BANKING INSTITUTIONS ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN STANDING ARMIES

<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>IRATE GOD, THE MARKET</b></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; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the old times the economy and markets managed to function without stock exchanges, daily ratings and real time minute by minute updates. With the coming of the “Information Highway” all this changed. Suddenly an entire eco political system panics when stock markets numbers plunge and cheer soaring stock figures. It seems the entire world has been drawn into this matrix which revolves around one thing, numbers which provide the illusion of money, ratings based on assumptions and economic power based on speculation. </span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE POWER OF NUMBERS</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The majority of us does not even understanding the complex and obscured arithmetic’s of the “holy grail”, The Stock Market, but nevertheless we seems to be drawn into the believe that such fluctuations will affect our live. Considering that physical money accounts only for 10% in today’s markets and that 90% of “money transactions” are simple numeral data transfer within “cyberspace”, it becomes clear that physical money is only a tool to control people but not a necessity. Money gives the illusion of freedom and independence to the common man, yet we see how that very tool is used to implement austerity over the working class. US President Thomas Jefferson back in 1826 said:</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="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“<b>I BELIEVE THAT BANKING INSTITUTIONS ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN STANDING ARMIES…</b></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">IF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE EVER ALLOW PRIVATE BANKS TO CONTROL THE ISSUE OF CURRENCY …… THE BANKS AND CORPORATIONS THAT WILL GROW UP AROUND THEM WILL DEPRIVE THE PEOPLE OF THEIR PROPERTY UNTIL THEIR CHILDREN WAKE UP HOMELESS ON THE CONTINENT THEIR FATHERS CONQUERED”</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">THOMAS JEFFERSON <b>1743 -1826</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Wise words, unfortunately no one seemed to take the advice, not in the 19^th century, nor in the 20^th century and certainly not in the 21^st century.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">To a large extend Financial institutions have caused the havoc we are currently experiencing, especially in Europe. Nevertheless governments are using taxpayer’s money to rescue those very institutions that caused the chaos in the first place.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">GREECE’S LOOMING DEFAULT,......... A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM</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;">To solve the current financial crisis in Europe and especially Greece one should consider asking exactly those institutions that caused to a large extent the crisis in Greece to bail out Greece, namely GOLDMAN SACHS.</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;"><div style="color: red; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> FOOD FOR THOUGHT </b></span></div><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/-kKlUXeCWpM?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sreeram Chaulia,</b> Geopolitical analyst kindly permitted me to republish an article he wrote for <b>THE GLOBALIST</b>, which highlights the Goldman Sachs involvement in Greece’s dept dilemma. </span></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 0in;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td style="color: blue; padding: 0in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dateline Greece: Goldman, Just Pay Up</b></span></div></td> <td style="padding: 0in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="color: blue; padding: 0in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />By <b>SREERAM CHAULIA </b> </span></div></td> <td style="padding: 0in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">As Greece teeters on the edge of sovereign default of around $300 billion and sends shudders of premonition throughout the global economy, the fingerprints of <span style="color: red;">Goldman Sachs </span> are once again to be found, as in so many crises beforehand. Sreeram Chaulia argues that Goldman should accept moral responsibility and contribute funds to bailing out Greece.</span></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><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/7VTdUWk9DLM?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="margin-left: 13.5pt; mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 97.12%;"><tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in; width: 454.5pt;" valign="top" width="606"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">s more skeletons fall out of the closet, it is coming to light that Greece's profligacy was abetted and managed for several years by the top Wall Street financial firms via complex instruments. </span></div><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; width: 151px;"><tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 0in;"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 130px;"><tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Economies of developing countries have endured decades of bitter experiences of falling into debt traps that sap productive resources.</span></b></span></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td> </tr></tbody></table></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">In 2001, before spendthrift Greece could enter the eurozone by satisfying the deficit limit rules of the currency union, Goldman Sachs entered the picture with a tricky currency trade deal that would hide billions of dollars of additional public borrowing and not make it look like debt. For this piece of consultancy, which helped Greece join the euro by hook or by crook, Goldman received fees of $300 million. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">In 2005, Goldman sold to the National Bank of Greece an “interest rate swap,” one of the notorious derivatives that have come under scrutiny since the Wall Street implosion of 2008. Greek critics of such dubious debt-hiding transactions had warned their government of the mounting long-term liabilities to the likes of Goldman, but to no avail. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to news reports, Greece mortgaged revenue-generating assets like the national lottery, airports and highways as part of the agreements with Goldman in what amounted to "a garage sale on a national scale." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Goldman Sachs is reported to have attempted a redux of 2001 when its president, Gary Cohn, landed in Athens in November 2009 with a similar debt deferral proposal that would continue to fool investors and the EU. This time around, Greece did not oblige. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">But the damage had already been done over a decade of spiraling foreign debt that was repackaged and postponed with Wall Street's wizardry. We now know that similar borrowing binges were occurring in the rest of the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) economies courtesy of the financial dodging expertise of Goldman, JPMorgan and the entire cadre of hedge funds. </span></div><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; width: 151px;"><tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 0in;"><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 130px;"><tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">It may not be unfair if the EU demands that Goldman accept moral responsibility and contribute to bailing out Greece.</span></b></span></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td> </tr></tbody></table></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Economies of developing countries, especially in Africa and Latin America, have endured decades of bitter experiences of falling into debt traps that sap productive resources, benefit speculative financiers and weaken state capacities to govern. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">In their cases, the Bretton Woods institutions acted as economic restructuring consultants and funding taps that only opened if the recipients met crushing conditionalities. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">John Perkins's book, "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man," reveals how highly paid professionals with knowledge of macroeconomics and world affairs were deployed to convince political and financial leaders of poor countries to accept massive "development loans" from the World Bank and USAID. Once ensnared, the supplicants would be subjected to pressure on different issues from Washington. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the PIGS economies, it was not so much strategically motivated hit men working for the U.S. government but rather some freewheeling U.S. financial corporations that could make a killing out of clients who were addicted to reckless state spending. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">In late February 2010, as the EU began investigating the Wall Street shenanigans in Athens, Goldman defended its Greek misadventures by arguing, predictably enough, that they were legal actions consistent with the regulations of their time. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Of course, much of the fault lay with the Greek politicians who were seduced by the Wall Street financial advisers who, for their part, were simply pursuing the bread-and-butter business of circulating wealth for profit. </span></div><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; width: 151px;"><tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 0in;"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 130px;"><tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Of course, much of the fault lay with the Greek politicians who were seduced by Wall Street financial advisers.</span></b></span></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="padding: 3pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td> </tr></tbody></table></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Had Athens been more disciplined in organizing its finances, there would not have been a window of opportunity for Goldman and company to exploit its vulnerability. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">But southern Europe's debt-proneness has systemic consequences from which Wall Street cannot easily extricate itself. While there is no evidence to suggest that U.S. investment banks deliberately dug the graves of PIGS to weaken the euro, the disastrous social costs of their financial chicanery call for reparations. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">It may not be unfair if the EU demands that Goldman, which now leads the earnings chart on Wall Street, accept moral responsibility and contribute to bailing out Greece. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Who knows — now that even the U.S. Federal Reserve is making noises about investigating Goldman’s practices, the firm may be in a hurry to pay up. </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 style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">Editor's Note: This feature is adapted from a longer version published in The Financial Express on February 25, 2010</span></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><b>Interesting reading:</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Occupy World Street</b> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><b>By Pepe Escobar</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: yellow;"> </span> </b><b> </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/MJ19Dj02.html">http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/MJ19Dj02.html</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ufOTAFidGY8?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div></td> </tr></tbody></table>

BANKING INSTITUTIONS ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN STANDING ARMIES

IRATE GOD, THE MARKET In the old times the economy and markets managed to function without stock exchanges, daily ratings and real time minu...

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9 Interview Questions You Should Be Asking

<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/sy/ar5l01t6fwqtxm6nb9sy.gif?time=9/22/2010%205:18:44%20pm" /></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Selena Dehne, JIST Publishing</span></b> </div><div class="ArticleContent"><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When interviewing, many candidates don't realize that the questions they ask are just as important as how they present themselves and the answers they give. Failing to ask questions shows a lack of genuine interest in the job. Asking foolish questions indicates the candidate didn't do enough research prior to the interview. Making either mistake can cost a candidate the job offer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Heather Krasna, author of "Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service," advises job seekers to prepare a list of questions before the interview, much like they'd create a list of talking points that address the value they offer the employer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Every interview is different. Some interviewers will only give you the chance to ask two or three questions. Others will ask again and again if you have any questions, so prepare more questions than you think you will need in case this happens," she says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Developing a list of questions to ask is problematic for many job seekers. In her book, Krasna offers the following suggestions and explains why such questions can give candidates a much-needed edge:<b></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>1. </b><b>"What are you seeking in the ideal candidate for this position?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This question allows you to counter by adding any particular skills or qualities you have left out in the interview, but which the employer thinks are important.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>2. </b><b>"How would you describe your management style?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When you are being interviewed by a hiring manager to whom you would report, this is a great question for gathering insight into whether you might get along.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>3. </b><b>"Can you give me some examples of the types of projects I may be working on?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If the job description was a bit vague on the types of assignments you would be doing or if you are otherwise unclear on this point, this question is essential to ask.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>4. </b><b>"What do you like best about working for this organization?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This question not only gives great insight into the culture of the organization, it also makes the person answering the question feel good. In addition, if the person answering can't come up with something good to say, this is a red flag about the place you might be working!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>5. </b><b>"How did this position become available?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This question is a bit pushy, but it is quite important if you do not know how the position opened. Is the organization expanding? Or did the last person leave, and can you subtly find out why?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>6. </b><b>"What would you like to see happen six-to-12 months after you hire a new person for this position?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This question is akin to "How will I be evaluated?" or "How do you measure success in this role?" It can also clue you in on whether the expectations for the job are realistic.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>7. </b><b>"What resources are available for this position?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This question addresses the technology, staff or budget resources you will have and gives many insights into whether the organization is being realistic about what you can accomplish given the resources available.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>8. </b><b>"Is there anything you are still wondering about my candidacy that might keep you from offering me the position? Is there anything further I should clarify?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This question shows you are open to feedback or critique and also tells the employer you want every opportunity to reassure him or her that you would be a great employee.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>9. </b><b>"What is the next step in the process? May I have your business card?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The final question can help relieve your anxiety after the interview because you at least have some clue about how long it will be before the employer gets back to you. Ask for business cards from each person interviewing you so you can send thank-you notes.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Krasna adds that there are also questions candidates should steer clear of asking during the interview. According to her, questions not to ask include inquiries about salary, scandals and office politics, and personal questions about the interviewer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">*Excerpted from "Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service" by Heather Krasna.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Selena Dehne is a career writer for JIST Publishing who shares the latest occupational, career and job search information available with job seekers and career changers. She is also the author of JIST's Job Search and Career Blog (</i><i>http://jistjobsearchandcareer.blogspot.com/</i><i>). Follow her on Twitter at </i><i>http://twitter.com/SelenaDehne.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

9 Interview Questions You Should Be Asking

Selena Dehne, JIST Publishing   When interviewing, many candidates don't realize that the questions they ask are just as important as ho...

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first date

Thanks for coming over! Since we're just getting to know each other I'll keep this short. Everyone needs a little spot to share, brag, complain, contemplate and... all other kinds of good verbs. And what better subject(s) to do all that verbing (I tend to makeup words) than interior design, DIY projects and the occasional 'my crazy kids' story. Let's grab a drink and get to know each other.  (and I'll try my best to keep my excessive punctuation and icons in check)

welcome first date

Thanks for coming over! Since we're just getting to know each other I'll keep this short. Everyone needs a little spot to share, bra...

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Death becomes her

Today marks day 30 since my sister's stroke, and also day 30 of no food and very little water.<br /><br />It's a strange thing, watching my sister die. Each day, a little more of her slips away. She's a little less aware, a little thinner, and laughing a little less.<br /><br />Yesterday was a wretched, horrible day. She can no longer get out of bed because it's too painful. Her paralyzed side, with all it's intact and working nerve endings, tortures her with pain if we try to move her even half an inch. Her doctor, who makes house calls, said it's not worth it to move her and have her in so much pain. The morphine sublingual drops don't even help with that intense pain. She doesn't want to move and since the time is short, she remains in one position, on her back, where she is the most comfortable.<br /><br />I spent several hours alone with her yesterday, as she sat in bed, staring out the picture window, looking at the river and the snow. I did everything I could to make her smile. She would only look at me with tears in her eyes. I kept asking her what was wrong, besides the fact she was dying, why was she so unhappy.<br /><br />Once again, as she has several times in the past several days, she spelled "E.....L.....I!" I know what this means and it breaks my heart. I asked her, are you asking about Linda again? (heavy sigh on my part) A big nod yes from my sister. Linda, my sister's oldest daughter (49), who lives only ten miles down the road, has not come to see her mother since October 1.<br /><br />There are a lot of things I could say about Linda, but I hesitate to say anything. I know she's mentally ill, but right now I can't excuse her behavior. Linda told me today that she can't bear to see her mother like this because it hurts <u>her</u> too much. A lot of responses went through my head, mostly that I wanted to tell her she's a spoiled, self-centered little bitch, but instead, I told her I understood and that it was okay.<br /><br />After spending several hours with Linda today (she's finally talking to me again), she has agreed if we move my sister to a hospice for her last few days, she will visit her there. She just can't come to the house where she only had happy memories. It would ruin it for <u>her</u>.<br /><br />Again, the thoughts in my head were quite different from what I said to her. I hate the idea of another ambulance ride for my sister. It will be her fourth in four weeks, but this one will be one-way to the hospice. I think dying at home would be better, but I also know my sister's dying wish is to see this daughter. We have almost everything lined up to move my sister tomorrow to the hospice.<br /><br />My other niece (46) and her husband haven't left my sister's side.  The sad part of this is that this niece, sweet, mild mannered and kind, suffers from severe depression. The kind of clinical depression that  leads  to suicide. There have been many attempts over the years, several were almost successful.<br /><br />My sister was not only her mother, but her best friend, her support and her confidante. This is a very difficult time for this niece, and I'm not sure she's going to pull through what is undoubtedly the most catastrophic event of her life.<br /><br />Funny thing about my sister. She's always been a great beauty, she had movie star good looks in the fifties. People would often comment on her beauty. Even though she's 73, she's still gorgeous. She never thought she was pretty. Each day, as she gets weaker and thinner, she becomes even more beautiful. Her wrinkles are disappearing. Her eyes are bluer than I've ever seen them. When she blesses me with a smile, my heart melts.<br /><br />I already miss her.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Death becomes her

Today marks day 30 since my sister's stroke, and also day 30 of no food and very little water. It's a strange thing, watching my sis...

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Thank You

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OJQ0se-HVxMRQF1s6LRcmEseQXUxUQLi6jz-5rdk3r6yLskof095LV9ROhAS70cczVWLDAerRc91csTYv2LeHjkY4QNuuGC8noynPxsVFWdYeaI99fBqPOP3vUDzmyp1AdQ-64skZsU4/s1600/bette-davis-virgin-queen--large-msg-131541125088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OJQ0se-HVxMRQF1s6LRcmEseQXUxUQLi6jz-5rdk3r6yLskof095LV9ROhAS70cczVWLDAerRc91csTYv2LeHjkY4QNuuGC8noynPxsVFWdYeaI99fBqPOP3vUDzmyp1AdQ-64skZsU4/s400/bette-davis-virgin-queen--large-msg-131541125088.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bette Davis, <i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex  </i>(1939)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I received an email from Rick Armstrong the other day telling me that I'd been awarded the Classic Movie Blog Association's 2011  "Best Review/Drama" CiMBA for my post on <i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</i>, I was thrilled - and also surprised. The post had originally been my entry in CMBA's "Movies of 1939 Blogathon" last spring and I'd always thought of it as something of an outlier, being about a film that isn't generally counted among the truly great films of that much-vaunted movie year.</span><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I took another look at the post and read it with, I'll admit, a certain amount of pride (deserved or misplaced...who knows), and what came through most for me as I re-read my own words was the depth of my admiration for Bette Davis. I remembered that <i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</i>, though a moneymaker for Warners and a nominee for five Academy Awards, was bereft of statuettes and plaques. And I thought with some satisfaction (and cheek), "At last, Bette, this film that you were so eager to make, that you insisted was your 'tankard of tea,' has won an award!" </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks to everyone who voted for my CiMBA entry - as well as those who simply liked it.  I'm honored.</span></div>

2011 CiMBA Awards Bette Davis The Lady Eve (author) The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex Thank You

Bette Davis, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex  (1939) When I received an email from Rick Armstrong the other day telling me that I&#...

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Groupon Weekend Part 2

On Saturday, I had scheduled Joel and I for massages at a spa in Old Town Alexandria.<br /><br />Whoa.<br /><br />I can't even believe that I just called that place "Old Town".  I cringe when I hear others use that term: it's for the uppity gang to call that part of Alexandria "Old Town", not me :).  After moving here and learning what exactly encompassed that part of Alexandria, the artsy swanky part of town, the term immediately annoyed me.  It's <i>still </i>Alexandria after all.  Rant ended.<br /><br />We each had hour long massages.  Mine was pretty painful, as are most massages for me.  I prefer deep tissue massages - where the masseuse pretty much drills her fingertips in to me to work out all the knots in my muscles.  My shoulders are littered with knots.  I also found out that my face and forearms are as well.  Wierd.<br /><br />After our massages, we still had the whole day to figure out some plans.  It was such a nice fall day so I suggested we go to some wineries.  We have a ton of wineries all throughout Virginia.  We had enough time to make it to 3.<br /><br />First up, we visited <a href="http://www.hartwoodwinery.com/temp2011/">Hartwood Winery</a> in Fredericksburg, VA.  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQDqzjx6HPF9KPl_VBULSASfdp9a1nRn2Z9yTDK80-K9v8gFPIKy9uE7Q3G9kPiNGjWQM4zPAugMedYUBwPbJbZ5hCa5RUvuaryAjyJQn6sJ-zwGUaQ7BjL4YFSBwdIYRvshvfo9VGO8/s1600/Hartwood+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQDqzjx6HPF9KPl_VBULSASfdp9a1nRn2Z9yTDK80-K9v8gFPIKy9uE7Q3G9kPiNGjWQM4zPAugMedYUBwPbJbZ5hCa5RUvuaryAjyJQn6sJ-zwGUaQ7BjL4YFSBwdIYRvshvfo9VGO8/s400/Hartwood+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This was our favorite stop of the day. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqWQd4pXEaZKAdlszKjUvKrWmAyCrAhBDu3Z9WDFwesTxWwM5MMgOeuuRmVjfQVpZnGXnv72UF9MFBOll4S_B07G9MegyhEFJfRTKvtZj1qyKrnpC3K1d_6Y1l6WdS78K8IKRe4rM6wc/s1600/Wagon+Wheel+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqWQd4pXEaZKAdlszKjUvKrWmAyCrAhBDu3Z9WDFwesTxWwM5MMgOeuuRmVjfQVpZnGXnv72UF9MFBOll4S_B07G9MegyhEFJfRTKvtZj1qyKrnpC3K1d_6Y1l6WdS78K8IKRe4rM6wc/s400/Wagon+Wheel+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We got to talk with the owner of the winery and he helped us find the perfect wines to fit our tastes. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kZIenS-Zyib5OVDA8MsQ7HEwb57ELBopoJ1Vx5Zc0DgXwNtseAFzLUi12SBbKdLjliRg6IAdjgcyJXBcbKY8Nr0RLC8oU20vbLP13pYsK6hpAWeZVvBmPaTPKVIHQVy5-PbDkOMxQEc/s1600/hartwood+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kZIenS-Zyib5OVDA8MsQ7HEwb57ELBopoJ1Vx5Zc0DgXwNtseAFzLUi12SBbKdLjliRg6IAdjgcyJXBcbKY8Nr0RLC8oU20vbLP13pYsK6hpAWeZVvBmPaTPKVIHQVy5-PbDkOMxQEc/s320/hartwood+2.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><br />Next we headed to <a href="http://www.rogersfordwine.com/">Rogers Ford Farm</a> in Sumerduck, VA.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPKbaz1poJW71pWwTGCJ1JgrzDNDoxPJYCyIIOGrMD0fqJOBCF22gyCnF4Y1QzZ_x45mX9a8N8ULZpxLala1ECYLUr_U_1zIOq2N36yMxsewNssrTzQRq0oUhekg2kb_WfDJ9zQ9V0NA/s1600/Rogers+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPKbaz1poJW71pWwTGCJ1JgrzDNDoxPJYCyIIOGrMD0fqJOBCF22gyCnF4Y1QzZ_x45mX9a8N8ULZpxLala1ECYLUr_U_1zIOq2N36yMxsewNssrTzQRq0oUhekg2kb_WfDJ9zQ9V0NA/s400/Rogers+1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />This place was really off the beaten path - just the way I like 'em.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI10svfsaaDDM8eBNEaZ5pSt_Ofgv_18KUKVs-VDau5BiJ_4VxaBXyqYqNg4tzWj9Wuvjhyphenhyphen3QTYt9zLiFwEev_ZS9fTMNGmZ-GsKa5I3XJWvEz2tqu6hv7I1u4dzR4Tb11rtxJlp1vaYA/s1600/Rogers+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI10svfsaaDDM8eBNEaZ5pSt_Ofgv_18KUKVs-VDau5BiJ_4VxaBXyqYqNg4tzWj9Wuvjhyphenhyphen3QTYt9zLiFwEev_ZS9fTMNGmZ-GsKa5I3XJWvEz2tqu6hv7I1u4dzR4Tb11rtxJlp1vaYA/s400/Rogers+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Of course we had to do a self-timer.  Disregard my lack of dressing up please :).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy2rxEUi58GgQC5zdhamOQGKJzprqAsgoPrkbexdj_DrRXPzE0_Kbi7AHyT-nE9FRlA_Kf5VpnEh6jGEnFKfigOSjb-yO4mmrF0r4gWfXwkq2p_zFBbvxGlPR75xU_Hj0Fq_VVH-mM8E/s1600/Rogers+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy2rxEUi58GgQC5zdhamOQGKJzprqAsgoPrkbexdj_DrRXPzE0_Kbi7AHyT-nE9FRlA_Kf5VpnEh6jGEnFKfigOSjb-yO4mmrF0r4gWfXwkq2p_zFBbvxGlPR75xU_Hj0Fq_VVH-mM8E/s400/Rogers+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And finally we ended our vino tour at the <a href="http://www.potomacpointwinery.com/">Potomac Point vineyard</a> in Stafford, VA.  This was the swankiest winery of all 3.  There was even a wedding going on when we arrived.  The tasting room was very fancy and also very busy.  We bought 2 bottles at this place and that ended our day. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Arxp-4LEgx7I2DsXO18Nmf8MOQML7Fx2SUHd2zi7am_zaPJrZkPCDad9Savn_RNIfNrRfig75P3GD2oRLpXQWjM5962vwaxXsXUSo_T6RYP0CDnYYbjwZrqoM6TV0y-cljuAELF2olI/s1600/Groupon+Weekend+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Arxp-4LEgx7I2DsXO18Nmf8MOQML7Fx2SUHd2zi7am_zaPJrZkPCDad9Savn_RNIfNrRfig75P3GD2oRLpXQWjM5962vwaxXsXUSo_T6RYP0CDnYYbjwZrqoM6TV0y-cljuAELF2olI/s400/Groupon+Weekend+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />So how does the Groupon weekend relate to weight loss?  For me, when I stay busy, I don't eat.  And while we were busy on a 3 hour sailing adventure and a wine tour, I wasn't eating.  Now, sure, I was consuming calories from wine tasting, but I accounted for that and moved on.  Part of the weight loss journey for me is the mental aspect as well (not just the physical).  If I keep myself busy and get out and enjoy other things about life (instead of sitting at home....eating), it helps me realize that my life doesn't have to revolve around food - it can and should be centered around doing fun things instead of worrying about my next meal. <br /><br />On Sunday, Joel and I finished off our busy weekend with some football and a wine and cheese affair:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhf_QcWZKvZjNxOoD7c0KrR-JTUu7YpxpoCksfl5EMPV8zbU8DRVnOZws_tPi0ouZ3Bs7Rc8Vsd-H9hoEcoXcdB4A8e5RFdcCF6SBttDht9Po0uBHhM5v7bEzlBfaYfD_bcVTAt60YmUk/s1600/wine+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhf_QcWZKvZjNxOoD7c0KrR-JTUu7YpxpoCksfl5EMPV8zbU8DRVnOZws_tPi0ouZ3Bs7Rc8Vsd-H9hoEcoXcdB4A8e5RFdcCF6SBttDht9Po0uBHhM5v7bEzlBfaYfD_bcVTAt60YmUk/s400/wine+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />I hope you're having a wonderful week everybody :).<br /> <br /> Cheers!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkVWBlVMiR-cl2A7pofoiH5OEzCWM6Ya-Jh51oQ4lgB8AI4GyHwpjwgvGrhSshyPTLY9YBsKyv8Mq24oKiW1-hZt2hUHiTtPutb6LDhrFD0qrklnLcC68Dn-CgReVkZ-pHkzazbmXS0U/s1600/wine+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkVWBlVMiR-cl2A7pofoiH5OEzCWM6Ya-Jh51oQ4lgB8AI4GyHwpjwgvGrhSshyPTLY9YBsKyv8Mq24oKiW1-hZt2hUHiTtPutb6LDhrFD0qrklnLcC68Dn-CgReVkZ-pHkzazbmXS0U/s400/wine+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />

Miscellaneous Groupon Weekend Part 2

On Saturday, I had scheduled Joel and I for massages at a spa in Old Town Alexandria. Whoa. I can't even believe that I just called that...

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"You Said That in an Interview?"

<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/zm/ar5f5hn63h98k6zb85zm.gif?time=9/22/2010%205:16:22%20pm" /></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><div style="color: #333333; font: italic normal normal 16px/normal arial, helvetica;"><span id="cbArticle_lblHeadline2">Things Job Seekers Say that Have Interviewers Scratching Their Heads</span></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;">Just because you got an interview doesn't mean you'll know all the right things to say once you're in the interview chair. As a matter of fact, most people definitely have few stumbles before winning that job. When it comes to interviews, practice and experience make perfect, career experts say.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Here, interviewers and human resources experts share the things job seekers say that leave them scratching their heads:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"There are plenty of common interview questions, and when an interviewer asks one of the basics it is expected that the applicant will have a well-rehearsed response. For example, 'Why would you like to work here?' is a standard interview question, so one would expect interviewees would have a well-prepared response. I have heard people respond with all kinds of inappropriate reasons: 'because I live down the street,' 'because I am out of work,' 'because you offer benefits' ... None of these are responses that will impress an interviewer!" <i>-- Chris Posti, president of outplacement firm Posti & Associates, Inc.</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"The thing that always makes me scratch my head during an interview is when I ask 'What questions do you have for me' and they've got nothing or ask something lame like, 'What's it like to work here?' In the age of Google, doing enough research on the company to have some interesting questions ready for the interviewer is basically the price of admission." -- <i>Scott Eblin, </i><i>executive coach and author of "The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success"</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"I like to ask interviewees to describe their work style. This question is intended to get at self-awareness and how the candidate may or may not fit into the company or work group. One interviewee's response stands out. He said, 'Well, Matt, I am actually an extroverted introvert.' Upon further probing, he said, 'I force myself to be a people person.' Between the contradictory remarks and clichés, I certainly was scratching my head after that question." <i>-- Matthew Levy, president of Corner Office Career Coaching</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"I was interviewing a woman for a position in our department. Right away she noticed I was wearing an engagement ring and proceeded to ask me questions about my upcoming wedding. She mentioned she was also recently married and spent five minutes offering me advice about the process (which I never asked for!). Needless to say, she steered the conversation away from the real reason she was there, which was unprofessional and did nothing to show off her work experience. Talking to me about my personal life was a clear signal that she'd be off task in the future." <i>-- Karina P., account executive at financial services firm</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"I was a marketing director at a multinational IT company, and it seemed that everyone wanted to be in marketing because it was the place to be: filled with energetic people, having a lot of fun. When we advertised for positions, many internal staff applied. I never knew if they really loved the marketing profession, or if they just wanted to escape their boring job. So one day an engineer insisted that he wanted to switch careers. Why would an engineer take a shine to marketing? It was a huge career change. He would have been great on the team, but I wanted to test his conviction. So I asked, 'Doesn't it bother you to take a $20,000 pay cut?' With that, he stood up, swore at me, and stormed out of the room. In fact, he would have earned $40,000 more in my department, but I wanted to check if he really meant all that fluff about 'loving marketing.' I was concerned that he just wanted an easy ride into a fun department, all for the wrong reasons. I set a trap, and he exposed his true colors. He stormed out of a $40,000 pay rise. The lesson is, beware the trick question. You never know how you are being set up." <i>-- Jonar Nader, author and blogger at LoseFriends.com/blog</i></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.com. Follow @CBForJobSeekers on Twitter.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

"You Said That in an Interview?"

Things Job Seekers Say that Have Interviewers Scratching Their Heads Alina Dizik, Special to CareerBuilder   Just because you got an intervi...

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Microsoft Free tools #2– Photosynth

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>What is Photosynth?</strong></span><br /><br />Photosynth is a powerful set of tools for capturing and viewing the world in 3D. You can take photos in a 360 degree turn and experience a panoramic view. This is wonderful for school outings or just to capture the fullness of a scene. <br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>How to get started</strong></span> <br /><br />• Go to <a href="http://photosynth.net/">http://photosynth.net/</a> and join.<br />• It will ask you to download the application on to your computer. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO94m5IM9mCeUlV4MnIDCnslPBcYD5QjMaU_L6pG0bF5gpg93YWx5W5Ozuo88DLbWJctbP_QJZfSkeq5L-ctKTUs0Gp7mH-XdvEWChX4umINxmEV64ojdMmQS198XGfeLlyi0tx9xJm9A/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9n4tM0OBMmLBuqHTfrFQ1DuUY5Ybb8sp8WZzEITHdkR53iUxg_D7soM3WHR_QBvpgyqGrMlGtBz0gnrM03s4g9_TWB9EiiRg2TvLUXvZm7ZfxFW3MO7cLo0zuJxw207fYCzn3M4XssP4/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> </div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Ideas for the classroom </strong></span><br /><br />Give a tour of your classroom. I tried this. <br /><a href="http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=fd71f194-6973-42ca-85f2-f6633b18ab26">http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=fd71f194-6973-42ca-85f2-f6633b18ab26</a> <br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=fd71f194-6973-42ca-85f2-f6633b18ab26&delayLoad=true&slideShowPlaying=false" width="500"></iframe><br /><br /><br />You could create a vocabulary game <br /><a href="http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=5767adbc-f7b8-4d9d-ab38-7aec9558820e">http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=5767adbc-f7b8-4d9d-ab38-7aec9558820e</a> <br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=5767adbc-f7b8-4d9d-ab38-7aec9558820e&delayLoad=true&slideShowPlaying=false" width="500"></iframe><br /><br />This was done by Bart from Belgium (<a href="http://teacherinresidence.wordpress.com/">http://teacherinresidence.wordpress.com/</a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: PMingLiU; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">)</span><br /><br />You could show an art exhibition at your school <br /><a href="http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=40bd31ae-4249-477f-8fa9-bb08fa8d2541">http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=40bd31ae-4249-477f-8fa9-bb08fa8d2541</a> <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-839fbIb2RbnYaV2F269DE4YFZzupIzAJj5qmxi7yhPaM6lgQIGQWKbBiSkyio2xh75VDEDlOJwatIA2HoC6nuB0YkEMrpfNdEr4xMygy2qOi83Zjj2SqHO68sP1xXvob1BGlbB_8po/s1600/1%2529+art+exhibition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-839fbIb2RbnYaV2F269DE4YFZzupIzAJj5qmxi7yhPaM6lgQIGQWKbBiSkyio2xh75VDEDlOJwatIA2HoC6nuB0YkEMrpfNdEr4xMygy2qOi83Zjj2SqHO68sP1xXvob1BGlbB_8po/s320/1%2529+art+exhibition.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Show the vicinity around your school <br /><a href="http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=74c4e358-87ba-4e1a-8273-ffaf440a7749">http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=74c4e358-87ba-4e1a-8273-ffaf440a7749</a> <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMte_mR_zeOO0u5-ecGApGpwzRn_5DDIXTqxINpf08M1bmv3phT1wTUO-FP-_b2Oy2BnUN5xbydYz3xOjeS4Ok7C_Ic2jbChzZAqCMbpeqTNgfFuUOL9zV-37I2Jvjki0-7Aka6U9RiY/s1600/1%2529+art+exhinition2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMte_mR_zeOO0u5-ecGApGpwzRn_5DDIXTqxINpf08M1bmv3phT1wTUO-FP-_b2Oy2BnUN5xbydYz3xOjeS4Ok7C_Ic2jbChzZAqCMbpeqTNgfFuUOL9zV-37I2Jvjki0-7Aka6U9RiY/s320/1%2529+art+exhinition2.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />You could show a panoramic view of an outing<br /><span style="color: white; font-family: "Gill Sans"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Gill Sans"; mso-bidi-font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W3"; mso-fareast-font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W3"; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=869b4d72-195a-437c-a1cc-395a544fb4d4">http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=869b4d72-195a-437c-a1cc-395a544fb4d4</a></span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Gill Sans"; font-size: 40pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Gill Sans"; mso-bidi-font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W3"; mso-fareast-font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W3"; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Mnu7w4g2KoolnpQf37wDGdRT4ZtHDXZLAtEPKI10XYYxdLwSezXEYZwTUBNghvHBYyfsO-TT8kwg1gIkh8Q6sqa7Ie99nhZS3oKPxYR_x0cUC4WY35BX2rWX45rZZWDs_n2_AJfTTJA/s1600/1%2529+art+exhibition+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Mnu7w4g2KoolnpQf37wDGdRT4ZtHDXZLAtEPKI10XYYxdLwSezXEYZwTUBNghvHBYyfsO-TT8kwg1gIkh8Q6sqa7Ie99nhZS3oKPxYR_x0cUC4WY35BX2rWX45rZZWDs_n2_AJfTTJA/s320/1%2529+art+exhibition+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Ideas worth trying…</strong></span> <br /><br />•Use it to show around your classroom<br />• Use it for an outing<br />• Show something that is happening at your school.<br />• Use it as a vocabulary lesson<br />• Use it to demonstrate everybody’s work. <br />• Submit your photosynths of views to Bing Maps <br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Microsoft provides plenty of online help for Photosynth</strong></span> <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXXj7VLa69QsEle2dWYQwxG5p2DAeMAc6NXn3zrUQy4YxLyhTM04FMz5o1iEmL1TP0C18qZtGYeQB4XJADfUDAml8sALvXz677BeyaHtF5oB_ow57xCNLI27WNc-cZX7TH4LDY0UZfVg/s1600-h/image%25255B7%25255D.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyJbkqNQYjlAhJemoOjw7N6WJcNDS0fVqAs5GZgD4at-RGUns4T24TaPS81lQHUJSE0xms49olOgHUmY6e8nieBBkZA57UiiRJWQFh0Kkxl6cCgpiOWk09kxGz_5c0dJUJlKaafMZPeI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="224" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>A video from UK Partners in Learning </strong><strong>‘How to use Photosynth’</strong> <br /><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-cAf6m6YZU4" width="420"></iframe></div>

Microsoft tools Photosynth Web tools Microsoft Free tools #2– Photosynth

What is Photosynth? Photosynth is a powerful set of tools for capturing and viewing the world in 3D. You can take photos in a 360 degree tur...

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Microsoft's free tools #1 - AutoCollage

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I love all the Microsoft programmes that are free to teachers who join the Partners in Learning website. One of my favourites is AutoCollage. Have you tried it?  This is one really great way of capturing all the students in your class in various activities during the school year. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoa-giOJBAkYmfbF7tPhwC0V7wGtlnZit-utaCAJexIovQgcCq6fqueXbP1EYA_tW-Oo7YLWjQVOmIU7TYlZfnjSH_TE5WbqC6E5GGIJ1kG39QinJ7QVQalDYmuxtGjzsJ5f_3BI8DaY/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlo_oyVX2Y1tqM0kl56xk1WbwtfMgZ8ab1jKfaaxPQIh0JPZxucSzpPJwwH-Sz2jnmHhzxeh-ZC0et5CUy0QKHpKJ89fmprWhIfRd2yG-TRBOO5DOPCvi0X_N-TjG_g_otDGZcZrnAbbo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How does AutoCollage work?</span></strong><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>1. Put the photos that you want to use in a folder in My Pictures</b><br />When you open AutoCollage you’ll see that it picks up all the folders of photos in My Pictures. Choose the folder you want and immediately all the pictures in the folder will appear in the middle.<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROrZrPONbqdYrMsNhuP3fQE1HGNjoManSSByka4V6QTPSYxmR-l8vQPFsIpW5gYiqiXQ2Shu2WPHA98k9ZqNZE4e0E-1CQcQ64cZGfumJntzmcbegelza-wGg9l-DR9tInsNdVGyddQs/s1600-h/image%25255B10%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka-Bg-_3QDGvyzT0NfuJ1Nks6CubwudcjipTm-SQzRcCLegY0QXPCBZBBCwVmOV0IngvRVkS7rbrTmL5-1kMU5XygYAfy_HwZDrnILgiSsj6ieF4odJFHFIwJrh64Zr6fZ72oOhW7MTI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="240" /></a></div><b>2. Click on Create</b><br />AutoCollage starts to swirl the pictures around. This is where you make some choices in the settings. Do you want some to be bigger than others, for example?<br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-Y3hypCwpzCJhE6jy9NVBx1THJ1yncg7IypYLmdeKhoJt3lTRVhuueH3oybJAh1SFzpBI3tMjYkQxEKuXz6-qP5fTg9L0yTtY39HdcIUVVxz2ErD_UdqZ1bhtyad7LHKHXY9pnCYxJ4/s1600-h/image%25255B29%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBf6iCn1h8MDG_R5PqI1htX5HYjElYsj8AWFlyHU2_A8behoXEhQslPA6oS67oKtP81fobVKZWC7FjEcqKyl5iOYx4O00WKzqt07Qp5GHZgqthOM_mWdztkcqdF1rqzHEkQmDr49h6wco/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="412" /></a></div><b>3. Your picture starts to take shape</b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREl4tmp9bAvBu2JvxlCi9xgnN3XN7EqTTSedSRH6luq4gBPTlph_h8ZfsFOU66XIT457wzQGIOIXgwqjHOspSndOwzHz0A62oxkcEfaRtBeTdPhEVm-EWNyxk9_3mHxAefj0XSnbeT-Q/s1600-h/image%25255B32%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggv5mpkW0sqfPmuFrPeuyf_ag0jwuyM-svksugb8Gah147hdiysa3IVTFeHWP0TyMXet3_eWUubS0Y6QLv5Tp6kmMiRcCHTKRSnudpiUVS2D-K6b5tsiACK3fibFzKUTFLbqI1enJ8Oyw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></div><div align="left"><b><br /></b></div><div align="left"><b>4. What’s the verdict?</b></div><div align="left">If you don’t like the resulting picture just click on Create a again and a different arrangement appears.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDc0IdVr8X9Rfoa_0E334tQgUOPigog4tdWcs_0g7wOAOHSB3AaN-OuzI9WaEIPNYIbHsUt3X1XFBXL0qbW32PjqCKBlFXItrwHhL4N6Fvc-IPlanT4wYOWcC9Q4xBXQhWP6-SpBo4L0/s1600-h/image%25255B35%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSRY-6ZqEe8MYWYAPvu39wUQ_EPUw9mkH7s_QHUcz5oMqCiQ1oY6nGBpePmiJ17ENQKyiqOd5krdtlNu8KWKdE_2MqE5zeNrmsurlyBZgTZARGk1QjE_dIM19XEPHzS1fEVAVVG_fygU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></div><strong><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Classroom ideas for Autocollage</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong><br />1.<b> Create a picture to put on a classroom door that incorporates everyone </b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXpJJAdKD-Ds2KgyY1l0WUnbvqHBbwY1ph8lO9SrcFEmsHUyHHbXdVPQpIqfUugXNMPPwFJutVgI139wWq9-CRkt8QrX4K98M1Wm26iTznD33MoaTSuKpxBx2TXRz7nZZUf1OuGABda0/s1600-h/image%25255B38%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGb4VNwzxVwqBmxluAjwsthEQvGXKIirbuQpEq00T6PJ5JTeC8GYp5PVMwAdDYhKqqVkOaXSIimlIH_326xmTcls7lB7D2OtZKLB8nL0XTDSIPSx27PvFnPXz9Mz90I0HrVdqB_JrXgCA/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left"><b>2. Use it as a way of capturing everyone’s finished work or to remember names!</b></div><div align="left"><b><br /></b></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxl5VDm_lcbNfKevoRGesiwL0LcFxuxBeiyOfDyutOx_KYEI6nbwrnLpci7afWqy0_PamIuB-I_YntviGdiUUmX-m1jX8szi8Hz642Gz4jcmitBWfJsr_xUP9ccK5LAbKpAsABt8V3N8o/s1600-h/image%25255B41%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXfi2yxm4cMkwz54cMFKr-zcKgZ3AEkeVHlffXJ7xCcwLq3XJ1YbY5uE3_MPMIM7PnIr210fe_U1cN55qWt_1B71xSrG2JdElgtF3LYBmlfVLpHeV8cTlo3tNmfYK7lQZokFzPYa5ywE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></div><div align="center"><br /></div><b>3. Use it to collect memories from a project. (This is from Lisa Gair’s Adopt-a-donkey project) </b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IIuu1GZYQQjgOdPihS16Vry-w4nHFrWBmkK0RDIXsC1gUoG1R0_SPWrI6z_b-SzPRZ-038KneipdTqel_mF-R-RRTSFo6MowJ6yvj2ISdkkcTrn1VmbSH7yqX9TC8J6Ps-0whLhMJiY/s1600-h/image%25255B44%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOldUlSXcyR_oQR9d3iRwVBuwMS0yo4f6P2v3Fa7mCXsiHfJpSwHPHHOo0KN5GdZVGXZs0h8F15Rvpi0r25bIQAjEaVKYqL1jxIwnVog5fSJFp1MOp7VXYZh7Mg__YbbDBWQ2OfQOU7k/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left"><b>4. Use it for collecting themes about South Africa and writing poems about the theme as was done by the class of 8 year olds at St John’s College in Johannesburg. </b></div><div align="left"><b><br /></b></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-lxlDdFCnPnrbccTdOOGbOVNEgd8IgdHWncplJJDMDcZWPY7gkqPrkDIZG6Lh5j0UHvV5EhDE0mGcAsv1vJQGZmtO_G8FU-Y7hspHcQzKMzeEmB2z6JgQhZcVTM2ojBO9wxWL6mrib0/s1600-h/image%25255B50%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQpD-Q1z72zFIaJuLT4J6aXTD2Y2OWt1qypCgbH_-a1_H6sASGkY_401I2ZTemRQZ9TTalwoSf9rdok-_B8At4-jn_2Ot7R66zfl7U54HzdyhURv0r9xShWO_RpSNXUlXnes9QjR0xQY/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left"><b>5. Use it in Maths for collecting pictures of Shapes</b></div><div align="left"><b><br /></b></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnguY5MheMZBPFf27rGvNxoRED1j0O3Oez0WDrGfCPNEAydXX1pNlDNXSBHdt8aL9XGbpMiLl0Vn1if0v3SC-xfXnjJtQueg2dFzPmDc2HPJbGoMtbixtxYHaWx-6cVm4ukGVpl3NlAPI/s1600-h/image%25255B55%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxuwXSgdIymu8ETi4C1vMDpwr8wfgtepXplTvkUNw9F9Bq27tvxw-Puf_cwWXTW3IKEZ1sQq8Pk3WI9718b7Hdw6IOzmPtVrqXtt9BOUYSaCYMw0txYMAXjjQpvx0nJgqOAC5pP59qdJQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="240" /></a><br /><b>6. Other ideas that could work</b><br /><b><br /></b><br />• Make a card from the class for some occasion<br />• Creative writing exercises – ‘How does this make you feel?’ ‘Moods and feelings’<br />• Book cover for a planning book<br />• Create a vocabulary exercise using PowerPoint and store it on a blog<br />• Create certificates<br />• A collage of a novel’s characters<br />• Background for a PowerPoint presentation<br />• A record of a lesson with everyone showing their product <br /><br /><b>7. Microsoft has plenty of step by step instruction available on their website </b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuh7cM9Myca073uWVMOWdebOtFLp3WtatyqckOiNQfrUSBAedAk362gWn8c2cVgeuIQzii7UuaRB36xawkxcwLowzrKepMYwH4msm8O8Mg8VHJd7JBsA0GkyblEP_l5mdUFjokyF40F4/s1600-h/image%25255B61%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1D8ZRYEUoNLZRaNCr2OPNg7HyqKGEXXT_8YXL6Kn02dvBUFqZHje0pcqjacZPipybSxkDUJgcBtXDCrJfFqI0FPpP9_54x-BwBM_nClSj8Pua2fWv8VJLiwOpBGnUNXhv_yQd-izvZyE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="213" /></a> <br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">A video from UK Partners in Learning </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">‘How to use Autocollage’</span></strong></div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1GAUW0wRd4A" width="420"></iframe> <br /><br /><a href="http://youtu.be/1GAUW0wRd4A">http://youtu.be/1GAUW0wRd4A</a></div>

AutoCollage Microsoft tools Web tools Microsoft's free tools #1 - AutoCollage

I love all the Microsoft programmes that are free to teachers who join the Partners in Learning website. One of my favourites is AutoCollage...

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Interviewing the interviewer

<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/x2/ar5m2rq6x0gmngb25sx2.gif?time=5/2/2011%203:37:26%20pm" /></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">Robert Half International</span></b> </div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">During the job interview, your primary concern is what the hiring manager will think of your qualifications. But don't forget the interview is also an opportunity for you to evaluate a potential employer. In fact, it's the best chance you have to determine if the company and its prevailing culture are right for you.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Consider the situation if the roles were reversed. What would you want to know if you were interviewing the hiring manager? What would convince you that this is the perfect workplace for you?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Ask yourself the following questions during the interview to turn the tables on the hiring manager and get a true sense of what working for the company would be like:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How does the company's résumé stack up?</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The hiring manager will be paying close attention to your résumé, so it only makes sense that you scrutinize the firm's, too.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The company's annual report can give you a good idea about the <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/finance/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">financial</a> health of the organization, its stability and its future prospects. Press releases and <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/marketing/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">marketing</a> materials can provide insight into how the company differentiates itself from competitors and what is unique about the products or services it offers. These documents are typically available on the firm's website.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Also search the Web to get a more complete sense of the potential employer's reputation. <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/social+media/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Social media</a>, in particular, can be revealing. What are people saying about the firm on Facebook, Twitter and similar services? Are the comments mostly positive or negative?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And don't forget to speak to those in your professional network, especially individuals who have worked for the company or might be able to put you in touch with someone who has.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How prepared is the hiring manager?</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You arrived on time to the interview, brought extra copies of your résumé, and spent hours going over potential questions and answers. Did the hiring manager prepare as thoroughly as you?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If the interviewer keeps you waiting past the scheduled time, hasn't read your résumé or simply seems to be winging it, think about what it would be like to work for that person. Would he or she leave you waiting during meetings or provide only limited information on important projects?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You don't want to read too much into the actions of a hiring manager who may be busy or stressed. But several small slights could reveal a pattern.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How does the work environment align with my needs?</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A hiring manager is trying to determine your personality and how you would fit in with other employees. You should do the same.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When visiting the company, try to get a sense of how people in the office operate. Are people rushing around, looking stressed, or is the atmosphere relaxed? Do people talk with each other in the hallways or keep their heads down? How employees work and interact with each other can be indicative of what the corporate culture is like.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How does the hiring manager answer my questions?</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Before the interview concludes, make sure you have an opportunity to ask your own questions. Ask about any concerns you have. For example, you may want information about the professional development resources provided to employees or more specifics about the open position. You might also ask about the hiring manager's personal experiences with the firm. How long has he or she been employed there? Why does the interviewer like working for the company?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pay attention not only to the interviewer's answers but also to the way he or she responds to your queries. When talking about the company, for instance, do you sense true passion and engagement? Or does the person seem to be rehashing standard marketing points?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Interviewing the interviewer doesn't involve actually switching roles with the hiring manager. But it does require you to think about the qualities you seek in an employer. By asking yourself -- and the potential employer -- the right questions, you can gain get a deeper understanding of the firm and be confident in your decision if you're extended a job offer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 350 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit <a href="http://www.roberthalf.com/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">www.roberthalf.com</a>. For additional career advice, follow us on Twitter at<a href="http://www.twitter.com/roberthalf" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">www.twitter.com/roberthalf</a>.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

Interviewing the interviewer

Robert Half International   During the job interview, your primary concern is what the hiring manager will think of your qualifications. But...

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1st Weigh In with Joel

Joel and I had our first weigh in on Friday.  Here is how it panned out:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Joel (6'): 230.2</b><br /><b> Hilary (5'8"): 252.8</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">We both won this week!  I have hit my lowest weight yet since starting this journey.  Joel also did well - dropping<b> </b>around 2 pounds from his starting weight of 232.6.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had a relatively large loss in one week - close to 5 pounds.  I think that was mainly due to me being sick.  I had been feeling under the weather on Wednesday-Friday of last week, dealing with flu-like symptoms.  I'm not entirely sure what was wrong in the end.  I had a hard time eating and just felt nauseous all day long for several days straight.   That all seems to be in the clear though, because since Saturday I haven't had too tough of a time eating anything :).  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Joel and I had a really busy and fun weekend.  We called it our "Groupon" weekend because we had 2 sets of vouchers that we needed to use up before they expired.  So Friday evening we set out on our first adventure - a 3 hour sailing ride down the Potomac river in Washington, DC.  </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLahc-DscIvvbeO50tC0SqJ3JK2KThQx96BHvoh23k4-QRnmopTxVZe9YgZ2uVeDYZSD4gIIxXpVTZqfeXsvMo8njemHQR7zKYAqbe8hj_klteKawLrubaBawJamRQHfc2kVJn8Wpkxw/s1600/Groupon+Weekend+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLahc-DscIvvbeO50tC0SqJ3JK2KThQx96BHvoh23k4-QRnmopTxVZe9YgZ2uVeDYZSD4gIIxXpVTZqfeXsvMo8njemHQR7zKYAqbe8hj_klteKawLrubaBawJamRQHfc2kVJn8Wpkxw/s400/Groupon+Weekend+002.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">see the tip of the Washington Monument in the <br />background?</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">The captain told us that our trip was only his second one all season where he was actually able to raise the sails.  So what does that tell you?  It was windy!  Not only that, but it was very chilly out on that water, especially after the sun went down.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU4qicvGRzu4HqjKHLwJZCLstZuBYrAycJbB2lCupvnoQvsFhQWZCu67BWLUZF3iIpRFaRiHDOBAM68PhMFa1ESspnvmjNY28TKapIu9-5HYBUrwlB5a4Eh2PaOMyvGFC_9ASeYNkyhk/s1600/Groupon+Weekend+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU4qicvGRzu4HqjKHLwJZCLstZuBYrAycJbB2lCupvnoQvsFhQWZCu67BWLUZF3iIpRFaRiHDOBAM68PhMFa1ESspnvmjNY28TKapIu9-5HYBUrwlB5a4Eh2PaOMyvGFC_9ASeYNkyhk/s400/Groupon+Weekend+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">The ride was a neat experience overall.  It's not everyday that you get to see Virginia and DC from the Potomac River's vantage point.  Because it was so windy, we even experienced keeling - when the boat tips from one side to the other.  That was definitely a little scary for me.  I was not trying to include a chilly swim into my evening!    </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkTF_-0lpZFeZFUXfXNBh_bb9x1T2pdsqeXdN47jLAji116cIdhn60GMtGMN8g5vM9vu3vvrCZoOsSXUygJVVGL93vAOO8gMhRYOgGS4HgvmMr-0WisVdv7QPMJFJuNaYbKRWQpZ19fw/s1600/me+sailing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkTF_-0lpZFeZFUXfXNBh_bb9x1T2pdsqeXdN47jLAji116cIdhn60GMtGMN8g5vM9vu3vvrCZoOsSXUygJVVGL93vAOO8gMhRYOgGS4HgvmMr-0WisVdv7QPMJFJuNaYbKRWQpZ19fw/s400/me+sailing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Joel and I were more than ready for the ride to be over by the time we hit the 2 hour mark.  We were both cold and I had a headache.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87CXNeik1LmVHV6UwDGWmu_KFc-lI6Bl-cQwo7IxEcperCutyj9afhwM2zIxcb4SOCXRoBCbt7mZuEyqmjbO6dG44q_9GclYEtgaSDVwscJVG87ltv6DNfp-ftlOgqgGT4wH3lmLTdqU/s1600/sailing+wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87CXNeik1LmVHV6UwDGWmu_KFc-lI6Bl-cQwo7IxEcperCutyj9afhwM2zIxcb4SOCXRoBCbt7mZuEyqmjbO6dG44q_9GclYEtgaSDVwscJVG87ltv6DNfp-ftlOgqgGT4wH3lmLTdqU/s400/sailing+wilson.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, one additional cool experience was that the captain took us under the bridge you see off in the distance in the above picture.  For those not familiar with the DC Metro area, that is the Wilson Bridge and it is part of Interstate 495, the highway that forms a circle around DC - also known as the Capital Beltway.  <i>Also </i>known as a driving nightmare.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CRejq4BSaBqKmz9pm9rzibQds-yaFA5NfeJqjrSNSbqkgffAHSNsO4LidRUtwe7HuDNu2rW6uO71wpQ8RB0LNJ-R0p4vQJGIF4NVl-Rrj8hN06pTyC0-Z-u6Y-lulBCj1ceY2_lm6Nk/s1600/us+sailing+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CRejq4BSaBqKmz9pm9rzibQds-yaFA5NfeJqjrSNSbqkgffAHSNsO4LidRUtwe7HuDNu2rW6uO71wpQ8RB0LNJ-R0p4vQJGIF4NVl-Rrj8hN06pTyC0-Z-u6Y-lulBCj1ceY2_lm6Nk/s400/us+sailing+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Still, this was a great start to a fun-filled adventurous weekend :).  </div>

HJ Competition Miscellaneous Weight Loss 1st Weigh In with Joel

Joel and I had our first weigh in on Friday.  Here is how it panned out: Joel (6'): 230.2 Hilary (5'8"): 252.8   We both won t...

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It's Still Better

It seems like deja vu all over again, doesn't it?<br /><br />It's been happening for the past three years. We start without a loss, we beat Notre Dame and it's considered a "huge" win, Denard Robinson is viewed as the amazing quarterback athlete...and then we lose to Michigan State.<br /><br />We've been on this road before...or have we?<br /><br />There have been major changes to the team since Rich Rodriguez was fired. We have a defense that isn't constructed around a colander. We have an offensive line that has gotten bigger, albeit it's still difficult at times for them to keep the defense back. And we have a quarterback that is learning how to be a complete quarterback - when he's given the right plays.<br /><br />The biggest objection I have to the game against Michigan State was that Denard Robinson was given too many plays where he had to throw balls over 15 yards. He is still unsure about that, and when he's not consistent, he struggles mentally. When I attended the game against Minnesota, it was clear that Al Borges was trying to give Robinson's receivers short routes to run, so that he could gain some confidence in his throwing arm. Unfortunately, there weren't enough short routes open against the MSU defense. They may have picked up on that thought, or the wrong calls were played.<br /><br />I was happy to see that they kept it close at the end. If Robinson had not thrown that pick-six, the game might have ended with State winning by just a touchdown.<br /><br />If anything, this got the national media to stop putting Michigan on a pedestal that they didn't deserve. Did they deserve to be #11 in the nation? Really? Are there only ten teams better than Michigan? I highly doubt that. It puts Michigan back in its place: as a team that's rebuilding and finding its footholds again.<br /><br />But what does that say about the rest of the season? In 2008, they lost three out of four after MSU. In 2009, they lost six out of seven (the win was against Delaware State). In 2010, they lost four out of six. This year, we have Purdue, Iowa (away), Illinois (away), Nebraska, and Ohio State. Two of those games - Purdue and Iowa, are winnable (especially when you see Iowa lost to Penn State and didn't even score a touchdown). Even Nebraska, who has only played one ranked team all season and looked terrible against them (Wisconsin), is a game that can be won in Ann Arbor. Actually, if you look at Illinois and Ohio State's performances this season, there is a chance to win them all! We can't be discounted for any of these games. Even if I don't think we will, we hopefully won't win just one. <br /><br />This coming month is the true test for the Wolverines. September and early October were practice, as they always are. If Michigan wants to be true to the ranking that had been given them earlier in the season, they need to show their mettle against these Big Ten teams that do have weaknesses.<br /><br />I have all the confidence in this team's future games, and I do believe that this team is far better than the teams of the past three seasons.

It's Still Better

It seems like deja vu all over again, doesn't it? It's been happening for the past three years. We start without a loss, we beat Not...

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Inside Job Rating Agencies

<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">ONE HAND FEEDS THE OTHER</span></b></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;">It is interesting to see how apparently only European countries and corporations are downgraded by US rating agencies. How come so? Is it because these agencies are supposed to be impartial and independent? Is it not the USA which has the highest state dept? If the rating agencies are so independent and impartial as they claim to be, should they not downgrade the USA?</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="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zIGThxn_eGk?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bumfpo4FW0I?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The more laws and restrictions there are, </i><i><br /><i>the poorer the people become. </i><br /><i>The sharper men’s weapons, </i><br /><i>The more trouble in the land. </i><br /><i>The more ingenious and clever men are, </i><br /><i>The more strange things happen. The more rules and regulations, </i><br /><i>The more thieves and robbers. </i></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><i>Lao Tsu.</i></i> “The Tao Te Ching” (# 57) 6th century BCE </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">After several weeks of peaceful assembly of countless people gathered near Wall Street, mainstream media has been forced to report that this is no small event. <b>Finally!</b> See (<a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html</a>) People are waking from their long geo-engineered, drug-induced apathy. If little of substance was reported by managed-and-controlled news (85 percent of which is now in the hands of five corporations), the alternative press and Internet have spread the word.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Ilya Sandra Perlingieri</span></div>

Inside Job Rating Agencies

ONE HAND FEEDS THE OTHER It is interesting to see how apparently only European countries and corporations are downgraded by US rating agenci...

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I'm mis-er-a-ble

I'm back in Fairbanks at my sister's house. I came back on October 7 to help care for my sister, along with my youngest niece (46) and her husband (a living angel). We're my sister's caregivers, along with CNAs that come a few hours a week, and an R.N. that comes once a week. Now we also have an ANP making a weekly house call (Advanced Nurse Practitioner).<br /><br />Today is day 26 of my sister refusing all food and drinking very little water (less than 8 ounces a day). I honestly don't know how she's staying alive. She was 160 pounds when this started and now she's very thin.<br /><br />There was (and still is) some serious family drama going on involving my oldest niece (she's 49). She has the medical power of attorney for my sister as well as executor of her estate. She has pretty much lost her mind.<br /><br />I wish I was kidding, but I'm not. She hasn't even seen my sister since October 1 (other  than one 40-minute ambulance ride). She lives about ten miles from my sister's house, where my sister has been since October 3.<br /><br />My crazy niece called 911 twice on October 7 claiming her mother was having another stroke. She wasn't even here and it was a lie. My poor sister was taken on a 40-minute ambulance ride to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, where they said there was nothing wrong with her and sent her back home in the ambulance.<br /><br />My crazy niece had followed the ambulance to the house and then rode in it back to the hospital with my sister, ranting about how they'd get her on a morphine drip and she'd die in a few days.<br /><br />My niece was locked up in a padded cell, then shipped to Anchorage Psychiatric Institute for 48 hours, where she then walked out and flew home. They couldn't keep her against her will.<br />After she had many screaming tirades with hospital staff, with me and the rest of the family, she has hired an attorney to deal with the family and the hospital. The hospital has banned my niece from the hospital and they are refusing to speak with my niece or her attorney.<br /><br />None of the family is allowed to speak to my oldest niece. As of last Thursday we have to go through her attorney. We never were allowed to speak during the numerous phone calls she made to us. She would yell, screaming lies about how we were force feeding my sister, forcing her to stay alive, as well as forcing water down her throat. She told all of us she was suing us and how much she hated us. Before any of us could ever respond to her accusations she would slam down the phone. She is crazy.<br /><br />She's been spiraling down into very strange behavior since her father passed away two years ago. We all saw a change in her but we didn't realize the seriousness. It's not depression, but she started talking incessantly after my brother-in-law's death, saying odd and inappropriate things to anyone that would listen. She also became highly defensive and went on attack mode if you said anything she disagreed with. <br /><br />Now she's become extremely mean and hateful. I'm still in a bit of shock over some of the things she said to me, very hurtful words. Even though I know she's mentally ill, it's hard to accept it's the illness talking and not my niece. It's not just me she's attacking, but everyone in the family. Her viciousness and anger strikes anyone in her path.<br /><br />So this is just another layer of hell that's going on in addition to my sister's illness.<br /><br />My sister. What can I say other than what she tells me every day. "I'm mis-er-a-ble". She says it very slowly and angrily, over and over, spoken as someone who has had a severe stroke. Slowly and deliberately. One syllable at a time. She still can nod yes or no, but now she seldom even tries to speak. The smiles and laughter are gone.<br /><br />She absolutely will not eat. She refuses all food. She sips very little water a few times a day. <br />She still has some strength on her left side, but it's becoming weaker. The right-side paralysis is still complete. Today is day 26.<br /><br />We've talked about death. She wants to die. It breaks my heart to watch her kill herself by starving herself to death. This is the hardest thing I've ever done.<br /><br />Thursday she came down with strep throat, at least that was our guess. Since her doctor in town refused to prescribe any pain medicine for her unless he saw her in person (that would have required an ambulance ride), we called 911 to take her to ER. She was in agony and the Tylenol and Advil we had been giving her for back pain wasn't working on the strep.<br /><br />I rode with her in the ambulance for the ride to town, about 40 minutes. They admitted her in the ER for a "sore throat". This actually turned out to be a good thing since we were able to get her primary care provider changed to an Advanced Nurse Practitioner who can prescribe pain medicine and will make house calls to my sister's house (23 miles from town). <br /><br />The ANP, Janice, came to the hospital at 1pm (we'd been there since 9am), and saw my sister. She's an angel and deals with hospice care. She prescribed Oxycodone, a strong pain killer which immediately eased my sister's misery. Miraculously we were able to do this without a medical power of attorney (without the crazy niece's approval). Janice will make a house call on Tuesday to check on my sister. We also got an antibiotic for the strep. Since you can't die from strep, this won't make her live longer but only  make her more comfortable.<br /><br />My sister came back home the same day and has been on the Oxycodone for three days. I'm calling this the most "miserable" phase of my sister's slow dying process.<br /><br />Up until the pain medicine, we had a lot of laughter with her. We talked to her a lot, she interacted with us. One day she kept pointing at the TV, or at least I thought it was the TV (her hospital bed is in the middle of the living room, facing her big picture windows and  glass door - looking out on a river). I asked her if she wanted the TV turned on, she shook her head no, but kept pointing. Finally she grabbed my chin and face and turned it to the glass door. There, standing in the middle of the river was a cow moose and calf. We both had a good laugh over that one.<br /><br />Now my sister sleeps most of the time and when she's awake she's groggy, and very unhappy. Last night she got mad at me. I don't know why. She was trying to talk and I could see the anger in her face. I asked if she was mad at me and she shook her head yes. I kept trying to figure out what was wrong, and when she tried to speak again, her anger was very obvious.<br /><br />My sister has never said a mean word to me in my entire life. She's always been loving and kind. Even during the the past three weeks, her responses were always softly spoken, although we couldn't understand her. Lots of smiles and you could see the appreciation in her eyes. What happened last night was awful. I know it's the drug talking, but I hated it. <br /><br />The honeymoon phase of her dying process is over. I've lost her to the pain and the pain medication. I really hate this more than you can imagine. This is the part I dreaded. I knew it was coming but that doesn't make it any easier. I'm not sure if I'm staying to the end. I'm not sure I can handle it.<br /><br />There's a lot of discussion as to where my sister should spend her final days. She could go on for up to four weeks, or possibly only a week or two. No one knows.<br /><br />We're working with the crazy niece's attorney (who I detest), trying to find a solution that everyone will agree to. The crazy niece wants to hire CNA's to attend to her mother's care 24/7 since in her demented mind we're not qualified to provide comfort care. Never mind we've been doing it for almost two weeks and every R.N. and CNA (there have been several) that has made a home visit says we're doing an excellent job.<br />The problem is that you can't find an available R.N. or CNA willing to come out here to my sister's house, a 40-minute drive from town, for 24/7 care. The alternative is an assisted living home in town, and I could write a book on how I feel about that situation. Remember, we're in Fairbanks, Alaska.<br /><br />I'm not sure what will happen in the next few days. Dealing with the attorney is very unpleasant. She's a condescending bitch believing every word of the crazy niece, who has only spouted lies about this family. Our only concern has been the comfort and care of my sister during her last days. My crazy niece's goal, to put us all through her own special version of hell.<br /><br />As  my sister says, I'm mis-er-a-ble.<br /><br />

I'm mis-er-a-ble

I'm back in Fairbanks at my sister's house. I came back on October 7 to help care for my sister, along with my youngest niece (46) a...

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