News for today's 2018

Progress

9:55 PM Tukiyooo 0

<p align="center">It took me only took me 10+ months, but I’m down 10lbs and that means progress pictures! Yes 10 months is a long time to only lose 10lbs, but like I mentioned in my <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2012/05/down-to-business.html">“Down to Business</a>” post: this is my journey, everything has led up to this point, I can’t change the past, the future is mine! I promise it won’t be another 10 months for the next 10 lbs! <em>(keep in mind that my July ‘11 pictures are only 2 1/2 weeks post partum)</em></p> <p align="center">So without further ado, here are my progress pictures!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExRzx8QJhGZH_0piAbd5Z87Ne7jowJ-EvVocEm-4WZj2k3EP2Uvu49lhIumnvS699HTDhuIxjra-tGSxnDPo5iIVKndXIgGVfPjASmPq6_E_E8FkWgG00dL7Byvz5_G6zjf68rzes37WF/s1600-h/Blog2%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Blog2" border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcGl0ZxXI7YJ5y3rrHeOins5ktZEOEAVQjUZ8v_a40fDzwekWyRQNdUgBquZjUmyU7q6O-M4dz-JKqfESX9et6SYAUSRVASnfrnbRjN-9XIS6ESoJqTH0w8GBBJhFugnIN8qY_sMlgHUY/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Blog2" width="404"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tAXTrZ-WdDQWaa5Tr1-73Lau5tN5Bm2m-g2Ha3irBVgRet0IoUhyphenhyphenD6XheK6CLX3GqjC2NJGZ1PPNNzV-qYKPH_1swFcmUrw1BsqdqIN3bpxqdre6i23U04Q_gTmEHQWJ9gER8oH_mDLh/s1600-h/Blog3%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Blog3" border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5DwbvGT6xU7WbOYUZy59_XZ-5WbAu5BMVr3U_va_RkuJaOZ8bmCCEkYrUUBS4_DIHLmatlfhWFdlQ_JpTtckpaduCjYRdbSIhQdHEEd83JNG1rpIWNDqtMRIOQRDe3ZQeteVrRMq-Exb/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Blog3" width="404"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTPONlMJZ5LMU_ZrWKuVxf1i8Z1Jrn5djGI9bcMenF_WhCRpuzgCFTD-Ju1L4Be3InBwunm7VAFEgNiceR_l90Nh2llNJNnW6gnOGVjioE49hm5CVgbC4heRP1FMYcvSXcnInAykyUAdP/s1600-h/Blog4%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Blog4" border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwABYlnX5nU0Kebv8rh1G6UobFcU9iizqHK5v5OUDZJ_nh8jfTc-LhUoVlSSJ3oAd-V5gpx8MGfCCPmeyBlLUkDrQKZEruKx2T6wKu-4s3BnS6AHWh8H8x_5tlp-9GewWF_Hr7oMw9Kmt/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Blog4" width="404"></a></p> <p align="center">A few comments: I need to get some sun, I can see the changes in my love handles & stomach (still a ways to go though), and I really need to work on my things & ham strings!</p> <p align="center">I do have a confession: I didn’t post the back shot in my original <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2011_07_03_archive.html">“before” pictures</a>, I was embarrassed. I’m still not pleased with what I see, but I think posting it will give me even more motivation to work harder towards my goal. </p> <p align="center">Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!</p>

Progress

It took me only took me 10+ months, but I’m down 10lbs and that means progress pictures! Yes 10 months is a long time to only lose 10lbs, bu...

what's in a name

12:54 PM Anonymous 0

We are in the home stretch (whoop whoop) of this master bedroom and what is one of the last things you do before leaving your room each morning?<br /><br />I would accept 'hide dirty clothes in closet' but really 'make the bed' is the answer I'm looking for.<br /><br />Since the beginning I've had monogrammed shams in mind. Now we've already established my love of out-of-my-budget-linens, but I though since I wasn't going crazy with linens on the rest of the bed, I could certainly spring for two Euro shams.<br /><br />Turns out I couldn't. Everything I found that would work was upwards of $75 each and still not right. And I'm not spending that much on something I don't absolutely love. I do have a pair of old <a href="http://www.potterybarn.com/products/pearl-embroidered-duvet-cover-sham/?pkey=call-duvet-covers-shams" target="_blank">Pottery Barn shams</a> but their polka dot color wouldn't work. Too green and gray.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhyEqXFrnPWZjvqK4AsKt4ywKuWOo5iVzMHmhzRGCBzGUD6PsuKsNWC2gzaYIAeTe8FsCDHRrUA7rkjOLGecgmmZCxKFVvI0U9nJGBvk5sUALligYRxJnACCXMUBDojLPcmFQcd5M66fT/s1600/img69o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhyEqXFrnPWZjvqK4AsKt4ywKuWOo5iVzMHmhzRGCBzGUD6PsuKsNWC2gzaYIAeTe8FsCDHRrUA7rkjOLGecgmmZCxKFVvI0U9nJGBvk5sUALligYRxJnACCXMUBDojLPcmFQcd5M66fT/s400/img69o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Other than the color though, they <i>were</i> in perfect shape. I couldn't see spending money on new shams when I had two perfectly good ones sitting in my <strike>perfectly organized</strike> linen closet. So... I bleached them.<br /><br />I figured they would either sit in my closet forever and never get used, or I could take a chance that the bleach would work.<br /><br />And luckily, it worked. Wonderfully. I should have done it long ago.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfWuiPkyh7yDO80Cp1DDrFC1KLw7ZjFOpjG7OG6b6kqsimUuyuP4zX8v2b54E0aXjyA7BXbVc-OOPy_UBp9h5Xrmqvbf-4PDHc8RT36dXpb3nqstXeiNamyVqZmjeNYeHrYhyphenhyphenwaJ9nDR6/s1600/P5236865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfWuiPkyh7yDO80Cp1DDrFC1KLw7ZjFOpjG7OG6b6kqsimUuyuP4zX8v2b54E0aXjyA7BXbVc-OOPy_UBp9h5Xrmqvbf-4PDHc8RT36dXpb3nqstXeiNamyVqZmjeNYeHrYhyphenhyphenwaJ9nDR6/s640/P5236865.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>With crisp white (and wrinkly) shams in hand I called the local monogram shop that I've used several times before.<br /><br />"How much would it be to monogram two Euro Shams?"<br /><br />"Well, it depends on the size of the monogram and the type, but it would start around $150 per sham."<br /><br />Excuse me?<br />Does that include the crack you are smoking, or is that separate?<br /><br />Did she not know the conversation I'd been having with myself about cost? See paragraph above lady!<br /><br />I mourned my perfectly stitched monogramed shams for about two minutes and then thought, I'm just going to have to do this on my own. <a href="http://www.restoredstyle.com/tgidiyfriday-stenciled-pillowcases/" target="_blank">Kirsten at </a><a href="http://www.restoredstyle.com/tgidiyfriday-stenciled-pillowcases/" target="_blank">Restored Style</a> and <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/03/bean-jar-method-and-freezer-paper-diy.html" target="_blank">Jenny at Little Green Notebook</a> have both tried similar things. So I know I wasn't crazy. I can do this.<br /><br />First step, finding the monogram. I played with some fonts on the computer until I found the style and size I wanted.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUp7B2SU3ag28t0ugqr8Lu1_0m-CUvxP21coW6wxYzQSoTRK0584EbR9fUsvrAVL0UC2CwaWZm1zuq40dBWl3eoLhVIk1Bl2zQcM6c5DWdqZBd5v9oH9x7g6q4dLjZUzco_1RWyQGNZHa/s1600/P5236864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUp7B2SU3ag28t0ugqr8Lu1_0m-CUvxP21coW6wxYzQSoTRK0584EbR9fUsvrAVL0UC2CwaWZm1zuq40dBWl3eoLhVIk1Bl2zQcM6c5DWdqZBd5v9oH9x7g6q4dLjZUzco_1RWyQGNZHa/s640/P5236864.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>After printing out the monograms, I laid them out on my cutting board to cut out the letters. If you have 'B' 'O' or any letter that has a cut out, be sure to keep those cut outs as you will need them later.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvMbDS3bV-YCV5DhecwZVczxgSkj1Ro17rV2dotFTPBYh7Q98uhsjXS0Dl-wgAsIIEjHhaeYguy2g6Bk6Ka8JX2VMPQHPpW-gGw1BH26wth-O60QpTXnai0QoW2hUHbI9INwTtLLNTbVu/s1600/P5236873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvMbDS3bV-YCV5DhecwZVczxgSkj1Ro17rV2dotFTPBYh7Q98uhsjXS0Dl-wgAsIIEjHhaeYguy2g6Bk6Ka8JX2VMPQHPpW-gGw1BH26wth-O60QpTXnai0QoW2hUHbI9INwTtLLNTbVu/s640/P5236873.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>With the monogram cut out, it was time to transfer the template to the sham. I taped it down super tight and put a book inside the sham to 1. prevent any bleed-thru from the paint and 2. keep as flat and hard a surface as I could for painting.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQzoCi5itz22czpIFpxlAW57p_QeSqHoDCKtGTPKUBJhtoAjnNJu3489PqUHWfEv9YA1ZrOvgY8JxsAMW-o6AC3edQNUTHqPW3Oohlc1AGPByF8r1CBUVgFoBbEbYAp42XCOq8Ym-Kips/s1600/P5236874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQzoCi5itz22czpIFpxlAW57p_QeSqHoDCKtGTPKUBJhtoAjnNJu3489PqUHWfEv9YA1ZrOvgY8JxsAMW-o6AC3edQNUTHqPW3Oohlc1AGPByF8r1CBUVgFoBbEbYAp42XCOq8Ym-Kips/s640/P5236874.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Time to get down to business. I used craft paint I already had on hand (fabric safe) and a little, very stiff, paint brush. It is super important to always brush away from the paper so you don't paint 'outside the lines'. Slow and steady wins the race. Full concentration is required. I even had to turn off Bravo (gasp) for a bit as it was too distracting.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiMNAFq1T7f9J8ipekGe4i_ozZgzgXTJt0HF1phwH1iY1VxP8rhWkfM-86f6n7Yp6BOX2sjtvRgPLyVVqQhy1nQ-Udnc-IGZLocA14clVxhH8wglZyZ-r0cqR9St9G0M0dzINFZDXmquL/s1600/P5236880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiMNAFq1T7f9J8ipekGe4i_ozZgzgXTJt0HF1phwH1iY1VxP8rhWkfM-86f6n7Yp6BOX2sjtvRgPLyVVqQhy1nQ-Udnc-IGZLocA14clVxhH8wglZyZ-r0cqR9St9G0M0dzINFZDXmquL/s640/P5236880.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>After its all painted, pause for a quick 'Did I really just paint my bedding?!' and then<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbTYxl8_UF_3NIjptNVIyZuROKRczy66symmZhKimanvJjte2KEtNGXo-EE9kUP4t5l0Y0D-2iQTWBUU1u81S-X7VS8Mh4uzHcGPVLW2TcPRelTbRVrJ_AyL8QZd_5iRw-SwWcvaMe7MH/s1600/P5236875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbTYxl8_UF_3NIjptNVIyZuROKRczy66symmZhKimanvJjte2KEtNGXo-EE9kUP4t5l0Y0D-2iQTWBUU1u81S-X7VS8Mh4uzHcGPVLW2TcPRelTbRVrJ_AyL8QZd_5iRw-SwWcvaMe7MH/s640/P5236875.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>slooowly pull the tape and stencil off. I admit, I did this with only one eye opened.<br /><br />Tadah!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcsBPycK6A6g2o6oV8K_hIjhiCn0-0ADahEv3gxHxKzHNMHTVN-nixp8oOrzzDz1CD5oyJqq9E-fYeWDue3Quto4igonFF37wMKwGz4KKZTp9TpybfIJ8HczjfVlOxa2szPZO8IZV9Gi3/s1600/P5236876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcsBPycK6A6g2o6oV8K_hIjhiCn0-0ADahEv3gxHxKzHNMHTVN-nixp8oOrzzDz1CD5oyJqq9E-fYeWDue3Quto4igonFF37wMKwGz4KKZTp9TpybfIJ8HczjfVlOxa2szPZO8IZV9Gi3/s640/P5236876.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Wahoo!<br /><br />Now just lather, rinse and repeat with the second sham. I did lay the second sham onto of the first one (after it was dry of course) to make sure to line up my stencils. It was faint, but just strong enough to help.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQ0UB_cDXrX0-LUY7v2NREyRfszwpjEMMlnA2ctnZjAyG6oi5jpNTAwfiNpDC9FsptkS7XegWHC2nbIwPpAAU_qmIN5xkjxUnVn1tzdtAy6d-Bt89sc97b0UGEYcjFzHYCV1h1tK0o3bR/s1600/P5236877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQ0UB_cDXrX0-LUY7v2NREyRfszwpjEMMlnA2ctnZjAyG6oi5jpNTAwfiNpDC9FsptkS7XegWHC2nbIwPpAAU_qmIN5xkjxUnVn1tzdtAy6d-Bt89sc97b0UGEYcjFzHYCV1h1tK0o3bR/s640/P5236877.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Now I've got what I was picturing in my head and didn't have to spend $$$ to get it. This project was 100% FREE since I already owned everything I needed.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiM2IcgRFrsWG1TiSBrHXmmQhlhV9qgOYrCKBG4lhuDEJqxpEqm9eKQIDi6V0_t70pq37NrauYn7Ja3aJ055c7Vy4iympRBOdzo3hWFizY1CwXRFsbzCAtCOqIjDuUqzf7WDWlZ-DxSTQ/s1600/P5246883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiM2IcgRFrsWG1TiSBrHXmmQhlhV9qgOYrCKBG4lhuDEJqxpEqm9eKQIDi6V0_t70pq37NrauYn7Ja3aJ055c7Vy4iympRBOdzo3hWFizY1CwXRFsbzCAtCOqIjDuUqzf7WDWlZ-DxSTQ/s640/P5246883.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVhyphenhyphen9lt_cQ_VFLYTKbExsf2Hjh52tRb-vo2gK_p85EE393n3cJFBZJDgAxX4Tb0lapjhentH5q7IOuriiWA251SV0SWUtEhJndmBsY0ZGS_Simcd5ddOsN_ofuop3dltTUZxaiLREsI1G/s1600/P5246884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVhyphenhyphen9lt_cQ_VFLYTKbExsf2Hjh52tRb-vo2gK_p85EE393n3cJFBZJDgAxX4Tb0lapjhentH5q7IOuriiWA251SV0SWUtEhJndmBsY0ZGS_Simcd5ddOsN_ofuop3dltTUZxaiLREsI1G/s640/P5246884.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU3SDX0uUFUvSW9_DGkvd7sBa1tBIit3jMaBbTnFAd9S_IoZClUP36f4wFGmZAm6_m9MvkLugSZAMBzGuOMPFxMMieXID-Y7wU5iPGCpv7KOIqZtJX7CAD_Gb5Q2ogY6djc_dmCbzOufb/s1600/P5246890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU3SDX0uUFUvSW9_DGkvd7sBa1tBIit3jMaBbTnFAd9S_IoZClUP36f4wFGmZAm6_m9MvkLugSZAMBzGuOMPFxMMieXID-Y7wU5iPGCpv7KOIqZtJX7CAD_Gb5Q2ogY6djc_dmCbzOufb/s640/P5246890.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 20px;">This means I can cross another thing off my 'f' list:</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 20px;">find a rug</span></li><li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 20px;"><strike>finish art project for walls</strike></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 20px;"><strike>finish bedding</strike></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 20px;">find bedside table alternative</span></li><li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 20px;">finish seating - 80% finished</span></li></ul><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">I'm making one final push this weekend and then I'm slapping a big old 'done' sign on this sucker.  Wish me luck that I keep my momentum going for a few more days. What do you have planned this weekend? Tackling any projects? Tackling any BBQs?</span></span>

what's in a name

We are in the home stretch (whoop whoop) of this master bedroom and what is one of the last things you do before leaving your room each morn...

Opening of the new computer lab at Ekukhanyeni School in Kwazulu-Natal

7:58 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">This report is given by Janet Thomson who is the Executive Director of SchoolNetSA</span></span></i></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">  Today (17 May 2012) Hlengiwe and I had an uplifting experience. We attended the opening of a computer lab at Ekukhanyeni Special School for the severely mentally handicapped.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpQEcYZlMMloGCVooMceLQMFLSTqJi5vWCDiIr9XVmBBW9uh5JBixZ_hIy9MdfdU-iq-ABS9xz06P4IdUG3_BEimFwO87jW9SjR_RkyvqtUIql-ZAFIYHPdmhXzunhI6ZL-H5QstwOUM/s1600-h/image%25255B7%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNySrEhWnUMwxpz8Oa5snh-zr2qq6lYnrJj6a2hbto6Cx8nB-JsPzPl46TbgjmWLOFurHfQz4QpsxAv4bvSHNc1Yld0Yt15U6dA3zzqJC9P2faCWZQ9JpxOJbm_Xz0VoFFdrYCaJ8vxE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></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;">The driving force behind this project is Jonathan Michaels – a young IT entrepreneur who I met at the eThekwini Connected Schools planning meeting. He is involved in developing the Android tablet.  He has a For Profit Social Enterprise company called GiveITBack.  He managed to get SAA Airlink to fund this computer room. </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/AVvXsEhmw_HtuTmgrrdUgREoahat9QZq4A3V768FDxJvsJTq6947IScyeiAMX5PDUM5HJMnBxn8ZJpuxRg2YruA0m32QgZsNf0IiM2HVSHBF34gxIc7PBrRBklcJ1iEBSKeit19QmsOkeQEgKkA/s1600-h/image%25255B14%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCe0qnnqloJHKX9sigtwwEl9HxcUSARkShedZ_prWkTvghNF9mv2oQWt_mwGM3yRKfgflJwTtz1AxmRoHcSQRG7DMrADfvcz7IQFqdDQ2px0tZcqF35fxb6TRd-EoB8sMy_PlgjFg5SKw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mr Ngwenya from SAA Airlink spoke extremely well and spoke in Zulu to the children. Airlink will be funding more special schools around the country. </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/AVvXsEiSpQztA4Jdq1Ce_BWAlGzNXvpjEFRN-qrNa0HJTL0rXFS8uzJ4uDc3s4rgmNijTZS5McUn6OHIdryV_vqDWb5COo6xf4WkzXEApW5X_z7SZ6ojjQ7STrqsc41VtzhzGEaxESwwnyUjoiA/s1600-h/image%25255B17%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ingOfFhEVgZboPXCgRGtiXVKuxDuREDdnDOKfzFwCBUViAT1QBF2GMqYsxcpWd_AvLmLoSfKt2vk2s_IofebsenBTK7jez6UCO7qX0xdJDA1E_RxbLDyypKopFCsPr8N0ji0oqUQ4pA/?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="192" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The principal of the school, Mrs Mthembu, has been at EkuKhanyeni since 1988, and from the looks of most of the teachers so have they.</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/AVvXsEgpCs1ROVTIVhMnGWl9eky-Zs5JxDmSmrTzH_eW5Y6KAWmenqMoa_ffAr87p8dhuk34wA1nsrFSLTyEsUcGUeAAn6OyZCSTMD9935cbTki7xxLtgJ4Y6Pu5bKwrctWDi1qXHUWSfDYRmZM/s1600-h/image%25255B10%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhB-nlJnbQrLghku-6Bld7KwwaLQ5YyKyg2NiHJxLaO100f6U_F9bzmr0XwZU1m9u8Fwy6NHCpCOvXcx_952RcngL7P3exZMS18xm82Ebcn3KE8AdTv3mRfHSpvfmVFs1dsl0BSTe5GOg/?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></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here is a slideshow of all the photos.</span><span style="font-size: small;">You will see from the photos that the school is extremely  well cared for, the teachers are dedicated and the children are loved.   They certainly know how to celebrate in style too.   </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fschoolnetsa%2Falbumid%2F5743505778121530513%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="267" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"></embed>  <br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">What a well organised and happy community - a great inspiration to all of us!</span></div><br /><br /><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/AVvXsEh5KLBhpf-Ayo54iKC0j_K0VytM-1pT87mpNz6U7SBaVA7qE2h1BWS6YLrtiHxfSTFoBYlqPdUju7EDrNNdn286UvNf3QRSQmOqcsQ5o7qA5CmVqgpFtqFRwIBgoYji3pcTMc6qCoLK1Uo/s1600-h/image%25255B20%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-z8EXQt_zmKvVsFpvwe8JAFflFxFP-4ag1yBquWdMAX52P68A5M6tyAjy9uUoskJCxAum6_S4wsUq-RO-ShHgzXFLXgL1QW8AOiDQhFRQm5_EjNn-OQ5kr2GuMiLBjE0Y5uakK3FdDY/?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></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></div>

schools Opening of the new computer lab at Ekukhanyeni School in Kwazulu-Natal

This report is given by Janet Thomson who is the Executive Director of SchoolNetSA Today (17 May 2012) Hlengiwe and I had an uplifting exp...

Curator of Human Rights Collections - University of Connecticut Libraries

6:55 PM Anonymous 0

<strong>Curator of Human Rights Collections</strong> - The <span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>University of Connecticut Libraries</strong></span> seeks a Curator of Human Rights Collections, a University Librarian II  or III (UCP 7 or 9). Job Summary: Working in a team environment, the  Curator of Human Rights performs curatorial work in support of Archives  & Special Collections programs in the collecting area of Human  Rights. Following established departmental procedures the curator  acquires and processes archival collections and works closely with  donors and potential donors.  S/he works in close cooperation with other  Curators, the Team Leader and subject Librarians to plan and establish  area goals and to ensure that established collection and public service  goals are met.  The curator serves as primary contact to the Human  Rights Institute. The curator provides in-person and written reference  services and responds to requests to use human rights collections and  materials, including determining access and intellectual property rights  relating to access.   Evening and/or weekend hours are occasionally  required.  For a complete position description with minimum  qualifications please go to <a href="http://www.jobs.uconn.edu/" target="_blank">http://www.jobs.uconn.edu/</a>.  Appointment Terms: This is a full-time, permanent position.  Salary is  commensurate with qualifications and experience and includes a full  benefits package.   To apply please submit a cover letter addressing  your qualifications for the position, a current resume, and names and  contact information for three references via Husky Hire. The University  of Connecticut is an EEO/AA employer.

Curator of Human Rights Collections - University of Connecticut Libraries

Curator of Human Rights Collections - The University of Connecticut Libraries seeks a Curator of Human Rights Collections, a University Li...

Library Director - Clark Memorial Library, Bethany

6:53 PM Anonymous 0

<strong>Library Director</strong> - <span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Clark Memorial Library</strong></span>,  Bethany, Connecticut. The Bethany Library Association is seeking a  full-time Library Director who can plan, organize, and expand services  in Bethany, Connecticut, a rural community of 5,575 residents. The Board  is seeking an applicant who possesses a Master’s Degree in Library  Science and has a broad range of skills in current library technologies.   Candidates should have experience as a professional in increasingly  responsible supervisory/administrative positions. In addition, the  applicant should be able to plan innovative and creative programs  responsive to the needs of the community. Salary:  $55,500 plus medical  benefits with co-pay  and a contribution to a retirement fund.  Resumes  should include an email address and must be received by <span style="color: red;">June 20, 2012</span> for consideration.  Please respond to <a href="mailto:personnel@bethanylibrary.org">personnel@bethanylibrary.org</a> or Personnel Committee, Clark Memorial Library, 538 Amity Road, Bethany, CT 06524.

Library Director - Clark Memorial Library, Bethany

Library Director - Clark Memorial Library , Bethany, Connecticut. The Bethany Library Association is seeking a full-time Library Director...

RUSSIA AND CYPRUS

2:06 PM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9jOPu5XKuaEmp5gZZaIaL9QwL9bqRPP-yANxf_MjxRAUQ6Wws6HZ-WukxRT7tml7MRzq3D8rSwXku1JthvJeZfkraCQM737Y8UVMr4rnBmQ4iyxYHpU5TXeDs9iJ9uKyGgvXaUyLHcBj/s1600/aphrodite-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9jOPu5XKuaEmp5gZZaIaL9QwL9bqRPP-yANxf_MjxRAUQ6Wws6HZ-WukxRT7tml7MRzq3D8rSwXku1JthvJeZfkraCQM737Y8UVMr4rnBmQ4iyxYHpU5TXeDs9iJ9uKyGgvXaUyLHcBj/s400/aphrodite-1.jpg" width="400" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24pt;"> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24pt;">RUSSIA AND THE CYPRUS GAMBIT</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><i>By </i></span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Robert Ellis via Defense News</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIA’S age-old ambition of securing a foothold in the MEDITERRANEAN has been achieved not only through the establishment of a naval base at Tartus in SYRIA but also because of its long-standing relationship with CYPRUS.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 1955 the GREEK Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios, attended the Bandung Conference in INDONESIA, which laid the foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It was as the first president of CYPRUS that Makarios six years later took part in the founding meeting of the NAM in Belgrade. When CYPRUS became independent in 1960, it was with ‘a fettered independence’ that shared power between the GREEK CYPRIOT majority and the TURKISH CYPRIOT minority and was guaranteed by the UNITED KINGDOM, GREECE and TURKEY.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The GREEK CYPRIOT struggle for self-determination began with the EOKA revolt against BRITAIN in 1955 and the constitution that was imposed on CYPRUS was seen by both the GREEK CYPRIOTS and the TURKISH CYPRIOTS as an interim measure before they could achieve their ultimate aims – enosis (union with GREECE) and taksim (partition). As Christopher Hitchens put it, “both sides circled around each other like scorpions in a bottle.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It was in the name of self-determination that Makarios enlisted the support of the Non-Aligned Movement and the SOVIET BLOC, which ultimately led to the GREEK junta’s coup against Makarios and TURKEY’S intervention in 1974. As the GREEK Prime Minister George Papandreou wrote to President Johnson in June 1964, “If Natification [NATO membership] of CYPRUS does not occur; the island will inevitably be transformed into another CUBA”.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In fact, it was the threat of SOVIET intervention in the event of a TURKISH invasion in 1964 that brought East and West to the brink of a new CUBA crisis. CYPRUS also imported SOVIET arms from EGYPT and CZECHSLOVAKIA, and RUSSIAN support has continued to the present day. The purchase of S-300 missiles in 1997 resulted in a new confrontation with TURKEY and RUSSIAN hardware can be seen at Independence Day celebrations.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 1978 an ANGLO-AMERICAN CANADIAN plan for the reunification of CYPRUS was initially accepted by both parties but was torpedoed by the CYPRIOT communist party, AKEL, acting on instructions from Moscow. And in April 2004 Cypriot Foreign Minister (and now Presidential Commissioner) George Iacovou was sent to Moscow to secure a RUSSIAN veto of the Security Council resolution in support of the Annan Plan.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Ironically, after the GREEK CYPRIOTS rejected the Annan Plan, the best hope for reunification was the election of AKEL’s general secretary, Demetris Christofias, as president in 2008. Educated in Moscow and a fluent RUSSIAN speaker, Christofias shared the same trade-union background as his TURKISH CYPRIOT counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">However, talks suffered a major setback when Talat was replaced by Dervis Eroglu, who insisted on the equal sovereignty of two peoples rather than the single sovereignty of a federal state.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Last year the TURKISH CYPRIOT Trade Unions’ Platform organised two mass demonstrations against TURKISH rule and in a letter to Ban Ki-moon rejected any proposal based on two separate states but instead stated their will to be the politically equal co-founder of a UNITED FEDERAL CYPRUS.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Christofias has announced his intention not to run again in the presidential elections next February, ostensibly because he has failed to honour his election pledge to solve the CYPRUS problem.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The real reason is his catastrophic drop in popularity after the explosion at the Mari naval base in July last year, which killed 13 people and destroyed a nearby power station.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In January 2009, 98 containers of IRANIAN munitions were confiscated from a CYPRIOT-flagged RUSSIAN freighter bound for SYRIA and stored in an open field at the naval base.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According to a leaked report Christofias had assured Bashar al-Assad the cargo would remain in Cyprus until it could be returned to either SYRIA or IRAN. CYPRUS had also refused assistance from the US, BRITAIN, FRANCE and GERMANY to dispose of the munitions and a request by the UN Sanctions Committee to inspect the cargo was stalled.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There were mass demonstrations outside the presidential palace and an independent report found that the President had “failed miserably” to take the necessary measures. In a similar incident in January a RUSSIAN ship bound for SYRIA put in at Limassol because of bad weather and was found to carry “dangerous cargo”. Despite an assurance it would not sail to SYRIA, the ship continued to Tartus and unloaded 60 tonnes of ammunition.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFxgx9StkmHi45wnnWFblkXdDWCeM-zJ9gfF7hEVYhYgNZpmcSodJbW1iG_feZ1YjchZpawwmRrJ2Dtrv3rcYsW1oW74nG_B5u2Ijg03JpRCLk-fN5NWoHEprShG9N5UdteHOC0xbk5sp/s1600/4cyprus-flag_0-300x174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFxgx9StkmHi45wnnWFblkXdDWCeM-zJ9gfF7hEVYhYgNZpmcSodJbW1iG_feZ1YjchZpawwmRrJ2Dtrv3rcYsW1oW74nG_B5u2Ijg03JpRCLk-fN5NWoHEprShG9N5UdteHOC0xbk5sp/s400/4cyprus-flag_0-300x174.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CYPRUS FUNCTIONS AS AN OFFSHORE FINANCIAL CENTRE FOR RUSSIA</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">, </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">so that the island figures as RUSSIA’S largest source of foreign investment. On a state visit two years ago President Medvedev stated that investment in RUSSIA through CYPRUS exceeded 50 billion dollars, and in May 2010 alone an estimated $18.7 billion was paid into local banks from RUSSIAN sources. There are also over 60,000 RUSSIANS living in Cyprus and 40 percent of property buyers are RUSSIAN.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The CYPRIOT economy has been heavily hit by exposure to GREEK debt, but a RUSSIAN loan of €2.5 billion is expected to cover refinancing requirements for 2012. One CYPRIOT bank may need a bailout by the end of June, which might make it necessary for the government to apply to the EUROPEAN Financial Stability Facility for a loan.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIA also has a vested interest in the delivery route for the offshore gas finds in CYPRUS and ISRAEL’S Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). Gazprom has put in a bid for the construction of a gas transmission pipeline in GREECE and both Gazprom and Novatek have put in a bid in a second licensing round for CYPRUS’ offshore reserves.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">However, TURKEY has given permission to the TURKISH Petroleum Corporation to drill in six areas that belong to CYPRUS’ EEZ. RUSSIA has already manifested its authority by dispatching a battle group to the eastern Mediterranean, and the RUSSIAN Ambassador to CYPRUS, has stated that Moscow fully supports the sovereign right of CYPRUS to exploit its natural resources.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Related Background Info: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/geo-strategic-dynamics-in-eastern.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/geo-strategic-dynamics-in-eastern.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/eastern-mediterranean-sea.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/eastern-mediterranean-sea.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/cyprus-emerging-geo-strategic-key.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/cyprus-emerging-geo-strategic-key.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/complexity-of-eastern-med-energy-games.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/complexity-of-eastern-med-energy-games.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/turkeys-middle-east-chess-game.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/turkeys-middle-east-chess-game.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/food-for-thought_19.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/food-for-thought_19.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/mission-impossible-quest-for-natural.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/mission-impossible-quest-for-natural.html</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/complexity-of-eastern-med-energy-games.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/complexity-of-eastern-med-energy-games.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/energy-games-in-eastern-mediterranean.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/energy-games-in-eastern-mediterranean.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/11/syria-international-war-mongering-or.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/11/syria-international-war-mongering-or.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/seismic-shift-in-middle-east.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/seismic-shift-in-middle-east.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div>

RUSSIA AND CYPRUS

RUSSIA AND THE CYPRUS GAMBIT By Robert Ellis via Defense News RUSSIA’S age-old ambition of securing a foothold in the MEDITERRANEAN has...

WHAT CHILD BIRTH, POTTY TRAINING, AND YOUR HUNGER HAVE IN COMMON

8:34 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the most incredible experiences I’ve had is going through labor and delivery of my three children. I remember the intense pain I felt through my pelvis as if I was being ripped apart at the sacrum, similar to the picture of the Levi -brand jeans being torn apart from the right and left side by horses. It felt as if my iliac bones were being ripped out of my body. It would be similar pain to that of being sawed in half at the waist. I couldn’t catch my breath, there was no position that removed the pain, and there was no break between contractions. I remember crying and wondering how I was going to make it through hours of this debilitating pain. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eventually I did get an epidural. However, it didn’t quite work that well. My right side continued to have the excruciating perpetual pain around my spine and hips, so they upped the epidural so much that I couldn’t feel anything. Not one thing. When it came to pushing the nurses had to tell me when to push. I had no idea if I was having a contraction, how hard the contraction was, and I didn’t have a clue as to what to do. I just pushed as hard as I could, hoping it was enough to end the misery. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuNsUx8XdjS7l8VDCXJHRSCnYPu4D452ra1mGo9g8hOjiYFXaImkZGtQW_Fv76Df3oIAhVKjCckMwc1SNNyBu9sIvNoULyVLO_eB9IudZ_V6_ra3PfbS3wiGH94rStcSxB5o4u3CfHK4m/s1600/potty+training.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuNsUx8XdjS7l8VDCXJHRSCnYPu4D452ra1mGo9g8hOjiYFXaImkZGtQW_Fv76Df3oIAhVKjCckMwc1SNNyBu9sIvNoULyVLO_eB9IudZ_V6_ra3PfbS3wiGH94rStcSxB5o4u3CfHK4m/s1600/potty+training.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know this is gross, but you know that feeling you get when you are going to go number-2? That feeling tells you what to do, when to do it, and how hard you need to work to get it done?  It’s a feeling of impending need, a feeling of pressure, or a sense of prioritization- otherwise you’re going to shit your pants. During labor and delivery, your body gives you similar feedback, but with pain that is magnified by five-billion three hundred-thousand seven-hundred and ten, or so.  Because I chose to receive an epidural with my first two children, I was never exposed to that feedback and didn’t understand the capacity of the human body to communicate its needs- until the delivery of my third child.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Come to find out later that the pain I experienced with my first two children is called “back-labor”.  My third labor and delivery was a very different experience, however. There was no back pain, there were normal breaks between contractions, and I could breath.  As a contraction would rise I could mentally prepared to relax through the pain. The pain was entirely in my stomach and would build up like a wave that lasted a few minutes. In order to get through the wave of pain, I imagined I was floating on my back like a limp peace of seaweed. The moments I tensed up, the pain was much worse. I quickly learned to submit to the fact that there was no getting out of the delivery and I would have to allow the body to do the work it needed to safely deliver my baby. I willingly stepped aside and went through about 6 hours of this deep relaxed state, allowing my body do what it needed to prepare for delivery. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I regret that I agreed to get an epidural because the pain was manageable (compared to back-labor) with meditation.  But, I am deeply grateful to the nurses because they knew when to turn the epidural down and I ended up have 100% of my feeling back an hour before delivery.  Those nurses gave me the opportunity to understand how incredible the human body is. I could feel everything, and the most amazing feedback my body was giving me was the sensation to push. It came in three-dimensions: how hard, how long, where the pressure was, and when to push.  It was a life altering experience for me. The sensations were so loud and clear that, this time, I was yelling at the nurses and telling them when and what was going on. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My husband and I are done having children, but I would love to go through that experience again. There have been times that I recreate that pain in my mind and I put myself in that meditative state, but it’s not the same. Without the pain or not having a choice in the matter, I’ve found it difficult to duplicate the level of consciousness required to separate my ego from dictating my body.   I wish I could go back and choose to go through the entire labor and delivery without an epidural. But with what experience I was given, the gift was in being exposed to how incredible the body is at taking care of itself through something as miraculous as creating a human being, and then delivering it without killing me or my children. What a mind-blowing piece of art that our intelligence isn’t capable of duplicating. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are we as humans intelligently capable of duplicating the perfect feedback and guidance that our bodies give to us? Do we need a monitoring device to tell us when to poop and how hard to push? Do diet businesses (that are more concerned about selling products and their profit margins) really know more about our hunger rhythms than your body?  Is there another single human being with adequate super powers to tell you when your body needs to eat, of how much, and what it is craving? Are diets that manipulate food by calories capable of understanding how seasons influence changes in hunger with change in weather and pressure, moon cycles, menstrual cycles, stress and sleep fluctuations, and let us not forget impact on hunger with exercise and activity levels? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To all of the women reading this, has any diet ever explained to you why you are hungrier before your period and why you’re less hungry after you period, and did they adjust your food intake for that reason? Do diets accommodate for any dynamic change in hunger rhythms and do they continue to weigh you as if the water weight you gain each month is fat? My point is that the diet and nutrition industry (which is driven by the need to make money) is so misguided and off when it comes to understanding your body’s own intelligence. I don’t think our conscious intelligence has that capacity, nor the humility. </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 1in 10pt; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is no static diet that can fulfill the many dynamic influences of your body’s need for food hormonally. But there is one perfect system, and that system is hard-wired into your body as a sense of hunger.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hunger is more than just physical urge to eat. There is timing or a sense of urgency to eat. As you get hungrier the sense of amount of food increases, and then there’s craving for certain flavor, texture, and food substrate (fat, protein, carb, water, salt, fiber, nutrient, etc.). Have you ever considered your body’s dictation rather than the food and diet industries control? I give you this challenge: For the next few weeks, eat only when your body tells you to eat. Eat what your body is craving, but not a bite more than what is necessary to remove hunger. This means you should never be even close to full. This is similar to how you would eat if you were rationing food as of more isn’t an option.  Never get too hungry, avoid fullness at all cost, and eat what your body is craving- NO GUILT OR JUDGMENT OF THE FOOD.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take notes of changes in energy level, body temperature, sleep, sex drive, acid reflux, and anything that changes as you use your own body rhythms to guide eating. To help I’ve attached the hunger-scale I created for people I coach. You can use your own words to describe hunger and understand that for those of you who are morbidly obese hunger will manifest differently than it does for people who are leaner. For example you might get a headache, burning throat, or quick onset of exhaustion, but not necessarily urgency. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately, because we’ve allowed the food and diet industry to dictate when and how much we should eat, many people have completely lost trust in their body, and have lost touch with what hunger feels like and what it’s like not to be full. The more you practice and commit to only eating with your body’s feedback, you’ll notice you naturally feel much better and you naturally lose excess fat without needing to pay for a diet.  The other thing you’ll notice is how less you have the urge to binge. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are many benefits to using your body to know when and how much to eat. But until you try it, you’ll never know. So take my challenge and let me know after a couple of weeks how amazing your body is and how amazing it’s always been. Like trusting that your body knows when it needs to poop, you have to gain trust that your body knows when it needs food too. Think of it like potty training, but with hunger.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w2W1-AbWrVTt7xfGLdqK6st1VCcFLkV4yGog351HcGe8pkZ9F2sFx44pxch6XX2wj5EH4Vz-A0GfQ05D9ka9UnrKUJRlyrqeMQUYs6bZDmcqh8Ti3U9fip8pHnLrTty8wDYomSZGFMpV/s1600/Hunger+Scale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w2W1-AbWrVTt7xfGLdqK6st1VCcFLkV4yGog351HcGe8pkZ9F2sFx44pxch6XX2wj5EH4Vz-A0GfQ05D9ka9UnrKUJRlyrqeMQUYs6bZDmcqh8Ti3U9fip8pHnLrTty8wDYomSZGFMpV/s640/Hunger+Scale.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /></div>

WHAT CHILD BIRTH, POTTY TRAINING, AND YOUR HUNGER HAVE IN COMMON

One of the most incredible experiences I’ve had is going through labor and delivery of my three children. I remember the intense pain I felt...