OMG! When did I get so fat!!!

You've probably had this happen to you. You're kind of going along in life, lots of things pulling you in different directions, and you're not really focused on diet and exercise. You're trying to make the best possible choices, sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. You think you're eating right and you're squeezing in the exercise when you can.<br /><br />Then it happens. You see a picture of yourself. You can't believe your eyes. That can't be YOU!<br /><br />Actually, my moment of realization that I'm fat was even worse. It was a video taken by my husband last night. It was suppose to be a video of my sister but since my husband was handling the camera there's several minutes of me wheeling around in my sister's wheelchair at her new home (really kind of fun too). But when I saw the video, all I could see was a very fat Diana:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-1ee478a19b820e5e-14592" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyP9mRKb3ClM-V2YQy4hvnGX8OzpRjfubj2r6R31trLA0MNWMcdXv8w7KL-UW4e2hEIgVUSFXvGLfwTk1aZEmBsdJ7nkQbFZpVxEx8JmfuL0i2UCrKh_mZamTH_kN7iW3KJQ2Mg" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><br />I "thought" I was doing okay. I was weighing every day and was even down a few pounds recently, weighing 178 yesterday morning. I knew I wasn't skinny, but what the hell is that thing around my waist. It looks like I have an inflated inner tube under my shirt around my middle.<br /><br />How did I not see this when I looked in the mirror? Maybe because I don't look in the mirror when I'm sitting down. Maybe I should look in the mirror when I'm sitting down. Honestly, I had no idea I looked this bad. If I didn't know better I'd say I was well over 200 pounds. I wonder if my scale is broken.<br /><br />Okay, so I'm upset about how bad I look. I guess what really bothers me is that I didn't think I looked that bad. Boy, what an eye opener. Videos get me every time. They do not lie.<br /><br />Now I'm really serious about losing this weight. It's ridiculous I've waited this long and goofed off. I should have been at goal years ago. Plus, with all that fat around my middle I'm a strong candidate for a heart attack, or heaven foribd, a stroke!<br /><br />My tools of choice to lose weight, Weight Watchers of course, and my Polar heart rate monitor, as well as my BodyMedia. I'm going to track Points, starting today.<br /><br />Pictures of my sister's new home<br />Lastly, a few pictures of Arbor Rose, were my sister is living now. I love it. It's an adult family home with only six residents. Those are the flowers my niece Camille sent her. Camille is the sweet one.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbG8LRofW6RbPBvVSX8NqTWYdjgg-8eJaEzIu62WVga0CJP0K8Kr17OWtXqtoo3Qaz8lZe8z8AEowPORMsT02ov-nG-AUJfd2fo1QG429fdYJoX0xXZx8lGKKSNc7eyrstNPrUUfDHqfxf/s1600/Joyce_with_flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbG8LRofW6RbPBvVSX8NqTWYdjgg-8eJaEzIu62WVga0CJP0K8Kr17OWtXqtoo3Qaz8lZe8z8AEowPORMsT02ov-nG-AUJfd2fo1QG429fdYJoX0xXZx8lGKKSNc7eyrstNPrUUfDHqfxf/s400/Joyce_with_flowers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mhj3jRrCvrZLb10RMlyRcCMWWuCRapNHjLOxfMuypil2goxI4HE8SrjKyJyCmAV9DMsIjYjLWACTwH2aCNTYEmniu8qjHtDhUhz0iQk06V8_mbIqxazqHNFah3QKRQTZcoR5dfymTp7D/s1600/DiningRoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mhj3jRrCvrZLb10RMlyRcCMWWuCRapNHjLOxfMuypil2goxI4HE8SrjKyJyCmAV9DMsIjYjLWACTwH2aCNTYEmniu8qjHtDhUhz0iQk06V8_mbIqxazqHNFah3QKRQTZcoR5dfymTp7D/s400/DiningRoom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillxhlgyD1VAUon2-gvChBbd-cDACCSVoSX7EtQpkMA17HKdYO7EQyt_cLdrinnsxjAsEf5mIgHglf7fVcbDP4Y8fzlwvEpf3qGAGZVtGMDjXBUUd4Y409WkaImPPzzb7RpuYIGoUFFB7A/s1600/EntryWay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillxhlgyD1VAUon2-gvChBbd-cDACCSVoSX7EtQpkMA17HKdYO7EQyt_cLdrinnsxjAsEf5mIgHglf7fVcbDP4Y8fzlwvEpf3qGAGZVtGMDjXBUUd4Y409WkaImPPzzb7RpuYIGoUFFB7A/s400/EntryWay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntqZoweiEyu6N47qmSsVpqTWqL7yNwxITW4r1Brx8cRku50XPDVyTb-Cz9Tx55LukA6xZW5XzpGZf8NlMc2SMXKTSeyeHjju5iRVwp3xrHzewZ4iowB-NxNurqCLYWXwfhOzAoEbxgxPh/s1600/P1030969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntqZoweiEyu6N47qmSsVpqTWqL7yNwxITW4r1Brx8cRku50XPDVyTb-Cz9Tx55LukA6xZW5XzpGZf8NlMc2SMXKTSeyeHjju5iRVwp3xrHzewZ4iowB-NxNurqCLYWXwfhOzAoEbxgxPh/s400/P1030969.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBIsBSsjmCQ-rj_cLrnc92JvyMkCOYA2KRPMMeGhaZmEWmjN4YGBmvuKLnRMk92AqLBMc0Pmd4RJy1oK_Mz5Hxl2dmnFITZrReZq85NokaEvWVKwbqsYeiKrUfCxAIMow4hlXVPXHvdHi/s1600/Kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBIsBSsjmCQ-rj_cLrnc92JvyMkCOYA2KRPMMeGhaZmEWmjN4YGBmvuKLnRMk92AqLBMc0Pmd4RJy1oK_Mz5Hxl2dmnFITZrReZq85NokaEvWVKwbqsYeiKrUfCxAIMow4hlXVPXHvdHi/s400/Kitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LigrYJLO_gBSF0Cczoa2kRhw8VorXe6vcK9LGEIr-whQPpZVG1mHveNg0t4yHeIADOGKGktbW8GffpMQH79gV6w00b3Y1us7q1AH-znxZZ84AIivXFPuNx4jJnNDIQH-s7Am0K3CRxxU/s1600/FamilyRoomView.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LigrYJLO_gBSF0Cczoa2kRhw8VorXe6vcK9LGEIr-whQPpZVG1mHveNg0t4yHeIADOGKGktbW8GffpMQH79gV6w00b3Y1us7q1AH-znxZZ84AIivXFPuNx4jJnNDIQH-s7Am0K3CRxxU/s400/FamilyRoomView.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

OMG! When did I get so fat!!!

You've probably had this happen to you. You're kind of going along in life, lots of things pulling you in different directions, and ...

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Microsoft announces the Partners in Learning South African Forum 2012

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Calling all South African teachers who are using technology in engaging ways. Entries are now open for the Microsoft Partners in Learning South African Forum 2012.<br /><br />Share your innovative lesson or project that uses ICT and you could win a trip to Morocco to attend the Middle East Africa Forum and from there, possibly the Global Forum in Athens, Greece. <br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">What do teachers need to do to enter the Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum?</span></b><br /><br />Teachers need to have run a project or lesson that uses ICT in a creative and engaging way. Teachers then need to complete the PowerPoint entry template describing their project or lesson. This entry then needs to be uploaded to the Partners in Learning Network by Monday 12 March: <a href="http://www.pil-network.com/">http://africa.partnersinlearningnetwork.com/communities/f3a5865473b842f7b690ed9f47217405/Pages/default.aspx</a> . To download the entry template please visit <a href="http://www.schoolnet.org.za/itf">http://www.schoolnet.org.za/itf</a><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Face to face workshops</span></b><br /><br />To find out about face to face Microsoft Innovation Workshops that will be taking place in February 2012 call Almah at SchoolNet on 011 403 5777 or email <a href="http://www.blogger.com/almah@schoolnet.org.za">almah@schoolnet.org.za</a>. <br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sign up for the online course</span></b><br /><br />To find out about the Online Innovation Course which will be run by Fiona Beal from 16 January 2012 email fiona@schoolnet.org.za or sign up on the wiki <a href="http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course">http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course</a> <br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Summary of important links</span></b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>To sign up for the online course go to: <a href="http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course"><br />http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course</a><a href="http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/"></a></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Visit the "South African Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum" on the Partners in Learning Network at <a href="http://africa.partnersinlearningnetwork.com/communities/f3a5865473b842f7b690ed9f47217405/Pages/default.aspx">http://africa.partnersinlearningnetwork.com/communities/f3a5865473b842f7b690ed9f47217405/Pages/default.aspx</a></li><li>For further information visit <a href="http://www.schoolnet.org.za/itf/">http://www.schoolnet.org.za/itf/</a> <b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></b></li></ul><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Read more about the forum<br /></span></b><br />Read more about the Partners in Learning Forum, last years's winners, and the fantastic prizes on offer in this Youblisher.com flipbook below (just click on the writing to enlarge the pages):<br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youblisher.com/p/225372-Partners-in-Learning-Global-forum-brochure/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Partners in Learning Global forum brochure" src="http://www.youblisher.com/files/publications/38/225372/200x300.jpg" /></a></div></div><div></div></div>

Competitions Microsoft Project-based learning Teaching Technology integration Microsoft announces the Partners in Learning South African Forum 2012

Calling all South African teachers who are using technology in engaging ways. Entries are now open for the Microsoft Partners in Learning So...

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Zipfizz Winners

Good Friday morning to ya!<br /><br />Just a quick note to say who the winners are for the <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-giveaway.html">Zipfizz giveaway</a>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9n2kbTtqdis4oXFnpn05UhkQony_Wx_k_GB9mva2sGDZe08uIXxzYLPRZqE_GoVo09VOGj2R92CtoFD0AUqwgV5MbCcU7qE5pHkXEMDT9CyYlMEZ51lQUZzzUZKL2ebJevbPOehGg2Y/s1600/zipfizz+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9n2kbTtqdis4oXFnpn05UhkQony_Wx_k_GB9mva2sGDZe08uIXxzYLPRZqE_GoVo09VOGj2R92CtoFD0AUqwgV5MbCcU7qE5pHkXEMDT9CyYlMEZ51lQUZzzUZKL2ebJevbPOehGg2Y/s400/zipfizz+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4uBe52eK0BLsXbrdVqFJ6Q2HvnydYmWwUWmSxZrgpEe1VYDRchS-7clzFNfhYKf_s0JwNcbNHVG3i-Wn2-H3ayhlQnoRK0cMXyp0N1XpKm7d8kBmor7SKsnY-H1ir2xXD9mWGhggt3g/s1600/jenniferwalters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4uBe52eK0BLsXbrdVqFJ6Q2HvnydYmWwUWmSxZrgpEe1VYDRchS-7clzFNfhYKf_s0JwNcbNHVG3i-Wn2-H3ayhlQnoRK0cMXyp0N1XpKm7d8kBmor7SKsnY-H1ir2xXD9mWGhggt3g/s1600/jenniferwalters.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzs8ev3_4dSzBqZlviGxqmbEXsqZs36dCwNMz1AkqMVgRxwzUhGZNh_tni_OezGyR2yL6jJXQwV8YW-C1eLTV6d7i3_Yqn4xlOS2pnYZNisECLqY9mT4DErNAz5wWwCnWpJuiqC5nz9mA/s1600/lis+winner+19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzs8ev3_4dSzBqZlviGxqmbEXsqZs36dCwNMz1AkqMVgRxwzUhGZNh_tni_OezGyR2yL6jJXQwV8YW-C1eLTV6d7i3_Yqn4xlOS2pnYZNisECLqY9mT4DErNAz5wWwCnWpJuiqC5nz9mA/s1600/lis+winner+19.JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Please email me with your mailing address and I'll send that over to the company (they will mail you the product sample directly).<br /><br />Thank you all SO MUCH for participating :). <br /><br />Jennifer & Lis, you'll have to let me know what you think.  I hope you like Zipfizz as much as I do!<br /><br />I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  I'm starting mine off with my lowest recorded weight yet (and down 1 pound from last week!).  :)<br /><br />Take care!<br />

giveaways Zipfizz Winners

Good Friday morning to ya! Just a quick note to say who the winners are for the Zipfizz giveaway : Please email me with your mailing address...

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VERTIGO: More than just the streets of San Francisco...

<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>By guest contributor Michael Nazarewycz </i></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4fLHjEo3dXvCUAPDz4hBdJHw1O5Dt6BF8M-Y_iRiCpCNnoRJuWLBRfKloMRurmuY4J5lq9gwedZdeSb7aPRrFFttZJbJk6yYMDjs3g8JAI0RSMUPefxMSFNjzJ1qbwknhbnKS4YrKnM-/s1600/SF+1+b.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/AVvXsEgS4fLHjEo3dXvCUAPDz4hBdJHw1O5Dt6BF8M-Y_iRiCpCNnoRJuWLBRfKloMRurmuY4J5lq9gwedZdeSb7aPRrFFttZJbJk6yYMDjs3g8JAI0RSMUPefxMSFNjzJ1qbwknhbnKS4YrKnM-/s1600/SF+1+b.jpg" /></a></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">It’s easy to take for granted a film’s location.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some settings, of course, are mandatory to support the historical accuracy of a film; consider the importance of location in a war picture or biopic.  Other settings might not be important for historical accuracy per se, but are critical to the believability of a film.  For example, Oliver Stone’s <i>Wall Street</i> (1987), title aside, never would have worked anywhere else but in New York City, given the high-finance, decade-of-decadence aspects of the story.  Beyond instances like these, though, it’s easy for filmmakers to pigeonhole movie locations into high-level descriptions like big city, sprawling country, hot resort, or cozy hamlet.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But where do you set your film when you need more than geography?  Where do you set your film when the location is less about sense of place and more about state of mind?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If the film is <i>Vertigo</i>, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece about a man who might be crazy and a woman who might be possessed, then the setting can only be San Francisco.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Early in the film, the fact that the setting is San Francisco is of little, if any, consequence.  The story opens with John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart), a San Francisco police detective, chasing a criminal on foot across the rooftops of the city; a uniformed officer assists him in the chase.  Rooftop foot chases are nothing new in movies, so this action could have occurred in any major city. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yR3yesUWPrywosnMHZmfyeH0DV4Uy_Pq5wOPfCfQR0flEyZChBAw46fv19GoASl5ioGDO7zojZFKrmbF1WEjx8cTTR8uup6cgxApZ0OoRKamgWLmMfmhGoGTcTiQVx34A-YN5qKJgTIU/s1600/Vertigo+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yR3yesUWPrywosnMHZmfyeH0DV4Uy_Pq5wOPfCfQR0flEyZChBAw46fv19GoASl5ioGDO7zojZFKrmbF1WEjx8cTTR8uup6cgxApZ0OoRKamgWLmMfmhGoGTcTiQVx34A-YN5qKJgTIU/s400/Vertigo+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;">The scene ends after Scottie slips on a slanted roof and finds himself dangling from a gutter.  The uniformed officer ends his pursuit of the criminal to help Scottie, but slips on the roof tiles and plummets past Scottie to his death.  The ordeal triggers within Scottie a case of acrophobia – the fear of heights – and he is forced into early retirement.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s at this point that it would be easy to look at the setting of San Francisco and say, “Of course!  San Francisco has hills, and buildings on hills.  A man suffering from acrophobia surely would be tortured by living in that city.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maybe, but that’s no more true than if he were living in New York with its towering skyscrapers, or in Denver with its mile-highness.  Let me make this clear now – Scottie’s acrophobia is nothing more than a plot-point.  The film is called <i>Vertigo</i>, not <i>Acrophobia.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not long after the tragic event, Scottie is contacted by an old college friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore).  Gavin hires Scottie to follow his wife, Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak), spinning a tale of a woman whose recent behavior has been peculiar to the point that Gavin thinks his wife might be possessed by a ghost.  Gavin wants Scottie to get to the bottom of what his wife does with her days – things that conflict with what she tells him she has done and where she has gone, things that rack up too many miles on the odometer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And so it begins: not just Scottie’s pursuit of the truth, and not just his descent into madness, but the revelation of the core reason why San Francisco is vital to this film; so vital, in fact, that to have shot it anywhere else would have made it one of Hitchcock’s lesser works.  The city, its places and its layout, are all physical representations of the inner-workings of Scottie’s mind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pd4jwu8BGP3fBM6PD34-eaK_1RK8zZZSgVo8cHSn51sC_B1s_de7YCqVHVIeUH_4wzzM-Clob4NMdKE8f_w_yxj2Fyju4Ve7TPkA26YW-nPwl7yYZvae8MXNwMhgzA0h_OEaHI5Mz97K/s1600/Vertigo+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pd4jwu8BGP3fBM6PD34-eaK_1RK8zZZSgVo8cHSn51sC_B1s_de7YCqVHVIeUH_4wzzM-Clob4NMdKE8f_w_yxj2Fyju4Ve7TPkA26YW-nPwl7yYZvae8MXNwMhgzA0h_OEaHI5Mz97K/s400/Vertigo+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Hitchcock’s shrewdness with setting is established immediately after the rooftop chase.  Scottie is in the apartment of old friend and former love Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes), who has three large windows that overlook San Francisco, and through these windows, we get a clear sense not just of how high Scottie and Midge are but, because of the city’s legendary hills, we get a sense of how far down other things are … how far down Scottie can fall.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I mentioned before that this film is not called <i>Acrophobia</i>, it’s called <i>Vertigo</i>.  Acrophobia is a fear of heights.  Vertigo is a dizzy, confused state of mind.  The difference is an important one.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After meeting with Gavin, Scottie begins his surveillance of Madeleine by waiting for her to leave her apartment so he can tail her car.  This is, of course, what any good detective would do, but by following her, he is, in effect, being led by her.  He doesn’t know it, but as his curiosity becomes obsession, every move he makes is not proactive by him, but reactive to her.  And where does she lead him on this first encounter?  Down a labyrinthine path, with several turns and slow weaves through traffic, coming to a stop in an alley.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course, streets and turns and traffic and alleys aren’t unique to San Francisco, but its hills are.  San Francisco, with heights ranging from sea level to 900+ feet (that’s 90+ stories) above sea level, has a unique combination of population density and radical height differences – a combination you won’t find in another city.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIWNMjc05PIXOb4w0N2xinF_atTeLHaXAxOwGcAib2Ua5Y08FKHWc-xIEFv0-6YnONckJTi2ZZOsn4PkXWMpG9F8K9JlFbAH_iCYjzkVPse9lbTbRbx5nV6DW3_P4NZ8bDCP7DUFQWxhs/s1600/Fillmore+St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIWNMjc05PIXOb4w0N2xinF_atTeLHaXAxOwGcAib2Ua5Y08FKHWc-xIEFv0-6YnONckJTi2ZZOsn4PkXWMpG9F8K9JlFbAH_iCYjzkVPse9lbTbRbx5nV6DW3_P4NZ8bDCP7DUFQWxhs/s400/Fillmore+St.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With that, the most important word in the description of Scottie’s first surveillance of Madeleine is “down.”  Scottie’s first physical trip down the steep, hilled streets of San Francisco in pursuit of the truth about Madeleine is his first psychological step down the steep, perilous path of obsession with (and madness over) this beautiful and mysterious woman.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After purchasing flowers, Madeleine continues to lead Scottie, and her next stop is the cemetery at Mission Delores.  This location is critical, too.  It isn’t just a cemetery, nor is it just a cemetery adjacent to a church.  It’s a cemetery that requires you to navigate through a church to get to it.  And the grave she visits requires a walk along a winding path through the cemetery.  And all of it – the grave at the cemetery next to the church – is a downhill drive away from the flower shop.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The further down the hills of San Francisco Scottie follows, the further down the path of obsession and madness Madeleine leads.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And continues to lead, this time to the Palace of the Legion of Honor – the art museum where she stares at the painting of the woman we later learn is Madeleine's great grandmother.  This time, the drive is relatively flat, but the walk from the car to the museum is a long one.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When it comes to visiting these places, the drives and walks aren’t short and quick.  They are twisting and turning and long and eventual, just as Scottie’s descent into madness isn’t a short and quick plummet; it, too, is twisting and turning and long and eventual.  Whether on paths though alleys (the darker side of Scottie’s soul?) or churches (Scottie’s own shot at redemption?), every physical step brings him closer to Madeleine – a closeness that only feeds his obsession.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQ9xoUYAhwMBvvoawKvcs3-XBhHMcfmQsvU-LqpQjBICz0bzgItAI_Zw74CSjHe3PfW6KIfm99JCR-XVmagmbvHZWdo471pVQXkQcfntQn_QXtlgFYKlzIU9mohXzhVPS9oW-Wx1NV6Zy/s1600/Vertigo+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQ9xoUYAhwMBvvoawKvcs3-XBhHMcfmQsvU-LqpQjBICz0bzgItAI_Zw74CSjHe3PfW6KIfm99JCR-XVmagmbvHZWdo471pVQXkQcfntQn_QXtlgFYKlzIU9mohXzhVPS9oW-Wx1NV6Zy/s400/Vertigo+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Madeleine’s last stop is the McKittrick Hotel.  Again, the ride is flat, but something different happens.  Scottie watches Madeleine enter the hotel and pass by a second-story window.  But to enter the hotel, he must climb a steep flight of stairs (which he does), and to get to the second floor, he must climb another steep flight of stairs (which he does again).  Yes, these climbs lend to the ongoing effort and Scottie’s willingness to surrender to Madeleine, but when he gets to the second story room, she’s not there.  And that’s because she’s not up … she’s down.  Climbing won’t get Scottie closer to Madeleine – only descending (into madness) will.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next day, Madeleine leads Scottie from her apartment straight to the museum (which is still a downward drive, representing Scottie’s ever-growing psychological descent), and from the museum, she leads him to Fort Point, which sits at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco Bay.  Down, down, down Scottie continues to go, both physically and mentally.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fort Point is at sea-level, and there is no going lower than that in San Francisco … unless you go into the Bay itself, which Madeleine does, with a jump that appears to be a suicide attempt.  Of course, Scottie follows to rescue her.  Short of donning scuba gear, Scottie has reached the end his descent – he can go no lower physically, nor can he go any lower mentally.  He appears to be Madeleine’s, lock, stock, and sea-level barrel, but Hitchcock makes sure to prove that to us the next day.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="goog_2062155625"></span><span id="goog_2062155626"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBPIqZEXSMMYGAakfcchVZP_XI6XAlqM_m8YELB_njSvgqvVspygIaXrfHOWnTKcurtVlvmi-elNv-WjID8GflddWqrF2XTC-FexTr2cN-8oes8UtkKwowFFD5nSRLYAcMC0A1AtrsbY6/s1600/scottie+saves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBPIqZEXSMMYGAakfcchVZP_XI6XAlqM_m8YELB_njSvgqvVspygIaXrfHOWnTKcurtVlvmi-elNv-WjID8GflddWqrF2XTC-FexTr2cN-8oes8UtkKwowFFD5nSRLYAcMC0A1AtrsbY6/s400/scottie+saves.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;">After saving Madeleine, Scottie brings her to his townhouse (the exterior of which is always shot by Hitchcock at a downward angle), but she soon slips out while he is on the phone.  The next day, Scottie resumes his surveillance, and Madeleine leads him on the longest journey yet through the heart of the city, with more turns and steeper hills, only to end up back at his place.  This is Hitchcock at his best in this film; this is Hitchcock telling us that Scottie, in order to find himself, must travel long and winding and down.  And then Hitch gets even better.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When Scottie meets Madeleine at his place, neither have specific plans, so they decide to “wander” together, but before they go, when she is in her car and he is on the outside talking to her, she mentions to Scottie that he left his home door open.  This seems so random and meaningless on the surface, but that door represents the last chance Scottie has of reclaiming himself.  If he runs to the door and runs inside the house and closes the door behind him, never to see Madeleine again, he can begin his psychological ascent back to normal.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivV16p1ps8FBt7EY8Rh_gFHx3VLdPTStiB6xuBKwQkRxCADgSbO63nbHZNObR0ThiSxEqwBQOafKutIKtdugzk6LE54ViFvGTuy3EV11ckiNFH2aTNKvOfY1l5Btd6xqYXmktgFaGe5Sty/s1600/Vertigo+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivV16p1ps8FBt7EY8Rh_gFHx3VLdPTStiB6xuBKwQkRxCADgSbO63nbHZNObR0ThiSxEqwBQOafKutIKtdugzk6LE54ViFvGTuy3EV11ckiNFH2aTNKvOfY1l5Btd6xqYXmktgFaGe5Sty/s400/Vertigo+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Instead, he rushes to close the door; and as the viewer you know, right there, that he has pushed all of his chips into the center of the high-stakes Madeleine table, closing the door to his past self and going all-in with her, no matter how far down all-in might be.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Their next destination is another long and winding drive, this time to see the Big Basin Redwoods.  And while these mighty, centuries-old trees might suggest something to do with height, I’m more intrigued by the fact that she drove the car; Scottie is no longer in control of his own destiny at this point.  By giving into his obsession to her, he is merely along for the ride … her ride.  It’s also on this trip when they kiss for the first time.  Deal sealed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The rest of the film is cinematic history.  If you have seen it, you know.  If you haven’t, I hope I haven’t spoiled anything for you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In three short days, Scottie not only fell in love with Madeleine, he became obsessed with her to the point of sacrificing his own sanity to be with her.  And therein lies the key to the importance of San Francisco to <i>Vertigo</i>.  Where other cities in other films might represent cookie-cutter locations or easily-recognizable landmarks in otherwise two-dimensional stories, San Francisco offers something no other city could for this story or this film: a sprawling and beautifully architectured representation of one man’s soul.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9_00fV90cB2o1bw5veD4kKger-hoXwurousfN7APHATBTUoo35rytzM_pQecyW27Bcn-24ZXgjRPg7O1wL3x4fBoeerLBt9KYxB7KVi64FNuZGYwB6rD2vUuXto4flHMk7KaCoZJSSY/s1600/Coit+Tower+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9_00fV90cB2o1bw5veD4kKger-hoXwurousfN7APHATBTUoo35rytzM_pQecyW27Bcn-24ZXgjRPg7O1wL3x4fBoeerLBt9KYxB7KVi64FNuZGYwB6rD2vUuXto4flHMk7KaCoZJSSY/s1600/Coit+Tower+3.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">~ </span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiBkmPvlUgEZxsCdafE3914OfrvNjji1MSZ0VRjYbndNRwT0HYFLXchLOaOid5c6imobhmLsEVWkueyaMvI17-vo8qPH7rAKeG6wfa0eHAxlzmiyJFPrPZTwMtvy56zFQgX52D33cPjk/s1600/Scribe+Hard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiBkmPvlUgEZxsCdafE3914OfrvNjji1MSZ0VRjYbndNRwT0HYFLXchLOaOid5c6imobhmLsEVWkueyaMvI17-vo8qPH7rAKeG6wfa0eHAxlzmiyJFPrPZTwMtvy56zFQgX52D33cPjk/s200/Scribe+Hard.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><b>Michael Nazarewycz</b> is a film buff and writer who spent his childhood watching old black-and-whites and cheesy horrors on UHF.  He's been hooked ever since, and readily admits that he'll watch anything anyone would consider a motion picture, from a nickelodeon silent to a digital epic.  Michael is an Editorial Contributor for US-based <a href="http://manilovefilms.com/author/scribehard/" style="color: #990000;">ManILoveFilms</a>, a Writer for UK-based <a href="http://www.filmoria.co.uk/author/michael-nazarewycz/" style="color: #990000;">Filmoria</a>, and he has just launched a new blog, <a href="http://scribehardonfilm.wordpress.com/" style="color: #990000;">ScribeHard on Film</a>, where he will share more personal thoughts on movies, as well as perform in-depth analysis of the classics.  Michael invites you to follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/scribehard" style="color: #990000;">@ScribeHard</a>, where he Tweets mostly about ... what else? ... movies.</span></i></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></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>

A Month of Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock Michael Nazarewycz San Francisco Vertigo VERTIGO: More than just the streets of San Francisco...

By guest contributor Michael Nazarewycz It’s easy to take for granted a film’s location. Some settings, of course, are mandatory to support ...

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12 more places to find reading material for Foundation Phase learners

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Internet is a goldmine for reading materials.</span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Earlier this week I wrote a post highlighting 12 websites that provide great reading material for young learners. (</span></span><a href="http://e-blogschool.blogspot.com/2012/01/bring-technology-into-your-foundation.html" title="http://e-blogschool.blogspot.com/2012/01/bring-technology-into-your-foundation.html">http://e-blogschool.blogspot.com/2012/01/bring-technology-into-your-foundation.html</a>). <span style="font-family: inherit;">These sites could be very useful to link to with the new CAPS curriculum being implemented in South Africa for Grades 1 – 3 this year since there is a big emphasis on reading. </span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In this post I list ANOTHER 12 sites that can be used to encourage reading in our young learners.</span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Pinky Dinky Doo podcasts</b></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pinkydinkydoo.com/podcasts.html">http://www.pinkydinkydoo.com/podcasts.html</a><br />This site is presented by Sesameworkshop. It consists of downloadable podcasts.<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskpsYugR526oxei1ocLe5K1nt3yVCfVmwdhdKmCjZ2qDIB5YTig3X6KDzgIFSYekM3hD0efxqSSQIkttxMmk_0ime1GSfkWR30NO9pcdTe9IO5iM-xY8seDPMo0MHxuSDfiQLs5ySWzg/s1600-h/image_thumb42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image_thumb4" border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDmBelparjh_LQx4ZmE294R59ZNxZKDKYU2hTp5aCEpemv2zWAwIOGpw40go5mkS77Zc7ck-96NKfczCnlJWiJnmx9Iqb5Ei-BARA3w8dz7QIIuKceqwAvlS-yPsosx54w-PlzuP9bUE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image_thumb4" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. Nursery rhymes</span></b><br /><a href="http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/Foundation/nurseryrhymes/rhymes_set1.swf">http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/Foundation/nurseryrhymes/rhymes_set1.swf</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbyBIcJ-RhdroZa5cyz5cPnrL-SoJEmF31MkkP2MJ5_7gvh_A3r6jvPGXnnN3tk5UklIyb9WM6IG_pAvT7yHvMeAxQpiwDjWfoACiio0K0t-oDQjsHxWbssm2c_7629L7HIxF59MjAsc/s1600-h/image_thumb141.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image_thumb14" border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1gA9fZ-OlMguIFEEy12qkEVJ9pJy8DpKwz691stB9V2b67wpcZwJbt0VRkBu_8q8YvghsaftMHlBC-YL93xA2ufOdBILT8JOSfKeL9yDeDnyh8fYaA09ftn0g8CUCBjmtpQV6txepDs/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image_thumb14" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Free kids books</b></span><br /><a href="http://freekidsbooks.org/" style="font-size: medium;" title="http://freekidsbooks.org/">http://freekidsbooks.org/</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Here you will find loads and loads of PDFs to download.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXxELkoOeUZt-Elx4D3XaMZfi1IKjkL94xPPXj9bRTXzESfFr5BQmgXePCisDaJa0v4qEob9g9PNKCAPKhyj3o062ZfD2zHlgZAQ58CQGbyw3Yl-WBLP16k1KVXxmdBDXe8MFoFLh1H4/s1600-h/image8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HDCBUaTkODMjwoge2wikMvCQ2z2J16MmetYaqieqVM-LTw7m9zFBnAHe7AOMHxivxqFIEi_yWxlYDA3njU7WRiPz6R06SWQSEyngV701jtgBCGw9_CfUtG93iZhVvDomF1FaaXpgvbE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Storytime for Me</b></span><br /><a href="http://storytimeforme.com/series" title="http://storytimeforme.com/series">http://storytimeforme.com/series</a> <br /><br />This site has plenty of free online stories anda large selection of talking kids stories. The only problem is that the site is overloaded with adverts, so watch where you click.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dqbhXOQk4R8aE-iJmPRji2YhemJPWpb5-FLhoiXmC62v_C09Zj0t8m9KmXFW_pollHhh9BS5WfLTN-V1Q6a1C7l34ZMHQlaP8RgrEExLnkFmX9VpkMsHTCVI7eNHcOWkhJiZRarKR7g/s1600-h/image12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZmPFbMxreqaDCyYWiHRTXqJckTQ50c6Q1h-ibRwIN6NrVV5WNvN1Jxwn0OOfXelsbO3rEAGp0AkJr1CJE1O4qz4TUN4f588smO_pNk0_kV4p9o3Mk6g2FBKUANGYxDEXt3K-ggAzaxQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Mighty Books</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.mightybook.com/" title="http://www.mightybook.com/">http://www.mightybook.com/</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">This site provides plenty of animated storybooks and songs.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXQJJe0UdgWzA4JDVf-UKSpI34P1WQk0kyJGGx5nQPW-sR0wO0HPXWHfg2D2LSgykfOBZhFzOMOwBUjSJfxd1kZNG9QmFzQzjmNBuYa0QwIJ7o81e_GeGutA4gpgmvcD1MuF19HjPWQs/s1600-h/image16.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI4eAxc-ULdUow7X6t2gs-neSz-_Uqp0PjdWGtzxJg3xvkgVnY5-FsaiEloaP3B8_4gHmb_XeVen16UdNXxyU8SQ6b1pr9nD-puQ70bS8fZv4U_N1jec2ICqeI6JaPqdK75GDA6NtgL0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Steve Barracks Best Children’s Books</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.best-childrens-books.com/free-childrens-books.html" title="http://www.best-childrens-books.com/free-childrens-books.html">http://www.best-childrens-books.com/free-childrens-books.html</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">There is plenty of reading material available at this site.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLr6bx0y0QcvDEOEHnvgFKj3J88gzyGpcwmej0lsoCw5p4IpOYbdYKq8-CDi-falimUmITSuWwPTYNuRUaZ2Zc7ENU-KyLcVhMHwOsQCSskJtBIj3VpIk4GBwwUL1iu4oIRC0DQbelrZU/s1600-h/image22.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_M_xIryjw-EjqK3rpA_sEosjbDXvawyPMOvfFN908llep44Z01S66ASoMufwcDf1ce2jBYiSOaOz3PKWqM5iUx7I0lduto13vuW7uR6pKkv7NH9YXxX0SEhNqI26H6xpyQ7m-T5UHxM8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Little Squirts Books for free</b></span><br /><a href="http://www.kidsbooksfree.com/" title="http://www.kidsbooksfree.com/"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.kidsbooksfree.com/</span></a><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">These are books written and illustrated by Mark Griffin</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyN_NBYbLbxncbLMCD7TpHuAz48K-K_FdsrcvLstf-HjvmSBz6eE61DuXC4FI4lk-nGRYVfIdlK9dEy8CbXoU1f7QK4vPVzy_RpjFsz3oUnSzyEK98ikZxAXqrDsbwObKrJ_65nots0YU/s1600-h/image26.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasq8eRo7xl7xGSeaMsvoySPYVrLAuMxd0G2G3rvAiFfTYtJVh998lkT-nPVjvS3rgCD-1SSdb4XUtPuDObTLjairBeyJs7SQRJQ7_myZ1uoNK2WP-qQQsc6aODX1_pjqn2hfxmzYF-vo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">8. Storynory books</span></b><br /><a href="http://storynory.com/" title="http://storynory.com/">http://storynory.com/</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">These are free audio stories for kids</span>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnM-o0hkFXvCLHETdAbHT_qAgObJM_0uombrJZeK2zwg5eqR4mvbPBLic9VlEtj3spk4pdMKcYSha5tkgeO7pgErK72CyU8qpPPRdnyRgWAqQNgsanhSo4zqeSf04_3mjKXByJDsFIq1o/s1600-h/image33.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQvhVtOMPr9o3CsquhX7TN52DhV6zCAkKBK0-D3BgcyI0SFowMBfrwgXuiIIfpmFvD4-da8lEw3dCS69UvzgPoE7JDet9qkapqgO0Zhj-0E1KOn4v59GkYt59OqE1TQeY1A6w3OKkNMk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. The International Children’s Digital Library</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.childrenslibrary.org/" title="http://en.childrenslibrary.org/">http://en.childrenslibrary.org/</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The ICDL Foundation's goal is to build a collection of books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world.</span> <br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCjBY4RlzjqycJMmr8sGQYM47Dv4_WRlgUFO8GpeBPRNFzWon1jfUVL0-SU6lFWn8qQI1GY23LiH9okUUyKNQGR0Fh25q8LO_NjJyzuCzfahyphenhyphenDMa4qFomFjPHfd_HxUd1DC0VKulQqv0/s1600-h/image37.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ekGXY2kusreVHnMh7LRzNlWVNuFqVlCe5FR1djLCNEQhdJqRcebiP1UK_NXscQgSrtxT8tNnhTRvaB-Jah2OaI8MZ7_bYHffI1Z6Vob_lFf99oq0ncYy9dKku_AYsdwnyG6k39gsVbM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. Kids’ English Books.com</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.kidsenglishbooks.com/" title="http://www.kidsenglishbooks.com/">http://www.kidsenglishbooks.com/</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">This is a collection of free printable books with matching audio.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHcurpi4sDsZpOstopJuRf8vl8c_8yxrdRPjdGVZr5OAPTxPKXu_nnGJcrjn0vDe1Y9L4f7Mm4ahXh9HeQ1gGlLWeMkam2J_TIfgS-PWd1utHI2fgOjcLW3JnyjxEIxaQ8u72vXYaVV0/s1600-h/image42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi086githiIeyyJ7MRzDC4yOexsu74YW0KKQWP-3lIHv4RpZT8d1eQWpsvPl7o4VIfYKc3pwvm7aJSzAAunghyphenhyphentp6chD5tQZKfcSfmH4Tiu-HSKzUjbLYRg10IpJvT-_ApwGC29ZRyp8oE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>11. Light up your brain</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lightupyourbrain.com/stories/" title="http://lightupyourbrain.com/stories/">http://lightupyourbrain.com/stories/</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">This is a selection of free audio stories for children.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mnpYTDN3AdNqW0Ydg3etbgRpVjw90Xk6kxPtdx628S162rBjB9H4AknVyfVQM6AnkPn6gJIz-WcclfcVbArvAD-PcR6YxH1RxSnwjJNxHQ0lej1vwBkd58t11XrwCm2JMX-8BrluPMg/s1600-h/image46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7C0-3IJjmJu9ZqSrb7nB8aMcynRgpODTYKO1Afxhl8JglMJ-8_O3FoWEsqw-Wo0zvJbe3AVlUlXcpAFHvJQQW4ByJmJlf-nQSTOgEIzqjwOzavuuVT71mQOk7wdV8KyKwzTmvQ444ws/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>12. We Read for Kids</b></span><br /><a href="http://www.weread.org/kids/index.php">http://www.weread.org/kids/index.php</a><br /><br />Many of the links above are mentioned on this site. It is an incredible site that not only gives links to a number of places where you can find free children's books, but also also provides a multitude of good reading tips for teaching reading to children…plus all sorts of information about reading. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqs3NxBeXDXPN80Ldw77v8oJU0A1DYnrEAi2sDTAjVSQvr8O25jBSNHafOFmI6pa_sKuRpkMtQuOABVb4dV1vLeD2-kzAkn2QANAnyrVnLCUkyRsVN5EKVCMtwD1Zc2k_jOHhF09p67g/s1600-h/image51.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAP9qbwldtGCYKrwJGTIpcQPq9L9qq50Pvl_CX3VKZ-9wcZANsf4RPOLKmHJFr3zOF800WWNsZIGHQ7Hkle_109Fa1IzGfXWtmn6X2O8K0Tj8TsVNR2igG-j2uon9LnpnTemQPwL_FWPM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Application for the classroom</u></div>This last site in particular is worth dipping into. It gives some great tips for reading sessions and also had a page of reading games that one can play to stimulate an interest in words.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div></div>

Literacy Reading Technology integration 12 more places to find reading material for Foundation Phase learners

The Internet is a goldmine for reading materials. Earlier this week I wrote a post highlighting 12 websites that provide great reading mate...

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<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We have just reached our 2000 mark. Yay!<br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" height="0" src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEzMjY*MzcxMzc5NjMmcHQ9MTMyNjQzNzEzOTY4MiZwPTc*MzIxJmQ9Jmc9MSZvPWM4Mjg3Njg1NGNiZjRjNDc5ZmU1/NTE*Mjc1NTQyN2Q3.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><a href="http://www.sparklee.com/"><img alt="sparkle - http://www.sparklee.com" border="0" src="http://img-s3-01.mytextgraphics.com/sparklee/2012/01/13/d362ed04e510595ea2c311184f37e77c.gif" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div></div>

Inspiration

We have just reached our 2000 mark. Yay!

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Tips for looking good on paper and in person

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/bn/ar5l7jr6yvr6jvd19vbn.gif?time=11/4/2011%2011:42:39%20am" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/bn/ar5l7jr6yvr6jvd19vbn.gif?time=11/4/2011%2011:42:39%20am" /></a></div><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">Rachel Zupek Farrell, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b> </span></h1></div><br /><div class="cbmsnArticleImage">When Lynn Hazan, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/president/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">president</a> of <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/recruitment/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">recruitment</a> firm Lynn Hazan & Associates, found a candidate who had excellent experience on paper, she wanted to learn more about him. As it turned out, he was difficult to work with in person: He missed a scheduled talk with her, sounded annoyed with the staff on the phone and was unresponsive with follow-up materials. Ultimately he was not a good fit for the client.</div></div><div class="ArticleContent" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This situation isn't uncommon. With all of the advice available about <a href="http://www.bing.com/search?q=resume+dos+and+dont%27s&qs=n&sk=&sc=4-21&form=msns07" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">résumé and cover letter do's and don'ts</a>, almost anyone can look like the perfect candidate. But just because a job candidate looks good on paper doesn't mean he will be a good fit for the company.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"While education, past work experience, qualifications and skill set will always be a major influence in hiring, there are many other factors that are used to determine if the candidate will be a good fit for the organization," says Samantha Lambert of Blue Fountain Media, a media design company in New York.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"I can immediately tell if a candidate spent time researching us and personalizing his job application as well as if he pumped out his résumé to any job that looked somewhat appealing. You can tell a lot from email correspondence with a candidate, but nothing is as substantial as meeting him in person to gauge his compatibility with the company culture."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Eszter Szikora, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/marketing+communications/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">marketing communications</a> manager at an information technology recruiting firm in Sunnyvale, Calif., remembers when his company was seeking to hire a senior recruiter.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"The candidate had excellent references and a pitch-perfect résumé with plenty of experience -- all the qualifications we required. On paper, she was the dream candidate to fill this job. However, when our team started to interview her in person, we quickly realized that she did not fit into our energetic, fun, multicultural environment," Szikora says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"We ended up hiring someone who was not the picture-perfect candidate on paper. She did not have that much industry experience but she had the drive and the personality to succeed. Sometimes it is better to hire someone who really wants the job and has the right attitude than someone who has all the skills you need but simply does not fit the environment."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Ideally, the perfect candidate looks good on paper <i>and </i>in person. To achieve that goal, here are some tips from Lambert and Lynne Sarikas, executive director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University in <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/massachusetts/boston/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Boston</a>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>On paper:</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1. Make sure your name and contact information are up top and clear so the hiring manager can contact you, Lambert says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2. Always include a customized cover letter. "Don't expect the hiring manager to review your résumé and think about how your experience relates to what they need," Sarikas says. "Demonstrate the value you add by preparing a customized cover letter that clearly identifies how you can address their business needs. It is about them, not you. Use key words from the job description. Make them want to talk to you."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3. Don't be afraid to write something catchy in the subject line that will make you stand out among the competition and intrigue your reader, Lambert says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">4. Take the paper to the next level. "Use your networking skills to build a network within your target companies. Then, when a position becomes available, ask your contact to share your résumé and cover letter with the hiring manager. Increase your chances of being seen by leveraging your network," Sarikas says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">5. Remember: "The goal of your résumé and cover letter is not to get you the job, but to get you an interview. Make the hiring manager want to talk to you," Sarikas says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>In person:</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">6. Lambert suggests that you arrive early to explore the office, use the bathroom and get a glimpse of what the average day at the company looks like.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">7. "Bring a notepad so you have the questions you want to ask as well as an opportunity to take notes," Sarikas says. "Bring extra copies of your résumé just in case it is needed. Be prepared with a list of references just in case you are asked."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">8. "Do your research on the company and especially on the person that will be interviewing you," Lambert says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">9. "Dress professionally and conservatively; your best suit, polished shoes, impeccable grooming, etc. Make the best possible first impression," Sarikas says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">10. "Prepare at least five talking points as to why you would be the best fit for the position," Lambert says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">11. "Be yourself. Let them see the person behind the résumé. Your personal brand should be consistent across your cover letter, résumé and interview. Answer questions honestly and thoughtfully. Give them strong examples. Show how you can add value to the company and help solve their business problems," Sarikas says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">12. "Do not ask about compensation and incentives unless an offer has been extended," Lambert says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">13. Focus on what you can do for the company, not what they can do for you, Sarikas says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">14. Always thank the interviewer for his time and demonstrate your sincere interest. Be sure to follow up within 24 hours with a handwritten <a href="http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1902-Interviewing-Take-Note-Dont-Forget-to-Say-Thanks/?sc_extcmp=JS_1902_advice&SiteId=cbmsn41902&catid=iv" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">thank-you note</a>. Customize the note by referring to something you learned or discussed and again confirm your interest, Sarikas recommends.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Rachel Zupek Farrell researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.</i></div></div>

Tips for looking good on paper and in person

Rachel Zupek Farrell, Special to CareerBuilder   When Lynn Hazan,  president  of  recruitment  firm Lynn Hazan & Associates, found a can...

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pop of pantone

I'm lucky to know many talented graphic designers. I try to speak their cool lingo - san serif, 4 color, pantone...and I'm out. So clearly I'll never be a graphic designer, but I know good inspiration when I see it.<br /><br />So, inspired by the Pantone Color of 2012 -  Tangerine Tango - here are some ways to add a POC (as <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/its-a-brad-brad-world/season-1/canadian-takeover" target="_blank">Brad Goreski</a> would say) to your day. No BFA needed.<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/AVvXsEi4yhXKEdktysU3cvxHiukELHY1hoGhbf5oTsJGJCa_abA1-1KZor0DQMSfLthuYSYIBpip-c2nk9MCQvS3C03R8aPGneWjDSs7DyLVnYbkmkQTwSIRyUdOVUUfIuGLPC4WKCndA1UGj508/s1600/AnthroEarings.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yhXKEdktysU3cvxHiukELHY1hoGhbf5oTsJGJCa_abA1-1KZor0DQMSfLthuYSYIBpip-c2nk9MCQvS3C03R8aPGneWjDSs7DyLVnYbkmkQTwSIRyUdOVUUfIuGLPC4WKCndA1UGj508/s320/AnthroEarings.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earrings from <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?catId=CLOTHES-OUTFITS-DOTS-VIBRANT&navAction=&id=24285454" target="_blank">Anthropologie</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhVBXkDNZEMK4ED3dUryAOV6vgnU5IfbXBpWk9G870BAl-O5Uhyj8xDwyl0CFaC5sjK9qwGhmFzx7sfwZBQrRq9Xb4vIPEz08Pg-2a1Rr4v_Xgb6n5TSEx4pOg2AxSDTt3Uh4MBre9cHj/s1600/CaitlinWilsonPillow.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhVBXkDNZEMK4ED3dUryAOV6vgnU5IfbXBpWk9G870BAl-O5Uhyj8xDwyl0CFaC5sjK9qwGhmFzx7sfwZBQrRq9Xb4vIPEz08Pg-2a1Rr4v_Xgb6n5TSEx4pOg2AxSDTt3Uh4MBre9cHj/s320/CaitlinWilsonPillow.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pillow from <a href="http://www.caitlinwilsontextiles.com/?p=product&sku=58&d=1&pre=p!category|c!pillowcovers|patt!|s!|fabric!" target="_blank">Caitlin Wilson</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nu70TrqExrvhoRQUOdoVlXhoIxE3vyoCwcALK321DVchbTqrJxjuHbjQimBDUnBkH7Ur-8R5RlgDK-86Ek2Pu1PbkeA4NdvdNn7zM-SHugPnZX5KCnjU7vhRpZ51F-A429p2BTkr7vgS/s1600/CWonderDotClassVotive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nu70TrqExrvhoRQUOdoVlXhoIxE3vyoCwcALK321DVchbTqrJxjuHbjQimBDUnBkH7Ur-8R5RlgDK-86Ek2Pu1PbkeA4NdvdNn7zM-SHugPnZX5KCnjU7vhRpZ51F-A429p2BTkr7vgS/s320/CWonderDotClassVotive.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dot Glass Votives from <a href="http://www.cwonder.com/homepage-features/what-the-editors-love/dot-glass-votive-1/" target="_blank">C.Wonder</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN4pzi-uQhu9bG9kSSBbF1wCOpjbUxh-ETGcFjOM-l83IN1OuUM7WrwAQCPg1ho5rd6sX_8gOdMJN-g5vt2WPby-g6XHNNRZHsDbwz3FQXjFtm3hE7z3ZFfIWf474kKgaTXR5Wu58WtBN/s1600/Essie5Avenue.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN4pzi-uQhu9bG9kSSBbF1wCOpjbUxh-ETGcFjOM-l83IN1OuUM7WrwAQCPg1ho5rd6sX_8gOdMJN-g5vt2WPby-g6XHNNRZHsDbwz3FQXjFtm3hE7z3ZFfIWf474kKgaTXR5Wu58WtBN/s1600/Essie5Avenue.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fifth Avenue Red Nail Polish from <a href="http://www.essie.com/shop/fifth-avenue-p-23.html" target="_blank">Essie</a> (red-orange and looks saucy on)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxLqbhDdc_MF7nG2zH4wBL5wRRxvoFGtkmaMOjGzN0Rwua7lF-n2RsrYptPSPELPkRyCwF6vUntdetrLmiLQSck87E96JYkCkPYxXQPvxD8cN2QodPQ5fXlHV174f7sMw1QQjSc4j9slo/s1600/KateSpadeMarketStreetPlate.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxLqbhDdc_MF7nG2zH4wBL5wRRxvoFGtkmaMOjGzN0Rwua7lF-n2RsrYptPSPELPkRyCwF6vUntdetrLmiLQSck87E96JYkCkPYxXQPvxD8cN2QodPQ5fXlHV174f7sMw1QQjSc4j9slo/s320/KateSpadeMarketStreetPlate.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Market Street Plate from <a href="http://www.katespade.com/home-decor/tableware/market-street-accent-plate/L817482,default,pd.html" target="_blank">Kate Spade</a></td></tr></tbody></table>P.S. - Is it just me or does 'Tangerine Tango' sound like it should be in Airplane? "Tangerine Tango, you are clear for take off. Roger roger. What's our vector victor?" Good movie.

pop of pantone

I'm lucky to know many talented graphic designers. I try to speak their cool lingo - san serif, 4 color, pantone...and I'm out. So c...

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ISTE-NASA Education Project Application Deadline, January 15

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">ISTE and NASA are collaborating to provide a great project for Middle and High School teachers who are enthusiastic about SPACE.  The selected teachers will work together in groups to produce educational materials for teachers and students about the Earth’s  magnetosphere. The final projects stand a chance to be featured at the ISTE 2012 annual conference and exposition, and may also be selected for publication on the NASA website. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Are you a Middle or High School teacher that fits these requirements? Here is a great project opportunity for you.  Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Here is more information:</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTvQMtesDGQP4XTd2Zt7GSnGx1p2Vd700R7uuJDa4ovoDqm8iQ7GFUcAD3xClfIZMzdF-lKzppb0-gIoxKMysEmjJTyl0p9lKiOxn0i61AXBOsUIx47i25JbwMw3opVgOf_fupgVe5hA/s1600-h/image%25255B16%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURuaVepOaP6BqEnf0i1uHXY4ifhBIWRGWUC07IQhPzah2Ceg0gHtdWEksda5d8qE4AtZjAfOUbWAUn01rKCVWgWQfgLIbQyWlzqCIfJkjKsoLoq1RhbWapjDEQjSYXj9ykHlWwMh5Ee8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="513" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GtTVOlRv7Cwmo99GUaXjfrDNe2vF8IXx0GPDsBIbuM2_LPWJQffGgVLpsR_41-78tHxDr2opid05Pb2Gl13Pnrf_t-5__xZiqV5Siv9l1b7AUJFGwf3qeEjaBwdMcS-CNYeyroSX6zY/s1600-h/image%25255B18%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uRCKUO7qYwl6EjWv6UY8-IL1ZGERBPC-wRDDyNn2ZJCSS7GVArt8uuqHiR16wt-MbW6dxCIHfw12Cv-0Wez-SdNA0HPnlEQO1oA9WxMMVgjybn2GE5G4h7ExygKiU8920m5WSSi55PA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="513" /></a></div>

Collaboration Competitions Project-based learning Technology integration ISTE-NASA Education Project Application Deadline, January 15

ISTE and NASA are collaborating to provide a great project for Middle and High School teachers who are enthusiastic about SPACE.  The select...

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Food for thought

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98n0jDxvESO8EmyleeaHDJs5Od480lQo9ZtkeSD-kmpB-LaTm2Szj4CrVYe726Fdi_4MF5i80j6wTAHgrIZfdm6dVosI1EK9vnOrYn-97DFK-g0G48jk-f3uYATXzAa-X7U3IJK22ubSB/s1600/Reeve-and-Serfs.original1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98n0jDxvESO8EmyleeaHDJs5Od480lQo9ZtkeSD-kmpB-LaTm2Szj4CrVYe726Fdi_4MF5i80j6wTAHgrIZfdm6dVosI1EK9vnOrYn-97DFK-g0G48jk-f3uYATXzAa-X7U3IJK22ubSB/s400/Reeve-and-Serfs.original1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Washington Post Admits Austerity 'Killing' Greece</span></div>Via The Daily Bell<br /><br />Wednesday, January 11, 2012 – by Staff Report<br /><br /><div style="color: red;"><b>GREECE, FEARS THAT AUSTERITY IS KILLING THE ECONOMY</b></div><br />In GREECE, fears that austerity is killing the economy ... Deeply indebted and nearly bankrupt, this Mediterranean nation was forced to adopt tough austerity measures to slash its deficit and secure an international bailout. But as GREECE'S economy slides into free fall, critics are scanning the devastated landscape here and asking a probing question: Does austerity really work? <br />Unemployment has surged to 18.8 percent from 13.3 percent only a year ago. Overburdened public hospitals are facing acute shortages of everything from syringes to bandages because of budget cuts, with hiring freezes forcing the mothballing of operating rooms even as more unemployed are relying on the public health system. Rates of homelessness, suicide, crime and HIV cases from intravenous drug use are jumping. <br />"Conditions have deteriorated so dramatically that doctors in this country now believe that the GREEK crisis is no longer just a financial crisis but a humanitarian crisis," said Dimitris Varnavas, the president of the Federation of Greek Hospital Doctors' Unions. – Washington Post<br /><br /><b>Dominant Social Theme</b>: GREECE needs to "get its act together." But will the pain be too much to bear?<br /><br /><b>Free-Market Analysis: </b>The almost genocidal nature of modern "austerity" as interpreted by the current crop of EUROPEAN one-world technocrats has come in for some mild criticism in the pages of the Washington Post.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Surprise! It must be really bad in GREECE for this august, mainstream mouthpiece to publish such an article. Look on it as a limited hangout of sorts. With the GREEK economy continuing to collapse as suicides pile up, a responsible mainstream paper must provide some sort of realistic reporting. And so it does.<br />Of course, the underlying assumptions remain resolutely unexamined. This is a kind of power elite dominant social theme of sorts – that the "cure," while necessary, is harsh. It is a pure Hegelian Dialectic when one considers this approach, as the argument is NOT framed by the question as to whether "austerity" is necessary at all.<br />In SINGAPORE one can be flogged for certain offenses. Perhaps the Washington Post shall do an article wondering whether the number of lashes ought to be mitigated. That's how this article appears to us. We would ask why someone needs the lash at all. The Washington Post worries only that the cure is a bit extreme. Here's some more from the article:<br />Leaders aim to hammer out a plan to save the euro, while demonstrators take to the streets to show opposition to austerity measures in cash-strapped countries. Greece has been forced to cut spending and raise taxes in the middle of a severe downturn, slashing pensions as well as state salaries, jobs and services. <br />As public confidence has evaporated, consumer spending — the biggest driver of the economy — has plunged, generating cascading losses at private firms. The result is a dizzying economic plummet and social crisis that is bringing the cradle of Western civilization to its knees ...<br />On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy turned up the heat on Greece, suggesting that its bailout deal is in danger of unraveling if Athens does not press ahead quicker with pledged budget reforms and seal a deal with bondholders to voluntarily restructure its massive debt. <br /><br /><div style="color: red;"><b>IMF AND WORLD BANK STRATEGY, HOW IT WORKS……</b></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUl0fR6RWDUnQ1Y6iOOu4p5Pri0aQIjD9pvOsGhO4WlIRoV9_x7b73OhMQnOhPvknu-S6cqAe67KLWTz1rU1iR-A07RgbQZS2YxV88T-JnB_tVJ0DCNQ-ok-A3zUR9Sz2wBDX7UqMWIsn/s1600/Jones_Sthrn-Pe_pg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUl0fR6RWDUnQ1Y6iOOu4p5Pri0aQIjD9pvOsGhO4WlIRoV9_x7b73OhMQnOhPvknu-S6cqAe67KLWTz1rU1iR-A07RgbQZS2YxV88T-JnB_tVJ0DCNQ-ok-A3zUR9Sz2wBDX7UqMWIsn/s320/Jones_Sthrn-Pe_pg.jpg" width="320" /></a>For some reason, the powers-that-be are determined to grind GREECE into the ground. When they are done nothing will be left but a spot. This is the way of the IMF of course, as amply documented by such by books as Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.<br />First, the WORLD BANK lends to a country's leaders – the more corrupt the better, which is why much of this takes place in the so-called developing world. Then the leaders abscond with the loot, leaving behind huge "public" debts.<br />Western banks, which have also lent to "build up the country's infrastructure," cry out that they have taken humanitarian risks and now will go bust if they are not paid back, jeopardizing the entire Western financial system. Sound familiar? The IMF is called in to make an emergency bailout.<br /><br /><div style="color: red;"><b>IMF DOCTRINE: TAX RISE, GOVERNMENT SPENDING CUTS AND SALE OF GOVERNMENT ASSETS </b></div><br />The IMF is a stern taskmaster. It will demand that taxes go UP and that government spending go DOWN. Then it will demand that various government assets be sold off to raise funds. The assets, of course, are bought by select Western corporations at pennies on the dollar. People starve; the ANGLOSPHERE gains additional control.<br />See also: <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/01/argentine-government-may-gain-from.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/01/argentine-government-may-gain-from.html</a><br /><br />For control is what is sought. That's the reason to grind people into the dust of mercantilist bankruptcy. The power elite that want to run the world cares not at all for the welfare of the people whose country it is supposedly rescuing. And so it is with GREECE.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: yellow;">BRIBED INTO CHAOS</span> </b><br /><br />As we have pointed out numerous times, the top men in GREECE (and IRELAND and EASTERN EUROPE) were virtually bribed to bring their countries into the EU. This was done via a clever mechanism in which the Brussels bureaucrats determined the amount of funding that a given country needed to bring its economy in line with stronger economies such as GERMANY'S.<br />The money was duly calculated and handed over to the various national elites who then fulfilled their part of the bargain by ensuring this country and that country was indeed delivered into the clutches of the EU. This mechanism occurred with considerable alacrity in the 2000s, for it was increasingly evident that the world's economy was collapsing and that there was a limited window available during which the lies would yet be tenable.<br />In any event, the money that went to these countries didn't do what it was supposed to do. The economies were not stabilized. Public spending was not rationalized. Instead, absurd public works projects were embarked upon. And if they money was not wasted in this way – lining the pockets of certain local corporations and their owners – it was merely absconded with.<br /><br />Today, the elites that pocketed these funds have apparently left power. They will not be prosecuted, for they held up their end of the bargain. They delivered their countries into the clutches of the EU. And now these countries are the EU's – and the EUROCRATS can do as they please. Which was the whole point.<br />Austerity is nothing but a ruse. The IMF's oft-stated intention to turn a country into a going concern is certainly misleading. The ANGLOSPHERE power elite seeks pliable nationalities that it can utilize for purposes of building an international community. This is why it crushes countries over and over. Culture is its enemy. Especially a stubborn, age-old culture such as exists in GREECE.<br />Of course, the outrageousness of what is going on in GREECE (and in other EU countries to a greater or lesser extent) must occasion articles like this one in the Washington Post. Justifications must be trotted out. The destruction, we are to believe, is unintentional. The aims of the power elite are pure.<br /><br /><div style="color: red;"><b>GREECE WOULD HAVE DONE BETTER TO EMULATE ARGENTINA AND ICELAND AND REFUSE TO PLAY THE GAME THE WAY THE IMF AND THE BIG BANKING INSTITUTIONS DEMANDED</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjx-GidnG52JpEcKv1gMhu8gqlPDXM4qA0w09abRqdNXVhklQ9DlfidW2wUIndm7HS3ITlGxhSSAzUc_GdZzVnNg4M2yEIXv_CjbqZI4LKZFUbo3uNdR1GCGDCUokBr0WWiaagTMKo9LGt/s1600/7-8jt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjx-GidnG52JpEcKv1gMhu8gqlPDXM4qA0w09abRqdNXVhklQ9DlfidW2wUIndm7HS3ITlGxhSSAzUc_GdZzVnNg4M2yEIXv_CjbqZI4LKZFUbo3uNdR1GCGDCUokBr0WWiaagTMKo9LGt/s320/7-8jt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>They are not, of course. And GREECE would have done better to emulate ARGENTINA and ICELAND and refuse to play the game the way the IMF and the big banking institutions demanded. What the cowardly GREEK elites have agreed to will blight several generations of GREEK families in the name of this "false" austerity, which is merely the crushing of a culture. In the meantime, the false memes will continue to be generated by power-elite mouthpieces.<br />"GREECE, proponents of austerity say, has no one to blame but itself," the Washington Post informs us. "After a decade of excessive borrowing and spending, evidence emerged in late 2009 that GREEK officials had lied about the extent of the country's whopping deficit. That lighted the first sparks of the EUROPEAN debt crisis, touching off a firestorm of investor panic that spread across EUROPE and is jeopardizing the global economy."<br />You see, they deserve their fate. Nobody knew what was occurring until 2009! It was a total surprise. (Never mind that this merciless system has been in place for at least 50 years, since the WORLD BANK and IMF were set up, post-World War II.)<br /><br />And just to make sure we understand that "merciless rigor" is truly justified, we read the following: "Slashing the deficit quickly is essential to ushering in a sustainable future ... and the resulting social pain is necessary to impress on GREEK politicians and society that such excesses should never happen again."<br />As the economy further degrades in GREECE and elsewhere, as the suicides rise and the cultural fabric itself is rent, we shall no doubt read more and more articles like this one. This is how the NEW WORLD ORDER is to be built, on human suffering. The bodies and souls of the poor people trapped by this terrible paradigm are but rungs in a ladder that is ascending into the sky of a "brighter" tomorrow.<br /><br />Conclusion: The storm troopers' measured tread as they climb this ladder is the sound track of what the future holds if these lies are not debunked and the terrible EU experiment is not exposed and ultimately dismantled.<br /><br />

Food for thought

Washington Post Admits Austerity 'Killing' Greece Via The Daily Bell Wednesday, January 11, 2012 – by Staff Report GREECE, FEARS THA...

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<div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Turkey’s ‘Syrian Intervention’ Scenario</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></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/RqEPjsALqT0?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Turkey’s ‘Syrian Intervention’ Scenario

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The continuing saga

So much has happened in the last twelve days I almost don't know where to start.<br /><br />My Fairbanks trip on New Year's Eve was a disaster. Remember how my sister wouldn't stop crying that evening? It continued into the next day when my husband and I visited in the afternoon. Nothing but tears and squeezing my hand until I thought she was going to break it.<br /> <br /> I asked if she was okay. No. I asked her if someone had hurt her, yes and more tears. I looked at my husband and I felt my heart stop. My worst nightmare was for someone to hurt my defenseless sister and she could never tell us who hurt her.<br /><br />This was Friday, December 30. I called APS (Adult Protection Services) in Fairbanks and told them they needed to do an immediate investigation with my sister. They did and concluded my sister had been hurt, arm and ankle twisted, by my crazy niece, and threatened. There was a restraining order put in place (at least that's what the owner of the home told me) to prevent my niece's family from seeing my sister.<br /><br />There's more to this story that I'm going to leave out, mainly because my niece is suing me, or at least she is threatening to sue me.<br /><br />A lot happened my since my last post on December 30 to Sunday, January 8. Things I'd like to forget, but will probably haunt me the rest of my life.<br /><br />Bottom line, my sister now lives here in Seattle, about fifteen minutes from my home. She's happy, and can't stop smiling. She went from being bedridden, living in a hell hole assisted living home in Fairbanks to a gorgeous adult family home with five other residents. In only 24 hours she was scooting herself around all day in her wheelchair.<br /><br />She went from wearing the same shirt and Depends all day and night, and eating in bed to getting up (with help of course), getting dressed in real clothes and having breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining room where she can look out large windows. She eats with the other residents. In her old home she was in a basement room with a little window she couldn't even see out of and had her meals in bed. It was horrible. <br /><br />She's even making friends. They told me that she and the Alzheimer's lady (a former teacher with a masters in education) talk back and forth in their own strange secret language (can't wait to see that).<br /><br />I can't tell you how much lighter my heart is these days. I know my lovely sister will never be like her old self, there was too much brain damage. I do now that now she is having the best quality of life she can have for someone in her condition. She's happy. Which makes me happy.<br /><br />I'm in the Anchorage airport, waiting for my flight back to Seattle. Even though I made the trip from hell with my sister just two days ago when I basically kidnapped her and brought her to Seattle (I can do that as her legal guardian per the District Attorney's office), I had to go back to Fairbanks last night to testify in court against another niece about being evicted from my sister's apartment complex (which sold!).<br /><br />I really should write a book some day. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /> <br /><br /><br />

The continuing saga

So much has happened in the last twelve days I almost don't know where to start. My Fairbanks trip on New Year's Eve was a disaster....

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Winning Outcomes

I really want 2012 to be THEE year that I achieve some strong weight loss goals.  While I would love to reach my ultimate goal weight of 165, I still want to be realistic.  After all, I'm gonna have <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/wedding.html">a lot</a> going on this year! <br /><br />Not only am I planning our wedding, but I'm about to begin my 4th semester of pre-nursing school on Tuesday.  On one hand, this seems stressful at first glance, but when I really think about it, it's actually exciting.   By May, I'll be that much closer to pursuing my dream career, and by October, I will be a married woman!<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/AVvXsEgh5OFuR3gX_TJHV3b4HSBu6fnCslfQjkUyVJbGtH5Tp2cTdWXUe3Eg12mu6IesH5x_o9coViy4618nlEm-c035tDaDDarro1bS7JNuixA0D0nXeDva7GLPv_OX3rJc4Xp_h4dybCO-BOI/s1600/biology+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5OFuR3gX_TJHV3b4HSBu6fnCslfQjkUyVJbGtH5Tp2cTdWXUe3Eg12mu6IesH5x_o9coViy4618nlEm-c035tDaDDarro1bS7JNuixA0D0nXeDva7GLPv_OX3rJc4Xp_h4dybCO-BOI/s400/biology+011.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm sure these guys are going to OWN me before it's all said & done too!</td></tr></tbody></table>Mixed into that equation will continue to be my successful journey on Weight Watchers.  Though, I cannot just make that statement and magically expect to achieve my goal of 190 lbs. (Man, do I wish it were that simple!)<br /><br />A few weeks ago at a WW meeting, my leader handed out the Winning Outcomes pamphlet.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ONRv1yeUtGpDBU2fL4BqYTY4fyLfyxIxtSLPCydE9LQGShcXBWIDUwe_ukHf-50s86v259pK9ziFuH97Vf5wJthEAbAd78ecTLSGo6gJoBB4AcyBLqDnq-3AHhJKxe80dx3p3ReXx38/s1600/Winning+Outcomes+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ONRv1yeUtGpDBU2fL4BqYTY4fyLfyxIxtSLPCydE9LQGShcXBWIDUwe_ukHf-50s86v259pK9ziFuH97Vf5wJthEAbAd78ecTLSGo6gJoBB4AcyBLqDnq-3AHhJKxe80dx3p3ReXx38/s400/Winning+Outcomes+011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This pamphlet talks about the power of goal setting (perfect for all NYR makers!) as well as <i>how </i>to make clear, obtainable goals for yourself.<br /><br />Weight Watchers wants you to plan ahead in order to achieve your goals.  They give you 3 strategies to help you do this:<b> </b><br /><br /><b>1. Use Weight Watchers Tools for Living: Winning Outcomes</b><br />"Winning Outcomes" is basically WW's fancy way of referring to a "goal".  And listen, even if you're not on WW, it doesn't matter!  There is absolutely no PointsPlus tracking involved in ironing out your goal(s), whatever they may be.  When stating your Winning Outcome, WW advises you to:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAecbEzxIhVcEAzh7mNkakQVLhWSQeBfP36uQ8NmnMXehu1vizfako2UP0zfaa0doa_S7MbLBeP9ZrhvOU-7KatvoxenrStf-REoLXpmY74_ThnlZ9A61IbxvB1Qym1oYgOojfcK2ehU/s1600/Winning+Outcomes+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAecbEzxIhVcEAzh7mNkakQVLhWSQeBfP36uQ8NmnMXehu1vizfako2UP0zfaa0doa_S7MbLBeP9ZrhvOU-7KatvoxenrStf-REoLXpmY74_ThnlZ9A61IbxvB1Qym1oYgOojfcK2ehU/s400/Winning+Outcomes+014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><ul><li><b>Positively state it.</b> <i>I want to weigh 190 lbs by October 6, 2012.</i> <i>(as opposed to "I don't want to be overweight anymore.")</i></li><li><b>Be very specific.</b> <i>I'm going to achieve this goal by committing to exercise 2 days per week, as well as staying within my Daily PointsPlus Target 5 of the 7 days (DPT).</i></li><li><b>Have the goal be within your control.</b><i> I don't have to rely on anyone else but myself to achieve this goal.</i></li><li><b>It must be a good fit with your life.</b>  <i>Stating, for instance: "I will exercise every single day for 3 hours each day 5 days a week."  I don't have that kind of time, and I'd venture to say most of you don't as well.</i><b></b></li></ul></blockquote><b>2. Use Weight Watchers Tools for Living: Storyboarding</b> Now that you have your Winning Outcome defined, how do you plan to achieve it or what is going to help you achieve it?  Tell me your <i>story</i>:<br /><ul></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4_Rv98Eeyx0CFLQF-XxuuzoikX1_El38J_JatE9laBYZ2UFgV80UcQA1GCSmpk-Q_L1dyql95u0YIaNR3uHV9rpMD-zXr8x_dWtjoaiixp8S3tCgXgOhX5lovuV7DupwwH_amBoCoSo/s1600/Winning+Outcomes+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4_Rv98Eeyx0CFLQF-XxuuzoikX1_El38J_JatE9laBYZ2UFgV80UcQA1GCSmpk-Q_L1dyql95u0YIaNR3uHV9rpMD-zXr8x_dWtjoaiixp8S3tCgXgOhX5lovuV7DupwwH_amBoCoSo/s400/Winning+Outcomes+016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>I plan to reach 190 lbs by October 6, 2012 by committing to meal planning every week.  I will plan for 2 weeks at a time, utilizing the Friday I have off every other week to do this.  My exercise plan will go as follows:</i> <br /><ul><li><i>January/February: 2 days per week at the gym for at least 35 minutes</i></li><li><i>March/April: 3 days of activity per week - 2 at the gym, 1 at home (at least 35 minutes)</i></li><li><i>May/June/July/August/September: 4 days of activity per week - 2 at the gym (varying workouts), 2 at home (varying workouts) (at least 35 minutes)</i></li></ul><i>Anything beyond the stated exercise goals above will be a bonus!</i> <i>I am going to allow one day per week to eat out (NOT including Mon-Thurs), but still be mindful of what I'm eating at the restaurant.  Additionally, Starbucks is no more Mon-Fri! </i><br /><i> </i> <br /><b>3. Reward Yourself All Along the Way.</b><br />I certainly don't have a problem doing <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/goals.html">this</a>!  But really, I quickly gravitated away from food rewards, because it became detrimental quickly.  "Yes! I had a loss at WW tonight.  Hey Joel - let's go gorge ourselves at XYZ restaurant to celebrate!"  No more.  The non-food rewards are SO much better, not to mention long lasting.  I get to see the results of my weight loss success daily, thanks to my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/12/weekend-recap-1-day-late.html">bracelet</a>.<br /><br />Also, feel free to use my Goals as a guideline for your own, but by no means compare what you're capable of getting yourself to what I am (not that I'm a baller, but if you have the same idea as the Pandora, for instance - that crap is expensive!  They make <a href="http://www.chamilia.com/">comparable bracelets</a> that are just as nice and MUCH more affordable).  I'm a 27 year old girl with no kids and a fulltime job.  If you're not in that boat, then reward yourself with smaller, less expensive rewards.  Any kind of makeup item would be a good start here (I <3 nailpolish!!), or a new book, slippers and/or pajamas for your shrinking bod, a new top... the inexpensive ideas are really endless.  Just do SOMETHING.  Working toward these SMALL goals (i.e. 5 pounds at a time) has made ALLLLLL the difference for me! <br /><br /><div style="color: purple;">For the fellow WW, have any of you filled out this pamphlet?  What is your story<i>(boarding)</i> on how you're going to make your big goal this year? Share, share, share - it can only help us all!</div><br />

goals Storyboarding Tools for Living Weight Watcher Pamphlets Weight Watchers Winning Outcomes Winning Outcomes

I really want 2012 to be THEE year that I achieve some strong weight loss goals.  While I would love to reach my ultimate goal weight of 165...

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