><br><br /><br>There is another way these treatments need broadening — they need to reach more people. The military and Veterans Affairs hospitals do not have enough psychotherapists to offer them on the necessary scale. And many soldiers are wary of psychotherapy and afraid of the stigma it carries.<br /><br><br /><br>Today, the military is fighting that stigma. The V.A. is trying to integrate mental health care into primary health care; soldiers are now routinely screened for issues like PTSD, depression or substance abuse. A public awareness campaign called AboutFace features dozens of vets talking about their PTSD and how they got better — the point is: they are people just like you. A new program calledComprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness builds in resilience training for all soldiers at every phase — pre-deployment, in theater, upon return. It seeks to make regular mental health exercises as routine for soldiers as physical training.<br /><br><br /><br>According to a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, since 2005, the Pentagon and the V.A. have greatly increased funding for PTSD research. The V.A. has added 7,500 full-time mental health staff members and trained 6,600 clinicians to do cognitive processing and prolonged exposure therapies. Starting in 2008, all large V.A. clinics were required to have mental health providers onsite. The V.A. also added more centers that offer free, confidential counseling. Mobile centers bring counselors (themselves combat vets) to rural areas where other counseling is scarce.<br /><br><br /><br>All this effort however, is falling short. Only about 10 percent of those getting mental health care in the V.A. system are veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan — a vast majority of those treated are still Vietnam veterans. But some 2.4 million soldiers have been through Iraq and Afghanistan. The RAND Corporation's Center for Military Health Policy Research did a telephone survey of vets from these conflicts and found that one-third were currently affected by PTSD or depression or report exposure to a traumatic brain injury — and about 5 percent had all three. RAND also found that only half of those who reported symptoms of major depression or PTSD had sought any treatment in the past year.<br /><br><br /><br>Individual therapy is not the only way to treat PTSD. In January, a young man with the nickname of Trin (he asked that his real name not be published) sat down in a small, drab, room at a Veterans Affairs clinic in New Orleans with nine other men. All were veterans — of Iraq, Afghanistan, Operation Desert Storm or Vietnam; Trin had served in Iraq. All had PTSD. The men took chairs facing each other around tables pushed into a square, along with two women, who were running the group.<br /><br><br /><br>The facilitators asked everyone to do three drawings: of how they felt, where they were and where they wanted to be. Trin drew himself with no facial features. The next week, the facilitators put on some music and everyone stood up, faced a wall, and bounced to it. At other sessions they took large sheets of paper and colored in their family trees, with different colors for divorces, early deaths, conflicted relationships. And at almost every meeting over 10 weeks, they practiced conscious breathing and mindfulness.<br /><br><br /><br>"When they asked us to draw and color, people were rolling their eyes," Trin said. "We had older gentlemen, and some people might have thought this is kind of soft — not my lane."<br /><br><br /><br>Trin was anxious, cold and short-tempered. He was drinking a lot. Before starting this group, Trin had tried individual therapy, with no success. "My psychiatrist would ask a question and I would answer it," he said. "It was like talking to a wall. He didn't understand what I had gone through." He gave Trin a prescription for an anti-anxiety drug, which helped a little.<br /><br><br /><br>When Trin heard about the group, he quickly volunteered. By session five — the midpoint — he was sure it was helping. His sleep improved. The breathing exercises were things he could use to calm down. And having the group itself helped — men who had been through what he had gone through. On the last day, the group passed around stones — one for each participant. When your stone was passed around, each group member had to say something nice about you. "We put all that energy and kindness into each stone," said Trin. He carries his in his pocket.<br /><br><br /><br>Trin's program is a 10-week course designed by the Washington-based Center for Mind-Body Medicine. It is one of perhaps half a dozen different kinds of alternative therapies being tried for PTSD in military and V.A. hospitals.<br /><br><br /><br>You name it, and it's being used somewhere in the veterans' health system: The National Intrepid Center in Washington is one of many places using acupuncture to treat stress-related anxiety and sleep disorders; it has been shown to be effective against PTSD. At the New Orleans V.A., the same clinicians who ran Trin's group also did a small study using yoga. They found vets liked it and attendance was excellent. The yoga reduced the veterans' hyperarousal and helped them sleep. There is even a group in the Puget Sound V.A. Hospital in Seattle that treats PTSD — including among Navy Seals — using the Buddhist practice of "loving kindness meditation." ("We had a little bit of debate about changing the name," said Dr. David Kearney, who led the group. "But we decided to keep it, and it worked out just fine.")<br /><br><br /><br>One of the most promising techniques is mindfulness, inspired by Buddhist teaching, which emphasizes awareness of the present moment in order to choose how to respond to thoughts, feelings and events. Dr. Amishi Jha at the University of Miami is working with the military to develop mindfulness-based training for soldiers before they deploy, and Dr. Kearney has done a very small study of the effect of mindfulness on PTSD.<br /><br><br /><br>The Center for Mind-Body Medicine's program — the one Trin did — is the most comprehensive of all of them, giving participants a variety of different strategies to choose from: breathing, meditation, guided visual imagery, bio-feedback, self-awareness, dance, self-expression, drawing. And it is the one with the strongest evidence that it works to cure PTSD. In a trial in a Kosovo high school, students with PTSD who did the 10-week program had significantly greater reductions in PTSD than a control group of students assigned to wait for the course. Other before-and-after studies (with no control group) in Gaza have found an 80 to 90 percent reduction in PTSD with the technique, and those results still held months later. This is significantly better than any currently used individual therapy.<br /><br><br /><br>The Mind-Body program is in use at various V.A. hospitals, military bases, and at the National Intrepid Center. In some places it is studied, as well. At the Minneapolis V.A. Health Care System, for example, the psychologists Beret Skroch and Margaret Gavian found that in a Mind-Body group of patients with numerous problems, about 80 percent showed improvement.<br /><br><br /><br>Trin's group in New Orleans is part of the first randomized controlled trial measuring the program's effect on PTSD among U.S. veterans. Researchers are still measuring whether the results lasted two months after the last session, but Dr. James S. Gordon, the founder and director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, said that the patients' improvement at the last session was "at least as good" as the individual therapies the V.A. uses, with significantly lower dropout rates.<br /><br><br /><br>If those results hold up, then mind-body medicine is a potentially valuable addition to the V.A.'s limited menu of widely used therapies. It is built for large scale: psychotherapists are welcome but not necessary. Some of the groups are run by lay people; in Kosovo, high school teachers ran the groups. In Gaza, Center staff have trained 420 group leaders and worked with 50,000 people. Gordon said the center is currently capable of giving 10-day training and support for 1500 group leaders a year.<br /><br><br /><br>Another advantage is that the program is broad-spectrum, showing success not only with PTSD, but depression, pain, sleep disorders and substance abuse. Dr. Barbara Marin, chief of addiction treatment services at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, uses it there for patients with substance abuse problems. She calls it a "very effective" model.<br /><br><br /><br>Mind-body medicine and the other alternative therapies, moreover, may be more attractive to soldiers than the individual treatments, which have a 20 percent dropout rate. Both C.P.T. and prolonged exposure ask the patient to relive his trauma — an upsetting prospect for many soldiers. Some veterans avoid psychotherapy because they do not want to be singled out, judged and labeled deficient.<br /><br><br /><br>The alternative medicine groups, by contrast, have a dropout rate of virtually zero. Members can talk about their past trauma if they wish, but there is no pressure to do so. Instead, the groups are centered on the present, helping members to learn practical skills they can employ immediately. The facilitator does not sit in judgment — she's a participant in the group, sharing skills she might use herself for better sleep or stress reduction. Everyone, after all, can use help dealing with the stress of re-entry to civilian life. Going to a skills group instead of psychotherapy could remove much of the stigma of treatment.<br /><br><br /><br>Despite the vast increase in research money, studies of these skills groups have been small and isolated. Only randomized controlled trials are persuasive enough to get Washington to adopt a therapy on a wider scale, but these are too few and too slow, and starting new ones now would take years. It is time to take the most promising ideas and try them with thousands of people, not just a few dozen — and if they work, to expand them further. That is not cautious. But to continue with therapy as usual is to condemn hundreds of thousands of soldiers to a tour of duty without end.<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/for-veterans-a-surge-of-new-treatments-for-trauma/?hp">http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/for-veterans-a-surge-of-new-treatments-for-trauma/?hp</a>

For Veterans, a Surge of New Treatments for Trauma - NYTimes.com

Suicide is now the leading cause of death in the army. More soldiers die by suicide than in combat or vehicle accidents, and rates are risin...

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Obesity Epidemic: Smartphone Fitness Apps Don't All Work Out, Brigham Young Study Says - ABC News

<base href="data:">Need to sculpt your abs, drop a few pounds or run a marathon? There's an app for that.<br><br>On iTunes alone, there are more than 1,500 fitness software applications or "apps" from which to choose. In 2011, nearly 10 percent of cell phone users downloaded at least one of them to help track or manage their health, according to a 2011 Pew Research Center Internet survey.<br><br>In an effort to find out if any of these smart phone and tablet apps are actually effective, researchers at Brigham Young University in Utah analyzed 127 popular downloads and rated them for their ability to get users to change aspects of their lifestyles. Most apps fell short of this goal because, the researchers found, they weren't based on the sound scientific theories proven to spur real behavioral change.<br><br>Lead author Sarah VanWagenen said the most common sin committed by a fitness app is lack of customization. "The majority don't ask for age, height, weight or any kind of basic health information," she said. "You just sign up and they give you a program and some advice based on general recommendations."<br><br>Each app was scored based on features that promoted motivation, social networking, accountability and behavior tracking. According to VanWagenen, these are the tried and true features of any high quality behavior change program. The highest scoring app the team looked at was the hypnotherapy aid Sport and Fitness Excellence. It received a 28 out of a possible 100 points. The average score was 10 and more than a third of the apps received scores in the single digits.<br><br>Clearly there is room for improvement, VanWagenen said.<br><br>Part of the problem may be a disconnect between app developers and the social scientists who study behavior change. At this point, most developers are gamers or social media developers. Very few have backgrounds in public health or psychology.<br><br>Not that developers are against learning some lessons from traditional behavioral change models designed in labs. It's just that the world of app development moves so quickly. According to Brian Wang, the co-founder of the firm that markets the social networking app Fitocracy, there aren't the time or resources to review the literature or consult research experts.<br><br>"Based on my past ten years of experience, the common thread to success is a sense of community and strong social bonds. Without fail it works. We didn't need a controlled study to tell us that," he said.<br><br>Wang claimed that nearly 20 percent of Fitocracy members are active users and that about five percent are "super users" whose log-on time adds up to several hours per day. "Users are treating us like Facebook. It's where they come to stay in contact with likeminded people and all that support really makes a difference to them," he said.<br><br>VanWagenen doesn't necessarily disagree with that assessment, but said that social engagement is only one tool for successful behavior modification. For example, an app like Fitocracy may be appealing for someone who has already made the decision to make changes, but it may not be a draw for those who are still undecided about starting a program. On the other hand, a popular app like the diet diary MyFitnessPal may attract people who like the focus on counting calories but may ultimately lose a lot of users due to lack of social support.<br><br>VanWagenen does say that apps have been getting better as time goes on. Though the Brigham Young study was just published, the apps her team reviewed were offered by the iTunes app store in 2009. It takes time to do a study and get it published. Many of today's most popular apps weren't yet available.<br><br>And, VanWagenen said, many developers are stumbling into some good use of theory whether they know it or not. For instance, sites like Fitocracy plan to up their game in the near future by placing a lot more value on user feedback. Their long term plans include "crowd sourcing," techno-speak for pooling and analyzing aggregated data so they can spot trends and report them back to their users. They could mine the data from say, Fitocracy members who lose the most weight over a six-month period, and then use that information to lay out a diet and exercise blueprint for new users with the same goal.<div><br></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpLaU5AOjp-YGk6kx6ePwdSIjRZC7WhKeKfXd_-MSVPegbQd4ZmArQpmcYD3T9wMYG4FFlvyxkh6UY-SzSjf2NwLiIEsW3tKDNuTTHboj2dtWdJyApOqT8C8YuMRvXbZsQLbnyZLE0sg/s1600/ht_Fitocracy_nt_120925_wg-758011.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5792669457356143218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpLaU5AOjp-YGk6kx6ePwdSIjRZC7WhKeKfXd_-MSVPegbQd4ZmArQpmcYD3T9wMYG4FFlvyxkh6UY-SzSjf2NwLiIEsW3tKDNuTTHboj2dtWdJyApOqT8C8YuMRvXbZsQLbnyZLE0sg/s320/ht_Fitocracy_nt_120925_wg-758011.jpg" /></a><br><br></div><div>Sites like Fitocracy use social engagement to help people get fit.<br><br></div><div><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/obesity-epidemic-smartphone-fitness-apps-work-brigham-young/story?id=17322887&singlePage=true#.UGOxmrScR91">http://abcnews.go.com/Health/obesity-epidemic-smartphone-fitness-apps-work-brigham-young/story?id=17322887&singlePage=true#.UGOxmrScR91</a><br><br></div>

Obesity Epidemic: Smartphone Fitness Apps Don't All Work Out, Brigham Young Study Says - ABC News

Need to sculpt your abs, drop a few pounds or run a marathon? There's an app for that. On iTunes alone, there are more than 1,500 fitnes...

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Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower

I have no doubt that my continued On Plan success this week has come from the aid of my husband in the cooking department.  There is simply not enough time in my day to do all that I want to do, which includes cooking a healthy and full course meal each night.  On weekends I typically do a slew of meal prep for the upcoming week, but September has completely devoured all of my weekends with weddings and other fun activities.<br /><br />Tonight, Joel made one of my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/04/slow-food-fast-italian-sausage-peppers.html" target="_blank">favorite meals</a> in the pressure cooker.   He used the sweet turkey sausage from Shady Brook Farms along with some broth, peppers and onions.  Out comes a delicious hot sausage meal in, literally, minutes.  That <a href="http://www.qvc.com/CooksEssentials-3-Quart-Stainless-Steel-Digital-Pressure-Cooker.product.K35934.html?sc=K35934-Zone&cm_scid=zone&cm_sp=MERCHZONE-_-Best+Sellers-_-2" target="_blank">pressure cooker</a> was one of the best things I've ever received as far as cooking tools.  Meals are completed so quickly and easily <i>and</i> deliciously.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVDTMySe9hiNardAAnzPcF8stve9y0z7sBBOCYEG8ePcl_rRmSjxXRmT-EnsWXaREgqfw9KYHwreJRz08mOvy_cLR5WpZ1vMfNV-Ofoe6jGwOhX-oa3pxL9KO6q-C8eQm0ZpEmlBusto/s1600/sausage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVDTMySe9hiNardAAnzPcF8stve9y0z7sBBOCYEG8ePcl_rRmSjxXRmT-EnsWXaREgqfw9KYHwreJRz08mOvy_cLR5WpZ1vMfNV-Ofoe6jGwOhX-oa3pxL9KO6q-C8eQm0ZpEmlBusto/s400/sausage.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an old pic of these delicious sausages! (you can tell it's<br />mine since I don't eat peppers & onions :) )</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In addition to the tasty meat came the side dish of <a href="http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Vegetables/Turmeric-Roasted-Cauliflower-and-Tomatoes.aspx" target="_blank">turmeric roasted cauliflower</a> - a veggie dish I most recently enjoyed at FitBloggin via the McCormick Spice experience.  Anything that is simple and gets me eating veggies is a major plus to me.  However, next time we are going to half the amount of olive oil and not include any salt.  It was super salty and oily.  I know that EVOO is good for us digestively speaking (helping us to absorb other nutrients more easily), but there was definitely too much oil for this Weight Watchin' gal. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WxfzvFFZg4incso5OqPsZVD8u1taUQI-nhg8UJnluZPFPlcaG2xq_j4xOSImoL7ro-p2HdFDS932Uj42qeETT1sriQwdJRGGg7GPBFuZ_pGdTVDdM5jnDegkNFe6Ql_4QtZDa4AkCqs/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WxfzvFFZg4incso5OqPsZVD8u1taUQI-nhg8UJnluZPFPlcaG2xq_j4xOSImoL7ro-p2HdFDS932Uj42qeETT1sriQwdJRGGg7GPBFuZ_pGdTVDdM5jnDegkNFe6Ql_4QtZDa4AkCqs/s400/photo.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did finish off my day slightly over my DPT by 3 PP.  I had a cup of chocolate milk after my dinner.  I love milk so much and drinking it was totally worth it.  It served as my dessert for the evening!  </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And after that very salty dish, it's just me and my Nalgene tonight!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9XC_CSqMe65IIAKPJ5XVvAbNqj9a3iQO3FVPjskA4AP8hZvWc__511eT15ZbvIgURmCzW5JjW1MhXyxLWidrxFloWmrWevBz1xlON8ppqhhAZhDqdWeGP5FczXqiy0EVUttE3y_tkXQ/s1600/nalgene+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9XC_CSqMe65IIAKPJ5XVvAbNqj9a3iQO3FVPjskA4AP8hZvWc__511eT15ZbvIgURmCzW5JjW1MhXyxLWidrxFloWmrWevBz1xlON8ppqhhAZhDqdWeGP5FczXqiy0EVUttE3y_tkXQ/s320/nalgene+2.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />

Weight Watcher Recipes Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower

I have no doubt that my continued On Plan success this week has come from the aid of my husband in the cooking department.  There is simply ...

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Senior Software Quality Engineer (C++, Java, QA, SQC, Automated test) (#108676)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!-- Converted from text/rtf format --> <br /><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Position</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Senior Software Quality Engineer<br /> </span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Location</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Milpitas, CA<br /> </span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Duration</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">: Full time</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><br /> <br /> </span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Job Description</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">:</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The EBEAM division is the leading manufacturer of advanced Wafer Review & Inspection systems. Our electron-beam (e-Beam) review and classification system accurately identifies and sources high resolution images of wafer defects.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Arial;"></span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: Arial;">The defect classification system delivers the performance required to re-locate, image and classify yield-critical defects for the 2Xnm design node and beyond, whereas Our electron beam inspection system captures leading-edge physical and electrical defects on a wide range of layers and structures, supporting advanced process development and production monitoring.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><br /> <br /> </span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Responsibilities:</span></b></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div dir="LTR"><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">As Software Quality Engineer you will:<br />•Develop and execute software Test Plans, Procedures, and Automated Test Scripts.<br />•Design and develop Software Test Automation framework utilizing simulators, Review and inspection systems,<br />this will include developing test code in QTP test scripts, Java, Python, Perl.<br />•Participate in all stages of software development including deployment/trouble shooting at customer sites.<br />•Must have good understanding of general SW principles.<br />•Need to be able to work with hardware and systems/application groups to understand system requirements and<br />map them to a software design.<br />•Interact with multi site team members<br />•Handle software sustaining activities<br />•Be able to communicate effectively, conduct technical presentations</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<br />•Be able to conduct detailed analysis, consider the tradeoffs for the various solutions, and make decisions on<br />which solution to implement and why.<br />•Leverage on teams strength and abilities.<br />•Regularly interacts with senior management or executive levels on matters concerning several functional areas,<br />divisions and/or customers.<br />•Lead and take responsibility for planning and test execution for software product excellence in quality, reliability,<br />user experience and functionality.<br />•Communicate and share information, learning, and methods with cross-functional team members to achieve<br />organizational/program goals.<br />•Willing to travel on short notice globally.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Preferred Qualifications:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />•Works on problems of diverse scope where analysis of data requires evaluation of identifiable factors.<br />Demonstrates good judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.<br />•Experience in software testing, test automation.<br />•Excellent verbal and written communications skills is a must. The candidate will be working with a culturally<br />diverse team.<br />•Expert level understanding of Black box, Gray box, and White box testing techniques applicable to object<br />oriented and structured programming methodologies.<br />•Expert knowledge of software development life cycles i.e. Waterfall, SCRUM, DOD V..etc<br />•Must be able to work with changing priorities and schedule pressures.<br />•Knowledge of equipment automation - SEMI standards/ SECS/GEM is a plus including software such as<br />SECSim Pro or CCS Envoy.<br />•Experience in testing Semiconductor Motion control software, Machine vision software and other software<br />interfacing variety of hardware is a major plus.<br />•IBM's Rational Team Concert (RTC)  is a plus.</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br />Minimum Qualifications:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Master's Level Degree with at least 3 years of experience or equivalent.<br />OR<br />Bachelor's Level Degree with at least 5 years of experience or equivalent.<br /></span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Kindly send your resumes to</span></span><span lang="en-us" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="mailto:Sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com"><span lang="en-us"><u><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Sivaram.bose@kla-tencor.com</span></u></span></a></span></div></div>

Senior Software Quality Engineer (C++, Java, QA, SQC, Automated test) (#108676)

Position : Senior Software Quality Engineer Location : Milpitas, CA Duration : Full time Job Description : The EBEAM division ...

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