Healthy Choice Baked

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xTHri1GYrOk/UMxsxUOQZyI/AAAAAAAADxY/AjmHGm99W3k/s1600/healthy+choice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xTHri1GYrOk/UMxsxUOQZyI/AAAAAAAADxY/AjmHGm99W3k/s320/healthy+choice.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was part of this opportunity on Crowdtap to try Healthy Choice Baked meals.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I used to eat this stuff all of the time, until I found out it's not all that great for you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I prefer making my own food to control what goes in it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I would like to try this to see if it's any different from their other meals, but the coupon isn't printing for some reason.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />

Healthy Choice Baked

I was part of this opportunity on Crowdtap to try Healthy Choice Baked meals. I used to eat this stuff all of the time, until I found out it...

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 12/15/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/14/wes-deweese-questions-sons-grades_n_2301292.html">Father Of Student With Disabilities Questions Son's High Grades</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Grade fabrication is worse than grade inflation. Which is worse - the fact that the education system is lying about a child who can't walk and can't say his parent's names -- by giving the child A's in higher level subjects like Algebra and science -- or the system that forces education to go down the road from failing to farce. Not every student is an A student. Period. We need age appropriate, fair measures. I think this article exposes a larger problem. I have a teacher friend that talked to me several years back - she was in a local public school system. The principal told her that her F's HAD to become C's and her C's needed to move up and thus on down the line. She said she wouldn't do it, that she'd give the principal her gradebook and he could lie, but she wouldn't. So, this doesn't surprise me. Honesty and character are what you do when no one is looking -- but the fact that the Gwinett County school system can't even own up when people are looking is bothersome as well. Something is rotten and it isn't in the state of Denmark... does this bother anyone else? "My goal isn't to have him do Algebra I right now. My goal is to have him walk," DeWeese told WSBTV. "I would love to hear him say 'mom' or 'dad,' but I know that's probably never going to happen." DeWeese's concerns aren't ungrounded. Teachers and administrators across subjects have crumbled under increasing pressure to demonstrate improved student performance. A report last month found that as many as one in five teachers in Kansas and neighboring states reports science grades on student report cards without actually teaching or testing students on the subject.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/grades">grades</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/tumblr">tumblr</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://academhack.outsidethetext.com/home/2012/a-dunbar-number-for-educating/">A Dunbar Number for Educating - academhack - Thoughts on Emerging Media and Higher Education</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Dave Parry at @academhack talks about the Dunbar number for educating. he thinks his number is 50-60 students. I am in a high school/ middle school and I am up close to 100 and feel that I have meaningful interactions with that many, however, I am around them all day long - see them at lunch, games, etc. So, I could understand how that number may be lower for a college professor. Great question worth asking and perhaps researching based upon these anecdotal conversations. Read more on his blog: "But this got me to wondering what is the Dunbar number for instruction. That is at any one time what is the number of students I can interact with, what is the cognitive limit of the number of students I can maintain and have a consistent interaction with. I think we can all agree that the fewer the students the more time I have to spend with each, and versa visa, the more students the less time I can spend with each. But I am hypothesizing about something slightly different here. What is the educational cognitive load? What is the Dunbar number for instruction? At what point do the edges start to fray and do I lose track of the students I am interacting with over the course of a semester? So here’s my guess, and this is just a starting point. I think my Dunbar number for instruction is about 45-60. That is over the course of a semester I can handle about 45-60 in classes and still interact with them, become invested in them, and try to treat each (as much as possible) as an individual who is having an educational experience in which I play a role. Keep that number under 60 and I pretty much “know” all of my students. If someone walks into my office and says “How is Steven doing this semester?” I know about his semester. How he is doing. How he is engaging the material, and probably some additional material about where he is at with in the program and what interests him. Keep that number under 60 and I think that is true of all of my students. But as that number rises over 60 I start to lose the ability to “keep all the students in my head.” That is I start to lose track of some, they disappear, fade into the background. I can keep tabs on most but I end up focusing on the ones who need challenging, or the ones who are struggling, and some in the middle get lost under the weight of too many students.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/weekend-reading-14/45055">Weekend Reading</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">I have to say - @profhacker ROCKS. In this week's round up (something I always try to read) he points to an article questioning what the "Dunbar number is for teaching." The Dunbar number is number that hypothetically, is the maximum number you can meaningfully have interactions - really, the number of "friends" you can have and those people be REAL friends -- or at least acquaintances. This question is an important one -- if we can find the "Dunbar number for teaching" then we could structure class sizes and course loads to not exceed that maximum - at least if we care about real teaching. It could at least give us a litmus test to determine if organizations really care about good teaching. We know that smaller class sizes are better - but if we can MEANINGFULLY interact - in these times, wouldn't we look at that upper limit as a sort of maximum number? I will link to the other article as well, but wanted to point out profhacker just because the blog ROCKS. </p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/pln">pln</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/tumblr">tumblr</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/dunbar number">dunbar number</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWlAJxIz_rE&feature=youtu.be">Twitter For Your Pln - YouTube</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">I need to get my daughter to translate this very cool trailer for a project for teachers - very cool. Why don't we make trailers to start school years and projects? We could even end a project by having kids make trailers for the next participants. Cool.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/twitter">twitter</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/pln">pln</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/ideas">ideas</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 12/15/2012

Father Of Student With Disabilities Questions Son's High Grades Grade fabrication is worse than ...

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Matt Said, Jay Said 3.14159265359

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />Matt babbles, Jay babbles, You pretend to listen.<br /><br />Matt: Cheers!<br />Jay: Hola!<br />Matt: What do you want?<br />Jay: You<br />Matt: Sick Fuck<br />Jay: That makes you hot<br />Matt: I’m a little uncomfortable right now<br />Jay: Me too<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjkAjFIMiojqCirE25u9u2rgPU4qsBzr1oSBFB0PqEGfVNmoHIa0NqfAwfV5bu5WU_uVCUAsZVG1Gei5Y84XUB9lMPoQMVecBmYNRk4fNUZdJyDi5YIEMRVyAe130krAYuoDYD-CDuL8/s1600/Schmoop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjkAjFIMiojqCirE25u9u2rgPU4qsBzr1oSBFB0PqEGfVNmoHIa0NqfAwfV5bu5WU_uVCUAsZVG1Gei5Y84XUB9lMPoQMVecBmYNRk4fNUZdJyDi5YIEMRVyAe130krAYuoDYD-CDuL8/s320/Schmoop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jay: So how’s Schmoop?<br />Matt: Well the surgery went well<br />Jay: That’s good.  Anything else?<br />Matt: Oh yea, she DOES NOT have cancer!<br />Jay: WOOOOOOOOOO!!!<br />Matt: Yeah, that was pretty good news.<br />Jay: DAMN good news!<br />Matt: They still don’t really know what the blockage was.<br />Jay: Well, Doritos Nacho Dust can pack in there pretty tight.<br />Matt: True, or maybe some meat-like substances from Taco Bell<br />Jay: Or some of that Skyline Chili shit.<br />Matt: NOBODY knows what that stuff is.<br />Jay: Maybe nachos?<br />Matt: A tortilla chip might have gotten caught sideways in there.<br />Jay: The possibilities are endless.<br />Matt: And I’m fine with any of them as long as it isn’t cancer.<br />Jay: Damn right!<br /><br />Matt: So what are we talking about on this week’s show?<br />Jay: Well I guess we should talk about the single life<br />Matt: We are a couple of swinging bachelors currently.<br />Jay: Damn right. Wild and crazy bachelors who get sleepy by 9:30<br />Matt: Well, maybe our prime is a little behind us<br />Jay: But, we can still talk about meals for one<br />Matt: And how to enjoy being alone.<br />Jay: Pros and Cons of single life!<br />Matt: There you go!<br />Jay: This is gonna be awesome<br />Matt: It’s gonna be HUGE!<br />Jay: I’m kind of excited about it<br />Matt: I’m going to get uncomfortable again<br />Jay: I’ll tone it down<br />Matt: I don’t think you know how to<br />Jay: You’re right<br />Matt: Okay, I think we’re ready!<br />Jay: Sweet! See you on the air dude!<br />Matt: Laterz!<br /><br />Okay, there you have it kids. Schmoop is apparently cancer free and we’re going to be <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/12/16/the-bachelor-life" target="_blank">Baching It</a> this weekend on IWS! Join us for all the wild and crazy fun!<br /><div><br /></div></div>

Matt Said, Jay Said 3.14159265359

Matt babbles, Jay babbles, You pretend to listen. Matt: Cheers! Jay: Hola! Matt: What do you want? Jay: You Matt: Sick Fuck Jay: That makes ...

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ARGENTINA and BITCOIN

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font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHqPzo2r_AyorZLc0lO3PCcll_mzbgeEiQi49a1y-6i2v1Q3a1szPTwgYsERmBoF0W28Tn8vYaI_Uw-bvojo4IiirZyQ736q1v-eFcJN5SwhrxjlOaJ0fbH80Vi76zB4ijXwQgxRQqC56/s1600/BitcoinQR5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHqPzo2r_AyorZLc0lO3PCcll_mzbgeEiQi49a1y-6i2v1Q3a1szPTwgYsERmBoF0W28Tn8vYaI_Uw-bvojo4IiirZyQ736q1v-eFcJN5SwhrxjlOaJ0fbH80Vi76zB4ijXwQgxRQqC56/s320/BitcoinQR5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BITCOIN, THE NEW ALTERNATIVE CURRENCY FOR ARGENTINA?</span></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">BITCOIN, LA  NUEVA MONEDA ALTERNATIVA PARA ARGENTINA?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;"></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;"></span></b><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;"><br /></span><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">En Argentina, donde la población tiene que hacer frente aconstricciones económicas  "home made"  impuestas por las autoridades locales, BITCOIN, una moneda alternativa en línea está experimentando una popularidad creciente.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />El nuevo sistema de pago está descentralizada en una red peer-to-peer - al igual que el sistema de descargas BITORRENT. Los argentinos están luchando actualmente con alta inflación, la moneda extranjera - las soluciones para frenar la inflación, es difícil de conseguir en estos días. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: blue;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;"><span style="font-size: large;">Así los argentinos empresariales han comenzado a utilizar BITCOIN con el fin de enviar dinero fuera del país,  obtener dólares  o euros. Todas las transacciones son anónimas. Las autoridades no tienen ninguna posibilidad de controlar esas transacciones.</span></span></span><br /><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;"></span></span><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BITCOIN, THE NEW ALTERNATIVE CURRENCY FOR ARGENTINA?</span></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Argentina, where the population has to cope with “home made” economic constrictions imposed by local authorities, BITCOIN, an alternative online currency is experiencing increasing popularity.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The new payment system is decentralized in a peer-to-peer network – just like the download system BITORRENT. Argentineans are currently struggling with high inflation, foreign currency - the solutions to curb in inflation, is hard to get these days. Thus entrepreneurial Argentineans have started to use BITCOIN in order to get money out of the country or purchase Dollars or Euros. All transactions are anonymous. Authorities have no chance to control such transactions.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>BITCOINS, THE ONLINE-ONLY CURRENCY</b>. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdv44EDtP12BwRPpAIteKLfxCEZW8yNObX7RpFXxiPqjN9sYzJV7BaA_jjuicnwPA0jGyj3kheNWgmTPJaZShaL9KOIVTF5YR_gvAGGO5uIA4Gz_OsjJBCVlIFy8O97qnYqphMeJBWhyphenhyphen8w/s1600/bitcoin530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdv44EDtP12BwRPpAIteKLfxCEZW8yNObX7RpFXxiPqjN9sYzJV7BaA_jjuicnwPA0jGyj3kheNWgmTPJaZShaL9KOIVTF5YR_gvAGGO5uIA4Gz_OsjJBCVlIFy8O97qnYqphMeJBWhyphenhyphen8w/s320/bitcoin530.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"></span>Created in 2009 by a mysterious programmer named Satoshi Nakamoto, bitcoins behave a lot like any currency. Their value is determined by demand, and they can be used to buy stuff. Bitcoin transactions are encrypted and handled by a decentralized global network of tens of thousands of personal computers. Merchants around the world accept the currency, from a bakery in San Francisco to a dentist in Finland. Individuals who own bitcoins and wish to exchange them for physical currencies like euros or dollars can use exchange sites such as localbitcoins.com, a Finland-based site founded by Jeremias Kangas. “I believe that bitcoin is, or will be in the future, a very effective tool for individuals who want to avoid sanctions, currency restrictions, and high inflation in countries such as Iran,” Kangas wrote in an e-mail. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE ADVANTAGE FOR COUNTRIES WITH RESTRICTIVE FOREIGN CURRENCY POLICIES IS THAT BITCOINS CAN BE SWAPPED FOR DOLLARS THAT CAN THEN BE KEPT OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY</b>. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Another plus: Regulators can’t easily track the transactions, since bitcoins aren’t issued from a central server. Bitcoin users can conduct business on virtual private networks, which hide customers’ identities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Many entrepreneurs and visionaries wish the culture of using digital money will spread all over the world, because it does not have any dependency on anything like politics.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Um63OQz3bjo?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>HOW IT WORKS</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The project was started in 2009 by an enigmatic programmer known as Satoshi Nakamoto. He always communicated electronically, never answered personal questions, and disappeared from online forums in December. The conspiracy-minded speculate that Nakamoto was actually a group of people, or a government cryptographer, or a pseudonym for Gavin Andresen, the Amherst (Mass.) programmer who took over the project after Nakamoto vanished. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Digital transactions normally require a trusted intermediary such as PayPal to credit and debit accounts properly and prevent cheating</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">. With BITCOINS, "there is no middleman, says Andresen or," more accurately, there's a distributed middleman. Individual transactions are encrypted, logged by a decentralized network running on thousands of home computers, and recorded in a public ledger. The system works similarly to peer-to-peer music-sharing networks in that files are shared among swarms of users, rather than downloaded from a central server. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Suppose you're in the market for alpaca socks, one of the few consumer items you can buy with BITCOINS. Step one: Get some BTC—that's the symbol—at a currency exchange site such as Mt.Gox. Then download a desktop app from bitcoin.org, which will store your lucre (some use an online service such as Instawallet.org instead) and connect you to the decentralized BITCOIN network. Next, find the alpaca farms BITCOIN address, a string of characters also known as a public key. Click the send coins button. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE BITCOIN NETWORK HAS HANDLED AS MANY AS 87 QUADRILLION CALCULATIONS PER SECOND, 35 TIMES MORE THAN THE TOP SUPERCOMPUTER. </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The purchase is unconfirmed until a miner certifies it. Miners are power users who crunch numbers on behalf of the network, and some have racks of computers dedicated to the task. They're called miners because, just as gold miners increase the supply of gold, they create new BITCOINS, at an algorithmically controlled rate. The greater their computing power, the more they generate for themselves. Once a miner's computer has processed a transaction, the alpaca farm gets BITCOINS and you get socks. It's complex but fast: The BITCOIN network has handled as many as 87 quadrillion calculations per second, 35 times more than the top supercomputer. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BITCOIN, ONLY FOR “MATURE” COUNTRIES? </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BITCOINS have all the advantages of cash—free to use, very hard to trace—as well as its disadvantages. That digital wallet is a file on a hard drive or online, and if it's lost or stolen there's no recourse. The currency is backed only by the faith and credit of its participants and outside the scope of any banker, politician, or the Federal Reserve. To a certain breed of libertarian nerd who grew up on cyberpunk, it's the Digital Rapture. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMfnSLZx_53PDkSD3Jq7apvNaGL55CwKGr_eaRIM8TsVKPFjGE-lt-WEfaocEjkDDexxXhullYiyQvfVgfddEoI0RD43AAvNE8mycaa-nwQlcLeISZfTJJa4zf6-nyo6z7AeOOBnT1gcM/s1600/bitcoin_accepted_sign1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMfnSLZx_53PDkSD3Jq7apvNaGL55CwKGr_eaRIM8TsVKPFjGE-lt-WEfaocEjkDDexxXhullYiyQvfVgfddEoI0RD43AAvNE8mycaa-nwQlcLeISZfTJJa4zf6-nyo6z7AeOOBnT1gcM/s320/bitcoin_accepted_sign1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span>BITCOIN also resonates with those who have something to hide. "Any anarchist cyberscheme like BITCOIN will rapidly attract the Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse: Mafia, drug dealers, terrorists, and child pornography," says author and futurist Bruce Sterling. The hacker group LulzSec, which has claimed credit for breaking into websites at Sony (<a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?symbol=SNE"><span style="color: blue;">SNE</span></a>) and the U.S. Senate, says a donor recently sent in $7,000 worth of BITCOINS. Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) urged federal law enforcement to shut down Silk Road, an online catalog for drugs, and spotlighted BITCOIN'S role as the only method of payment for these illegal purchases. Among the legit merchandise you can buy with BITCOIN: organic gardening services, a BITCOIN merit badge from NerdMeritBadge.com, and a smattering of tech products. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yYTqvYqXRbY?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BITCOIN: WILL THE ONLINE CURRENCY INFLUENCE GEOPOLITICS AND STRATEGIES?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Merit badges and gardening are not the stuff revolutions are made of, but BITCOIN'S ascent has created a virtuous cycle: As early adopters see the value of their stakes rise, they have an incentive to entice new users and merchants. The number of people on the BITCOIN network at any given moment has climbed from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands since the start of the year, says Andresen. There are dedicated BITCOIN currency exchanges, escrow accounts, and smartphone apps. In the planning stages are options exchanges, cash registers, and high-frequency trading programs. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">IF THERE'S ONE INDUSTRY THAT TAKES THE MOST CREAM OFF THE TOP AND PROVIDES THE LEAST VALUE, ITS FINANCE</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Mark Suppes, a Web developer (who freelances for Bloomberg LP, parent of this magazine), bought a used ATM on EBay (<a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?symbol=EBAY"><span style="color: blue;">EBAY</span></a>) for about $400. In a Brooklyn warehouse, he's reprogramming it to accept BITCOIN transfers from a smartphone and dispense U.S. dollars. Suppes is motivated by self-interest—"I own enough BITCOINS that I'll be set if this works out," he says—and a desire to stick it to what he considers economic parasites. "If there's one industry that takes the most cream off the top and provides the least value, its finance," he says. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Bankers needn't worry at this point. The most common reason to hold BITCOINS is as a speculative investment. "Any given day, it can move 20, 30, 40, even 50 percent," says Adam Cohen, a developer at startup Seatgeek who wrote a critical post about BITCOIN on the Q&A site Quora. "That's scary. I wouldn't want to have a lot of my wealth tied up in it right now." Sterling calls BITCOINS "a cousin project to WikiLeaks." For a glimpse of its future, he says, "find the half-dozen zealots who were core activists of WikiLeaks and ask them how their plan for massive planetary liberation has been going." </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The skeptics are why Andresen evangelizes. After his last haircut, he persuaded his barber to accept payment in BITCOIN. "I had to promise I would buy it back from him if it dropped in value," he says. "I insured his downside risk." </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The bottom line:</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> BITCOINS, a two-year-old virtual currency, have exploded in value since December as tech-minded speculators snap them up.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

ARGENTINA and BITCOIN

BITCOIN, THE NEW ALTERNATIVE CURRENCY FOR ARGENTINA?   BITCOIN, LA  NUEVA MONEDA ALTERNATIVA PARA ARGENTINA? En Argentina, donde la poblac...

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Today's archidose #640

Here are some photos of the Musashino Art University Museum and Library (<a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2010/07/musashino-art-university-library.html">featured previously</a>) in Tokyo, Japan, by <a href="http://www.sou-fujimoto.net/">Sou Fujimoto Architects</a> (2010). Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/">Scott Norsworthy</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/8266526280/" title="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto by Scott Norsworthy, on Flickr"><img alt="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto" height="429" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8205/8266526280_c761dc6a6a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/8265465059/" title="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto by Scott Norsworthy, on Flickr"><img alt="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto" height="361" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8059/8265465059_e2398d11af_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/8265462449/" title="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto by Scott Norsworthy, on Flickr"><img alt="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto" height="532" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8353/8265462449_fc9d8a441b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/8265468641/" title="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto by Scott Norsworthy, on Flickr"><img alt="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8344/8265468641_91b46b00c2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/8265466223/" title="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto by Scott Norsworthy, on Flickr"><img alt="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8075/8265466223_941fbf8f14_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/8265456467/" title="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto by Scott Norsworthy, on Flickr"><img alt="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8265456467_5c8011212b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/8266535198/" title="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto by Scott Norsworthy, on Flickr"><img alt="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8266535198_c1b87df618_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/8265463909/" title="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto by Scott Norsworthy, on Flickr"><img alt="Musashino Art University Museum & Library - Sou Fujimoto" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8065/8265463909_2b1a857139_c.jpg" width="534" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #640

Here are some photos of the Musashino Art University Museum and Library ( featured previously ) in Tokyo, Japan, by Sou Fujimoto Architects ...

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Don't give these answers during your interview

<br /><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -30px; text-align: left;"><div class="cbmsnArticleImage" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/tf/ar5l86t72vp1lxq5wbtf.gif?time=4/11/2012%2012:19:23%20pm" /></div><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;"><span id="cbArticle_lblHeadline">Don't give these answers during your interview</span></h1></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">By Justin Thompson, CareerBuilder Writer</span></b><br /><br /><div class="cb_share_more_wrapper"></div></div><div class="ArticleContent" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">After receiving a call from an employer inviting you in for an interview, it's common to feel simultaneously ecstatic, relieved and nervous. One of the best ways to calm those nerves is to be prepared for the interview. To do so, try and anticipate what questions the employer might ask. While at times <a href="http://youtu.be/rkslqgGMk_M" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">questions can get tricky</a>, for the most part employers ask straightforward questions that help them get to know your personality as well as your ability to think on your feet.<br />Yet even if a job seeker is prepared, nerves can still cause stumbles. To help, here are four of the most common interview questions and tips on how you<br />should -- and shouldn't -- answer them.<br /><br /><b>1. "So, tell me a little about yourself."</b><br />When answering this question, don't go off on a tangent. Prepare your two to three minute career summary and rehearse it out loud. "Make sure that whatever you share is relevant and makes sense given the job you're interviewing for," says <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/career+counselor/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">career counselor</a> and <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/writer/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">author</a> Roy Cohen. "Too much information will be lost in translation and your interviewer will tune you out."<br /><br /><b>2. "Why do you want to leave your current job?"</b>This question can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, if you say you're looking for a new opportunity, the interviewer may take that to mean you were bored at your current job and wanted out. Instead, you could be more specific: There were changes in management; the company's direction didn't align with your personal goals; or recent changes made you concerned about the stability of the company and your role. "It's better to have more reasons for making a move than just one. It suggests that the decision is multilayered and, hopefully, some of what you say will resonate with the interviewer," Cohen says.<br /><br /><b>3. "What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses? "</b><br />Stop saying, "I'm a perfectionist." It's trite and overdone. Name a strength that makes you stand out for the position to which you are applying. When naming a weakness, pick something that's realistic, and acknowledge that you're constantly working on improving in that area. Ensure that your weakness isn't directly associated with one of the prospective job responsibilities, but do be honest.<br /><br /><b>4. "Let's talk about salary. What are your expectations?"</b>If possible, avoid addressing compensation until toward the end of the hiring process. When it comes time to discuss, provide a range with which you're comfortable. Going into the conversation, decide what the lowest acceptable salary is that will allow you to enjoy the lifestyle with which you're most comfortable. From there, incrementally increase that salary by 5, 10 or 15 percent. Once you get to the negotiation process, you'll be in a better position to give and take on salary and other benefits.<br /><br /><i>Justin Thompson is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, </i><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>The Work Buzz</i></a><i>. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.</i></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />

Don't give these answers during your interview

Don't give these answers during your interview By Justin Thompson, CareerBuilder Writer After receiving a call from an employer inviting...

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Humans living longer around the world, but with more disease: Lancet | Health | Life | National Post

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Nearly everywhere around the world, people are living longer and fewer children are dying. But increasingly, people are grappling with the diseases and disabilities of modern life, according to the most expansive global look so far at life expectancy and the biggest health threats.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The last comprehensive study was in 1990 and the top health problem then was the death of children under 5 — more than 10 million each year. Since then, campaigns to vaccinate kids against diseases like polio and measles have reduced the number of children dying to about seven million.</div><div class="npBlock npStorybar" style="padding: 0px 0px 1em 9px; margin: 0px 0px 15px 9px; float: right; width: 220px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: dotted; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'helvetica neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><h4 style="padding: 0px 0px 6px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 18px; border-bottom-color: rgb(128, 128, 128); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; "><a href="http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/11/23/even-after-chronic-disease-diagnosis-older-canadians-persist-in-bad-lifestyle-choices/" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 102, 153); outline: none; text-decoration: none; ">Even after chronic disease diagnosis, older Canadians persist in bad lifestyles</a></h4><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.143em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Even after Canadians aged 50 and older are diagnosed with a chronic condition like heart disease or diabetes, they rarely make lifestyle changes that could improve quality of life or prolong their lives, a report suggests.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.143em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; ">In a Statistics Canada study released in November, researchers found that quitting smoking or cutting back on the number of daily cigarettes were the changes most commonly reported, although most smokers continued the habit after their diagnosis.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.143em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; ">"Studies have shown that there are positive benefits in terms of longevity, quality of life and reducing recurrence or progression of a disease," said Pamela Ramage-Morin, a senior analyst at Statistics Canada and a study co-author.</div><p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.143em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; "></p></div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Malnutrition was once the main health threat for children. Now, everywhere except Africa, they are much more likely to overeat than to starve.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">With more children surviving, chronic illnesses and disabilities that strike later in life are taking a bigger toll, the research said. High blood pressure has become the leading health risk worldwide, followed by smoking and alcohol.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">"The biggest contributor to the global health burden isn't premature [deaths], but chronic diseases, injuries, mental health conditions and all the bone and joint diseases," said one of the study leaders, Christopher Murray, director of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.</div><blockquote class="pullquote" style="padding: 35px 0px 0px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-image: url(http://www.nationalpost.com/images/layout/quote-left-90x70.png); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 1.6em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3em; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; ">High blood pressure has become the leading health risk worldwide, followed by smoking and alcohol</div></blockquote><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">In developed countries, such conditions now account for more than half of the health problems, fueled by an aging population. While life expectancy is climbing nearly everywhere, so too are the number of years people will live with things like vision or hearing loss and mental health issues like depression.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The research appears in seven papers published online Thursday by the journal<em style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; ">Lancet</em>. More than 480 researchers in 50 countries gathered data up to 2010 from surveys, censuses and past studies. They used statistical modeling to fill in the gaps for countries with little information. The series was mainly paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">As in 1990, Japan topped the life expectancy list in 2010, with 79 for men and 86 for women. In the U.S. that year, life expectancy for men was 76 and for women, 81.</div><blockquote class="pullquote" style="padding: 35px 0px 0px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-image: url(http://www.nationalpost.com/images/layout/quote-left-90x70.png); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 1.6em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3em; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; ">Suicide ranks as high as the ninth top cause of death in women across Asia's "suicide belt"</div></blockquote><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The research found wide variations in what's killing people around the world. Some of the most striking findings highlighted by the researchers: — Homicide is the No. 3 killer of men in Latin America; it ranks 20th worldwide. In the U.S., it is the 21st cause of death in men, and in Western Europe, 57th.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">• While suicide ranks globally as the 21st leading killer, it is as high as the ninth top cause of death in women across Asia's "suicide belt," from India to China. Suicide ranks 14th in North America and 15th in Western Europe.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">• In people aged 15-49, diabetes is a bigger killer in Africa than in Western Europe (8.8 deaths versus one death per 100,000).</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">• Central and Southeast Asia have the highest rates of fatal stroke in young adults at about 15 cases per 100,000 deaths. In North America, the rate is about three per 100,000.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; ">Globally, heart disease and stroke remain the top killers. Reflecting an older population, lung cancer moved to the fifth cause of death globally, while other cancers including those of the liver, stomach and colon are also in the top 20. AIDS jumped from the 35th cause of death in 1990 to the sixth leading cause two decades later.</div><blockquote class="pullquote" style="padding: 35px 0px 0px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-image: url(http://www.nationalpost.com/images/layout/quote-left-90x70.png); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 1.6em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3em; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; ">Chronic diseases are killing more people nearly everywhere</div></blockquote><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">While chronic diseases are killing more people nearly everywhere, the overall trend is the opposite in Africa, where illnesses like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are still major threats. And experts warn again shifting too much of the focus away from those ailments.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">"It's the nature of infectious disease epidemics that if you turn away from them, they will crop right back up," said Jennifer Cohn, a medical co-ordinator at Doctors Without Borders.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Still, she acknowledged the need to address the surge of other health problems across Africa. Cohn said the agency was considering ways to treat things like heart disease and diabetes. "The way we treat HIV could be a good model for chronic care," she said.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Others said more concrete information is needed before making any big changes to public health policies.</div><blockquote class="pullquote" style="padding: 35px 0px 0px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-image: url(http://www.nationalpost.com/images/layout/quote-left-90x70.png); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 1.6em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3em; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.3em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; ">'We have to take this data with some grains of salt'</div></blockquote><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">"We have to take this data with some grains of salt," said Sandy Cairncross, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">He said the information in some of the <em style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; ">Lancet</em> research was too thin and didn't fully consider all the relevant health risk factors.</div><div style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.83em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; ">"We're getting a better picture, but it's still incomplete," he said.</div></div><a href="http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/12/13/youre-alive-but-youd-rather-be-dead-people-worldwide-living-longer-but-sicklier-lives/">http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/12/13/youre-alive-but-youd-rather-be-dead-people-worldwide-living-longer-but-sicklier-lives/</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Humans living longer around the world, but with more disease: Lancet | Health | Life | National Post

Nearly everywhere around the world, people are living longer and fewer children are dying. But increasingly, people are grappling with the d...

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Good Luck Schmoop

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Today, as I type this, my BFF/OSP Schmoop is having life altering, and hopefully life saving surgery.<br /><br />I was trying to figure out how to approach writing about this last night as I soaked my head inside a fifth of Wild Irish Rose.<br /><br />Should I go really sappy and maudlin, or should I write some over the top funny and sarcastic piece?<br /><br />In the end, as my head is full of a hangover and nervous anticipation, I decided to say...<br /><br />Good Luck Schmoop.  I love you, as does Jayman, and many others who follow IWS.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6QUQJc4jCGJjCm6qh-LRK4QUXQk9rwm3lMv41vGEwhGzQh6RSjBjowp5jLjZyFzOplVT9TaJ05QubA_AbJ2fsaxTLYVHUC9C0bu0lVFy5GUlNedVOH5fNjhRkx7dj5bakBIsG2ydaaI/s1600/Schmoop+Cute+as+Hell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6QUQJc4jCGJjCm6qh-LRK4QUXQk9rwm3lMv41vGEwhGzQh6RSjBjowp5jLjZyFzOplVT9TaJ05QubA_AbJ2fsaxTLYVHUC9C0bu0lVFy5GUlNedVOH5fNjhRkx7dj5bakBIsG2ydaaI/s400/Schmoop+Cute+as+Hell.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><br />Good luck today and get well soon, because the world is not as funny nor as pretty when you're not around to enjoy it with us.<br /><br />I, like many others, love you Schmoop.<br /><br />Cheers my best friend!!<br /><br />Matt-Man</div>

Good Luck Schmoop

Today, as I type this, my BFF/OSP Schmoop is having life altering, and hopefully life saving surgery. I was trying to figure out how to appr...

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LAST

Everything has new meaning. With my oldest being a senior, every time we do something, I want it to last and wonder if it is the last time we'll do this or that. I want him to remember that I love him.<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/AVvXsEgYXQLZCJS5X45BlY-H406iO5shgY00ZwejkGJ4z63XqQd4_3_HKTyw23PZDOqbouhYKlXtEBn7QwzT8Bv0Yh0bPKam_FaVtp8ihtJLHnlcgfsPh-ngnj1ncXn3kMzha2pcBL_IMHEIPajl/s1600/bigstock-Teamwork-To-Success-Concept-Da-5275080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXQLZCJS5X45BlY-H406iO5shgY00ZwejkGJ4z63XqQd4_3_HKTyw23PZDOqbouhYKlXtEBn7QwzT8Bv0Yh0bPKam_FaVtp8ihtJLHnlcgfsPh-ngnj1ncXn3kMzha2pcBL_IMHEIPajl/s320/bigstock-Teamwork-To-Success-Concept-Da-5275080.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you build your life and legacy, you want it to last. <br />You never know when you're putting in the last piece. <br />Photo credit: <a href="http://www.bigstock.com/">Big Stock</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I have been berated by an anonymous commenter previously for sharing my thoughts about my oldest son on this blog. I was told I should just write him a letter and not share my thoughts on my blog. However, I have decided that<br /><br /><ol><li>This my blog and I do my best to share what I think will encourage and help others and </li><li>There are universal truths in these experiences. When I share my personal experiences, my posts have life and aren't the sanitized, generic plasti-posts on the blogs of the bots & spammers just trying to get traffic.</li></ol><br /><br />While this post is inspired by my children, it is written for you -mostly adults and mostly educators - as you ponder the gifts that sit in your chairs each day.<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/AVvXsEjvfKULfeAe1l1W7KYKS_iidRfQ4V8UVMWRGOZYmQRA0Jf1qMipGxL0Zobk7KEatVHmDW_3SSCuQgu3EXTwk2HkZ0FWQucCcOuBEPKW5Yd9z_RSD-G8DVzpWNPfkZKioy_c7lAHHD91q4af/s1600/iStock_000014324722XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfKULfeAe1l1W7KYKS_iidRfQ4V8UVMWRGOZYmQRA0Jf1qMipGxL0Zobk7KEatVHmDW_3SSCuQgu3EXTwk2HkZ0FWQucCcOuBEPKW5Yd9z_RSD-G8DVzpWNPfkZKioy_c7lAHHD91q4af/s320/iStock_000014324722XSmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoy even the frustrating moments like teaching how to tie on a shoe. <br />They only come once.  Photo Credit: istockphoto</td></tr></tbody></table><br />When your children are little, you get absolutely SICK of people telling you<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"enjoy them while they are little, the time goes too fast." </blockquote>You think you know how fast time goes, until you wake up one day and that toddler you threw on your hip or that child that you held and talked to through the night on the day he was born, is now 6'6" and towering over you with big arms and a deep, bellowing voice. Something happened and you had no idea that it REALLY would. Just like the fifth grader who couldn't comprehend that she'd be graduating in 8 short years, you don't truly understand that they WILL grow into adults and leave your house. If you did, you (and I) would act differently. Not so assuming.<br /><br /><b>Last. </b>I'm just not ready for that last time he'll come into my classroom wanting a water out of the fridge. I'm not ready for that last school day where I make his green tea latte and leave it on the table in the morning and hope he eats the fresh steaming biscuits and ham I've left for him. I'm still reeling from his last football game -- I'm going to miss it. Heading to a basketball game tonight- we have another month but I know that this wasn't meant to last either.<br /><br />Solomon is right - there's a time for every purpose under heaven. There's a time for first games and there's a time for last. It isn't like he'll never play a pickup game with his buddies or that he's no longer going to hit my kitchen table for a latte and ham biscuit. <br /><br />But then again, we never know with these children. Children are a gift. Every human being has the potential to be a gift -- even though some choose to act like a curse -- we all have the potential for good. We each are a mix of good and bad in many ways.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aZR0fKLoPgTXWu3nwaRm7jnh7lvZiVtz8GHAwXOkiEhoke50IMF82Z4XSFFyLsNGwOi_pG64kxYleoF905HQX7ZUbOCzvUV5LgUlb_K4AFDaKxpMn_l08nWOlCvRLhIwYU7aVR4gwVR8/s1600/bigstock-Sleeping-child-26659451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aZR0fKLoPgTXWu3nwaRm7jnh7lvZiVtz8GHAwXOkiEhoke50IMF82Z4XSFFyLsNGwOi_pG64kxYleoF905HQX7ZUbOCzvUV5LgUlb_K4AFDaKxpMn_l08nWOlCvRLhIwYU7aVR4gwVR8/s320/bigstock-Sleeping-child-26659451.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />But, tonight as you look at that toddler sleeping and take that wispy tendril of hair and tuck it behind her ear or as you wrestle just one more time with your son who can't get enough of trying to attack dad when he's exhausted - just think of this word - LAST.<br /><br />You never know when any moment will be your last. <br /><br />When your child is a senior, you KNOW it - you know that there are things that won't happen again. It is the knowing that makes the difference.<br /><br />But really, we should know it at every moment with every child -- not so we can spoil them and treat them like a bubble boy- but so we can treasure those moments.<br /><br />As I read <a class="zem_slink" href="http://mitchalbom.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Mitch Albom">Mitch Albom</a>'s riveting new book,<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401322786/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401322786&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwwwbrighc-20">The Time Keeper</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=httpwwwbrighc-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1401322786" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (a GREAT read for people of all ages, by the way), it hit me just how precious time is. The fact that it is scarce is what makes it so precious.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7AKkYZbgSwD6jLQGc5vagFDipU_O627HhcMg3Q5IVbGssGXrg_OFlp1Mn9uo-72pNvwlOQNqJ6QGcjXFVbrJpNWN_LyrtW6P_SVF5BR0BlKxWAIWlEfpPiL_ah_2LiuJBY2MLOp3eN5I/s1600/bigstock_Pumpkin_Pie_458823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7AKkYZbgSwD6jLQGc5vagFDipU_O627HhcMg3Q5IVbGssGXrg_OFlp1Mn9uo-72pNvwlOQNqJ6QGcjXFVbrJpNWN_LyrtW6P_SVF5BR0BlKxWAIWlEfpPiL_ah_2LiuJBY2MLOp3eN5I/s320/bigstock_Pumpkin_Pie_458823.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />So, in many ways, these last moments are like the last bite of the best pecan pie you've ever eaten -- delicious. You are ready to be "done" - knowing you have no more room for any more - but yet, you want to enjoy it one last time. Just one... more.... bite.<br /><br />Truthfully, when it was time to have my children, I was so miserable, that I would have done whatever it took to bring them into this world. And, likewise, I really think that with most of us, when it is time for our children to go - we're ready for it - as hard as it is - we are ready to send them off.<br /><br />As we await my son's letter from his #1 choice for college, his Dad's and my alma mater, Georgia Tech, I just look at him daily and think of the world - LAST.<br /><br />I know these things aren't meant to last. In some ways I want them to last. I want to enjoy each thing because I know very soon, he'll be out there in this world and<b> I hope that he'll tackle it and do work that is meant to LAST.</b><br /><br />I was reading about a list of things that people over 100 wished. (Can't find source, I heard it in the LIfe Habits Podcast this week.) They wished they had spent their time on more things that would last past their own lifetime. For me, it is my children, my students, Flat Classroom, writing things to inspire and encourage others, and the work and my beautiful, wonderful church, Sherwood. Nothing lasts. It will all be gone one day...even this precious child of mine...because death runs in my family and if you haven't checked, it runs in yours too.<br /><br />As I watch Jane McGonigal's TED speech "The game that can give you 10 extra years of life" talks about other regrets of the dying. Of course, her conclusion is that gaming is the solution to life isn't in line with my own thoughts, but she has some great points worth pondering.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" scrolling="no" src="http://embed.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life.html" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="560"></iframe> <br />We get these feelings and have milestones pressed upon us so that we will look at our lives and see if we are spending time doing things that will last. Anything else is just grasping the wind. <br /><br />Write these four letters down on your planner or something today L-A-S-T and ponder the multiple meanings of this word. I hope that I'm right and the anonymous commenter was wrong, that by sharing these words you've decided to take a hard look at your life and do things that will last.<br /><br />Now, I have one more thing to mention that some of you may not like. You can read Vicki's blog about being all hunky dory with your life and think positively about things, but just as not every student is an A student (wish some parents would realize that) not all of you are in jobs that fit your talents.<br /><br />This morning, I read my daily <a href="http://www.rickwarren.com/">Rick Warren</a> devotional (author of the Purpose Driven Life) and he says:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"To fulfill God's will for your life, you need work that expresses what God made you to be. If you're in a job that is not using the talents, gifts, abilities, and interests that God gave you, you may want to pray about whether or not you're in a mismatched job.<br /> <br />This is a serious problem, and it's a spiritual issue. It is far more important than you may think it is -- because God has given you your gifts, talents, and abilities, and one day He's going to say, "What did you do with them?" And do you want to say, "Well, I spent my life at a job that didn't use them." "</blockquote><br />Right now isn't a good time to think about whether you should be teaching or doing anything else... you're too tired if you're an educator. But I think there are some business people out there who are called to be teachers and not doing it...I think there are those who are afraid to move into education even though it is their calling.<br /><br />There are also, perhaps, some people who are teachers and know it isn't a fit. I'm not talking about the pretty frequent "Can I do this?" exhaustion thoughts that EVERY good teacher I know has -- but those who just know that they hate children and don't like to teach. <br /><br />I tell my students that although not everyone makes an "A" but that they are all "A" people. Every person is born an "A" as a person -- and you are the same way. You may not be an "A" teacher but you are an "A" person. Your job is to find the job that lets you use your talents best.<br /><br />I cringe to write this because far too many very good, called teachers have left, not because of the teaching or students but because of screwed up administration, chaotic curriculum decisions, and a political climate that has politicized education beyond what is healthy. You all need to stay in the game or come back - you know you love to teach - you just need to find the place where you can do it.<br /><br />But if you hate kids -- you shouldn't teach. That's all we do, children. And if you want to last in your legacy, working with them but hating them underneath it all, won't build one - it will just build a legacy of hurt and pain and make everyone, including you, miserable in the process.<br /><br />Last. <br /><br />For me, I have to mention that, without the first and the last - the Alpha and Omega - Jesus Christ - I wouldn't even be writing these words. I've just had my 7th blog-birthday. I was called to write just as clear as I call my kids to dinner every night.<br /><br />It is an honor to serve and write for you -- I know many of you differ with me here and there in your beliefs and that often I have typos and misspeak - for in many words there is much foolishness and I certainly type wayyyyy too many words sometimes. But you read anyway, thank you. I don't deserve your grace but am grateful for it.<br /><br />Yet, as I write for you, I have an honest, genuine caring for you, the reader, who made it this far in this blog post. That somehow some of you who are struggling to make sense of why you'd want to even be in a profession that demands so much -- that you'll know how important your work is and how unique you are to be the kind of person who can do this. I always wonder what this generation will rise up and say in 20 years about our generation of educators. Did we do things that will help our society last and improve into the future?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGjfuIlBFNJ7vDzv09et_eAESuqho8LC3n0cki6oEnryisMEls1qYVmvwC-e8ahx6WdMnZVHKWJxn4VvUwITMfqdBiJd9Inr2YY0-YD5v6gesPubcOzqbUVzz382AXmixuD4LrO1h0MYO/s1600/cat_laptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGjfuIlBFNJ7vDzv09et_eAESuqho8LC3n0cki6oEnryisMEls1qYVmvwC-e8ahx6WdMnZVHKWJxn4VvUwITMfqdBiJd9Inr2YY0-YD5v6gesPubcOzqbUVzz382AXmixuD4LrO1h0MYO/s320/cat_laptop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I don't ever wonder if teaching is worth it. Sometimes I wonder if blogging is worth it. For the most part, there are many great positives of blogging. But when you're someone like me -- a person who watches people and really ponders things deeply and also an exhausted Mom and teacher who works 18 hour days far more than I should - when I get these drive by commenters or emailers intent on "setting me straight" or "fixing me," it is hard. My pastor, Michael Catt (@michaelcatt) does a great job of just unfollowing and tuning out haters and I need to do that better, but I still don't yet. I ponder and ask myself if there is a bit of truth in the criticism and have to work through it deeply until I come through with an answer. More often than not, I realize that an element of truth is in the criticism but I have to reject their assertions that I'm a worthless person and shouldn't be writing. This is what I'm called to do, and here I am - 7 years into it and not planning to stop no matter those who have told me to. I have to wonder the life that some people live who have the need to act ugly to a stranger.<br /><br />By now, you're thinking this blog post is going to LAST forever. But I guess once every year, I'm allowed to write a bit about these things. ;-)<br /><br />Last thought for you...<br /><br />What have you done or will you do today that will last past the end of your life?<br /><br />If you don't like your answer...do something about it. <br /><br />LAST.<br /><br /><br />- Written on my iPad using Blog Press by Vicki Davis, author, Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds<br /><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=1c0deb39-27d8-4491-99ba-8d034d96cca7" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

LAST

Everything has new meaning. With my oldest being a senior, every time we do something, I want it to last and wonder if it is the last time w...

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