https://portal.adp.com - Access Payroll Information

Go to <b>https://portal.adp.com</b> - a self service portal - to access its payroll services.<br /><br />First time users have to register while frequent visitors need only their <b>user login</b> and password to avail of the benefits of the site, ipay, access benefits information, pay statements, etc. <br /><br />Registering at the ADP portal comes with multiple benefits for for both the employers and employess - ensuring up to date financial information for both.<br /><br />Go to www.portal.adp.com for logging and adp.com/solutions for more information on automated data processing.

adp login https://portal.adp.com ipay pay slip www.portal.adp.com https://portal.adp.com - Access Payroll Information

Go to https://portal.adp.com - a self service portal - to access its payroll services. First time users have to register while frequent vis...

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SWAC Son's new nest

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM-GWTIkmTvTmyxi0itpIj6KD5r1F2L26ccu0JLEOkI3-NKsjd8mdaPPF_VjrAFsjsxl0UjsLX_948h_0rNYV3Khiqprz2IV0XG2wzPmtcyd6bkWdhur8pYiUN6uTwd2ICWxGJO6MdsHX/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM-GWTIkmTvTmyxi0itpIj6KD5r1F2L26ccu0JLEOkI3-NKsjd8mdaPPF_VjrAFsjsxl0UjsLX_948h_0rNYV3Khiqprz2IV0XG2wzPmtcyd6bkWdhur8pYiUN6uTwd2ICWxGJO6MdsHX/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">He left the nest years ago after graduating from James Madison University and has roomed with others in rental properties during that time. Now SWAC Son's a homeowner. A month ago he closed on his first house and immediately began preparing it to move in ... painting, cleaning, mowing, and weeding ... and is now completely moved in. Oh -- and the above robin's nest is perched on the pool fence. Congrats, Son ... we're proud of you. As Dr. Seuss said, "Oh, the places you'll go!"</div><br />Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />July 6, 2013

SWAC Son's new nest

He left the nest years ago after graduating from James Madison University and has roomed with others in rental properties during that time. ...

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+ POOL, Tile by Tile

Three days to go in <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/694835844/pool-tile-by-tile">+POOL's Kickstarter bid to raise $250 grand</a> for a "floating test lab." They're less than $75,000 away from the goal—a real nail biter! Check out the film for more information on the project.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/694835844/pool-tile-by-tile/widget/video.html" width="640"> </iframe><br /><br />Head over the Kickstarter and <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/694835844/pool-tile-by-tile">buy yourself a tile</a>!

+ POOL, Tile by Tile

Three days to go in +POOL's Kickstarter bid to raise $250 grand for a "floating test lab." They're less than $75,000 away...

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Seat pads

I bought this great flamingo fabric in Key West.  I love how tropical it is.<div><br></div><div>I decided to make seat pads for the garden furniture.  It took me less than a day to make the first one.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXx3_OSQUTYZNsHL52nLvJJGNBZ9O-_AGyoqoSbTMrNbnBmUWzqVbviq0ceRSA1ZdNTYTON0f0An6Bqb1TnxZ2RKRmH2lA3V6XMDnehyK0IFX2NP934lUHclXL4zj498XM0DKRbRnpOlb6/s640/blogger-image--1279313998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXx3_OSQUTYZNsHL52nLvJJGNBZ9O-_AGyoqoSbTMrNbnBmUWzqVbviq0ceRSA1ZdNTYTON0f0An6Bqb1TnxZ2RKRmH2lA3V6XMDnehyK0IFX2NP934lUHclXL4zj498XM0DKRbRnpOlb6/s640/blogger-image--1279313998.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrX6oLhr3I5CBfYn73bCfSv4rTfV4oEJAx3bCTbDEcfTl0Sutc4VEvstlxzZQ1dXOYKBFRRzbGeU9mEljzrvaxcvg7So5j9wVc25YrI7V-2CdIvGVqVUnzXpf6TLTAuvPI6DE5lqlbZjA/s640/blogger-image-1890975096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrX6oLhr3I5CBfYn73bCfSv4rTfV4oEJAx3bCTbDEcfTl0Sutc4VEvstlxzZQ1dXOYKBFRRzbGeU9mEljzrvaxcvg7So5j9wVc25YrI7V-2CdIvGVqVUnzXpf6TLTAuvPI6DE5lqlbZjA/s640/blogger-image-1890975096.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzeIdZSE_0FNxX6IRa09gjYa0_FI5Vy4W90XOwZQaWYYuyl9ak-dzGR26UNBIoEnrlN-5tWe5pC0CL_CvRTSx6mgt3Vhc50qdxSnvpigZhNyBUT2ZI7Q_dwkjcg0qIz0QVfZaOzw5AAb3/s640/blogger-image--1284888748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzeIdZSE_0FNxX6IRa09gjYa0_FI5Vy4W90XOwZQaWYYuyl9ak-dzGR26UNBIoEnrlN-5tWe5pC0CL_CvRTSx6mgt3Vhc50qdxSnvpigZhNyBUT2ZI7Q_dwkjcg0qIz0QVfZaOzw5AAb3/s640/blogger-image--1284888748.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzeIdZSE_0FNxX6IRa09gjYa0_FI5Vy4W90XOwZQaWYYuyl9ak-dzGR26UNBIoEnrlN-5tWe5pC0CL_CvRTSx6mgt3Vhc50qdxSnvpigZhNyBUT2ZI7Q_dwkjcg0qIz0QVfZaOzw5AAb3/s640/blogger-image--1284888748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwzqpY9AgkrF3V1fPjiRLlhI-6EELhCQMFTtJ3pITHAx6LdCw82x5HmQGKIE8S_WM7A_jL5lEzvksbE3Vmz3vvnigOYZn5XfsAsuP3-OGtDEXFDUzvy3MxEN67KxTlfFofTCulsvVSa9j/s640/blogger-image--715072880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwzqpY9AgkrF3V1fPjiRLlhI-6EELhCQMFTtJ3pITHAx6LdCw82x5HmQGKIE8S_WM7A_jL5lEzvksbE3Vmz3vvnigOYZn5XfsAsuP3-OGtDEXFDUzvy3MxEN67KxTlfFofTCulsvVSa9j/s640/blogger-image--715072880.jpg"></a></div></div><br></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9wJlfy1_bkX4TwLPX4FATuWFvdQsc8fPvHA4XyU5Qg7wAmbpRtf2o7_0d6xjXO66L5MbzG1jXqAlHoCNs8K1C78jhkXevypyIGsR80QmMKrS56R7Zdo3j8UZbkgJHcAqaSsi9m5C_Rw6/s640/blogger-image-144623224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9wJlfy1_bkX4TwLPX4FATuWFvdQsc8fPvHA4XyU5Qg7wAmbpRtf2o7_0d6xjXO66L5MbzG1jXqAlHoCNs8K1C78jhkXevypyIGsR80QmMKrS56R7Zdo3j8UZbkgJHcAqaSsi9m5C_Rw6/s640/blogger-image-144623224.jpg"></a></div><br></div>

Seat pads

I bought this great flamingo fabric in Key West.  I love how tropical it is. I decided to make seat pads for the garden furniture.  It took ...

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How about restoring taxpayer control over public assets?

Bad things happen when government let corporations loot public assets, our friends at the <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12167/group-launches-taxpayer-empowerment-agenda-reclaim-public-control-over-public-ass">Center for Media and Democracy</a> remind us. (They're the wonderful folks who brought us <a href="http://alecexposed.org/">AlecExposed.org</a>.)<br /><br />Brendan Fischer at CMD <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12167/group-launches-taxpayer-empowerment-agenda-reclaim-public-control-over-public-ass">tells us two sordid tales</a> of privatization gone awry.<br /><ul><li>In Chicago, a Morgan Stanley-backed company took control of 36,000 public parking meters with a 75-year contract -- and as a result, parking fees have exploded, meters run until 10pm, and taxpayers must reimburse the company for lost meter profits when they want to hold a parade or street fair. The plan was quickly pushed through the City Council and passed with no public input or debate.</li><li>In South Carolina, after the state outsourced its water system, the for-profit corporation failed to pay state employee payroll taxes, lost track of tens of thousands of dollars, and lost millions of gallons of water. But the private company refused to come clean about what happened and comply with the public records law's transparency requirements, despite being funded by public dollars.</li></ul>But you all knew about disastrous <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-new-gilded-age-brought-to-you-by.html">highway privatization</a> in Indiana, <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/02/pa-guv-wants-to-repeat-wa-liquor.html">liquor privatization in Washington state</a> and <a href="http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2011/03/private-prison-bubble-bursting-empty.html">prison privatization in Texas</a> (to name a few).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.inthepublicinterest.org/article/taxpayer-empowerment-agenda">In The Public Interest</a> -- an offshoot of <a href="http://www.afscme.org/">AFSCME</a> -- summarizes the pitfalls of privatization:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Outsourcing means taxpayers have very little say over how tax dollars are spent and no<br />say on actions taken by private companies that control our public services. Outsourcing<br />means taxpayers cannot vote out executives who make decisions that hurt public health<br />and safety. Outsourcing means taxpayers are contractually stuck with a monopoly run<br />by a single corporation – and those contracts often last decades. And outsourcing too<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzDdeYcVgdJKXbFEGyL7YlDMBebNRnP0saJUyjhlSOKNcB_S0r6pfQEdTt3Y58XhrW830c_Y41IYXgrvc_QQL_AndfY_lTjuSYqxF0NtvVRDIDTKzMI-P32RZWY7X-C7QVKREy__7Y5lP/s1600/privatization_equals_corruption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzDdeYcVgdJKXbFEGyL7YlDMBebNRnP0saJUyjhlSOKNcB_S0r6pfQEdTt3Y58XhrW830c_Y41IYXgrvc_QQL_AndfY_lTjuSYqxF0NtvVRDIDTKzMI-P32RZWY7X-C7QVKREy__7Y5lP/s200/privatization_equals_corruption.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So often it's true.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />often means a race to the bottom for the local economy, as wages and benefits fall while corporate profits rise.</blockquote>Recently, In The Public Interest came up with a legislative agenda to empower taxpayers to take back the assets they own. The Taxpayer Empowerment Agenda includes some great ideas. Here are a few of our favorites:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><ul><li>Regularly post online how much taxpayers are spending on private contracts and how many workers are employed by those contracts, just as government does. </li><li>Make sure every contract allows government to cancel the contract if the company doesn’t live up to its promises of quality and cost savings.</li><li>Prohibit any company that has evaded taxes or broken the law from taking over public services. (YES!!!)</li><li>Require companies that privatize public services to pay their employees a living wage and provide reasonable benefits.</li><li>Ban contract language that guarantees company profits. </li><li>Ensure that public service workers have the opportunity to submit their own plan to save money and provide quality services.</li></ul></blockquote>Read more about it <a href="http://www.inthepublicinterest.org/article/taxpayer-empowerment-agenda">here</a>.

How about restoring taxpayer control over public assets?

Bad things happen when government let corporations loot public assets, our friends at the Center for Media and Democracy remind us. (They&#...

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Tips On Successfully Avoiding Childhood Obesity Levels

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By David Jones</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>Having and raising children can quickly prove to be one of the most difficult and stressful phases of adulthood for parents around the world today. Decisions that are made for children on a regular basis can prove to be quite difficult to contend with when making sure that all fundamentals of their well being are successfully kept up with as necessary. People that are dealing with this specific source of concern should know the fundamentals of avoiding childhood obesity.<br /> <br /> Childhood obesity is a growing and often difficult concern for parents to manage according to Jan Berkowitz. The nutrition decisions that parents make are often based on their hectic lifestyles which directly lead to the health and well being levels they are encouraging for their children to make in adulthood. This growing pandemic continues to create an increased amount of attention on the foods that children should eat for sustainable weight control.<br /> <br /> Parents that are worried about the weight of their children are offered a large assortment of tips and suggestions. Each person is unique and responds to diet and health decisions in a completely different manner which can make some suggestions irrelevant for people to consider. Understanding the most common and effective prevention tips helps parents through their efforts.<br /> <br /> Parents are encouraged to initially understand the various risks associated with this particular condition. Childhood diabetes and heart complications are among the most prevalent and difficult issues for parents to try and manage with their children which can be increasingly more complicated to work through. Understanding these risks is quite helpful in knowing what to look for when monitoring health levels.<br /> <br /> Implementing a strict diet is also encouraged for parents to consider throughout their efforts. Jan Berkowitz suggests that implementing balanced meals and healthy snack alternatives is one of the leading sources of prevention from this highly stressful condition. Consulting with a nutrition specialist is helpful in making sure children are receiving proper and healthy nutrition.<br /> <br /> Exercise and continual physical activity should be a major part of daily life for any child combating this issue. Creating routines on a regular basis along with promoting levels of activity is one of the best ways for kids to burn fat and calories. This is also a great way to improve their mental well being in the process.<br /> <br /> Childhood obesity is also prevented through portion control. The amount of food eaten on a daily basis is just as important as the kinds of items ingested. Smaller meals that are more frequent throughout the day should be specifically focused on.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>When you want to read the most current information on childhood obesity, check the blog of <a href="http://janberkowitz.net/stopping-childhood-obesity">Jan Berkowitz</a> here today. You can see details and suggestions from the pen of <a href="http://janberkowitz.net/type-2-diabetes-therapy-jan-berkowitz">Jan M Berkowitz</a> now.</div><br /> </div><br />

Tips On Successfully Avoiding Childhood Obesity Levels

By David Jones Having and raising children can quickly prove to be one of the most difficult and stressful phases of adulthood for paren...

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Top 4 reasons why minimum wage jobs lead to a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad life

The recent uproar over fast food and other minimum-wage workers has brought America’s attention to how much it sucks to be working at a minimum wage poverty job. Almost 3.6 million Americans are plugging away at dead-end, how-am-I-going to-pay-my-rent jobs – a figure that doesn’t count people making their state’s minimum wage (<a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm">disqualifying almost half the US population</a>). It also doesn't count any worker who gets a 15-cent raise as thanks for putting up with terrible wages, uncertain working hours and ugly uniforms for 6 months.<br /><br />Here's why minimum wage jobs lead to a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad life:<br /><ol><li><b>You can’t afford anything, ever</b>. Contrary to whatever nonsense the restaurant industry is pushing out, three-quarters of minimum wage earners are adults – and <a href="http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2012tbls.htm#9">68.5 percent of those wage workers work full-time</a>. These terrible jobs aren’t used as fun money for carefree teens. Instead, most people try to pay for food and rent with their money -- but don’t pay enough to actually afford living. Even  a worker who works a full 40 hours every week with no vacations or sick leave brings home a yearly salary of $15,080, That's so little money <a href="http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/IRS-Tax-Return/Does-Everyone-Need-to-File-an-Income-Tax-Return-/INF14399.html">the IRS doesn’t even require you to file if you provide for a two-person household</a>. That’s right. Minimum wage workers are so broke, the IRS doesn’t even want their money.</li><li><b>You can either live with relatives or in a car.</b> Every year, the National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that <a href="http://nlihc.org/oor/2013/">full-time minimum wage workers can’t afford a two-bedroom apartment in any state</a>. Even working 70 hours a week, <a href="http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/2013_OOR_Minimum_Wage_Map.pdf">a worker can only reasonably afford a two-bedroom apartment in four states and Puerto Rico</a>. Over half of the states require seven 12-hour days just to maintain affordable housing at minimum wage. Even split between two minimum wage workers at 45 hours a week, 17 states are too expensive to live in.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREqLLiV8no5cbkXrhviZ_8ue0Tttz01At5r4lqOH6p65f5L1yT_rsdxcUZ3Z_2yikN0Guuxhj4Hg4VPYjZDyuN6eBvKZWH8OavUNKki_zVK6k3JR5dI1erA1cWrPVrvC08bKiD9A4tCET/s1600/funny-Barbie-McDonalds-minimum-wage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREqLLiV8no5cbkXrhviZ_8ue0Tttz01At5r4lqOH6p65f5L1yT_rsdxcUZ3Z_2yikN0Guuxhj4Hg4VPYjZDyuN6eBvKZWH8OavUNKki_zVK6k3JR5dI1erA1cWrPVrvC08bKiD9A4tCET/s320/funny-Barbie-McDonalds-minimum-wage.jpg" width="173" /></a></div></li><li><b>Your healthcare plan consists of hoping you don’t get sick. </b>In 2012, a Gallup poll found <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/158417/poverty-comes-depression-illness.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=morelink&utm_term=All%20Gallup%20Headlines">that low-income families are 20 percent more likely to not have health insurance or a doctor</a>. Almost 40 percent say they struggle to afford healthcare or medicine. No matter how little adults without children (three-quarters of minimum wage earners) make, they cannot enroll in federal Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act plans to expand Medicare in 2014 to people making $14,500 or less. Although this is a great step in expanding healthcare, it still means that people will have to start choosing between having enough money for rent or not enough money to qualify for Medicare. Making that choice is probably <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/10/30/americans-in-poverty-at-greater-risk-for-chronic-health-problems">why people living in poverty suffer from depression at twice the rates of higher paid workers</a>. It’s okay though – minimum wage workers won’t be able to afford a therapist to diagnose them anyway.</li><li><b>You are literally poorer than anyone else (since 1968). </b>The real cost of minimum wage has been decreasing since 1968. If wages rose with inflation, the federal minimum wage would be $10.56 per hour. In other words, when your parents flipped burgers at McDonalds, they were able to get 30 percent more for their money – <a href="http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/min-wage1-2012-03.pdf">and probably did less than half the work</a>. But it’s not only you; <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/06/26/8-incredible-and-alarming-labor-force-statistics.aspx">all workers are suffering from wages depressed by inflation costs</a>. </li></ol>It can really stink to work in America. Maybe that’s why <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/24/pf/emergency-savings/">three-quarters of workers can’t afford to keep an emergency</a> fund.<ol></ol>

minimum wage poverty Top 4 reasons why minimum wage jobs lead to a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad life

The recent uproar over fast food and other minimum-wage workers has brought America’s attention to how much it sucks to be working at a mini...

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This is what we union THUGGS do for 4 years in a row

We donate $10,000 to the Braintree Challengers, which teaches autistic Little Leaguers how to play the game.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.teamsterslocal25.com/">Teamsters Local 25</a> in Boston holds an annual <a href="http://www.teamsterslocal25autism.com/">"Light Up the Night" gala</a> has raised more than $1.5 million for autism research and awareness over the past seven years. Among the many autism nonprofits the Teamsters supports is the Challenger Little League program. The Teamsters donation means more than 140 children will have full uniforms this year, according to the <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2013/07/06/teamsters-continue-support-for-challenger-baseball/WNIWYGt48nwjzmsryi6xPJ/story.html">Boston Globe</a>.<br /><br />Local 25 President Sean O'Brien said it's a great program.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">And you give these kids the sense of being on a team. It’s their World Series...A lot of times it seems like a lonely road for children with autism or special needs. It’s good to engage with other families. Everyone gets to cheer on their special player.</blockquote>Lorrie Fennell, a volunteer for Braintree American Little League’s Challenger Division, explained what the Teamsters support means: <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"...parents of children with physical and mental disabilities will not have to worry about paying for the simple joy of watching their children play baseball."</blockquote>You know the team is special when the former mayor of Boston and ambassador to the Vatican is an assistant coach. Local 25 received this letter from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Flynn">Ambassador Ray Flynn</a>:<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4bd6Ij5Kiz8cffVeKYKB0YLKEnTNuyUstQhYvhaOPR68rWT63kbje9nQmH-fccoXZRacdhyphenhyphen1elWU7AcYbK4_YcBAKVmxUwKoP4G9MYOGcmyIV2JMN8rSshTziacUlWl3capW_vgqlnPg/s1600/Braintree+Challengers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4bd6Ij5Kiz8cffVeKYKB0YLKEnTNuyUstQhYvhaOPR68rWT63kbje9nQmH-fccoXZRacdhyphenhyphen1elWU7AcYbK4_YcBAKVmxUwKoP4G9MYOGcmyIV2JMN8rSshTziacUlWl3capW_vgqlnPg/s320/Braintree+Challengers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Braintree Challenger.</td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote class="tr_bq">Throughout my political career I have been a great admirer and a strong supporter of the Teamsters Union Local 25. An extraordinary capable and reliable group of union leaders. But even more today, Local 25 support for the baseball program in Braintree for special needs people is one more example of Local 25 concern and compassion. But I am not surprised. These are the same working men and women who are dedicated and patriotic Americans. I am proud to be one of "Okie" O'Connor's assistant coaches. A remarkable group of volunteers, who try and make life better for people. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Teamsters not only keep our American economy moving forward, but reach out to help people in need. God bless each and every member of Local 25, and thanks for your kind and generous financial support.</blockquote>And remember: "thuggs" stands for "those helpful union guys and gals." <br /><br />

This is what we union THUGGS do for 4 years in a row

We donate $10,000 to the Braintree Challengers, which teaches autistic Little Leaguers how to play the game. Teamsters Local 25  in Boston h...

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Obesity - a disease or not a disease, that's the question

On June 18, 2013, the American Medical Association (AMA) officially classified obesity as a disease.  This news, of course, doesn't come without controversy as many do not view obesity as a disease, but more or less poor judgement in eating habits, etc.<br /><br />Having been overweight my entire life, I have to agree that poor eating habits played into my obesity; however, uncontrollable medical circumstances is probably the major contributing factor in how it all spun out of control.<br /><br />So, my biggest question is, what is the difference between alcoholism and obesity?  In 1991, the AMA classified alcoholism as a disease and most major insurance has some level of coverage where, depending on the carrier, obesity has none.  In 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, approximately 10,228 fatalities were alcohol related.  According to the National Institute of Health, more than 300,000 people die as a result to complications from obesity. <br /><br />Here are the top 10 obesity related health problems:<br />1.  High Blood Pressure<br />2.  Diabetes<br />3.  Heart Disease<br />4.  High Cholesterol<br />5.  Cancer<br />6.  Infertility<br />7.  Back Pain<br />8.  Skin Infections<br />9.  Ulcers<br />10.  Gallstones<br /><br />I can tell you from my own personal health, I have/had 4 of these and I am borderline for another 3!!  If you think about the cost to treat each individual condition, not to mention 4, to me, it makes better sense to treat the underlying issue - obesity.  If I take Belviq for 12 months, I figured the estimated cost (without insurance) would be about $2700.  That cost is so much cheaper than even covering co-pays to the doctor, lap, and RX for high cholesterol for my entire life.  It just makes sense.<br /><br />The debate will always continue on if Obesity is a disease or not.  But Obesity can LEAD to disease and that's never been debated. <br /><br />I am going to do some reading and studying on this issue and figure out how to lobby for insurance to be mandated to cover the treatment of obesity.  Maybe Obama care has it in there somewhere. <br /><br />Let me know your thoughts on this issue........<br /><br />NOTE:  I've added a DONATION button on my blog.  This is to help me pay for my belviq monthly since it is not covered by my insurance.  Anything in excess is going to be donated to people who also can not afford it for the same reason or because they do not have insurance at all.  I have been contacted by many wanting to know more information on if it is covered.  If you know what insurance carriers are for sure covering it (or even not covering it) please let me know.  Right now, BCBS-TX is NOT covering it.<br /><br /><br /> 

Obesity - a disease or not a disease, that's the question

On June 18, 2013, the American Medical Association (AMA) officially classified obesity as a disease.  This news, of course, doesn't come...

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Library Office Assistants: Branch Circulation/Customer Service (two positions) - West Hartford Public Library

<strong>Library Office Assistants: Branch Circulation/Customer Service (two positions) -</strong> <strong><strong><span style="color: #48286d;">West Hartford Public Library</span></strong></strong> seeks customer service-oriented individuals to join our service teams as circulation assistants at two busy branches offering "one-desk" services (circulation/reference/children's). Duties include: charging/ discharging materials; answering phones and routing calls; collecting fines; issuing cards; assisting patrons in the use the self-checkout stations; placing holds, assisting with computers, and performing other duties as requested. There are two openings for new team members at each branch (Faxon and Bishops Corner) for 10-15 hours weekly. Pay: $17.77 per hour. Hours will include days, nights and weekends. Requirements: Excellent communication and customer service skills, flexible schedule, previous library experience and knowledge of SIRSI. Knowledge of language other than English is a plus. Online applications are available at: <a _fcksavedurl="http://71.6.170.26/revize/westhartford/living_here/town_departments/support_services_to_town_departments/employee_services/docs/employmentapplication.pdf" href="http://71.6.170.26/revize/westhartford/living_here/town_departments/support_services_to_town_departments/employee_services/docs/employmentapplication.pdf" target="_blank">http://71.6.170.26/revize/westhartford/living_here/town_departments/support_services_to_town_departments/employee_services/docs/employmentapplication.pdf</a>. Please include complete schedule availability and personal reference contacts. Applications will close at 5 p.m. on Friday <span style="color: red;">July 12, 2013</span> for internal candidates. Review of applications will begin immediately and applications will be accepted until a candidate is chosen for each position. EOE. Email applications to: <a _fcksavedurl="mailto:holloway@westhartford.org" href="mailto:holloway@westhartford.org">holloway@westhartford.org</a>.

Library Office Assistants: Branch Circulation/Customer Service (two positions) - West Hartford Public Library

Library Office Assistants: Branch Circulation/Customer Service (two positions) - West Hartford Public Library seeks customer service-orien...

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Library Assistant - Pomfret Public Library

<strong>Library Assistant  -</strong> <strong></strong><strong><strong><span style="color: #48286d;">Pomfret Public Library</span></strong></strong> seeks a part-time Library Assistant to manage patron and circulation services. The successful candidate should be able to meet the public courteously and perform a wide variety of library tasks. Average of 16 hrs per week; $15.00/hr, includes alternate Saturdays. Qualifications: computer literacy and library work experience required; knowledge of Auto-graphics Verso system preferred. See full description at <a href="http://pomfretlibrary.org/">pomfretlibrary.org</a>. To apply, submit a cover letter and resume to the library director, <a _fcksavedurl="mailto:librarian@pomfretlibrary.org" href="mailto:librarian@pomfretlibrary.org">librarian@pomfretlibrary.org</a> by <span style="color: red;">August 2, 2013</span>.

Library Assistant - Pomfret Public Library

Library Assistant  - Pomfret Public Library seeks a part-time Library Assistant to manage patron and circulation services. The successfu...

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Project Coordinator for the Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project - Connecticut State Library, Hartford

<strong>Project Coordinator for the Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project -</strong> <strong><strong><span style="color: #48286d;">Connecticut State Library</span></strong></strong>, Hartford. A project coordinator, to be based out of the Connecticut State Library, is sought to supervise the Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project a project funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to digitize 100,000 pages of microfilmed Connecticut newspapers. This is a 35 hour per week, contracted position, with modest travel required within Connecticut and annual trips to Washington D.C. Ideally, the start date is November 1, 2013 and the position will continue through September 30, 2015. Compensation will depend upon experience and level of involvement and compensation shall not exceed $140,000 over 22 months. Benefits are not included. Under the direction of the Project Co-Director (Jane F. Cullinane) the Project Coordinator will: Manage project staff and coordinate project workflow; Train and supervise Project Library Technical Assistant; Develop and document procedures and oversee selection, digitization, metadata capture, OCR, workflow control, quality control and related activities; Develop and maintain tracking system for microfilm and deliverables; Work with vendors to ensure high quality deliverables; Confirm bibliographic completeness and perform technical analysis of microfilm; Validate scanned images and metadata; Work with Project Cataloger and the Serials Librarian to maintain project database; Work with Project Co-Director as project spokesperson and participate in publicity efforts, such as the website, blogging and representing the project at meetings; Work with Project Co-Director to manage project budget; Deliver progress reports on specified semi-annual schedule; Other duties as assigned. Required Experience and Qualifications: Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited school or foreign equivalent; At least 3 years of relevant experience; Solid understanding of digitization and/or conversion projects; Experience with XML and standard metadata schemas (non-MARC and MARC) and principles governing standards in digital libraries; Experience with quality control of digital projects; Project management experience; Must have a valid driver’s license. Desirable Experience and Qualifications: Knowledge of microfilming procedures, especially newspaper microfilming; Knowledge of newspapers or serials, and ability to assess complex relationships between titles; Demonstrated ability to pay attention to detail; Equally important are strong interpersonal and oral and written communication skills, the ability to analyze and solve problems; the ability to work with a variety of people; flexibility and willingness to shift priorities according to current needs. Some travel is required. Additional Information: Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project: <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.ctstatelibrary.org/cdnp" href="http://www.ctstatelibrary.org/cdnp" target="_blank">http://www.ctstatelibrary.org/cdnp</a>. National Endowment for the Humanities National Digital Newspaper Program: <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation/national-digital-newspaper-program" href="http://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation/national-digital-newspaper-program" target="_blank">http://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation/national-digital-newspaper-program</a>. LC Technical guidelines. <a _fcksavedurl="http://www.loc.gov/ndnp/guidelines/NDNP_201315TechNotes.pdf" href="http://www.loc.gov/ndnp/guidelines/NDNP_201315TechNotes.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.loc.gov/ndnp/guidelines/NDNP_201315TechNotes.pdf</a>. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume by <span style="color: red;">July 19, 2013</span>, preferably by email. We hope to receive positive news about the grant application in late July or early August and then will begin interviews as soon as possible. The successful candidate will be asked to sign a Personal Services Agreement (a contract) with the State of Connecticut for his or her services. Ideally the position will begin Nov. 1, 2013. Email or mail cover letter and resume to: Jane F. Cullinane, Preservation and Digital Projects Librarian, Connecticut State Library, 231 Capitol Ave., Hartford CT 06106-1537, 860-757-6524, fax 860-757-6559, <a _fcksavedurl="mailto:Jane.Cullinane@ct.gov" href="mailto:Jane.Cullinane@ct.gov">Jane.Cullinane@ct.gov</a>.

Project Coordinator for the Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project - Connecticut State Library, Hartford

Project Coordinator for the Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project - Connecticut State Library , Hartford. A project coordinator, to be bas...

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Video: Humorous ABC News interview with George W. and Laura Bush

<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BJbUXw87j0A" width="560"></iframe> </div><br />President George W. Bush is a gracious man with the wisdom of one who has observed, listened, and learned along his life's journey. This humorous, light-hearted <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJbUXw87j0A">ABC News interview</a> that was taped after the President and Mrs. Bush returned from their African trip shows the genuine, witty, caring personality of #43, something the other side of the political aisle overlooked in their continual bashing of him during his eight years in the White House.<br /><br />Because of GWB's gracious nature, and my observation of years of abuse from his political enemies, I have tempered my own public criticism of President Barack Obama, realizing the hurt it causes not only to the Obama family but to his supporters. Too bad the extremists on all sides of the aisle can't tone down the rhetoric and try to work together.<br /><br />Robin Beres's article in Sunday's Richmond Times-Dispatch, <a href="http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion/our-opinion/columnists-blogs/robin-beres/the-expanding-legacy-of-george-w-bush/article_b2875325-1bee-520c-879c-2fe7451d64a5.html">"The expanding legacy of George W. Bush,"</a> touched on Bush's just-completed humanitarian trip to Africa, his continued involvement with the Wounded Warrior Project, and his overall giving-back to America during his retirement years:<br /><blockquote>In an interview with CNN on July 1, Bush was questioned about the Obama administration and accusations about the White House’s invasions into Americans’ privacy. But, as ever, he refused to criticize Obama. “I don’t think it does any good,” he said. “It’s a hard job. He’s got plenty on his agenda. It’s difficult. A former president doesn’t need to make it any harder. Other presidents have taken different decisions; that’s mine.”<br /><br />The difference in the two men’s political views has always been apparent. Unfortunately, another difference that is obvious is the content of their characters. Despite attacks and accusations by the Obama administration, Bush has kept his silence.<br /><br />Even as he watched the successful surge in Iraq go for naught and the Middle East fall apart, he said nothing. Even as he stood and listened to Obama’s backhanded compliments at the George W. Bush Presidential Library dedication, he held his peace. He has been the picture of graciousness and tact. These are traits that the self-absorbed Obama should study – and perhaps try to emulate.</blockquote>GWB brought class to the office of President, something he learned from his parents and that is, sadly, lacking in others. His self-deprecating humor is legendary, and his modesty was ingrained by a strong mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, who taught her children not be be "braggadociouses."<br /><br />George W. Bush ... boy, do I miss his leadership.

ABC News Africa CNN George W. Bush humanitarian mission Laura Bush Presidency Richmond Times-Dispatch Robin Beres White House Video: Humorous ABC News interview with George W. and Laura Bush

President George W. Bush is a gracious man with the wisdom of one who has observed, listened, and learned along his life's journey. Thi...

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Ahhhh

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4I_FSvDPIVvnjAiLZU12dqxSisQqbK6N3w_VwY5f77qYVetojlswyTpNmhK0tEjrjH8ejNpcv6Z42ezL9DQGRkhBukexjFehy333l13reSLe9zh2EYaG1TvF9SJexZ-VObvhhIDhNh31/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4I_FSvDPIVvnjAiLZU12dqxSisQqbK6N3w_VwY5f77qYVetojlswyTpNmhK0tEjrjH8ejNpcv6Z42ezL9DQGRkhBukexjFehy333l13reSLe9zh2EYaG1TvF9SJexZ-VObvhhIDhNh31/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefieM0nTVyeQ1ZKxj6GwL_Yt9u0manjZbKkZY30-H7H_CJzlNVaRMMj0cWAEAcNy1HyCrRrKAtWoHbJkAh5nsOqVuFf5_QTeuD2ysFX7kSiPa_KCAxulJQbBuhdUjwUVL834CZMbY9i5r/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefieM0nTVyeQ1ZKxj6GwL_Yt9u0manjZbKkZY30-H7H_CJzlNVaRMMj0cWAEAcNy1HyCrRrKAtWoHbJkAh5nsOqVuFf5_QTeuD2ysFX7kSiPa_KCAxulJQbBuhdUjwUVL834CZMbY9i5r/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMHTh-bEJAgPqHNpwWWCgcVshwa_0sab47RWfEWxclmUo98XmjDZi1heXRwUUPP4IPCgd2Yfb65ZhmG4w_482hGWGOYdKsLB9j0cKtlsYlLhZXyITPPinMojXBnPlxgK-yk2Q3kykq2J8/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMHTh-bEJAgPqHNpwWWCgcVshwa_0sab47RWfEWxclmUo98XmjDZi1heXRwUUPP4IPCgd2Yfb65ZhmG4w_482hGWGOYdKsLB9j0cKtlsYlLhZXyITPPinMojXBnPlxgK-yk2Q3kykq2J8/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8EngkRyxaa0TC6-ovi6StCFWWtdcPrrIDSFt-H94edOVD61jp8AfRy2GoCCQnvlhBHMvhCGoOMhqewHy0i6-lXtEQy8EuoKhzTfmxktgWfEXUXxb84NK9yMDjV_sbvUQR93xbOt8CoTW/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8EngkRyxaa0TC6-ovi6StCFWWtdcPrrIDSFt-H94edOVD61jp8AfRy2GoCCQnvlhBHMvhCGoOMhqewHy0i6-lXtEQy8EuoKhzTfmxktgWfEXUXxb84NK9yMDjV_sbvUQR93xbOt8CoTW/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />Florida's Panhandle<br />May 2013

family Florida Panhandle Gulf of Mexico tourism Ahhhh

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell Florida's Panhandle May 2013

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Today's Teamster News 07.08.13

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/06/canada-lac-megantic-train-oil-fire">Freight train derailment causes huge fire and evacuations in Canada</a>  Guardian   ...Train of 73 fuel-carrying rail cars was driverless when it derailed at 1am local time Saturday in Lac-Magéntic, in Quebec...<br /><a href="http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130707/EDIT05/307079983/1147/EDIT07">Deaths in the workplace are no accident</a>  Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette   ...The deaths of two workers in grain bins last month at the Union Mills Co-op and in Veedersburg are even more tragic because they could have been prevented...<br /><a href="http://thecontributor.com/daily-ceo-pay-now-exceeds-us-workers-annual-salary">Daily CEO Pay Now Exceeds the Average Worker's Annual Salary</a>  The Contributor   ...These “golden parachute” arrangements have had a negative impact on corporate performance, say experts...<br /><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/business/jobless-about-take-big-hit-sequester-6C10553987">Jobless about to take big hit from sequester</a>  NBC News   ...As of July 1, the average weekly benefit of $289 will fall by $43 a week, adding pressure at a time when the labor market is trying to find its bearings but has yet to generate the kind of employment that would indicate a strong recovery...<br /><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-credit-union-taxes-20130706,0,4104761,full.story">Banks pushing for repeal of credit unions' federal tax exemption</a>  Los Angeles Times   ...Credit unions have been snatching customers from banks amid consumer frustration over rising fees and outrage over Wall Street's role in the financial crisis. Now banks are fighting back by trying to take away something vital to credit unions — their federal tax exemption...<br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jul/07/jaguar-land-rover-dhl-strike">Jaguar Land Rover production faces shutdown after DHL strike vote</a>  Guardian   ...DHL workers serving Jaguar's Midlands plants at Castle Bromwich and Solihull vote for industrial action over pay...<br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23216926">Greeks close to getting latest bailout payout</a>  BBC News   ...Eurozone finance ministers meet on Monday to decide whether to release the next instalment of rescue funds worth 6.3bn euros ($8.1bn; £5.4bn)...Talks have centred around 4,000 civil service jobs that are due to be cut...<br /><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/07/5549696/female-inmates-sterilized-in-california.html">Female inmates sterilized in California prisons without approval</a>  Center for Investigative Reporting   ...At least 148 women received tubal ligations in violation of prison rules during those five years – and there are perhaps 100 more dating back to the late 1990s, according to state documents and interviews...<br /><a href="http://thecontributor.com/labor/feed-me-ny-ag-investigate-use-payroll-cards-depress-already-low-take-home-pay">Fee'd Me: NY AG to Investigate Use of 'Payroll Cards' that Depress Already Low Take-Home Pay</a>  The Contributor   ...Devonte Yates, 21, who earns $7.25 an hour working a drive-through station at a McDonald’s in Milwaukee, says he spends $40 to $50 a month on fees associated with his JPMorgan Chase payroll card. “It’s pretty bad,” he said. “There’s a fee for literally everything you do...”<br /><a href="http://www.thenation.com/blog/175129/americas-most-dynamic-yet-under-covered-movement-overturning-citizens-united#axzz2YPhplIZI">America's Most Dynamic (Yet Under-Covered) Movement: Overturning 'Citizens United'</a>  The Nation   ...On the eve of the nation’s Fourth of July celebrations, Oregon became the sixteenth state to formally call for an amendment. With bipartisan support, the state House and Senate requested that Congress take necessary steps to re-establish the basic American premise that “money is property and not speech, and [that] the Congress of the United States, state legislatures and local legislative bodies should have the authority to regulate political contributions and expenditures…”<br /><a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/waltham/news/x853684756/Waltham-student-wins-Teamsters-scholarship#axzz2YSRzhRgx">Waltham student wins Teamsters scholarship</a>  Wicked Local   ...Rion Hallaran of Waltham was recently awarded a $2,000 Teamsters Local 25 scholarship...

Today's Teamster News 07.08.13

Freight train derailment causes huge fire and evacuations in Canada  Guardian   ...Train of 73 fuel-carrying rail cars was driverless when ...

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U.S. House schedule for Monday, July 8, 2013

<a href="http://majorityleader.gov/">From Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office....</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u>MONDAY, JULY 8TH </u></b><br /> On Monday, the House will meet at 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. <br /> Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>One Minute Speeches</b><br /><br /> <b>Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:</b><br /> <blockquote> <b>1) <a href="http://republicanleaderforms.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=345710-6846703" target="_blank">H.R. 1341</a></b> - Financial Competitive Act of 2013<i> (Sponsored by Rep. Stephen Fincher / Financial Services Committee)</i><br /> <br /> <b>2) <a href="http://republicanleaderforms.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=345711-6846703" target="_blank">H.R. 1564</a></b> - Audit Integrity and Job Protection Act, as amended<i> (Sponsored by Rep. Robert Hurt / Financial Services Committee)</i><br /> <br /> <b>3) <a href="http://republicanleaderforms.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=345712-6846703" target="_blank">H.R. 1171</a></b> - FOR VETS Act of 2013<i> (Sponsored by Rep. Dan Benishek / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)</i><br /> </blockquote><b>Special Order Speeches</b><br /><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>COMMITTEE ACTIVITY OF THE DAY </b></u><br /> Rules Committee meeting on “<a href="http://republicanleaderforms.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=345713-6846703" target="_blank">H.R. 2609, The Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014</a>” (Monday, July 8th, at 5:00 p.m.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://republicanleaderforms.house.gov/Components/Redirect/r.aspx?ID=345714-6846703" target="_blank">Printable PDF</a>

Congress Dan Benishek Eric Cantor Robert Hurt Stephen Fincher U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House schedule for Monday, July 8, 2013

From Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office.... MONDAY, JULY 8TH On Monday, the House will meet at 2:00 p....

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Latest Smartphone: Karbonn Titanium S9 launched by the Carbon Mobile in Half rate of Samsung Glaxy Note II to defeat in Market

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="hps">The smartphone</span> <span class="hps">war</span> <span class="hps">extremities</span> <span class="hps">is out on in Indian Market</span><span>.</span> So <span class="hps">every</span> <span class="hps">company</span> makes <span class="hps">target </span><span class="hps">India</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">So</span>  they <span class="hps">are</span> <span class="hps">launching</span>  <span class="hps">new phone</span> <span class="hps">every day</span><span>. Just make a demand  and takes in your budget phone.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span></span> </div><span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXk9wI1hRnNuixw52wiwsyOUnP8EDbVVsSHQ_BQZ4GPYAWd4m4xAlViD1-fsVjzjZMR5MGUtIELlpg_-VdqXvv2WNOyTQUB8FqWIapANT-ry8qQhe2m9vVJjqMNfo18tSgQX0sEaSzDU/s1600/carbon+titanium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXk9wI1hRnNuixw52wiwsyOUnP8EDbVVsSHQ_BQZ4GPYAWd4m4xAlViD1-fsVjzjZMR5MGUtIELlpg_-VdqXvv2WNOyTQUB8FqWIapANT-ry8qQhe2m9vVJjqMNfo18tSgQX0sEaSzDU/s1600/carbon+titanium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karbonn Titanium S9</td></tr></tbody></table><span></span><br /><span></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span class="hps">Now </span><span class="hps">the point</span> <span class="hps">on</span> <span class="hps">the range</span> <span class="hps">is</span> <span class="hps">also</span> <span class="hps">not</span> <span class="hps">quite so</span> <span class="hps">important</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">last night</span> <span class="hps">famous</span> <span class="hps">Indian company</span> <span class="hps">Budget</span> <span class="hps">Mobile</span> Karbonn <span class="hps">has</span> <span class="hps">launched</span> a new <span class="hps">smartphone</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">The name of</span> <span class="hps">this phone</span> <span class="hps">titanium</span> <span class="hps">S9.</span> <span class="hps">Like</span> <span class="hps">its</span> <span class="hps">name,</span> <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">phone</span> <span class="hps">is quite stylish</span> <span class="hps">in appearance</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">It</span> <span class="hps">contains</span> <span class="hps">all the</span> <span class="hps">features</span> <span class="hps">of the</span> <span class="hps">Samsung</span> <span class="hps">Galaxy Note</span> <span class="hps">2</span> but <span class="hps">will get in </span><span class="hps">half</span> <span class="hps">the price</span><span>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span></span></span> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPanu_3KL4aVP52_6F9Z3ShlbgVQvCf5-Cj3bOEoR4qGaUtJqYOF1FIDbIGuChmmNyB1Sv3yf0NskSIxzs-nugM6603U7P2p81zlQhd4pUMX_M-BaEquvHAoGODMj0azLp3UY2WCTGqZ8/s1600/s9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPanu_3KL4aVP52_6F9Z3ShlbgVQvCf5-Cj3bOEoR4qGaUtJqYOF1FIDbIGuChmmNyB1Sv3yf0NskSIxzs-nugM6603U7P2p81zlQhd4pUMX_M-BaEquvHAoGODMj0azLp3UY2WCTGqZ8/s1600/s9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karbonn Titanium S9</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="hps"></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="hps"></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="hps">Karbonn Titanium S9 comes with IPS</span> <span class="hps">display</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">The</span> <span class="hps">phone</span> <span class="hps">has</span> <span class="hps">a</span> <span class="hps">5.5</span> <span class="hps">inch</span> <span class="hps">screen</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">This</span> <span class="hps">Dual SIM phone</span> comes <span class="hps">with</span> <span class="hps">Android</span> <span class="hps">4.2</span> <span class="hps">OS</span> <span class="hps">Jellybean</span><span>.</span> This Phone OS  is the <span class="hps">latest</span> <span class="hps">version</span> <span class="hps">of</span> <span class="hps">Google's</span> <span class="hps">Android</span><span>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span><span class="hps">This phone contains all the</span> <span class="hps">great</span> <span class="hps">features</span> Samsung <span class="hps">Galaxy</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">The screen</span> <span class="hps">resolution</span> <span class="hps">is</span> <span class="hps">720</span> <span class="hps">pixels</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">The</span> <span class="hps">phone</span> <span class="hps">has</span> <span class="hps">a 1.2 GHz</span> <span class="hps">quad core processor</span> <span class="hps">spectacular</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">That's why </span><span class="hps">this</span> <span class="hps">phone is the tough opponent of </span><span class="hps">Galaxy Note</span> II.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span></span> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIACYh0bKBW_6ovbq2S4hoVAEfGdZ4ZLL2iwwXcr98Cm8cU9l4GBVu-KUi1mfglNUN1ns_c7YDhdxQUTpFnxxltWCJuLzwoYFvJG6K_ylRIT5uPA6nDE1_o_F8CMHiaT_GQiwcxMyMFhE/s1600/ks9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIACYh0bKBW_6ovbq2S4hoVAEfGdZ4ZLL2iwwXcr98Cm8cU9l4GBVu-KUi1mfglNUN1ns_c7YDhdxQUTpFnxxltWCJuLzwoYFvJG6K_ylRIT5uPA6nDE1_o_F8CMHiaT_GQiwcxMyMFhE/s1600/ks9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karbonn Titanium S9</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="hps"></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="hps">Now talking about</span> <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">connectivity</span> <span class="hps">options,</span><span class="hps">this</span> <span class="hps">phone</span> <span class="hps">supports</span> <span class="hps">every kind</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">2G, 3G, Wi-Fi,</span> <span class="hps">Bluetooth making </span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">In</span> <span class="hps">this phone</span> we <span class="hps">can enjoy</span> <span class="hps">full</span> <span class="hps">Internet</span> <span class="hps">browsing</span><span>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXfYdEHipQuH59jj1AKuTsT-wRy-NeuXvbTkgB0MLsb6k1o2LZsL0VDQPKq8GgaQCs7jLy20r2iGnZOZAGgXw2BaBJG9qCS03T467ogSJvmrSeiYTD_xFHoSx8OGmhUbbvIacCAv6y6Y/s1600/ks9+phone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXfYdEHipQuH59jj1AKuTsT-wRy-NeuXvbTkgB0MLsb6k1o2LZsL0VDQPKq8GgaQCs7jLy20r2iGnZOZAGgXw2BaBJG9qCS03T467ogSJvmrSeiYTD_xFHoSx8OGmhUbbvIacCAv6y6Y/s1600/ks9+phone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karbonn Titanium S9</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Camera</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong></strong> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span><span class="hps">Now the</span> <span class="hps">thing</span> <span class="hps">that</span> make it  <span class="hps">most like among people is its camera </span><span class="hps">The</span> <span class="hps">phone</span> <span class="hps">has</span> <span class="hps">a</span> <span class="hps">13</span> <span class="hps">megapixel</span> <span class="hps">camera</span> <span class="hps">that</span> <span class="hps">truly</span> <span class="hps">improves</span> <span class="hps">Galaxy Note</span> <span class="hps">2</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">The</span> <span class="hps">8 megapixel</span> <span class="hps">camera</span> <span class="hps">is</span> <span class="hps">only</span> <span class="hps">in</span> <span class="hps">Note 2</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">This</span> <span class="hps">powerful</span> <span class="hps">camera</span> <span class="hps">is</span> <span class="hps">included in the list</span> <span class="hps">of</span> <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">latest</span> <span class="hps">camera phones</span><span>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span></span></span> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3R0VauHEjlJLdhsmX0K_qjUSi8W_dLBMZqarKquJecOKk61rznFnNfeT2Oa4ErjrSNaLiVTZRgc7lQcS28YOilTu-Yllrld4cfL6EINJ9kGLDrnEOeCpJ-JRuEvttZiL-woQBRCkwSw/s1600/kkbon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3R0VauHEjlJLdhsmX0K_qjUSi8W_dLBMZqarKquJecOKk61rznFnNfeT2Oa4ErjrSNaLiVTZRgc7lQcS28YOilTu-Yllrld4cfL6EINJ9kGLDrnEOeCpJ-JRuEvttZiL-woQBRCkwSw/s1600/kkbon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karbonn Titanium S9</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><strong>Battery</strong></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><strong></strong></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span>The <span class="hps">battery</span> <span class="hps">of</span> <span class="hps">this phone</span> <span class="hps">is</span> also <span class="hps">fantastic with <span class="hps">2600 mAh</span></span><span>. So </span><span class="hps">It</span> <span class="hps">again and again</span> <span class="hps">saves</span> <span class="hps">the hassles of</span> <span class="hps">charge</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">Additionally,</span> <span class="hps">it</span> <span class="hps">has</span> <span class="hps">1 GB</span> <span class="hps">RAM</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">The</span> <span class="hps">phone</span> <span class="hps">has</span> <span class="hps">16 GB</span> <span class="hps">internal storage</span> <span class="hps">is concerned</span> <span class="hps">in it</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">If</span> <span class="hps">you</span> <span class="hps">are the owner of</span> <span class="hps">this phone</span> <span class="hps">then you</span> <span class="hps">can install a</span> <span class="hps">lot of</span> <span class="hps">apps</span><span>.</span> In <span class="hps">This we </span> <span class="hps">can increase</span> <span class="hps">its</span> <span class="hps">memory</span> <span class="hps">up</span> <span class="hps">to 32 GB</span><span>.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span></span></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span></span></span></span> </div></div>Published by <br /><a href="https://plus.google.com/102418621855646948908" rel="author">Narendra Kumar</a>

Accessories android Battery Camera carbon computer Dispaly flipkart's music store gadgets galaxy HD jelly bean karbonn phone review samasung Tablet Technology wireless charging Latest Smartphone: Karbonn Titanium S9 launched by the Carbon Mobile in Half rate of Samsung Glaxy Note II to defeat in Market

The smartphone war extremities is out on in Indian Market . So every company  makes  target India . So   they are launching   new pho...

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We Need Principals with Principles: How #SAVMP can help

<blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Pioneering Canadian administrator George Corous announced the <a href="http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/3955" target="_blank">School Admin Virtual Mentor Program #SAVMP</a> on his blog. It isn't really as much as <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Massive open online course">MOOC</a> (Massively Open Online Course) as it is a MOOM (Massively Open Online <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjft0TiTTTWQLC-zpVZmAQcEJsRw3xwjz0OECT5F0luHN4H-kMSScwGvPLh-VxmDANJ-CanhuOFgY1jjWMs7YGL1GLT0DakhGwhkvbSrQkXd21XbIf_x3tYtVdHxp7gdUBY05Be_Mnf3gwa/s1600/bridgetodistance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjft0TiTTTWQLC-zpVZmAQcEJsRw3xwjz0OECT5F0luHN4H-kMSScwGvPLh-VxmDANJ-CanhuOFgY1jjWMs7YGL1GLT0DakhGwhkvbSrQkXd21XbIf_x3tYtVdHxp7gdUBY05Be_Mnf3gwa/s320/bridgetodistance.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you build bridges, interesting things happen.</td></tr></tbody></table><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentorship" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Mentorship">Mentorship</a> Program). One of the biggest challenges for administrators in addition to the incredibly tough, taxing job they have every day is how to move their district forward with vision into an interconnected world.</i> </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><br /></i><i>Our principals and administrators must understand principles of an interconnected world, how to present themselves in social media, and just how these online connections work. IN a world where experience not only counts, but is transformative, I think that George is onto something big. While aligning with Canadian standards for principals, I think that these could be tweaked to align with many other standards out there if someone is creative and jumps in.</i><i><br /></i><i>Visionary people can spot trends. Visionary people are out front pioneering and experimenting. Visionary people help others learn. When you invest in others, you receive it back, multiplied. </i> </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><br /></i><i>George has over 100 people signed up. It is open to Administrators all over the world. This is the sort of thing I think is going to be transformative for many. Teachers have had this sort of thing for a long time: webheads, Google Certified Teacher, Discovery Educator programs, Flat Classroom -- while not mentorships - that is what really happens. You end up with friends to mentor and share.</i> </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><br /></i><i>While I'm sure that George will attract critics, let them suggest an alternative or join in this movement to see what happens when administrators around the world connect. I smell change in the air. I also have watched and know that what George does is quality. He'll be transparent. He'll teach us what they learn. He'll be open as well. If you want to sign up, read below and and pass this on to your principal or your administrator. Now, some "organizations" will likely say "No, we can't have this, let's start our own." That is fine -we need great mentorships. But we also need one in the "MOOC" style so that administrators can actually experience and see what this form of teaching and education is about. They need to experience what is happening when people connect in this type of flattening the classroom experience. </i> </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><br /></i><i>This is an exciting thing and I'll tell every administrator I can find that is willing to learn and connect to join in. My best wishes, George and #SAVMP pioneers. There are really some great administrators rising up via social media and their blogs to show the world what world class really looks like. I have a feeling that quite a few who may not be active in social media will break out via this experience as well. Good luck administrators, education needs your leadership and vision! #SAVMP -- This intro written by Vicki Davis. The rest is a guest post by George Corous </i></blockquote><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">by <a href="http://georgecouros.ca/blog/about-me" target="_blank">George Corous</a></div><div dir="ltr">Reprinted with permission from <a href="http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/3955" target="_blank">School Admin Virtual Mentor Program #SAVMP</a><br /><a href="http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/3955" target="_blank">The Principal of Change</a> Blog</div><div dir="ltr"><strong><br /></strong></div><div dir="ltr"><strong><br /></strong></div><div dir="ltr"><strong>School Admin Virtual Mentor Program #SAVMP</strong></div>Looking to help develop administrators to lead innovative school environments that meet the needs of students today, we have decided to start the “School Administrator Virtual Mentor Program” (#SVAMP). This program is to pair a new administrator with one that has more experience. This is not meant to be the typical “mentor-mentee” relationship, but the hope is that through active sharing, each administrator will be help to learn from each other, and others can learn from all of the shared experiences. <br /><br /><div dir="ltr"><strong>Program Design</strong></div><div dir="ltr">This program is meant to last for the 2013-2014 school year (typically August to June) although it is open to administrators from all over the world. Each person that is a “mentor” will be paired with three (maximum) “mentees” that they will be able to connect through virtual means (email, twitter, videochat, etc.) to help them develop their leadership. There will also be an online sessions (once a month) that will help to share ideas for learning and leading with guest speakers. All of these talks will be archived and shared if they do not fit into your regular schedule. This is more than likely to be done through the use of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://https//plus.google.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Google+">Google Hangout</a>.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">All of the standards that we will be focusing on will be based on the <a href="http://education.alberta.ca/media/949129/principal-quality-practice-guideline-english-12feb09.pdf">Alberta Principal Quality Standard</a>. They are as follows:</div><blockquote><div dir="ltr">1. Fostering Effective Relationships</div><div dir="ltr">2. Embodying Visionary Leadership</div><div dir="ltr">3. Leading a Learning Community</div><div dir="ltr">4. Providing Instructional Leadership</div><div dir="ltr">5. Developing and Facilitating Leadership</div><div dir="ltr">6. Managing School Operations and Resources</div><div dir="ltr">7. Understanding and Responding to the Larger Societal Context</div></blockquote>Although these “standards” were created within the province of Alberta, Canada, they are not unique to other areas of the world. The focus will be to continuously look at these standards and how they look in schools currently. The hope, through open group forums and mentoring, is to look at all facets of leadership that take place within schools. <br /><br /><div dir="ltr">This should NOT replace mentorship within your own organization, but is to give you an outsider perspective to leadership that you may not be receiving. It would be beneficial as a new leader to have mentorship within your own school/district.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><strong>Program Requirements</strong></div><div dir="ltr">Each “mentee” will be required to keep an open blog to share their learning openly with the world, while also helping to create a digital portfolio of their work. Each “mentor” that takes part in the program should already have a blog to model what we are expecting from the people that they are mentoring. It will also be required that participants have a Twitter account that they will use to actively engage and share their learning with others in the program through the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/realtime?q=%23savmp&src=typd">#SAVMP</a> Twitter hashtag.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Since the program is free, the expectation to share through a blog and Twitter is crucial. Mentors should have a minimum of three years in administration. This is not limited to Principals, but we encourage Assistant Principals (Vice, Associate, etc.) to apply as well.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><strong>Application Process</strong></div><div dir="ltr">To apply for this program, you will need to simply fill out the form below and indicate whether you want to be a “mentor” or “mentee”. Although there is a lot of interest to do both, you will have to choose one role.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Once applications are received, we will be looking to pair people with one another that are in the same continent. The hope is to get an outsider perspective on education and learn from a variety of people and viewpoints. We are hoping to accept all of those that apply, but it is crucial that we keep the “mentor-mentee” ratio no higher than 1:3.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Location will also be considered to try to pair up applicants to someone in a relatively close time zone. There are no set limits to the program for numbers, only to honour the 1:3 ratio.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><strong>Program Focus</strong><br /><div dir="ltr">To clarify, this is not focused on the development of leaders to use social media, but to help leaders openly learn and share with others so that we can all improve practice and do what is best for kids. This is also focused on helping to build relationships with a few people that you are able to bounce questions and ideas off of that you have known over time. It is imperative that we promote the use of social media to create strong relationships to enhance leadership.</div>If you have any questions specifically about the program, please do not hesitate to contact <a href="mailto:georgecouros@gmail.com">georgecouros@gmail.com</a>. <iframe frameborder="0" height="1900" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16-nWU7Mz54O2vbujgVgzlv5IeyHpluPYn0WG6vJDTlI/viewform?embedded=true" width="600"></iframe><br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=976d6d27-41b3-40a2-81e5-1bf7cbc1eefa" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

We Need Principals with Principles: How #SAVMP can help

Pioneering Canadian administrator George Corous announced the School Admin Virtual Mentor Program #SAVMP on his blog. It isn't really a...

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potty time - the aftermath

Happy Monday (she says with a forced smile that comes after a long holiday weekend)! Thanks everyone for the kind words about the CNN feature and my birthday. 'Merica and I had one great birthday celebration. Here is hoping your weekend was filled with summer fun.<br /><br />I'm going to diverge from design today to give y'all an update on the <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/06/potty-time.html" target="_blank">potty training front</a> and share some successes and some rather stinky failures. If you don't want to hear about the bodily movements of a toddler, I totally understand and I'll talk with you on Wednesday. For the rest of you, let's chat.<br /><br />As I <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/06/potty-time.html" target="_blank">said before</a>, I changed up my tactics a bit this time around to accommodate for my independent Eve. I read blogs, books, articles, and talked to anyone and everyone to find out what worked for them. And from all of that research the only thing I learned is that there is no magic potion. For every person who said, "Blank worked really well for my child", I had someone else who said, "Don't do blank, it didn't work for my child". Only you know your child - their temperaments and sticking points - so don't follow one theory or method, but instead follow your gut and go with the flow (I couldn't <i>not</i> have a pun).<br /><br />So with that in mind, I'm not going to give a tutorial or the 10 best tips etc, because I don't think this is something that can be wrapped up that easily. I'm simply sharing what we did. Take it as advice or just a funny antidote. Whichever you choose.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_skuxNz2LFLz1HVnblNz57ygTstVSc8dSsuUzhfjrsIb_o44-fg5SspxJMHld1U8tjJREsvnUyxs7oyfM1OfCMk0oGR_bE6Nz8xu6JNJcEkDiV0KMxtQpSCNNwmAMwBjkMzjkrT8tXKx/s1600/pottytraining.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_skuxNz2LFLz1HVnblNz57ygTstVSc8dSsuUzhfjrsIb_o44-fg5SspxJMHld1U8tjJREsvnUyxs7oyfM1OfCMk0oGR_bE6Nz8xu6JNJcEkDiV0KMxtQpSCNNwmAMwBjkMzjkrT8tXKx/s400/pottytraining.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b>I want to be just like you</b>. <br />Eve has no interest in following <i>my</i> directions, however she is more than happy to do anything her big sister does. So for several weeks before we officially started training I left the door open while Amelia went to the bathroom (I know, eww). Eve would hang out in there, sometimes watching and sometimes just playing in the sink. But she noticed.<br /><br /><b>Take your pants off</b>. <br />We took the standard trip to Target where Eve got to pick out any underwear she wanted (Dora) and any candy she wanted (Peanut Butter M&M's). But for the first few days she had no underwear on at all and she's worn only dresses. This saves valuable seconds between the 'I have to go' and the actual...going. It may not seem like much but that could be the difference in those first days between celebrating success and just almost making it.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEpVijKUwr1NkqCP0Az1x2snnQH9XE3oC_jYc7kPcbwABFYlrW1MCMq4qu8HKRGPECP4nbBh0WawHZVhyUblqsYOy0zNnsG0uSdnsBADn-5Trif6eHOc7xFsmvmNL5JFii7fdYeiwYiYd/s1600/evetakesawalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEpVijKUwr1NkqCP0Az1x2snnQH9XE3oC_jYc7kPcbwABFYlrW1MCMq4qu8HKRGPECP4nbBh0WawHZVhyUblqsYOy0zNnsG0uSdnsBADn-5Trif6eHOc7xFsmvmNL5JFii7fdYeiwYiYd/s400/evetakesawalk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b>Cold turkey</b>. <br />This goes right along with the whole pants thing - No pull ups. We go all the way in this house. It makes for a messy few days but I think its worth it in the long run. How confusing to put on things that look and feel just like diapers but be told they aren't diapers. We do however do wear the night time pull ups but that's mostly because I'm lazy and don't want to change sheets in the middle of the night. One battle at a time I think.<br /><br /><b>Clear the decks</b>. <br />I have a hard time hiding my frustration when my favorite pillow/chair/rug is hurt in any way (mean mommy) and if there is one time when a child's ego is especially delicate it is when they are trying to master a new task. So to decrease the chance of injuring any of mommy's favorites and keeping spirits high, I covered furniture with towels and rolled up any rugs I was concerned about. We also tried to hang out in the yard whenever possible as nature doesn't care about her floors as much as I do.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GhiGZQljhyQK0N3J-L8tBrjb_x7NT4QOrH0t357pCkXyKeZJBf5tBQPrU90DYH94_MK7PyRK6J4avkc7x0SLMtsgXLp0zX3_BEee9-LJKrhbPD7b3gUjN9RPPtqFpmZZHgJVO-mSfmzM/s1600/eveathome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GhiGZQljhyQK0N3J-L8tBrjb_x7NT4QOrH0t357pCkXyKeZJBf5tBQPrU90DYH94_MK7PyRK6J4avkc7x0SLMtsgXLp0zX3_BEee9-LJKrhbPD7b3gUjN9RPPtqFpmZZHgJVO-mSfmzM/s400/eveathome.jpg" width="356" /></a></div><br /><b>House arrest</b>. <br />This goes right with the no pull ups and no underwear thing. Eve and I hunkered down and didn't leave the house until we had a full successful day, (Well, that isn't entirely true but I'll get to that in a minute) which turned out to be about four days. Amelia was at camp every day so Eve and I had the house to ourselves and it was all about her. I didn't let her out of my sight until we had a few successes as I didn't want her failure to be because I wasn't there to help her get on in time. That potty was two carted around everywhere.<br /><br /><b>Don't ask me again</b>. <br />The first day I did the 'let's sit down every 10 minutes and see if anything happens' theory but I quickly found that it created more anxiety than necessary. It is a big change to all of a sudden have to sit on this little throne and Eve was confused as to why she was being made to sit in that chair so often. It was starting to become a frustration for her and I wanted that chair to be something positive. So I changed course and backed off the regimented schedule. Instead I'd ask her after snacks, short walks around the yard, a tv show or anytime I went. This kid is far more 'go with the flow' so by making our training more relaxed she felt more comfortable and willing to give it a try.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FT2OXblExp-O0QH8kR4ptAoB-_itIzEVugb1iHjOwBvRG0XF-RckG82PO2rKnJQO32EmDrJvabqxmnAO99jnZ2gl_5FWG9lT7o85aimEzT2zUiFfU_uBaAkClKCw__hLYzlKuE97PmK5/s1600/m%2526ms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FT2OXblExp-O0QH8kR4ptAoB-_itIzEVugb1iHjOwBvRG0XF-RckG82PO2rKnJQO32EmDrJvabqxmnAO99jnZ2gl_5FWG9lT7o85aimEzT2zUiFfU_uBaAkClKCw__hLYzlKuE97PmK5/s400/m%2526ms.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b>Pavlov's Dog</b>. <br />If there is one thing this girl loves, it is candy. Stickers work better for some kids, little figurines, whatever. The point is it is a prize. However, the prize is not given just for sitting on the potty. M&M's are only handed out once there is a success. I know a lot of people give out the treat anytime the kids says they need to sit down, whether they do anything or not. But (again mean mommy) I think this is silly and confusing. If all I had to do to get something I wanted was just do 20% of the job, hell I'd be asking to sit on the potty every 5 minutes. Nope. You give me something to flush and I'll give you some chocolate and peanut butter goodness.<br /><br /><b>And the oscar goes to</b>.<b> </b>Hand in hand with the M&M's come the theatrics. Accomplishments need to be celebrated much in the same way a Kardashian throws a wedding - over the top. We cheered, we clapped, we danced, we sang, we called people to tell them. In the words of Kool and the Gang - Celebrate good times, come on.<br /><br /><b>The P word.</b><br />Our downfall. Eve got the hang of peeing on the potty pretty quickly (day 2), but the other P word however was not so easy. The first day she didn't have one at all and the second day we had an accident. No biggie. The third day we had one success and one failure. Moving in the right direction. Then we arrived at the fourth day. Ugh, the fourth day. We had been doing so well up until then that she and I got a little cocky and decided to break one of my cardinal rules - Stay HOME. We picked up Amelia and her friend from camp and I decided to treat the girls to McDonald's. Eve had just gone to the bathroom before we left and I even brought the potty in the car, just in case. We waited in line, got our food and found a seat right next to the play place, all without incident. But then Eve walked over to the slide. The horror. I'll spare the specifics but my tiny 2-1/2-year-old managed to  horrify and disgust two 10 year old. Boys that just a few minutes before were enjoying a very creative burping contest. The janitor had to be called over and gave me the look of death as he put up the yellow cones. I had been shamed out of McDonalds. I didn't think it was possible. And all because I broke the 4th rule of <strike>fight</strike> potty club - stay home.<br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJWwrGw3pP_JJlhjGK6RGyLr-ubbXmNz7DLIA2iNsO582qQjHeuvC5G2I1yH4PPdog42m-4WlPyIoHORs0IL4vuQE44eSTT1-rpTqv_VI8PGehl5vtXcY323yn-9V7I65fjEeHpG9rpPM/s1600/mmsuccess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJWwrGw3pP_JJlhjGK6RGyLr-ubbXmNz7DLIA2iNsO582qQjHeuvC5G2I1yH4PPdog42m-4WlPyIoHORs0IL4vuQE44eSTT1-rpTqv_VI8PGehl5vtXcY323yn-9V7I65fjEeHpG9rpPM/s400/mmsuccess.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />So with all of this, I'm happy to report that Eve has gone thru a whole cup of M&M's and is now a successful potty training graduate. (With a master of the other P word about a week and a half after we started.) We have had a successful trip to the zoo and several stores and it feels good to be out of the house like a normal person again and not changing any diapers. Now we can enjoy the rest of the summer, even if we can't step foot in McDonald's again.</div>

potty time - the aftermath

Happy Monday (she says with a forced smile that comes after a long holiday weekend)! Thanks everyone for the kind words about the CNN featur...

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She's Here!

I am 2 weeks postpartum - it's INSANE that time has already flown by that quickly!  It seems like I was just sitting here being nervous about labor and delivery, and now that is all behind me!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnZhSkuhfdz7_eB0idb9LjLBI52ULeQ_0WTm1-5Y0J3PqzYiLyAsm2Gg87Zgsa2QYF0E54b5SmV2qJ2qCnXmLbC9QK1t81B8eGdngwfjAyRVK71CSup41M6MGMhw5HzsvPGGfzuoBAVQ/s1600/%7B9d35c6ee-22dc-4f1c-9510-4ebbb30408c9%7D_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnZhSkuhfdz7_eB0idb9LjLBI52ULeQ_0WTm1-5Y0J3PqzYiLyAsm2Gg87Zgsa2QYF0E54b5SmV2qJ2qCnXmLbC9QK1t81B8eGdngwfjAyRVK71CSup41M6MGMhw5HzsvPGGfzuoBAVQ/s400/%7B9d35c6ee-22dc-4f1c-9510-4ebbb30408c9%7D_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Avonlea Clara made her appearance on Monday, June 24 at 8:38 AM via c-section.  She actually started to try to come on her own on Sunday evening, which is nice to know that my body was truly recognizing the need to give birth.  I started having back pain, concentrated on just one side, Sunday afternoon.  Based on what others had told me about back labor, I didn't feel like that was what I was experiencing.  I chalked it up to how I was sitting on the couch all day, took some Tylenol and a hot shower, and the pain subsided.  We stayed up to watch Sky Wire (yikes!), and as I was readying myself for bed, the back pain started all over again, this time much more intense.  I laid down anyhow - because I really needed to get some sleep for the surgery the next day.  Needless to say, I woke back up around 2 AM, the back pain just getting worse and worse.  I called the hospital to see if I could come in early to be checked (I wasn't due to the hospital until 7 AM).  Once we got there and I was hooked up to the fetal heart rate monitor, and I quickly learned I was having back labor.  They were able to slow the contractions with an IV drip and ease the pain with some drugs.  By 7:30 AM, we were nearly ready to go for the c-section!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaUFzm5zspp2QJSDCriPUGx3VlM0TInuPGX6_MeDL1R4WDywUnmvQYpYgSL0o3-6E92s5Z0QanAFrjIicv0qJL7C3TBZnmWgvhdVxpRPwoHEsHKsm2mqU3I53Kbyctu9lrZpB_ukMSgQ/s1600/surgery+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaUFzm5zspp2QJSDCriPUGx3VlM0TInuPGX6_MeDL1R4WDywUnmvQYpYgSL0o3-6E92s5Z0QanAFrjIicv0qJL7C3TBZnmWgvhdVxpRPwoHEsHKsm2mqU3I53Kbyctu9lrZpB_ukMSgQ/s400/surgery+pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of my favorite pictures!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJorNnvzpRLJskckv5bbc2A_emquhQIsK6bMEKcG5DeRERbe5fOhGF4VcVLFgDicUe6dPYMwZoTipBKVymzVu8PPJAdIe_KGGMJJdrk7-B3YUvdoo1uQ-5jSnAR9CuJlMRAqMQ9Tn9wLw/s1600/avonlea+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJorNnvzpRLJskckv5bbc2A_emquhQIsK6bMEKcG5DeRERbe5fOhGF4VcVLFgDicUe6dPYMwZoTipBKVymzVu8PPJAdIe_KGGMJJdrk7-B3YUvdoo1uQ-5jSnAR9CuJlMRAqMQ9Tn9wLw/s400/avonlea+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The best advice I received regarding the surgery was that it's not as bad as people make it out to be, and remember to walk, walk, walk.  Well, I concur!  The surgery wasn't bad at all, and I've done really well with recovery.  Sure, there is pain, but it was totally manageable with drugs.  The surgery was surreal! To be operated on while awake is scary and exciting.  Avonlea was out of my body within the first 5 minutes of the surgery, and the remaining 25-30 minutes was spent sewing me back up.  To hear her first cry and see her whisked past my head - it was just unbelievable to me!  I simply could NOT believe she was inside of me!  Joel and I were both in shock, but happily in shock.  Joel stayed in the operating room with me the entire duration of surgery, holding her by my head so I could see her.  Once they were done, they wheeled us back to the room, her on my chest.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSnuLiPWo69ZLaJp5o9KiTMdm0yaBuWU2r1PaeGNL3voOCgrvngqafaY8kSm8zyRt_qkI1jEgAQEvdvsqMdr85n4xCDqnFA39zXsRPnqyda_u3E3tqtbrln3QwTHjjEY7Xj_wjP4clKs/s1600/avonlea+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSnuLiPWo69ZLaJp5o9KiTMdm0yaBuWU2r1PaeGNL3voOCgrvngqafaY8kSm8zyRt_qkI1jEgAQEvdvsqMdr85n4xCDqnFA39zXsRPnqyda_u3E3tqtbrln3QwTHjjEY7Xj_wjP4clKs/s400/avonlea+006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />My parents and Joel's mom and her partner were there, anxiously awaiting the news of Avonlea's weight.  The surgeons were taking bets on it in the OR while she was being cleaned up.  This child weighed in at 10 lbs 9 oz and 22 inches long.  She was a big baby, just as we expected!  Everyone was overjoyed to see her and the time spent in recovery was a little under an hour before I was transferred up to my room. I ended up being awake for almost 24 hours that day, and it hardly seemed like it.  The love for her was instant and overwhelming.  We could not stop looking at her all day/night!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JlTUWUCCIsVmxRCHC4rSp1aiuEPcGR6DtzOjvyLoQpr-InEXOWW81qHbb9nqqnYPNh4mbk3BDHqyV9G84xdtFudG243yYtrQTsXab41zkvdWS9KfD7vNphVo5gP1VolKHbYcPwmKN1w/s1600/%257B9d35c6ee-22dc-4f1c-9510-4ebbb30408c9%257D_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JlTUWUCCIsVmxRCHC4rSp1aiuEPcGR6DtzOjvyLoQpr-InEXOWW81qHbb9nqqnYPNh4mbk3BDHqyV9G84xdtFudG243yYtrQTsXab41zkvdWS9KfD7vNphVo5gP1VolKHbYcPwmKN1w/s400/%257B9d35c6ee-22dc-4f1c-9510-4ebbb30408c9%257D_6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I spent 4 days in the hospital - we sure were ready to come home by the end of that!  The first stop we made on the way home was at Jimmy Johns - I desperately wanted a cold sub!  After 9 months of heating lunch meat - cold lunch meat was glorious - I had JJ's 3 times the first week! <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk2NquBS2fxPqVG_ZmNbhvqc0rbwdfxx2kQ3TkF6ZhbJr7r7yVRK3-T__RQw9Tk-mnXhXtDFxX05pfKy1VV3Ac9BcEmQO8LG1qkh99lN_BpS4Jf31Bv8Nm3zlRmwt3X8uAwsiI1660L8/s1600/avonlea+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk2NquBS2fxPqVG_ZmNbhvqc0rbwdfxx2kQ3TkF6ZhbJr7r7yVRK3-T__RQw9Tk-mnXhXtDFxX05pfKy1VV3Ac9BcEmQO8LG1qkh99lN_BpS4Jf31Bv8Nm3zlRmwt3X8uAwsiI1660L8/s400/avonlea+002.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">her going home outfit</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm excited to share more about the birth of our daughter - stay tuned!

Baby Busbee Pregnancy She's Here!

I am 2 weeks postpartum - it's INSANE that time has already flown by that quickly!  It seems like I was just sitting here being nervous ...

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