Food for Thought on Argentina

<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>China, Argentina Using Economic Strategies Obama/U.S. Politicians Ignoring</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Article by</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Marc Chamot</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Article published with the permission of the author</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The original article appeared on www.examiner.com  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>China, Argentina Using Economic Trade Advantages & Strategies Obama/U.S. Politicians Ignoring in the Name of Free Trades, Pro-Globalization & Wall Street Profits:</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bureau of Labor Statistics says fewer Americans are now employed. According to stats, around January 2001, 123.5 million non-farm employees were working.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">In January 2008, employment rose to 138 million, and now it’s at lower levels than what it was in 2001. As of July 2011, it’s at current levels of only 131.2 million Americans employed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unemployment more than doubled than what it was ten years ago. In January 2001, unemployment was at 6%, then on October 2009 it was at its highest 15.6% and now it’s down to 13.9%. So basically growth has stagnated and USA Today had a team of economic experts to outline what could be done about JOBS.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every advice involved in the U.S.A Today article, was spending more money to stimulate the economy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Such as, providing states billions more, mainly to states that keep spending money like there was no tomorrow. California has just demonstrated what they can do with taxpayer’s money they don’t have, like granting millions of dollars for undocumented’s education. No, that won’t work.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Advertisement </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Add workers at a discount or tax credit. Yes, that could work. But unfortunately, the nation is losing more tax money with this plan.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Share jobs to save jobs. No, I can’t see anybody taking 20% cut, if they didn’t have to.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lower corporate taxes, most don’t pay taxes as it is, look at the General Electric tax scandal, they didn’t pay a dime after tax deductions through tax code loopholes. So what more do they want?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Train the Jobless. That would work, but that costs money.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cutting the Red Tape, ease down on carbon regulations and restrictive FEES. Maybe, but it isn’t the whole solution.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Actually what is going to work? There’s a track record and this can be repeated here. It is what I have been writing about for the past four years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">I appreciate the New York Times coverage on things. It’s dubbed a left-wing liberal newspaper, but to me, it’s valuable source for information and another great source for my opinions and here’s the New York Time’s SOLUTION that pro-globalists and free traders don’t want to admit to; “<b style="color: yellow;"><i>The</i></b><span style="color: yellow;"> </span><b style="color: yellow;"><i>Argentine government intervened to keep the value of its currency low, which boosts local industry by making Argentina’s exports cheaper abroad while keeping foreign imports expensive.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>It then taxed those imports and exports, using the money to pay for a New Deal-like public works binge, increasing government spending to 25 percent of G.D.P. today from 14 percent in 2003. As a result, the country has 400,000 new low-income housing units, as well as a long-delayed, 235-mile highway between the northern cities of Rosario and Córdoba.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: yellow;"><i>In Argentina unemployment has been cut to fewer than 8 percent today from over 20 percent in 2002, and the poverty level has fallen by almost half over the last decade.”</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">El gobierno argentino</span></span><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">intervino para</span> <span class="hps">mantener el valor</span> <span class="hps">de su</span> <span class="hps">moneda</span> <span class="hps">baja</span>, lo que impulsa <span class="hps">la industria local</span> <span class="hps">por</span> <span class="hps">lo que</span> <span class="hps">las exportaciones de</span> <span class="hps">Argentina</span> <span class="hps">son más barato</span> <span class="hps">en el extranjero</span>, manteniendo <span class="hps">las importaciones extranjeras</span> <span class="hps">caro.</span></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="ES">Luego se ajustan los impuestos a las importaciones y exportaciones, utilizando el dinero para pagar por un nuevo acuerdo como exceso de obras públicas, el aumento del gasto público al 25 por ciento del PIB hoy del 14 por ciento en 2003. Como resultado, el país cuenta con 400.000 nuevas viviendas de bajos ingresos, así como una retrasada autopista de 235 millas entre las ciudades del norte de Rosario y Córdoba.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b> <span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">En Argentina el desempleo se ha reducido a menos del 8 por ciento actual comparado con más del 20 por ciento en el 2002, y el nivel de pobreza se ha reducido casi a la mitad durante la última década ".</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>And that’s WHAT China is doing too</b></span><span style="font-size: large;">, and that's why they are growing and were NOT. W<b>hile were heading the opposite way</b>, unlike the United States, imports is far cheaper and domestic products higher, and that’s KILLING our economic prosperities, advantages and JOBS for Americans.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here’s more on expertly researched and expertly written and here comes one from Ian Mount’s in<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/opinion/argentinas-turnaround-tango.html"><span style="color: blue;">Argentina Turnaround Tango</span></a>. <i> </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>“ARGENTINA may seem like one of the last countries on earth to offer lessons for dealing with economic malaise. </i></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: yellow;"> </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Once the eighth-largest economy in the world, it steadily slid through the 20th century, thanks to decades of repressive dictatorships and inconsistent market experiments. </i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>This ended ignominiously in 2001, when it defaulted on $100 billion in sovereign debt, plunging over half its 35 million people into poverty.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>That, at least, is the Argentina people know. Since then, it has performed an economic U-turn — an achievement largely unnoticed outside Latin America, but one that President Obama and Congress should look to for inspiration.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Argentina is not without problems, but its recent <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3tj5hfr">economic record</a> speaks for itself: the economy has grown by over 6 percent a year for seven of the last eight years,unemployment has been cut to under 8 percent today from over 20 percent in 2002, and the poverty level has fallen by almost half over the last decade.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The streets of Buenos Aires are choked with cars as Argentines are on track to buy some 800,000 new vehicles this year; the wine mecca of Mendoza is full of high-end tasting rooms, hotels and restaurants offering regional haute cuisine; and plasma TVs and BlackBerrys have become household staples among the urban middle class.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Argentina has regained its prosperity partly out of dumb luck: a commodity price boom has vastly benefitted this soy, corn and wheat producer.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>But it has also prospered thanks to smart economic measures. The government intervened to keep the value of its currency low, which boosts local industry by making Argentina’s exports cheaper abroad while keeping foreign imports expensive.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>It then taxed those imports and exports, using the money to pay for a New Deal-like public works binge, increasing government spending to 25 percent of G.D.P. today from 14 percent in 2003. As a result, the country has 400,000 new low-income housing units, as well as a long-delayed, 235-mile highway between the northern cities of Rosario and Córdoba.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>It has also strengthened its social safety net: the Universal Child Allowance, started in 2009 with support from both the ruling party and the opposition, gives 1.9 million low-income families a monthly stipend of about $42 per child, which helps increase consumption.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Because the amount depends in part on how often the child attends school, it is also likely to improve the country’s long-term educational performance. The results have also paid off politically: President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner recently won about 50 percent of the vote in an open primary against nine other presidential candidates.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Why have Argentines embraced bigger government? In part because the preceding era showed how poorly austerity measures — the sort now being pushed by conservatives in the United States — promote growth.</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>In the late 1990s, Argentina cut government spending drastically on the order of its lenders at the International Monetary Fund. Predictably, between 1998 and 2002, Argentina’s economy shrank by almost 20 percent. It was only after Argentina turned its back on these austerity demands, and defaulted on its debt, that it began to recover.”</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: yellow; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Aquí hay más de experta investigación y escrito por expertos y aquí viene una de Ian Mount en  Tango Turnaround  en Argentina.</span></div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">"ARGENTINA puede parecer uno de los últimos países en la tierra para ofrecer lecciones para tratar el malestar económico.<br /><br />Una vez la octava economía más grande del mundo, que se deslizó a través del siglo 20, gracias a décadas de dictaduras represivas y experimentos inconsistentes mercado.<br /><br />Esto terminó ignominiosamente en 2001, cuando dejo de pagar $ 100 billones en la deuda soberana, sumiendo a más de la mitad de sus 35 millones de personas en la pobreza.</span></div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; text-align: justify;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">Eso, al menos</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">, <span class="hps">es la Argentina que la gente</span> conoce. <span class="hps">Desde entonces, se</span> <span class="hps">ha realizado</span> <span class="hps">un</span> <span class="hps">cambio de sentido</span> <span class="hps">económico</span> <span class="hps">-</span> <span class="hps">un logro</span> <span class="hps">en gran medida inadvertido</span> <span class="hps">fuera de América Latina</span>, pero <span class="hps">que el presidente Obama</span> <span class="hps">y el Congreso</span> <span class="hps">deben mirar</span> <span class="hps">en busca de inspiración</span>.<br /><br /><span class="hps">Argentina</span> <span class="hps">no</span> <span class="hps">está exenta de problemas</span>, pero sus <span class="hps">resultados económicos</span> <span class="hps">recientes</span> <span class="hps">hablan por sí mismos</span>: <span class="hps">la economía ha crecido</span> <span class="hps">en más del 6</span> <span class="hps">por ciento al año</span> <span class="hps">durante siete</span> <span class="hps">de los últimos ocho</span> <span class="hps">años, el desempleo</span> <span class="hps">se ha reducido a</span> <span class="hps">menos del 8</span> <span class="hps">por ciento actual</span> <span class="hps">de más de 20</span> <span class="hps">por ciento en 2002</span>, <span class="hps">y</span> <span class="hps">el nivel de pobreza</span> <span class="hps">se ha reducido</span> <span class="hps">casi a la mitad</span> <span class="hps">durante la última década</span>.</span></div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; text-align: justify;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">Las calles</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">de Buenos Aires</span> <span class="hps">estan ahogadas por los</span> <span class="hps">coches,</span> <span class="hps">los argentinos</span> <span class="hps">están en vías de</span> <span class="hps">comprar</span> <span class="hps">unos 800.000</span> <span class="hps">vehículos nuevos</span> <span class="hps">este año</span>, <span class="hps">la meca</span> <span class="hps">del vino</span> <span class="hps">de Mendoza</span> <span class="hps">está llena</span> <span class="hps">de locales de degustación</span> <span class="hps">de alta gama</span>, <span class="hps">hoteles</span> <span class="hps">y restaurantes de</span> <span class="hps">alta cocina</span> <span class="hps">regional</span>, y <span class="hps">televisores de plasma</span> <span class="hps">y los BlackBerry</span> <span class="hps">se han convertido en</span> <span class="hps">productos básicos</span> <span class="hps">del hogar</span>, entre <span class="hps">la clase media urbana</span>.<br /><br /><span class="hps">Argentina</span> <span class="hps">ha recuperado su</span> <span class="hps">prosperidad</span> <span class="hps">en parte por</span> <span class="hps">cuestión de suerte</span>: <span class="hps">un</span> <span class="hps">auge de precios de</span> <span class="hps">las materias primas ha</span> <span class="hps">beneficiado</span> <span class="hps">enormemente</span> <span class="hps">a este productor</span> <span class="hps">de soja</span>, maíz y trigo.</span></div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">También ha reforzado su red de seguridad social: la asignación universal por hijo, que comenzó en 2009 con el apoyo tanto del partido gobernante y la oposición, da a 1.900.000 familias de bajos ingresos un estipendio mensual de alrededor de US $ 42 por niño, lo cual ayuda a incrementar el consumo.<br /><br />Debido a que la cantidad depende en parte de la frecuencia con la que el niño asiste a la escuela, también es probable que mejore el país a largo plazo del rendimiento educativo. Los resultados también han dado sus frutos políticos: la presidenta Cristina Fernández de Kirchner ganó recientemente el 50 por ciento de los votos en una primaria abierta en contra de los nueve candidatos presidenciales.</span></div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="ES" style="color: red; font-size: large;">¿Por qué tienen los argentinos abrazado un gobierno más grande? En parte debido a la época anterior demostró lo mal que las medidas de austeridad - del tipo que ahora son maniobradas por los conservadores en los Estados Unidos - promueven el crecimiento.<br /><br />A finales de 1990, Argentina redujo drásticamente el gasto público en el orden de sus acreedores en el Fondo Monetario Internacional. Como era de esperar, entre 1998 y 2002, la economía de Argentina se redujo en casi un 20 por ciento. Fue sólo después que Argentina dio la espalda a estas demandas de austeridad, y de pagar su deuda, que comenzó a recuperarse ".</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">The bottom line folks, we have elected a whole bunch of politicians that have pro-global mindsets and they REFUSE to budge away from this type of thinking. They don’t care if it brings our nation to the brinks of ruin, and they will make sure foreign imports rule in U.S. markets.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s why in 2012, it is imperative we pursue more house cleaning in U.S. congress. Obama, Democrats, Republicans no matter who they are, they ALL NEED to go, they’ve done enough damage to our country.   </span></div>

Food for Thought on Argentina

China, Argentina Using Economic Strategies Obama/U.S. Politicians Ignoring Article by Marc Chamot Article published with the permission of t...

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What hiring managers really want to see

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><div class="cbmsnArticleImage" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/cp/ar5l7rc69vrg62cpdscp.gif?time=8/21/2011%2011:35:34%20am" /></div><div class="hdr_org_bld" style="color: #ff6600; font: normal normal bold 18px/normal arial, helvetica;"><h1 id="articleHeadline" style="color: #ff7700; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br /></h1></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Alina Dizik, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b> </div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When you're job searching, simply getting the attention of potential employers can be a challenge. Of course, there are always a few tricks to keep employers intrigued, no matter what job you're eager to land. Wondering what hiring managers want to see? Here, job-search experts weigh in on what makes job applicants irresistible:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Presenting a stable work history</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Employers need to see consistency on a résumé. "Many companies these days are not interested in people who have changed jobs every few years," says Joseph Kotlinski, a partner at Winter, Wyman & Co, a recruiting firm. "If you were out of work for a number of months, show a prospective employer that you stayed busy by taking classes [or] volunteering."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Make the résumé come to life</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">These days, simply handing over a one-sheet résumé is not enough. Most employers are eager to see an online showcase of your work. "While résumés are static, a link to an online portfolio can give it new life and meaning," explains Nathan Parcells, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/executive/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">chief executive</a> of InternMatch.com, a service that matches employers with <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/intern/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">interns</a>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"<a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/marketing/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Marketers</a> that include a link to their blog or <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/engineer/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">engineers</a> that include a link to their GitHub profile help prove that they are more than just words on paper and leave a lasting impact on employers."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Showcase awards on your résumé</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Don't let notable awards be an afterthought, says Dawn Rasmussen, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/president/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">president</a> of Pathfinder Writing and Career Services. Instead, list any achievements in the top third of your résumé because employers want to find people who are publicly recognized for their work.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"The types of things to put in this section include industry, peer, supervisor, subordinate or partner recognition awards (not financial incentives), speaking engagements, relevant industry presentations, any articles in industry publications that you might have authored [and] patents." she says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Demonstrate listening skills</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Show that you are really listening," says Jennifer Kahnweiler, author of "The Introverted Leader." "You can get so focused on crafting the next right response that you may miss out on what is most important to your potential employer." To demonstrate your listening skills, take advantage of any opportunities that ask you to paraphrase what your interviewer has shared.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Understand company initiatives</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It's not enough to quickly browse the company's website an hour before your first interview.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Demonstrate your dedication and interest in the company," says Jessica Miller-Merrell, chief executive of Xceptional Human Resources. To gain an insider perspective, browse LinkedIn and industry publications and look for news interviews with key executives. Learning as much as you can about the company also helps when it comes time to discuss compensation or work-life balance, she says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Explain what you can do for them</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A sure bet to get hiring managers to pay attention is by delving into how your experience can benefit the company. Career coach Malcolm Munro suggests describing two aspects: "How your experience can help the company solve its problems, and how your experience can help the company make money." Before each interview, take time to tailor your response.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Ask the right questions during the interview</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The flow of the interview shouldn't be a rigid question and answer session. Instead, end the interview by discussing a few well-thought-out questions with the interviewer. "Two invaluable questions for the person who might be your future boss are: What keeps you up at night? And, how will you measure success?" Kahnweiler says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Don't forget the follow-up</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Sending a thank you email or card should never be an afterthought. Forgetting to do so or simply running out of time can prevent you from advancing to the next round of interviews. Not all employers abide by that principle, but many are eager to see that you're dedicated to landing the position. "Dropping a handwritten thank-you note into the mail immediately after an interview can make all the difference in getting hired or not," Parcells says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Alina Dizik researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

What hiring managers really want to see

Alina Dizik, Special to CareerBuilder   When you're job searching, simply getting the attention of potential employers can be a challeng...

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Dear God, please let me have a break

Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post. Each and every one of them touched my heart. Especially as I read them while sitting by my sister's side as she slept. They meant a lot to me.<br /><br />I'm home. It was the most intense and emotional twelve days of my entire life. I've never cried so hard nor felt so much emotional pain. Even losing my mother six years ago wasn't this difficult.<br /><br /><br />My beautiful, vibrant and very active sister had what was originally a mild stroke two weeks ago and then later classified as a catastrophic event. She's completely paralyzed on the right side, unable to walk, read, write or speak anything other than mutterings that no one can understand. Yet she is still completely cognizant of everything that's happening, can answer yes/no questions and has use of her right side.<br /><br />She's given up and is refusing all food. I had a lot of good visits with her before I left on Sunday, but I knew it was most likely the last time I'd see her. My niece said my sister is not only shaking her head no when offered food, but now she's covering her mouth with her left hand. Yet she still drinks water so this will probably go on for weeks.<br /><br />My one niece and her husband have moved into my sister's house with her and plan on staying with her for at least the next three weeks. Since she's becoming weaker each day, this probably won't last three weeks.<br /><br />Sadly there was a lot of family drama due to another very close relative that was going through some sort of mental breakdown before this happened, and during the past week they spun out of control. I've never been in the presence of someone suffering with mentally illness. It was another nightmare on top of the nightmare my sister was going through.<br /><br />Even though it was horrible seeing my sister so disabled and knowing her choice to slowly commit suicide by starving herself to death, I will always value those wonderful moments with her. Often it was just the two of us and we laughed ourselves silly. We had a really good time together, especially when it was just the two of us. Some people couldn't bare to be in the room with her, I couldn't bare to not be in the room with her. <br /><br />Three of my family members called me yesterday and told me they were diagnosed with strep throat. I've had a sore throat, terrible stomach pains, and the worse headaches of my life during the last four days. I thought it was all stress induced. As today progressed, I continued to feel worse. Finally at 4pm I went to the urgent care clinic and yes, I have strep throat too. I have a horse-sized bottle of Amoxicillin.<br /><br />The only positive thing I can say is my weight is 173.4. The truth is that I really don't care about my weight right now. Everything I was so worried about, my weight, my clothes, my hair -- in the scheme of life it's all a bunch of trivial crap. <br /><br />When I got home Sunday night I decided to stop taking Ambien. The last two nights I've been rewarded with some of the worst nightmares of my life. Full of death and violence. Both nights I woke myself up screaming (and my husband). I don't know if this is some sort of Ambien withdrawal or if it's from those twelve days of hell in Fairbanks. Whatever it is, it's scaring me and really interrupting much needed sleep.

Dear God, please let me have a break

Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post. Each and every one of them touched my heart. Especially as I read them while sitting ...

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CORPORATOCRACY

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">SPREADING THE WORD  </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">One does not need to be an economist to see that LATIN AMERICAS economy is booming, much to the “dislike” of the IMF and WORLD BANK, especially when it comes to issues concerning ARGENTINA it seems. The reason of which is obvious.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">After ARGENTINA’S default in 2001, which many argue was caused to a large extend by the IMF, ARGENTINA was austere from the world financial markets, which as it turns out was not so bad after all. First ARGENTINA took the bold initiative to pay back its dept with the IMF in order not to be hostage to their policies, thus giving them leverage on dealing with their crisis independently.  Being band from the international financial system and thanks to the commodity boom ARGENTINA could “freely maneuver” in “niche markets”, without needing to adhere to international financial doctrines.  Focusing on ASIA rather than the US also helped, despite its large trade volume with the USA.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rpkGhy7BxXw?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Needles to say, this independence is something the USA and its “CORPORATOCRACY” (See: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatocracy">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatocracy</a>) are desperate to undermine, thus they do not miss a chance to use their influence to lobby to promote bias media coverage in order to spread bleak economic outlook for LATIN AMERICAN and its politics. Especially since most of LATIN AMERICA has shifted from US friendly governments to political independent ones.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>SHARE OF THE COMMODITY CAKE </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Geo politically as well as strategically the current manipulative tactics by organizations such as the IMF and the WORLD BANK and governments of the developed world are of significance, because LATIN AMERICA is a major supplier of food commodities, natural resources and in the not too distant future also water commodities. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(See <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/06/water-golden-commodity-of-future.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/06/water-golden-commodity-of-future.html</a>). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Naturally the 1^st world are showing keen interest in the region and use all means in order to gain economic as well as political influence. (The latter of which is becomes increasingly difficult) World leading food producers such as the influential and controversial MONSANTO Corporation, CARGILL, to name but a few all have keen interest to obtain control over LATAM food commodities and subsequently governments in order to control world food markets and societies. (See </span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto#Criticism">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto#Criticism</a> )</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>CORPORATOCRACY – ENRON - AZURIX SOUTHERN WATER PLUNGE  </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thus it becomes evident why for example WASHINGTON voted against loans for ARGENTINA from multilateral development banks. Allegedly the AZURIX Corporation, (See: </span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azurix">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azurix</a> </span><span style="font-size: large;">) which says ARGENTINA refuses to honor a ruling by the WORLD BANK arbitration tribunal to compensate it for prematurely eliminating a <u>30 year water concession</u> during the countries devastating <b>2001</b> economic crisis, pressured WASHINGTON to take actions against ARGENTINA. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The visionary move by ARGENTINA, to reinstate government control over its water resources caused dismay among US corporations for they lost a lifetime opportunity in future investment, for those who control water will feed the world.  What further cause’s annoyance among US political as well corporate establishments is that the US loan hurdle will not affect ARGENTINES funding for 2012. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">(See <a href="http://en.mercopress.com/2011/09/29/us-decision-to-vote-against-loans-for-argentina-will-not-affect-funding-for-2012?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=argentina&utm_campaign=rss">http://en.mercopress.com/2011/09/29/us-decision-to-vote-against-loans-for-argentina-will-not-affect-funding-for-2012?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=argentina&utm_campaign=rss</a> )</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Looking more closely at AZURIX it seems even more ludicrous that this company, which was part of the ENRON Corporation (See </span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_Corporation">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_Corporation</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal</a> </span><span style="font-size: large;">) which filed for bankruptcy protection in <b><u>2001</u></b> amides one of the biggest and most complex bankruptcy cases in U.S. history <b>due to mismanagement</b>, demands of ARGENTINA to honor a deal set up during the pressure of financial collapse (also in 2001) which would have benefited AZURIX to a great extend and control basically ARGENTINES water resources, making  ARGENTINA totally dependent on a foreign entity.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“PSY OPS” </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In military term one refers to PSY OPS (Psychological Operations) when deliberately spreading misinformation in order to gain strategic advantages. In today’s global eco-political stage, governments which are facing stagnating economic growth use similar tactics by spreading negative economic outlooks on countries that do not fit within their strategic agenda or are dogging conservative economic and financial doctrines imposed upon them by the so called developed world. This has been the case in recent past regarding LATAM, particularly BRAZIL and ARGENTINA, whose economies are thriving. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">(See </span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_Operations_%28United_States%29">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_Operations_%28United_States%29</a> </span><span style="font-size: large;">) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thus the IMF and the WORD BANK periodically keep spreading word through its loyal media outlets such as THE ECONOMIST, on the dangers of BRAZILS and ARGENTINES Economies overheating, being fully aware that such comments cause turmoil in the markets. What apparently plays into ARGENTINA’S favor is its ban from the international financial market, much to the discontent of the developed world, because it seems that this helps the county to avoid the casino finance vultures homing in on its markets. Thus the country can grow economically without worrying about economic market trends.   (See </span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://en.mercopress.com/2011/09/23/argentine-central-bank-dismisses-imf-warning-on-risk-of-overheating-economies">http://en.mercopress.com/2011/09/23/argentine-central-bank-dismisses-imf-warning-on-risk-of-overheating-economies</a> )</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The problem is that those countries who themselves face financial turmoil and are at the brink of default try to dictate financial and economic terms to emerging markets without realizing that the geopolitical landscape is shifting. When the WORLD BANK tries to impose financial terms and conditions on ARGENTINA one should not forget that such moves are politically motivated. The UK for example is a major shareholder of the WORLD BANK as is the US, thus the UK as well as the USA use their influence within the WORLD BANK, IMF and the PARIS CLUB to achieve their geo strategic objective. A recent example is BRITAIN’S oil exploration near the MALVINAS Islands (FALKLAND Islands), which prompted a “war of words” between ARGENTINA and BRITAIN, the latter of which went to war over the islands dispute in 1982.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">(See:  </span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://en.mercopress.com/2011/09/29/why-support-argentina-financially-when-the-country-threatens-falklands">http://en.mercopress.com/2011/09/29/why-support-argentina-financially-when-the-country-threatens-falklands</a> )</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>LOOKING EAST</b>,…….. <b>A BLESSING OR CURSE?</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The fact that LATAM is increasing its trade with China is not well seen by the World Bank as it threatens to undermine economic doctrines developed by the World Bank, IMF and the Paris Club (all 3 entities are predominantly under control of the USA and Europe ) in order to control the markets. Thus the World Bank was quick to voice its concerns over LATAM relying too much on trade with China and that this strategy could backfire. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The office of the Chief Economist for the Latin America and Caribbean Region of the World Bank indicated it its SEMIANNUAL REPORT that the LAC (Latin American and Caribbean) region has made tremendous advances in the last 10 years and that sovereign debt default risk of several LATAM counties, including CHILE, COLOMBIA and PERU is lower than that of FRANCE. Needless to say CHILE COLOMBIA and to some extend PERU have close eco - political ties with the USA, thus it is clear why the report left out BRAZIL and URUGUAY.   </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The report warns that the “CHINA CONNECTION” must be monitored sharply for though it has nurtured rapid growth, the partnership also has the potential to collapse.  What the report neglects however is the fact that the world population will always be in need of food and thus countries with vast amount of food commodities and other natural resource will most likely continue to grow economically.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="texto1" style="font-size: large;">"There is little evidence that CHINA can play a role in fostering productivity growth for LATIN AMERICA," the WORLD BANK'S chief economist for the region, Augusto DE LA TORRE, stated in a press conference.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now why would he make this comment? Is it genuine or politically motivated? Don’t forget that the WORLD BANK is de facto run by the USA, UK and EUROPEAN entities, all of which are struggling with their financial crisis and stagnating economy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> D</span><span class="texto1" style="font-size: large;">E LA TORRE further cited that</span><span class="texto1" style="font-size: large;"> "In the context of the lackluster economic performance in the U.S. and EUROPE, the key question is whether LAC can leverage its connection with CHINA and turn it into an [independent] source of long-term growth." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span class="texto1" style="font-size: large;">In my opinion, and for reasons I mentioned in numerous articles on this blog, LATAM will be able to turn into a source of long-term growth, provided it does not solely focus on CHINA but includes other countries in the FAR EAST. Despite the complex structure of today’s economy and close ties to politics one should not only rely on casino financial market indicators but also on common senses and logic. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="texto1" style="font-size: large;">Interesting reading:</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_303433764">http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-san-francisco/china-argentina-using-economical-strategies-obama-u-s-politicians-ignoring</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

CORPORATOCRACY

SPREADING THE WORD   One does not need to be an economist to see that LATIN AMERICAS economy is booming, much to the “dislike” of the IMF an...

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Traveling + Eating Healthy = Not Happening

I'm in Philadelphia this week for work, hence the lack of a post until now!  The days have been long, starting training at 7:30 AM and ending around 6 PM.  By the time I'm out of the training, and I do my gym workout and shower, it's already 7:30 PM.  I was pretty tired last night and could not muster the energy to write a post, much less even pick up the computer.<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="http://www.metafever.com/wp-content/uploads/Philadelphia-skyline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.metafever.com/wp-content/uploads/Philadelphia-skyline.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello City of Brotherly Love!</td></tr></tbody></table>Like most days, my morning on Monday started off on the right foot.  I ate conscientiously for breakfast, but by the time lunch rolled around, I was ravenous and hungry and ready to consume everything in site.  Lunch was buffet style and I had a small piece of chorizo sausage, about half of a chicken breast, and some (I estimate a cup to a cup and a half) tortellini in vodka sauce.  Then I had a cannolli.  And then I had cookies on our afternoon break.  And the day continued to unravel just. like. that.  <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/media/photos/2006/10/27/130558_1203066_300x356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.thecrimson.com/media/photos/2006/10/27/130558_1203066_300x356.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><br />My first problem was I didn't have smart snacks.  I bought 2 items in the hotel snack area which weren't terrible (peanut butter crackers that were 5 Points+ and a Glenny's fruit/nut bar), but they weren't enough for me - I wanted more because I felt hungry, but then by afternoon I just wanted to plain eat out of boredom, and naturally I wanted sweets. <br /><br />Though yesterday wasn't a total wash in the health realm.  If I can't get it together with eating right, then I can most <i>definitely </i>get in some exercise without an excuse!  So I headed to the workout room and did 32 minutes on the elliptical and then the last week in Stage 1 of the NROLFW.  I was really proud of myself for not making excuses while on travel to <i>not </i>exercise.  I needed it - the day was long and full of sitting!   I also made sure to drink plenty of water yesterday and today.  I know that a year ago, I would not have even considered exercising while on travel.  <br /><br />Today, despite good intentions and better snacks (I made a trip to Target last night), I still managed to bomb.  Again, I started off well, and I even maneuvered lunch time a lot better - resisting 3 enticing desserts, 2 of which were chocolate.  Still, I got bored and I ate.  I actually left the session an hour early today - many of us did - we were just a little annoyed and burnt out from the long days.  So, I went to the gym and did the elliptical for just over 50 minutes.  <br /><br />Tomorrow I go home, but the challenges don't end there.  Wednesday is Joel's birthday, and we are going out for dinner to the Cheesecake Factory.  Then Friday we leave for a wedding in Charlotte, NC. <br /><br />I've had enough "eating out" for awhile.  I just want a nice, healthy, home-cooked meal that falls within my Points+ range comfortably.  <br /><br />What are your healthy eating strategies when traveling?<br /><br />

Weight Loss Challenges Traveling + Eating Healthy = Not Happening

I'm in Philadelphia this week for work, hence the lack of a post until now!  The days have been long, starting training at 7:30 AM and e...

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Listening To The Heartbeat

“You look happy,” she said. She was the cashier at Maxi’s Café across from the B gates in the Reno airport. It was Sunday afternoon and I was buying a tuna and caper half sandwich when she said, “You look happy.”<br /><br />“I am happy,” I said. I was happy. But I was surprised that anyone should say I looked happy, especially at the airport where my usually dour demeanor descends to anxious and morose. But I was so happy that it showed and I knew why. All weekend long, I had been listening to the heartbeat of the Church.<br /><br />It started as I was “leaving Las Vegas” Thursday afternoon. I’d just finished a speaking engagement on Faith and the Practice of Law at the UNLV Law School. Things were swirling in the diocesan office and among various people in the city. They were scrambling to put together an evangelism booth at the Pure Aloha Festival to be held in the Silverton Casino the following week. We wanted to use this event to publicize our new Filipino/ Pacific Islander ministries which will kick off in January. Ellie was revising the diocesan evangelism brochure to focus on F/ PI evangelism. She was calling our people to find out how to translate Aloha into Tagalog and Igarot. The replies were coming with proposals to add floral designs. She added floral designs. More languages of the Pacific were suggested. <br /><br />People at different congregations, people who three days ago had never heard of each other, were e mailing back and forth several times a day to coordinate the staffing of our booth which will be open all hours for four days. They were Filipino (Tagalog), Filipino (Igarot), Guamese, Anglo, Cuban, Mexican-American. It was a flurry of trying to do the impossible in too little time. But they were doing it with joy.<br /><br />Context: we were already in full tilt panic getting ready for convention when Tom Walsh said, “What about the Pure Aloha Festival?” Within a day, we had rented what may be the first evangelism booth in a Las Vegas casino. But, hey, we are the 9th Island. Of course it’s impossible, but what would Eddie Aikau do? (If you don’t know, it’s only because you are not from Hawaii. Google Eddie Aikau). As a thousand bumper stickers say in Hawaii, “Eddie would go for it.”<br /><br />Arriving in Reno, I drove straight to the Grove for the Empty Bowls Benefit to raise money for the St. Paul’s Community Food Pantry. Donning my “Bishy D” apron, I served bread, cookies, and ice cream. The place was packed. Many beautiful bowls were purchased. I bought one. A film described St. Paul’s efforts to combat hunger in Reno and Sparks. What the St. Paul’s congregation does each week is an incredible level of ministry driven by an inspiring degree of dedication.<br /><br />Fast forward to Friday morning: I made my way through the line of people waiting to receive food at St. Paul’s, Sparks. Inside, I found Fr. Kirk and his son Cooper who had just come back from a night sleeping on the streets in cardboard boxes. It was an experience of solidarity with the homeless and also another fundraiser. They had sponsors like in a marathon benefit. By acting in solidarity with the homeless, they raised money for ministry to the homeless.<br /><br />Then it was Saturday night. Off to Carson City (arriving late) for the Bristlecone Mass at the Brewery Arts Center. I swear half the town was there to see St. Peter’s performance of a jazz mass written by one of their own members. It was a composition with profound liturgical theology. It went from the words of institution “Do this in remembrance of me” to a song about Jesus being present as a homeless person pushing his shopping cart in the streets, pulling his coat together against the cold. This Mass understood what the incarnation that happens in the Mass means. It concluded with the eschatological welcome song “Come on in.” Along with music by a top class jazz trio and excellent solos supported by the Sagebrush Chorale, there were dancers (square, ballet, interpretive), mimes, and a juggler. The only place I have seen anything remotely comparable to the Bristlecone Mass is at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This was missional music from a missional church whose Circles of Support program provides a comprehensive array of services to families transitioning from homelessness.<br /><br />Sunday morning I was at our newest free-standing congregation (the Latino ministries are hosted by existing congregations), St. Catherine’s, Reno. At 9 a.m., they had a Family Eucharist – 25 people present – almost all young parents and their children. They were a lively, joyful group singing “Shine, Jesus, Shine.” At 11, the larger congregation came to support three youngsters for their Confirmation. Among them, it was my privilege to confirm the great grandniece of the Rev. Jean Orr who served Christ Church, Pioche so well, so faithfully, and so long. All three of the confirmands were completely engaged and delighted to take this step in the Christian life.<br /><br />All the while, the calls and e mails about the Pure Aloha Festival evangelism booth kept flying. The Evangelism Team was burning the candle at both ends to roll out our new evangelism logo which is still top secret in Nevada but Bishop Katharine and the communications people at 815 are cheering loudly and demanding t shirts. <br /><br />So how was I “listening to the heartbeat of the Church?” Those words are a paraphrase of Philip Newell’s book on Celtic Christianity, Listening to the Heartbeat of God. And they refer to the end of one of Bishop Katharine’s best sermons. At the end she said, “The heartbeat of the Church is ‘mission, mission, mission.’”

Listening To The Heartbeat

“You look happy,” she said. She was the cashier at Maxi’s Café across from the B gates in the Reno airport. It was Sunday afternoon and I wa...

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3 words that will kill your job search

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><div class="cbmsnArticleImage" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/n4/ar5l55t67yp1b7cw39n4.gif?time=8/21/2011%2011:15:10%20am" /></div><div class="hdr_org_bld" style="color: #ff6600; font: normal normal bold 18px/normal arial, helvetica;"><h1 id="articleHeadline" style="color: #ff7700; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br /></h1></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b> </div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It's not unusual for job seekers to reach a point in their searches when they stop hoping to land a coveted job and resign themselves to considering<i>any</i> position. In theory, this "I'll take anything" attitude sounds promising: Less selectivity means greater possibilities, right?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Not so fast. Before spending precious time applying to jobs for which you're not qualified, consider these ways that a cast-your-net-everywhere tactic can backfire:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>1. Employers don't care if you're desperate.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Hiring managers are looking for one thing: a good match between the job and the applicant," says Catherine Jewell, author of "New Résumé New Career." "Employers want to know that you will fit in and feel comfortable with their culture. The more you sound like them the better."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So just because you're willing to settle for anything, don't assume your value has increased. If you aren't well-versed in the field, your inexperience is bound to be noticed either on paper or in conversation. Conversely, shooting too low in a job search reeks of neediness – never an attractive quality – and raises red flags as to whether you'd be happy in the position or are simply buying time until you can bolt to a more suitable job.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>2. Untargeted applications aren't going to be noticed.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When quantity starts taking precedence over quality, the product is going to suffer. A general résumé that could fit any position at any company is simply not going to make a hiring manager choose to interview you over countless others.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"The targeted application helps you stand out from the talented pool of applicants," says Joel Garfinkle, founder of DreamJobCoaching.com. "You can highlight specific experiences that relate to what is outlined in the job description, and the employer can easily see how your qualifications fit what he desires." Garfinkle also recommends learning as much as possible about the company before submitting an application in order to tailor your application to its needs.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>3. Busy work takes away from profitable actions.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Most candidates have a certain amount of time and energy they can devote to job searching. If they waste it on generic mass mailings, less is left for activities that could generate good leads.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Focus on the positions you really want instead of applying for something you don't want," says Richard Deems, co-author of "Make Job Loss Work for You." "Use the same amount of time to network for introductions into organizations that hire people who do what you want to do. Research companies of interest. Find out their unmet needs, think of how you can meet those unmet needs and then present yourself."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>4. People may see you as wishy-washy.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Networking means reaching out to others and letting them know what you have to offer. An elevator pitch of "Help! I need a job" is unlikely to convince anyone that your skills are worth remembering. Likewise, contacts may be less inclined to think of you or to offer a recommendation if they are unsure what type of job you actually want.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">While you may view yourself as flexible by trying to get a foot in any door at places you'd like to work, others may think differently. "If you apply for just 'anything,' you are wearing out your welcome with that employer," Jewell cautions. "It's tricky to present one image -- say, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/marketing/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">marketing</a> -- one day, then turn around and present yourself for another opportunity -- such as <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/customer+service/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">customer service</a> -- the next week. It leaves the impression that you don't know who you are and what you are about."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>5. The strategy can create deceptive hope.</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Finally, be aware that churning out applications can do a number on your mind. Initially, the boost in productivity may make you feel as if you're gaining more chances in the job-hunt lottery, but if most of what you've sent out is destined for somebody's wastebasket because it lacks the qualities needed for genuine consideration, your odds of success have not improved.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Garfinkle notes that constantly applying for a job may make you look impressive on the surface. "At the end of the day, your spouse will ask you, 'How's the job search?' and you can respond, 'I sent out 10 résumés today,'" Garfinkle says. "This provides a false sense of feeling good about yourself and the progress you are making on this job search."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Worse yet, the corresponding rejection can damage your self-worth. As Deems warns, "For every 100 you send, you'll only hear from five to seven of them, if that many. And for every one you send that you don't hear from, you'll get a bit more depressed."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So look for opportunities that offer real hope and put in the effort needed to be a viable candidate. True satisfaction comes from landing a job -- not counting the number of attempts you made.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

3 words that will kill your job search

Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder   It's not unusual for job seekers to reach a point in their searches when they stop hopin...

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The Dick Van Dyke Show Blogathon: Wandering Down Memory Lane

<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDhAQZhqPAK_qxS41-xNDYVcgpHEqNER9jOPb8_Q8t2p4L5AdEMElQjDq00BfhaP7VswzuM2VDie7_YnZZb-fgRGJhYtA_EPV_Vu_5twZKA0Tu8NtAWEuDGl_y3A1gUWO4rtCeiDhIEbV/s1600/dick+van+dyke+show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDhAQZhqPAK_qxS41-xNDYVcgpHEqNER9jOPb8_Q8t2p4L5AdEMElQjDq00BfhaP7VswzuM2VDie7_YnZZb-fgRGJhYtA_EPV_Vu_5twZKA0Tu8NtAWEuDGl_y3A1gUWO4rtCeiDhIEbV/s1600/dick+van+dyke+show.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Today marks the 50th anniversary of the premiere of The Dick Van Dyke Show and this post is my contribution to the tribute blogathon hosted by <b>Thrilling Days of Yesteryear</b>. <b style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://thrillingdaysofyesteryear.blogspot.com/2011/10/did-you-bring-me-anything-daddy.html">Click here</a> </b>for more on participating blogs...</span></i></span><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">In 1991, <i>Nick at Night</i> acquired and began airing <i>The Dick Van Dyke Show</i>, that sitcom über-classic originally shown on CBS from 1961 -1966. Thrilled to be able to once again watch a favorite series I hadn’t seen in 25 years, I was ready to celebrate "our television heritage” with <i>Nick at Nite</i>...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0gnbtFN4oXI" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To hear that tune and see those faces again was uplifting. <i>The Dick Van Dyke Show</i> lost none of its charm over the years. It sparkled still with that trademark mix of sophistication and slapstick ingeniously created by Carl Reiner, written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff and performed by an unparalleled cast comprised of old pros and newcomers.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><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/AVvXsEhuRGxRelxngaFjTKCnUxsSzcpb50zJ4wRflOTT1nXUPGtjxExAFHm069iuoRSRuQWQDaqSaj5tbt5HZcQ2CNfLteISUJkCcDpeNWuPiAkkoXLXRoSUzpHzmbPFIKuh2OcFR25s_b2H64w7/s1600/laura+petrie+mtm+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRGxRelxngaFjTKCnUxsSzcpb50zJ4wRflOTT1nXUPGtjxExAFHm069iuoRSRuQWQDaqSaj5tbt5HZcQ2CNfLteISUJkCcDpeNWuPiAkkoXLXRoSUzpHzmbPFIKuh2OcFR25s_b2H64w7/s200/laura+petrie+mtm+2.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TV's first lady</td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEiy_Dr250mvcVTaTHQ_sYf9lbZhfKlaxGlaAUfHAratgeRy3OGaOuqLtY6Tn8vJkFdDWKAuDdNcauqdhLxo8Uwu6gXHamoFvVJ3Y-Vk8zuFPrrh9heROSGjVHirvFDfMXH_hH-gflD4im3M/s1600/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_Dr250mvcVTaTHQ_sYf9lbZhfKlaxGlaAUfHAratgeRy3OGaOuqLtY6Tn8vJkFdDWKAuDdNcauqdhLxo8Uwu6gXHamoFvVJ3Y-Vk8zuFPrrh9heROSGjVHirvFDfMXH_hH-gflD4im3M/s200/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis.jpg" width="169" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">America's first lady</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Of course, I noticed a thing or two about the show that I hadn't long, long ago. One thing that caught my eye was that Rob and Laura Petrie (Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore) resembled nothing so much as a loosened-up, middle-class (and very funny) rendition of John F. and Jackie Kennedy, who were in the White House when <i>Dick Van Dyke </i>premiered and through its early years. Later I learned that on the day JFK delivered his famous inaugural address ("...ask not what your country can do for you..."),  the cast and crew of <i>The Dick Van Dyke Show </i>were filming the show's first episode. Who knew that two New Frontiers would open on the same day...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Laura Petrie was a perkier sort of of Jackie Kennedy. She was a cooking, cleaning, singing, dancing, housebound helpmate whereas the first lady masterminded state dinners, kept up with the arts, treasured all things French and spent weekends riding</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> horses. But both ladies were fashion trendsetters. Beautiful Jackie popularized not just pillbox hats but an overall look of elegant simplicity. Meanwhile, New Rochelle's lovely Laura Petrie started a fashion craze of her own when she wore Capri pants...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/g6Fydn69Hl8" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">CBS at first objected when Mary Tyler Moore began wearing pants on the show. For the most part TV housewives of that time were usually seen puttering about their homes in dresses (and, in June Cleaver's case, pearls and heels), and Laura-in-pants made the network nervous. Moore and producer Carl Reiner had agreed that since her character spent so much time at home, it made sense for her to dress casually. Within a few short years <i>Time Magazine </i>was proclaiming that Moore had "helped make Capri pants the biggest trend in US casual attire." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">In the early '90s, as I watched Laura whip up a cake (or was she frying liver?) on <i>Nick at Nite</i>, I felt a sudden wave of nostalgia for the age of single-income families and stay-at-home moms.  Laura's life seemed so simple. She had most of her day to herself. While Rob was at work and Ritchie in school, all she had to do was keep the house and clothes clean, make sure there were groceries in the kitchen and food on the table. Rob probably even handled the bills! I didn't take this line of forbidden thinking very seriously for very long - but it gave me pause as I recalled my youthful scorn for the world of the housewife.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> A few years after <i>The Dick Van Dyke Show</i> ended, Mary Tyler Moore moved on to her own show. No longer a housewife on the New Frontier, she resurfaced as that beyond-iconic single working woman, Mary Richards of WJM-TV, Minneapolis. As I write this it occurs that, like Mary, I (eventually) became a single woman working for a local TV station - hadn't really thought about it before! Time to toss my hat in the air...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The first episode of <i>The Dick Van Dyke Show</i> aired 50 years ago tonight (2600 weeks ago tomorrow night at 8:00) - here's what viewers saw when they tuned in:</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TIn8mPy5_jA" width="420"></iframe></div>

Bill Persky Carl Reiner Dick Van Dyke Mary Tyler Moore Morey Amsterdam Nick at Nite Rose Marie Sam Denoff The Dick Van Dyke Show The Lady Eve (author) The Dick Van Dyke Show Blogathon: Wandering Down Memory Lane

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the premiere of The Dick Van Dyke Show and this post is my contribution to the tribute blogathon hosted ...

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34 ideas for a classroom blog

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />Classroom blogging is one of the most exciting ventures for a classroom teacher to embark on. It opens a door of possibilities and makes the way for making a host of new friends around the world. Apart from that it gives parents an opportunity to take a peek into the classroom and see what is happening. I love blogging!<br /><br />This weekend I presented a workshop entitled ‘Blogging for teachers’ at the EdTechConference at Elkanah House in Cape Town. I started off with the ideas that follow in the slide-share presentation below as a source of inspiration. Then we did the workshop part where the inexperienced bloggers worked from an e-book to create their new blogs, the educators with blogs used one of the inspirational ideas to develop their blog, and I walked around helping whoever needed help.   I also invited the participants who already had blogs to demonstrate their blogs to the rest of the class.  <br /><div id="__ss_9470769" style="width: 425px;"><strong style="display: block; margin: 12px 0px 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/34-ideas-for-a-classroom-blog" target="_blank" title="34 ideas for a classroom blog">34 ideas for a classroom blog</a></strong> <iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/9470769" width="425"></iframe> <br /><div style="padding: 5px 0px 12px;">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/" target="_blank">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal" target="_blank">fionabeal</a> </div></div></div>

Blogging 34 ideas for a classroom blog

Classroom blogging is one of the most exciting ventures for a classroom teacher to embark on. It opens a door of possibilities and makes the...

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The latest (2011–2012) iEARN project book has been released

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />Are you perhaps wanting to start a collaborative project with a class but you don’t quite know where to start? Omashani Naidoo who is the <i>Operations Manager </i>at SchoolNetSA brings our attention to the latest 2011-2012 iEARN Project Description Book which is now available on the web at: <a href="http://www.iearn.org/iearn-project-book">http://www.iearn.org/iearn-project-book</a>. This book is full of project ideas where the originators of the projects are looking for a class to collaborate with. Why not take a look? (Please note that there will be new iEARN projects continually developing.  You can visit <a href="http://media.iearn.org/projects">http://media.iearn.org/projects</a> for the most up to date project list.)   <br /><br /><br /><div id="__ss_9510270" style="width: 477px;"><strong style="display: block; margin: 12px 0px 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/2011-2012%20i-EARNprojectbook" title="2011-2012 iEARN-projectbook">2011-2012 <br />iEARN-projectbook</a></strong><object height="510" id="__sse9510270" width="477"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/doc_player.swf?doc=2011-2012iearnprojectbook-111002115052-phpapp02&stripped_title=2011-2012i-earnprojectbook&userName=fionabeal" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed name="__sse9510270" src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/doc_player.swf?doc=2011-2012iearnprojectbook-111002115052-phpapp02&stripped_title=2011-2012i-earnprojectbook&userName=fionabeal" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="477" height="510"></embed></object><br /><div style="padding: 5px 0px 12px;">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/">documents</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal">fionabeal</a>.</div></div></div>

Collaboration Project-based learning The latest (2011–2012) iEARN project book has been released

Are you perhaps wanting to start a collaborative project with a class but you don’t quite know where to start? Omashani Naidoo who is the Op...

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Evaluating the impact of technology integration at St Cyprians School in Cape Town

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>This is a guest post written by Nina Adams who is Head of ICT at St Cyprians in Cape Town. She plans, implements and manages all things ICT, from infrastructure to staff training.  She also heads up the Microsoft Innovative Schools programme which means she is responsible for researching, implementing and documenting best practice in the areas of innovation and ICT integration. St Cyprians is passionate about technology and innovation, and its impact on 21st century teaching and learning. Nina has recently evaluated their move to technology integration and has allowed us to use this post she posted on the St Cyprian’s Blog that she is responsible for maintaining -</em> </span><a href="http://techblog.stcyprians.net/" title="http://techblog.stcyprians.net/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://techblog.stcyprians.net/</span></a> <br /><br /></div>In an effort to evaluate the impact of ICT integration into our school curriculum, we recently conducted an informal case study consisting of student and teacher interviews. These interviews are based on seven projects with ICT components, ranging from Grade 4 to Grade 10 students, across a range of subjects, and were conducted by a representative from SchoolNet South Africa. (All projects have been posted on our school blog.) Although our initial findings are by no means conclusive or irrefutable, the responses from students and teachers highlighted the following interesting trends:<br /><ul><li>Many students who usually achieve average to below average marks in ‘traditional’ projects such as essays or posters have shown significant improvement with the inclusion of an ICT component for e.g. Movie Maker or Glogster. They ascribed this to the fact that different types of projects engaged different learning styles, as not all students are good at writing or exam-taking. They also reported an overall increase in confidence and interest due to their higher marks and additional creative elements of the project.<br /></li><li>Students who usually achieve relatively high marks for ‘traditional’ assessment projects, such as essays, tests or exams, reported that they found the integration of ICT quite challenging. They felt this was due to the fact that these projects often included a high degree of collaboration with students of mixed level abilities. That meant that they had to learn patience and team work, both important 21st century skills.</li></ul><ul><li>Teachers have reported that students with special learning needs also benefit from ICT tools, for e.g. Mouse Mischief, reading software tools and others. In many cases, collaborating in groups with their peers has given students the opportunity to learn from and assist each other, with some amazing results. </li></ul><b>From the interview responses, we have learned some important lessons:</b><br /><ul><li><b>Technology should not be the driver: </b>ICT integration often overemphasises the need for digital literacy skills whilst ignoring important basic skills, such as reading, writing and maths. We have found that successful ICT integration involves a balance; technology should enhance and support teaching and learning, rather than drive it.<br /></li><li><b>Separating ICT from other subjects:</b> In the past, ICT has usually been viewed as a separate subject, often taught in separate IT labs. Teachers have reported increased engagement and interest in their subjects by integrating ICT as a supportive mechanism or creative addition to a project, rather than as a separate learning outcome. We have also piloted mini ‘break-away’ labs in classrooms with increasing success; teachers can then access computers during class instead of booking an IT lab which often breaks the flow of a class.<br /></li><li><b>The best project ideas are usually the simplest ideas:</b> In the case of our award-winning Grade 4 project, students still had to complete a creative reading and writing assignment as they usually would. Then one new element was added, which in this case was the creation of a multi-media movie based on their written stories. In the case of the Grade 10 book blogs, traditional book logs simply evolved to an electronic blog version, allowing increased visibility and the ability to comment on each other’s work.<br /></li><li><b>Some of the best ICT tools are free: </b>Find out more under the ‘Resources’ section of the school blog.<br /></li><li><b>Rapid technology changes:</b> We often worry about rapid changes in technology and are therefore constantly looking ahead at the ‘next best thing’. In our experience, there is value in concentrating on what you already have and making the most of it before moving on to something new.<br /></li><li><b>Teacher collaboration and sharing is essential for success:</b> This can be through teacher show ‘n tell, by sharing lessons during staff meetings or by joining online learning communities. We cannot encourage 21st century skills in students if we don't practise them ourselves and we have found teacher collaboration to be a wonderful source of ideas, lesson plans and inspiration.<br /></li><li><b>Teacher training and support is key: </b>Professional development needs to be part of school culture. With the right training, support and encouragement, even resistant staff can be motivated to try new methods or technologies.</li></ul>Here is a movie in which some of the students and a teacher at St Cyprians are interviewed about the AIDS awareness project they completed using Windows Movie Maker.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PcN_hf5wESc" width="420"></iframe></div>

Guest post Evaluating the impact of technology integration at St Cyprians School in Cape Town

This is a guest post written by Nina Adams who is Head of ICT at St Cyprians in Cape Town. She plans, implements and manages all things ICT,...

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Show Me, Don't Tell Me

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><div class="cbmsnArticleImage" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/n4/ar5f4jh673jv6vpjqtn4.gif" /></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Frances Cole Jones, author of "How to Wow"</span></b> </div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As you may know, the first rule of writing good fiction is, "Show me, don't tell me." The idea being that you can't say a character is resilient, thoughtful, or brave you need to <i>show</i> the reader that he or she are these things.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Somehow this idea has not translated into our other writing, particularly in the context of applying for jobs. For example, how many of us have seen cover letters in which a candidate describes him or herself as "a real go getter," only to have that résumé collecting dust on our desk three weeks later -- three weeks during which that "go-getter" of a candidate didn't pick up the phone?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">How else might a go-getter distinguish him or herself from the pack? Well, recently I walked out of Grand Central Station to find two young people dressed in business suits standing on the sidewalk handing out copies of their résumés. What were their stated objectives? Entry-level jobs in <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/finance/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">finance</a>and <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/marketing/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">marketing</a>. Their qualifications? The usual for people just starting out: captain of the swim team, internship at local <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/retail/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">retail</a> store, a summer at the local copy shop. In addition to hard copies of their résumé, however, they had also blown each up to a poster-board size and created video résumés and posted them on YouTube -- the URL for these was at the top of their CVs. Seeing these actions told me more than any video: they were creative, gutsy, and self-confident. You can bet that if I had been at a financial or marketing firm with -- or without -- an opening, they would have been hired on the spot. They brought being a "go-getter" to life.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Another gap in candidates' descriptions of themselves is often revealed via a technique I recently heard <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/human+resources/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">HR</a> professionals are using to weed out those who are truly committed to working for a particular firm, from those who are not: what they do is stop the interview halfway through and says "I just don't think you're the right fit for us" -- regardless of the candidate's experience. One of the HR professionals with whom I spoke says it's amazing how many people actually say, "I actually didn't think so either, but I just thought I'd come in ... "</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Um ... how not to wow.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">How do I recommend you handle this situation, should you encounter it? First, make sure you don't look down, lean back ... reveal your discomfort through your body in any way. Smile. Inhale. Speak on an exhalation. Say, "I understand how you may think that, given my lack of experience with X/my checkered past/how long I've been freelancing, but I think you've underestimated how committed I am to working for your firm. If I may, I'll take you through my thinking one more time." A response that, both physically and verbally, should reassure the most hardboiled of HR professionals.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Another misstep I heard about was the story of a candidate who touted his laser focus/unparalleled dedication throughout his lunch interview, only to take out his PDA and begin returning calls as his host paid the check. My guess is that he was either uncomfortable with sitting in silence, or wished to convey his busyness or importance. What I can tell you is that his choice backfired -- instead causing the HR director to move him from the top slot to the bottom of the list.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Albert Schweitzer, the famed theologian, philosopher and <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/physician/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">physician</a> said, "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." Nowhere is this truer than in a job interview scenario -- where what isn't said is often far more important than what is.</div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

Show Me, Don't Tell Me

Frances Cole Jones, author of "How to Wow"   As you may know, the first rule of writing good fiction is, "Show me, don't ...

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