Live From The Mizpah: Moonlight, Music, And The Grace Of Surreal Juxtapositions

Here at Tonopahs's newly reopened Edwardian (built in 05 during a mining boom -- think Lilly Langtree) elegant hotel, the Mizpah, I remember the desert night drive that brought me here. Music catches the theme. It starts with two words from a new Paul Simon song --"thank you!" sung in the voice of a car wash worker who has just gotten a tip and is exclaiming his gratitude for all to hear -- "thank" plosive with surprise -- "you" drawn out and with an upward inflection to show more gifts are hoped for from others who hear how much their generosity will be appreciated. I myself have given alms to panhandlers, sometimes against my better judgment, hoping for the "God bless you" they so often bestow -- for while I vacillate in my belief in the efficacy of the priestly blessings, I hope the blessings of the poor may expunge my sins. I say that car wash guy's thank you for so many things in my life including a certain surreal set of juxtapositions that keeps me perpetually off balance, perplexed, and delightedly amazed. Music on that theme to come.<br /><br />After 3 days of inspection and consultation from nationally important Latino Ministries people come to Nevada to see what we had done for God's mission with the money they entrusted to us -- 3 days that actually warmed my heart with the gentle joy of this mission -- I got up this morning at 4:30 to catch a plane to Reno and was still late for the Camp Galilee Board meeting. The Board consists of devoted people who sweat the small stuff but for a big mission. Then, after some dawdling in Carson City -- I buy all my pipes in Carson -- I began the 4 hour drive to Tonopah where I will preach and celebrate for God and 6 to 8 people tomorrow.<br /><br />Just East of the Fernley roundabout, 2 things happened at once. To my left an almost full moon rose into a heavy bank of dark clouds. The thickest clouds shrouded the moon while the moon back lit the others. Strictly speaking, it was lovely. But an association with a life crisis in years past has left me -- I admit this is crazy -- afraid of full moons. So when the moon broke through I did what I always do. I stared at it straight on and said "Surely it is God who saves me. I will trust in him and not be afraid . . . ." In case you are not already persuaded I am unhinged, I will tell you what was happening over the pasture to my right. Two small flying objects, which are still unidentified by me' were executing impossible maneuvers. They had bright blue, green, white, and red lights. One was roundish. The other was shaped like an airplane. It sometimes spun wing over wing rapidly. Both darted at acute angles. I am not saying the A word. A navy air base is at least as close as Fallon. All I can say is whatever those things were, they were amazing.<br /><br />Remember I got up at 4:30 after 3 intense days of Latino ministries review and drove to the Las Vegas airport which is strange enough in itself. It had been a day of meeting with a board of directors and 2 priests "in transition" as we euphemistically say. Now, as I drove between a beautiful but threatening moonrise and a UFO exposition I was listening for the first time to "The Goat Rodeo Sessions" -- Yo Yo Ma and friends performing original bluegrass compositions with post-modern arrangements for a classical string quartet rendition. Did I mention the surreal juxtapositions of my life? And I said "thank you!"<br /><br />Awhile later I went over a hill and came to Walker Lake. My old enemy the moon -- just one night waning past full -- spread a milky sheet of light over the gently rippling waters -- a "kindly light" if ever I did see one -- and I said, "thank you!"<br /><br />As I drove on through the jagged desert, I edited tomorrow's sermon in my mind -- all about waking up and keeping watch for three great wonders that define the very value of life. Then I composed a rant which I hope to deliver at next week's gathering of Bishops of Small Dioceses -- a rant at the Church Medical Trust, a rant so angry that if I get a chance to start it I am sure I will be gagged and carried out before I get to the best parts.<br /><br />Then I came to Tonopah and the stately old Mizpah where I talked with the drunks at the bar about Macs vs PC's, boxing (Manny Paquio of course), the perils of on line translators when flirting with Scandinavian women, race relations, and all the things that occupy the minds of people who drink at the Mizpah on a Saturday night. As I end this day, knowing tomorrow I will proclaim the gospel by such lights as are given me then drive back to Tahoe to debrief summer camp with 2 bishops and 3 chaplains then fly to Salt Lake where I will insult and abuse actuaries, I say, Thank you!"

Live From The Mizpah: Moonlight, Music, And The Grace Of Surreal Juxtapositions

Here at Tonopahs's newly reopened Edwardian (built in 05 during a mining boom -- think Lilly Langtree) elegant hotel, the Mizpah, I reme...

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SAVE GERMAN DEMOCRACY

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SAVE GERMAN DEMOCRACY

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Finding employment before 2012

<br /><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -30px;"><div style="color: #333333; font: italic normal normal 16px/normal arial, helvetica;"><span id="cbArticle_lblHeadline2">Job searching as the year winds down</span></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/gc/ar5l4jd6n8nn04d1mqgc.gif?time=9/27/2011%204:06:37%20pm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/gc/ar5l4jd6n8nn04d1mqgc.gif?time=9/27/2011%204:06:37%20pm" /></a></div><div class="cbmsnArticleImage">Just because the year is winding down doesn't mean your job search should be. The weeks leading up to the calendar turning are full of both challenges and opportunities. Here, experts offer thoughts on making the most of 2011's closing months.</div></div><div class="ArticleContent" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Autumn</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"September is typically a great time for job searching as many people are returning from vacation and turning their attention once again towards business," says Roberta Chinsky Matuson, president of Human Resource Solutions in Northampton, Mass., and author of "Suddenly in Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Duncan Mathison, a career consultant and co-author of "Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times are Tough," agrees. "This is a time when many people are back in the office and before holidays begin. It is a great time to kick up the networking to hiring managers and even your direct approach -- letters, emails and calls to people who manage people with your skills."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As fall progresses, companies often start solidifying their plans. "Fourth quarter is budgeting time," Mathison says. "This is when employers are looking at budgets for next year and jobs are being created. Yes, these positions might not start until after the first of the year, but get ahead of the line." He recommends making sure managers know you and your skills, which could lead to a job description written to fit your profile or at least a spot in the candidate pool that gets called before an ad gets posted.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Holiday season</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Traditional thought is that the holiday season is a bad time to find a job. Some companies do not hire during the last months of the year because they are focused on bringing in revenue and keeping expenses down to achieve their annual financial targets. Companies planning to downsize often do so before or just after Thanksgiving, further reducing the available positions during this time period. At companies with vacancies, managers often are using up vacation time, making it harder to schedule interviews.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Some job seekers view these obstacles as reasons to stop their search during November and December, but openings can arise that have nothing to do with the calendar. If fellow candidates are taking time off, it can be to your advantage. As Matuson notes, "While hiring may be slow during these months, job seekers may find less competition during this period."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Also, some employers are eager to have their staff in place and ready to go when the new year starts. In addition to new spots created by the new budget cycle, internal promotions frequently happen after end-of-the-year performance reviews. Likewise, December is a popular month for retirements. All of these things mean possible opportunities for job seekers, so be ready to present your best.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"This is a good time to update your résumé," says Lisa Quast, author of "Your Career, Your Way!" and president of Career Woman Inc. in Seattle. "Ensure it clearly lists what you accomplished in each position, preferably quantified. Prepare your list of references, obtain letters of recommendation, research job requirements, analyze the job requirements against your own skills and abilities, research companies and industries, even find and obtain help from 'sponsors' and 'internal coaches' at the companies at which you'd like to apply."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Another plus during the last months of the year: temporary hiring. "The holiday time can actually be helpful to some job seekers because it is when many employers -- especially retail businesses -- hire seasonal, part-time workers," Quast says. "If a full-time position in this area interests you, consider applying for a part-time position during the holidays. Then, show management what an incredibly hard worker you are, your reliability and your positive attitude. It will go a long way in helping you transition from working there part time to full time because most companies find it easier to hire someone they know and like."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And don't forget as you're celebrating the season that holiday gatherings offer chances to meet people who might be of help. "Holidays are a great time to revitalize a lagging search and stale network," Mathison says. "Social networks -- friends, community groups, parents of your children's friends -- can restart the search. Many people fail to take advantage of this because most only network with their old professional connections. In tough markets, it is essential that people network with all connections about their search."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6253558023578505388" name="_GoBack" style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"></a><i>Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.</i></div></div>

Finding employment before 2012

Job searching as the year winds down Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder Just because the year is winding down doesn't mean yo...

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i want to go to there

Let me clear my throat while I prepare for my best Rachel Zoe impression... Die.<br /><br />I've been reading about this wonderful new <strike>store</strike> mecca <a href="http://www.cwonder.com/" target="_blank">C. Wonder </a>for a few weeks now and I've decided to get a new piggy bank just for a trip to this store. When I go, I plan to spend hours there. Not only to drool over the interiors but also to lovingly pet all the wonderful clothes, housewares, jewelry. Oy! The best of all worlds in one fab place.<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://decorarts.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/l1060359.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11448" height="907" src="http://decorarts.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/l1060359.jpg?w=604&h=907" title="L1060359" width="604" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wallpaper. The green trim. The bowls in the corner. Ba. nannas. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://decorartsnow.com/">decorartsnow.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><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="http://nyc.popsugar.com/C-Wonder-Store-Opening-SoHo-NYC-Pictures-20059424?page=0,0,17#17" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/502179389_FJQqsZu7_c.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wanna get my door that glossy. <a href="http://nyc.popsugar.com/">nyc.popsugar.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="ImgLink" id="PinImage"> </div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP7oP95-MyHPTHp3ZW_kNF_JUYK9fSW3bVvd4PSc-Z4K-UIvERjGlXm3jwQvvwCHDAETCVbRklPPm7qAgVn_omrc1cC1i57U2rygdga07bfxkpW8FRRIZ-r4ryQ3ZpaIXki6cx2oVZFk/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-11-10+at+1.13.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP7oP95-MyHPTHp3ZW_kNF_JUYK9fSW3bVvd4PSc-Z4K-UIvERjGlXm3jwQvvwCHDAETCVbRklPPm7qAgVn_omrc1cC1i57U2rygdga07bfxkpW8FRRIZ-r4ryQ3ZpaIXki6cx2oVZFk/s640/Screen+shot+2011-11-10+at+1.13.59+PM.png" width="492" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The November / December issue of <a href="http://lonnymag.com/issues/32-nov-dec-2011-issue/pages/1" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">Lonny</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> has a great article about the store as well.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGvvyh4sx8-QrCuCBG2G4Jv10_uINMBCUj0aktq-VQKqta8QrMuk12a1NG_7r90Io1FD-yHvObgZ4LSTnXd-gnkiJB9nKl94BLM2qnubGL-8XmYe22lo3JZ9fXJtZJRzSo9RHh36-fPo/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-11-10+at+1.20.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGvvyh4sx8-QrCuCBG2G4Jv10_uINMBCUj0aktq-VQKqta8QrMuk12a1NG_7r90Io1FD-yHvObgZ4LSTnXd-gnkiJB9nKl94BLM2qnubGL-8XmYe22lo3JZ9fXJtZJRzSo9RHh36-fPo/s640/Screen+shot+2011-11-10+at+1.20.07+PM.png" width="504" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><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;"><img alt="http://www.trendyblair.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CWonder_2.jpg" src="http://www.trendyblair.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CWonder_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C. Wonder NYC</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>I will take pictures. I will rub walls and kiss bracelets. It will be embarrassing and I will love every moment. What wonderful Friday afternoon eye candy. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!</div><div><br /></div><div>(And thanks Liz Lemon for the post title)</div>

i want to go to there

Let me clear my throat while I prepare for my best Rachel Zoe impression... Die. I've been reading about this wonderful new store  mecca...

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Weigh In & New Charms

Today I had a 2.5 pound loss from last week! Yay!  I am getting closer to meeting my next 5 pound goal too.. I'm so pleased with the recent momentum.  Joel did not weigh in this week (yet) because he is still away in the mountains camping.<br /><br />Also, the two new charms came in mail yesterday.  I decided on the cross and the teapot.  These charms represent my first two 5 pound goals.  Now I have a charm that represents them all!<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/AVvXsEh8DLewP8w926U6S1p3t3cJ9lVpokB-0Zi6hl7jY4Dt2mASGh22gb4fzUxg-0A74cDJ30xe5BP23H0ckxV2MmZSTG-yVxbsNRKcfs-Ib8n03dtiavVqRqSYvza8F9CS2QDTPikGJ7fclPE/s1600/Food+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DLewP8w926U6S1p3t3cJ9lVpokB-0Zi6hl7jY4Dt2mASGh22gb4fzUxg-0A74cDJ30xe5BP23H0ckxV2MmZSTG-yVxbsNRKcfs-Ib8n03dtiavVqRqSYvza8F9CS2QDTPikGJ7fclPE/s400/Food+007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pretty little box from <a href="http://www.wilkinsandolander.com/">Wilkins & Olander</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Pretty boxes make it even more special, wouldn't you say? <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWi-81bhPMt1h7ujYZiazF1KflFXmyLHdYUXQXDKPAb75DS02oc3zR1URENO9hTGoc-YmX4yjFAv-NekV8As43j_kr5r3dfGO_NMbk6IU8d9xm54LxLLPWIQZEjls5V_Eyq2g6CVh9rmU/s1600/Food+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWi-81bhPMt1h7ujYZiazF1KflFXmyLHdYUXQXDKPAb75DS02oc3zR1URENO9hTGoc-YmX4yjFAv-NekV8As43j_kr5r3dfGO_NMbk6IU8d9xm54LxLLPWIQZEjls5V_Eyq2g6CVh9rmU/s400/Food+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />I chose the cross to represent the faith in God that is needed during every facet of this journey.  I'm a lover of tea (chai!), and I feel that reaching for a cup of tea often helps me stop eating.  The flavor of a nice, hot cup of tea is sometimes all I need to curb a craving.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8zu7GWvFB8LrYkFWD_zO4zhUcPhKfaJfoWyPpKpxa41sFzKqWq0QsgKYXjnKKKmCU0OEwaskAifsf1E494mpUtvb-vyxEZ3govt7efHNCOzONDeye-5XmEt8gvLDlafTOkwOPP-8t_4/s1600/Food+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8zu7GWvFB8LrYkFWD_zO4zhUcPhKfaJfoWyPpKpxa41sFzKqWq0QsgKYXjnKKKmCU0OEwaskAifsf1E494mpUtvb-vyxEZ3govt7efHNCOzONDeye-5XmEt8gvLDlafTOkwOPP-8t_4/s400/Food+011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />I'm so pleased with how the bracelet is turning out.  With the exception of the fish, there are 3 charms there representing 15 lbs of weight loss (even though I'm now at 18.7 pounds removed).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqhGrQuMm-u1BT4Q3GPBLfn-M5ZnmerzbzLRzhIxlRbkCnKYsYu7Gta318HTuuO751zAo3xTAQW3TlltumiigE4mO36o2Xog3pjMZcEk8hyh6BqdiBGxAraVe-LC4hX94on5zDNk1-mo/s1600/Food+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqhGrQuMm-u1BT4Q3GPBLfn-M5ZnmerzbzLRzhIxlRbkCnKYsYu7Gta318HTuuO751zAo3xTAQW3TlltumiigE4mO36o2Xog3pjMZcEk8hyh6BqdiBGxAraVe-LC4hX94on5zDNk1-mo/s400/Food+014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Charles is pleased as well!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><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/AVvXsEhb0zJOtwhyphenhyphenvcmyXUeoFrXapQbEikmxZ7souTpdUjUGbD5wOCPpaQSSSDg6MSz5rhtSw9r2pjzTLbmRQVOvF8SspsfsIOtTsNsww9UoHd_LYtcPNpNNdgFW9MLCod5eXeo8rEGoMpYrGW4/s1600/Food+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0zJOtwhyphenhyphenvcmyXUeoFrXapQbEikmxZ7souTpdUjUGbD5wOCPpaQSSSDg6MSz5rhtSw9r2pjzTLbmRQVOvF8SspsfsIOtTsNsww9UoHd_LYtcPNpNNdgFW9MLCod5eXeo8rEGoMpYrGW4/s400/Food+015.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He is desperate to knock that bracelet off the table, I can<br />see it in his eyes!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have to remember to keep this bracelet hidden, or someone is clearly going to make it their next toy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CTg9CJ1WiqCMAi5q_k0glKhk6KEcuDNLDZ6lTdgDxzpheHf9tzLQX2YYGwhHQGY4aqtSCzA_hS8olfuoQLjiH2YKHNaaGS2RYivPPHHDy0QcMFycraY3U_fcYmsa_qBWQVQe1pxEJiM/s1600/Food+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CTg9CJ1WiqCMAi5q_k0glKhk6KEcuDNLDZ6lTdgDxzpheHf9tzLQX2YYGwhHQGY4aqtSCzA_hS8olfuoQLjiH2YKHNaaGS2RYivPPHHDy0QcMFycraY3U_fcYmsa_qBWQVQe1pxEJiM/s400/Food+018.JPG" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />

goals Weight Watchers Weigh In & New Charms

Today I had a 2.5 pound loss from last week! Yay!  I am getting closer to meeting my next 5 pound goal too.. I'm so pleased with the rec...

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Part 1: How I Approach WW in the Public

<a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-do-you-do.htm">On Tuesday</a> I asked you to share with me your thoughts on whether or not you share your weight loss journey with others.  Thank you all for your candid feedback!<br /><br />I have to give a warning: this turned out a bit "rant-y".  Dang it.<br /><br />Like many of you, this "is not my first rodeo" (thank YOU <a href="http://kimsquesttolose100lbsagain.blogspot.com/">Kim</a>!).  I have been on and off Weight Watchers numerous times in my 27 years of life.  When I was a sophomore/junior in college, I lost 49.5 pounds.  I had 3 roommates at that time who were EXTREMELY supportive.  They didn't judge me.  They didn't tempt me with treats - they simply supported me and let me do my thing. No criticisms, no "two-sense" - just support in a way that made me feel completely comfortable with them knowing my journey (thank you Aggie, Jen, Brittany & Marlin!).  At times they would even participate in exercise with me, which made the whole thing that much better!  I was <i>very </i>lucky.<br /><br />Still, those were the only people I shared my journey with in intimate detail.  Most other times I've been on WW, including today, I choose not to tell others.  However, there have been those occasions where people have discovered I am on WW, because it's become obvious that I'm losing weight, and when those instances have occurred, the reaction is not typically favorable.  What am I talking about here?<br /><br />Let's take the Super Skinny Girl encounter.  "Oh Hilary, I can tell you've lost weight.  What are you doing?"  After sharing my story with SSG, she proceeds to interrogate me as to every minute detail of the Program and how can she "quickly" lose X number of pounds if she does the Program.  Do skinny people not realize how this makes fat people feel?  I mean, SSG is probably no more than 130 lbs and roughly 5'5"/5'6", and you're crying to me about how YOU need to lose weight?! I don't want to waste my time with you! I am 250+ pounds.  I have a legit problem on my hands - I'm <i>not </i>trying to provide comfort/pity to YOU when <i>I </i>have real reasons as to why I need to lose weight.     <br /><br />Then there are the Haters.  "Oh, WW isn't healthy."  "WW encourages eating processed foods."  "WW didn't work for me and it probably won't for you either."  "Counting Points+ isn't nearly as accurate/effective as counting calories."  "Jenny Craig/Atkins/Vegan/<insert eating="" other="" plan=""> is so much better/healthier than WW."</insert><br /><br />Then, my personal favorite, the Wannabe's.  "Hilary, how many Points+ is this chicken breast I'm eating?  How many Points+ is my <i>entire </i>meal?  10 Points+?  Is that bad?  I'm sorry but chicken is extremely healthy and I don't agree with this Points+ value."  And, please, help me understand, you don't pay for WW.  You don't even follow the Program officially.  So why exactly do you need to know the Points+ values of your food, if, in fact, you don't really care? What added value does that provide for you?<br /><br />I haven't had a lot of favorable reactions from people when sharing my journey with them, obviously.  Still, I cannot help but wonder the benefits of being more vocal about it - especially to those who care about me.<br /><br />Have you ever encountered these types of people??

Weight Loss Challenges Weight Watchers Part 1: How I Approach WW in the Public

On Tuesday I asked you to share with me your thoughts on whether or not you share your weight loss journey with others.  Thank you all for ...

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damn you Ina

It is getting cold 'round these parts and the wind is picking up. We are full of coughs and runny noses. Fall is in the house. So this morning, while reading <a href="http://oliveourhouse.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">this post</a>, I drooled over this picture.<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/AVvXsEi1w39U8U66qUk-Tjm6TRHO7xRpwcvfme7TyaEo9Yg1M8zHZccfrobTfZbvif6iOjgMK46-ZP1sCieGLdUBDADIyjbqg5hF5cRdPz4oIfNTviQV1htm-HNGMwUeVCNDBr6wAzRkXa2a5DFt/s1600/IMG_9785.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w39U8U66qUk-Tjm6TRHO7xRpwcvfme7TyaEo9Yg1M8zHZccfrobTfZbvif6iOjgMK46-ZP1sCieGLdUBDADIyjbqg5hF5cRdPz4oIfNTviQV1htm-HNGMwUeVCNDBr6wAzRkXa2a5DFt/s320/IMG_9785.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oliveourhouse.blogspot.com</td></tr></tbody></table>Warm, caramely (is that a word?) apple goodness. I was still dreaming about it when I turned on Ina at lunch and what was she making? Apple Crisp. I took these as signs from the culinary gods that I needed to make some apple crisp. When Ina speaks, I listen.<br /><br />I had made <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/apple-crisp-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">this recipe</a> a few years ago at Christmas and it was a crowd pleaser. Syrup is the bacon of the dessert world, so anything with syrup is awesome (I did add a bit of Ina's flair though by adding some lemon and orange zest).  I also opt for one baking dish rather than ramekins. I love a cute ramekin as much as the next girl, but it sounds a lot better when you can say to yourself "I only had one <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">big</span> piece of apple crisp." rather than "I ate 4 ramekins of apple crisp."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89zwdKWm3wAU0TkJqXN61CwY05u1Ioj55Sg-mSEA-PEVZZEki8QxhrMBmB21um0ZEPlmwSI0cn6kkoozAZHIzoXjLC8AM9eTNmzV4uuw4bjtrCY6Gf8uoapECgXMVpLkFnwXS204sghRA/s1600/PB100912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89zwdKWm3wAU0TkJqXN61CwY05u1Ioj55Sg-mSEA-PEVZZEki8QxhrMBmB21um0ZEPlmwSI0cn6kkoozAZHIzoXjLC8AM9eTNmzV4uuw4bjtrCY6Gf8uoapECgXMVpLkFnwXS204sghRA/s320/PB100912.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Nice warm apple crisp, cozy slippers and a little Bravo. A good Thursday night.

recipe damn you Ina

It is getting cold 'round these parts and the wind is picking up. We are full of coughs and runny noses. Fall is in the house. So this m...

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10 things to do after the interview

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><div class="cbmsnArticleImage" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/1m/ar5l2v07112wwz4f851m.gif?time=7/12/2011%206:00:55%20pm" /></div><div style="color: #333333; font: italic normal normal 16px/normal arial, helvetica;"><span id="cbArticle_lblHeadline2">How to keep the momentum going</span></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b> </div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The interview may be over, but your chance to make an impression is not. Here are 10 strategies to continue boosting your candidacy.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>1. Show that you're still interested.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Leave no doubt in the interviewer's mind about where you stand. Ask for the job at meeting's end with a phrase such as, "I would really like to contribute to this company and am hoping you select me." Also, don't leave the room without a clear idea of what will happen next in the hiring process. Will select applicants be invited back to meet other people? By what date do they hope to fill the position? Such questions demonstrate enthusiasm for the job, and knowing the hirer's timeframe will help keep you from panicking if a week has passed without a phone call.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>2. Set the stage for further contact.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Nobody wants to be a pest, but could your silence as days pass be misinterpreted as indifference? Avoid the guesswork by finding out before heading home what the employer prefers in terms of checking in. Lizandra Vega, author of "The Image of Success: Make a Great Impression and Land the Job You Want," suggests asking the recruiter about her preferred method of follow-up communication and whether it would be okay to touch base again.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>3. Be punctual.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you tell the interviewer you'll send a list of references tomorrow morning, make sure you do it. Keeping your word and answering requests in a timely manner speaks volumes about the type of employee you might be.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>4. Know when to sit tight.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If an interviewer requests that you follow up by phone in a week, respect her wishes. Calling the next day can be construed as pushy and desperate.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>5. Send a prompt thank-you note.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A positive, nonintrusive way to stay on an employer's mind is to send a thank-you note. Vega recommends emailing one within 24 hours of the interview, then following up with a handwritten note that arrives one to three business days later.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>6. Send each interviewer a personalized, powerful follow-up letter.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This piece of communication is another chance for you to shine, so don't waste space with generalities. Ford R. Myers, a career coach and author of "Get the Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring," recommends including specific references to each person you met and tying your accomplishments directly to the company's stated challenges. You also can use the letter to introduce achievements that didn't get discussed and to elaborate on interview answers that you felt lacked punch.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>7. Address one of the company's needs.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Another effective way to follow up is to act more like a consultant than an applicant. "During the interview, you learn a lot about a company's weaknesses and/or areas where the company wants to expand," states Linda Matias, president of CareerStrides.com and author of "201 Knockout Answers to Tough Interview Questions." "Consider creating a proposal on how you would address one of those areas. Doing so will demonstrate that you have the knowledge and also the enthusiasm to make a significant contribution."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>8. Keep thinking and learning about the company.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Be prepared for additional interviews or follow-up phone calls by continuing to research the organization and the field. Gain new information about a topic brought up in conversation. Think of additional questions you'd like answered. These actions show the hirer that you didn't stop caring about the company after the interview was over.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>9. Leverage outside resources.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Networking should never stop. "If you have contacts and connections with anyone who might influence the hiring decision, or who actually knows the interviewer, ask her to put a good word in for you," Myers says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>10. Accept rejection with grace.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Finally, keep emotions in check and don't burn bridges if someone else gets hired. One never knows what the future might hold. The accepted candidate may not work out, or a different position may open up. "If you are rejected, the first thing you should do (ironically) is send a thank-you note," Myers says. "This will help distinguish you from other rejected candidates and put you in a positive light."</div><i>Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.</i> </div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

10 things to do after the interview

How to keep the momentum going Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder   The interview may be over, but your chance to make an impress...

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Do you have enough experience for that job?

<br /><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -30px;"><div class="hdr_org_bld" style="color: #ff6600; font: normal normal bold 18px/normal arial, helvetica;"><h1 id="articleHeadline" style="color: #ff7700; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal;"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Alina Dizik, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b></span></h1></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/m6/ar5l33x6js44v7hyh5m6.gif?time=10/3/2011%207:15:10%20pm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/m6/ar5l33x6js44v7hyh5m6.gif?time=10/3/2011%207:15:10%20pm" /></a></div><div class="cbmsnArticleImage">Just because you were a <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/senior+manager/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">senior manager</a> at one company doesn't mean that your next job won't be a midlevel role. Often, appropriate job titles can get confusing during a job search. "There's no standardization as to how the titles are done," says Jim Beqaj, founder of Beqaj International, an <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/executive+search/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">executive search</a> firm and consultancy.</div></div><div class="ArticleContent" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Not sure which job title you should target when looking for a job? Here's a rough guide to deciphering how to categorize your skills and what to keep in mind:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Entry level</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This category is misleading, because it's not just for those new to the workforce. Plenty of people who have been in the workforce for five years or fewer can fall under the <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/entry+level/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">entry-level</a> umbrella.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When going after an entry-level job, try to let your personality and enthusiasm shine. "Entry level is all about personality fit ... basic skills of good communication, eye contact and a sign of eagerness and genuineness are key in securing entry-level jobs," Beqaj says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Midlevel</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For job seekers who are no longer newbies in the market, a midlevel position has entirely different demands. "A midlevel manager typically directs people, departments, functions or projects as well as budgets," says résumé writer Deborah Schuster, founder of Lettersmith Résumé Service. "For most companies, this would require a minimum of a bachelor's degree and five to 15 years of experience."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Additionally, conveying to hiring managers how you would fit in with the company hierarchy is key. "Midlevel requires experience in previous jobs, so making sure that you have the experience and skills sets required is paramount. Your ability to articulate your experiences and how they positively impacted your previous employer are critical," Beqaj says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Senior-level and executive</b><br />Just because you were a <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/senior+level/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">senior-level </a>employee at one company doesn't mean you should be targeting only senior roles for your next gig. "There are many definitions for the word 'executive' and 'experienced,'" Schuster says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Corporate structures vary and larger companies have few senior-level slots. Before applying, use a site like LinkedIn to see where an employee with duties similar to your desired role fits in. "It helps if you know the size of the company and have a description of the qualifications they seek. And be sure your résumé and cover letter is tailored to show that you have those qualifications," Schuster says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Match skills not level</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Just because you fall into a certain experience bucket doesn't mean you can't apply for a position that requires your skills but is on a lower level. Most companies are happy to consider a more junior person for a job, especially if that means they can get away with paying a lower salary.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Before you apply, consider whether "your natural instincts [are] making you feel comfortable or uneasy; trust your senses," Beqaj says. Many larger companies may also start employees at a lower level. In other words, your senior-level role at a technology startup may result in a midlevel position with a Fortune 500 firm.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Understand what or whom you're managing</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Another good test for figuring out which level to target is to gauge your current job responsibility. Whether you're getting the information from a recruiter or through your own personal connections, get a sense of whether you would be managing entry-level employees, other <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/manager/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">managers</a>, a department, a group of businesses, the entire enterprise or just your own time, says George Bradt, managing director of PrimeGenesis, a company that helps executives become established in their new jobs.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The higher the level, the more senior the job title should be for your next position. "What matters when reviewing job descriptions for entry level, midlevel, senior and experienced positions is what people are managing," Bradt says.</div></div>

Do you have enough experience for that job?

Alina Dizik, Special to CareerBuilder Just because you were a  senior manager  at one company doesn't mean that your next job won't ...

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HG Upside-Down Chocolate Cream Pie

I am a sweets kind of girl, and almost always have to have something sweet after lunch and dinner.  <br /><br />So, for dessert last night, I decided to try <a href="http://book.hungry-girl.com/recipes/search?q=+chocolate+cream+pie&b=1&commit=SEARCH">Hungry Girl's Upside-Down Chocolate Cream Pie</a>.<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.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/hungry-girl-book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/hungry-girl-book.jpg" width="164" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dietsinreview.com/">Courtesy of Dietsinreview.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />There are 3 simple ingredients to this amazingly chocolaty and delicious recipe, and it might be one of the<br />easiest desserts I've ever made (next to scooping ice cream from a carton of course!).<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/AVvXsEigtM0x1_vdBzUjsriR5arx-jxNXvHXnx6HxDCfQsEORTyEXMEk9gOiaoiNT4aPvYdQNuFjFaOm3QTCUbMbi4WF4npeitJpB7PbPxBZIIBYcpXg0a8zTXv4ehv3DTNgQ1FF3aBxZ1PTvKI/s1600/UpsideDownChocolateCreamPieLARGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtM0x1_vdBzUjsriR5arx-jxNXvHXnx6HxDCfQsEORTyEXMEk9gOiaoiNT4aPvYdQNuFjFaOm3QTCUbMbi4WF4npeitJpB7PbPxBZIIBYcpXg0a8zTXv4ehv3DTNgQ1FF3aBxZ1PTvKI/s320/UpsideDownChocolateCreamPieLARGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://book.hungry-girl.com/recipes/search?q=+chocolate+cream+pie&b=1&commit=SEARCH">Courtesy of Hungry-Girl.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><u><b>Hungry Girl's Upside-Down Chocolate Cream Pie</b></u> <i><b>(5 Points+)</b></i><br /><i>Ingredients</i>:</blockquote><blockquote><ul><li>1 Fat Free Chocolate Pudding Snack</li><li>2 Tbsp Lite Cool Whip Topping</li><li>4 Low-fat honey graham crackers, crushed</li></ul></blockquote><blockquote><br /><i>Directions</i>:<br />In a small bowl, add the whipped topping first. Next, add the chocolate pudding.  Top with the graham crackers.  Enjoy!</blockquote><br />A few things to note on the recipe - you could reduce the Points+ value to 4 if you used Cool Whip Fat Free instead of the lite (sugar-free) version.  The fat free version has 0 Points+ for 2 tbsp.  Next time I will go for that instead.  Second, please note that the 4 graham crackers are equal to 1 sheet of the graham crackers (so 1 rectangular cracker on that sheet, is, in fact, 1 cracker here.  It's not that the entire sheet of the graham equals 1 cracker, nor is it that half of it equals 1 cracker.  Make sense?).  Also, while I do love graham crackers, 4 crackers makes a good amount of topping for this dish.  You could reduce that in half, or try just 3 crackers, and it will reduce the Points+ value as well (in this case, from 2 to 1).  So you could theoretically get this dish down to 3 Points+!   <br /><br />Seriously, this is one of those things that you ask yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?"  It's so simple and easy to make.  But most importantly, it really hit the chocolate spot!  It tasted just like a chocolate cream pie - dare I say, even <i>better </i>than the chocolate cream pies I've had.  The <a href="http://www.snackpack.com/products/low-calorie-snacks.jsp">pudding snacks I used</a> offered such a rich chocolate flavor.    <br /><br />What's more, you can essentially sub any flavor of pudding to make the cream pie, bearing in mind that the Points+ value may change of course.  I'm not sure what the volume is in each pudding snack, but all you'd have to do is figure that out, and make a batch of the boxed pudding mix in your flavor choice and use that instead.  It might even be cheaper?  I'm not sure on the Points+ value of that, but I'm certainly going to try it.  I actually have some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pudding-Filling-Pumpkin-3-4-Ounce/dp/B000E1BKI6">Jell-O Pumpkin Spice pudding mix</a> that I'm going to try with this recipe.  That would surely taste like pumpkin pie, right?  I'll find out and let ya know :).  <br /><br />Do you have a favorite go-to dessert that is quick and easy, but also satisfying and delicious?  This is fast becoming mine!

Weight Watcher Recipes HG Upside-Down Chocolate Cream Pie

I am a sweets kind of girl, and almost always have to have something sweet after lunch and dinner.  So, for dessert last night, I decided to...

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Join our free online courses for South African teachers

SchoolNet is offering two free online courses this month for South African teachers. Both courses are 'work-at-your-pace in a support base' courses and include a weekly optional webinar. The first offer is a four-week Schoolnet blogging course co-ordinated by Fiona Beal. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRRJsQk7xie_-JrBWtHhE4sNFMAZRjwXRf786jizJAybs16E281jYs86ucjV2fk-4R4b1_lpR3eM9MWJ97iU_6TTmLX_mV6MRQ3Qqnjl4Q8SQGhLRQQiOl0vWqQh6nnkGIla71u3p2y4/s1600/blogging+sign+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRRJsQk7xie_-JrBWtHhE4sNFMAZRjwXRf786jizJAybs16E281jYs86ucjV2fk-4R4b1_lpR3eM9MWJ97iU_6TTmLX_mV6MRQ3Qqnjl4Q8SQGhLRQQiOl0vWqQh6nnkGIla71u3p2y4/s400/blogging+sign+up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The second course is a twitter course. This is co-ordinated by Maggie Verster, our social networking guru in South Africa. SchoolNet is partnering with Maggie and is providing the webinar platform for weekly webinars over four weeks.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgF1f63CkiY-3tx-C031GWqVGQwAN_vrZkSf-nCnmkui7TM7DncwiPpfvhU7grUnkkxbysEP_nAQAiv5WecEeTdR-JkTEk6xzFtKM1cEw97r8tGE_PbzsaB1MdbxM3NZ_1WyeaJ0Rtgk/s1600/twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgF1f63CkiY-3tx-C031GWqVGQwAN_vrZkSf-nCnmkui7TM7DncwiPpfvhU7grUnkkxbysEP_nAQAiv5WecEeTdR-JkTEk6xzFtKM1cEw97r8tGE_PbzsaB1MdbxM3NZ_1WyeaJ0Rtgk/s400/twitter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />So, if you feel like ending off your teaching year with an online course, here is a good opportunity!

premium membership Training Tutorials Join our free online courses for South African teachers

SchoolNet is offering two free online courses this month for South African teachers. Both courses are 'work-at-your-pace in a support ba...

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A Chill in the Air - Part II

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><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/AVvXsEgtU3r4ymgl3c8HqG62HGScsDStDOlTRKLT1xWLYuZ_C6vqTScNwOQOGFjsxgyO0T1ncSqFrS_VMQJJ9RLUkTDq8aqW95T2VHnTPjLULXtZtoWeAasJTtgNPcQOFN9bC47_ERKS1d9tBw3V/s1600/uninvited+and+eerie+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtU3r4ymgl3c8HqG62HGScsDStDOlTRKLT1xWLYuZ_C6vqTScNwOQOGFjsxgyO0T1ncSqFrS_VMQJJ9RLUkTDq8aqW95T2VHnTPjLULXtZtoWeAasJTtgNPcQOFN9bC47_ERKS1d9tBw3V/s1600/uninvited+and+eerie+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For a few years now, Turner Classic Movies has traditionally aired <i>The Uninvited </i>(1944) during Halloween season. A gothic mystery/romance with a lighter heart than <i>Rebecca </i>(1940), <i>The Uninvited </i>is another of my cold night favorites.</span><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though lacking any gun or knife, let alone even a drop of blood or a hint of gore, <i>The Uninvited</i> can subtly spook the unsuspecting viewer. The action begins jauntily enough as a pair of vacationing Londoners, brother and sister, hike the cliffs of Devon and Cornwall and find, fall in love with and purchase a long-empty mansion overlooking the sea. The two later come to the realization that their new home is haunted and that their new friend, the former owner's lovely granddaughter, is a target of the malevolent apparition who inhabits the house. This is a phantom whose arrival, sometimes partially materialized, brings with it a penetrating chill that terrorizes all who encounter it...including the family pets. And there is the sudden overpowering scent of mimosa that signals an unseen presence as it fills a room. Heightening these spine-tickling proceedings is a rapturous score by Victor Young with a haunting motif that later became the popular standard, <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/10/haunting-melody-of-uninvited-1944.html" style="color: #990000;">"Stella by Starlight."</a> The film was directed by Lewis Allen and photographed by cinematographer Charles Lang (<i>Midnight</i>, <i>A Foreign Affair</i>, <i>The Magnificent Seven</i>, <i>Charade</i>) who was Oscar-nominated for <i>The Uninvited</i>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Uninvited</i> stars Ray Milland, one of Paramount's most charming and enduring players, and Ruth Hussey as the brother and sister duo. Donald Crisp is the former owner of 'Windward House,' and Gail Russell appears in her first film role as his granddaughter, Stella. Cornelia Otis Skinner portrays one Miss Holloway, a sinister creature reminiscent of <i>Rebecca</i>'s Mrs. Danvers - and any number of characters played by Gale Sondergaard...</span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ow1eaETb9ec" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cornelia Otis Skinner as Miss Holloway</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This year in tandem with watching <i>The Uninvited</i>, I read the book on which it was based. Irish author Dorothy Macardle's novel was first published in 1942, four years after du Maurier's smashing success, <u>Rebecca</u>, appeared in print and two years after the enormously popular Hitchcock/Selznick 'picturization' was released. It, too, is of the modern gothic genre with roots reaching back to Bronte's <u>Jane Eyre</u>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5j1JbwhG1Whyk2nFJwPFImfzyMOWsnyuIKShgGsEhq3oREaVGFpsqWLJxBhHtwK1XDSXIHFrkpnpkkdg_aRC5AFDwoHr97EfZK6KzoLpvrAOdnIZvZuSeV7-sn8eGuSoP0LdGFfeU1lk/s1600/uninvited+and+eerie+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Macardle's book is engaging, lively and, though not equal to du Maurier's classic in any sense, it entertainingly transports today's reader to a time, place and world view now several decades gone. Macardle could weave a tale and hold one's attention, telling her spooky story of warring spirits from the first person perspective of the protagonist, Roderick Fitzgerald, a London journalist whose move to the seaside brings with it hair-raising adventure, a new turn in his writing career and new love.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><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/AVvXsEg1JP6_f-avQBkD-8cIFS4NDcjzyl0QWZRW2VTuo8eWP6o-WQG1MDpNDJsKSP5LdmjlSppfl86QU1_wnxP4bM-QODeWIB9PhfiWZ9ozA0I5VFNE7dwH6OA88rp2euYVMOFJzK4aK_1n4vy_/s1600/dorothy+macardle.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/AVvXsEg1JP6_f-avQBkD-8cIFS4NDcjzyl0QWZRW2VTuo8eWP6o-WQG1MDpNDJsKSP5LdmjlSppfl86QU1_wnxP4bM-QODeWIB9PhfiWZ9ozA0I5VFNE7dwH6OA88rp2euYVMOFJzK4aK_1n4vy_/s1600/dorothy+macardle.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorothy Macardle</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Author Dorothy Macardle, I discovered, was involved in far more than writing novels during her 69 years (1889 - 1958). Born in Ireland into a well-heeled brewing family, she taught after graduating from college but was soon involved in political and social activism. She gained an international reputation as an Irish nationalist writer and was an intimate associate of Eamon de Valera, a leader in Ireland's fight for independence and president of country from 1959 to 1973. Macardle is best known today for her historical opus, the nearly 1,000 page <u>The Irish Republic</u>, an account of Ireland's struggle for freedom between 1916 and 1923. Quite amazing that the woman could also write a plausible ghost story in her spare time...</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The adaptation from novel to screen is largely faithful. The book is peopled by a greater variety of characters and the back story of each principal is more detailed. On screen, the haunted mansion's name changed from 'Cliff's End' to 'Windward House,' Roderick Fitzgerald is referred to as 'Rick' rather than 'Rod' and Miss Holloway's role is expanded. Fitzgerald's profession was changed from writer to composer - perhaps in order to ease giving Victor Young's "Stella by Starlight" its center-stage moment in the film.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Young's theme for <i>The Uninvited</i> enhances the film's romantic and mysterious story. By comparison, Franz Waxman's score for <i>Rebecca</i>, though also dramatic and powerful, seems to me, at times, overwhelming. I knew Bernard Herrmann had, when he was with CBS Radio, scored an earlier radio presentation of <i>Rebecca </i>and I found this intriguing given his later association with Hitchcock.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> In December 1938 Orson Welles' <i>Campbell Playhouse </i>(formerly the <i>Mercury Theatre on the Air</i>) premiered and featured the first radio adaptation of <i>Rebecca</i>; it starred Margaret Sullavan as the second Mrs. de Winter, Welles as Maxim de Winter and Mildred Natwick as Mrs Danvers. Bernard Herrmann provided the score:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GU__UqhFxw4" width="420"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the end, the music Herrmann scored for <i>Rebecca </i>eventually made its way to the screen; much of it was used in <i>Jane Eyre</i> (1943<i>) </i>starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine.</span><br /><br /><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/AVvXsEgByIvTf6IL3nqBRw2XDAGGLrxEp-0MqzyVOSJuqcVPhkENJnqyJ53LSGWZ184xlZ-ILQTVbYwpFxJAomDjnn15tMmXMpua91xHT_xZt5ZPZd9iUCCuMscgAc0VH4v-73veOHfFJK1YOrw2/s1600/gail+russell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByIvTf6IL3nqBRw2XDAGGLrxEp-0MqzyVOSJuqcVPhkENJnqyJ53LSGWZ184xlZ-ILQTVbYwpFxJAomDjnn15tMmXMpua91xHT_xZt5ZPZd9iUCCuMscgAc0VH4v-73veOHfFJK1YOrw2/s200/gail+russell.jpg" width="164" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gail Russell</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">19-year-old Gail Russell, in her screen debut </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">as Stella Meredith, is another high point in <i>The Uninvited</i>. Fresh-faced, with dark, tousled hair and long, thick lashes, Russell projects a fetching mixture of fragility and intensity as a young girl faced with a deadly threat just as she experiences first love. Russell followed <i>The Uninvited </i>with a role in <i>Our Hearts Were Young and Gay</i> - coincidentally, she portrayed Cornelia Otis Skinner in the film (she played Skinner again in <i>Our Hearts Were Growing Up</i>). In 1945 Russell was cast in a quasi-sequel to <i>The Uninvited </i>called <i>The Unseen</i> (with Joel McCrea), and she made a number of films co-starring with John Wayne, who befriended her when they made <i>Angel and the Badman </i>in 1947. But Russell's life and career were blighted by serious personal demons. A beautiful teenager who'd been embarrassed by the nickname "The Hedy Lamarr of Santa Monica High," she had long suffered from crippling shyness. When Paramount Pictures came calling she agreed to pursue a movie career; her mother had insisted, the family needed money.  Russell</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> developed a habit early on of drinking before she faced the cameras - it helped steady her nerves</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">. This habit developed into a deadly addiction that shortened her life; she died in 1961 at age 36.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The characters of Stella Meredith in <i>The Uninvited </i>and <i>Rebecca</i>'s second Mrs. de Winter are fairly similar - both are young, inexperienced and in need of  protection and guidance. But one character evolves more than the other. Throughout <i>The Uninvited</i>, Stella remains a maiden in need of rescue by older, wiser Roderick Fitzgerald. In <i>Rebecca</i>, the second Mrs. de Winter begins as an awkward, coltish young lady utterly intimidated by all that her new status as bride of an aristocrat brings. But when Maxim de Winter confesses his role in Rebecca's death and reveals his vulnerability, her transformation into a more confident, assured woman begins. Fontaine's portrayal of this maturing is seamless.</span><br /><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/AVvXsEjNy4tu5RO4fx93ddtDfAYMbRMugP4_94b5alb8jnOtWB4AfBTqDJ5AJgaiS5khnu-m7uaxmXZ1HiZswpnKGxT9Q8lUWNne8mhKQaqJHpEBvMrGeimjy4XjKcf5JiqbIcfy3zn6gdaYpyZy/s1600/joan+fontaine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNy4tu5RO4fx93ddtDfAYMbRMugP4_94b5alb8jnOtWB4AfBTqDJ5AJgaiS5khnu-m7uaxmXZ1HiZswpnKGxT9Q8lUWNne8mhKQaqJHpEBvMrGeimjy4XjKcf5JiqbIcfy3zn6gdaYpyZy/s200/joan+fontaine.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joan Fontaine as the second Mrs. de Winter</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Joan Fontaine, who became a star with <i>Rebecca</i>, enjoyed continued success. Cast again by Hitchcock in 1941's <i>Suspicion</i>, with Cary Grant, she won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance. Other noteworthy films include <i>Jane Eyre</i> in 1943 with Orson Welles and Max Ophuls' stunning <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2010/11/max-ophuls-letter-from-unknown-woman.html" style="color: #990000;"><i>Letter From an Unknown Woman </i></a>(1948). She continued to work in film and on TV until the mid-1990s and just recently celebrated her 94th birthday; she and her older sister Olivia de Havilland, however, remain estranged...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My meanderings through <i>Rebecca </i>and <i>The Uninvited </i>on page and screen began as I sought enjoyable ways to spend the crisp, dark evenings that come with the late months of the year. This quest brought several cozy nights charged with chills, thrills and romance and now I'm tempted to continue...perhaps with another foray into the realm of the gothic  -  once defined as the Cinderella story gone very wrong...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the meantime, I've been trying out different hot drink confections to help fend off the chill. My latest experiments involve a <i>healthier</i> cocoa mix called 'WonderCocoa' and a new twist on the hot toddy called 'The Laureate.' <a href="http://evesreellife.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/something-warm-to-drink-on-a-cold-dark-night/" style="color: #990000;">Click here </a><u></u>for ideas on what to sip to stay warm on a cold, dark night...</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i></i> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE92X596NryYmPGGlzQf77k9Bt5MRg-nnuRUXxOdw-tzGwie_TLjNBaT-U7xQpyJ7SB5fMaR5-66OhoQZhltdl5PdK1cRT9bf32PYj893vYMc49foVyRPP2Hy9XDXYbL9mAc_cgOGTfY9/s1600/cat+by+the+fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE92X596NryYmPGGlzQf77k9Bt5MRg-nnuRUXxOdw-tzGwie_TLjNBaT-U7xQpyJ7SB5fMaR5-66OhoQZhltdl5PdK1cRT9bf32PYj893vYMc49foVyRPP2Hy9XDXYbL9mAc_cgOGTfY9/s400/cat+by+the+fire.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>

Cornelia Otis Skinner Daphne du Maurier Donald Crisp Dorothy Macardle Gail Russell Joan Fontaine Ray Milland Rebecca Ruth Hussey The Lady Eve (author) The Uninvited Victor Young A Chill in the Air - Part II

For a few years now, Turner Classic Movies has traditionally aired The Uninvited (1944) during Halloween season. A gothic mystery/romance wi...

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A HEMISFERIO SUR HISTORIA DE ÉXITO HETERODOXOS

<div class="MsoNormal"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">  <span style="font-size: x-small;">Spanish version of: </span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Southern Hemisphere Heterodox Success Story posted 8th of November</span></h3><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/11/southern-hemisphere-heterodox-success.html"></a></span><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title"></h3><div class="post-header"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hps"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">LECCIÓN</span></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">ARGENTINA</span> DE <span class="hps">ECONOMÍA PARA EUROPA</span></span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Al contrario de</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> los <span class="hps">medios de comunicación argentinos,</span> <span class="hps">los medios de comunicación</span> <span class="hps">extranjeros</span> pintan <span class="hps">un panorama</span> <span class="hps">un tanto diferente</span> <span class="hps">de la situación</span> <span class="hps">eco-</span>política del país. <span class="hps">De hecho,</span> <span class="hps">la recuperación de Argentina</span> <span class="hps">tras su</span> <span class="hps">default</span> <span class="hps">se toma con frecuencia</span> <span class="hps">como</span> <span class="hps">ejemplo de cómo</span> <span class="hps">Europa</span>, en cierta medida, <span class="hps">podría</span> <span class="hps">superar su crisis económica</span>. <span class="hps">En</span> <span class="hps">la parte de habla</span> <span class="hps">alemana de</span> <span class="hps">Europa, muchos</span> shows de TV e<span class="hps">co</span>-politicos<span class="hps"> muestran</span> como <span class="hps">cada vez más</span> hay mas <span class="hps">políticos</span> <span class="hps">interesados </span> <span class="hps">en la recuperación de</span> <span class="hps">los argentinos</span> <span class="hps">y el crecimiento económico</span> <span class="hps">a pesar de que</span> <span class="hps">no se adhirió</span> <span class="hps">al Fondo Monetario Internacional</span>, <span class="hps">Banco Mundial</span> <span class="hps">y las doctrinas</span> <span class="hps">de Wall Street</span>, desafiando así a los <span class="hps">"</span>eurócratas" <span class="hps">a seguir su ejemplo</span>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAa3kUEbUuBshKJm2LzucaIBnQyi0WimxQ2os7UmtoOmg6naXWH5cIBVVvqJeASXjL60VK33v0cZ3yya0P6ePxUH09HbmkaBeoIrVnP8P5HBuAy7DTUH0dSgn9xTDY5yp81bLG0xJM8FI/s1600/EU-Economy-Stagnates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAa3kUEbUuBshKJm2LzucaIBnQyi0WimxQ2os7UmtoOmg6naXWH5cIBVVvqJeASXjL60VK33v0cZ3yya0P6ePxUH09HbmkaBeoIrVnP8P5HBuAy7DTUH0dSgn9xTDY5yp81bLG0xJM8FI/s1600/EU-Economy-Stagnates.jpg" /></a></div><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Dado que el crecimiento en la Argentina continuó, los críticos en el Financial Times y el Wall Street Journal afirmaron que terminaría una vez que la  "capacidad no utilizada se agote". En lugar de agotarse el crecimiento de las ganancias finació la expansión del mercado interno y la capacidad de crear nuevas oportunidades para el crecimiento, sobre todo a nuevos mercados en Asia y Brasil.</span><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Contrariamente</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">a la tesis</span> <span class="hps">proclamada por</span> <span class="hps">los expertos económicos</span>, la Argentina <span class="hps">todavía tiene</span> <span class="hps">una gran cantidad de</span> <span class="hps">fondos disponibles</span> <span class="hps">y por lo tanto</span> <span class="hps">no está</span> <span class="hps">en peligro inminente</span> <span class="hps">de caer en</span> <span class="hps">problemas financieros.</span> <span class="hps">Argentina</span> <span class="hps">todavía</span> <span class="hps">se nutre de sus</span> <span class="hps">exportaciones</span> <span class="hps">de cultivos</span> <span class="hps">favorables.</span> <span class="hps">Incluso si los precios</span> <span class="hps">de la soja</span> <span class="hps">han bajado,</span> <span class="hps">la población</span> <span class="hps">cada vez mayor</span> <span class="hps">en todo el mundo</span> <span class="hps">aumenta la necesidad de</span> <span class="hps">alimentar a la gente</span>. <span class="hps">Por lo tanto</span> <span class="hps">el suministro de</span> <span class="hps">productos alimenticios</span> <span class="hps">no</span> <span class="hps">va a disminuir</span>, aunque <span class="hps">los especuladores</span> <span class="hps">manipular</span> <span class="hps">las tendencias de precios</span>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ARGENTINA</span></b></span><span class="shorttext"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b></span><span class="hps"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">CONFUNDÍO A LOS</span></b></span><span class="shorttext"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b></span><span class="hps"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">PRESTIGIOSOS ECONOMISTAS</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">La experiencia argentina</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">va en contra de</span> <span class="hps">todos los preceptos de</span> <span class="hps">los organismos financieros internacionales</span> <span class="hps">(FMI</span>, Banco Mundial), <span class="hps">sus patrocinadores políticos</span> <span class="hps">y publicistas</span> <span class="hps">en la prensa financiera</span>. <span class="hps">Desde el primer año</span> <span class="hps">(2003) de</span> <span class="hps">la recuperación de Argentina</span> <span class="hps">hasta la actualidad,</span> <span class="hps">los expertos económicos</span> <span class="hps">han</span> <span class="hps">"</span>predicho" <span class="hps">que su crecimiento</span> <span class="hps">no era "</span>sostenible" <span class="hps">-</span> <span class="hps">ha continuado</span> <span class="hps">con firmeza</span> <span class="hps">desde hace más de</span> <span class="hps">una década.</span> <span class="hps">Los escritores</span> <span class="hps">financieros anunciaron que el default</span> llevaría <span class="hps">a la Argentina</span> <span class="hps">a ser excluida</span> <span class="hps">de los mercados financieros</span> <span class="hps">y que su economía</span> <span class="hps">se vendría abajo</span>. <span class="hps">Argentina</span> <span class="hps">se basó</span> <span class="hps">en la auto-</span>financiación basado en <span class="hps">los ingresos de exportación</span> <span class="hps">y reactivación</span> <span class="hps">de la economía nacional</span> <span class="hps">y confundía a los</span> <span class="hps">economistas</span> <span class="hps">de prestigio.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">LA ALTERNATIVA ARGENTINA</span></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">A LA POBREZA</span> <span class="hps">Y LOS RESCATES</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Incluso tan tarde como 25 de octubre 2011, los columnistas del Financial Times todavía hablan sobre "la crisis que viene" a la manera de fundamentalistas mesiánicos que predicen el apocalipsis. Insisten en "alta inflación", "programas insostenibles social", "sobrevaluación de la moneda", y más predicciones del "fin de la prosperidad". Todas estas advertencias se producen en la cara del continuo crecimiento de 8% en 2011. Los escritores Anglo-Americanos  financiera deben centrarse en la caída de sus regímenes de libre mercado en Europa y América del Norte en vez de denigrar a una experiencia económica de la que puedan aprender.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ARGENTINA</span></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">NO ES TOTALMENTE DEPENDIENTE</span> <span class="hps">DE LAS EXPORTACIONES PRIMARIAS</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Refutando a los críticos de</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">Wall Street</span>, <span class="hps">Mark Weisbrot</span> <span class="hps">y su</span> <span class="hps">punto de salida</span> <span class="hps">asociados</span> <span class="hps">("</span>La historia del éxito <span class="hps">Argentina"</span>, <span class="hps">Centro de</span> <span class="hps">Investigaciones Económicas y Políticas</span>, <span class="hps">octubre 2011</span>) <span class="hps">que</span> <span class="hps">el crecimiento de Argentina</span> <span class="hps">se basó en</span> <span class="hps">la expansión del consumo</span> <span class="hps">interno, aumento</span> de <span class="hps">las exportaciones de manufacturas</span> <span class="hps">a</span> <span class="hps">socios comerciales regionales</span>, así como a <span class="hps">tradicionales</span> <span class="hps">exportaciones agro-minerales</span> <span class="hps">a</span> <span class="hps">Asia.</span> <span class="hps">En otras palabras,</span> <span class="hps">la Argentina no</span> <span class="hps">es totalmente dependiente</span> <span class="hps">de las exportaciones primarias</span>, sino que tiene <span class="hps">un intercambio comercial equilibrado</span> <span class="hps">y no es</span> <span class="hps">más</span> <span class="hps">dependiente de los precios</span> <span class="hps">de los productos básicos</span>. <span class="hps">En</span> <span class="hps">lo que respecta a</span> <span class="hps">la alta inflación</span>, <span class="hps">Weisbrot</span> <span class="hps">señala que "</span>la inflación <span class="hps">puede ser alta</span> <span class="hps">en la Argentina</span>, pero es <span class="hps">el crecimiento real y</span> <span class="hps">la distribución del ingreso</span> lo que importa <span class="hps">en relación con</span> <span class="hps">el bienestar</span> <span class="hps">de la inmensa mayoría</span> <span class="hps">de la población</span>".</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Argentina creó</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">un estado más</span> <span class="hps">acomodaticia</span> <span class="hps">a su proyecto político</span> <span class="hps">de la financiación de</span> <span class="hps">la competitividad económica,</span> <span class="hps">nuevos mercados y</span> <span class="hps">programas sociales.</span> <span class="hps">Argentina</span> <span class="hps">aseguró</span> <span class="hps">que el sector bancario</span> <span class="hps">financió el crecimiento</span> <span class="hps">del sector exportador</span>, las manufacturas <span class="hps">y el consumo interno</span>. <span class="hps">Argentina impuso un</span> <span class="hps">75%</span> <span class="hps">"recorte"</span> <span class="hps">de</span> <span class="hps">los tenedores de bonos</span> <span class="hps">para</span> <span class="hps">financiar el gasto</span> <span class="hps">social.</span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xyNUzqlDNeA?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">En Argentina, las</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">catástrofes económicas</span> <span class="hps">siempre</span> ha dado a  <span class="hps">los argentinos</span> <span class="hps">la oportunidad de</span> <span class="hps">llevar a cabo</span> <span class="hps">un cambio básico</span> <span class="hps">del saqueo</span> <span class="hps">especulativo</span> <span class="hps">de</span> <span class="hps">los programas sociales</span> <span class="hps">y el crecimiento</span> <span class="hps">económico sostenido.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">El gobierno</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">actual es un reflejo</span> <span class="hps">de su éxito en</span> <span class="hps">la creación de un</span> <span class="hps">estado "normal"</span> <span class="hps">del bienestar capitalista</span>. <span class="hps">Después de 30</span> <span class="hps">años de que</span> <span class="hps">EE.UU. respaldara a los depredadores</span> <span class="hps">regímenes neo-liberales</span>, este movimiento <span class="hps">estimula</span> <span class="hps">un cambio positivo</span> <span class="hps">grande.</span> <span class="hps">Desde</span> <span class="hps">1983 a</span> <span class="hps">1989 Argentina</span> <span class="hps">sufrió</span> <span class="hps">bajo un régimen</span> <span class="hps">neo-</span><span class="atn">liberal (</span>Raúl Alfonsín) <span class="hps">que no pudo</span> <span class="hps">lidiar con</span> <span class="hps">el legado</span> <span class="hps">dictatorial</span> <span class="hps">y que</span> <span class="hps">presidió</span> <span class="hps">una</span> <span class="hps">hiperinflación de tres dígitos.</span> <span class="hps">Desde</span> <span class="hps">1989 - 1999</span> <span class="hps">bajo la presidencia de</span> <span class="hps">Carlos</span> <span class="hps">Menem</span> <span class="hps">Argentina</span> <span class="hps">fue testigo de</span> <span class="hps">la mayor</span> <span class="hps">venta masiva</span> <span class="hps">de sus empresas</span> <span class="hps">públicas</span> <span class="hps">más rentables</span>, los recursos naturales <span class="hps">(petróleo</span> <span class="hps">incluido)</span>, <span class="hps">los bancos</span>, las carreteras, <span class="hps">a los inversionistas extranjeros</span> <span class="hps">y compinches</span> <span class="hps">cleptocrático</span> <span class="hps">a precios de ganga</span>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Por último</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, <span class="hps">Fernando de la Rúa</span> <span class="hps">(2000 - 2001)</span>, <span class="hps">prometió el cambio</span> <span class="hps">y procedió</span> <span class="hps">a profundizar la recesión</span> <span class="hps">que llevó a la</span> <span class="hps">caída</span> <span class="hps">catastrófica de</span> <span class="hps">final de</span> <span class="hps">diciembre de 2001 y</span> <span class="hps">el</span> <span class="hps">cierre de los bancos</span>, la quiebra de <span class="hps">10.000 empresas</span> <span class="hps">y</span> <span class="hps">la caída de la</span> <span class="hps">la economía</span>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">En este contexto de fracaso total y absoluto y el desastre humano de los EE.UU. - el FMI promovió "libre mercado" las políticas, Kirchner / Fernández de pagar la deuda externa, re-nacionalización de varias empresas privatizadas y los fondos de pensiones, intervino los bancos y se duplicó el gasto social, una mayor inversión pública en la producción y el aumento del consumo popular, en el camino hacia la recuperación económica. A finales de 2003 Argentina pasó de negativo a 8% de crecimiento.</span><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">DERECHOS HUMANOS,</span></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">PROGRAMAS SOCIALES Y</span> <span class="hps">POLÍTICA ECONÓMICA EXTERIOR</span> <span class="hps">INDEPENDIENTE</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">La economía de Argentina ha crecido más del 90% desde 2003 hasta 2011, más de tres veces que la de los Estados Unidos. Su recuperación ha sido acompañada por una triplicación del gasto social, especialmente en los programas de reducción de la pobreza. El porcentaje de pobres argentinos se ha reducido de más del 50% en 2001 a menos del 15% en 2011. A diferencia de EE.UU donde  la pobreza ha aumentado en la misma década del 12% al 17% y está en una trayectoria ascendente durante el mismo período.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Los EE.UU. se ha convertido en el país con las mayores desigualdades en la OCDE donde un 1% controla el 40% de la riqueza del país, (frente al 30% en menos de una década). Por el contrario, las desigualdades de la Argentina han reducido a la mitad. La economía de EE.UU. no ha logrado recuperarse de la profunda recesión de 2008-2009, durante el cual se redujo en más del 8%. A diferencia de Argentina se redujo a menos de 1% en 2009, y ha estado creciendo a un saludable 8% (2010-2011). Argentina ha nacionalizado los fondos de pensiones, duplicó las pensiones básicas y presentó un programa de bienestar infantil universal a la lucha contra la malnutrición y garantía de la asistencia a la escuela.</span><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">En contraste con el 20% de los niños que en los EE.UU. están sufriendo de la mala alimentación, las tasas de abandono escolares van en aumento en los adolescentes y la desnutrición afecta a más del 25% de los niños de las minorías. En Argentina el ingreso de los trabajadores asalariados ha aumentado en más del 50% durante la década en términos reales, mientras que en los EE.UU. han disminuido en casi un 10%.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />Dinámica de crecimiento del PIB de Argentina ha sido impulsado por el creciente del consumo interno y los ingresos de exportación dinámica. Argentina tiene un superávit comercial grande consistentes con la base de los precios favorables del mercado y mayor competitividad. En cambio el consumo interno se ha estancado en los EE.UU., el déficit comercial es cercano a los $ 1,5 billones de dólares y los ingresos se malgastan en gastos no productivos militar de más de $ 900 millones al año.</span><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lea</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <span class="hps">también los artículos</span> <span class="hps">relacionados</span> <span class="hps">a</span> <span class="hps">historia heterodoxa</span> <span class="hps">de éxito económico de los ciudadanos argentinos</span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-argentine-success-story-and-its-implications">http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-argentine-success-story-and-its-implications</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.accuracy.org/?s=argentine+success&submit.x=15&submit.y=9">http://www.accuracy.org/?s=argentine+success&submit.x=15&submit.y=9</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1731534453">http://issuu.com/washdiplomat/docs/diplomat.november2011</a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Extractos</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">del artículo</span> <span class="hps">anterior</span> <span class="hps">han sido adaptados</span> <span class="hps">por el Prof.</span> <span class="hps">James Petras</span> <span class="hps">artículo:</span> <span class="hps">"La Argentina</span> <span class="hps">de las crisis</span> <span class="hps">de</span> <span class="hps">crecimiento dinámico</span>"</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b></div>

A HEMISFERIO SUR HISTORIA DE ÉXITO HETERODOXOS

  Spanish version of:  A Southern Hemisphere Heterodox Success Story posted 8th of November LECCIÓN ARGENTINA DE ECONOMÍA PARA EUROPA Al c...

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Greece

<div class="MsoNormal"><b>How convenient </b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JHhs2Vl9IOptV-VyIDP9xHZOksoFeJAm3y2bqvBGFKHNkmVZwESk7EooVu0seAa5RcHQOGoORiep1-Gqwgf1BZ-0T7DAn9akCkB9hvhAVOALdw7446d8sjv38e6TDQmrT2MQcqicODUW/s1600/sarkozy-merkel-greece-bailout-deal.preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="st">Former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou </span>had the courage to stand up against the “establishment”, invoking democracy via a popular referendum on Euro zone bailout, but was viciously reprimanded by the entire Euro Zone Technocrats, for Merkoyz (Merkel and Sarkozy) could not allow Greece to oppose the bailout Merkoyz (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a term created by Pepe Escoba, a journalist from Asian Times</i>) and their Franco – German banks intend to impose on Greece. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Should Papandreou go ahead with the referendum, Greece was threatened to be expelled from the EU, which de facto results in blackmailing Greece into submission, for who cares about the Greek people living under a de facto protectorate and losing over 50% of their standard of living, so foreign banks can be repaid? Who cares about Greece still buried under an - unsustainable - debt of 120% of their gross domestic product still by 2021?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPHfuxj9Xi1_TpGH4Z9qYDRL_n1rsNEfwC-PU0jeqN30Mj_sAt0_Txcbs8uPn8elcv3rKam3ww5WBuLFHB96sbZtI_xZDX0kuTDrke8II0MZdFrlPiCdjDgsQnPTDvIp2u2-K7BShJ_LB/s1600/saupload_100406_greece_bailout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>So in the end Papandreou had to give in to the bureaucratic vultures at the European Commission, reject the popular referendum and resign in order for the financial establishment to push for “one of their own” to take over the reins in Greece, namely former deputy head of the European Central Bank, Lucas Papademos. How convenient? Now the “banksters” interests are protected and the banks can be bailed out. Where are we heading in Europe?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Feeling the pulse of the People</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Below are some comments made by “common people” from the German speaking part of Europe regarding the apparent appointment of former deputy head of the European Central Bank, Lucas Papademos as next Prime Minister of Greece.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN">……..Former</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"> <span class="hps">IMF staff</span>, former <span class="hps">ECB staff</span>, former staff member <span class="hps">of the Boston</span> <span class="hps">Fed,</span> <span class="hps">a member of</span> <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">"</span>Trilateral <span class="hps">Commission</span>" <span class="hps">- a perfect</span> <span class="hps">Globalist pack</span>. <span class="hps">World Government</span> <span class="hps">FTW………</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><i><span lang="EN">Not even a protest from Papandreou helps</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN">: <span class="hps">state and people</span> <span class="hps">are</span> <span class="hps">disempowered</span>. <span class="hps">Solely</span> <span class="hps">the banksters</span> <span class="hps">are</span> <span class="hps">now</span> <span class="hps">calling the shots</span>. <span class="hps">This is a</span> <span class="hps">very</span> <span class="hps">worrying development</span> away from<span class="hps"> democracy!</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><i><span lang="EN">In that case even Samaras </span></i></span><span class="hps"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"> is better</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"> <span class="hps">as</span> <span class="hps">prime minister</span> <span class="hps">than this</span> <span class="hps">puppet</span> Papademos who is another marionette of the<span class="hps"> IMF</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN">Former</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"> <span class="hps">President</span> of <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">ECB ...</span> <span class="hps">this indicates how “public friendly:” he will govern.</span> <span class="hps">Usually</span> <span class="hps">it's</span> <span class="hps">vice</span> <span class="hps">versa</span>, <span class="hps">policy-makers first</span> <span class="hps">serve</span> <span class="hps">a bank (Merkel for Deutsche Bank</span>) <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">then change</span> into<span class="hps"> the bank.</span> <span class="hps">Here</span> <span class="hps">we</span> <span class="hps">have a</span> <span class="hps">banker, who</span> <span class="hps">goes</span> <span class="hps">into politics, what interest will he defend, those</span> <span class="hps">of</span> <span class="hps">banks</span> <span class="hps">or</span> those of <span class="hps">the people??</span> You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know the answer, <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">we</span> <span class="hps">put up with</span> <span class="hps">all</span> this!!! It’s pure <span class="hps">Madness</span>. <span class="hps">We can</span> <span class="hps">already</span> prepare ourselves for <span class="hps">record</span> <span class="hps">payments to Greece</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">finally</span> <span class="hps">write off</span> <span class="hps">our education</span> <span class="hps">system</span> <span class="hps">due to</span> <span class="hps">lack of money</span> <span class="hps">for</span> <span class="hps">interest payments to the</span> <span class="hps">German bank. </span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><i><span lang="EN">In regards to last comment see related links: </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span lang="DE-AT" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /><span class="hps"></span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fjzWwnvOHJA?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjzWwnvOHJA&feature=player_embedded"><span lang="DE-AT"><br /></span></a></span></i></span><span class="hps"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="DE-AT"></span></i></span></div><h3><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Banking institutions are more dangerous than standing armies</span></h3><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Dateline Greece: Goldman, Just Pay Up</span></b><span class="hps"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="DE-AT"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/10/banking-institutions-are-more-dangerous.html"><span lang="EN-US">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/10/banking-institutions-are-more-dangerous.html</span></a></span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

Greece

How convenient  Former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou had the courage to stand up against the “establishment”, invoking democracy vi...

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