Welcome to the OA Meeting

Hi.<br /><br />My name is Hilary and I ate a plate of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies tonight. <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="http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com/cartoons/369---July-20---26,-2008,-healthy-eating.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com/cartoons/369---July-20---26,-2008,-healthy-eating.png" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com/cartoon/369">Source.</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Even <i>though </i>I thought I messed them up (don't ask), and therefore should not even be worth eating. <br /><br />Even <i>though </i>I was convinced they didn't taste delicious (like they normally do when made correctly) when I taste-tested them yesterday. <br /><br />Even <i>though </i><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/09/beck-diet-solution-week-3.html">Beck says not to give in to cravings</a>!<br /><br />And while I <i>desperately </i>did not want to go to the gym to do NROLFW tonight even though it was on the schedule, <b>I still did anyhow</b>. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://qcistyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/exercise-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="335" src="http://qcistyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/exercise-cartoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://qcistyle.com/the-n-crowd/fitness-cheaters-never-prosper/">Source</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>Touché cookies. Touché.<br /><br /><i>Special thanks to <a href="http://mrshillruns.blogspot.com/2011/09/liebster-award.html">Jessica</a> for honoring me with the blog award :).</i><br /><i><br /></i><br /><i>Don't forget to enter that lovely <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/09/starbucks-giftcard-giveaway.html">Starbucks giftcard giveaway</a>!</i><br /><br /><br />

Exercise Weight Loss Challenges Welcome to the OA Meeting

Hi. My name is Hilary and I ate a plate of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies tonight.  Source. Even though I thought I messed them up (don'...

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Snippets from the Partners in Learning Middle East Innovative Education Forum in Jordan

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>An exciting event</strong></span><br />  <br />The Partners in Learning Middle East Innovative Education Forum took place in Aqaba, Jordan last week. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-KXvQnIhk8l4hTIbf1xANodBD_QowXHouXVJCe4x5poX6wb0l23CqCW7r_Vsp9iM5H2Ry0XGgPuJ6tQoXh3iqNHkFpIirR5hqAoLFiyqyl-UrPTsRqU_supHT52QQNHm1L-zwR3J5wI/s1600-h/all%252520in%252520jordan%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="all in jordan" border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1t5fuPrUYXXtNsKyQZJBexTqrHMpCY9B2G11pvU99bldcvW3fwSlyC2C43EcAv_3mqVQvvNIkuZhU8l92JtgthXjHtzpVR7GASoMqcK_xRNZ25bKebnZqh5gVJ3tY1Rgcn8cmB6wwfs/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="all in jordan" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxiwahiWq9z2SMl1KBXPLbHLkQ1iRXKLcVtgKL-nnP3wFayA7gKSnTEakKWv8Srbvss7KYUS0uuVgiUoJkzr0CKJ7BOXb8yXt42EuBbQ3i49OK3BpY0E_Pb9ve-bqkdSH20560IZyZgU/s1600-h/308121_219941381396185_216185841771739_646344_1938959218_n%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="308121_219941381396185_216185841771739_646344_1938959218_n" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBVWwUrMU2_c7vcYQ6QPi7kxdECQLIWwdb8clwtEdPUbNSf_fAZP6uoS44MCOLkmDjFUOgvfQ98VrjdYke1g62Uupc941ugnQ8HbF5x6rTT1ltHbGN8dCwskBlgT3aW7duIPcryGhYqM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="308121_219941381396185_216185841771739_646344_1938959218_n" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />This is a photo of our South African and Lesotho team of 20 who attended the Forum in Jordan. The group consisted of Innovative Teacher winners, Innovative Schools representatives, judges for the event and our local Partners in Learning APM, Angela Schaerer.   <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFXZVwk8x6sIQ-9CnLuUKl_mtVzuWmzIvTGcMbHXqGNT0GSit1uj612JDsWrv_p4J7NY5VsvTGhXd_RKveqiVWY-pjkGHzSIHEXTvH05C-z2Ui-g42qhUOLatXZInj4uRnQLis55ZnxI/s1600-h/Capture%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Capture" border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7xd5euu3CQnvoGqgEVrAy5zvyktY6yj_7hyJn4gya6kG78XX2cmbLWb7cQTkUNa4WhI6G_tcEeLmGNae77xpb-nSIYDhgE-NbwWwUPb1VBULvpaqtwSc7M96f76HXDwuZPbs8L82DvQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Capture" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />We are so pleased to announce that members of our group, who were all regional winners in July in South Africa and Lesotho, have done extremely well. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis28lP-olXSm5oo0UPMuXI26Akbw9BTfqmzxddZWcFEoslqtM6zdul8-qWwTo0yBXexG2r7S3ASRH41V6IKLFx4vgRa5ug70w-ItN02krLSbkrxe1iJdXgJM1qCInJ9XwkhLMECc2mPcg/s1600/IMG_3959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis28lP-olXSm5oo0UPMuXI26Akbw9BTfqmzxddZWcFEoslqtM6zdul8-qWwTo0yBXexG2r7S3ASRH41V6IKLFx4vgRa5ug70w-ItN02krLSbkrxe1iJdXgJM1qCInJ9XwkhLMECc2mPcg/s320/IMG_3959.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />They are now afforded the unforgettable opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. in November to particpate in the prestigious Partners in Learning Global Forum worldwide event and experience a rare networking opportunity with teachers from around the globe. <br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Prizewinners</strong></span> <br /><br />A number of different awards for outstanding projects in various categories were awarded to the participants by an international jury of education experts. <br /><br />Louise Clarke and Kim Jackson from St Cyprians College in Cape Town won the 'Collaboration' category for their Grade 4 class project 'Tollbooth Movie Maker'.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KEcloT8SgtL6qjqw_e2n9YHTGtO1QITGl3GXvz4WlnAmmT7hQ0RwIVDVvcNjdxau7Jql8X_alqZKTkao4YneJgg98rG45V_Ai8mQMCUtcExFVqY0zgUpfJ6fZ1vUmMKDMPjfyErOp40/s1600-h/jordan1%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="jordan1" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7h4hte2dHb4IifM3xmP6OfXbXo6XCQlulx1dV6Y4b8tOLE8R1i4SgGPMs60niW6goyrA49DmFJL2elBYpFrcztqv_WX-4VtRMjXDtQJzEBz2s6gal5mnqRjaCyqiGg3IETooF5itBQU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="jordan1" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4oTLa_d3Y_UQaa_PZZh4OE8wse0ZcV6ETte1ppAaWucW5Fq0J_FjWGP-iN_u_8ztXuwjhfUTEhueZTWgp6caf-VmgNUbbfI3YfiHtT4_z69Le2FT2G_yhJUmYymup-UE1tsv1EChr6o/s1600-h/jordan10%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="jordan10" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Uuwyc12clXLTpv6x5inFNgaTHpF0DiRHROMz01Bmbu8eMU79d4kfgd42sFg7px9VhWGps0SiqYMejaH3_sp58BVZ9wReWIi1hjiz0-LSBOKNKYoryAe60QI9YaOvIIUT5Tn0BiBu5Q4/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="jordan10" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_91nJhyphenhyphen3Mi4HWjdnHWu7LGvEndqrY3MRsoguW7uK6lw3juuFvSXTY7NBayhh70YE1lKVoa7JAMD13aabrUToFfAIIGaRd7_RdSujRWCN8xV0fgBYsW0IPCMbHtqvDqc8nHU4tjhhbik/s1600/DSCF3002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_91nJhyphenhyphen3Mi4HWjdnHWu7LGvEndqrY3MRsoguW7uK6lw3juuFvSXTY7NBayhh70YE1lKVoa7JAMD13aabrUToFfAIIGaRd7_RdSujRWCN8xV0fgBYsW0IPCMbHtqvDqc8nHU4tjhhbik/s320/DSCF3002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Lyneth Crighton from Brescia House in Bryanston won the 'Cutting Edge' award for her class project 'DigiGirlz puzzle IT out'. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-2IRBn9l9nFrzsY8jRxR5zTIORxopHgjIbH77y642u5gWNReD-9aduPg6GN3eDa1FV_mKFGIzUBJVQ54Q_l8kw606W1-HgfzemzPI0xCtTmryR8awjoHXcSl8KH5mMk319V5nQbnLiY/s1600/Lyneth+Crighton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-2IRBn9l9nFrzsY8jRxR5zTIORxopHgjIbH77y642u5gWNReD-9aduPg6GN3eDa1FV_mKFGIzUBJVQ54Q_l8kw606W1-HgfzemzPI0xCtTmryR8awjoHXcSl8KH5mMk319V5nQbnLiY/s320/Lyneth+Crighton.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uYWyjBuIdOTnd-VC_ZAL6PodaSaPOqfYbaSy1cDSlOycakVwQ8LfXsdvFx_V7SwNucmk8E4Zb2-fs1HesnfCU9EznO6hvbCxlkjkA7a_-80pui5KVTQOiM9Sx8K-2IhNjav8sLR5Aso/s1600/Natalie+and+Lyneth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uYWyjBuIdOTnd-VC_ZAL6PodaSaPOqfYbaSy1cDSlOycakVwQ8LfXsdvFx_V7SwNucmk8E4Zb2-fs1HesnfCU9EznO6hvbCxlkjkA7a_-80pui5KVTQOiM9Sx8K-2IhNjav8sLR5Aso/s320/Natalie+and+Lyneth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Natalie Meerholz of Holy Rosary School in Edenvale came 3rd in the ‘Beyond the Classroom’ award  for her class project 'E-Waste Away'.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsn3aJ0rR9X6Qrf3ro14DRiCmIOkQSfl9OSAxWnBzW0xWZNRd1834JoZ85cgZERHYnPofle7kxvykbtP17u0EtA9yGDNaxLGnCQvdnFQZFIrnfIwZfPsmXyxDvQFoJckPHMEXVBuwz_s/s1600-h/jordan2%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="jordan2" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD24MiDhUVbeVGyY5Q-17Kqhx2ik7gUtUjkwZiTokg3gszO-garhXly6tEP4NmBQ_ScGJNvxcWh-WeL7GM4Nni5B2z9jO2skDYxsXYdYWCYJbTTI02pEXVw5mtjrdmfrlOV1Dnypr6UEg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="jordan2" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBTdt3ReILBHd1hYa4mYUpLLayDG62dwxe_2_HGiNMbXcWv2XQlxKIhyphenhyphenLqoymVE03AtGY1c5DbC8nJAYf0lwT4CL9D6nwsARc-2wnOerpfwUEUGPgVfsXIwENMsRy4zFGKuT1AdNuBso/s1600/Natalie+Meerholz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBTdt3ReILBHd1hYa4mYUpLLayDG62dwxe_2_HGiNMbXcWv2XQlxKIhyphenhyphenLqoymVE03AtGY1c5DbC8nJAYf0lwT4CL9D6nwsARc-2wnOerpfwUEUGPgVfsXIwENMsRy4zFGKuT1AdNuBso/s320/Natalie+Meerholz.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDAnWM7I6yEJnsRDdM7xBx71zbFam57fUCak51Fxs5Rtc2Lj5vCCThYZ4qQ26Z9FYmOJgbtsrF0o69VATFRtQrwbjXgy7hVzIGLM9ULJS6AKe1bNatVnl30Ve5-fi6Ykez8IvWirGFJs/s1600/DSCF2993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDAnWM7I6yEJnsRDdM7xBx71zbFam57fUCak51Fxs5Rtc2Lj5vCCThYZ4qQ26Z9FYmOJgbtsrF0o69VATFRtQrwbjXgy7hVzIGLM9ULJS6AKe1bNatVnl30Ve5-fi6Ykez8IvWirGFJs/s320/DSCF2993.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Malatela  Monaheng from Lesotho came 2nd in the 'Challenging Contexts' category. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSr91PrNRfEFjoFCHbRwo34wO284oF4bw3TLntbqk_61SapeLjBY7UzOLKiBdPD3b9vr6aUNZuSu52K4BkeqSkqEtA8RxWRKJq-meuTmbMV7bfiBn7ebxmtREWjncfMJVWl2zZN3j1SQ/s1600-h/jordan3%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="jordan3" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CFz-5l_CTu9bQJ-kuGGh2dV2IKJfc614qHXWnjlAYK5gruT9WcRuyW1Zi5TlehrzB-jhFCxD8UY6HSkn-bRyGuIeCKLpwxfrZiJqy187S0Bxo1mWF06NU-OThkV2DvOXLj4Ii9_TaDc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="jordan3" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPf6Ky4_f-DZFk82M-7V2v0_eL5THjgGMQa-QmAF1NKg79yuLDBiv9Yf1aQE-bx3DgweMOXL6H0huEd9Fu3lrI9gAmik0gmzzIm-ag5iPdjAqvwc3cbLjSTs6MQKvpQm5k_DyCwmTlA9k/s1600-h/j2%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="j2" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWh90w6fiB34IaneshYeH-c90_7m3YuQ3yNDqaJf8HqPWmn4YFTRZFzslVYJheZ4Eual8-1HUi-ypFAn8HtvfFeKgHYmJKOjN8EaFm0m7Yg3VCHJpvGRI20z4MYh4OMbJN1lSBAfWSpa8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="j2" width="320" /></a><br /><br />Gerald Roos, an ICT consultant from Cape Town, and Megan Rademeyer from SchoolNet in Johannesburg, have also both been approved as  judges for the upcoming Washington event in November.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRJj3sT68o6nMR1sGUID5KhW1Etv2DLGwrDa0X9KOqEeZFu4MvMCPoJDiDNuij8bX2Ok4jxRyo-lereH-GPCMtjOefCe3mK9ttb9Qji4g7F1fcLRmERJIDPxTctbgEfs8JeN5nL3PLQg/s1600-h/jordan7%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="jordan7" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95ax3cdhKvnGYe5vLRxDvZrg1iP0C-8fW9fZ9Uk6eSb2p8udPRk_IYL7GJ-iH5vEBQT2TQZxCe8bQ3VbAbUQj-Vn1JNFdE9uJuFvX7q9fNm9T3ebrIqHaxgQrL1spGSdGmISKBT0VRME/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="jordan7" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85SfbOBlNpbMmvhUbe1J5ltcRll3RXViLzQOD1iw5D54f_1z6UBLlwUH5ZUiiJiQ3zyx-UIXcYpTg3QnDkrGVe0_Dlx7NG-gc4k5hZlEp6eIcXRFtuMafbmD3mnzOslRdPVhy5cRYBrM/s1600/jordan6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85SfbOBlNpbMmvhUbe1J5ltcRll3RXViLzQOD1iw5D54f_1z6UBLlwUH5ZUiiJiQ3zyx-UIXcYpTg3QnDkrGVe0_Dlx7NG-gc4k5hZlEp6eIcXRFtuMafbmD3mnzOslRdPVhy5cRYBrM/s320/jordan6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />Principals (each with their ICT co-ordinators) from two of the three Microsoft Innovative Schools in South Africa also participated in the event.<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/AVvXsEhijzIMJ2iQS2FugrcDJ30IPA3UQ7-IK0K5F5mhWrRghOKOdV0N0l_V5Xdre8sF6TQG48YoPO56x1Pr_-Mton2Xmrrl_M1MsPIy_Go5qVv8zVzPrC3rHOwdycl01QuqfGQjc3jhsLxmLKo/s1600-h/jordan4%25255B2%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="jordan4" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFslnhvT-ycAFXM9enAeALiJJA2Vzw94f0lW0FoizEMjZsrvF7VbUyegiO4bvdBo83TcQE1xGC6ru7yap5WKcIX2LwJIKhyQZnUNT-C97JSzPyoLZ1aMnvF879yflgeTSL4Xzggaeg88/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="jordan4" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Cyprians College in Cape Town</td></tr></tbody></table><div align="center"><br /></div><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/AVvXsEiA0lWNsPBgMg01gevq5uzthZ_qbRUaW8PMlScTVmsVr3xgmtyBsWeJFC82P4UM7K76SsCEH9zdnDgGnqIPHQZeO-dPGdKZi8LwBeQhn4Ynh947aCjXYkc29Td_SrFIsmlUAE9rFQmarB4/s1600-h/jordan8%25255B2%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="jordan8" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6SBePZ1Baw0dLSW8OpddlAVUaCX15CjORTNOqFFwLokDB4qTe2SZcVK_KGQDd-stuJwoIVRkMqIOzLxcdVfeAQ-S_nK805kZbuswo-UlrHqjbR_b1vpWTwwlnI7qm7s0FwGxj_VsGZo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="jordan8" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rondebosch Preparatory School in Cape Town</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">In addition to workshops and an exhibition of all the participating Microsoft Innovative Schools'  projects and Innovative Educator projects, the two day forum included executive speeches by James Bernard, Microsoft Worldwide Director for Partners in Learning and Mr. Khalil Abdel Massih,  Microsoft Middle East and Africa Regional Lead for Partners in Learning.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQrURt5aJHKRwU8JdppmLr3XmgoccjaMypMR7E7qObC8_p85qE_KjOXYVFMOVuWO0cHisehQjBZg71oWerH6UTvmftNKQEaxXmkBVGj527VdBY67Yfu1BnnEP6Iuh2QIbPylm1NAAjzk/s1600-h/be%252520whats%252520next%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="be whats next" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKpHAGsdbv5VC75P9ntP-ltBznVdKgD3n53hZSBjZHJ8fRfw1CyPxqtUK7dbUM5m-foC6CxcV7_kyXhzNghXtqQ4VCKCma-keg0m6TgBll-05ihHtyPFSOK7TKquaWUeziFHKzpwQZTM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="be whats next" width="320" /></a><br /><br />The next step? Washington DC in November! We wish the group the BEST OF LUCK!  We will definitely be holding thumbs for you.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>More photos</strong></span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ6YKWH2NK90ntAnA4ZjO4nukR9FcW9urezmWhTTiOkRTxNdxpWrmDiujEubppQ4iU7L5M69sjc5tnQ8FDaz9dT0kBETebM8Ha9ssnj9LQ2Q6-cInla9V5KnIQPEnr4Y5diSUVYyJrUU/s1600-h/jordan%2525209%25255B2%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="jordan 9" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipeLryKDp2ZvlTrQEJzgW1BgylYdQcMP3qdTLcCSD13VAyEo6U16KVp5zV_dZlzrFG86ZuhVeA_g-3pjVWWSa55IukT_aXQS2Z_LrSVWAVE07lQvJtvG-14vak1FYbmqZWJuPzdpkOuk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="jordan 9" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWdeoWxsYacCa1L-zq73hcnyssKZRPPT4Q0uZ9ocR68k_PpFnx3j5WBuA-EJCBjncDrllql5gp6AYoSvCsfdCjaSQ8YwT5hZMNTv3Gqxz50PUNeXj9yUeYP-zI2xwTQpaNROCqJ4vhMY/s1600-h/jordan11%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="jordan11" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcYPuHZwVVaPz102e4gEdUxoQUfPyNLMknr-k38-A1awy54qrxIMqJQ5Lwtc0hdGWAtqbpoe2btlbMXsY3EK64jUEQIXIjRxMgKP1BE4YQusLHZ_0-0h82im6BVLwpXRfXjVd8GaISyw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="jordan11" width="240" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDvckh2kIZqTaflL579bU1Wo43rp52nF51pS7LYjPadorLpvv2LGQvfv7zSP9C7pa8CUVCxUOZVScDlrJ4CGrvcx7okvvkcwH90oT7YwP1QybCL8b9jIq976gqhdCh8eTsLXljq_ctes/s1600/IMG_3943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDvckh2kIZqTaflL579bU1Wo43rp52nF51pS7LYjPadorLpvv2LGQvfv7zSP9C7pa8CUVCxUOZVScDlrJ4CGrvcx7okvvkcwH90oT7YwP1QybCL8b9jIq976gqhdCh8eTsLXljq_ctes/s320/IMG_3943.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTVoesry07bgsjrcybWUhyphenhyphenkev492PjaeBI4lwoWpFIIcM8VBGqCjfaBB15cklp1i5eNN4rc_pOtcjQN4Qq9zXitTZ6tGbGEYlY9doGZsnPCHZpU1jJT28rk_yE_FDxcbK3buXkPvfK_c/s1600/Wessel+Theron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTVoesry07bgsjrcybWUhyphenhyphenkev492PjaeBI4lwoWpFIIcM8VBGqCjfaBB15cklp1i5eNN4rc_pOtcjQN4Qq9zXitTZ6tGbGEYlY9doGZsnPCHZpU1jJT28rk_yE_FDxcbK3buXkPvfK_c/s320/Wessel+Theron.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPQRnuxqwxGpyfkn7CIphimQ7QMmZHqrogTNQwFvXoVSjgAFV6x7HKED7QuD_ub5LmYKb9rXQpRM0ABop95hMh1DkX0Za7PDC4doFXBeMZbX6oWoXq783rfPgctINSOdQJGlbFTJJ5VQ/s1600/Sue+Ausmeier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPQRnuxqwxGpyfkn7CIphimQ7QMmZHqrogTNQwFvXoVSjgAFV6x7HKED7QuD_ub5LmYKb9rXQpRM0ABop95hMh1DkX0Za7PDC4doFXBeMZbX6oWoXq783rfPgctINSOdQJGlbFTJJ5VQ/s320/Sue+Ausmeier.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtZDfBqrAlscZqhMdcg7vaRPPESgdARMmQNFXMZop2NpQW4yO6whRBgFVqaaxrnkQGVzCsBuXvaX9uAmF8J7VlJ0nrG986DEWN1uVRA_H0inf-E-iXO2SMEH7faeuWmnqxDjeq0YgEL8/s1600/Mpho+Phakisi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtZDfBqrAlscZqhMdcg7vaRPPESgdARMmQNFXMZop2NpQW4yO6whRBgFVqaaxrnkQGVzCsBuXvaX9uAmF8J7VlJ0nrG986DEWN1uVRA_H0inf-E-iXO2SMEH7faeuWmnqxDjeq0YgEL8/s320/Mpho+Phakisi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>

conferences Snippets from the Partners in Learning Middle East Innovative Education Forum in Jordan

An exciting event   The Partners in Learning Middle East Innovative Education Forum took place in Aqaba, Jordan last week. This is a photo ...

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Tomorrow's dry run for going back to work!

I just got back from the best workout I've had since I broke my wrist over four weeks ago. It's partly because I took the entire weekend off from exercise. Two days and no gym and no walks. I read Jen's <a href="http://www.priorfatgirl.com/2011/09/keeping-a-break-a-break.html">post </a>about not working out for three days on Saturday, but I didn't take it seriously. I remember thinking, "I could never take off three days from working out!".<br /><br />I wound up taking Saturday and Sunday off because,  it was hot and I was tired. I couldn't remember the last time I either didn't go to the gym or go on an intense walk, trying to get in my 10,00 steps.<br /><br />The days off really really paid off because today's workout was fantastic. My new Polar heart rate monitor, a FT60, really helped too. I love this thing. It really helps keep me in my zone, plus I love the pretty magenta color. My old Polar was a pale pink and didn't have all the bells and whistles this one has on it. I'm in love!<br /><br />I'm still using my BodyMedia. I'm just as crazy about it as I was when I got it on July 27. This past weekend was the first time I took it off for most of the weekend. I've had it on all day today, and just checked the stats: 2,773 calories burned, 11, 229 steps, 1 hour 25 minutes moderate exercise and and amazing 33 minutes of vigorous exercise. I'vd only eaten 979 calories wish s a little low. I usually keep it between 1200 and 1500 caloreis. daily.<br /><br />About work, I'm heading back to work on Wednesday. I made the decision last Thursday when I was finally able to straighten my left arm, the one that had the full cast on it for three weeks. It took a couple days of stretching exercises to get it back to where I could actually straighten it out.<br /><br />I can type with my left hand now, I just can't use my left thumb since it's encased in the cast and it can't quite reach the keyboard unless I stick my elbow up in the air. It's a 100% improvement over not being able to use my left hand at all. Nine fingers beat five fingers any day.<br /><br />I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm looking forward to going back to work. It hasn't exactly been a picnic being off work the last four weeks. Especially while I was in the full cast with my arm at a 45 degree angle.<br /><br />The dry run tomorrow is that I've had an ongoing discussion with my husband about if  should keep with mornngs and do after work workouts.  With a cast it's something to think about. I notorously am bad at nighg workouts so tomorrowbefore my 8 a.m. haircolor and cut, I'm going try to make the gym before the hair apportionment. <br /><br />We'll see if I can get up early, get to the gym and come home, hook up to my Cast Cooler (and my vacuum cleaner),shower and get ready, then get to the hair salon by 8 a.m. It's going to be a challenge. I'm really going to be happy to get my old hair color back because I really hate it. now. Maybe pictures tomorrow.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Tomorrow's dry run for going back to work!

I just got back from the best workout I've had since I broke my wrist over four weeks ago. It's partly because I took the entire wee...

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Beck Diet Solution: Week 3

<span class="corners-top"></span> <br />It wasn't a great weekend..... for my sports teams!  <a href="http://www.psu.edu/">Penn State</a>, the <a href="http://www.dallascowboys.com/">Dallas Cowboys</a>, and <a href="http://www.jeffgordon.com/">Jeff Gordon</a> all lost their respective sports on Saturday/Sunday.  Even my secondary NFL team from the Motherland, the <a href="http://www.steelers.com/">Stillers</a>, took a beating to the..... ugh..... Baltimore Ravens.  I'm not sure which team has the worst fans, the Ravens or the Eagles?  At one time I even heard the Baltimore fans cheering "Steelers suck! Steelers suck!"... such poor sportsmanship.  I don't like that kind of conduct.  I wouldn't even do that to the dreadful Ohio State team! ;) <br /><br />I had a great weekend otherwise.  I learned that even though it's a Friday night, the muscle-ly men are still at the gym .  Shouldn't they be out showing off their bodies?  But, Sunday evenings are so much better.  Even though I prefer to keep Sunday as it's intended 'day of rest', Joel and I did a quick NROLFW workout after his Redskins actually won a game ;) (p.s. in the past I keep messing this acronym up and putting NROLW - whatevs :) ).   <br /><br />So on to the Beck Challenge hosted at the Priorfatgirl.com:<br /><br /><blockquote><b>Day 15 - Monitor Your Eating</b> - Every day at a time we specify, we need to be creating a food plan to follow for the next day.  Then, we check off the food as we eat it the next day.  I did good with creating the food plan on the weekdays, but failed at it on the weekends. The weekends are less structured, as is my eating - I don't always eat at the same times on the weekends as I do on the weekdays, and it's harder for me to plan what to eat ahead of time.<br /><b><br />Day 16 - Prevent Unplanned Eating</b> - Pretty self explanatory here.  You should only eat what is on your daily food plan/menu and not digress from that.  I did stray from this twice last week. I had two Pumpkin Spice Latte's on both Tuesday and Thursday when I only planned to have one.  In this case, you write down the unplanned food in your food journal and circle it.  Then at the end of the day you can easily see how you measured up. <br /><br /><b>Day 17 - End Overeating</b> - Beck suggests taking one or two meals where you over load your plate with food, and then not eat the extra.  By doing this, you are strengthening your "resistance muscle" and practicing not over eating.  I am too afraid to overload my plate. I have yet to do this experiment. I'm going to, I'm just not ready yet. I've been doing well over the last few weeks with weight loss and I don't want to shoot myself in the foot.<br /><br /><b>Day 18 - Change Your Definition of Full</b> - Bascially, don't eat until you feel uncomfortably full or stuffed.  Don't eat because you don't want to waste the food, thereby wasting money.  Those are just some examples of people's definitions of feeling "full".  I try to combat feeling full by ensuring I portion out my food. Now, what I am learning is that just because I have the Points+ for the food, doesn't mean I have to eat it if I'm not actually even hungry. I do this A LOT - I eat just because I can (i.e. I have enough Points+) when I really don't need to.<br /><br /><b>Day 19 - Stop Fooling Yourself -</b> This goes hand in hand with Day 16 in my opinion. I need to ingrain in my mind/build up my resistance muscle with "If it's not on my daily eating plan, then I'm not eating it!".  This whole concept simply means to stop making excuses for yourself as to why you're over eating.  For example, "I'm going to eat these cookies because if I don't, I might make Sally feel bad."<br /><br /><b>Day 20 - Get Back on Track</b> - How many times do you eat something you didn't plan on eating, only to allow it to spiral out of control (i.e. "Well, I already blew it by having this 1 doughnut, I might as well keep going with whatever I want and then I'll start again tomorrow/next week/next month/next year")?  What I have come to find lately is that sometimes when I think I have gone "off the deep end", it's actually not as bad as I think.  When I actually track the food I ate (unplanned of course), it's really not as bad as I expected afterall. This helps me stop myself from going further down a self-sabotaging road of eating more and more. I've decided I will draw a line in my food journal at any point I go off track to serve as a visual that I will stop and eat normally my next meal - NOT the next day/week/month, etc.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.priorfatgirl.com/">Priorfatgirl Jen</a> mailed me a cool bracelet for being a Beck Challenge participant. <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/AVvXsEg0JoB8XumHjowI9qr8WFmoIesFJ5aPc6LzIODQOB4_CP-CSPpkCq8U62O3JNguE-szdPtOmaPHwy1l2qIf6XBGih6an9TUgoJcCRZdfVwruE31N0zdrI8H2-r9krtYj6UWGVzkYtoQfF4/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JoB8XumHjowI9qr8WFmoIesFJ5aPc6LzIODQOB4_CP-CSPpkCq8U62O3JNguE-szdPtOmaPHwy1l2qIf6XBGih6an9TUgoJcCRZdfVwruE31N0zdrI8H2-r9krtYj6UWGVzkYtoQfF4/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">don't mind the Halloween cat backdrop :)</td></tr></tbody></table>Then I proceeded to bring the kitty kitties in on the Big Weight action...<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/AVvXsEiyMxSWfP4D8w8-XfyMf3f0DXlzFqgctDz9LfOCJLbT1TK56xmfpYYBR7qeHngM4Pd3iyPXknDYnISE6W4JpKywNIqNQPZ9RVqrqw4vN8uR17qNlvO-H7G_P8T6d5d-J45BJIeIXFi9HK0/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMxSWfP4D8w8-XfyMf3f0DXlzFqgctDz9LfOCJLbT1TK56xmfpYYBR7qeHngM4Pd3iyPXknDYnISE6W4JpKywNIqNQPZ9RVqrqw4vN8uR17qNlvO-H7G_P8T6d5d-J45BJIeIXFi9HK0/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles: "I hate when you take pictures of me."</td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEi7BfszS0FTZV4_VxIDtT2tbSJRrqLjj6V5DI1fxrSVwMhW_UvPQe28FrImCyZK0bbjVJlUZcnTezFJx7Jnb1fDl-bkVR-BB96XgrLKMthcglPYIIBZAs1T3yPLv3_v5rxLjkGzzQ8xRJw/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BfszS0FTZV4_VxIDtT2tbSJRrqLjj6V5DI1fxrSVwMhW_UvPQe28FrImCyZK0bbjVJlUZcnTezFJx7Jnb1fDl-bkVR-BB96XgrLKMthcglPYIIBZAs1T3yPLv3_v5rxLjkGzzQ8xRJw/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merlin: "What is this thing you are pointing at me?!"</td></tr></tbody></table>It's too bad Merlin wasn't standing up.  We took him to the groomer for a hair cut 3 weeks ago and he got the only cut they do - the lion cut.  When he stands up, he's got an all-over shaved body with the little pom-pom tail and booties for his legs.  So funny and so girly - especially on him!<br /><br />Oh wait... you're not here for the cat pics.<br /><br /><i style="color: #999999;"><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/09/starbucks-giftcard-giveaway.html">Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $10 Starbucks giftcard!</a> </i>

The Beck Diet Solution Weight Loss Challenges Beck Diet Solution: Week 3

It wasn't a great weekend..... for my sports teams!  Penn State , the Dallas Cowboys , and Jeff Gordon all lost their resp...

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Are you a 21st century teacher?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The SimpleK12 Learning community put out this question not too long ago 'Are you a 21st century teacher' in their blog post: <a href="http://blog.simplek12.com/education/21-signs-youre-a-21st-century-teacher/">http://blog.simplek12.com/education/21-signs-youre-a-21st-century-teacher/</a>. They added a number of pointers to consider. This really got me thinking. Let’s be honest – our world is changing rapidly – are we as educators keeping up? What do you think about these questions? Do you think they are a fair reflection of effective 21st century teaching?  SimpleK12 has also made this information available as a PDF document. You can find it here: <a href="http://files.simplek12.com/workbooks/21Signs21stCenturyTeacher.pdf">http://files.simplek12.com/workbooks/21Signs21stCenturyTeacher.pdf</a><br />Here are the 20 points taken from their blog (but please visit their great blog to see them in the original post)<br /><br />1. You require your students to use a variety of sources for their research projects...and they cite blogs, podcasts, and interviews they've conducted via Skype.2. <br /><br />2.Your students work on collaborative projects...with students in another country.<br /><br />3. You give weekly class updates to parents...via your blog.<br /><br />4. Your students participate in class...by tweeting their questions and comments.<br /><br />5. You ask your students to study and create reports on a controversial topic...and you grade their video submissions.<br /><br />6. You prepare substitutes with detailed directions...via Podcasts.<br /><br />7. You ask your students to do a character/historical person study...and they create mock social media profiles of their character.<br /><br />8. Your students create a study guide...working together on a group wiki.<br /><br />9. You share lesson plans with your teacher friends...from around the globe.<br /><br />10. Your classroom budget is tight...but it doesn't matter because there are so many free resources on the web you can use.<br /><br />11. You realize the importance of professional development...and you read blogs, join online communities, and tweet for self development.<br /><br />12. You take your students on a field trip to the Great Wall of China...and never leave your classroom.<br /><br />13. Your students share stories of their summer vacation...through an online photo repository.<br /><br />14. You visit the Louvre with your students by means of a virtual tour...and don't spend a cent.<br /><br />15. You teach your students not to be bullies...or cyberbullies.<br /><br />16. You make your students turn in their cell phones before class starts...because you plan on using them in class.<br /><br />17. You require your students to summarize a recent chapter...and submit it to you via a text message.<br /><br />18. You showcase your students' original work...to the world.<br /><br />19. You have your morning coffee...while checking your RSS feed.<br /><br />20. You are reading this!</div>

Teaching Are you a 21st century teacher?

The SimpleK12 Learning community put out this question not too long ago 'Are you a 21st century teacher' in their blog post:  http:/...

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A Weekend for the Ages

I went into this weekend of sports with excitement. I am not a big supporter of the fall season, but the one thing that gets me through it is the fact that my weekends are filled with football. This weekend would be the first full weekend of football this season, with college football in its second week and the NFL opening up their season on Sunday (well, Thursday, but whatever).<br /><br />Not only would there be a plethora of football, but the Detroit Tigers haven't lost a game since September began. They shocked the Chicago White Sox in a weekend series (culminating with an onslaught of Mark Buerhle and the Sox bullpen for all the nation to see on ESPN2), marched into Cleveland and swept the Indians in style, and then were coming back to Detroit to hopefully welcome the Minnesota Twins into the new House of Horrors.<br /><br />Let's take a look at the weekend and see what happened:<br /><br /><b>Friday: Twins and Tigers -MLB</b><br />After a Verlander game, it's been a bit of a letdown lately with Brad Penny struggling right behind him. But on Friday the offense picked up the slack for Penny, who gave up four runs in the first but picked up the pace for the rest of the game. Alex Avila hit a three-run home run in the second and Ramon Santiago hit a two-run homer in the fourth to put the Tigers ahead for good.<br /><b> </b><br /><b>Saturday: Twins and Tigers - MLB</b><br />This was one of FOX's afternoon games, but I was not able to watch it due to regional coverage of another game. But my dad was fortunate enough to go - albeit with a Twins fan - and he had a heck of a game to watch. Max Scherzer pitched seven innings and only gave up two runs, but it looked as if the Tigers weren't going to get ahead, because the Twins pulled into a tie in the sixth inning.<br /><b> </b><b><br /></b><br /><b> </b>In the ninth though, defensive replacement Brandon Inge came up, and with nobody on, he smacked a Glen Perkins fastball into left field - the same area my dad was sitting in with his buddy. I was coming back from a concert when I got a text from my dad - all it said was, "Walkoff!" I have never seen a walkoff home run, so I was jealous and elated at the same time.<br /><br /><b>Saturday: Notre Dame and Michigan - College Football</b><br />When the game started, it looked as if all the Michigan hype was going to be for those new permanent stadium lights, and the Michigan team on the field was going to act as though the lights were off. I was able to watch this game on my computer, and when the game first started, I was getting the correct video but the audio from another game. So I went on to MGoBlue.com and picked up the Michigan audio feed with Frank Beckmann and Jim Brandstatter. The delay was noticeable, but I'd much rather hear those guys than Brent and Kirk. You'll have to let me know if they were leaning towards ND for most of the game.<br /><b> </b><br /><b> </b>Of course, "most of the game" didn't matter in the end. Even though I was tempted after multiple turnovers, stupid penalties, and embarrassing defensive series to turn off the game and pop in a movie, I kept it on. And when the fourth quarter began, I was glad I did.<br /><br />Michigan managed to take a 24-7 deficit at the start of the quarter and roll four touchdowns down the field. From making up for fumbles to passes from QB Denard Robinson to taking advantage of missed coverage and getting from the UM 20 to the ND 16 and setting up for an unbelievable finish, they did it all. And all I could do was sit there and think, "Is this really going to happen for a third straight year? That's impossible!"<br /><br />And then I saw Robinson lob a pass up to Roy Roundtree in the end zone, and Roundtree leaped over the defender and kept his foot in bounds, and I was in complete shock. It happened again! Notre Dame's turnovers (like the one in the red zone late in the fourth quarter) doomed their team into looking at a sea of maize beside themselves with joy long into the night. An evening that began with a walkoff ended with an amazing catch under the lights.<br /><br /><b>Sunday: Twins and Tigers - MLB</b><br />Thanks to MLB.com who made this game the free game of the day on MLB.tv - and I managed to learn about it in time. I spent the majority of the game pining for another few runs, because I knew the Twins, even with their AAA club in the house, could easily tack on two runs and erase our first inning lead. But Doug Fister showed me a clutch performance that made me like him even more.<br /><br />When Jose Valverde came into the ninth with a chance to break Todd Jones 11-year-old record of 42 saves in a season by a Tiger, I was very nervous. When Valverde walked Mauer, I was <i>really </i>nervous. I was not thrilled when Miguel Cabrera couldn't handle the ball and turn a double play to end the game. I was on the edge of my seat when Mauer scored to cut the lead by one. But when I saw who was coming up - some dude named Rene Tosoni - I felt a little better. And I think Valverde did, too, because he threw three straight pitches past him and was able to do his Potato Dance of Joy in front of the Tigers faithful.<br /><br />Three straight sweeps. They're starting to make me look bad.<br /><br /><b>Sunday: Detroit and Tampa Bay - NFL</b><br />When I heard on Friday that Bucs running back <span class="st">LeGarrette Blount was tweeting that he'd be running over Lions DT Ndamukong Suh, I said to myself, "We better crush this team." </span><br /><br /><span class="st">But I wouldn't be able to watch it, due to regional coverage of another team. (I'm really starting to hate that.) </span>I kept an eye on the score, and got a little frustrated when I saw a "6" on the Lions side. That's a number I'm used to, because it means the Lions couldn't get into the end zone and had to settle for their kicker Jason Hanson to kick a field goal. It seems to be how we used to score in previous seasons.<br /><br />Fortunately for me, QB Matthew Stafford turned into the Matthew Stafford we were hoping for, throwing 24-for-33 with 305 yards and helping the Lions score three touchdowns in the second and third quarters to help shut down Tampa Bay. Even though the Bucs scored late in the fourth and attempted an onside kick, WR Calvin Johnson shut the door by catching the kick and avoiding an offensive attempt to tie it up.<br /><br />Do you know this was the first time since September 30, 2007 that both the Tigers <i>and</i> the Lions won on the same day? Isn't that ridiculous? I hope and pray that this wonderful weekend of sports is not the only wonderful weekend of sports I will get this year. I don't want this to be the highlight of the fall season. If these teams can keep up this momentum (and the Wolverines can figure out their offense and defense), I'm thinking we all will be enjoying more than the changing of the leaves in the next few months.

A Weekend for the Ages

I went into this weekend of sports with excitement. I am not a big supporter of the fall season, but the one thing that gets me through it i...

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A primary school project your students will love - the Monster project - sign up opens 12 September!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Last year we participated in a yearly project run by Terry Smith, Assistant Professor of Education at Western Illinois University in the USA. I was the IT support to Grade 5B at Fish Hoek Primary who actually won the Top Monster Award with their Tokoloshi Afrika! Let me tell you about it – maybe you would like to participate this year.  <br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>A word from Terry Smith the project leader</strong></span><br /><br />“Greetings Monster Makers,<br /><br />Remember <b>Tokoloshi-Afrika</b> from Mrs. Beagley's class in <b>Cape Town, South Africa</b>? That was last year's TOP Monster. Be warned - the Monsters are coming again in 2011!! Another year, another colossal collaborative global event - <b>Be There, If You Dare!</b><br />Project site: <a href="http://www.smithclass.org/proj/Monsters">http://www.smithclass.org/proj/Monsters</a><br />To Join: e-mail <a href="mailto:smithterryk@gmail.com">smithterryk@gmail.com</a> <br />See Past Photos and Student Work: <a href="http://www.smithclass.org/proj/Monsters">http://www.smithclass.org/proj/Monsters</a> <br />Get Signed Up - Sept 12-23"<br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>How we went about it in 2009 </strong></span><br /><br />It all started in a mysterious way. Mrs Beal (that's me) and Mrs Beagley got to hear about a global Monster Literacy and Design Technology project. 38 classes from around the world were collaborating by each giving a description of a part of a monster in the form of 8-12 adjectives, and then actually making the monster from everybody's adjectives. It was a type of competition because in the end everyone votes for the best monster. Well, you know what Mrs Beagley is like - she LOVES learning that is combined with fun! And you know what Mrs Beal is like - she ADORES global projects. The project is run by an Assistent Professor of Education at Western Illinois University in the United States, so we looked at his website, found out all about it - and JOINED!!! We had 30 days to make our monster...till the end of October. <br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We sent in a photo and description of the class</span> </b><br /><br />First we had to send in a photo and description of our class for Mr Smith to upload to his website. This is what we wrote about Grade 5B <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlb6yD6NcCH145ytyup8rUtllsEmi_a36RSsqAq5iDXk_OBX3Ckx4VgctT4giwNOoz_HYotRPQty3VoG7oeCQIM0CZPrF50LOtz05aZx4qja-gzk0xMrR6D2n47lUdIdGm822_-ZE6gxk/s1600-h/monster%252520project%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="monster project" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaPiP54A7axPKiYzQzHIcPYedfUA-r00Sc9nYOkemhHXSE-33UZ6aDa1rPgC_F6rKd4J2mfLY28wLAIDK1_uQHglSfU6ls6WqBJlRcrHws0mGAkq3N5Ny3FqEWy0gGCxIeYa7Xeo2nGM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="monster project" width="308" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We chose a body part which was available on the monster website</span></b><br /><br />Well...to continue our tale. By the time we signed up not too many parts were left. We chose the earings. Here is our final description of the earings. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdeqzFIW4-EtWSl-ibd18QjVRH3ZZL_s3tk6xAZQjxg67VsYr1jKaJpzasEd6zK6MWUlHCnYkZ3Y8XS-L48Ax0xnSPHzYMzKPf4oL8mfKMCCs2NVpuMD_KjFzfMpWI0Y7_7H1E6-eA90/s1600-h/earings%25255B2%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="earings" border="0" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNQNAGxqMuol__LziZf_MB2m8g1tpxYNeteMrYK_-JvSAlX7rkKxZLJKKbooe4YcqzKx-Qgh1FBHfKElzI7Cwq5MmSX4Rm3ORTZ6tJOYSCtgx5VWvlR-9mZdyx_MnIxyrnIJ8PcWiPU0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="earings" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />We started to design a monster according to the descriptions given by the other classes of the body parts they had chosen.  <br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Designing the monster</strong></span> <br /><br />We downloaded all the 38 classes’ descriptions, printed them out and Mrs Beagley’s class got down to work, in their groups. When they had finished Mrs Beagley selected the best one. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEytlNmgdh_W-J926sVy2w8RuDpK3-0GPOqCP8OkqtcAGMszWi0n94qCwUyaDJCE5-gNMtiF475A8oC5lHSO4FK9A20VJIUcq_0-nQtioHMMsJq_r-KzguRDk3UlupClkw6d7Dbuq7dHc/s1600-h/xyz%252520503%25255B2%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="xyz 503" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05CC24PiTGNbzYxIOko5ZEVhLJHw_CdVwD2kW_IjMP4XiDQbvBOOgPLnPQmE_fiL3M9n_FKg8ZmjNpYJTdl3GLJKDN1Q0gDT56poWuWAXhbDKgOFtdctDnb2E7Wvj0xAjEQ33wYtE8bA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="xyz 503" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Then it was a case of cutting out from card <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzde25ij7uUPfkHg9cwvR8chOV4ea7_9k83tRTUe_jRFvTMi_55WMYkZIbZCGvoOiF1TR-ibJ69PXWEFsjhAqWcagZYTgofKVHwAva2O_jDnLx61qV_4PVWqU3LxDqKQsQFMUiaW_oR0c/s1600-h/design2%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="design2" border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Mr8GiERR3tyWv3YOr5UgxJ4xv7sUwn4jeR32T65lVgRPnDgxnrpQ_kMAJKKfqe1STYqNv0xZKHF8dOCT1w3U81kjY1HMxbXNBV8fZPKGiICoSHmkcqHPAnia0dOmhid3hyphenhyphenq4RUZFjME/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="design2" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnpm_8NBIuR1KjefUFntpGuBmvnwOR2aERGFBqoQpwFzkZBD-Vnl7H0UcSYKQ_Z4MPJPccISfmXmghKOoHm9rLW8xz0oKR73sgCl88FDuaSsXt1gmQGJtLSp8bN4konygM7v7uYp2l8c/s1600-h/design1%25255B7%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="design1" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQriNHN6uc47woj653yYv6bUJkNymc0cfPYLIoIWY_sDpGxsreO1N87t5k6rk3hRpNZFF5kj0TtwxlwnKiuncxo7YbF_9fY53jgQbCdPcdtTxrZ_-DNnY11G0vBbdUTCnX6PxrK_QqiPI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="design1" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />There was a lot of painting involved. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFacyMT7X_e4iem-Bul5A99dDkANMie8o6CFE99nfMh0nUya6t5aEmFZX8nwuDfvLY683tO02Qy67ndB-mIDdPvXN3B8X1xm4E68EsSPQPq9pgieIFnMYpmEncQNtP53nyN7S_1fFh_s/s1600-h/Capture%25255B5%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Capture" border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoA-h0cFMT8Zs2mo0b6_yG6USK7TcMgIM3Cfn-F3fxr4bI-DL1eivswAiZRifYwND8e7tHpUCyMBsC99riuGILL-S2T-Nutn6GVeYQiG2o3bol33BdYTV_O14mltIK6jMrzS7ETZwBM0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Capture" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzAJjLSdUgMJqzvAS7yhpjd36KbdUWL5QCoJaQWVn0ieBLKCA6BD2vrp0XOSaugLf8shV7Vp2X0WQizBIryJv5Ux3yL_iN_ga_WokWic1K56NnltpZJNGDvbA4MujXewEFddW5wFeQv0/s1600-h/paint1%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="paint1" border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V4Q9qktMtH-e3nE3HkvRpCuE9afINTVK00vR6M31MwL3PhNTuDIH-ZwE6hN9c7p6jizB1YbTHUN1QIv3e4nZCvP6DVd9W19459DM5_OdjeINCRXdDg2wpuh_rf4gl-f981fTp0bw09g/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="paint1" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />The classed used so many different materials <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RU0yTxXSLj5APTWmZQsgCBiD6q2ZkOyHAkD1-63Jtc4JuKmFAFG15ZMYBHUHQ1_yDk4Scm3tzWohdsM8PscNOsPRUoaWyWmvc8BXsucclo151_m8mChvEEDvCPi8rHWXwupI4anT_MM/s1600-h/materials%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="materials" border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT-g-z-aKUzQ5-vRnZgw7H_9dUXd8jd9wb235gqmcoqFQQmme54k9De8sTU_RDvQfjOmRqB98KppzJ572RrE4DJlLqIEVLSvK8SpU1CC1eVP0Dyjwa8yh1d3F82jUBSPOih-vIvhLDuk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="materials" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />We even had a visit from 40 of the Microsoft Innovative Teacher finalists attending the World Finals event. They loved the monster.  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3JtwqfCB-nuOzBO-9SvEygCQSUYEiEI-xYgS6_2UDfaSC7xcOYP3AdVlXER2WgSlusySMXLIvca-ofkRAzbxD3CEJzeGGaizfXdnUqVl_qFySOgUhWYe9Y-Qm1hfcL5Emxd2hQ7JbMA/s1600-h/inn%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="inn" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4S8sKqxgnKbmWg6ZjWd3_zrpWwQxjG3cqRn-i6QLertAysP2eyVHSmW67GIewcRB5b6Ls-rI0bD_vP32x-2DzdVKXGzdYR2T4Tl8L_09otaXtPqblDTVG2UIaIXXjwLF_9ZZSoeJ5ik/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="inn" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIUZe2QKyeC4S01iZG1TFm3JAH3er3pp-Ou8d2tkAku97Kx5sz4GoznJryIBQjyZvPVbZ5a07ilXgC1Z7A0RDm4Ka141s0zYrY6_Wgxic2cu3Zm35vod5561S9PfI8PDB6h9Qt1q4ly8/s1600-h/inn2%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="inn2" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqlqyakfM2lMqu3B1t1sD0RENoAM5lE5G_NwM_vzVvp9hFx-c8g-7ZQfWmGqH2b5jLWErDKvQJcnEFEmnc96xSXgNfS3ogtu3JvJBoZ2afsfaBGr4HBfHadeb0nU5-yl48g3qGOHyQVg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="inn2" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Terry Smith sent us updates all the time from the 38 classes. The last step was to find a name. We decided on Tokoloshi-Afrika. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFGin9OZLo97Pezwf1MlWhRNeY08EXNm27aNmFz8KPQ6VVmvvGRNOZyekbetsveqR9XzITKck_gMkDbVRBeME0mWzpc7QconSRqrq3SfM2_0pSjj5O1DMJ2p9kV_jnMUIqrrZG5InF5s/s1600-h/tok1%25255B3%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="tok1" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTmvDM4hObV0Mgd6Ihxq2nlYnQsDIFHV7f6bAAKPFm2k2mJJJxfWNy2bfscrPEWLuv3P0elVA2EXXuz5TljnOiAv4SgSlmgaCBQ3Gf2mb83ePtXSbBxphzRfM8mYmnglgr6kzICbVnEM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="tok1" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_O2EaFye67I9XQ3DMBDqmtCdkwK9ermIZo5C_xjdhPDyhxWQx-Er2kJyKzQyelpR_VXtvslg3Ev0vDCsAj7hTDrFLaEYlcy0ULm7cZhIlS7gUNkmVEycPSYwsR2jgWoTTVWCTV_dBmeo/s1600-h/tok2%25255B6%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="tok2" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTgbjaSf-CFW1CKs0RPu__7c4ZSG2ns8mtWwpBcOB1h_YiGWwaQh4q8o-DHi8O1N7W_RtwEWypM093dwTwigwxr_4j3oMuZmEIPTe3n99-zYklNvf73e7fjGjmcD5fVSbzmsnEDNAWyY/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="tok2" width="242" /></a></div><br /><br />The other classes all voted on the best monster. Mrs Beagley’s class won! <br /><br />Now for a word from Tokoloshi-Afrika himself.  Click on the picture and then click on the play button on the new page. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://grade5fishhoekprimary.blogspot.com/2010/11/grade-5bs-monster-tells-it-all.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="monster" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gTLI_8dLBE37aHJAwlCtjIrO8aWuBZP1lJeDUtgKCn0SPnSklE2JywWtKhMxeyI9puesSY8hMe008W2qOf2knTl61I-6NQw32t1MrctHCf1b-rXz7KPXW4DVmtqR-sDojDm2Wax2oIQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="monster" width="320" /></a></div></div>

Collaboration Project-based learning A primary school project your students will love - the Monster project - sign up opens 12 September!

Last year we participated in a yearly project run by Terry Smith, Assistant Professor of Education at Western Illinois University in the USA...

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National Moment of Remembrance for 9/11

Not sure how I missed this, probably because I've banned myself from watching the news this past week. This is a lot more important than anything I could say about weight loss.<br /><br />Taken from the <a href="http://www.dodgeglobe.com/news/x1413023937/Americans-to-observe-National-Moment-of-Remembrance-Sunday">Dodge City Daily Globe</a>:<br /><br />This year we mark the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a day that changed America forever. To commemorate this occasion and pay tribute to those we lost, the United States Senate, in an overwhelming demonstration of unity, unanimously passed a resolution (S. Res. 237) establishing a national Moment of Remembrance on September 11, 2011. I write to request that you join us in making this Moment of Remembrance a symbol of solidarity throughout your city and across the country.<br /><br /> During the Moment of Remembrance, every person across the country is called upon to stop and remember those we lost in the September 11th attacks. The Moment of Remembrance will take place for one full minute at 12:00 p.m. on September 11, 2011, and cities and towns, firehouses, churches and other institutions across the country are called upon to to sound sirens and ring bells during that minute. These sirens and bells will be a signal for each person to stop and remember the people we lost and demonstrate the perseverance the American people have shown since that fateful day.<br /><br />Taken from <a href="http://www.auburnwa.gov/government/calendars/community/spet11moment_s_p7316.asp?EventMode=View&EventOccurrence=0">City of Auburn, WA</a> events:<br /><b> </b><br />Governments and businesses, houses of worship and railways, fire and police departments, and others are called on to ring bells and sound sirens as we observe this Moment of Remembrance. At the same time across the country (<b>1 pm EDT, noon CDT, 11 am MDT, and 10 am PDT</b>) we call on you to reflect on the lives lost and those affected by the tragedies of 9/11.<b> </b>

National Moment of Remembrance for 9/11

Not sure how I missed this, probably because I've banned myself from watching the news this past week. This is a lot more important than...

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That's what I was going to say...why I may never reach goal

Do you ever have a post idea rolling around in your head, then you read almost exactly what you were thinking on one of your favorite blogs?<br /><br />After three and a half years of blogging that's happened to me a few times. Sometimes I even write my post then find a similar one written by someone else. Then I wonder 'Did I read it and think it was my idea when I actually plagiarized it?'. <br /><br />This time I'm pretty sure I hadn't read this before. It's a topic that people don't talk about. I was going to write the post a couple days ago, but then I read Helen's post on Doing a 180, "<a href="http://doingaone-eighty.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-dont-have-what-it-takes.html">I don't have what it takes</a>" on Wednesday. There were my very thoughts written in Helen's words. She was openly honest about her thoughts that she may never reach her fitness and weight goals. <br /><br />My title was going to be "Why I'll never reach goal". What I was going to write was very similar to what Helen wrote. Basically, I'm not sure I have it in me to get to my goal weight of 135 pounds.<br /><br />You can read Helen's post to know how I feel, with the exception of the thyroid problem, the rest of it is very similar to my own story. Except I've been on a diet since I was thirteen years old and wanted to lose five pounds to get down to 120.<br /><br />The only difference between when I was 13 and then in my fifties is that the amount of weight I wanted to lose has changed. When I was 52 I needed to lose 100 pounds. That means I've either been on a diet or thinking I should be on a diet for about 43 years. Or a lifestyle change, thank you Weight Watchers for that little gem.<br /><br />It doesn't mean I'm giving up or that I'll stop exercising and trying to eat right. It just means I'm rethinking trying to reach a weight I was in high school. Maybe that's not realistic. Maybe weighing 150 at 56 years old wouldn't be such a bad thing. It's something I need to seriously consider.<br /><br />I still need to lose 31 pounds to get to 150, but I was 152 two years ago so I know it's possible.<br /><br />I haven't seen 135 since 1997 with the help of Phen-Fen (a weight loss drug that works, but kills). I was literally starving myself to death (800 calories a day and not hungry). I was doing high impact aerobics five days a week and I was a vegetarian. I lost 107 pounds in seven months, from 237 to 124. I was almost dead and looked awful (my hair was very thin from the sudden weight loss), but I was wearing size six jeans, which are still in the back of my closet.<br /><br />My point is that I'm not giving up on getting healthy, but I might be giving up on weighing 135.  Kind of what Helen said.

That's what I was going to say...why I may never reach goal

Do you ever have a post idea rolling around in your head, then you read almost exactly what you were thinking on one of your favorite blogs?...

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Take 2: Irene Mayer Selznick, a Life in Three Acts

<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1rwjNKvjiJVAo6vLvvJ4L7E6u5-MWrWAroNu2dRpFuq9xQFc0p633lqr8W0FmG2NBITm_-VBQRzKgL5TLleMYjGTqHXmBGXSINuLRkQWt3rKjgwSsxV2421BCnEfRa0eAGAOSesPrpjI/s1600/Private+View%252C+Irene+Mayer+Selznick+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1rwjNKvjiJVAo6vLvvJ4L7E6u5-MWrWAroNu2dRpFuq9xQFc0p633lqr8W0FmG2NBITm_-VBQRzKgL5TLleMYjGTqHXmBGXSINuLRkQWt3rKjgwSsxV2421BCnEfRa0eAGAOSesPrpjI/s400/Private+View%252C+Irene+Mayer+Selznick+3.jpg" width="391" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Classic Film Boy and The Lady Eve Discuss the Fascinating Irene Mayer Selznick</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSnv0SDnAR0IDllOtkp8c_djExaJ4v1CfoEnScXtpzDVM3E6YJXolP4j-0KST9FMSLrIWxuS89jSo-EyqVmcL1rx9TtdV8InczQ-Kb6LRcZtzAmz7KtOaP4Jmc0TywweFbqR5ByWGi46e/s1600/Take+2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSnv0SDnAR0IDllOtkp8c_djExaJ4v1CfoEnScXtpzDVM3E6YJXolP4j-0KST9FMSLrIWxuS89jSo-EyqVmcL1rx9TtdV8InczQ-Kb6LRcZtzAmz7KtOaP4Jmc0TywweFbqR5ByWGi46e/s200/Take+2-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Welcome to Take 2, a conversation about Irene Mayer Selznick, the daughter of MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer and first wife of famed producer David O. Selznick. Both Classic Film Boy (CFB) and I (TLE) recently read <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1238423.A_Private_View" target="_blank"><u>A Private View</u></a></span>, Mayer Selznick’s 1983 autobiography.We were impressed by the story of this strong woman who grew up and lived in Hollywood during its golden age and went on to become an esteemed Broadway producer in her own right. CFB invited me to discuss her life with him and, over the past month or so, we did:</i> </span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">CFB</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">: It is great to find another fan of Irene Mayer Selznick’s autobiography. I knew very little about her until I read Scott Berg’s <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/292751.Kate_Remembered" target="_blank"><u>Kate Remembered</u></a></span>, his biography of Katharine Hepburn, with whom he became great friends. He was also friends with Irene, and she really intrigued me. By this time it was later in her life, after her autobiography had been published, and I wanted to know more about this woman.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">TLE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">: Over the past few years I’ve had an experience that could be called “all roads</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">lead to Irene Mayer Selznick” – I kept coming upon interesting references to her as I</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">read about or researched other subjects. Eventually, I knew I had to get my hands</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">on her autobiography. This led me to also peruse biographies of her father as well as</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41243.Showman" target="_blank">David Thomson’s bio of David O. Selznick</a></span> - primarily to learn more about Irene in</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">relation to the two key men in her life.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">CFB</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">: I’ll need to read the David Thomson book. I’ve read a few others on David O. Selznick. It interests me that several books infer that Irene had an iron will and you didn’t want to cross her. Yet I didn’t get that feel from her autobiography. I guess the truth lies somewhere in between. Still, I very much wish I could have met this woman. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzSNLuhaXufe9-ZQroNP61u072SFf2AFCO1iHLDDyHFL9vCW1H32vgcbX24Zl2STL-fngdJx_hXEP12F5Qie1-UzLQipfXVw0tmzXYnqoKK3r9-SquVL_ky6AspagKEq2Or1Qw_nnq_3_/s1600/Edie+Louis+Margaret+and+Irene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzSNLuhaXufe9-ZQroNP61u072SFf2AFCO1iHLDDyHFL9vCW1H32vgcbX24Zl2STL-fngdJx_hXEP12F5Qie1-UzLQipfXVw0tmzXYnqoKK3r9-SquVL_ky6AspagKEq2Or1Qw_nnq_3_/s320/Edie+Louis+Margaret+and+Irene.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mayers: Edie, Louis B., wife Margaret and Irene in the 1920s</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">You would expect that someone who was brought up in Hollywood during the 1920s would have been part of the jazz age/flapper set. Yet I was amazed at the quiet life Irene and her sister Edie lived. It wasn’t sheltered, but it wasn’t flamboyant, either. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">TLE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">: My impression was that Irene and Edie’s lives under their father’s roof were intensely scrutinized and fairly insulated. Louis B. was vigilant and protective to the point of warning his girls not to become smitten with #1 Hollywood bachelor <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/about/awards/thalberg.html" target="_blank">Irving Thalberg</a></span> (before he married Norma Shearer) because of his ill health. Irene wrote that they were allowed to socialize with him but were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never</i> seated next to him at dinners or events.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Irene seems to me to have been a stifled child. She behaved very self-protectively, careful not to reveal much about her thoughts or feelings to her parents. She had a stammer, something that developed in childhood and apparently lasted most of her life.  Probably the most telling statement she made about her early life was that her parents had given her everything but a sense of her own worth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnxOMuNiNj8PGjwQwnv5uUuZZo2Nj4NVhG_U5NQu1wAHEs-xYz07fXq3hiWK0-Wx9FRh3daACpEln42z5wZkFU0aMfyhDe7q-84Vrw0NGVRaU3J4FXhoIknAqrGlObZ2uwMk_XFF6eHy4/s1600/the+selznicks+arrive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnxOMuNiNj8PGjwQwnv5uUuZZo2Nj4NVhG_U5NQu1wAHEs-xYz07fXq3hiWK0-Wx9FRh3daACpEln42z5wZkFU0aMfyhDe7q-84Vrw0NGVRaU3J4FXhoIknAqrGlObZ2uwMk_XFF6eHy4/s400/the+selznicks+arrive.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irene and David O. Selznick on the town</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Irene grew up to be more her father’s daughter than her mother’s. She was very bright, discerning and determined. And she was a good-looking woman, stylish and modern in her day. I have the impression that David O. Selznick counted on her for quite a bit during their 19-year marriage – which may be why he could never completely let her go. She had been his foundation and sounding board during those years when he achieved the heights.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">CFB</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">: Great impressions, and you are on target. I do think Louis B. was overly protective, yet Irene never seemed to shy away from more intellectual pursuits. Where her older sister, Edie, definitely focused on the clothes and societal aspects of life as she came of age, she preferred people whose minds she admired. I enjoyed her fond recollections of <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.hearstcastle.org/history-art/historic-people/william-randolph-hearst" target="_blank">William Randolph Hearst</a></span> (and not-too-fond memories of <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/44966|106932/Marion-Davies/" target="_blank">Marion Davies</a></span>, who also had a stammer). He treated Irene as a woman with a brain, and she treasured their conversations together. David did the same thing – he recognized that she was his equal in that regard. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">As for her father, Irene paints a side of Louis B. in her autobiography that many may not be aware of. She recalls when he – notoriously fond of Americana and family-friendly fare – saw <i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i>, which Irene produced for the stage. Louis B. came to the tryouts in New Haven, and Irene was worried about his reaction. Others were respectful but weren't gushing, but it was Louis B. who pulled Irene into a room and told her, “You don’t have a hit, you’ve got a smash. You wait and see.” She was then shocked to see her father and Elia Kazan, the play’s director, deep in conversation and clearly enjoying each other’s company! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">I also agree with you that Irene was a good-looking woman, although Edie didn’t think she put enough into how she looked. I love this from Irene’s book: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdusoV3w_qcpdZFqMiXuUUQDUQdOjVdVEy0rv0j3NQdLpp_boyJevkCAEU6Ekpi2b3YFgqE68kBAdRWfOcNvKh7utSljCwnv-mrBejbYkSW9BRDGcHrwS16Ej0eQEylP4m6k5iRlo_TQo-/s1600/Irene+and+Edie+1929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdusoV3w_qcpdZFqMiXuUUQDUQdOjVdVEy0rv0j3NQdLpp_boyJevkCAEU6Ekpi2b3YFgqE68kBAdRWfOcNvKh7utSljCwnv-mrBejbYkSW9BRDGcHrwS16Ej0eQEylP4m6k5iRlo_TQo-/s200/Irene+and+Edie+1929.jpg" width="148" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irene and Edie Mayer in the 1920s</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Edie to Irene: “Do me a favor, darling. While I want you to look beautiful for yourself, actually I’m being selfish. Everyone thinks I’m years younger than you, but there are some people from way back who remember. So take care of yourself for my sake, because you make me years older than I appear.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Irene’s response when a friend asked how old Edie was: “She used to be two years older than me. Now she is younger than springtime.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">TLE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">: You touch on a significant aspect of Irene’s life, her disastrous relationship with her sister, Edie. Theirs was a sibling rivalry that eventually drove them completely apart. Edie had suffered ill-health when she was young and, as a result, received a lot of special parental care and attention. Because it was expected of her, Irene deferred to her “frail” sister’s every whim. As the two grew up, Irene became the more popular of the two and was part of Hollywood’s up-and-coming younger crowd. This didn’t escape Edie's notice.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJZIepUPPRX4gjclz_DGWBcOJk4MRVB98XHE-8RmJxbjGi9BNg54r2BrQaMz6tGSomZV0XKD85SVawRfbZwOYl11zVHR_uGCxuo-JWEvWE3qsDzMS4Nc6n5c2WEZrdtpcjcTUEWb1p74T/s1600/Edie+Goetz+with+Van+Gogh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJZIepUPPRX4gjclz_DGWBcOJk4MRVB98XHE-8RmJxbjGi9BNg54r2BrQaMz6tGSomZV0XKD85SVawRfbZwOYl11zVHR_uGCxuo-JWEvWE3qsDzMS4Nc6n5c2WEZrdtpcjcTUEWb1p74T/s320/Edie+Goetz+with+Van+Gogh.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edie Mayer Goetz at home...with Van Gogh</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Edie was a woman of great social ambition. Her husband, Bill Goetz, was a producer, though not a trailblazer in the way L. B. Mayer or David Selznick were. Mayer brokered Goetz’s partnership at 20^th Century Fox and it’s said that the snide inside-the-industry crack “the son-in-law also rises” was aimed as much at Goetz as it was Selznick. Goetz’s most significant film was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sayonara </i>(1957), and it earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. He was a canny and forward-thinking businessman and enormously popular in Hollywood. Once the Selznick’s split up, he and Edie were at the heart of its social scene and remained so until his death in 1969. Edie quickly lost her social clout once Goetz died.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Irene’s ambition seems of an entirely different nature. Her inclination was to be in on the action, not a decorative accessory or hostess. Her diary from her teen years includes comments on films she saw at MGM previews. These journal entries reveal Irene to have been perceptive and frank in her observations – even at 17. Her take on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Romola</i> (1924): “…L. Gish good as always but didn’t make the most of her opportunities – leading male part should not have been the villain – not enough love interest.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwR5meKVGBjvVTHGbJXksY0jBvHAdpTXWERZpRrpct7g9-wW5r5RfmJttONqatJf1KpTeuJ3u4UI4-eYNZPcnSGI3NJS3QJzIy6zXevF0hPv1mY-TKCIE4spw-RL6Z7owKDawIATjmNFc/s1600/Irene+and+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwR5meKVGBjvVTHGbJXksY0jBvHAdpTXWERZpRrpct7g9-wW5r5RfmJttONqatJf1KpTeuJ3u4UI4-eYNZPcnSGI3NJS3QJzIy6zXevF0hPv1mY-TKCIE4spw-RL6Z7owKDawIATjmNFc/s1600/Irene+and+boys.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irene with her sons Jeffrey and Daniel Selznick</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">In her book Irene writes that it amused her father to ask her opinion of a movie and then try to argue her out of her point of view. When she was dating Selznick, they went to a preview of a picture of his one night and afterward he asked what she thought of it. Irene replied with noncommittal remarks - and he challenged her, “…speak up; no one’s going to hold it against you. If you’re afraid, I promise you no one will ever know a word you’ve said.” Irene writes that she <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> afraid but over time she felt free enough to say anything she wanted to him. Selznick told her that he was undoing the damage her father had done.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">David Selznick was the younger son of <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.fortleefilm.org/studios.html" target="_blank">Lewis J. Selznick</a></span>, L.B. Mayer’s one-time employer and long-time anathema. The Selznick boys were on Mayer’s “off-limits” list for his girls, but Irene and David, once committed, were not to be stopped. It seems to me that Irene may not yet have had a true sense of her own worth, but she was developing a mind and will of her own.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">CFB:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;"> She clearly had a will of her own, and I like how you track it from those observations about film to her conversations with David. She really needed an iron will, considering the men in her life. She could stand up to her father and husband, so dealing with Edie probably was more frustrating than anything else. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Irene was great friends with Katharine Hepburn, and you know Hepburn was no pushover. Still, Irene spent years in analysis, and she was never afraid to admit it or discuss how it helped her. Perhaps that is what grounded her considering the characters around her. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tnQoL-jW9ELuJv5d9R36HewEvirVkwMibA_Y75zbsz_qRuInYPE_VWExUOaRtN7qbMx1f3iX68NOxNeloBOhcKlsEXdUJgvowPL4zNXcSQxqz15Q-FfOdp8e2voxzNkjlRCGNDkfwBsR/s1600/kate+and+irene+asking+directions+in+montego+bay+jamaica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tnQoL-jW9ELuJv5d9R36HewEvirVkwMibA_Y75zbsz_qRuInYPE_VWExUOaRtN7qbMx1f3iX68NOxNeloBOhcKlsEXdUJgvowPL4zNXcSQxqz15Q-FfOdp8e2voxzNkjlRCGNDkfwBsR/s400/kate+and+irene+asking+directions+in+montego+bay+jamaica.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katharine Hepburn and Irene in Jamaica, asking directions...</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Going back to Berg’s book, he was friends with Irene for nearly 20 years until she died, and it’s a nice companion piece to Irene’s autobiography. He describes her as such when they met in the 1970s: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">“I don’t think she was more than five feet tall – with short dark hair in bangs and the shrewdest pair of eyes I have ever seen; and I know she was one of the most powerful presences I have ever beheld. … It would be less than precise to call Mrs. Selznick an extremely difficult person, but she was easily the most challenging I have ever met. One never let down one’s guard with Irene, unless looking to be knocked out or thrown out. Emotional, volatile and analytical, she took nothing at face value, probing layers beneath layers in even the simplest matters.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Berg was very fond of Irene, and it’s interesting to have this insight when you read her autobiography. Her book was no frivolous undertaking to cash in on her fame, and I believe she took great care to analyze her life before setting it down on paper.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Eve, I feel like we could talk about Irene for days, but perhaps we should wrap this up. Any final thoughts about this fascinating woman? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">TLE:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;"> I’d like to talk a bit about Irene Mayer Selznick’s accomplishments after she departed Hollywood. Her family and friends are extremely interesting, of course, and her life was entwined with the history of movies in America, which is covered in her book, but there was more – she managed to reinvent herself and carve out a career of her own in New York.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Irene’s decision to leave Selznick and relocate on the East Coast was bold. She wasn’t sure what she might achieve, but turned to old friends for advice, friends like famed playwright/director <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/05/moss-hart-diaries-kitty-carlisle-marlene-dietrich" target="_blank">Moss Hart</a></span> who urged her to pursue her dream of becoming a theatrical producer. After a while, she rented an office, hired a general manager and got going. Her first production, an Arthur Laurents play starring Shirley Booth, didn’t get to Broadway but closed after an out of town tryout. Laurents later retooled the play, came up with a new title, but kept Shirley Booth  - who won a Tony for her role. David Lean later adapted it to film; this was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Summertime</i> (1955) starring Irene’s good friend Katharine Hepburn.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviMu-eHKIrN__mlUlnbdE3JKPgqImHCJdDlcSmYI4p_vdPDweN8-NY8bCWdnFY5yvfuSkE0thIxDq-3iKrHpx1FSrVb9hcK8dBs8ivEaSbMLePq2UVeX_P-JLcMHF_aX79iupxHGWq2wO/s1600/Streetcar+on+Broadway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviMu-eHKIrN__mlUlnbdE3JKPgqImHCJdDlcSmYI4p_vdPDweN8-NY8bCWdnFY5yvfuSkE0thIxDq-3iKrHpx1FSrVb9hcK8dBs8ivEaSbMLePq2UVeX_P-JLcMHF_aX79iupxHGWq2wO/s400/Streetcar+on+Broadway.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final scenes: <i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i> on Broadway, 1947</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">It was on Irene’s 40^th birthday that she received the script for what became her second production and it was this play that established her – and everyone associated with it. The play was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Streetcar Named Desire</i> by <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/tennessee-williams/about-tennessee-williams/737/" target="_blank">Tennessee Williams</a></span>; it debuted on Broadway in 1947 to a half-hour standing ovation. According to Irene, the play made director Elia Kazan “a king.” It also made Marlon Brando a star (he went straight to Hollywood after the play and never looked back), brought a Tony Award to Jessica Tandy, who played Blanche Dubois in New York, and a Pulitzer Prize to Williams. The film adaptation would win four Oscars.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Irene was certainly a powerhouse, she went toe-to-toe with the indomitable Kazan when they worked on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Streetcar </i>(perhaps second nature to her by now, after dealing with her father and husband). In fact, Tennessee Williams had a habit of referring to her as “Dame Selznick,” apparently acknowledging her pedigree and her demeanor. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_EoFSz_IBCsllX0mDZUzx7GMg_rk0iagvVvPnMyPBf89rVC7GcQ6cWs0b5csGVDZZWXFJuJ3aXogc_oGbxWj8nv3TLN_PxX7_oNKl7UPKbYO0Q19f5T3mi0hZXfMaPmNxjqBgkpgyC_f/s1600/Bell+with+Palmer+and+Harrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_EoFSz_IBCsllX0mDZUzx7GMg_rk0iagvVvPnMyPBf89rVC7GcQ6cWs0b5csGVDZZWXFJuJ3aXogc_oGbxWj8nv3TLN_PxX7_oNKl7UPKbYO0Q19f5T3mi0hZXfMaPmNxjqBgkpgyC_f/s1600/Bell+with+Palmer+and+Harrison.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bell, Book and Candle </i>on Broadway</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">Irene produced several more Broadway plays. Her production of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bell, Book and Candle</i> in 1950 starred Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer and was <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051406/" target="_blank">adapted to film</a></span> in 1958 and became a hit starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. Irene’s production of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Chalk Garden </i>in 1955 brought her a Tony nomination; <span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057933/" target="_blank">the film adaptation</a></span> starred Deborah Kerr.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">In her memoirs Irene described her life as a play in three acts, the first as her father’s daughter, the second as wife to her husband, and the third act was her career in the theater. She wrote, “With perseverance I’ve gotten this far. Now, with a little more luck, I’d like to grow very old as slowly as possible.” She died in New York in 1990 at age 83.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">I’ve really enjoyed this, CFB, and want to thank you for inviting me to discuss Irene Mayer Selznick's incredible story with you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;">CFB:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;"> You're welcome. Detailing her amazing theater work – which many people may not know  of – is a wonderful way to wrap up a conversation about Irene. She wasn’t just the daughter of mogul Louis B. or the wife of wunderkind David O. She was a tough, sharp and respected Broadway producer, and her stage work alone represents a strong legacy. </span><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/AVvXsEgiaDBO6AoKQjkJ5XaAj7NMJQGGqmHlQHQj0uJCLPwCmZWUezoNqWOR9qtFME8UOgyi4fqHPwiSKDcPfmllaDwb1z8D1NzuNj8zqqR3xdeGkXDHH6qlv4GWDZYawRgHtklILMRgJqAS-35i/s1600/irene+solo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaDBO6AoKQjkJ5XaAj7NMJQGGqmHlQHQj0uJCLPwCmZWUezoNqWOR9qtFME8UOgyi4fqHPwiSKDcPfmllaDwb1z8D1NzuNj8zqqR3xdeGkXDHH6qlv4GWDZYawRgHtklILMRgJqAS-35i/s320/irene+solo+1.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irene Mayer Selznick</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><i>Following is an audio clip of a 1948 radio program that begins with Elia Kazan and Irene Mayer Selznick accepting the New York Drama Critics' "Best American Play" Award for Tennessee Williams. The program goes on to feature portions of the play itself, with narration by Kazan and scenes performed by the original Broadway cast - including Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter and Jessica Tandy:</i> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wmpjP-ZKDvg" width="420"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.classicfilmboy.com/" style="color: #cc0000;">Click here</a><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span>to visit <span style="color: #cc0000;">Classicfilmboy's Movie Paradise</span>. <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/05/en-route-to-elysian-fields.html" style="color: #cc0000;">Click here</a> to learn more about the evolution of <i>A Streetcar Named Desire.</i></span></div>

A Streetcar Named Desire Bell Book and Candle Classicfilmboy David O. Selznick Elia Kazan Irene Mayer Selznick Katharine Hepburn Louis B. Mayer Tennessee Williams The Lady Eve (author) Take 2: Irene Mayer Selznick, a Life in Three Acts

Classic Film Boy and The Lady Eve Discuss the Fascinating Irene Mayer Selznick Welcome to Take 2, a conversation about Irene Mayer Selznick,...

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