Falling down and forgiveness

My bike ride was awesome! It was the best bike ride I've had in a long time. Perfect weather, 71 degrees going to the gym and 75 degrees coming home, with a light, cool breeze. Sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. I LOVE the Pacific Northwest when the sun shines!<br /><br />It took 45 minutes to get to the gym. Normally it's 22 minutes going fast, really pushing myself going up the hills. Today I decided not to race to get there. I thought of it more as a therapy bike ride. Enjoy the scenery, get my heart rate up but don't kill myself doing it. I found the hills a lot more challenging at my heavier weight (193 this morning).<br /><br />The gym was almost empty, which was really nice. I did weights for an entire hour and there were only a couple guys in the free weights area. I had planned on a lower body workout but I remembered the last time I biked to the gym and then did a lower body workout. I almost didn't make it home. So it was upper body, a full hour-long workout.<br /><br />Somehow, and I'm really not sure how it happened, I fell off my bike while standing still in the parking lot of the gym. I know that sounds crazy, and it happened so fast that I'm not even sure how it happened, but it did. I was just about to start riding out of the parking lot, when I fell over and crashed into some beauty bark on my right knee. I tangled myself up in my bike, then rolled onto the pavement, scraping a lot of skin off of my knee.<br /><br />It was kind of embarrassing, but not too many people saw me.  After brushing myself off, I quickly got out of there. I made it home in 22 minutes. My knee still hurts and burns. Probably beauty bark poisoning or something.<br /><br />While I was riding home I thought about something I saw in a notebook that I found in my little backpack I use when I bike. I always take a notebook to the gym with me to keep a record of my workouts. The last workout date in this one was April 23, 2011. I have one in my car that I used every day, but decided to use this one since it was already in the backpack. I accidentally dropped it, and it flipped open to the last page. I saw the following, written in my handwriting:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhE3JgEYaEK5JFXEAT-je0bJcmpvNCY6KoCFwIZJkY04EC3Y-7KS8a7epdnAq7P_5ej396Pfcjqn_wQeuo3BhY8zvwj6i-AIDQNxybqqGzHpUpO_dm-9fd6-VHerqT-H-uQut0xCrLx0E/s1600/Ashamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhE3JgEYaEK5JFXEAT-je0bJcmpvNCY6KoCFwIZJkY04EC3Y-7KS8a7epdnAq7P_5ej396Pfcjqn_wQeuo3BhY8zvwj6i-AIDQNxybqqGzHpUpO_dm-9fd6-VHerqT-H-uQut0xCrLx0E/s320/Ashamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>  <br />I have no idea why I wrote those words. It sounds like something to do with gaining weight. Specifically gaining a lot of weight after losing a lot of weight. Maybe I saw it on TV or read it in a book or a magazine. I may have even read it on someones blog.  <br /><br />Since I don't really know where I heard it, I can't give the correct person credit, but it makes a lot of sense regarding my weight gain. My gain of 40 pounds in a year and a half, after an 85-pound weight loss, has caused me to feel each one of these emotions very deeply. It's been a painful journey re-gaining this weight. <br /><br />1. <b>Ashamed</b>. There are few things in life more embarrassing than losing a lot of weight and then gaining it back. When I lost weight, people were constantly telling me how great I looked. When I started gaining it back, people had no idea what to say, so out of politeness, they said nothing. I  know they notice it, how could they not see it. It's so blatantly obvious as I get bigger and my clothes get tighter.<br /><br />2. <b>Angry</b>. I was really angry about my weight gain for a long time. Angry mostly at myself, but also at the unfairness of it all. Unfairness that I have these issues with food, and that I can't eat anything I want to eat. Unfairness that I love food so much, too much, and even the mere fact that I love food makes me angry. I've gone through the "why me?" many times, but ultimately, it's pointless to be so angry about something that just "is".<br /><br />3. <b>Afraid</b>. I remember this one really well, in fact, I still have a little bit of fear about my weight. The fear of gaining all of it back, the fear of never being able to lose the weight I've re-gained, and the fear that I'll be even fatter than before, that I'll make it up to 300+ pounds.<br /><br />I've relaxed quite a bit about being afraid of my weight. I'm not heartbroken about the weight gain anymore, nor do I fear gaining a ton more weight. I'm feeling confident that I'll lose it again. I still think a little fear about gaining weight is a good thing. Too much fear is damaging to my soul. A little fear keeps me on my toes.<br /><br />4. <b>Forgiveness</b>. It's been a long haul but somehow I have made it to this one. I have forgiven myself for my past mistakes. Simply put, I screwed up a good thing. It's okay. I'm allowed to screw up as long as I don't dwell on my past mistakes, forgive myself and move forward.<br /><br />Forgiveness of one's own transgressions is a lot harder than forgiving someone else. We're harder on ourselves than we are on other people. Kind of crazy that we're built that way, but it just seems like that's how most of us function. If someone else messes up, we're kind and caring, we understand how things can happen. We forgive them. But let us screw up our own life by gaining weight and holy crap, you'd think we'd committed a murder. The simple fact is that I ate too much food, and I gained weight. That's all there is to it. I didn't hurt anyone in the process except myself.<br /><br />Forgiveness. It's good for the soul. Falling off my bike or falling off my diet, it's all kind of the same thing. I just have to get back up, brush myself off, and keep on going. Of course it's embarrassing, but there's really no other option.<br /><div style="color: lime; text-align: center;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><br />Pictures from my bike ride today...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A new sign that was put up at the trail head in the last few months. Funny thing, but I saw a coyote cross the road, right in front of my car on the way to the gym a few weeks ago. Kind of scary. At first I thought it was a big, skinny weird looking dog, but then I realized, that's a coyote!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj8PATap4EaD-eY1HNxCuBhPQ5w4TFYHV0HIINvBR2jI_tX5a_HKDyPgxKqQxsVfK2Amsper5FiBV8WKag-YpA3-AElssWy9s6PkZCbnimVlZQcAe4yesyBKCjlfVYipVsO3IgT3O2ds9/s1600/Coyote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj8PATap4EaD-eY1HNxCuBhPQ5w4TFYHV0HIINvBR2jI_tX5a_HKDyPgxKqQxsVfK2Amsper5FiBV8WKag-YpA3-AElssWy9s6PkZCbnimVlZQcAe4yesyBKCjlfVYipVsO3IgT3O2ds9/s640/Coyote.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I'm sure you're all thinking, not another Mt. Rainier picture! Sorry, I just can't get enough of this mountain. I love it. When it's clear out it looks like I could just reach out and touch it. In reality it's about 60 miles away.  </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc1QDGYr-K-YkJd8pmrZkNSvDRJkF4I7scf-BIjcTwf1FlIWWub7a8VNxHU9TUsyq1GG2r1czsMnLMRucQkB6r7Z0wy3s5rM9T9CwN0yEL1dLCUvD9hTYuR-o1Xt4WYEpN6AywV55LnaL/s1600/Mt.+Rainier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc1QDGYr-K-YkJd8pmrZkNSvDRJkF4I7scf-BIjcTwf1FlIWWub7a8VNxHU9TUsyq1GG2r1czsMnLMRucQkB6r7Z0wy3s5rM9T9CwN0yEL1dLCUvD9hTYuR-o1Xt4WYEpN6AywV55LnaL/s640/Mt.+Rainier.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The part of the trail I prefer to ride my bike, but I decided after seeing the coyote sign maybe I'd better stay on the paved trail instead of wandering off into the woods by myself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTI5pUC9OhNrGDb7qZs0L3L-16-ApakGSvcYvz52k0oBh0zci3zqSUOTWYc9oda2sHvfu3LNZLq3KDzVNmPMLhbVYhJFCI5HihlCGVGg34kcNnN0Mx2RtzALhuZMNV86gl-o6t0cAajg2/s1600/Trail+I+really+wanted+to+ride.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTI5pUC9OhNrGDb7qZs0L3L-16-ApakGSvcYvz52k0oBh0zci3zqSUOTWYc9oda2sHvfu3LNZLq3KDzVNmPMLhbVYhJFCI5HihlCGVGg34kcNnN0Mx2RtzALhuZMNV86gl-o6t0cAajg2/s640/Trail+I+really+wanted+to+ride.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Just part of the trail. And yes, there's a horrible power line that runs along the side of the trail. I'm sure I'm getting an extra dose of cancer-causing electricity jolted through my body when I ride next to it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gr-DK7ROAI8ipxrJ1qv-EzVVdP2-6v4HPNbWpBvfpTCSNHvu1ZdPXqT0i51J66ehjBKln1N4_y3bHrQsYHHA8T8Mpbhbgk508NLPQewNzoWOqkB0adOrLr3QVIKFXnAIbLxTYCAOivoD/s1600/the+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gr-DK7ROAI8ipxrJ1qv-EzVVdP2-6v4HPNbWpBvfpTCSNHvu1ZdPXqT0i51J66ehjBKln1N4_y3bHrQsYHHA8T8Mpbhbgk508NLPQewNzoWOqkB0adOrLr3QVIKFXnAIbLxTYCAOivoD/s640/the+bike.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Just a picture of me, not exactly flattering. I was trying to get Mt. Rainier in the picture, it's behind me somewhere, but somehow I totally missed getting it in the picture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_6zVkgx7osA3o7s_Ppl3XBkmyo_bUwV_j7Y9ti4C1ES-QBBoT__IsdARmY-Nu3jA7XxKchfyxepSUUbYf12p-XG1uaR73v5BYY9woDxTia1Ha0xyeTNz8cZTkBEy-Nut2nTE6tSCuuWM/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_6zVkgx7osA3o7s_Ppl3XBkmyo_bUwV_j7Y9ti4C1ES-QBBoT__IsdARmY-Nu3jA7XxKchfyxepSUUbYf12p-XG1uaR73v5BYY9woDxTia1Ha0xyeTNz8cZTkBEy-Nut2nTE6tSCuuWM/s400/me.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Part of the trail that's fun going down, not so fun going up on the other side. I can't believe how much harder the hills are now that I'm so much heavier. I thought I was going to have to walk my bike up some of the hills, but I forced myself to do it. It wasn't easy and my heart rate was up to 155 at one point, but I did it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRlk6w2953MrdE6fMlvEUYSlJDwR3FYJWEcuxhr1AAlUA4fTMGYH1vC5wAMyk_foe6gMISFoYF3pePabxCpQg6mxulfd1a5lPQJ2kUpYcc6MIdD91Web8kJBEEFCWmYPTjPQWBgJ9TmhA/s1600/The+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRlk6w2953MrdE6fMlvEUYSlJDwR3FYJWEcuxhr1AAlUA4fTMGYH1vC5wAMyk_foe6gMISFoYF3pePabxCpQg6mxulfd1a5lPQJ2kUpYcc6MIdD91Web8kJBEEFCWmYPTjPQWBgJ9TmhA/s640/The+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Dinner tonight was wonderful. Kalbi chicken breasts that I bought ready to cook from the neighborhood butcher, and fresh broccoli and sweet corn on the cob from the neighborhood produce store. I stopped in on my way home and tied the bags to my bike handle bars for the last two blocks home. It made for a perfect ending to a perfect day.<br /><br />Note: you may notice I took down my old "after" picture where I weighed 152. It use to be on the right side. I didn't like to look at it because every time I saw it, it made me a little bit sad. I'll post new pictures when I lose some weight.

Falling down and forgiveness

My bike ride was awesome! It was the best bike ride I've had in a long time. Perfect weather, 71 degrees going to the gym and 75 degrees...

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Where is the time going?

It's really true what they say, the older you get the faster time flies. As I'm approaching 56 in a couple of weeks I feel like time is speeding up. What seems like a few days is actually a few weeks. It's like I'm living a movie where everything is being fast-forwarded.<br /><br />That's part of the reason my posts have been so few and far between. Every day I think of several topics I want to write about, but I never seem to find the time to actually sit down and write.<br /><br />It's the same with my dieting. Almost every day ends on the same note...well, I screwed up again today, but there's always tomorrow. I've been saying that for weeks, or actually, I guess it's been months, perhaps even years now. <br /><br />How have I been doing? <br />I've been doing better in all areas of my life. Not perfect, just better.<br /><br />Work is still work, and I've decided to learn something new at work. All my protesting that I didn't want to learn anything new is what led me down the path of my job ending in a few years.<br /><br />I work in IT. It's a changing world. If I want to stay in IT I have to change with it. I don't know why it took me so long to accept this fact, but I have and now it's time to get going on learning the new technologies that I was unreasonably dead set on not learning. I decided that was a career ending move on my part, and now is not the time to end a career. I'm almost 56 and we're in an economical crisis here in the United States with record unemployment rates. It's really not the time to consider a career change. I've accepted this and it's made things much better in my workplace.<br /><br />The unending quest to lose weight continues. Sometimes I amaze myself at my refusal to give up on losing weight, especially considering I've felt like a miserable failure in the weight loss arena for many months now.<br /><br />Since Monday I managed to lose six pounds, from 199 to 193. Some of that weight loss is from the Triamterene blood pressure meds, a very low-dose diuretic. My BP is now 121/62, a huge improvement from 148/98 that it was on Monday. I hate taking a medication, but I hate the possibility of a stroke or doing damage to my heart even more than I hate taking a tiny pill each day.<br /><br />I cut back quite a bit on my food intake last week so I know it wasn't all water weight that I lost. My binge food all week was cherries. The Asian market, HMart, sells the most incredible tasting local sweet dark red cherries as well as Rainier cherries at a crazy low price ($1.49 & $1.99 a pound). I think I've finally eaten my fill of them for a while. I'm actually glad they're seasonal because I was wondering if I'd ever get tired of them. <br /><br />My exercise is still not up to the level it should be. I keep finding reasons to skip the gym in the mornings. In the last week I only went four times (since last Saturday). That might sound good to a lot of people, but it's not that good for me. Five or six times would be better, and what I've been doing the past three years. My latest excuse is I'm tired and sleep is more important than exercise. They're both important. I really shouldn't be making a choice of which is more important, but when the alarm goes off at 5 a.m. I often go with the sleep is more important.<br /><br />Speaking of sleep, I think the Melatonin is actually working for me. I've been waking up less in the middle of the night and my sleep feels deeper and more restful. When I get up I don't feel groggy or exhausted. There's a lot of conflicting information out there on the internet regarding Melatonin, some say it works, others say it doesn't.<br /><br />The most interesting thing I read is that melatonin is naturally secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. As we age, our brain secretes less of the hormone, which is possibly why older people have trouble sleeping. Of course, they're still doing research to prove this fact. At least I didn't read about any negative effects. The worst case is that it doesn't do anything. Maybe it's all in my head, but I really think it's helping. <br /><br />Well, as I said when I started this post, time is slipping by me. I have a lot of things to get done today, top of the list is physical activity. My plan is to bike ride to the gym, then a lower body weight workout, then ride home. The temperature is suppose to get up to 80 degrees today. So far this year, we've had 78 minutes of temperatures at 80 or above here in the Seattle area (I think the highest was 81 one day for a couple of minutes). It's the running joke around her, 78 minutes of summer so far this year. <br /><br />Almost forgot to mention my Body Media. It was sent out on the delivery truck yesterday morning by UPS at 9 a.m. for delivery by the end of the day. It never arrived. I checked the UPS tracking site at about 9pm and they changed the delivery to Monday. Slightly annoying since I live about three miles from the UPS station that was the delivery truck origin. I was really hoping to play with it this weekend, but looks like I have to wait until next week. <br /><br />Now for a quick breakfast and get out on my bike, hopefully for noon before our Northwest "heat wave" hits. I'm sure folks in the 105 temps find it pretty funny that we think 80 is is HOT.<br /><br />On the agenda for tomorrow is a hike up near Mt. Rainier. My husband said he wants to go, and since it's our first nice weather weekend in weeks, we're going!

Where is the time going?

It's really true what they say, the older you get the faster time flies. As I'm approaching 56 in a couple of weeks I feel like time...

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PEAJE - EXPENSIVE COMMUTING

<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Food for thought</b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">Alimento para el pensamiento</span></span></b></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Argentine luxury – Highway travel </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="ES" style="color: yellow;">Argentina De lujo  - Viajar en autopistas</span></b></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Out of a total population of approximately 40 million Argentines, 15.2 million live within close proximity of Buenos Aires, thus making it the second largest Latin American metropolitan area after Sao Paulo in Brazil.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">De una población</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">total de</span> <span class="hps">aproximadamente 40</span> <span class="hps">millones de argentinos</span>, 15,2 <span class="hps">millones viven</span> <span class="hps">en las cercanías</span> <span class="hps">de Buenos Aires,</span> <span class="hps">por lo que esta es la segunda  área</span> <span class="hps">metropolitana</span> <span class="hps">más grande</span> <span class="hps">de América</span> <span class="hps">después de</span> <span class="hps">Sao</span> <span class="hps">Paulo</span> <span class="hps">en Brasil.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">See <a href="http://www.mpsargentina.org/turistic.html">http://www.mpsargentina.org/turistic.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Given the density of this metropolitan area, a large amount of people are forced to commute to work from the outskirts of Buenos Aires.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Teniendo en cuenta la densidad de esta área metropolitana, una gran cantidad de personas se ven obligadas a ir al trabajo desde las afueras de Buenos Aires.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whereas public transport such as trains and subways are very cheap, commuting by car on  highways to and from Buenos Aires is considerable more expensive than in most European counties.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Considerando que el transporte público, como ferrocarriles y el metro son muy baratos, los desplazamientos en coche en las carreteras desde y hacia Buenos Aires es bastante más caro que en la mayoría de países europeos.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Commuting from Pilar, a popular countryside residential area located 55km North West of Buenos Aires, to work downtown using the “Autopistas del Sol” highway which is the only feasible option during peak hours, toll expenses are approx </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">14$</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Pesos, coming and going <b><u>once per day</u></b>, equals </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">70$</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Pesos per week, </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">280$</span><span style="font-size: large;"> per month, <b style="color: red;"><u>3360$ Pesos</u></b> per year which equals to <b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;">560 Euro</span>!!!!</span></b> (Exchange rate 6$ to 1 EUR) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">El viaje desde  Pilar, una zona residencial popular situada a 55 km al noroeste de Buenos Aires, al centro para trabajar usando  la "Autopista del Sol", que es la única opción viable en las horas pico, los gastos de peaje son unos 14 $ pesos (ida y vuelta) una vez por día, es igual a $ 70 pesos por semana, 280 $ por mes, <u>$ 3360 pesos por año</u>, lo que equivale a 560 euros!! (Tipo de cambio $ 6 a 1 EUR)</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Commuting </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">29 km</span><span style="font-size: large;"> from the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires to the city center at peak hours, using the highway for one roundtrip, toll expenses’ amount to <b style="color: red;"><u>2544 $Pesos</u></b> per year which equal <b style="color: red;"><u>424 EUR</u>!!!!</b></span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Los viajes desde los suburbios de zona norte , a 29 kilómetros de Capital Federal  al centro de la ciudad en las horas pico, por la autopista implica un gasto de ida y vuelta de $ 2,544 pesos al año que equivalen a <u><b>424 euros!!</b></u></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Compared to the <b><span style="color: red;">560 Euro</span></b> per year, Argentine commuters pay on highway toll, European countries, with the exception of France are considerable cheaper.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Si comparamos  los 560 euros al año que los viajeros argentinos pagan como  peaje a la autopista con los países europeos, con la excepción de Francia son considerablemente más baratos.  </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here are some comparisons: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Vignette (road tax system)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Aquí están algunas comparaciones:<br />Vignette (sistema de impuesto de circulación)</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;">AUSTRIA </span>- </b>Approx <b style="color: red;">76 EURO</b> (<b style="color: red;">456$</b> pesos) for 1 year unlimited use of countries entire highway system </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">Aprox</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">76</span> <span class="hps">euros</span> </span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">(456$ Pesos) </span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">para</span> <span class="hps">1 año</span> <span class="hps">sin límite</span> <span class="hps">de</span>  uso en las carreteras de todo el país</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;">SPAIN </span> - </b>Approx <b style="color: red;">45 EURO</b> (<b><span style="color: red;">270$</span></b> pesos) for 1 year unlimited use of most of countries highway system</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">45</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">euros</span> <span class="hps">(270$pesos) para</span> <span class="hps">1 año</span> <span class="hps">sin límite</span> <span class="hps">de</span>  uso en las carreteras de todo el país </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;">SWITZERLAND</span> -  </b>Approx <b style="color: red;">31 EURO</b> (<b style="color: red;">186$ </b>pesos) for 1 year unlimited use of countries entire highway system</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES">Aprox</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;"> <span class="hps">31</span> <span class="hps">euros</span> (186$ Pesos) <span class="hps">para</span> <span class="hps">1 año</span> <span class="hps">sin límite</span> <span class="hps">de</span>  uso en las carreteras de todo el país </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">GERMANY</span> <span style="color: red;"><span style="color: lime;">Free highway usage</span> </span></b></span><br /><div style="color: blue;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">libre</span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">uso de</span> <span class="hps">la carretera</span></span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Use of alternative commuting is rather limited due to infrastructural shortcomings, especially train connections to and from city outskirts are insufficient and outdated. Due to the heavily populated area, use of freeways as alternative commuting is becoming increasingly difficult because of permanent traffic congestion's, thus commuters using their car have no alternative but to utilize the <b>privatized highway system. </b>Subsequently private operating companies such as “Autopistas del Sol”  have no scruple charging higher tolls then in Europe, for lack of alternatives.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Adding to the toll fuel cost and vehicle attrition, the feasibility to commute becomes “Food for thought”.   </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES">El uso de</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;"> <span class="hps">rutas alternativas</span> <span class="hps">es bastante limitada</span> <span class="hps">debido a las deficiencias</span> <span class="hps">de infraestructura,</span> <span class="hps">especialmente las conexiones</span> <span class="hps">de trenes</span> <span class="hps">hacia y desde</span> <span class="hps">las afueras</span> <span class="hps">de la ciudad</span> <span class="hps">son insuficientes</span> <span class="hps">y anticuadas.</span> <span class="hps">Debido a que las</span> <span class="hps">zonas se encuentran densamente poblada</span>, el uso de <span class="hps">rutas sin pago</span> como <span class="hps">rutas</span> <span class="hps">alternativas</span> <span class="hps">es cada vez más</span> <span class="hps">difícil debido a las</span> <span class="hps">congestiones de tráfico</span> <span class="hps">permanente</span>, por lo que <span class="hps">los viajeros</span> <span class="hps">con</span> <span class="hps">su coche</span> <span class="hps">no tiene</span> <span class="hps">más remedio que</span> <span class="hps">utilizar</span> <span class="hps">el sistema de autopistas</span> <span class="hps">privatizadas.</span> <span class="hps">Posteriormente,</span> <span class="hps">las empresas</span> <span class="hps">privadas que operan</span> <span class="hps">como</span> <span class="hps">"</span>Autopistas del Sol" <span class="hps">no tienen</span> <span class="hps">escrúpulos en</span> <span class="hps">utilizar</span> <span class="hps">el cobro de peajes</span> <span class="hps">más altos que</span> <span class="hps">en Europa.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="hps" style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><span lang="ES">Agregando a la</span></span><span lang="ES" style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"> <span class="hps">cifra de</span> <span class="hps">costo</span> <span class="hps">de combustible</span> <span class="hps">y</span> <span class="hps">desgaste</span> <span class="hps">del vehículo</span>, <span class="hps">la posibilidad</span> <span class="hps">de conmutar</span> <span class="hps">se convierte en "</span>Alimento para el pensamiento".</span></div><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">See related links:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Ver los enlaces relacionados:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ausol.com.ar/cuadrotarifario.asp">http://www.ausol.com.ar/cuadrotarifario.asp</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ruta0.com/rutas_argentinas.aspx?d1=Buenos+Aires&desde=7&h1=Pilar&hasta=222&tipoq=1&tipo=1&clima=Si">http://www.ruta0.com/rutas_argentinas.aspx?d1=Buenos+Aires&desde=7&h1=Pilar&hasta=222&tipoq=1&tipo=1&clima=Si</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kfz-auskunft.de/info/autobahngebuehr.html">http://www.kfz-auskunft.de/info/autobahngebuehr.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilar,_Buenos_Aires_Province">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilar,_Buenos_Aires_Province</a></span></div>

PEAJE - EXPENSIVE COMMUTING

Food for thought Alimento para el pensamiento Argentine luxury – Highway travel Argentina De lujo  - Viajar en autopistas Out of a total pop...

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How to keep networking during summer vacation

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder Writer</span></b><br /><br /><div class="cbmsnArticleImage"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/p8/ar5f8795w2cgwgxxltp8.gif?time=6/7/2011%2012:12:49%20pm" /></div></div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For many people, regardless of age, summer is a time when work is low on your list of priorities. Perhaps all those years of three-month summer vacations as young students conditioned us to think of June, July, and August as reprieves from using our brain. Even many offices let their workers leave early on Fridays during the summer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For job seekers, the summer months can be particularly troublesome due to several factors. Aside from wishing they were outside sunning at the pool rather than inside typing up a résumé, many job seekers have children at home for three months and need to entertain them. Not to mention scheduling conflicts of the employers who are off at some resort enjoying the sun and don't have time for interviews. Despite these problems, however, summer isn't a lost cause for job seeking.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Why summer is a good time to job hunt</b><br />"Conducting a job search during the summer can be tricky, and it is important to avoid the biggest hazards for job seekers during the summertime -- timing and schedules," says Patty Coffey, a partner in the <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/information+technology/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">information technology</a> division of staffing firm Winter, Wyman. "Candidates shouldn't feel discouraged if the interview process takes extra time, and those who can withstand a longer process may just find that perfect job."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In fact, Coffey offers these five tips for job seekers to keep in mind during the summer:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Some industries slow down in summer</b><br />"Employees of many companies may actually have more time to interview candidates in the summer, when they aren't on vacation, because it isn't a busy time for their organization," she explains.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Don't assume no one's hiring</b><br />"Companies still need to hire even when it is 95 degrees outside," Coffey reminds. "If you stop your job search, you could miss out on some great opportunities. And you may face less competition if other job seekers are buying into the summer slowdown myth."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Be prepared to act quickly</b><br />"While summer vacation schedules can prolong the interview process, they can also expedite it," she cautions. "If the schedules of all involved align, companies will speed up interviews -- to even just one day -- to avoid the complexity of scheduling multiple meetings."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong>Starting in the summer gives you more breathing room</strong>"Summertime is typically a less hectic time to transition to a new job. Prospects can get acquainted with the company when fewer people are in the office and things are slower. It can also be less traumatic for families if a move is involved, since children wouldn't have to switch schools mid-year," Coffey says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Use summer hours to your advantage<br />"</b>Many companies have a more lax schedule in July and August," she reminds. "Bosses are often on vacation or may take a long lunch, so employees can slip away unnoticed. Vacation days are more accepted -- boss won't think it is odd if you take a vacation day or two in August. In fact, you could even consider taking a 'job search vacation' where you conduct a week-long blitz of intense searching and interviewing."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How to network and make connections in the summer</b><br />Now that you know summer is the perfect time to job hunt, and maybe even the secret to landing a job while everyone else has given up, you need to know how to do it. We asked some career experts to give their best advice for making the most of summer picnics and sports games in order to advance your career. Here's what they think you should be doing:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"At the summer barbecue or pool party, networkers should listen as well as talk. Listening establishes rapport and people are more likely to help you when they feel listened to. Job seekers should never say, 'I'm unemployed.' It sounds passive and negative. If you are networking and not employed, the best thing to say is 'I'm in [a] career transition.' It puts you in the driver's seat. If you were caught in a downsizing, never say 'I lost my job' or 'I was laid off.' Instead say, 'My position was downsized' or 'my department was eliminated.' Then, it sound less like the layoff was about you and more like it was about the financial operations of the company." <i>- Marky Stein, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/career+coach/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">career coach</a>and author of "Fearless Resumes: The Proven Method to Get a Great Job Fast"</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"The challenge of summer networking is that so many of the venues and places are outside. Most of us are not walking around with our briefcases and resumes in hand. We forget that these summer places offer real opportunities.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"[My] Best advice: Keep your business cards with you wherever you go -- in your pocket or wallet or glove compartment of your car. If you have a smartphone, learn to use it by immediately uploading a new contact into it and beaming your contact info to the person you have just met. Be careful: since these are usually social or recreational, do not come across as too pushy. Keep it low key!" <i>- Larry Chiagouris, professor of <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/marketing/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">marketing</a> at Pace University</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"The best thing about networking [at picnics, softball leagues or tennis matches] is people get to know the real you, the person behind the suit, the face and the personality. Be yourself! And connect with them on LinkedIn.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Considering most conversations either begin or end up focusing on what you do for a living, have that elevator speech planned but don't sound too canned. Bring business cards or connect with new contacts on LinkedIn but know going into it what you're looking for. Identify what you want such as a company you want to work for and/or specific jobs and put yourself in the position to ask new contacts for help." <i>- Vicki Salemi, author of "Big Career in the Big City"</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"At times, professionals forget the conversation starters and ways to look for making connections to build their networking. Ask probing questions to find out more about the other person. Don't talk all business but ask them about their personal interests outside of work, their family, their occupation and what made them select that industry, where they like to vacation and what are their dreams and aspirations. When you find a common connection that is when the real magic begins to happen.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"I challenge people to keep asking questions on various topics until they find a common interest. I've personally done this and found people who attended the same university, from the same home town or like to vacation in the same type of relaxing vacations. This is how to build a professional network that can lead to long-term rapport." <i>- Sarah Hathorn, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/CEO/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">CEO</a> of Illustra Consulting, a corporate and individual professional consulting firm</i></div><i>Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, </i><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; 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></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

How to keep networking during summer vacation

Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder Writer For many people, regardless of age, summer is a time when work is low on your list of priorities. P...

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BOSNIA - EUROPEAN UNION’S STEPCHILD

<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY (IC) AND ORGANIZED CRIME (OC) ARE THE MAIN OBSTACLES IN SOLVING THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (BIH).  </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uJ2BYMwEt3Y?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2X29QvipgS380mmXtFhBWcZJ5FgL8Fzi0kJVt8py-YUYX4JCqDOvsEJOso92xb_Mtao2FyPHFsNXIlVKe4h0zN7Wfgc-OwwEU9bT9VnEKmVc6CP2q4YC2BkDZjZUK6XKbjbLFIaqW9yt/s1600/bosnia_herzegovina_pol97.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2X29QvipgS380mmXtFhBWcZJ5FgL8Fzi0kJVt8py-YUYX4JCqDOvsEJOso92xb_Mtao2FyPHFsNXIlVKe4h0zN7Wfgc-OwwEU9bT9VnEKmVc6CP2q4YC2BkDZjZUK6XKbjbLFIaqW9yt/s400/bosnia_herzegovina_pol97.jpg" width="321" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The notorious inability of the EU to find a common political consensus on pressing subject such as the current dept crisis management, immigration policies, unified air traffic control, to name but a few, reflect on the inability to find a united approach regarding BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (BIH) and its acceptance in the EU. Some EU countries, for historical reasons, follow their own agenda with BIH, where others seem indifferent to the developments occurring, right in front of the doorstep to EUROPE. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This division in opinion among EU states, as how to proceed with the membership negotiations and growing rift among the 3 BOSNIAN ethnicities are the perfect constellation to further escalate the already fragile situation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">By stalling EU membership negotiations, BOSNIANS, in particularly the BOSNIAK (Muslim) entity might turn their back on the EU entirely and seek support from TURKEY and other ASIAN Muslim states. And who can blame them? TURKEY’S and most ASIAN Muslim states are far better off economically then the EU and contrary to the EU, these countries are eager to accept young educated immigrants, of which BIH has plenty off. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The older generation of BIH grew up in an ethnic unified environment and has close ties to EUROPE because many citizens of FORMER YUGOSLAVIA immigrated to EUROPE in order to work, thus providing financial support for their relatives and families in BIH. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Diaspora still works in favor for the old generation of FORMER YUGOSLAVIA, thus ties to EUROPE still are strong due to the economic support, but with the economic situation in EUROPE worsening rapidly, the incentive to join the EU are diminishing rapidly, even among the older generation.</span><span style="font-size: large;">  </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HadIxyg1yxg?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlike EUROPE, the BALKAN has a rather young and growing population with a large amount of disillusioned youth at disposal. Thanks to the visa regime the EU placed upon BIH after the war, for fear of mass migration, travel to EUROPE for young BOSNIANS was impossible and only contributed to the fact that the young generation of Bosnia lost its ties, identification and association with EUROPE, thus student movements in BIH, in particularly in the Muslim part of BIH, increasingly voice their anger on the prolonged EU membership negotiations and see no need to join the Union. Most young Bosnians nowadays ask the question: Who needs Europe, with its stagnating economy, increasing “Islamophobia” and hostility towards immigrants? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">TURKEY and countries such as SAUDI ARABIA, MALAYSIA, EGYPT to name but a few are investing heavily in BIH and encourage young BOSNIAKS to study in their country, providing them </span><span style="font-size: large;"> job perspectives, excellent career opportunities and last but not least treat them as fellow Muslims. See also <a href="http://www.isaintel.com/2011/01/31/as-predicted-turkey-steps-in-to-help-bosnia-form-new-govt-while-spreads-disinformation-on-%E2%80%98flag-row%E2%80%99/">http://www.isaintel.com/2011/01/31/as-predicted-turkey-steps-in-to-help-bosnia-form-new-govt-while-spreads-disinformation-on-%E2%80%98flag-row%E2%80%99/</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">One should not underestimate the youth movements among the BOSNIAK entity. Currently there are no indications that the BOSNIAKS youth will turn towards Islamic fundamentalism, should however the economic situation in the country deteriorate, they could easily be the target of fundamentalist recruiting techniques and thus shake the entire political landscape in the region. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpy5RQwjT70?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The EU and the IC however seem to turn a blind eye on development in BIH for reasons that are not comprehendible, or as some argue, are deliberate. The “Internationals” as all foreign entities in BIH are referred to, earn vast amounts of money. Official posts such as the Office of the High Representative (OHR), OSCE chief etc are appointments which are limited to a certain period of time, thus a continuous flow of “new” ideas etc. should be imminent. On the other hand, international consultants, analysts, advisors etc. are in most cases permanent positions. Thus their objectives are to prolong the current eco - political situation in BIH, in order to continue earning high wages. Thus impartial analysis and conflict resolutions on BIH are almost none existing. </span><span style="font-size: large;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The “Internationals” are also under the influence from lobbies who manipulate the political landscape in BIH. Milorad Dodik, the Bosnian Serb leader of the REPUBLIC SRBSKA (RS) for example uses his warmongering rhetoric’s to “play” the “Internationals” as he deems necessary to archive his political objective in the RS. There are allegations that Dodik has strong lobbies within the EU and the USA who support his cause.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Organized Crime and “grey” Economy of BIH</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last but not least, the other entity in BIH which is not interested in a solution to the Bosnian problem and its acceptance in the EU are the Organized Crime syndicates. OC and the so called “grey” economy are far too developed and infiltrated in all levels of BIH society then to be eliminating them from one day to the other. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The close proximity of the SANDZAK </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">  (see </span><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand%C5%BEak">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand%C5%BEak</a> ) region, a OC stronghold and home to a BOSNIAK minority, most of whom are running their “international business” from there due to its geographic location in the Balkans and close proximity to main drugs and human trafficking routes to Europe, further stalls political as well as economic progress in BIH.</span><span style="font-size: large;">   </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">See also:</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/crime_omero.pdf">http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/crime_omero.pdf  </a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_368951384">http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10243.doc.htm</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>

BOSNIA - EUROPEAN UNION’S STEPCHILD

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY (IC) AND ORGANIZED CRIME (OC) ARE THE MAIN OBSTACLES IN SOLVING THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION OF BOSNIA AND HE...

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How to decode employment ad phrases

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Larry Buhl, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b><br /><br /><div class="cbmsnArticleImage"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/n5/ar5l5wc695tqtg4rf3n5.gif?time=6/7/2011%2012:05:09%20pm" /></div></div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Contrary to many job seekers' fears, employment ads are more likely to be wish lists than demands. But reading these ads, it's often hard to tell what these companies are actually wishing for. It's a good idea to decode confusing phrases before you apply, so you'll avoid wasting time on jobs out of your reach, and not overlook that perfect fit position.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Experience required, or preferred?</b></div><ul type="disc"><li><b>Experience preferred</b>: The company hopes you have done most of the tasks in the job description. If you haven't you won't automatically be disqualified.</li></ul><br /><ul type="disc"><li><b>Experience required</b>: You should have done most of the tasks of the job advertised. However, the exact amount of experience they want is sometimes negotiable. And remember that your experience can be in a particular field or position, or you might have more general experience or transferable skills that you can apply to the specific job advertised.</li></ul><br /><ul type="disc"><li><b>Will train</b>: It's fine if you don't have direct experience. In some cases -- rare, but it happens -- companies want people without experience, so they won't have to unlearn the ways of a previous employer.</li></ul><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Senior-, junior- or entry-level?</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/entry+level/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Entry-level</a></b> jobs require the least experience and are open to candidates just out of school. You should have a few years of experience for a <b><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/junior+level/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">junior-level</a> </b>position, and you must be highly proficient with more than five years of experience, generally, for a <b><a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/senior+level/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">senior-level</a> </b>role.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Sometimes the level is implied but not stated in the title itself. For example, "<a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/administrative+assistant/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">senior administrative assistant</a>" (senior) will require more experience than "<a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/assistant/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">administrative assistant</a>," (junior) which will require more experience than "<a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/receptionist/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">receptionist</a>" (entry level).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Also consider the size of the company. A senior position in a large firm may require decades of experience; in a small company a few years may be adequate.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Knowledge and proficiency</b></div><ul type="disc"><li><b>Working knowledge of:</b> This means that you should be familiar with the topic, tool, technique or software, but it's not necessary that you've used them.</li></ul><br /><ul type="disc"><li><b>Proficient in: </b>You have handled certain tasks and tools in the past, but may not know the finer points. If you have a year of hands-on experience, that should be enough.</li> <li><b>Command of: </b>You are so experienced with a task, skill or software that you could teach others how it works.</li></ul><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Personal qualities</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Phrases that seem like meaningless jargon are actually ways of finding intangible personal qualities. Some examples:</div><ul type="disc"><li><b>Highly motivated:</b> They want to be sure you have passion and commitment for the job and you're not applying just for a paycheck.</li></ul><br /><ul type="disc"><li><b>Team player</b> and/or <b>good interpersonal skills:</b> They want to know if you work well with others, even if your job requires working independently. Being able to collaborate when necessary is important for most jobs.</li></ul><br /><ul type="disc"><li><b>Works well under pressure:</b> They want to make sure you won't flip out if your deadline is pushed up a day or two.</li></ul><br /><ul type="disc"><li><b>Thinks outside of the box:</b> They want you to have some original and innovative ideas. Then again, they don't want a loose cannon; teamwork almost always takes precedence over genius, no matter what the want ads say.</li></ul><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Be specific in your own résumé.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As confusing as want ads can be for job candidates, résumés can be just as confusing for employers, according to Hassan Akmal, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/director/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">director</a> of career services for DeVry University in Sherman Oaks, Palmdale and Oxnard, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/california/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">California</a>. Akmal recommends working with a counselor who will help you use the terms correctly on your résumé. "You don't want to mislead a hiring manager by inflating your skills. For example, don't say you are experienced in a language when you only know a few words."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Should you apply?</b>Most career <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/counselor/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">counselors</a> recommend applying even when you don't fit all the criteria. "With so many applicants today, if a company demands a certain number of years of experience, they will find many [candidates] to choose from, but sometimes they will choose a candidate with less experience who shines in other ways," Akmal says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Jenna Gausman, a career counselor at Santa Monica College, says it's okay to apply for a position that is one step higher or one step lower than your level of experience. "You never know if the organization might just have the opportunity to bring someone up to speed if you don't have all the experience they want. Putting time into a really good cover letter as to why you are ready for the next step will help the candidate land an interview."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Larry Buhl researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.com. Follow @CareerBuilder on Twitter.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

How to decode employment ad phrases

Larry Buhl, Special to CareerBuilder Contrary to many job seekers' fears, employment ads are more likely to be wish lists than demands. ...

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I think I'd rather be tired

I took my first doctor-prescribed sleeping pill last night. I slept horribly, worse than usual. I woke up with a severe headache at 4 a.m. It felt like my head was in a vise and someone was tightening the vise every few minutes. It was insanely painful. I felt extremely nauseous too. My husband brought me aspirin and a glass of water, but it didn't even begin to  phase the pain. <br /><br />When the headache finally eased up enough that I could get out of bed (around noon), I looked up the possible side effects of the "sleep aid" my doctor had prescribed. <br /><br />The drug is Trazodone HCL. It turns out it's not really a sleep aid, it's really an anti-depressant. Since it's a hypnotic, it's off-label use is to cause drowsiness for insomniacs. If it's used as a sleep aid, the it's only one dose a day. If used as an anti-depressant, the dosage is three times a day. Since I'm not depressed, the doctor prescribed on tablet at bedtime.<br /><br />Check out these possible side effects:<br /><br />All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Trazodone:<br /><blockquote>Blurred vision; constipation; decreased sexual desire or ability; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; <b>headache</b>; lightheadedness when sitting up or standing; muscle aches or pains; <b>nausea</b>; nervousness; stomach pain; stuffy nose; tiredness.</blockquote>Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Trazodone: <br /><blockquote>Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); black, tarry, or bloody stools; bloody or dark urine; chest pain; decreased coordination; fainting; fever, chills, or sore throat; hallucinations; irregular heartbeat; new or worsening agitation, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, aggressiveness, impulsiveness, irritability, hostility, exaggerated feeling of well-being, restlessness, trouble sleeping, or inability to sit still; prolonged, inappropriate, or painful erections; seizures; severe or persistent dizziness or tiredness; shortness of breath; speech problems; suicidal thoughts or actions; swelling of the hands, ankles, or feet; symptoms of low blood sodium levels (eg, confusion, persistent headache, trouble concentrating, memory problems, weakness, unsteadiness, sluggishness, personality changes); tremor; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual weight changes; vomit that looks like coffee grounds; yellowing of the eyes or skin.</blockquote>Are you thinking what I'm thinking? It's not worth it. I'm back to the Melatonin and Sleepytime herbal tea (I'm sipping a cup right now). My doctor has also suggested a sleep study, which I'm seriously considering. My niece has sleep apnea, and has a CPAP machine. She says it makes a huge difference in how much rested she feels. I don't like the idea of being hooked up to a machine when I sleep, but I also don't like feeling exhausted all the time.<br /><br />Exercise and Diet<br />Good news! I feel totally back in control of my eating. Thank God! I've had my eating in control for two whole days. I realize that doesn't sound like much, but it's the first two consecutive days in weeks that I kept my eating in check. I'm journaling all my food, and keeping my calorie count under 1500.<br /><br />This afternoon I went to the gym. I almost didn't go, because even though my headache was gone, it felt like it was on the verge of coming back. My eyes felt tender and almost sore from the pain earlier in the day. I thought maybe I'd feel better if I worked out. Amazingly, it worked! I did a full hour of cardio, 35 minutes on the elliptical and 25 minutes on the cross-ramp. Then 40 minutes of upper body weights. I burned 628 calories according to my heart rate monitor, in an hour and 40 minutes. Happy dance!<br /><br />The Body Media<br />I ordered my <a href="http://www.bodymedia.com/">Body Media</a> with the wrist display tonight. It should ship tomorrow and be here by Friday. It's a lot like the Body Bugg, except it also measures your sleep. It comes with a "free" 12-month subscription (I think the BodyBugg does too).<br /><br />I'm not sure how it measures sleep, but my friend at work said it really does work. She thought it sensed when you were laying down. I'm not sure it'll be accurate on my sleep (or lack of sleep).<br /><br />The best things I've ever purchased for myself were my Polar heart rate monitor and iPod. Those two items have made made a world of difference in my exercise. I'm actually on my third heart rate monitor and third iPod in four years. I think the Body Media will be another tool to help me get to my goal.<br /><br />I guess the SleepyTime and Melatonin are kicking in. I'm finally feeling tired. It's almost 10:30pm. Hopefully this will be a more restful night.

I think I'd rather be tired

I took my first doctor-prescribed sleeping pill last night. I slept horribly, worse than usual. I woke up with a severe headache at 4 a.m. I...

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What sort of things would you like to learn?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><i>submitted by Deb Avery</i><br />The ICT in the classroom conference is over, and for most of us, it’s back to school. There were so many good ideas, so many interesting tools, so many things we could use in the classroom – if we had time, if we knew how to use them better, if we were able to change the plans we have already made for the term, if we could persuade the school management to allow us to use social networking .... I’m sure you have a whole bunch of barriers of your own.<br /><br />I find that my list of 50 things I learnt is well populated but I often don’t get to follow through on them because I need just a bit more motivation.<br /><br />This is something the Premium Member plan hopes to address – providing some additional Professional Development so that members can see how others have used ICTs in their classrooms, learn the “how to” of some of the topics touched on, find a kindred spirit who can give advice, encouragement and maybe even another class to collaborate with, build a Personal Learning Network and take some of the impetus of the conference forward into the classroom.<br /><br />But to make this work, we need to know what you want to learn – is it more about social networking tools, is it about collaboration, is it attending a course Schoolnet already offers, is it joining a community of practice?<br /><br />We would like to offer webinars, provide some videos and resources, organise on-line discussion groups, maybe even have a full day on-line “un-conference” – but we need to know what your needs are. So this is a request – a one-line comment saying what YOU would like to have some PD on. <br /><br />Please join in – it will be worthwhile.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3XYrs3XlWpeUjULUjZ_oOOexN94GKEW5jFImgdVAjo0nQcxSCSuvDVTuiajc05TXhyphenhyphenXLTkZwxL8tYFOuhAQk3JeUWGaNsFu2ZLaK7yDp1NXNOd-C5QAInB9WLpscmBzhpGUL1YJF9M4/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3XYrs3XlWpeUjULUjZ_oOOexN94GKEW5jFImgdVAjo0nQcxSCSuvDVTuiajc05TXhyphenhyphenXLTkZwxL8tYFOuhAQk3JeUWGaNsFu2ZLaK7yDp1NXNOd-C5QAInB9WLpscmBzhpGUL1YJF9M4/s200/Slide1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />PS What I really wish I had been able to learn at the conference - how to create my own 1 CLICK DIGITAL MASH UP so I could find all the things that come into my computer all in one place - that's what I'd like a webinar on!</div>

survey What sort of things would you like to learn?

submitted by Deb Avery The ICT in the classroom conference is over, and for most of us, it’s back to school. There were so many good ideas,...

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My annual physical wasn't fun

Okay, so I'm not dying, at least not yet. I had my annual physical today and my doctor isn't happy with me. She asked me what happened, how did I gain so much weight since March 2010 (my last physical).<br /><br />I was 173 pounds in March 2010, and I was 199.4 on the doctor's scales today. She wanted to know why I'd gained so much weight. I didn't have an answer. I honestly don't know what happened. I told her I guess I was eating too much. <br /><br />My doctor is a tiny Asian woman, probably a size 0, really nice and very smart. She's the one that looked at my neck last year and spotted my enlarged thyroid (which resulted in an ultrasound and biopsy of my thyroid).<br /><br />Even though she's sweet, she doesn't mince words when it comes to my health. She told me this was a lot of weight to gain in one year and it was having a very serious impact on my body. My blood pressure was up to 148/88, and she put me back blood pressure medication. <br /><br />In one month I have to go back to see her again so she can see how my blood pressure is doing. She also wants me to wait one month to get all the blood work done for all the other stuff (glucose check, cholesterol and triglycerides, vitamin D and a reactive C protein test for my heart) and she wants to review everything with me.<br /><br />This is a lot more important than my concerns about how I look at this weight or the fact that none of my clothes fit. This is dead serious business. My health is at stake and frankly, I'm a little scared. What if I'm diabetic? Or what if I have a stroke or drop dead of a heart attack, or worse yet, live through a heart attack with a damaged heart? What am I doing to myself?<br /><br />This has really made me take stock of my issues with food and my weight. I guess I thought gaining weight wasn't that big of a deal. So my clothes don't fit or I "feel" fat and ugly. That stuff really doesn't matter that much. My health, that's a different story. Once it's gone, it's hard, if not impossible to get it back.<br /><br />So I'm making some changes. The most immediate is to get decent sleep. I've been failing in this area for years, short-changing myself on sleep almost every night.<br /><br />Of course, there's the eating. I need some sort of plan. I always seem to need a gimmick to get jump started. My new plan is to use the <a href="http://www.bodymedia.com/">Body Media</a>. Someone at work has been wearing one and she swears by it. I haven't ordered it yet, but plan to by this weekend.<br /><br />Last, but not least is my exercise. I've been slacking in the exercise area, going to the gym only three or four times a week, and then not really giving it 110%. I've really just been going through the motions. That has to change.<br /><br />I have a lot more that I want to write about, but I have to be off the computer in two minutes (8:45pm). New rule. Darkened room, and then lights out by 9pm.

My annual physical wasn't fun

Okay, so I'm not dying, at least not yet. I had my annual physical today and my doctor isn't happy with me. She asked me what happen...

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Update

<p>Hello friends & Happy Monday to you! So when I posted last week it was my great intention to post more often than weekly! But life with a newborn doesn’t always allow time for blogging! Speaking of newborn I thought I’d start today’s post with some sweetness! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWWe4xNm6wrJVea87PciID41lnsS2q5O6yYxizz3M9aeSE1eHUX_SYSxOU2YZx1qB5sYqlQJWm0VH3RhO1Zu6lYpWKDD33jQQrSJjCSSIxvmMVLCIwvdIMBTZ4pRWKOGGnm7bJKP8QncP/s1600-h/DSC00288%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC00288" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSkkaqkXmzKOptcs5lPuurgiOjbk8Xu5OABnxLLDjyoraxrzkjwcbccdPp17K1nn6m0B0dqCP2WUztVsLKbMHK35BTC84uj_AigoFH7DddvglJ0gRs-g65Hwo1poICcdVlZiRAe7rItEd/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC00288" width="404"></a></p> <p>Ok now back to the purpose of my post, <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2011/07/post-baby-plan.html">post baby plan</a> update! So my first week being cautious about my eats went fairly well. I wouldn’t say I was 100% on track, but baby steps here people! Eventually I hope to get back to photographing my food. I know I make better choices when I have to take a picture before I eat. </p> <p>I got in at least a 30 minute walk 4/7 days last week. I was hoping to do better, but that heat really didn’t help! We started our week out good this week though! By 8 am this morning I had my tennis shoes on, Adelyn strapped in her seat, and we were out the door for a walk! We started early to try to beat this crazy heat. I was dripping when we got back after 30 minutes. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3EWF1BpwMRA4yHgEnTyVpi-Z95er3EXo6l5_FI7zov2wIsozxwe-2aBUESYI0b_sEwxZuR8o6DDXHmZXD9ZHnjzDoxIHE0S2rl7UPZHy5zoATZpJYH64dy-QM47WM8zPFYRpxEUWM70B/s1600-h/DSC00306%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC00306" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSb5l2yAhSjGClEsb5Kg_WPIZ3D1q8pTLLuz5ThTlGme2KaZGqs92bFn73olBkHOnDaymX1KLf3QJcQLHy-OL1SecjfnOivCEYNcNEtzYAqxAhJC8Q3G4HZVDildW96whuiJ3tn4FTZkb/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; padding-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC00306" width="404"></a></p> <p>I stepped on the scale this weekend and……….stayed the same this week. <img alt="Sad smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-sadsmile" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGyh66AP69UXaqrnJBTusm-IXFAeF8jLDaj9ll6mkBVnb0aYS1iHCgMCBfnPkzy4T27RfIgfHq5-fSHwhsBiTQ0lxrsM55GH0JVJy6JpOoJFwCzuRu2ouOIExBAPnizHUGK_GSK_9cdl9/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"> At first I was really bummed, but then I came back to reality. I didn’t put all these pounds overnight and I know they aren’t going to come off like that! I was just quite spoiled those first 3 weeks, losing 35 lbs! So my plan is to continue watching my eats and getting in lots of fruits & veggies. And also trying to get in some walks (weather permitting!). </p> <p>Thanks for your continued support on this journey! Hope everyone has a great week!</p>

Update

Hello friends & Happy Monday to you! So when I posted last week it was my great intention to post more often than weekly! But life with ...

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Reflections on the ICT in the Classroom Conference

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><i>Submitted by Deb Avery</i><br />Sitting in a conference in Botswana this week, I can’t help reflecting on the ICT in the Classroom Conference last week.<br />The conference I am at is packed with huge numbers of workshops, papers and colloquia. Two or three presentations take place one after the other in the same venues – ½ hour or an hour at a time. Nothing is running on time – so people walk in and out all the time. Many of the presentations are being read straight from Academic papers. There is 5 minutes for questioning at the end of each presentation – but no real interaction. And some of the topics are very academic.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtflx56alzEU9DobWoH0VOQkmbTddLP6c9wpzxneBMn1K5vaUbpNSBUQbWYTb3INmfLn23qoEkzUsbHWXfgBseF5r_-dwGkwKZ_L5Uzz48kGPBclPUEQ1L9sebbBbvonJJJKAD1YBTGg/s1600/Gala+dinner+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtflx56alzEU9DobWoH0VOQkmbTddLP6c9wpzxneBMn1K5vaUbpNSBUQbWYTb3INmfLn23qoEkzUsbHWXfgBseF5r_-dwGkwKZ_L5Uzz48kGPBclPUEQ1L9sebbBbvonJJJKAD1YBTGg/s200/Gala+dinner+056.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />I’ve met some great people – people who really know what they are talking about, people who have a great heart for reading, people who really want to make a difference to education in Africa.<br />But, like the Botswana landscape, this conference feels dry. I miss the Twitter backchannel – even the critical comments from some of the conference delegates. I miss the chance to really get my teeth into some new and different tools and methods. I miss the interactivity of most of the presentations – the chance to try and talk and wrestle and learn from colleagues.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfE0t8F2Z6bS-MY9zBS2270eSPe-0eQtE_SkKqw081C80dSB_cV0lueTbxJHtp1RXdwel7Kqm2oumABkoqYP46vT4UAyrFSCc5_nTKvZRVKjbqibeuuVGXMxKI0g_GPIofdDDRkQ8Ul1k/s1600/Gala+Dinner+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfE0t8F2Z6bS-MY9zBS2270eSPe-0eQtE_SkKqw081C80dSB_cV0lueTbxJHtp1RXdwel7Kqm2oumABkoqYP46vT4UAyrFSCc5_nTKvZRVKjbqibeuuVGXMxKI0g_GPIofdDDRkQ8Ul1k/s200/Gala+Dinner+037.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />I also miss the amazing networking – meeting people who I have only known on facebook or twitter, introducing people who have something to offer one another, just chatting and laughing and dancing – brainstorming new ideas, seeing new ways of doing old tasks, being offered new resources freely and sharing my own ideas even when they seem small and insignificant.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQ8diSGAfkhdf7L2LEwbHKseFhOTphNAy-WZlXoOApaxLS0NrHThkEYTOBoL3xIVW8XVr2VzXdA4EywAJX73pvRVznKlLRq5nMEJCw8MGT5oRNmDj-NntE0qBke4BBiDeHxiZ-s9Vp7Y/s1600/Conference+134.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQ8diSGAfkhdf7L2LEwbHKseFhOTphNAy-WZlXoOApaxLS0NrHThkEYTOBoL3xIVW8XVr2VzXdA4EywAJX73pvRVznKlLRq5nMEJCw8MGT5oRNmDj-NntE0qBke4BBiDeHxiZ-s9Vp7Y/s200/Conference+134.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwtCAVXKV4n55U41XWvmWZrdhXRatEpwtIN9qLSbDfyXKU_XEJPjcFBD_8d_GdRcqKQiJSD3cqx4WjlqBqk3Wv6Svbav18B9_fnSnE4H9zvMsSiFHQXaISYXRqk-v6kLMKHjHyrDaKGw/s1600/Conference+2011+222.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwtCAVXKV4n55U41XWvmWZrdhXRatEpwtIN9qLSbDfyXKU_XEJPjcFBD_8d_GdRcqKQiJSD3cqx4WjlqBqk3Wv6Svbav18B9_fnSnE4H9zvMsSiFHQXaISYXRqk-v6kLMKHjHyrDaKGw/s200/Conference+2011+222.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCo4law5U7YZpBu9QuWV0CK-nOGYG51wJkJ5bpM3R_CttvyJTYOU1jWx1H31ZcTVno2JGd4nh0OFTEue-avu2PGDRQ2hJIOtPfJB4-lij6dgAHH-9PQMvEhGQWiIkyZAQpiZphu5vfwUk/s1600/Gala+Dinner+036.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCo4law5U7YZpBu9QuWV0CK-nOGYG51wJkJ5bpM3R_CttvyJTYOU1jWx1H31ZcTVno2JGd4nh0OFTEue-avu2PGDRQ2hJIOtPfJB4-lij6dgAHH-9PQMvEhGQWiIkyZAQpiZphu5vfwUk/s200/Gala+Dinner+036.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br />What significant things came out for me from the conference?<br />• The power of social networking in the hands of responsible people can be hugely beneficial – being a twitterer doesn’t mean you have to be a twit. Twitter is not just gossip or narcissistic self reflection – it’s a way to keep all your knowledge in one place and connected.<br />• There are a lot of new tools out there – tools that aren’t all about bells and whistles, but are there to make us more productive and give our learners a chance to think a bit more deeply. Some of them are about new ways of doing old things more effectively. <br />• Sharing is what it’s all about. The generosity of people at the conference – from the keynote presenters to the technicians in the labs - is what makes being a teacher so worthwhile. No one ever needs to struggle on alone, because there is always someone to share with, someone’s ideas to build on and someone’s help readily available.<br />• The “T” in ICT is really not “Technology” but “Thinking.” All the things I learnt were about building deeper thinking – for learners, but also for ourselves. Getting hung up on pedagogy and standards is less important than guiding our learners to be critical and creative thinkers and problem solvers. And there’s a lot that we as teachers can learn about thinking, too.<br />• Once every two years is not enough. We need to be engaging in “un-conferences” on a regular basis – discussing, meeting (on line or face to face), challenging, looking for new ways, thinking deeply, collaborating, sharing. And the joy of Web 2.0 tools is that we can do it for the cost of our bandwidth.<br />So let’s join up as Premium Members and reflect on what we learnt at the Conference – just add a comment to this post – and make sure we keep on developing.<br />This is not a dry or dusty academic place to be – it’s vibrant and growing. Let’s make it blossom.</div>

conferences Reflections on the ICT in the Classroom Conference

Submitted by Deb Avery Sitting in a conference in Botswana this week, I can’t help reflecting on the ICT in the Classroom Conference last we...

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The elephant in the interview room: Are you being passed over because of age?

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b><br /><br /><div class="cbmsnArticleImage"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/lh/ar5l0b76g736my59d1lh.gif?time=6/7/2011%2011:46:29%20am" /></div></div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"I can see the look in people's eyes when they first greet me," says Bill Wood, a 64-year-old from<a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/Minnesota/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Minneapolis, Minn., </a>who is looking for a job in information technology. "It seems to say, 'This guy is going to retire soon; we don't want a short-term permanent employee.'"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Cyndi Pauwels, a <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/writer/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">writer</a> in her 50s from Yellow Springs, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/ohio/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Ohio</a>, has had similar experiences. "I was told (second-hand, off-the-record) by a headhunter, 'We don't hire older workers.' I've read that the longer I'm unemployed, the less likely my chances are of finding anything, and I'm beginning to believe it."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The current recession has been particularly hard on older job candidates. In March 2011, the duration of unemployment for all seekers averaged 39 weeks. But in April, the average length of unemployment for people over 55 surpassed the year mark (53.6 weeks), according to an AARP analysis of Labor Department data. And while age discrimination is illegal, that certainly doesn't mean it isn't happening. Complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have increased 35 percent over the last three government fiscal years compared with the average of the three years prior.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">What is behind the longer length of unemployment? Lisa Quast, author of "Your Career, Your Way!" and president of Career Woman Inc. in <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/washington/seattle/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Seattle, Wash</a>., notes the following:</div><ul type="disc"><li>Corporate downsizing during the recession eliminated many of the middle-management positions previously held by older workers.</li> <li>There are more <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/entry+level/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">entry-level</a> positions available, and these are the positions into which young people are being hired. Higher-level positions are less numerous and harder to obtain, so it can take longer for older workers to find an equivalent position to what they previously held.</li> <li>Older workers are further up the career and salary ladder. Many do not want to take a position beneath their skill level, so they hold out on accepting lower-level positions, thus increasing the duration it takes to find a position.</li></ul><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Yet even when older workers are willing to settle for less, they often get passed over. "I have dropped my salary expectations to allow me to compete with younger candidates," Wood says. "The philosophy of industry in the past was to bring in 'young guns' that have fresh ideas and ways of doing things. Unfortunately for people in a similar position as me, companies are not changing that attitude and are missing out on a golden opportunity to improve the business by utilizing experience."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Older workers often are perceived as outdated or stuck in their ways. Such stereotypes can be hard to shatter, but not impossible. "Show some enthusiasm. Discuss how you have been innovative and are a life-long learner," says Robin Ryan, author of "Over 40 & You're Hired!" "Demonstrate on a résumé and in interviews the results you have achieved in the last few years. Show recent training (especially your technical prowess) and innovations made on the job, such as creating something new, making process/system improvements or saving past employers money." Ryan also notes that many mature workers appear "weather-worn and tired out" and suggests looking as vibrant as possible with a new hairstyle and a contemporary, well-fitting suit.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">While being lively is one thing, trying to hide your age can backfire. "In some cases, I see older workers removing the dates of their college degree(s) or their earliest jobs from their résumé in order to appear younger," Quast says. "However, savvy hiring managers are able to see the candidates in person and guesstimate age -- and may then be forced to ask candidates to explain holes in their résumé, leading to questions of integrity and additional embarrassment."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Focusing on what you can offer a company (wisdom and experience) rather than what you can't (youth) oftentimes sets the tone. "If you sense the hiring manager is worried about your age, then take the first step to put him at ease by explaining how you believe your knowledge, skills and experience would benefit him and the position," Quast says. "If you choose to ask about his concerns, do so in a highly professional manner, such as, 'Based on my education, skills and experience, are there any concerns you have that I am not qualified for this position?' The goal is to get the hiring manager to show his hand without you having to bring up the topic of age."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Finally, resist making blanket assumptions that companies only value youth. "The real-life experience of older workers can be of huge benefit in the business world, especially for start-up companies with a lot of young workers," Quast says. "If you are truly worried about your age being a negative factor, seek out companies who could benefit from your expertise and sell them on yourself and your skills!"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

The elephant in the interview room: Are you being passed over because of age?

Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder "I can see the look in people's eyes when they first greet me," says Bill Wood, ...

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