DECEIVING TACTICS

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GqttNi-dqlcO0OVm5Mod1-qF_j3zIM8X52MBAGnpgnLdSxTrvyaHuqjITPWwT0rsuTwPdnCM3FNoPOdoaWT8vNYaLJv5FxkoSAfaA-ab9jL10TvsFFbXMm_xYzCzygEybo9vXzAkA7XY/s1600/energy-shock-how-peak-oil-will-change-your-life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GqttNi-dqlcO0OVm5Mod1-qF_j3zIM8X52MBAGnpgnLdSxTrvyaHuqjITPWwT0rsuTwPdnCM3FNoPOdoaWT8vNYaLJv5FxkoSAfaA-ab9jL10TvsFFbXMm_xYzCzygEybo9vXzAkA7XY/s400/energy-shock-how-peak-oil-will-change-your-life.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>As I see it </b></span></div><br />Mainstream media as well as alternative media alike have been jumping on the warmongering bandwagon, claiming that war between IRAN and the USA is imminent, and that subsequently ISRAEL is about to strike IRAN in order to prevent IRAN from concluding its alleged nuclear weapon program.<br /><br /><div style="color: red;"><b>NO ARMED CONFLICT BETWEEN USA AND IRAN</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>In my opinion there will be no military intervention in the Strait of Hormuz nor will there be a full out war between IRAN and the USA, nor will ISRAEL strike IRAN. The entire warmongering is nothing but deceiving tactics, either to work out a behind the scene natural resources distribution deal or to entirely reshuffle the geo political landscape. <br />There are too many unknowns about IRAN to enter a full scale war. Though current USA political rhetoric’s and claims are frightening similar to that of prior to the IRAQ invasion, invading or waging a war with IRAN would most likely trigger a strong response from RUSSIA CHINA and the southern hemisphere, INDIA, VIETNAM etc. <br />For now at least, a full scale war between USA and IRAN for me is a no go situation. But then again who knows what the worlds”CORPOCRACY” goal in all this is. Are we made to believe that this is about natural resources? <br /><br /><div style="color: red;"><b>DIMINISHING OIL RESOURCES? FACT OR DECEPTION? </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Are we really facing a crude oil shortage for which it is necessary to stage another war or are we once again the fair game of speculators?<br />There is the hypothesis that the USA has enough oil reserves on its own territory to supply the entire country, thus making it totally independent from oil imports, but for geo political and economic reasons, dictated by “CORPOCRACY”, chose to “play the game of misinformation” in order to keep worldwide demand for oil at a premium, just as the Diamond Cartel did in SOUTH AFRICA, when a huge “Diamond Belt” was discovered in the country. The finding was so enormous, supplying these stones to the marked would have reduced the value of diamonds to almost nothing, and thus they covered the entire area with concrete in order to control the amount of stones entering the market. <br />The so-called demand for Natural resources is the perfect excuse to stage crisis situations, of which speculators gain most of and which help key political entities and financial institutions to dictated and manipulated geo politics and economy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">......................................................................................... </div><br /><br /><div style="color: blue;"><i><b>FOOD FOR THOUGHT ON SUBJECT MATTER</b> </i><br /><br /><div><b>ARE CLAIMS OF CRUDE OIL RESOURCES DIMINISHING LEGITIMATE OR A DELIBERATE LIE? </b></div></div><div style="color: blue;"><br /></div><div style="color: blue;"><i>Could it be that crude oil was not formed from fossils but in a complete different way? Is crude oil still formed nowadays?</i></div><div style="color: blue;"><b>Are crude oil resources diminishing………….for the last 100 years?</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Is not it strange that even our grandparents were told that our oil resources are diminishing and that we soon will run out of oil ?  Is it not strange that even 100 years later there still exists the fear of “the end of the oil”, even though every day more oil is consumed and new oil resources are found continuously? <br />Well, what if all of this is a lie? Who would benefit from convincing us that we are running out of crude oil?<br />Actually, everyone knows the answer for it is so obvious: When something is scarce, prices soar. Price also rises when products are made artificially scarce. (Speculators)<br />Oil prices keep rising despite the fact that there are more oil reserves than mankind can ever consume!<br /><br /><div style="color: blue;"><b>WHERE ARE THE FACTS?</b></div><br />Why have fossils never been found in petroleum deposits? How could these supposedly fossil materials disappear thousands of meters beneath the surface? Were there in 3000 or even 13,000 meters beneath the earth once upon a time forests and meadows?<br />Could it be that crude oil was or is not at all formed in the way we are told but entirely different?<br /><br />A documentary broadcasted on 3SAT (German, Austrian and Swiss TV station) on March 3rd 2010 casts an even bigger doubt on alleged biological origin theory of petroleum and natural gas. The global oil industry and cartel as well as international financial institutions dealing with oil commodities would never permit that such "endless" oil regenerating porcess would become publicly known.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lQKAcJu62Rs?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Der Energie Irrtum</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EtkLc4tgIkI?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><div style="color: blue;"><b>HOW DOES OIL AND GAS REACH THE SATURN MOON TITAN?</b></div>Scientists have found natural gas on Titan, Saturn’s moon:<br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100921144133.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100921144133.htm</a><br /><br />Following current hypothesis regarding the formation of oil and gas, oil and gas on Titan must have been created by dry plants, which miraculously flew from planet earth trough space to Titan. Or the oil residue evaporated on earth and was transferred to the Saturn moon where it down poured in form of precipitation. If it is not that way, then oil is not formed the way they tell us.<br /><br /><div style="color: blue;"><b>Bacteria decompose oil in the ground</b></div><br />Scientists at the University of Cologne have proven the existence of bacteria in 2,000 meters depth. Bacteria have never been detected so deep in the earth’s core, said a university spokesperson. Together with colleagues from Perth in Australia, researchers have discovered phospholipids acids in oil reserves. This indicates that living bacteria, biologically quarry oil.<br /><br /><div style="color: blue;"><b>If oil was originally created from fossils, it would have been eaten by these bacteria in the millions of years since its creation. According to this process crude oil regenerates itself continuously, but not the way we are made to believe by those entities that could lose big-time, once the truth is revealed.</b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Via Wahrheit Organisation </span><br /><br />

DECEIVING TACTICS

As I see it Mainstream media as well as alternative media alike have been jumping on the warmongering bandwagon, claiming that war between I...

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Your favorite green vegetable

Part of my lunch today, plain old green beans with Pam butter flavored spray and a dash of sea salt.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_hVOnX7ae9S03vzzT7rTpFRx9mKzFdHejcWwhI7EcHu0tpFO3SA4K5-ecFEhHIIQehr1K-maerBwIszVgw-Yo6KwME10t5gxXs4xFeOpIt_AVZJ0EJ8kqRCuReNBFM9Zzp0l-r4Tk6cl/s1600/P1030999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_hVOnX7ae9S03vzzT7rTpFRx9mKzFdHejcWwhI7EcHu0tpFO3SA4K5-ecFEhHIIQehr1K-maerBwIszVgw-Yo6KwME10t5gxXs4xFeOpIt_AVZJ0EJ8kqRCuReNBFM9Zzp0l-r4Tk6cl/s320/P1030999.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I haven't eaten green beans for years. I've never really liked them much. I've always thought they were boring and tasteless. These aren't bad, in fact, I'll probably eat them again. <br /><br />I eat too many Brussels sprouts. Seriously, I eat them several times a week. I've had an ongoing love affair with Brussels sprouts for years. My favorite is fresh Brussels sprouts, roasted with olive oil and sea salt. I could eat these every day (heck, I have eaten them almost every day for months!).<br /><br /> I've decided to branch out and only eat Brussels sprouts a couple times a week (this will be hard), and start eating a greater variety of fresh, green vegetables. I know this would be healthier. <br /><br />Do you have a favorite green vegetable? How do you prepare it?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Your favorite green vegetable

Part of my lunch today, plain old green beans with Pam butter flavored spray and a dash of sea salt. I haven't eaten green beans for yea...

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Snow in Seattle!

The view out my home office window (on break at lunch, working from home), Federal Way, WA - 22 miles south of Seattle:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8DTqJw2JFRklmI0NgiJSOUB8cn_VPowp0xiCIDcj87fX-Dk-lEgxGH6-FNtP2UBUdk6S7cDUzkkTrSKd-vQFMJ_DGAv90CFfIYMUQSuN29zVmiKKNWVO7Mi3IT1g6OMw0wiF9zfxUXUK/s1600/Backyard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8DTqJw2JFRklmI0NgiJSOUB8cn_VPowp0xiCIDcj87fX-Dk-lEgxGH6-FNtP2UBUdk6S7cDUzkkTrSKd-vQFMJ_DGAv90CFfIYMUQSuN29zVmiKKNWVO7Mi3IT1g6OMw0wiF9zfxUXUK/s400/Backyard.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />This isn't a view I see very often at my house. I love it. It's gorgeous! It's a very gray day so it's doesn't look as spectacular as it could. However, when the sun comes out the snow will melt. It's suppose to stay below freezing all day today, but warm up tomorrow and then all the snow will melt.<br /><br />I made up with my niece this morning, the one that's been calling me a bitch and a liar. It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.<br /><br />I sent her an email and told her I wanted to get along and not fight anymore. I didn't want to have to deal with lawyers and restraining orders. I didn't want to have to go to court again. I just wanted to work with her.<br /><br />A few hours later after I knew my niece had read my email, I called her. After she burst into tears and asked why I hated her so much, we talked (well, she talked) for half an hour, and I listened, trying to calm her down and listen to her grievances against me. I simply can't live with the hatred and fighting any longer. This is one more attempt at peace, and I hope it sticks this time. I know she's mentally ill, which makes this all very difficult. I have much more empathy for those that deal with the mentally ill. This is the most challenging thing I've ever had to deal with in my entire life.<br /><br />It's time to grab some lunch. Breakfast was on track and is in the Weight Watcher tracker. I'm drinking water, and focusing on the healthy eating guidelines. I still feel like I'm starving again today, probably from the carbs in the pizza last night (or the wine). I just want to make it through this one day eating entirely on plan (and stay within my 26 Points...not 80 like the last few days!).

Snow in Seattle!

The view out my home office window (on break at lunch, working from home), Federal Way, WA - 22 miles south of Seattle: This isn't a vie...

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Wildlife Education Loaner Kits are rolling into a classroom near you!

<strong><em>From guest author, John Windau, Wildlife Communications Specialist in the District Two Office, Findlay, Ohio.</em></strong><br /><br />     Are you looking for a way to bring some fun and excitement into your teaching sessions? Well, here are some great opportunities to bring wildlife education into your classroom using hands on learning kits available from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife. These kits are available in the form of loaner trunks, and can be borrowed for two weeks at a time from your district office. There are wide varieties of trunks available, and each district may be slightly different, but here is a general guide to what you may find. <br /><br /><br />     If playing with, err, I mean using plaster of paris or air dry clay sounds exciting to you, then the animal track trunk may be right up your alley. This kit contains rubber molds for various wildlife creatures found in Ohio. But wait, this is more than just an art project. Once dried, these impressions can then be used to help teach children about the animal tracks they may encounter in the wild and what habitat types each animal can be found in. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjornMRBaU13dfWlfsC1zOdqKxQ9A-btzkfbVG7OQN4llZ4VQftIpxKWbnfGPpQdkYxj6MZtRftAXL5FgH8QCVbkrCN5mBu35Oa4xeEr2-RgPEiIA1RB6UjTcg0QvhxW_SbzuCm5FZ0Z6Oz/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjornMRBaU13dfWlfsC1zOdqKxQ9A-btzkfbVG7OQN4llZ4VQftIpxKWbnfGPpQdkYxj6MZtRftAXL5FgH8QCVbkrCN5mBu35Oa4xeEr2-RgPEiIA1RB6UjTcg0QvhxW_SbzuCm5FZ0Z6Oz/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>     Ok, if that sounds too messy for you, how about bringing in a map and a bunch of figurines? No, I am not talking about Candyland, Dungeons and Dragons, or Legos. The timeline activity is an interactive way to demonstrate how Ohio’s landscape has been impacted by settlement and development. Have your students interact with the map, tree and animal figures to see what impacts humans have had on Ohio through time. <br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAttFVX1baJ9uzFo0iP4V6w9fPB6sZX0jKoMfaFADRcaaRY7GVFpZaGDjX0cJ2L5-GIngnizncfg9nTeg0JYTXsu3idb8woyZOD4-0spr8cdJ3ruZ50n-KauZhsE2jJ5ETZIuITAwDhkY/s1600/youthcreekn162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAttFVX1baJ9uzFo0iP4V6w9fPB6sZX0jKoMfaFADRcaaRY7GVFpZaGDjX0cJ2L5-GIngnizncfg9nTeg0JYTXsu3idb8woyZOD4-0spr8cdJ3ruZ50n-KauZhsE2jJ5ETZIuITAwDhkY/s320/youthcreekn162.jpg" width="320" /></a>    Like playing in water? How about a stream trunk? Inside you will find all types of cool gadgets (that is the technical term) for sampling streams for insects, invertebrates, and small fish. Not a stream expert? Included along with the dip nets, magnifying glasses, stream seines, are keys and activity guides that will help you along the way.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">    If insects sound interesting, how about borrowing an insect trunk? Students will enjoy learning about the insects living around them. They can capture insects with the included insect nets, hold and analyze them in the special bug jars that have magnifiers already included. Field guides and posters will make identifying the bugs another rewarding challenge. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">   Not everyone is comfortable with insects. Another excellent trunk is the fur and skull trunk. This trunk contains a variety of furs and skulls from Ohio’s wildlife. Students will enjoy guessing what type of animal the furs come from, as well as feeling how soft the pelts are. This is a great opportunity to introduce and teach children about the unique characteristics of individual species. Also included in this trunk are skulls from various mammals in Ohio. Ever stumble upon a skull in the wild and wonder what it was? Well here is your opportunity to learn to identify some of Ohio’s most common mammals using facial features and dental patterns. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">    What about reptiles and amphibians? These fascinating groups of animals are some of the most primitive on the planet. Their unique lifecycles and abilities fascinate students. The reptile and amphibian trunk contains guides and replicas for students to explore what makes these unique animals tick, how they survive, and why they are so special in our environment. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHbeZAyh1kUzo3iH1oYKeCpElaYsTE-tpyvzUhuLagCRr2Aq_8MBqGwz5gARzhB0bLZjFkTaikB14pHRlLr0l8o4T9tgdPcAGChLR-J1qkDa-Kfuf9aZb1Cuw3S1VhnX24zZxeJaGypUs/s1600/blu+wing+warb253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHbeZAyh1kUzo3iH1oYKeCpElaYsTE-tpyvzUhuLagCRr2Aq_8MBqGwz5gARzhB0bLZjFkTaikB14pHRlLr0l8o4T9tgdPcAGChLR-J1qkDa-Kfuf9aZb1Cuw3S1VhnX24zZxeJaGypUs/s320/blu+wing+warb253.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any guesses on this species?</td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">    It may not seem like it now, but spring is right around the corner. Doesn’t a nice spring walk listening and looking for birds sound peaceful? The Division also has bird and birding trunks available. Field and activity guides will help guide you as you introduce birds and birding to your students. The kits also include binoculars, bird song CD’s, and other materials to help you along the way.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">    If you haven’t guessed by now, the Division of Wildlife has a wide variety of resources available for educators. These are just a few of the kits available. In addition, there are dozens of publications, programs, and activity guides offered. Contact your district Communications Specialist to learn what else is available and how to make arrangements for borrowing one of these exciting kits for your students. You can find the Education Materials Brochure and the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s District contact information at <a href="http://www.ohioprojectwild.com/">http://www.ohioprojectwild.com/</a>  </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>

Wildlife Education Loaner Kits are rolling into a classroom near you!

From guest author, John Windau, Wildlife Communications Specialist in the District Two Office, Findlay, Ohio.      Are you looking for a way...

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A recap. of our South African teachers' involvement in the Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum in 2011

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since the Partners in Learning Forum (formerly known as the Innovative Teachers’ Forum) has opened its 2012 competition and we at SchoolNet are encouraging all teachers to participate in our free online support group <a href="http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course">http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course</a> (so that we can support you with your entry), I thought I would write and tell you something about our participants last year. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Face-to-face Courses in 2011 and 2012</span><br /><br /></b>SchoolNet hosted a number of free face-to-face courses for this competition around the country in 2011 so that teachers could find out more about the requirements of the competition. We are doing the same this year and if you want to be included in one and you have heard nothing about them to date please contact <a href="mailto:almah@schoolnet.org.za">almah@schoolnet.org.za</a> to find out more.  </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkw4ff4jofIc5m5ymNC6W7GdBVXnQp8npZ4qcIk5dFJi3FuSJRxuZA4exuvGhM9aPedCbZ9diVpotDqIJTxJNzdu-f91Tw22zLjg5LTfb2oG750pdSGC1Z4_TjmNv_jC8dFNRw5So1Hc/s1600/PIL+wiki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">New this year – an Innovative Online Support Course!</span><br /><br /></b>This year we are also including a free online support course with daily posts which you can follow at at your own pace. It will include two (optional) webinars a week where you can find out about past finalists and winners and hear what they did. If you miss the webinars they will be recorded and you will get access to the link to listen at leisure. "Where will this link be posted?" I can hear you asking. Well, the course will be run from a wiki and if you sign up we will take an extra special interest in you all the way to the final date for entries! The place to sign up is: <br /><a href="http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course">http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkw4ff4jofIc5m5ymNC6W7GdBVXnQp8npZ4qcIk5dFJi3FuSJRxuZA4exuvGhM9aPedCbZ9diVpotDqIJTxJNzdu-f91Tw22zLjg5LTfb2oG750pdSGC1Z4_TjmNv_jC8dFNRw5So1Hc/s1600/PIL+wiki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkw4ff4jofIc5m5ymNC6W7GdBVXnQp8npZ4qcIk5dFJi3FuSJRxuZA4exuvGhM9aPedCbZ9diVpotDqIJTxJNzdu-f91Tw22zLjg5LTfb2oG750pdSGC1Z4_TjmNv_jC8dFNRw5So1Hc/s400/PIL+wiki.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last year’s entrants</span><br /></b><br />So let me tell you about last year’s entrants. Quite a number uploaded their PowerPoint entries (don’t worry, we’ll guide you through all this) by the required date and 22 were chosen because they offered something that was considered innovative for their schools. Those 22 people were elated when they heard of their success especially as they were to be whisked off to Johannesburg to the South African Finals to present their projects to the judges. They stayed in excellent five star accommodation, and for once in their lives teachers were treated like royalty! They also experienced some really innovative workshops and were sponsored to attend the ICT in the Classroom Conference which SchoolNet hosted last year. The winners received their accolades on the last night of the Conference amidst the cheering of the large crowd of educators from around the country.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">They had a ball! Did you think that innovative teacher finalists could be so crazy? Look at this!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjMk7XIijPLGkYujJlLVcXWFqA_ffBy6WR5WYJGEwf-ZJcakyiuDAa6VvpsTPGZtdnTDGK1NwKmgrdOF_xAB0G-haiI_XdiQEMenutNROSI3mWiP4mJnVEnINH7ISf_zRpI8spviYbgE/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTg7n5cVCAlQKT7j5XAypexTrHn9UpGtZFxNcJ7GzIBPAJisBxR6jbsyBOlH-Ulrdq4uSIePPeLac_aimbIcLfo2VljOZ-3QtxgjjpkiGJjEdROm18PIKEijClbA2ZklQgp5ZVAD6ojTM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLMD8i_QKRKNhcPXd0Izel0zFXfCWMrzvTX1-q69HecHZ2J7BC9XervwVpWrOoO2LWeAwuCtPbX6-DlBtOfBJ2MdIDLPWTA7CRXdYzWJ-lcxWkPbrDEF7I0tWSzjHPXJ9soPzPAYX-pE/s1600-h/image%25255B5%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcg8Q9yRJpZIyET3QtH7HW29rwzibME5Ib2xWqJPEFk9O3sS1LORCSAB0cWONy9WkcWuysxtafgGQ5cDEXcvjcS-11UnfxO-5c1mP3BcD1l2W9FlogppQzN8nUY8ylj2e-9QUH2hN9rr0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmTbXItvJAn6SnvelsuIk5I8teczw8lNl27T6w2N2QM0PtF2R1GxEToVEI502dQcdiyBRvkcTnK7Zr5ZOWYUBmV9res9OHPaPeXF4TpW9nIyjR_Y7XHqN_NuioMBNG7IaJYvEHX8NAQA/s1600-h/image%25255B8%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSSjafnSLvzvv148Brl_P-yvt5Gjfz5W33bpX2WvP1ZqOrilsqYvpB7Piieum4tnmWFAcN0NHk2wipBCoAvllwx7dwpp0WeFqDcLt6HSoVVG9iA8-qE67X0T3PRIrwlnH3xX6ucG8Ues/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1slaowwt8AmGw_ePz-p3SHOiXKCXOMY7CB90s-OmHZvSZoU38mbp74xl6UOsiGQsAqE_gyNArdEUrFsYSUdBgXOHvKLZhbfFRj-q2isaq72AIhQd5paJnBsSaeIrZJ58NeRe_uofkTw/s1600-h/image%25255B11%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NeP84pohNGuTotrR-7xocSLiFmJE6auL_FZCIJZ6hVkj2WtDI9C6WW2635kcLW0g66aVTZ0ScBjDtMjFTPQpuHa5nj6w4o62GgW0fiLkwSULbTqCl-18BjwzWT2UXb9NhDPTYOlTkyg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the next video (created by Lisa Gair who was a finalist), you can see them riding trolleys down the ramp at the Oliver Thambo Airport in Johannesburg on the way home, excited and happy after an AMAZING week!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><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-d75a4589172a86d0-7968" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyOalfLOhvpNF8oqrVMNxsuKuhJHZzttdwwBFDlj9xcHzyAoe_0PsRlT7cbM8L_j2mdye-uDDqYBbKHzKCSV4hfGdo9jHnCcaB9I9bSvdHLJjuigL-k7qgnToRBP_doc6ah3_s" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The South African winners</span><br /></b><br />The winners were:<br /><br />§ Louise Clarke and Kim Jackson of St Cyprians College in Cape Town for their class project “Tollbooth Movie Maker”; <br />§ Natalie Meerholz of Holy Rosary School in Edenvale for her class project “E-Waste Away”; <br />§ Lyneth Crighton of Brescia House in Bryanston for her class project “DigiGirlz puzzle IT out”; <br />§ Wessel Theron of Bishops Diocesan College in Cape Town for his class project “School of Rock”; <br />§ Ryan Galvin of St Nicholas Diocesan School in Pietermaritzburg for his class project “R and J in R and B”. <br /><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately we don’t have a photo of the five winners all together, but here is Louise Clarke the overall winner (along with Kim her Grade 4 colleague who was in England at the time) receiving her award and prize.<br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2D8cYSKjbApuwarEhw7lmq_P6WeU1_Wyh3tzbaAT0hrHzccCEs7WC2T5Rly_Qgv7hpQhmPhHNRDU9JjDdIUz84xVBTpq_l2LsomavBEGakBn1C_wuy5jVzFz09PZzSzYe7ZB1yncbkE/s1600-h/image%25255B15%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQSsqmgF3SEzKdFnyDsTNyyIGvpOnnsvx-_7uas_9v5mRKjBBON5zPQkxfqqxOsELVIz2DDR1-Hjw4jWKWg91lyzb5W1M-qbcgG2ADa1sccmMZiQKN4_gwg3wbbB1NI2FIgVFmzLctoU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Jordan finals</span><br /></b><br />The next round of the competition for the five winners was to attend the Middle East and Africa Finals in Jordan in September 2011. I have written a blog post about this if you would like to find out more. Once again it was loads of fun and Microsoft provided the most stunning accommodation. <a href="http://e-blogschool.blogspot.com/2011/09/snippets-from-partners-in-learning.html" title="http://e-blogschool.blogspot.com/2011/09/snippets-from-partners-in-learning.html">http://e-blogschool.blogspot.com/2011/09/snippets-from-partners-in-learning.html<br /><br /></a></span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFWhsek9eiLsYwhfxgwpF4vtIFjXeDf6Q_dXTHufmFRQE6FJk7qEFGons0i1h6HpVTwcbZvBDcsLEbeFSLTQAd9dnbmOgZEXYf02cAmx9U2dsI5Yy5CpUHbzZ6vx89-wVrwowvStk_Lc/s1600-h/image%25255B18%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ib8_KZ7ayw3USohcg5Ya7mBar39_C7-beTIcJthgAd39j7mlf3ZFDvzmmFO7cKiqe6yp_9A2S6ibgKx_vzyxY5fLq_gHW10hD30j9x3VJZ2rAZQBJghhRrcVwL12F1E53KMj1kuO66Q/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a>  <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4p-JoJ7uXHkXodXKuWbaajCwFompnxYOEfxdfRUloPOigH3bmdcZamjP-jm7gZ1n2_n3pOovU1_YSDbM10uCOfZ15hcISsEcWpg1lXorpDWpiTRh8-4kGojnl9xTAGEvUiMaqBbNHak/s1600-h/image%25255B21%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaLdOJgMHDNECHlbYAObgO9v1q-q9r0UibQWRYiaJT-uIpSg4JkM20m45tmeUbOWUQjT1oUfkv5x9g6_yztYgNDlIHqB_cgum_Zzn8xhp7AckjkxuQdwfjzPc8GmxAiXcQXlkeuLYQg8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The South African and Lesotho winners at this event were:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;">§</span><span style="font-size: small;">Louise Clarke and Kim Jackson from St Cyprians College in Cape Town won the 'Collaboration' category for their Grade 4 class project 'Tollbooth Movie Maker'.<br /></span><span style="font-size: small;">§</span><span style="font-size: small;">Lyneth Crighton from Brescia House in Bryanston won the 'Cutting Edge' award for her class project 'DigiGirlz puzzle IT out'. <br /></span><span style="font-size: small;">§</span><span style="font-size: small;">Natalie Meerholz of Holy Rosary School in Edenvale came 3rd in the ‘Beyond the Classroom’ award  for her class project 'E-Waste Away'.<br /></span><span style="font-size: small;">§</span><span style="font-size: small;">Malatela  Monaheng from Lesotho came 2nd in the 'Challenging Contexts' category. </span><span style="font-size: small;">§</span><span style="font-size: small;">Wessel Theron from Bishops and Thejani Malakane from Lesotho were part of the group that won the 'group project' award in Jordan, which meant the whole group could compete in Washington.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_TEl-MUx4h459h3fVQXaf1zn5rKcllm0t-bYeHU7pFbntErED_hS7HC8lqL39Ql2e1vwwvWekXf3t04uDdAuh24kcrTjXcIsxGHIcQsje5V0FZqOLzpT4ga3-ZtUfspWR8UO5ZREbkg/s1600-h/image%25255B39%25255D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6-kvz9WRU_gociDhn8AHdzxnXAIi458YmhWJpNPfCL6e9rmyvVApnT-jW9sNjMA8P028dS1-6MVj8y_4vLkVaXmPlH4ieEHUBUaOYsR-g1Q5UX1V2KVuoQslFQQ9qXV1hRvfN7Zb9WU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Malatela  Monaheng and Wessel Theron (Thejane is seen below)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The World Finals in Washington in November<br /><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The winners from this event went on to the World Finals in Washington in November. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Here they are in Washington:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXJUgiOI7yQnilDRsAK6hIZW-Y5a4Rfytr747vDz-ppPC3_DLowBRKICwOoRJYrs-dEfcogHHq7la74WbK0z5aR-UtKyTtISTRKyZc8saN0Vi_FrNQTdRufsP6layKdQuMcEKDAM2_FE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some of the group with the Whitehouse in the background</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVHxb80ypLsz-_v1RIQwy3lDoncTMUFYGLY85hCsjkBioyZGelwY_p-pbXpEwKCugP9fEo2W4qpy82V2GmLWg9xRi7DvEUvH-fchbP4PiKBBVbbgIdBbCrTWs61nGCsfEbjUSCHZyiGY/s1600-h/image%25255B30%25255D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQimoehDIq2qLt0UZMixxMpkm3om60VjO8QnIrDMyjpqPiHDNJKS1zZqC_23adVbP1qvXQnOK5L8PFJ7o3oox14GcTMBreBYnNRAv3Vq3zU-KKJN0tt41yifYEwBmcb_yv55b6KPso4Q8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="304" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Natalie at her project stand</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipzwR8Zw2UiORzyVaw46xteY26SX0NS3jrefbuaKyS278Nj-gDC-PVi2kyWBzIAZF2Sw2p0Fg-hvmDCh78XSGI0xsUBptnJwuvI61lfstSVmfLpBElc2xr9-NvIgRvOOelp-Tp4qtBGE/s1600-h/image%25255B27%25255D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQaxP99QDfNwmEiA2YPGJLz4rHCESS-Rh-_JKAZ3SklNWRuTa0QK4UQFEw7OUF-1tpCUptskLE1Ac9AMHJEFllI2qZbST5109aSE72GRFCU1ZWlE7AvGpKOrfLAgSd2Bo5zC6fkJYzN8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kim and Louise at their project stand</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><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/AVvXsEhaeOfkqS1X1FnJfPlXOrl8yvaRKRojQIn3r9UKjpy31dlKQR_wjcKjQYnBIil7tzS2k2cERgvUJJoxgVnB0qqVNcrkn99eGjI2fx5_UOchVV2ALnelLdJhfrEANkA7Wktn9wO263EIOTo/s1600/blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeOfkqS1X1FnJfPlXOrl8yvaRKRojQIn3r9UKjpy31dlKQR_wjcKjQYnBIil7tzS2k2cERgvUJJoxgVnB0qqVNcrkn99eGjI2fx5_UOchVV2ALnelLdJhfrEANkA7Wktn9wO263EIOTo/s400/blog.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wessel and Thejane with their winning group from Jordan</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5Qy-OztlxNKejsfMucdnJr_qTC3LDEVo5M4nell1aHkdYKfV5aaOtCE2gi6W8ghcc2GTycK5b7jBUFV7jvUyUsUIkR7ay2il6PE0rz_XXl1MPb7z0h0WDh_-X8kctd5vHy59QJ8vj8k/s1600-h/image%25255B33%25255D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECzhMrO7xL5Kmwo9LTbnapoOL6xuz8t9xGSnpCJZTIo-f2zNdmAQCysC8o8cFR1bx2sHYMlPw4AWRCBJ94mcwLFlq2JmLmfPIkD2DlNqyAnS1iflkCIw9Y1xSSjBPqiy5_bXXSmH9gbk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lyneth at her project stand</span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lyneth Crighton was also interveiwed by the Global Forum team and found herself being featured on YouTube</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">      </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pkHw8M3YhU4" width="420"></iframe></span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is what Natalie Meerholtz said about the event in Facebook, “Awesome closing gala dinner in Washington DC. No SA awards. The Yanks cleaned up on innovative gaming projects! There should have been a category for most spirited country - no doubt South Africa!”</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK33lewmsrMv5bTxzYgLGN0dOfuifV0dghbJhAyj6HnKtO0eFPtOSqgN7_pFzBXkG8Ae8Ur8CKjqJCPyd1L4iWXo4bbfspizhhT5IDRn9fpW3hSTwIY38lY7ip5FiHSeQqxGIYj4YhGYY/s1600-h/image%25255B36%25255D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMyvn-2ejhzKBgGlgAmbLpH1Z0jNcbsQabg10cgvoCw9iKxLD8gMui_kiJS6rj_t8lm0JVgS22tpOP_2DQV_Cl15KIBzJZw0eVSf11bQFu1k5HJy7ohD02sXnHxoirH93BoO04FzJYsI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The final Gala dinner when the Awards were announced</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">What this means for you!</span><br /></b><br />Please consider entering a project this year. You just never know what can happen!<br />Projects have to be uploaded by March 15th and the Awards will be handed out at the Basic Education conference in Durban in April. The winners will go on the Middle East and Africa forum in Morocco, and the winners from that occasion will participate in the Global Forum in Athens,  Greece. All expenses are paid by Microsoft each step of the way.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Don’t know where to start? Sign up for our  free online support course so that we can take you through the steps and encourage you during the next 8 weeks.  <a href="http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course">http://partnersinlearningforum-sa.wikispaces.com/Sign+up+for+this+course</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span> </div></div>

Competitions Microsoft Project-based learning Teaching Technology integration A recap. of our South African teachers' involvement in the Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum in 2011

Since the Partners in Learning Forum (formerly known as the Innovative Teachers’ Forum) has opened its 2012 competition and we at SchoolNet ...

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Snowmageddon

If you've been watching the weather channel you've probably already heard about our snowstorm here in the Pacific Northwest. They're not kidding! It's really bad. I live on the south end of Seattle (Federal Way), and we got a six inch snow dump early this morning. It's amazing, and I kind of love it. I wish it would stay for more than a few hours. Since it's 31 degrees I'm pretty sure it'll be gone by noon.<br /><br />Like an idiot I got dressed and headed out to the gym. I scraped off the six inches of fluffy, dry snow from my car, the most snow I've ever seen fall here at one time. I really wanted to make a snow angel in the front yard, but I had to get to the gym (or so I thought).<br /><br />I should have had a clue that it wasn't a good idea to drive anywhere when I got stuck in the street in front of my house where there's the tiniest incline. On my way to the gym, about a two-mile drive, I saw two cars in the ditch being pulled out by tow trucks. Then a semi-truck on the hill up to my house stopped in the middle of the road putting on chains. This sort of scared me so I drove right past the gym, and took the long way home (an extra three miles), to avoid the treacherous hill up to my house.<br /><br />Just like everyone on my team, I'm working from home today. Maybe when the snow melts I can head over the gym this afternoon.<br /><br />Last night was a real bust on the diet. I ate 3/4 of a California Pizza (frozen - I had bought two last weekend), barbecue chicken on extra thin crust and a then a big glass of red wine.<br /><br />Yesterday I felt like I was starving to death all day. I'm pretty sure it was my body's reaction to the 800-calorie workout Monday night. Thirty minutes on the StairMaster and then an hour cycle class just about killed me. My eating was good all day yesterday, then last night I spotted the pizza in the freezer (something I haven't bought for years), and I succumbed. Exhausted physically and emotionally drained (niece junk all day  yesterday--will it ever stop?), I just couldn't seem to stop myself.<br /><br />Today I feel better, more in control and more like I care. Last night, I just didn't care. My health didn't seem to matter. I just wanted comfort and sought it in food and alcohol. Stupid, yes. Regrets, no. Sometimes you just have to do what feels good, even if it's bad for you. <br /><br />Okay, so I'm moving on today. My plan for the day: Weight Watchers! I will track my food even if it kills me and work on getting in the healthy guidelines. Exercise this afternoon, after work and after the snow melts.<br /><br /><br />

Snowmageddon

If you've been watching the weather channel you've probably already heard about our snowstorm here in the Pacific Northwest. They...

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Papa Bear Oatmeal & Some Housecleaning

Good Tuesday to ya!<br /><br />Hopefully you all got to enjoy a nice, long holiday weekend.  I had 4 days off, but was busy for every single second of them!  The goal for the weekend was to get my life in order before classes started (today) and also to get our <a href="http://www.davisdeejays.com/" target="_blank">DJ</a> and <a href="http://photography.benpowellmedia.com/">wedding photographer</a> squared away.  Check. Check. Check!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photography.benpowellmedia.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsPxlL9kePNyff4LCtrIDQZWUGoeowBRld80-jOqECIDfOpKbRfe3qnOdFPBxkzjfN-bVUsithyzpaqHK3MXhjd1Lg1qEiNVXP6TKKKX7hyphenhyphenIZYHwNy30yo_bt2_C-Jc8mHBzJDtLBoJc/s1600/BPP.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Housecleaning</b><br />#1 - I'm <i>still </i>playing catch up on my Google Reader with all of your blog posts!  I try to follow every person who comes to The Big Weight and comments (plus a few others!), and I'm just extremely behind.  Ever since the holidays, I cannot get caught up.  It's going to get worse too because of school.  So having said that, know that I'm still reading your posts, I'm just VERY behind!<br /><br />#2 - I know that from now until the end of April my life is going to be devoted to: work, school, & wedding.  Tumbleweeds may start blowing around these parts.  I just want to put it out there.  I will <i>absolutely </i>check in weekly to let you all know how the weight loss is progressing, but by no means will I be posting daily.  I will <i>try </i>to post as often as I can.<br /><br />Phew! Glad I got that all off my chest.<br /><br /><b>Recipe</b><br />I tried this great recipe over the weekend, thanks to Paula Deen's Deen Family Cookbook.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/074/Paula-Deen-s-the-Deen-Family-Cookbook-Deen-Paula-H-9780743278133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/074/Paula-Deen-s-the-Deen-Family-Cookbook-Deen-Paula-H-9780743278133.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><br />I had a hankering for some hearty oatmeal, and boy did I find it in the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/papa-bear-oatmeal-recipe/index.html">Papa Bear Oatmeal</a>.  Now, before you immediately discount it as a healthy recipe, just give it a chance!  It received, on average, 5 full stars on the Food Network website!  <br /><br />I admit that if you follow the recipe exactly as she lays it out, it becomes caloric quickly.  However, with some modifications, you can definitely make this fit within your Daily PointsPlus allowance (or whatever plan you follow).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrP0VkBoSiPHDhsQN9tn9peY8lHxS8-fv_WIdoBOchElf7b_zXuoKkPVLkqmornRJxbOnG9W6eQ_IE0vJqxfsV7Oo7fslzjlBKxuwNNzI0gFkA7-ZUB8NhzropjUpAs9q6-S197aKp2k/s1600/oatmeal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrP0VkBoSiPHDhsQN9tn9peY8lHxS8-fv_WIdoBOchElf7b_zXuoKkPVLkqmornRJxbOnG9W6eQ_IE0vJqxfsV7Oo7fslzjlBKxuwNNzI0gFkA7-ZUB8NhzropjUpAs9q6-S197aKp2k/s400/oatmeal.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>  <br />So, without further adieu:<br /><br /><b><u>Papa Bear Oatmeal</u> - <i>9 PointsPlus</i></b> <i>(don't be scared - make it to suit you!)</i><br /><i><b>Ingredients:</b></i><br /><ul><li>    1/8 teaspoon salt</li><li>    2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking)</li><li>    3 1/2 cups water</li><li>    2/3 cup raisins</li><li>    1 banana, sliced</li><li>    1 cup sliced strawberries</li><li>    1/2 cup heavy cream <i>(I used half & half)</i></li><li>    Brown sugar, for serving</li><li>    Honey, for serving</li></ul><br /><i><b>Directions</b></i><br />In a medium saucepan, bring 3 1/2 cups water and the salt to a boil. Stir in the oats and simmer until almost thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the raisins and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more<br /><br />Spoon the oatmeal into individual bowls and serve. Place the banana and strawberry slices, cream, brown sugar, and honey into the oatmeal bowl. Stir if desired.<br /><br />Makes 4 Servings<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoJUR-Up2rKNx3bT1YR3LNrVQET_Uh-VYQrWTqcCkBnpZvVg1qEOgv8V4B6ngOlG3tRRdFa2YLus0TcKIL63xdwxryb-bdnTAeZzIW30V2XOpGKVYTGS7K-AwpkXsSEmdegfkZSpErdI/s1600/oatmeal+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoJUR-Up2rKNx3bT1YR3LNrVQET_Uh-VYQrWTqcCkBnpZvVg1qEOgv8V4B6ngOlG3tRRdFa2YLus0TcKIL63xdwxryb-bdnTAeZzIW30V2XOpGKVYTGS7K-AwpkXsSEmdegfkZSpErdI/s400/oatmeal+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><i>Modifications</i></b><br />Let me just say... I'm used to eating my oatmeal with only water.  Never have I <i>ever </i>put milk/cream in mine.  Boy, what a difference that makes!  So, having said that, here is what I did:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">1. After making the oatmeal, I measured out 1 cup of the cooked oatmeal with the raisins.<br />2. I added 2 tsp of brown sugar, 1/2 sliced banana, 1 cup strawberries, 1/8 cup half & half, and 1 tsp of honey.  </blockquote><br />That is how I got to 9 PointsPlus.  However, you could cut back further on the sugar/honey or reduce your serving size of the oatmeal from 1 cup to a 1/2 cup.  You could eliminate the cream all together, but I would try not to :).... it really adds something to it!  Trust me, it's worth playing around with.  It's incredibly filling AND you're getting to knock out those fruit servings.  If you're someone who struggles with the daily fruit/veggie intake {like me}, then this is a great way to sneak those in.<br /><br /><b style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Do you have a favorite oatmeal combination you like?</span> </b><br /><br />

Deen Family Cookbook Paula Deen wedding Weight Watcher Recipes Papa Bear Oatmeal & Some Housecleaning

Good Tuesday to ya! Hopefully you all got to enjoy a nice, long holiday weekend.  I had 4 days off, but was busy for every single second of ...

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STOP BLAMING FAT FOR BEING FAT

<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The biggest failure of the weight-loss and diet industry is the fixation on the consequence of fat. Fat causes disease. Fat creates hormonal problems. Fat can make you self-conscious in our superficial culture. WE HATE FAT AND FAT IS TO BLAME. I believe the blame on fat as the problem is very misdirected and is the reason why the majority of people who lose fat, gain it back.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fat is an organ, not a cancer. It doesn’t release fuel or multiply and create more fat cells without having been stimulated, or demanded to do so. Fat gain is a side-effect, a consequence, a reaction that preserves life and prevents death by continually adapting to maintain fueling balance. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Your fat cells provide the majority of fuel your entire body uses, both at night and during the day. It functions as the body’s most influential fueling source and when adequately provided, fat fuel prevents major drops in blood glucose, which prevents death. On the other hand, when fuel has over-saturated your system, and threatens life, fat provides life saving storage. Miraculously, fat is capable of multiplying to meet incredible stocking demand, adapting quickly to create more storage sites, and preventing death by flooding and drowning in fuel. How does fat know how to do release fuel and stock fuel? Leptin.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The key that unlocks the flood gates to fat fuel is the hormone, leptin. How much fuel is released is relative to how much leptin you have. How much leptin you create is relative to how many fat cells you have. How much fuel you get is relative to how big the fat cells are. The bigger the fat cell, the more leptin produced, which means the more fuel is released. That sounds like a good thing right? Wrong.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The problem arises when there’s more leptin than needed, and fat floods the body with fuel without the need, or demand. This threatens life because of fuel flooding. This is comparable to a clogged drain. The spout releases too much water and the drain can’t remove water as quickly as the spout gives water, which causes a back-up and flooding issue. But the incredible adaptability of the body is capable of creating an overspill hole (the same one you have in your own bathroom sink). The spill hole provides an extra drainage site, and prevents over-flow and drowning. But the overflow fuel must have a place to go and this is where fat’s ability to multiply comes in handy. The more fuel overflow you have, the more fat you create and these new fat cells are bigger and can accommodate more fuel spillage. But let’s not forget, these new and bigger fat cells create more leptin and also release more fuel, creating a higher risk of too much leptin, over-fueling, flooding, and even more fat gain as a life-saving consequence. Remember, leptin doesn’t just seep out of fat without cause. It requires a stimulus.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Leptin is created by fat only when there is a stimulus. Hormones stimulate the release of leptin, but the most influential stimulus daily, is food intake. All food stimulates fat cells to produce leptin, especially sugar. This is where hunger comes in. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hunger is an alarm signal from the brain, forewarning that there isn’t enough fuel being released from fat because of a drop in leptin. If we use our example of the sink and the water spout, hunger is a sign that the water is almost completely drained, and the sink almost empty. Eating would stimulate leptin to turn on the spout and for fat to release more fuel. Once enough fuel has been released and the sink comfortabley filled, the brain turns off the warning signal, and hunger subsides. The problem occurs when hunger isn’t used, and eating continues. Then there is a risk of fuel overflow, the need for a spill hole, and accommodation for the excess fuel with new fat cells. Fat is miraculous! The real problem isn’t the fat, but is any stimulus that forces fat to release fuel, without need. This is like turning on the water when the sink is already full. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, eating without hunger. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Have you ever been told by a diet to only eat when you are hungry and to stop when hunger subsides? Probably not. That would eliminate your need for whatever they are selling. By telling you when and how much to eat, you are dependent on them, and need to pay them for their information. If you actually relied on your own body, and used the built in mechanism that perfectly gives notice for when and how much to eat, you wouldn’t need anybody. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The problem is that most people in our culture have lost touch with hunger, don’t know what it feels like, don’t know when it goes away, and have no idea how the body communicates it’s need for food. Why? Our emotionally driven food culture, and emotionally driven diet culture. We emotionalize eating excessively, and emotionalize the need for control. To make matters worse, we blame fat for being the problem.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Until we stop blaming fat for excess fuel release, and start pointing the finger at the unwarranted stimulus caused by eating without hunger, we’ll never take personal responsibility. We’ll continue to be at the mercy of our cultural gluttony, and under the control of the diet industry. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fat isn’t a cancer, it doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. It requires a stimulus to release fuel, and a cause that forces the need to create new fat cells. If you eat without hunger, you are the problem. If you eat until you are full, you are the stimulus. Stop blaming fat, and start taking personal responsibility for putting food in your mouth before the brain tells you it’s necessary.</span><br /><br /><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">IF YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY, DO NOT EAT.</span></div><br />

STOP BLAMING FAT FOR BEING FAT

The biggest failure of the weight-loss and diet industry is the fixation on the consequence of fat. Fat causes disease. Fat creates hormonal...

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Is it Friday yet?!

I'm exhausted. My visits with my sister drain me. I saw her Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It shouldn't hit me so hard, and I don't know why I don't handle it better. The truth is that there is a lot of brain damage from the stroke. She's very much like a little child, maybe five years old. She's fussy, bossy, and throws temper tantrums if she doesn't get her way.<br /><br />She doesn't remember people's names that she's know for years. When I tell her someone called and asked me to give her their love, she often just shrugs her shoulder, and puts her hand out like she doesn't know what or who the heck I'm talking about. I'll asked, "don't you remember -----?" and she'll shake her head no.<br /><br /> Yet when she holds my hand, squeezes it and looks at me with a smile, I know it's all worth it. All the hassle with her children (one in particular who is now calling me a liar and bitch to the rest of the family), the court system, lawyers, and trying to figure out her finances (Lord help me on that one), and all the time spent, it's worth it<br /><br />After my visit yesterday I headed to the gym. Thirty minutes of StairMaster love and then I was going to hit the weights. It was late, almost 5:30 p.m. and the weight section was packed with men. That's the thing I really don't like about L.A. Fitness, the free weight area. It's tiny in compared to what I had at Ballys where I had three free weight lifting areas and one of the areas was huge. L.A. Fitness only has about six workout benches and a ton of men (where are the women in the free weight area?!).<br /><br />Then I noticed the spin cycles had people on them, but more than just a few, a lot of people, and there were available bikes! I was so excited that I ran in, jumped on a bike, adjusted it a bit and off I went for an hour of intense cardio. About thirty minutes into I realized it wasn't a wise decision to do the StairMaster and then an hour of cycle, but it was too late. I couldn't quit in the middle of class. No one does that, right?<br /><br />I made it, but I'm paying for it this morning. I'm exhausted. I didn't get home until almost 7pm. I'm just really tired today. I wish it was Friday.

Is it Friday yet?!

I'm exhausted. My visits with my sister drain me. I saw her Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It shouldn't hit me so hard, and I don'...

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An Inconsequential Yarn

<span id="goog_932988669"></span><span id="goog_932988670"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">by guest contributor Steven DeRosa</span></i></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgPE0fsRPY8R6hm6vUeismJ9RLViYNQGoghEjgoCpgD_DbiUks2ZkDOQaRwvj4RV3CngSDg2uPp4PCTxSQnfSaFkaW50bWtWli1gN6YXbNFJBmL0ZJbFRZNFunhDhlAsuGNDLPYjnInpF/s1600/good+finale+graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgPE0fsRPY8R6hm6vUeismJ9RLViYNQGoghEjgoCpgD_DbiUks2ZkDOQaRwvj4RV3CngSDg2uPp4PCTxSQnfSaFkaW50bWtWli1gN6YXbNFJBmL0ZJbFRZNFunhDhlAsuGNDLPYjnInpF/s400/good+finale+graphic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt 42pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">“They say every true San Franciscan has one foot on a hill and the other in the past.”—Kate in Samuel Taylor’s <i>The Pleasure of His Company</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Since <i>Vertigo</i> is a film that garners such personal reactions, I wanted to begin this piece on something of a personal note. It’s not a matter of whether one likes the film or doesn’t.  For those who truly connect with <i>Vertigo</i>, it’s because it resonates with something inside of them. I was in high school when I saw <i>Vertigo</i> for the first time and the build up to seeing it was intense. It was only a few months before that I had begun to seriously study the master’s work, having been introduced to <i>The Lodger</i>, <i>The 39 Steps</i>, <i>Sabotage</i>, <i>Notorious</i>, <i>Rear Window</i>, and <i>North by Northwest</i>. Having become hooked on Hitchcock through that line up in school, I began my own exploration of every Hitchcock film I could get my hands on and by reading the corresponding chapter from Donald Spoto’s <i>The Art of Alfred Hitchcock</i> afterward. Then I’d re-watch the film over again, etc. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><a name='more'></a><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Given the laudatory opening paragraphs on <i>Vertigo</i> in Spoto’s chapter, as well as its massive size in relation to chapters on other films, I knew to expect something very special. When I finally did see <i>Vertigo</i>, I was swept away by its beauty, its movement, the emotional punch it delivered, and by its haunting images and score. Over the next five years or so, I would watch it once a month—yes, I was that obsessed (I would perform the same monthly ritual with <i>Rear Window</i> and <i>North by Northwest </i>as well). To this day, I still get goose bumps during certain sequences, and on occasion well up by the final moments of the film.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">After a few years of immersing myself in my own Hitchcock education, I had become increasingly curious about his collaborators, particularly his screenwriters. I was of course familiar with the countless statements Hitchcock made about how for him the most creative part of the filmmaking process was the writing and preparation stage, and that the actual process of shooting the picture was boring. Statements like this fed my curiosity to know how much of an impact his writers had on the finished films. What did they bring to the table? What contributions did they make beyond the dialogue? I found myself becoming more and more fascinated by these writers who had sat beside Hitchcock, not merely observing him create and taking down dictation, but who’d earned a seat in the inner sanctum and engaged with him in creating these films. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12Dv5d1hEpwVf-ChIYDmBCG3xKn91C4l864anpn6TYotN2hxvNnPV4eEXP8MdhJyVGE_WHhMVgyeRLsS_4rMHz43xzLE9mp7F3y1-FRn-VU2NtdoK4olObpBHJ9g5K4md6wXkAVaWekiG/s1600/Vertigo+Taylor+1+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12Dv5d1hEpwVf-ChIYDmBCG3xKn91C4l864anpn6TYotN2hxvNnPV4eEXP8MdhJyVGE_WHhMVgyeRLsS_4rMHz43xzLE9mp7F3y1-FRn-VU2NtdoK4olObpBHJ9g5K4md6wXkAVaWekiG/s320/Vertigo+Taylor+1+b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenwriter Samuel Taylor</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: right;"></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Of the Hitchcock screenwriters of the 1950s and 1960s, Samuel Taylor was not the most prolific. Although he directed a film after having written only two screenplays, Taylor did not adapt quite as well to the Hollywood lifestyle as say John Michael Hayes, Ernest Lehman, or even Joseph Stefano. Each of these writers found their niche—Hayes as adapter of “difficult” material, Lehman as adapter of road-show musicals, and Stefano brought his special touch to the small screen as principal writer for <i>The Outer Limits</i>. Sam Taylor however was more at home writing plays in Maine and then seeing them through to production on the New York stage. Yet, in spite of a short list of screenwriting credits in comparison to say Lehman or Hayes, Taylor played a significant role in shaping and refining Hitchcock’s most dreamlike film.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">An Unconventional Screenplay</span></i></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTWEpckP4HUK87NjtG28E6o7t09SU3zY_n2SatAtOkuusDH8d8xRUyRA2Y9sCT7pWtdX2jJYukaWBLOWpZC4LHJfEuu8NDkQCVGTpXUm3N6zhVZEVYkw6HIDZ3M8apLeBJ5G2S0CD0UPY/s1600/opening+credits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTWEpckP4HUK87NjtG28E6o7t09SU3zY_n2SatAtOkuusDH8d8xRUyRA2Y9sCT7pWtdX2jJYukaWBLOWpZC4LHJfEuu8NDkQCVGTpXUm3N6zhVZEVYkw6HIDZ3M8apLeBJ5G2S0CD0UPY/s320/opening+credits.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">By conventional screenwriting standards, the screenplay for <i>Vertigo</i> could be regarded as a failure. It contains so many “no-nos,” cheats, and just plain writing crutches that most writers would never attempt to get away with all in the same script—flashbacks, a dream sequence, and a lengthy voiceover where a character composes a letter <i>on screen</i> in order to explain much of the plot. But these devices, to name just a few, are exactly what make <i>Vertigo</i> work. The illusory nature of the movie required an unconventional script.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">By the end of 1956, Hitchcock had already been through three writers in adapting the Boileau and Narcejac novel <i>D’Entre les Morts</i>. Playwright Maxwell Anderson had a go at a first draft which Hitchcock found lacking in mood, direction and structure. Hitchcock then turned to his old friend Angus MacPhail who knocked out a very rough outline—what today might be called a step-sheet. Structurally, the MacPhail outline closely resembles the finished film and Hitchcock hoped he would be up to the task of roughing out a construction or treatment from which Anderson would write a second draft. However, MacPhail opted to bow out gracefully. Hitchcock then turned to Paramount contract writer Alec Coppel, who had provided the text for one of the threatening notes used in <i>To Catch a Thief</i> when a re-take was needed after principal photography. Coppel worked closely with Hitchcock in fashioning a screenplay that followed MacPhail’s structure and now included most of the visual set pieces that Hitchcock envisioned for the film. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">With Coppel’s draft, Hitchcock now had a mysterious, moody love story with elements of the supernatural, and a big twist to be revealed in the final scene—the supernatural elements were merely a hoax conceived to cover up a murder. Hitchcock returned to Anderson to finesse the dialogue and clarify the characters’ motivations, but the writer turned him down. As was custom when he needed a new writer, Hitchcock reached out to his go-to agents, one of which was Kay Brown, who on learning the film was to be set in San Francisco immediately suggested her client Samuel Taylor.  </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqafi3qSNa1bzo77JGw0Qh9NbMawUCoo9irVuyPTnwwkLtft5tuw1LEW_syKwT9_ppRNg37UF2VUpPPjUsA8PDF7wX9Lu_3GSh_IY3YOFLB2ZJm_5VUHaclEemtvijGz3IjBvlPDOA13S/s1600/SF+hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqafi3qSNa1bzo77JGw0Qh9NbMawUCoo9irVuyPTnwwkLtft5tuw1LEW_syKwT9_ppRNg37UF2VUpPPjUsA8PDF7wX9Lu_3GSh_IY3YOFLB2ZJm_5VUHaclEemtvijGz3IjBvlPDOA13S/s400/SF+hill.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><u><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Hitchcock’s New Writer</span></i></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Although born in Chicago, Samuel Taylor grew up in San Francisco and attended the University of California, Berkeley, so he was already quite familiar with both the flavor and history of the City by the Bay. In fact, at the time Kay Brown suggested Taylor to Hitchcock, he was busy writing his play <i>The Pleasure of His Company</i> which was also set in San Francisco. No doubt, this appealed to Hitchcock who longed to film the city for the big screen (an early treatment for <i>I Confess </i>and an aborted adaptation of David Duncan’s <i>The Bramble Bush</i> had both been set in and around San Francisco).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Taylor</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> was sent the Coppel script and Hitchcock’s notes and after some initial uncertainty, he accepted the assignment and met with the director. “When I read the screenplay that had been written, I was quite confused because I couldn’t follow it at all,” recalled Taylor. “When I saw Hitchcock after I read the script, I knew what the problem was. I said to him, ‘It’s a matter of finding the reality and humanity for these people. You haven’t got anybody in this story who is a human being—nobody at all. They’re all cut-out cardboard figures.’”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">This was exactly what Hitchcock wanted and needed to hear. When writing for Hitchcock, you were hired because you brought something to the table that Hitchcock, as producer, felt the project needed. In the case of <i>Vertigo</i>, it was the emotional story and characters that needed work at this point. Taylor told Hitchcock he would need to invent a character to help make Scottie real. To Taylor’s surprise Hitchcock said, “Fine.” And with very little discussion about it, he went off and created Midge. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQfSagBoFIi44JLz3mwMbN3ZjT23tTvmm-7sl8yBb7PsTYkeykAg3LDciU3sE-_2dyou73Z_Nmunk3wsKc8R-LGMUEjaM_RMXmxdrFlZMlr4xjQDPa7D3zQsMT8vSFpSM_mxx0jfyIgAP/s1600/midge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQfSagBoFIi44JLz3mwMbN3ZjT23tTvmm-7sl8yBb7PsTYkeykAg3LDciU3sE-_2dyou73Z_Nmunk3wsKc8R-LGMUEjaM_RMXmxdrFlZMlr4xjQDPa7D3zQsMT8vSFpSM_mxx0jfyIgAP/s400/midge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">According to Taylor, once he invented Midge, the whole picture fell into place for him.  “All the Midge scenes were mine,” recalled Taylor. “He didn’t know anything about Midge until he read the script and liked it.” Midge provided Taylor the opportunity to give Scottie more back story and allowed him to eliminate any scenes with Scottie’s police colleagues. Midge became the cynical voice of reason—much like Stella in <i>Rear Window</i>—not believing in any of the Carlotta Valdes nonsense. Taylor also added to the San Francisco flavor of the story by changing Madeleine’s dead ancestor from the novel’s Pauline Lagarlac to Carlotta Valdes, drawing on the local Spanish history. The Carlotta Valdes back story—that she was of Spanish-American ancestry, had been raised on a mission settlement, and that at a young age was a cabaret entertainer who became the kept woman of a wealthy, powerful man who abandoned her after having his child—added a social/sexual subtext that had been lacking in the previous scripts. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfskzjCignYXMkSChgkTcI-RgsVrruGveWx5NreckzEfuL1QswHHHIWKg8lITwiu3eV1nBcB5zC5Zf6nIdP5QUCs84MGM3QNWcVsLQY4Lzd_XwyGbGgLzMjfLCnyvOtgj-fu__vwrEIYkr/s1600/pop+leibel.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/AVvXsEhfskzjCignYXMkSChgkTcI-RgsVrruGveWx5NreckzEfuL1QswHHHIWKg8lITwiu3eV1nBcB5zC5Zf6nIdP5QUCs84MGM3QNWcVsLQY4Lzd_XwyGbGgLzMjfLCnyvOtgj-fu__vwrEIYkr/s400/pop+leibel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">To speak even more about that history, Taylor added the character Pop Leibel. The Pop Leibel Taylor recalled from his childhood ran a candy store instead of a bookshop. Taylor knew the bookshop atmosphere well from having worked in a similar one while in college. With the invention of Pop Leibel, Taylor introduced a phrase that added to the script’s subtext. “Power and freedom” are used three times in the film significantly—first by Elster to Scottie, then when Pop Leibel refers to the man who left Carlotta but kept her child, and finally by Scottie to Judy. All the talk about “wandering” that pervades the movie also came from Taylor. And with these changes, Taylor helped Hitchcock layer the script into something very special.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">And yet Taylor found that something was still missing. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He told Hitchcock that it was lacking a “Hitchcockian thing.” And then it hit him. Rather than saving the big reveal for the ending, they should let the audience in on the secret—that Judy was the woman who had pretended to be Madeleine. “The whole first act is deception,” said Taylor. “But once you get past the death and actually have destroyed the man, you’ve got to tell the audience that this was a plot. It can’t be a surprise. You can’t go all the way to the end of the picture.” </span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglj8Vfd1Te3EMBB4vdqBQOTuFS3U71GSHHkoIAPbdb-StD9QuIXiTvlmuihN_luB71aN0f1Pel52XvT9d5LP31r1k53vpcWNOhCGkR5QVq1HSi5Ftp9TwaZEaZlzExIPi6syl61F9kznPc/s1600/reveal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglj8Vfd1Te3EMBB4vdqBQOTuFS3U71GSHHkoIAPbdb-StD9QuIXiTvlmuihN_luB71aN0f1Pel52XvT9d5LP31r1k53vpcWNOhCGkR5QVq1HSi5Ftp9TwaZEaZlzExIPi6syl61F9kznPc/s400/reveal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Hitchcock agreed. Thus the flashback showing Judy reaching the top of the mission tower where Elster was waiting with his dead wife and Judy’s letter writing scene were written. Taylor’s instinct was exactly correct and followed the Hitchcock suspense principle in providing the audience with information. Yet, in retrospect, Taylor felt that the letter writing scene was weak. “I think, Hitchcock and I goofed,” remembered Taylor. “After the Mozart scene, we should have said, ‘What about the girl? This is the time to tell the audience what is happening.’ And we should have gone back to Gavin Elster. We shouldn’t have forgotten about him and the girl that cavalierly.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Taylor</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> said years later that the letter writing scene was inept; pointing out that he also hated resorting to it in the film adaptation of his own play <i>Sabrina Fair</i>, which he adapted with Billy Wilder. Taylor suggested that the “argument scene” between Judy and Gavin Elster should not have been played offstage. “You would get a much stronger feeling about the girl if she had to face Gavin Elster and say, ‘You’re going away, and without me.’”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNgTmw4nd-0QRsYInrMI8FtwodJfJc8w70DE_YzLhfIS7CHycAGr-E5FBoL6fjvLOenXGR-89PqXTAGIha8mATLrx7kmvAYmEmXzk7XSIrDQmE2uUMIs1U2_sTWhbJTeNBv7onLv8qn-T/s1600/scottie+and+judy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNgTmw4nd-0QRsYInrMI8FtwodJfJc8w70DE_YzLhfIS7CHycAGr-E5FBoL6fjvLOenXGR-89PqXTAGIha8mATLrx7kmvAYmEmXzk7XSIrDQmE2uUMIs1U2_sTWhbJTeNBv7onLv8qn-T/s400/scottie+and+judy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Taylor</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> reasoned that primed with this knowledge before hand, the audience would have a much greater sense of apprehension, anxiety, and foreboding at watching Scottie wander around San Francisco looking for Madeleine. On this point, I couldn’t disagree more. The audience needed to meet Judy from Scottie’s point of view <i>before</i> Hitchcock could cut away to hers. Furthermore, Hitchcock’s concern was with Scottie and Judy. There was no dramatic reason to see Elster or Midge again. As the world of the film became smaller—i.e. fewer and fewer characters—the situation between Scottie and Judy intensified. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Perhaps Taylor’s Monday morning quarterbacking was due to the criticism <i>Vertigo</i> received on its initial release. Nevertheless, even with its disappointing performance at the box office, Hitchcock had enjoyed working with Taylor enough to invite him back to collaborate on the screenplay for <i>No Bail for the Judge</i>—after Ernest Lehman turned him down. Sadly, Taylor’s script was victim to the director’s move from Paramount to Universal in 1961 and it remained unproduced. Taylor and Hitchcock would remain friends socially, and the writer came back to help Hitchcock with a rewrite on the troubled <i>Topaz.</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Inconsequential Material</span></i></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">I’ve always felt that Samuel Taylor best articulated Hitchcock’s approach to film and to working with writers when he said that constructing a film was like putting together a mosaic. And for Hitchcock, that mosaic was comprised of his favorite scenes, but when he didn’t have a good writer, there were pieces missing in that mosaic. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Taylor</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> also understood that to Hitchcock, plot was secondary to story, observing that while the plot of <i>Vertigo</i> may be farfetched, the story is honest and true. “Hitchcock was a very emotional man,” recalled Taylor. “And having a good actor in Stewart, and having a good situation of a man driven almost to madness by what has happened, he was able to infuse it with enormous emotion. He preferred telling an inconsequential yarn, but bringing to it all the artistry he had.” </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Taylor</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> was not denigrating his own work when he referred to <i>Vertigo</i> as “an inconsequential yarn.” To put it in other terms, one could say that the director and his writers were constructing their yarn out of—if not smoke and mirrors—mirrors and some carefully placed fog. The film was constructed and designed to be Hitchcock’s ultimate love story, and in that respect, it succeeded on every level.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKjVn8deOZe0YqhlwazrSvk1Eb9iBE3qT1-sQlfztA3OFYIwwke8wmWEomh756ILHsIyc1GeQLEUdEPW3qvDEJX12WillRtQ_8qB0iRkPc5xw5BxmApuR2flouyeewD6AOENWkhwfDwfx/s1600/finale+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKjVn8deOZe0YqhlwazrSvk1Eb9iBE3qT1-sQlfztA3OFYIwwke8wmWEomh756ILHsIyc1GeQLEUdEPW3qvDEJX12WillRtQ_8qB0iRkPc5xw5BxmApuR2flouyeewD6AOENWkhwfDwfx/s400/finale+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Samuel Taylor is quoted from a talk he gave at Pace University (my alma mater) in June 1986, and from the BBC’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omnibus</i> (1986).</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">For more on the structure of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vertigo</i> screenplay see <a href="http://youtu.be/iu6tI8nCslI" style="color: #990000;">The Hitchcock Kiss</a>.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">For a complete account of the screenplay’s development, I recommend Dan Auiler’s <i>Vertigo: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic.</i></span></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">~ </span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5aGuc7m8LmI9ymHHj0qdgqG2An1tSob9X94Iq7y7iTsfJadXw6v_Yi99iA1QUbh337BfaQ801-2ba3RUBc-iFOMNnweSKHlmjP1333N4vN0kgEK2_gp3LAIXUnJlrsnw6cW5x5qLz5DL/s1600/Steven+DeRosa+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5aGuc7m8LmI9ymHHj0qdgqG2An1tSob9X94Iq7y7iTsfJadXw6v_Yi99iA1QUbh337BfaQ801-2ba3RUBc-iFOMNnweSKHlmjP1333N4vN0kgEK2_gp3LAIXUnJlrsnw6cW5x5qLz5DL/s320/Steven+DeRosa+3.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steven DeRosa</td></tr></tbody></table><i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Steven DeRosa</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Hitchcock-Collaboration-Alfred-Michael/dp/0983205604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326502456&sr=8-1" style="color: #990000;">Writing with Hitchcock</a>. He has lectured on screenwriting and film at NYU's Hitchcock Centennial Conference, The American Museum of the Moving Image, Film Forum, and New School University, and has been a contributing writer to the Writers Guild of America Awards. Steven can be seen on-screen in the documentary, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style</span><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">, available on Warner Home Video's 50th Anniversary Blu-ray of </span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">North by Northwest</span><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">, as well as in featurettes on Paramount's forthcoming Blu-ray of </span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">To Catch a Thief</span><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">. Steven's website is </span></i><a href="http://blog.writingwithhitchcock.com/" style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Writing with Hitchcock</span></a><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">. He has a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/writingwithhitch" style="color: #990000;">facebook page</a> of the same name and can be found on Twitter as <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/WriteHitchcock" style="color: #990000;">@WriteHitchcock</a>...</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"></ul>

A Month of Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock Samuel Taylor Steven DeRosa An Inconsequential Yarn

by guest contributor Steven DeRosa “They say every true San Franciscan has one foot on a hill and the other in the past.”—Kate in Samuel Ta...

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What gets you through the workday?

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/75/ar5l8gm6j87zbhfsrs75.gif?time=11/4/2011%2011:17:57%20am" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/75/ar5l8gm6j87zbhfsrs75.gif?time=11/4/2011%2011:17:57%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;"><br /></h1></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Rachel Zupek Farrell, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b><br /><br /><div class="cbmsnArticleImage">Distractions in the workplace are inevitable, and they happen for a multitude of reasons.</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;">Perhaps you've been staring at the <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/computer/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">computer</a> for two hours straight and need to tear your eyes away for a few minutes. Maybe it's nearing the end of a long day and you need to get outside for the first time. Or maybe you're trying to get work done, but all the people around you are making that impossible.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It's smart for workplaces to view distractions in two ways, says Rachel Permuth-Levine, Ph.D.,<a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/senior+director/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">senior director</a> of human capital research and outcomes at the blog "toLive."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"It is important to minimize distractions in the workplace and at the same time promote those 'pleasant' distractions that allow us to have a reprieve from the stressors of our job," Permuth-Levine says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Some types of distractions -- too much paperwork, multitasking, too much noise -- are harmful. They can lead to safety issues, lack of productivity or absenteeism. The pleasant distractions -- coffee break, taking a walk, talking to colleagues -- recharge us and help our health and performance on the job."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In a recent survey conducted by GSN Digital, the interactive division of the Game Show Network, nearly 80 percent of respondents who play <a href="http://www.bing.com/search?q=online+games&src=IE-SearchBox&FORM=msns07" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">online games</a> during the workday said they feel more focused on work as a result of periodic mental breaks associated with game play.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Fifty-nine percent of those who play games at work play for 30 minutes or less. These respondents reported that taking just a few minutes off from work to play games helps them refocus, increases creativity and calms them down during stressful situations.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We asked our readers how they get through the workday. Here's what they had to say:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong>Completion is calming</strong><br />"One thing that gets me through the day is to get paperwork or computer work 'completed' during whatever breaks I can get through the day. The feeling of 'completion' is important to me, and I actually feel it improves my overall attitude and effectiveness. When work piles up, I feel more stressed and very time sensitive." <i>-- Len Saunders, public education </i><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/teacher/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"><i>teacher</i></a><i></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong>White noise works</strong><br />"White noise on my iPod has become my new best friend in the workplace. I changed jobs recently and the new company has an open office floor plan. The constant chatter in the office can be extremely distracting. <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/music/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Music</a> tends to overstimulate and distract me as much as office chatter, but I find white noise at varying frequencies does the trick." <i>-- Troy Adkins, director of marketing and membership, CoreNet Global Inc</i>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Soothing surroundings</b><br />"In a <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/creative/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">creative</a> industry, it is super-critical to be able to keep the inspiration flowing and avoid workday burnout. Here are some of the things I do to make sure I stay focused and inspired: 'Bing' your favorite color. Surprisingly, a simple search can result in some gorgeous images to keep you smiling from the inside out. Fresh flowers on your desk make a huge difference; they not only add a lovely and fragrant element, but they greet everyone who walks into your office or work space. Take a few minutes to create a <a href="http://www.pandora.com/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Pandora</a> music channel that provides hours of your favorite music to keep you in a happy workplace rhythm. Watch a three-minute travel video to inspire you and have you looking forward to that well-earned vacation. Beautiful imagery and daydreams of that perfect vacation can keep you plugging away another day." <i>-- Gina Samarotto, </i><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/principal/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"><i>principal</i></a><i>, The Samarotto Design Group</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong>Working out stress</strong><br />"The workplace distraction that gets me through my day is running at lunchtime. When I run, I can choose to sort out work items in my head or just zone out, not think and listen to music or my feet pounding the pavement. Running at lunch breaks up my day, and I come back for the afternoon energized and productive. Not only am I getting exercise, but my co-workers and clients are also benefiting from my workplace distraction." <i>-- Jenika Scott, channel </i><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/marketing+manager/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"><i>marketing manager</i></a><i>, Hall Internet Marketing</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong>Video game break</strong><br />"My favorite workplace distraction is the on-site massage. Our company has an in-house masseuse that visits the office once a week. I make sure I am on her schedule, as the quiet down time helps keep me motivated throughout the day. On days when I don't have a massage, I find solace playing one of the many video games found in our office, as they help sidetrack my attention, if only for a few minutes. Pac-Man never gets old!" <i>--Taryn Lomas, </i><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/vice+president/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"><i>vice president</i></a><i> of strategic accounts, Underground Elephant</i></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>

What gets you through the workday?

Rachel Zupek Farrell, Special to CareerBuilder Distractions in the workplace are inevitable, and they happen for a multitude of reasons. Per...

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