All I Want is Chocolate!

Our first 4th of July as a married couple was spent in the back of a GMC Acadia with a scant view of the fireworks through the trees.  Sadly, the town got a thunderstorm right before the fireworks began.  I would have loved to see the kids' reaction to the fireworks had we been able to sit outside with the view we were originally going to have. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lJ2dOS3JgUX-rUIL-QLelmV-CKy53E49J0nPEo0NwFlbrVryPVmZlAM083sy-lG55prTQdd_hbIyQ4Ngha8O1g3oPHhHTILxENlbDhTdWuEV0uphoxxGJyv-fzzi7cRVoCrRMXEml9U/s1600/sugar-addiction-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lJ2dOS3JgUX-rUIL-QLelmV-CKy53E49J0nPEo0NwFlbrVryPVmZlAM083sy-lG55prTQdd_hbIyQ4Ngha8O1g3oPHhHTILxENlbDhTdWuEV0uphoxxGJyv-fzzi7cRVoCrRMXEml9U/s200/sugar-addiction-cartoon.jpg" width="172" /></a></div>What a better way to cap off a very hot day and a night of fireworks with icecream, right?  Well, everyone else was enjoying the icecream but I just tried to focus on something else, like catching up on my Google Reader.  It was tough.  <br /><br />I'm trying to be cognizant of how I'm feeling or what I'm doing when I crave a sweet.  I think it's important to understand what makes me suddenly want to eat them.  So far, it's rather obvious that when there is so much downtime, then I really want a sweet.  Couple that with any amount of boredom or minor stress and the craving is amplified.   <br /><br />While I'm only focusing on your typical, easily identifiable sweets, I'm sure many of us would be surprised to find discover where else sugar is hiding in non-typical "sweets".  I read in a <a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/how-sugar-harms-you?cm_mmc=Dish_Newsletter-_-876966-_-04112012-_-Grid3" target="_blank">Women's Health article</a> that even a McDonald's Sesame seed bun contains sugar.  How necessary is that really?  I'm not ready to be <i>that </i>strict with the elimination of sugar from my diet, but it's something to consider and be mindful of when selecting certain foods.  Should you venture to that article, be sure to check out that fun quiz at the bottom of page one - the questions/answers are interesting!  For example, between a Yoo-hoo and an Ocean Spray Light Cranberry Juice - which do you think has the least amount of sugar?  It's the Yoohoo!  Granted, it's not by much, but I was still surprised yet again of the marketing schemes surrounding juices.... it's all about that health halo.<br /><br /><b style="color: #351c75;">Have you ever quit eating sweets?  What was the biggest difference you felt/saw as a result?</b>

No Sugar Challenge All I Want is Chocolate!

Our first 4th of July as a married couple was spent in the back of a GMC Acadia with a scant view of the fireworks through the trees.  Sadly...

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you spin me right round

Thanks again everyone for the birthday wishes! It was a great 2 days (I always count the 4th as my birthday as well). My day started with these<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK2BKMrny7hiSBgf6OoG8JtntbFd2qhautbFG3U0YdUslDUn3Qop7ek13ugggDuBfgTbQOdk2jqJZA5A8aKxZpke5NjzloXwRi6EnEv90m4dqMF0iLtWgAXmdEDSY_dDqNjYF9aUDbzir/s1600/BDayFlowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK2BKMrny7hiSBgf6OoG8JtntbFd2qhautbFG3U0YdUslDUn3Qop7ek13ugggDuBfgTbQOdk2jqJZA5A8aKxZpke5NjzloXwRi6EnEv90m4dqMF0iLtWgAXmdEDSY_dDqNjYF9aUDbzir/s640/BDayFlowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;">and kept getting better from there. This was 'the year of the table', as I got not 1 or 2 but 3 tables for my birthday this year. (Don't let my mom and I loose on the retail world). More on those tables another day but today I have a different table in mind. Or lack of a table rather.</span><br /><br />I'm narrowing in on a complete living room plan but one thing that is missing is a coffee table. Coffee tables are a touchy subject in this house as that is the only piece of furniture that has a 'the one that got a way' story. It is too sad to mention but just know that it had an antique round marble top and the most awesome and unique base...see I can't even talk about it. I'll cry. Anyway, moving on.<br /><br />We need a coffee table. A round coffee table.<br /><br />We could go with something in honor of 'the table that cannot be named'.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNshfFRax_AD5FaYHGzskNwFXN3scmzPAM2YGmyb9V0bbOlbb6fyBhaZax8I9i96B70IxWlzbNOK-YdwBn6BI7XQJBs0q1YBTx5YvbWBsJmOP0zUJFJop7zuKDVSXv3DxEDFft1dR8AZO2/s1600/liquidylworgbwlclrblsRXSC11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNshfFRax_AD5FaYHGzskNwFXN3scmzPAM2YGmyb9V0bbOlbb6fyBhaZax8I9i96B70IxWlzbNOK-YdwBn6BI7XQJBs0q1YBTx5YvbWBsJmOP0zUJFJop7zuKDVSXv3DxEDFft1dR8AZO2/s640/liquidylworgbwlclrblsRXSC11.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cb2.com/accent-tables/furniture/smart-round-marble-top-coffee-table/f4971" target="_blank">cb2</a></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEj3XdSMK68vzRkjbnZB3m7zLn4mv7RGIgoqMs2uNsaVeIZpbCYJ-dCduBIPXmzrdpqhD4ga0rlnrsqI0a54NUunjO9RX9yr11wb9pWKsNAMzOISYq82PhE3p5NVNKvhL9XW1wpTHz662ogY/s1600/white+sofa,+morocaan+rug,+tulip+coffee+table+french+chairs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XdSMK68vzRkjbnZB3m7zLn4mv7RGIgoqMs2uNsaVeIZpbCYJ-dCduBIPXmzrdpqhD4ga0rlnrsqI0a54NUunjO9RX9yr11wb9pWKsNAMzOISYq82PhE3p5NVNKvhL9XW1wpTHz662ogY/s640/white+sofa,+morocaan+rug,+tulip+coffee+table+french+chairs.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://brynalexandra.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bryn Alexandra</a></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEipe8Lf6SvQ8-WNmOGyvmTGXklEVIec_Qq7z9NvfTttSG_bxdXuEhRdGuLKnp8UOuTrac1S0CEBl38SEQoCq0TdNhwGd54liB6nsttMMclDLq7itSRSSlKt0fWtCtX6njAlcophdp-EhcA8/s1600/IMG_9799.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipe8Lf6SvQ8-WNmOGyvmTGXklEVIec_Qq7z9NvfTttSG_bxdXuEhRdGuLKnp8UOuTrac1S0CEBl38SEQoCq0TdNhwGd54liB6nsttMMclDLq7itSRSSlKt0fWtCtX6njAlcophdp-EhcA8/s640/IMG_9799.jpeg" width="422" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mybestfriendcraig.blogspot.com/2012/02/shout-out-and-more-pictures-our-living.html">My Best Friend Craig</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;">But I'm afraid it will always be compared to the one we wanted and will therefore never feel right.</span><br /><br />We could go in a completely different direction and go for lucite.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRLAs-9F93yfNQl3eTIbCDQNBQ4W4KV3RqrP011zmPSjEIPBTV5ZTlPws96tPNVmpfE9Tmnlqc-BDecbxqq0lEKDC7qSXbzLZ4O5-vugFPctQHcQHk4qAcyLwYGH6kNJsgWxQ8SiYuKSx/s1600/mr-banks-beforeafter-family-room-and-powder-room.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRLAs-9F93yfNQl3eTIbCDQNBQ4W4KV3RqrP011zmPSjEIPBTV5ZTlPws96tPNVmpfE9Tmnlqc-BDecbxqq0lEKDC7qSXbzLZ4O5-vugFPctQHcQHk4qAcyLwYGH6kNJsgWxQ8SiYuKSx/s640/mr-banks-beforeafter-family-room-and-powder-room.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.peppermintbliss.com/2012/06/mr-banks-beforeafter-family-room-and-powder-room/" target="_blank">Peppermint Bliss</a></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEiiKENg5TGP_j4x6ooueElfCsElMPXjQf-we0iBD4GnMnUGqC8F4BsxTN5wLYoyhaYTm1rDN7eDQVVk37mVAi9nza7i45W-emtjRaXG8Jy14o9wu0qk2acdN9Qph2cuCb_N77Qhqx3PmOPT/s1600/search.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKENg5TGP_j4x6ooueElfCsElMPXjQf-we0iBD4GnMnUGqC8F4BsxTN5wLYoyhaYTm1rDN7eDQVVk37mVAi9nza7i45W-emtjRaXG8Jy14o9wu0qk2acdN9Qph2cuCb_N77Qhqx3PmOPT/s640/search.jpeg" width="422" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.meredithheron.com/" target="_blank">Meredith Heron</a></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEhWKlzSnNSAPx3S1RLxEq3j0sj_xr_7bQvXH2GHYHYT2_0aQdbGQaNki5IbWRldiYJ3HftN6OBTY_J1l-Z0x4XFLnsrG5WpTsYiiCrGWOvVRmSVmNLfqp9z_WJ-6KpA-EgJPmaJr78fSjGF/s1600/lucite+coffee+table.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKlzSnNSAPx3S1RLxEq3j0sj_xr_7bQvXH2GHYHYT2_0aQdbGQaNki5IbWRldiYJ3HftN6OBTY_J1l-Z0x4XFLnsrG5WpTsYiiCrGWOvVRmSVmNLfqp9z_WJ-6KpA-EgJPmaJr78fSjGF/s640/lucite+coffee+table.jpeg" width="614" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lonnymag.com/">Lonny Magazine</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Very different for me but would certainly keep the space feeling open.<br /><br />Or, we can go for round fluffy goodness. No, not Kim K's arse, an ottoman.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_XsDae02C46WAxKuHK6oqEuVHTfKdQdm6V14sDNGYWnhUv9_FL8Q9JdVx9twKCvlW0Q7kwqiOHIhuotMgR9wl0w6EwN70xNXAMMXQtql9ZpfJUdTvyt_EX0Qy5ZO7jUSGlLJulxcuvaw/s1600/summertime.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_XsDae02C46WAxKuHK6oqEuVHTfKdQdm6V14sDNGYWnhUv9_FL8Q9JdVx9twKCvlW0Q7kwqiOHIhuotMgR9wl0w6EwN70xNXAMMXQtql9ZpfJUdTvyt_EX0Qy5ZO7jUSGlLJulxcuvaw/s640/summertime.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://brynalexandra.blogspot.com/2012/07/summertime.html" target="_blank">Bryn Alexandra</a></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEhmPwk6w6FabdGeR6fUC81NT-IUyUlg6hMrHfvDo8_9jQ3MdyUDWq7KwUqJr7x-Sr5Be73Q-3PxMaGTMRwLjzjMHVmhaIoXNzAA1yBlHZFl1_TqfPlnBFx3rzyhy9L6XIVfcVQqWVN7KYDI/s1600/why-this-works.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPwk6w6FabdGeR6fUC81NT-IUyUlg6hMrHfvDo8_9jQ3MdyUDWq7KwUqJr7x-Sr5Be73Q-3PxMaGTMRwLjzjMHVmhaIoXNzAA1yBlHZFl1_TqfPlnBFx3rzyhy9L6XIVfcVQqWVN7KYDI/s640/why-this-works.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jenerationinteriors.com/classic.html">Jeneration Interiors</a></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEgEzdfDjgIasSRHlZC5gDkg25cjB71g3vVyl6j4JbF4mUQv0LwCUSXIlDTDwGVdu1gMmalhjvIqKN9z6fSNoGebKNo2cgM1dBgwaIEyKZJnJ7EK5381PaJ3Rjl9ZZY10xgLj2V0BhCMySub/s1600/diyroundottomanfinished.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzdfDjgIasSRHlZC5gDkg25cjB71g3vVyl6j4JbF4mUQv0LwCUSXIlDTDwGVdu1gMmalhjvIqKN9z6fSNoGebKNo2cgM1dBgwaIEyKZJnJ7EK5381PaJ3Rjl9ZZY10xgLj2V0BhCMySub/s640/diyroundottomanfinished.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.effortless-style.com/2012/04/diy-round-ottoman/#" target="_blank">Effortless Style</a></td></tr></tbody></table>I won't say which way I'm leaning but I will say that I shamelessly watched Keeping Up With The Kardashians for the first time yesterday. (No one needs to know that but us, right?)<br /><br />What type of coffee table(s) do you have? Do you have a piece of furniture that you can't decide on? Does anyone else get 3 tables for their birthday?

you spin me right round

Thanks again everyone for the birthday wishes! It was a great 2 days (I always count the 4th as my birthday as well). My day started with th...

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SOUTH AMERICA : PARAGUAY

<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeU3a0UiAXeKOiqbfSjXlGWQEJnrEQ-PJFDUL8g5b5WB1mBv3SbiFNGfu1yu3pCW8dO85JD7NFNjjwJpiIl03za-srLsOurhD4eFPL7H6ii_ZpiVwTuc48_r-iSSDUrFHyyu9UWkKQKY6/s1600/pa-lgflag.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeU3a0UiAXeKOiqbfSjXlGWQEJnrEQ-PJFDUL8g5b5WB1mBv3SbiFNGfu1yu3pCW8dO85JD7NFNjjwJpiIl03za-srLsOurhD4eFPL7H6ii_ZpiVwTuc48_r-iSSDUrFHyyu9UWkKQKY6/s400/pa-lgflag.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">WELCOME TO “DEMOCRASHIP”: EGYPT AND PARAGUAY STRUGGLE TO OVERTHROW THE OLD ORDER</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">EGYPTIANS and PARAGUAYANS are now realizing new democracies take years, sometimes decades, of co-existing with the nightmare of dictatorship. </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Via AlterNet  </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By Pepe Escobar</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">NEW BRAND OF COUP D'ETAT</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><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/AVvXsEi4z0VYhkTjTEVpMxynbXmgoldatZb9_v-XMt-8GTUjw48sNqli26yi479yNzVqiupAPmFo-mG5wLus8Xumc0HSItcDS-zCOjWg1mtqEtSZ3TbrIm5yCQZQW8N6tOjs2YGg21oMLP6FMhGG/s1600/Federico-Franco-via-AFP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z0VYhkTjTEVpMxynbXmgoldatZb9_v-XMt-8GTUjw48sNqli26yi479yNzVqiupAPmFo-mG5wLus8Xumc0HSItcDS-zCOjWg1mtqEtSZ3TbrIm5yCQZQW8N6tOjs2YGg21oMLP6FMhGG/s400/Federico-Franco-via-AFP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allegedly the Roman Catholic Church of Paraguay was strongly involved in the coup!!</td></tr></tbody></table><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";">Let's start with a bomb. Over 10 days ago a new brand of coup d'etat took place in PARAGUAY against elected president <b>Fernando Lugo</b>. It was virtually unnoticed by global corporate media.<br /><br />Anything unexpected? Not really. A March 2009 cable from the <b>US Embassy</b> in Asuncion, revealed by WikiLeaks had already detailed how oligarchs in PARAGUAY were busy devising a "democratic coup" in congress to depose Lugo.<br /><br />At the time, the <b>US embassy</b> noted political conditions were not ideal for a coup. Key among the plotters was former president <b>Nicanor Duarte</b>(2003 to 2008), severely bashed by progressive SOUTH AMERICAN governments for having allowed US Special Forces in PARAGUAYAN soil to conduct "educational courses", "domestic peacekeeping operations" and "counter-terrorism training".<br /><br />This US Special Forces drive was happening decades after "one of our bastards", notorious dictator-general <b>Alfredo Stroessner</b> (in power from 1954 to 1989) had allowed the set up of a giant US-owned semi-clandestine landing strip near the ARGENTINA-BRAZIL-PARAGUAY Triple Border - later to become part of the war on drugs, and then the war on terror.<br /><br />So it's a no-brainer which was the first government to recognize last Friday's coup plotters in PARAGUAY: the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.<br /><br style="color: blue;" /><b style="color: blue;">FORGET ABOUT SHARING OUR CAKE</b></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";">Progressive EGYPTIANS are now realizing new democracies take years, sometimes decades, of co-existing with the nightmare of dictatorship. It happened, for instance, in BRAZIL - now universally lauded as a new, global powerhouse. During the 1980s and 1990s, some form of institutional re-democratization was going on. But for years BRAZIL really did not turn into a full democracy - economically, socially and culturally. It took a long 17 years - until president <b>Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva</b> first came to power in 2002 - for BRAZIL to start on the road of becoming less outrageously unequal than its rapacious ruling classes always wanted it to be.<br /><br />The same historical process is now at work in both EGYPT and PARAGUAY. Both countries suffered dictatorships for decades. When a dictatorship seems to be on its death throes, only political parties linked - or mildly tolerated - by the ancient regime find themselves in the best position to profit from the long, tortuous transition towards democracy. These countries then become what BRAZILIAN political scientist <b>Emir Sader</b> has dubbed "democraships".<br /><br />This applies to the Liberal Party in PARAGUAY and the Muslim Brotherhood in EGYPT. In the EGYPTIAN presidential election, we had a former <b>Hosni Mubarak</b> crony against an Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) cadre. It remains to be seen whether the Orwellian SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) in EGYPT will allow this new "democraship" to turn into a real democracy, and to what extent the Ikhwan is fully committed to the notion of democracy.<br /><br />PARAGUAY was already in a more advanced stage than EGYPT. Yet four years after a democratic presidential election, congress was still dominated by two dictatorship-friendly parties, Liberal and Colorado. It was a piece of cake for this bipartisan oligarchy to gang up and take <b>Lugo</b> down.<br /><br /><b style="color: blue;">A MEDIUM-RARE IMPEACHMENT, PLEASE</b></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;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Lugo</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> was evicted by a coup disguised as an impeachment, processed in only 24 hours. Regime change practitioners in Washington must have been ecstatic; if only we could do that in SYRIA ...<br /><br />This simulacrum had to be concocted by what is the most corrupt senate in the AMERICAS - and that's a huge understatement. <b>Lugo</b>was found guilty of incompetence in dealing with a very murky story linked - inevitably - with an issue that is absolutely key, all across the developing world: <b>agrarian reform</b>.<br /><br />On June 15, a group of policemen and commandos about to enforce an eviction order in <b>Curuguaty</b>, 200 kilometers from <b>Asuncion</b>, close to the BRAZILIAN border, was ambushed by snipers infiltrated among farmers. The order came from a judge protecting a wealthy landowner, <b>Blas Riquelme</b>, not by accident a former president of the <b>Colorado party</b> and a former senator.<br /><br />Through legal shenanigans, he had taken possession of 2,000 hectares that actually belonged to the PARAGUAYAN state. These lands were then occupied by landless peasants, who for some time had been asking the <b>Lugo </b>government to redistribute them.<br /><br />The School of the Americas Watch has already documented how enormous tracts of land in PARAGUAY were actually stolen from farmers and "donated" to military and upper-class cronies during those decades under the <b>Stroessner</b> dictatorship.<br /><br />The result in <b>Curuguaty</b> was 17 dead - six policemen and 11 farmers - and at least 50 wounded. It simply doesn't make sense; the elite members of the eviction force, a hardcore unit named Special Operations Group, were trained in counterinsurgency tactics in COLOMBIA - under the right-wing <b>Uribe</b>government - as part of the US-concocted Plan COLOMBIA.<br /><br />Plan PARAGUAY, for its part, was very simple; absolute criminalization of every peasant organization, forcing them to leave the countryside for transnational <b>agribusiness.</b><br /><br />So this was, essentially, a trap. PARAGUAY'S rabid right-wingers - joined to the hip with Washington, for example trying to prevent, by all means, VENEZUELA'S entrance into the MERCOSUR common market - were just waiting to pounce on a regime that had not, yet, affected its interests, but had opened up plenty of spaces for social protest and popular organization.</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;"><b style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">IT’S ALL ABOUT AGRIBUSINESS</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <br /><br /><b>Lugo</b>, a former bishop elected in 2008 with large rural support, might have seen it coming, but he did nothing to stop it. Compared with his power to mobilize people in the streets, he had minimum support in Congress: only two senators. Over 40% of PARAGUAYANS live in the countryside, but they are hardly mobilized. And 30% live under the poverty line.<br /><br />The "winners" in PARAGUAY had to be the usual suspects: the landowning oligarchy - and its concerted campaign to demonize farmers; multinational agribusiness interests such as <b>Monsanto</b>; and the <b>Monsanto</b>-linked media (as in the ABC Color daily, which accused ministers not acting as <b>Monsanto</b> stooges of being "corrupt").</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";">See: <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/monsanto-global-monster-corporation.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/monsanto-global-monster-corporation.html</a></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";"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;"></span>Agribusiness giants such as <b>Monsanto</b>and <b>Cargill </b>pay virtually no taxes in PARAGUAY because of the right-wing controlled Congress. Landowners don't pay taxes. <b>Needless to add, PARAGUAY is one of the most unequal countries in the world; 85% of land - like 30 million hectares - is controlled by the 2% composing the rural aristocracy, a great deal of them involved in land speculation.</b></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";">See: <a href="http://www.propertywire.com/news/south-america/argentina-limits-foreign-buyers-201112195891.html">http://www.propertywire.com/news/south-america/argentina-limits-foreign-buyers-201112195891.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";"><b><br /></b><br />Thus their Miami Vice-style mansions in URUGUAY'S hip Punta del Este resort or, for that matter, Miami Beach; the money, of course, is in the CAYMAN ISLANDS. PARAGUAY is de facto ruled by this cream of the 2% mixing agribusiness with the neoliberal financial casino.<br /><br />And by the way, as <b>Martin Almada</b>, a top PARAGUAYAN human-rights activist and alternative Nobel Peace Prize winner, has noted, this concerns BRAZILIAN landowners as well. The wealthiest soya bean producer in PARAGUAY is a "BRAZIGUAYAN", double nationality holder <b>Tranquilo Favero</b>, who made his fortune under <b>Stroessner.</b><br /><br /><b style="color: blue;">A COUP ON THE ROCKS, PLEASE </b></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;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaKUEtwgHEdYceSNfGe7ru1eFlPvFkG8y7q9HoX_UIyGTGs2YQd3Mo01hx2ccONYitCZLHHc7IaBhQWztWrR8_GgY0Ufj7BeRsC2uPkNxEYqGuZYohJYOe3wLi67GXmfEPJ-v8NUeeG8N/s1600/Political_Map_of_Latin_America_-_before_Paraguayan_coup-498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaKUEtwgHEdYceSNfGe7ru1eFlPvFkG8y7q9HoX_UIyGTGs2YQd3Mo01hx2ccONYitCZLHHc7IaBhQWztWrR8_GgY0Ufj7BeRsC2uPkNxEYqGuZYohJYOe3wLi67GXmfEPJ-v8NUeeG8N/s400/Political_Map_of_Latin_America_-_before_Paraguayan_coup-498.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Political Map of Latin America - before Paraguayan coup</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Union of SOUTH AMERICAN NATIONS (UNASUR) treated what happened in PARAGUAY for what it is; a coup. The same with MERCOSUR. The contrast with Washington's position couldn't be more glaring. Coup plotter <b>Federico Franco</b>is a darling of the <b>US Embassy</b> in <b>Asuncion</b>.<br /><br />ARGENTINA, URUGUAY, VENEZUELA and ECUADOR won't recognize the coup plotters. VENEZUELA cut off oil sales to PARAGUAY. BRAZILIAN President Dilma Rousseff has proposed the expulsion of PARAGUAY from both UNASUR and MERCOSUR.<br /><br />PARAGUAY is already suspended; this means coup plotter <b>Federico Franco</b> was prevented from attending a key MERCOSUR meeting last week in <b>Mendoza</b>, ARGENTINA, when the temporary MERCOSUR presidency would be handed over to PARAGUAY. The PARAGUAYAN oligarchy - under Washington's orders - was blocking VENEZUELA'S entrance in MERCOSUR. Not anymore; VENEZUELA becomes a full member by the end of the month.</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;"><b style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">UNSASUR AND MERCOSUR BAN - DEVASTATING GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR LATIN AMERICA?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /><br />Yet SOUTH AMERICAN progressive governments must be very careful. <b>If PARAGUAY is expelled from both UNASUR and MERCOSUR, it will inevitably ask Washington for commercial and military help. That could translate into a nightmare - US military bases in PARAGUAY.</b><br /><br />PARAGUAY'S oligarchs, the media they control, and last but not least the reactionary <b>Catholic church hierarchy</b>, calculate they will extend their power when elections take place in April 2013.<br /><br /><b>Lugo</b> was in fact facing a Sisyphean task - trying to steer a weak state, with minimum income from taxes (less than 12% of GNP), and under severe pressure by powerful transnational lobbies and comprador elites. This, by the way, is the structural reality of a great deal of LATIN AMERICA - and, roughly, one might add, of EGYPT.<br /><br />On a geopolitical level, what progressives everywhere - from SOUTH AND NORTH AMERICA to the ARAB world - should worry about is how, since the June 2009 coup against <b>Manuel Zelaya</b> in HONDURAS, LATIN AMERICA is being turned into a giant laboratory testing all sorts of "democratic" coup d'etat mutations.<br /><br />PARAGUAY is one such mutation. Another one was the failed coup against ECUADOR'S <b>Rafael Correa</b> in September 2010. All these coups are against progressive governments who privilege social advances.<br /><br />Not by accident, <b>Correa</b>, who was almost evicted by a coup, said that if it succeeded this time in PARAGUAY it would "<b>open a dangerous precedent</b>" in the whole region.<br /><br />And in terms of poetic justice, nothing beats <b>Correa</b> - the target of a coup - currently studying the possibility of offering political asylum to <b>Julian Assange</b>, whose WikiLeaks revealed, among other things, how the PARAGUAYAN elite was plotting their own coup.<br /><br />In EGYPT, a military coup happened even before a presidential election. Progressive EGYPTIANS who actually led the ARAB Spring must be extremely alert; PARAGUAY is showing how the rocky road towards democracy may end up in a "democraship".</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

SOUTH AMERICA : PARAGUAY

WELCOME TO “DEMOCRASHIP”: EGYPT AND PARAGUAY STRUGGLE TO OVERTHROW THE OLD ORDER EGYPTIANS and PARAGUAYANS are now realizing new democracies...

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9 health-care jobs for people who don't want to be a doctor

<br /><div class="hdr_org_bld" style="color: #ff6600; font: normal normal bold 18px/normal arial, helvetica; text-align: left;"><h1 id="articleHeadline" style="color: #000066; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">By Debra Auerbach, CareerBuilder Writer</span></span></span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px;"> </span></h1></div><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;" /><div class="ArticleContent" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><img alt="" class="media-image media-image-left" src="http://artstg.icbdr.com/sites/all/files/styles/large/public/Dental.JPG" style="float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image" />When you ask children what they want to be when they grow up, a common answer is "doctor." When those children do eventually grow up, their job dreams may have shifted, but for those who still aspire to work in health care, doctor is just one of the many career paths to take.<br />The population of elderly people in the U.S. is growing, and the health-care field is growing along with it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the health-care and social assistance sector is projected to gain more jobs than any other sector between 2010 and 2020.<br />If you're interested in health care and medicine, but becoming a doctor just isn't for you, consider one of these nine health-care occupation alternatives:<br /><br /><strong>1. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/cardiovascular_technologist/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Cardiovascular technologists and technicians</strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/vascular+technologist/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>vascular technologists</strong></a><strong>*</strong><br /><strong>What they do:</strong> Cardiovascular technologists perform tests via imaging technology on the heart and vascular system to help physicians detect and diagnose heart and blood-vessel conditions in patients. Most workers who enter this field receive an associate degree. Some technologists and technicians get on-the-job training, but many employers also require professional certification.<br /><strong>Projected job growth between 2010-20:</strong> 29 percent (much faster than average)<br /><strong>Median annual pay:</strong> $49,410<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><strong>2.</strong> <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/clinical+laboratory+technician/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Clinical and medical laboratory technicians</strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/clinical+laboratory+technologist/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>technologists</strong></a><br /><strong>What they do:</strong> These technicians and technologists perform various tasks in a clinical lab, such as collecting samples and performing tests to analyze body fluids, tissue and other substances. In 2010, 52 percent of medical laboratory technologists and technicians worked in hospitals.<br /><strong>Projected job growth between 2010-20:</strong> 13 percent (about as fast as average)<br /><strong>Median annual pay:</strong> $46,680<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><strong>3. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/dental+assistant/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Dental assistants</strong></a><br /><strong>What they do:</strong> Dental assistants help dentists with patients in a variety of ways. Tasks include making patients comfortable before procedures, sterilizing equipment, teaching patients about proper dental hygiene and scheduling appointments. Almost all dental assistants work in dental offices.<br /><strong>Projected job growth between 2010-20:</strong> 31 percent (much faster than average)<br /><strong>Median annual pay:</strong> $33,470<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><strong>4. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/dietitian/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Dietitians</strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/nutritionist/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>nutritionists</strong></a><br /><strong>What they do:</strong> As food and nutrition experts, dietitians and nutritionists advise patients on what to eat in order to lead a healthy lifestyle or reach certain weight goals. Most workers in this field have a bachelor's degree and have participated in supervised on-the-job training. Many states require dietitians and nutritionists to be licensed.<br /><strong>Projected job growth between 2010-20:</strong> 20 percent (faster than average)<br /><strong>Median annual pay:</strong> $53,250<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><strong>5. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/dispensing+optician/?siteid=cbworkbuzz" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Dispensing opticians</strong></a><br /><strong>What they do:</strong> Dispensing opticians fit patients with eyeglasses and contact lenses. Opticians typically have a high-school diploma or equivalent and some form of on-the-job training. Training may include technical instruction and sales and office management practices. Twenty-three states require opticians to be licensed. Depending on the state, opticians may also need to pass a state written exam, a state practical exam and/or certification exams.<br /><strong>Projected job growth between 2010-20:</strong> 29 percent (much faster than average)<br /><strong>Median annual pay:</strong> $32,940<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><strong>6. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/medical+records+technician/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Health information and medical records technicians</strong></a><br /><strong>What they do:</strong> The responsibilities of health information and medical records technicians include collecting and organizing health data, updating national cancer registries and coding medical bills for insurance reimbursement. The job outlook for this occupation is strong, given that more hospitals are transitioning to electronic health records.<br /><strong>Projected job growth between 2010-20:</strong> 21 percent (faster than average)<br /><strong>Median annual pay:</strong> $32,350<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><strong>7. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/home+health+aide/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Home health and personal care aides</strong></a><br /><strong>What they do:</strong> As the elderly population grows, the need for home health and personal care aides increases. These workers specifically help elderly, disabled or ill patients who aren't able to care for themselves independently. They help with everything from bathing and dressing to light housekeeping to dispensing medication. While most aides work in a client's home, others may work in group homes or care communities.<br /><strong>Projected job growth between 2010-20:</strong> 70 percent (much faster than average)<br /><strong>Median annual pay:</strong> $20,170<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><strong>8. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/pharmacy+technician/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Pharmacy technicians</strong></a><br /><strong>What they do:</strong> Pharmacy technicians help licensed pharmacists dispense prescription medication. They also perform administrative tasks in pharmacies. While most technicians hold a high-school diploma or equivalent, some states require that they complete a formal training program and pass an exam. These technicians may work either full or part time in grocery or drugstore pharmacies or in hospitals.<br /><strong>Projected job growth between 2010-20:</strong> 32 percent (much faster than average)<br /><strong>Median annual pay:</strong> $28,400<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><strong>9. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/speech+language+pathologist/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Speech-language pathologists</strong></a><br /><strong>What they do:</strong> Speech-language pathologists, also known as speech therapists, help people with communication and swallowing disorders caused by anything from stroke to hearing loss to emotional problems. In this role, workers assess, diagnose and treat patients. Some pathologists choose to work with specific age groups, or they may focus on treatments for specific communication or swallowing problems. The standard level of education for speech-language pathologists is a master's degree.<br /><strong><br /></strong><br /><strong>Projected job growth between 2010-20:</strong> 23 percent (faster than average)<br /><strong>Median annual pay:</strong> $66,920<br /><em><br /></em><br /><em>*Job descriptions, projected growth and median annual pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.</em></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />

9 health-care jobs for people who don't want to be a doctor

By Debra Auerbach, CareerBuilder Writer     When you ask children what they want to be when they grow up, a common answer is "doctor.&q...

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Companies hiring in July

<br /><div style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img alt="" class="media-image" height="200" src="http://artstg.icbdr.com/sites/all/files/styles/large/public/Need%20a%20job_0.jpg" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 3px;" typeof="foaf:Image" width="200" />As of May, <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">5.4 million people were experiencing long-term unemployment</a>*. If you were to ask any one of them to describe the job market, they probably wouldn't have many positive things to say.</div><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -30px; text-align: left;"><div class="hdr_org_bld" style="color: #ff6600; font: normal normal bold 18px/normal arial, helvetica;"><h1 id="articleHeadline" style="color: #000066; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> </h1></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">By Debra Auerbach, CareerBuilder Writer</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Yet a <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?sd=6%2f27%2f2012&sc_cmp1=cb_pr705_&siteid=cbpr&id=pr705&ed=12%2f31%2f2012" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">new CareerBuilder Talent Crunch survey</a> found that 38 percent of employers currently have open positions for which they can't find qualified candidates. Why the discrepancy? Yes, jobs are available, but many of those jobs are in highly skilled fields, and there aren't enough workers with the right credentials to fill those roles.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">It's not like job seekers aren't trying; 77 percent of job seekers surveyed said they'd be willing to take a job in a different field than the one in which they currently work, and 64 percent knowingly apply for positions for which they don't possess the required skills.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Luckily, many companies are taking measures to close the skills gap. According to the study, half of employers of all sizes are planning to hire workers who don't have experience in their particular field or industry and train them. Forty-one percent of companies reported that they currently have programs in place to help alleviate the skills gap, including on-the-job training, mentoring, sending employees back to school and other efforts.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">"Prolonged vacancies can result in lower-quality work, lower sales and morale and can cause a delay in creating other related positions within the organization," says Matt Ferguson, CEO of<a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">CareerBuilder</a>. "Fortunately, we see more companies taking matters into their own hands and putting programs in place to retrain and transition workers into their industries or fields."</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">If you're a job seeker who is willing to change fields, or even if you're not, the 15 companies listed below have jobs available today. The companies cover a variety of industries, and the positions vary by level, type and experience. Openings are available across the country, so if you're one of the 54 percent from the survey who would be willing to relocate to a new city or state for a job, you have a lot of options.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Here are 15 companies hiring in July:</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>1. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/aarons/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Aaron's</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry:</strong> Furniture<br /><strong>Sample job titles:</strong> Customer service, manager in training<br /><strong>Location:</strong> Nationwide</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>2. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/aerojet/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Aerojet</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Aerospace and engineering<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Senior project engineering, manager, estimating and pricing, reliability and safety engineer<br /><strong>Location: </strong>Sacramento; Redmond, Wash.; Huntsville, Ala.; Camden, Ark.; Washington, D.C.; Socorro, N.M.; Clearfield, Utah; Gainesville, Va.; Culpeper, Va.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>3. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/bloomin+brands/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Bloomin' Brands</strong></a> (operates Outback Steakhouse, Flemings, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba's and Roy's)<br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Hospitality/restaurant<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Hourly front of the house, hourly back of the house, restaurant manager<br /><strong>Location: </strong>Nationwide</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>4. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/captech+consulting/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>CapTech Consulting</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Information technology<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Java developer, IT project manager, business systems analyst, data warehouse architect, business objects architect, ETL database developer<br /><strong>Location:</strong> Nationwide</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>5. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/cynergies+solutions+group/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Cynergies Solutions Group</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Information technology staffing<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Project manager, business analyst, application developer, database administrator, system administrator/engineer, quality assurance analyst, data warehousing consultant<br /><strong>Location: </strong>Cleveland; Columbus; Cincinnati; Pittsburgh; Chicago; Minneapolis; Atlanta; Colorado Springs; Dayton, Ohio; Toledo, Ohio; Raleigh, N.C.; Louisville, Ky.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>6. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/devereux+foundation/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Devereux Foundation</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Behavioral health<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Development director, direct support professional, teacher's assistant, residential counselor<br /><strong>Location: </strong>Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>7. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/farmers+insurance/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Farmers Insurance</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry:</strong> Insurance<br /><strong>Sample job titles:</strong> Insurance sales agent, retail agency program<br /><strong>Location:</strong> New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, Minnesota</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>8. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/global+technology+associates/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>GTA Professional Staffing</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Engineering staffing firm<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Design release engineer, engineering manager, Catia V5 designer<br /><strong>Location: </strong>Detroit metro area</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>9. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/mv+transportation/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>MV Transportation Inc.</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Passenger transportation contracting<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Safety manager, safety trainer, fleet maintenance manager, general manager, mechanic, fleet technician, driver<br /><strong>Location: </strong>Nationwide</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>10. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/one+touch+direct/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>One Touch Direct</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Professional services/call center<br /><strong>Sample job title: </strong>Inside sales representative<br /><strong>Location: </strong>Tampa</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>11. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/onewest+bank/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Onewest Bank</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Finance<br /><strong>Sample job titles:</strong> Manager, analyst, auditor, teller<br /><strong>Location: </strong>Nationwide</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>12. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/pacific+pulmonary+services/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Pacific Pulmonary Services</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Respiratory services, customer service<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Outside sales representative, field customer service representative, driver -- medical equipment, respiratory therapist/sales assistant, district sales manager -- health care<br /><strong>Location: </strong>California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>13. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/riverside+research/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Riverside research</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Government defense<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Linux kernel developer, IT specialist, subcontract administrator, materials physicist<br /><strong>Location: </strong>New York City; Washington, D.C.; Dayton, Ohio; Boston; Champaign, Ill.; Rosslyn, Va.; Augusta, Ga.; Springfield, Va.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>14. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/suddenlink/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Suddenlink</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Telecommunications<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Direct sales, broadband technician, customer service representative, engineer, information technology professional<br /><strong>Location:</strong> Arkansas, Arizona, California, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><strong>15. </strong><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/company/WMS/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><strong>WMS</strong></a><br /><strong>Industry: </strong>Gaming<br /><strong>Sample job titles: </strong>Game developer, artist<br /><strong>Location: </strong>Chicago</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><em>*Unemployed for 27 weeks or more</em></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><em>Debra Auerbach is a writer and blogger for </em><a href="http://msn.careerbuilder.com/msn/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><em>CareerBuilder.com</em></a><em> and its job blog, </em><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><em>The Work Buzz</em></a><em>. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.</em></div>

Companies hiring in July

As of May,  5.4 million people were experiencing long-term unemployment *. If you were to ask any one of them to describe the job market, th...

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Live From Indianapolis II

<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">We got down to business this morning with a 3 hour meeting of the Structure Committee followed by what was supposed to be a 2 hour hearing in the afternoon but it turned out to be another 2 hours of meeting instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">I am markedly impressed with the Structure Committee. It has a number of folks who are real players in the national church, including our deputy chair, Gay Jennings, who is a contender for the next President of House of Deputies. I am just getting to know her, but am so far very favorably inclined toward her leadership. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">In the morning we did the basic work of setting the ground rules for our process and had a good general conversation about how to make structure serve mission. I have been a bit perplexed by the level of discomfort with this year’s reform proposal because there is no substantive change even on the table. The proposal is just to appoint a task force to study the possibility of structural reform and make a recommendation in the future – a recommendation we might like or not, enact or not – and would probably like and enact only in part, one of these days. So why the panic? I came away from today’s discussion with a better understanding. We had at least three different committees each of whom understood structure to be in their bailiwick. Now we have a proposal to create a new ad hoc task force with the clear mandate to make something happen. Even before a specific change is recommended, several groups feel displaced from their jobs. So dealing with the relationship side of this process is delicate.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">We had a room full of witnesses at the “hearing” this afternoon; but it turned out only one of them wanted to speak to one of our resolutions; and it was not a hot button resolution. Since we had the time, we took on a number of resolutions which were mostly house-keeping. Even though they were of the most minor nature, we were meticulous with the wording and so managed to devote considerable time and energy to fine tuning the canons. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">What we did needed doing; but I wondered if a smaller group might not have handled it better. I also did not grow personally, make deeper connections, or feel inspired. It is not the nature of the legislative process to grow the soul. Yet, I truly believe that this was a room full of people worth knowing, that if we could come together on a deeper level, the Holy Spirit might move among us. The conventioneers who were not stuck in hearings were at a baseball game. The chance of something spiritually edifying happening is far better at a baseball game than in a legislative hearing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Coming out of the Structure Committee “hearing,” I encountered Karen Johanns, formerly of Trinity, Reno and had a great time hearing about her gritty inner city ministry in Pontiac, MI and updating her on the movings and shakings of the Silver State. <o:p></o:p></span></div>

Live From Indianapolis II

We got down to business this morning with a 3 hour meeting of the Structure Committee followed by what was supposed to be a 2 hour hearing i...

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Two Days Without Sugar

I'm so grateful  to Missy for writing the post she did.  This 'no sugar' thing is really shaking things up from what I'm used to and I love it!<br /><br />Monday went really well.  I had no real cravings and I was able to make it through the day with no problem.<br /><br />Yesterday, however, was a different story.  We drove from Virginia to Pennsylvania for 4th of July and I found myself multiple times wanting a sweet on the long drive.  I'm sure I only wanted one because of boredom/minor stress of the drive. <br /><br />As the day wore on, I wanted sweets more and more.  It's funny how often my mind wondered to having a sweet.  As a result, I've been eating a lot of berries.  Right now, the sweetness of the berries isn't quite satisfying the yearning for chocolate, but I suspect it will eventually.<br /><br />I have to confess, I did have a slight mess up this morning at breakfast.  I'm at my sister's and my brother-in-law made pancakes.  So, I did consume some pancake syrup this morning.   My original thought was if I made pancakes on my own, I would make a fruit compote or something like that to put over them.  Still, it's not a huge deal.  I was mindful of it and put only as much on it as I needed. <br /><br />Here's to making it through the 4th of July without any sweets...... ohhhhh the s'mores I want soooo badly!

No Sugar Challenge Two Days Without Sugar

I'm so grateful  to Missy for writing the post she did.  This 'no sugar' thing is really shaking things up from what I'm use...

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Saudi Arabia and China

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h1 class="s1mainStoryHeadline" style="color: red; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Saudis are buying nuclear-capable missiles from China</span></h1><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="articleDescription">via DEBKA<em>file</em></span></span> <span class="articleDescription red italic"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1aDOSo82Bs?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><span class="articleBody"></span><br /> <span class="debka"> </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="debka">debka</span><span class="file">file</span>’s military sources report that Saudi Arabia has set its feet on the path to a nuclear weapon capability and is negotiating in Beijng the purchase of Chinese nuclear-capable Dong-Fen 21 ((NATO-codenamed CSS-5) ballistic missile.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"> China, which has agreed to the transaction in principle, would also build a base of operations near Riyadh for the new Saudi purchases. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> As we reported last year, Saudi Arabia has struck a deal with Pakistan for the availability on demand of a nuclear warhead from Islamabad’s arsenal for fitting onto a ballistic missile.<br /> Riyadh owns a direct interest in the two most active Middle East issues: Iran and Syria.<br /> Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been advancing for two decades regardless of countless attempts at restraint by every diplomatic tool under the sun and a rising scale of sanctions – to no avail.<br /> Tehran marches on regardless of impediments. In Istanbul, Tuesday, July 3, the six powers and Iran failed the fourth attempt to reach an accommodation on Iran’s nuclear program.<br /> </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Syrian ruler Bashar <a href="http://www.debka.com/article/22151">Assad </a>remains equally undeterred by international condemnation. Saturday, June 30, the US and Russia again failed to agree on a joint plan of action in Syria.<br /> Saudi forces have been poised for action in Syria on the Jordanian and Iraqi borders since US Secretary of State Leon Panetta visited Riyadh in late June.</span><br /><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"> On July 1, they redoubled their military preparedness when the European Union clamped down an oil embargo on Iran. <a href="http://www.debka.com/article">The Saudis, the US Fifth Fleet and the entire Gulf region </a>are since braced for Iranian reprisals which could come in the form of closure by Tehran of the vital Straits of Hormuz to shipping or strikes against the Gulf emirates’ oil exporting facilities.<br /> Tension shot up again when Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched a three-day missile drill against simulated enemy bases in the region – expanding its threats to include US forces and bases in the region, Israel and Turkey.</span><br />

Saudi Arabia and China

Saudis are buying nuclear-capable missiles from China via DEBKA file   debka file ’s military sources report that Saudi Arabia ha...

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30 days of Web Tools: #2: Google Chrome extensions that are useful for students

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><i>submitted by Fiona Beal</i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Which browser do you use? Have you tried Google Chrome? I have three browsers installed on my computer (Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox) and I must say that Google Chrome is fast become my firm favourite. Recently I have been exploring free Chrome extensions and have been amazed at what is on offer. These could be very useful for the students we teach. </span><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What is a Chrome extension?</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chrome extensions are extra features and functionality that you can choose to add to your browser from the Chrome Web Store. Generally I don’t go to the web store to choose as it is quite overwhelming – I go for recommended ones by other teachers. All the ones I have added to date are free and by recommendation . The extensions generally sit in the top corner of your browser and you click on one when you want to add it.</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/AVvXsEhYvAL6L6nqO8GDnjno0GwZMZKuG9-f5SG-AZvudyfJxDmUjF1MB9_XWuuSdRB2aOzcvIHG44OxlbhDqW2EZW5r4NJIo9P7QlMRbDN3KgL85Ft1Vogfxa52ERQ4ATsGrAXd9B0gFJJCq6M/s1600-h/image3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDiXDWFlssP-5tmq8HYN7VekX1v3VKQxBcNveH9-PESzKTHG6Mv2uhxgoU_tCtYK2l0EWCVnccHAj8Wbp3vyZ1WIeTMIyN0THXrfopdZMv4U9DQNdTIyxML6icHLh3x3Pb3hWFBVZ70lU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extensions on the top right corner of  my browser</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Dictionary extension</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you ask Google for ‘Google Dictionary’ it will take you straight to the Chrome web store add-on page.  <b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjbhQ28Hbvu6cWhFCqSresmRT5nqy_KqzpHMISrOJzyN0I7HvxXZ6mJxyp4RnamPvBF_4OYV0fJKMsLdadWy4TpAtMJQLMdEFhdYYYFwEQJR2vLjydvQuaV1ofobV0KGElu2q4qHuHWw/s1600-h/image7.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VuFLgImF-9MtlQLCNJ53-12KL4CKk0mv7g9CNCmNhyphenhyphenc7Z5Z846saaW6v0g57zUm3jz-opfmxB7QhIU9ToXYGM2SrzHSkpXH3Aa3y3w3X7DYdTACcBhlnKRiKjjls3TDmUUwQeUO7gg0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looks like in the Chrome Web Store</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This tool can be so useful when students are researching as whenever they double click on a word the meaning is displayed as shown below.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAof4YIkGyzzFaPV9mVS39KZ8es-LATjzyEOUwg7Uo4zpfK5Ocz1G08kH-770AwFEzrjUBCMgyv-UT1HWHf8ajaoiKdW3sajYc_oq_Nz1Srz6_urZc-OqOmNbpkesVnoB_r7z7lhrDiD4/s1600-h/image13.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbamKckH0-8TYj9l-kSwENPb7UXzyirtyfzNoATwmaS6EkR7gMSlijzPcUxrfliDZGWU8YuSbJyNi7Z-CsnTIoxzgtVhVVRdGg_OokJ4P2NUiD1ttWrnEoUi-WUYYMs6bsUA9vXLrUMs/?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: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Speakit! (Text to Speech)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW66CGrA-AbE-ooQyvbqvDfd6-fUYT4WeJb-99958D7mZ1_0w-k1bkP93sj7_YIKIeC0N6YK8CjTxjC_S7J6a3RfXmqQ2m8NNIA0xLLMqlyQoFmxoI6oD2-RlBV5tKZwhJaOnGTrxS3GY/s1600-h/image46.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="42" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAGwJ2-b8vMcixOBP1tOkR2L0MPjEnkwx9DlN4Yv0AgQETruqwNmpmYOEt3LQ_BvWBr-hl928oCzhoSB0GKj7YG0L6xIshq9hNvNLThLxJsIfOOyPRlI3efvTMqcMd-KwIeSLcLR03Wk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="43" /></a><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a great extension that converts text to speech. All that you do once it is installed is highlight the text that you wish to have read to you, press the <i>Speakit icon</i> and listen. This is also useful for students when they are reading more difficult passages for example. </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;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4ILEzEghlZluCBxzw1vEgXba1sK8DgErVgi6dtOwDzSfW6oEVqFhayswEJWpLYDi70ynam-xYAF_tOoQoT84E_tUPuxSwbgLKbiDUVe8dliqBTG9T96gN4SZCXEI9dT9ud7itKbXhU4/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="242" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looks like in the Chrome Web Store</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Speech to text</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgib5ZTUWBX-fhdEsFcrG-tDibzTjWd26pHvwB2UgkVrvDdNihiAA6ohb-ZtiGKElz8YEz2FvBMCw4SkYuOSTidNdcyoWif_X663rQKeEwoZFvHJJ22_lKc2hB0MunfW6yPDEeeelBZ20Q/s1600-h/image45.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlfOb8MprflU56QIPKjuPU95ZkGYFLr5RsdzrCFi9s-9m7sAY6QADw3PYtga3HzrgkWdAsryESQk6ZsvSJm9HPjWex3n4BP3WOKgXfp_XGHNYzc_0am7MnNmuHNMVuTDPbPe6flxKDrY/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="55" /></a><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is an extension which allows you to click on a microphone and speak. The application types the words that are spoken. This extension could be useful for students who struggle with writing, although it does require editing as no punctuation is supplied.</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/AVvXsEiRKXFNpMtCXgJKETQL-tOX7imLl0iejFTO24jA3RL2PMzwh5EYQ0hZrKt7g-RX8YL8h8dwEFaSmHAoNkQumzVnpnPxaPcp-Gq2jFS0xqcZvdlV-6dBspBMMor9fgilG8PEbnach3f7Ee0/s1600-h/image28.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBxRJfrAsyEzSTLMxmUXvcRAeC06lZjsDI1_ekYCYLLFK2QoocKUXgp6WMZcPqoJuxjbLrGi2PfUSxJYz5LrmNsmPBYsZu-qFvuUNyiPNCKtPVtwW0S6UXtc9izWdTqQpHUk4B_gv4hw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looks like in the Chrome Web Store</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Basically you click on the icon and a window appears. Click on the microphone in the right hand corner of the top bar and speak. The typed words appear. One then clicks  <i>Add to textbox</i> and the words are transferred to the main section below.  From here they can be edited and placed into paragraphs.</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/AVvXsEgA9DFVO10iRAsbti8AlGDvfCO-y0UAR71-Fsfe1R253C0cvZquNcgcspeoO-2kNcVYTKY0-n6EjNTJt720GbCfeKv-hSM6Nu0pM5LFueIMNY6M3TgH5cxWpgcrHSVCUEVBiSKURjVkZU8/s1600-h/image32.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fJ78uxIr5QFDw-Zb8suFSHPTJfSRQltc6ysCJyazF2hRvrL1VdQubAdl2pSA1_zpK3vFOvRFK6UVj1lBOh5hzE3Xwp1SWAeUH1kUhr1YPp7r6PJMlgo-FV2zUsP8s22QK-2A_tyXsg8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="242" /></a></div><pre></pre><pre> </pre><pre style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Scratchpad</span></b></pre><pre><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNI5TxHi11GgfNYe1HRkbhn78YI90oLxHYWNExfoayb0lUZb4oqFEU38HYgYRTzgXFH_85wt3tDHwEm8deT5rFdbuiibGgBHDi3KEIJ27HaATxoKN1RY5ADwVQDXSEPiSpHBovq4z8fk/s1600-h/image44.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13R6Tyos2jRScGUhK7FGYfVPteZOGn_FRh59a7sBS8KZKpl6CC5Z5aS8X3rgbhIUOlAWGrG34obyOpdGzWq0biP-qFNMU_R3mTNCL_9jmqHE7GEaTegHHp0B4DFX2WAhyVERk00pq8n0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="130" /></a></pre><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scratchpad is a simple note-taking app that works offline and online. It can be seamlessly integrated with Google Docs and keeps your notes up to date. There is no saving and no sending. It just works!</span></div><pre style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></pre><pre> </pre><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="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHrbjo4of1yk_yNhPcKkoygVTF-xfb-OYPnjwDuCm0Svg98kYUyrAI9ftxL6Eu7gAF9fTdS-lNmZ1qYSNTIaqKVUjkTeRwQV-NRBRD3Q0O-eZ3hDIcYWwt2ImDSdjvWYpbg34lpUbkxw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Scratchpad in the Chrome Web store </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">As you are browsing, and you open <i>Scratchpad</i> extension a little box appears on the left for you to make notes. This saves automatically in Google Docs. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is very useful for students who are browsing for information as they don't have to open a separate document for their notes. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><pre></pre><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/AVvXsEjczyUFWneYvuql4D6eh1hTAgdYSx-edNTzDBig57I98vrSr3B6UAuGfC29OxcR_tz88WHzbirSKkpXKx9sDNiUZw3JyLPU2z6SwMTLMd_CIBunOtRSg0OvsfQQWCAiDHVr1ai_uj87Cms/s1600-h/image40.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76Z1oEfPYqJP31oaGTDnKXA57gQSWcPZV3-eZThAXjK0-EZiacE_TXZdQ1EDsd3MJvSBB8GwH4TrEHUUAdVVUxBu7RzYLXzp2CKr6w6qUCKcQpFDrd2gbCdjleWXWoskQ0rj6wBa9UEc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="238" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how it sits on your web page.</td></tr></tbody></table><pre></pre><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">These are just four very useful extensions to get started on. Just give them a try. I honestly think the Google Chrome browser is amazing!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Further reading on even more useful extensions </span></b></span><br /><br /><a href="http://followmolly.blogspot.com/2012/01/life-after-internet-explorer-welcome-to.html" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">http://followmolly.blogspot.com/2012/01/life-after-internet-explorer-welcome-to.html</a><br /><a href="http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/01/10-useful-chrome-web-apps-and.html" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/01/10-useful-chrome-web-apps-and.html</a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></span></div>

Chrome extensions google 30 days of Web Tools: #2: Google Chrome extensions that are useful for students

submitted by Fiona Beal Which browser do you use? Have you tried Google Chrome? I have three browsers installed on my computer (Chrome, Inte...

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QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Calibri;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;">The thick grey sky hangs, like a celestial woolen blanket, over a flat city holding in the dank heat. Ok, Hayden Koenig<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1941566034196038608#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> could of said it better. But you get the idea. It is hot and muggy here. First question: why must we have General Convention in July when people are at the height of irritability? Why not in the very merry month of May in some pleasant romantic climate?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;">One more gripe: this hotel ain’t the greatest. It sure makes me miss my beloved Gold Country Inn (Elko) with the moose curtains and bedcover; Hotel Nevada (Ely)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>with its variable water and neon vistas; and Mizpah Hotel (Tonopah) with its Edwardian décor and ghosts.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;">Nonetheless, this is the best part of Convention. Business does not begin in earnest until tomorrow. My favorite part of convention is registration, ably overseen by the credentials committee starring our own Elizabeth Tattersall. This is where we see people we have not seen in months or even years. I have seen Paul Colbert of San Joaquin, Mimi Wu of Hawaii, Lucinda Ashby of Idaho, and various bishop buds. It is a true delight to meet up with all these good Episcopalians again and to ask the mundane things – How was your flight? How are the kids? – that are as human as they are pedestrian.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;">But the proper nature and spirit of General Convention is already a subject for wonderment. I have been reading Russ Crabtree’s The Fly in The Ointment; Margaret Wheatley’s Leadership & The New Science II, and Peter Senge’s Presence – all of which call our present way of doing business into question. Crabtree would like to see us focus more on helping parishes do the real mission. Wheatley and Senge are looking for a more relational, less mechanical, legalistic organizational life.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;">So today, one of our more scholarly bishops was telling me of his problems with the language of a resolution endorsing “the Principle of Subsidiarity,” a doctrine that sounds good once you learn how to pronounce it but has taken odd double-speak twists ever since it was invented by Pope Pius IX. A woman from a Western state overheard us and butted into the conversation arguing in support of the Principle because the words mean something more sensible in her field, economics. Immediately, it was not a conversation but a debate over something few can pronounce, fewer still can spell, and has never saved anyone’s soul or fed a hungry child. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;">We made an abortive attempt to change the way we interact last Convention by trying “public discourse.” It may not have been well presented and it did not go well. I don’t know how to change the way we relate to each other and negotiate our business. But I long for something more like I have experienced in small group relational meetings in community organizing, in Indaba Groups where people state candidly what they have at stake and how they feel about something without trying to persuade – just express; spiritual story sharing in spiritual direction groups; or non-judgmental wondering about each other’s experience in Parker Palmer circles of trust. I just don’t know that we can have a Christian conversation within the constraints of Roberts Rules. When I go to a Ministry Developers Cohort I come away feeling like a better person. I want to feel that way when I come away from General Convention. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 408.75pt;">I did enjoy the Integrity Reception tonight. I met some new people and connected with friends. It was then on to the Province 8 Synod – a business meeting for the regional level organization of the Episcopal Church running from Utah and Arizona to Guam and Taiwan. It was a long meeting with many reports. I was grateful to hear Nevada acknowledged several times for our contributions in various ministries around the Province. I only regret I couldn’t get a word in edgewise to campaign for our own JoAnn Roberts Armistead who is running for Executive Council.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <!--[endif]--> <div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;"> <div class="MsoEndnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1941566034196038608#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Hayden Koenig, the protagonist in Mark Scweitzer’s liturgical mystery series, is a writer of pulp fiction mysteries emulating Raymond Chandler. His sentences make this one look good. The first book in this hilarious series is The Alto Wore Tweed.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><br /></div></div></div><!--EndFragment-->

Live From Indianapolis I

The thick grey sky hangs, like a celestial woolen blanket, over a flat city holding in the dank heat. Ok, Hayden Koenig [i] could of ...

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