<h1 id="watch-headline-title" style="text-align: center;"><span class="long-title" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Faking It: How the Media Manipulates the World into War">Faking It: How the Media Manipulates the World into War </span></h1><h1 id="watch-headline-title" style="text-align: center;"><span class="long-title" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Faking It: How the Media Manipulates the World into War"> </span></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y4P2O8UjQeU?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><h1 id="watch-headline-title" style="text-align: center;"><span class="long-title" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Faking It: How the Media Manipulates the World into War"> </span></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: yellow; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: yellow; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: yellow; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />

Faking It: How the Media Manipulates the World into War     

Read more »

The Costumes of VERTIGO

<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>by guest contributor Christian Esquevin</i></div><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><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/AVvXsEhnDG8jqtfHXB5Lm7p0iALTRwxL05OvGK25z-HKQkTi4V9K8QmZwpyLfffJjkhJxcZCruU4u15_IFFChH9-eWeSMx21nfxSS0-RnjzNYhsCrlJy33L3eBNkcf_AM9SWU0eZRo1oHIL4Ac1o/s1600/Christian+Vertigo+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnDG8jqtfHXB5Lm7p0iALTRwxL05OvGK25z-HKQkTi4V9K8QmZwpyLfffJjkhJxcZCruU4u15_IFFChH9-eWeSMx21nfxSS0-RnjzNYhsCrlJy33L3eBNkcf_AM9SWU0eZRo1oHIL4Ac1o/s400/Christian+Vertigo+7.jpg" width="392" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“<i><span style="font-size: small;">I</span> don’t wear suits, and I don’t wear gray. Another thing, I don’t wear black pumps</i>,” said Kim Novak to Edith Head, the costume designer for <i>Vertigo</i>. “I don’t care what she wears as long as it’s a gray suit," Hitchcock retorted when Edith reported this conversation to him. Thus began the creative tension over the costuming of <i>Vertigo. </i>But in a clash of opinion over the visual aspects of a Hitchcock film, Hitch always prevailed. Indeed, he had the colors already in mind along with the costume types he wanted even before pre-production for <i>Vertigo</i> began. Kim Novak wore the gray suit with the black pumps - her iconic look in <i>Vertigo. </i>“I had never had a director who was particular about the costumes, the way they were designed, the specific colors,” said Novak about Hitchcock later.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMTzXKNcrnteOlU7OVUqvzJQAJPifcD2uK5Db8Ehf1tn5lurb7WPNGXxlODaIVx0fc9VkZuSWlO1R2Sb6QWSTnZTX9S1zNjGHVWBoR4Xrt76PuzRGo97h8Sun5QotVRLCGJqT8rgkZ_AZ/s1600/Christian+Vertigo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMTzXKNcrnteOlU7OVUqvzJQAJPifcD2uK5Db8Ehf1tn5lurb7WPNGXxlODaIVx0fc9VkZuSWlO1R2Sb6QWSTnZTX9S1zNjGHVWBoR4Xrt76PuzRGo97h8Sun5QotVRLCGJqT8rgkZ_AZ/s400/Christian+Vertigo+1.jpg" width="326" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The story theme within <i>Vertigo </i>is based on obsession, and the costume looks for the Madeleine/Judy character are a key symbol of that dysfunction. The “clash” that Kim Novak had with Hitch and Edith Head over her costumes was nothing new in Hollywood, but Alfred Hitchcock’s very specific clothing demands in type and color speaks volumes about <i>Vertigo </i>being for him a very personal film. The combination of the costumes and look of Kim’s Madeleine, the psychological tension caused by the character Scottie’s clash of opposite impulses towards Madeleine/Judy, and the ultimate futility of his possession of her, were all deeply embedded in Hitchcock’s psyche. As far as the costumes being good fashion, it didn’t matter that Kim’s pumps were black. They would have looked better in gray or brown, or as she wanted, in tan to match her nude-toned hose. Wearing flesh-toned pumps was an old trick she’d learned from Marlene Dietrich, a device to make your legs look longer. The gray suit was in a neutral and sedate color. Hitch believed it revealed how the Madeleine character felt about herself. Edith Head often designed gray suits for her film costumes, and wore them regularly believing that it gave her a non-competitive look when working with the stars. But Marlene Dietrich had worn a gray suit for Hitch in <i>Stage Fright,</i> as had Doris Day in <i>The Man Who Knew Too Much, </i>and as Tippi Hedren would wear in <i>The Birds. </i>So the gray suit and black pumps touched something within Hitchcock, and along with the blonde hair of his leading actresses, denoted for Hitchcock the “woman of mystery,” the cool and subtle beauty with a blazing inside.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><table 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/AVvXsEgEbssWbfcato9KYXmGseUFUB2SIKdcSS3PImblbL0aEPn3xjPaVx3EBwyUz8F5l2fKlzLbeTdEsFnK_nDLtIpkzaEvzroq0afJVsvkGTuZPwVIo3Gi7uqxygLWTI5zoUqhr5pyA3ABTk62/s1600/Christian+Vertigo+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbssWbfcato9KYXmGseUFUB2SIKdcSS3PImblbL0aEPn3xjPaVx3EBwyUz8F5l2fKlzLbeTdEsFnK_nDLtIpkzaEvzroq0afJVsvkGTuZPwVIo3Gi7uqxygLWTI5zoUqhr5pyA3ABTk62/s320/Christian+Vertigo+3.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;">The color of the costumes and the sets had a symbolic meaning for Hitch as well. The gray represented modesty. When Jimmy Stewart as Scottie first sees Kim playing Madeleine, she wears a black gown but is covered in a green opera coat at Ernie’s Restaurant. The wallpaper of the restaurant forms a red background that vibrates with the green in these color opposites. For some reason green represented death for Hitchcock. Madeleine’s car is also green. It’s in the following scene where Scottie begins tailing Madeleine that she first wears the gray suit.  Scottie’s former love interest Midge is dressed in warm colors and soft fabrics – symbols of her nurturing proclivities towards Scottie. After Scottie saves Madeleine from drowning, she is dressed, albeit in his robe, in a vibrant red. Here the color evokes life and full-bloodedness. Then in a later scene when Scottie and Madeleine drive to the shore, she is dressed in black and white – a black dress with black gloves and a white coat. The black and white in this costume denotes not the un-ambiguous nature of her character, but rather the duality of her persona. As an added fillip, her black chiffon scarf blows freely with the ocean wind, perhaps a symbol of mystery, or one of doom.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkUl33X6yDEzP7BI3Srcu0KAVFI2pUGBvAwXklKmjD09RHKhi1Fhk2zHYRHQk-7kcKqu40MiYTkjr948UdczEKdNlqrQ5Ljuj8s4p2c-N0SSs57raa_ZxOThaHeYTeD4hZ1EgZ7GgSWyd/s1600/Christian+Vertigo+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkUl33X6yDEzP7BI3Srcu0KAVFI2pUGBvAwXklKmjD09RHKhi1Fhk2zHYRHQk-7kcKqu40MiYTkjr948UdczEKdNlqrQ5Ljuj8s4p2c-N0SSs57raa_ZxOThaHeYTeD4hZ1EgZ7GgSWyd/s400/Christian+Vertigo+4.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-size: small;">As the character Judy, Kim Novak is costumed by Edith Head to appear dowdy. She wears green – a green sweater made bulky by being worn over a blouse. The blouse is green with white polka-dots and with a peter-pan collar turned over the sweater. The look is accentuated by an unflattering hair style. The total look is purposefully unappealing. This look has several purposes: to define the character of Judy in contrast to Madeleine’s; to appear that she is “hiding” her identity; and to provide a stark difference with Madeleine in order to dramatize her make-over. When they go on a date and later go shopping for her clothes, she is dressed better but still very simply. The make-over itself is a key dramatic moment in the film, Judy’s reluctance, Scottie’s obsession in turning her visually into Madeleine, complete with gray suit and blonde hair, provide dramatic tension and then release at the conclusion of the scene. This scene is accomplished through various film techniques that dramatize her unveiling as the re-incarnated Madeleine – making her entrance bathed in a pale and ethereal green light and leading to a climactic kiss. Her gray suit, here as before, tightly accentuates her curves. In its contradictory fashion, it is sedate but seductive.</span></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span id="goog_2073969721"></span><span id="goog_2073969722"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa8ic5NnDHlLZlqcX84quGPesAjJcgW1EXueQu781YxVeF-A-Vj9HmQoduHUxKj5OkqKXbVloEK90LO7IoiUplPCiwxBsDsx4jnvZAZn3XORS03ALTxRshnwbHN26yqxB6P1vTwErnVPK/s1600/Christian+Vertigo+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa8ic5NnDHlLZlqcX84quGPesAjJcgW1EXueQu781YxVeF-A-Vj9HmQoduHUxKj5OkqKXbVloEK90LO7IoiUplPCiwxBsDsx4jnvZAZn3XORS03ALTxRshnwbHN26yqxB6P1vTwErnVPK/s320/Christian+Vertigo+5.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The nature of the costumes, and the make-over, reverberated not only with the character’s roles, but with the actor’s and the director’s deep psychology. Hitch exercised his darker side in molding an actress into his own obsession, while directing Jimmy Stewart to do the same. Kim Novak as Judy wondered why Scottie couldn’t love her as she was, just as Kim Novak really felt about Hollywood in general. But the gray suit worn with the black pumps allowed Kim Novak to not only be in character, but by taking her out of her comfort zone in dress enabled her to more effectively be an actress that plays a part of a character that is pretending to be someone else.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAICkjFdaOmA_GzWkfyo1oYCfKdnuXLV5QKIa5oQWoQrdpgrZ0r9K5SIEMtKn_3Ys6qUWhn2snnsJPoxy8JPpfEgCpPZBGveWmSxhImFI4_63hTe4Hj7e1bFwdSPEUfrBwr1sQ9KvaeJHH/s1600/Christian+Vertigo+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAICkjFdaOmA_GzWkfyo1oYCfKdnuXLV5QKIa5oQWoQrdpgrZ0r9K5SIEMtKn_3Ys6qUWhn2snnsJPoxy8JPpfEgCpPZBGveWmSxhImFI4_63hTe4Hj7e1bFwdSPEUfrBwr1sQ9KvaeJHH/s400/Christian+Vertigo+6.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: small;">Hitchcock must have recognized his own dilemma in creating <i>Vertigo. </i>At the climactic end, Scottie demonstrated his tragic disappointment with Judy, “He made you over just like I made you over,” he says accusingly to Judy. Only he (Elster) had made her over first, and thus Scottie was only re-creating another man’s fantasy. And perhaps worse, he accused her of being “an apt pupil,” which she hadn’t been for him. That demonstrated to Scottie, and served the film’s underlying theme, that the pursuit of an empty ideal is futile. For Hitchcock, it was a deeply ingrained motif, one that would keep repeating itself as he tried to mold one Hitchcock blonde after another into his fantasy, only to have her leave him. With the character Scottie, this creation fantasy was played out not as a means of domination, but rather one where once his fantasy woman was created, he could surrender and succumb to her. But we know that that too would have been another fantasy - another twirling and spiraling movement creating a feeling of vertigo.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><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/AVvXsEjridZmwCUn7PwD8Fqi4aqIoVrwDqqi5vHbrFG5BHH2nxpekyeQ2DMla3vhliArJ8oYk4iCt5wrDPywlEWZvJUn1vqSn2VGoBSJwTVOWzFGzVr-vefZyk3SL_vcAkxYRguV-7M8sHPDBxm7/s1600/Christian+Vertigo+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjridZmwCUn7PwD8Fqi4aqIoVrwDqqi5vHbrFG5BHH2nxpekyeQ2DMla3vhliArJ8oYk4iCt5wrDPywlEWZvJUn1vqSn2VGoBSJwTVOWzFGzVr-vefZyk3SL_vcAkxYRguV-7M8sHPDBxm7/s400/Christian+Vertigo+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Vertigo </i>received several Oscar nominations, including Best Art Direction. Edith Head was not nominated for Best Costume Design, which was won by Cecil Beaton’s florid <i>Gigi. </i>And she had just been snubbed for her outstanding costumes for Grace Kelly in Hitchcock’s <i>To Catch a Thief. </i>It seems that a fabulous gray suit as character-delineating costume was too subtle to pick up awards. No matter, she had already won five of her eight Oscars by then. Worse, Hitch wasn’t nominated either for this iconic classic.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><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/AVvXsEjLsyM8dY0N7CjW_gQYIkRpxaoV1M0HWHTF9PVJ02BghgVHXGtgL5_Ao4bfcEImUN7vrFyeRfj08z0dxzRX22ZkIhbY6l0JKzsZdyt6AFp8W4IJnxByIRkrVzU2iWE-e7cO8qTZhl_G13yu/s1600/Christian+Vertigo+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsyM8dY0N7CjW_gQYIkRpxaoV1M0HWHTF9PVJ02BghgVHXGtgL5_Ao4bfcEImUN7vrFyeRfj08z0dxzRX22ZkIhbY6l0JKzsZdyt6AFp8W4IJnxByIRkrVzU2iWE-e7cO8qTZhl_G13yu/s320/Christian+Vertigo+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Christian Esquevin</b> is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adrian-Silver-Screen-Custom-Label/dp/1580931936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325219252&sr=8-1" style="color: #990000;">Adrian: Silver Screen to Custom Label</a>, published by the Monacelli Press in 2008. The book is about the life and career of MGM’s famed Golden Age costume designer Gilbert Adrian and his subsequent fashion business. Christian also produces the <a href="http://www.silverscreenmodiste.com/" style="color: #990000;">Silver Screen Modiste</a> blog covering classic film fashion.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Christian was born in Marseille, France, and moved with his French parents to Los Angeles when he was four. Los Angeles had a small but close-knit French community at the time that provided the social context for his youth in 1950s and 1960s L.A. One of his great-aunts was the vendeuse for lingerie at the art-deco palace Bullock’s Wilshire. Another one of Christian’s great-aunts had been the Head Cutter-Fitter for the old RKO Studio Wardrobe Department in the 1930s, where she worked under Walter Plunkett and supervised the fabrication of the costumes for Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Anne Miller, and the other RKO stars. Her knowledge and skill in making period costumes was an influence on Plunkett’s specialty in that area. While she had retired by the time Christian arrived in L.A., she used to dress him and his mother and other French-heritage participants in traditional French folk costumes for the Disneyland holiday parades and other ceremonial occasions. She bequeathed him her collection of costume sketches and photographs that started his interest in classic film costume design.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Christian has a Master’s degree in Library Science from USC and is the Director of the Coronado, California, Public Library. Christian’s book on Adrian was the result of several years of research and collecting. The lack of an “Adrian archive” and the disposal of much of the early film studios’ material heritage has fueled his efforts to preserve at least one aspect of film history. He is currently working on a combined biography of the costume and fashion designers Walter Plunkett, Irene (Lentz Gibbons) and Helen Rose. He is a collector of original costume design sketches and has organized several exhibits featuring film costume design based on his collection. Christian launched Silver Screen Modiste in 2009 in order to cover the history, heritage, and fashion influence of classic Hollywood costume design. He has written about Edith Head in several posts and considers her work with Alfred Hitchcock to be among her finest.</span></i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyBRU2H20aDYIfprOL3KuRJvO9REKNitdGOYfhRFmDyojkhmNipNPIU8-FkpRWsoZ6cjyfJgeu45LQMGZLslrAovcyQZwFlS_PHEl-Jt2IlLBNei0NChF15lcvVoq8NbfZIr56rVOXbA/s1600/silver+screen+modiste.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyBRU2H20aDYIfprOL3KuRJvO9REKNitdGOYfhRFmDyojkhmNipNPIU8-FkpRWsoZ6cjyfJgeu45LQMGZLslrAovcyQZwFlS_PHEl-Jt2IlLBNei0NChF15lcvVoq8NbfZIr56rVOXbA/s320/silver+screen+modiste.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div></div>

A Month of Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock Christian Esquevin Edith Head James Stewart Kim Novak Vertigo The Costumes of VERTIGO

by guest contributor Christian Esquevin “ I don’t wear suits, and I don’t wear gray. Another thing, I don’t wear black pumps ,” said Kim No...

Read more »

Brace yourself........

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true" DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99" LatentStyleCount="267"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEili9KFQ-Ulk6Qq3NzdZjYy8C0S6CB4-WqF_GbILs07htNCcQzgxxjpO7zvqpgrdjtKOyl8wJsbAGT7hpRiQ7qLwGAxNFJaIc7fUuZd_0_iJoBqsb7hvD_2yMjOiASxWyYgrWBubAzVq_Dc/s1600/phpThumb_generated_thumbnail.jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEili9KFQ-Ulk6Qq3NzdZjYy8C0S6CB4-WqF_GbILs07htNCcQzgxxjpO7zvqpgrdjtKOyl8wJsbAGT7hpRiQ7qLwGAxNFJaIc7fUuZd_0_iJoBqsb7hvD_2yMjOiASxWyYgrWBubAzVq_Dc/s400/phpThumb_generated_thumbnail.jpeg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Once the markets pick up on water commodities we can </span></span></strong><b style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><span class="normal1"><span style="color: white;">brace ourselves, the minute we turn on the water tap we will be billed as if filling our car at the filling-station ..................  </span></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: cyan; font-size: large;"><strong>Investing in Water: The Most Profitable Investment of the 21st Century</strong></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /><span class="normal1"><span style="color: cyan;">by Louis Basenese, Advisory Panelist, The Oxford Club </span> </span><br /><span class="normal1"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><u><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></u></strong><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u><b>Editors Note</b></u>: Oxford Club Advisory Panelist and IPO expert Louis Basenese constantly monitors the world's fastest-growing industries. Below, Louis details the fundamental forces at work driving one of today's hottest growth opportunities…</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /><span class="normal1">Right now, there's one commodity that sells at gas stations for almost twice the price of gasoline - and U.S. consumers never complain about it.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">In fact, this precious resource we often take for granted is in critical shortage in more than 80 countries worldwide. And it will forever be in high demand, as every living being's survival depends on it.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Of course, the commodity I'm talking about is water. And the effects of its shortage are of major concern…</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Nearly 40% of the world's population does not have access to clean water. And this problem is not going away anytime soon.  It's actually getting worse…</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Less than 2% of the world's water store is fresh water - to quench the thirst of 6 billion people. And according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, by 2020, an additional 2 billion people will be competing for this shrinking resource.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">But the problem isn't 14 years from now; the problem is now. Below, we'll review why investing in water</span></span><em><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></em><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> is turning out to be the most profitable investment of the 21st century. But first, let's look at the problem…</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">At this moment, clean, safe water is scarce across the globe. Fortunately, several players in the private sector are working hard to solve this problem. And for investors, this industry provides perhaps the most profitable opportunities of the 21st century.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Two Catalysts: Global Warming And Population Growth</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Water is the single-largest health problem in the entire world.  According to SIWI.org, 90% of the 5,000 daily child deaths are related to some sort of diarrhea-related disease.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">And torrid population growth is not only stressing water use, it's causing massive pollution and depleting the largest aquifers on the planet. Unstable politics of water-poor communities, states and countries is triggering heated tensions - and in some cases, all-out wars.  And global warming is drying up lakes, eroding shorelines and depleting rivers.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Consider the following:</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br /> <ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Within 50 years, more than half of the global population will be living with water shortages.  They will affect 4 billion people by 2050.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The Dead Sea has dropped more than 66 feet in the past 100 years and is now losing about 3 feet each year.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Lake Chad in Africa is now 1/20 the size it was 35 years ago.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Water-borne diseases kill one child every 8 seconds.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">According to the National Academy of Sciences, Mother Earth is now the hottest it's been for at least 400 years. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">More specifically, over the last 100 years the surface temperature of the Earth has risen 1 degree Fahrenheit.  And while that doesn't sound like too much, it's enough to wreak havoc on eco-systems, erode shorelines, dry aquifers and cause massive water shortages all over the world. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">According to the IPCC, if global warming is not stopped, the earth could heat up another 3 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century.  Time magazine points out that, "Mount Kilimanjaro has lost 75% of its ice cap…" Moreover, it could completely lose ALL of its ice by 2020. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The result is less inland snow, a reduced amount of fresh river water, drying aquifers, and intense strain on any ecosystem relying on irrigation. With entire regions becoming unsuitable for crop production, both food and water will need to be transported into the water-deprived nations, dramatically hindering their ability to contribute to world GDP.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="color: yellow;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And the world's fast-growing population isn't helping the situation…</span></strong></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWJXTGi7hRd9VG91NvgF_eTEk-rRp2QJLsw_qHLS_c2xsBDBdIuQokcFfxlGteqN7BOiU5GmJUpGnKMIT2bWPFiGtabrQQ3AFuv0PVIuQcpxZHzrmt4u2djYCnQGS-NMVadrSKzrepW_p/s1600/is_your_water_contaminated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWJXTGi7hRd9VG91NvgF_eTEk-rRp2QJLsw_qHLS_c2xsBDBdIuQokcFfxlGteqN7BOiU5GmJUpGnKMIT2bWPFiGtabrQQ3AFuv0PVIuQcpxZHzrmt4u2djYCnQGS-NMVadrSKzrepW_p/s320/is_your_water_contaminated.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">From the beginning of time through the middle of the 1900s, the global population grew at a steady - but not alarming - rate.  Now, it's multiplying exponentially.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">There are just over 6.1 billion people on the planet right now, but by 2050, census officials predict there could be as many as 9 billion people on Earth.  And more demand for water simply means that the already under-supplied resource will become scarcer in the years to come.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The World Bank points out that global demand for water is doubling every 21 years.  And, at present, 1 billion people on the planet don't have access to safe water.  "In Latin America alone, about 15% of the population - roughly 76 million people - lack safe water, and 116 million don't have access to sanitation services."</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">So how do we solve this water crisis?</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Opportunity in Water Investing Is "Dripping" From This Shortage</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The answer lies in the private sector - companies working night and day to solve the world's water woes.  The global water industry has been heating up for several decades, and the story's certainly not new.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Many savvy investors have already recognized that investing in water stocks <a href="http://www.investmentu.com/IUEL/2007/20070418.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></a>is simply the investment of a lifetime.  Some have already locked in huge profits over the past few years.  Here are just a few examples of water investment successes:</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Investors who put $10,000 dollars in Consolidated Water (Nasdaq: CWCO) in 2000 banked a cool $71,061.43 by February of 2006.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Water has to be moved, as well… and the lucky few who invested $10,000 in the IPO of American Commercial Lines (Nasdaq: ACLI) in the early part of 2005 would have made more than 310% by May of 2006.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></li></ul><span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">And these profits are just the beginning of what could be the greatest investment of the 21st century. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br /> <span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Think of it this way: Bottled water sells for roughly $1.50 a liter at the gas station right now, while gasoline sells for around $3 a gallon.  With 3.78 liters in a gallon, bottled water would be selling for $5.67 a gallon - almost twice the price of gasoline. And water companies don't have to build expensive oil wells and refining plants that are toxic and environmentally unfriendly. The overall cost to bring water to market is, in many cases, lower.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br /> <span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">In the end, investing in water stocks is a smart play all around for those seeking constant, stable returns.  Global Summit Management (SGM) reports that from 2000 to 2005, water utility stocks returned 134.57%, while the S&P 500 clocked in at a mere 2.74%.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br /> <span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">And those who invested in water stocks for a 10-year period were even happier.  The stocks banked 446.01% from 1995 to 2005, versus 9.06% in the S&P.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br /> <strong style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Conclusion on Water</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br /> <span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The world needs safe, clean drinking water and acceptable sanitation levels. Demand is outstripping supply. And several smart companies are solving the problem, which bodes well for investing in water for long-term gains.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br /> <span class="normal1"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Good investing,</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />

Brace yourself........

Once the markets pick up on water commodities we can brace ourselves, the minute we turn on the water tap we will be billed as if filling o...

Read more »

It's a Giveaway!!

I just have to cut to the chase because I'm so excited about this! <br /><br />After writing my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/01/things-im-loving-this-week.html">previous post</a> earlier today, I sent a note to the folks at <a href="http://www.zipfizz.com/">Zipfizz</a> to ask if they wouldn't mind sponsoring a little giveaway for my readers.  Those people really have it together because in almost 10 minutes time I received an email from a real person stating they would forward my request on for consideration.  Not 5 minutes after <i>that </i>I was contacted to say they would be willing to sponsor a giveaway!!  I literally squealed with delight!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9n2kbTtqdis4oXFnpn05UhkQony_Wx_k_GB9mva2sGDZe08uIXxzYLPRZqE_GoVo09VOGj2R92CtoFD0AUqwgV5MbCcU7qE5pHkXEMDT9CyYlMEZ51lQUZzzUZKL2ebJevbPOehGg2Y/s1600/zipfizz+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9n2kbTtqdis4oXFnpn05UhkQony_Wx_k_GB9mva2sGDZe08uIXxzYLPRZqE_GoVo09VOGj2R92CtoFD0AUqwgV5MbCcU7qE5pHkXEMDT9CyYlMEZ51lQUZzzUZKL2ebJevbPOehGg2Y/s400/zipfizz+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(If you haven't had a moment to check out my review on the Zipfizz product, please go <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/01/things-im-loving-this-week.html">here</a>.)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As much as I've loved sponsoring <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/12/giveaway.html">my</a> <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/09/starbucks-giftcard-giveaway.html">own</a> giveways in the past, I am really excited to be teaming up with a company this time.  Especially because I can offer you so much more :).</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/AVvXsEgstBUn3DdC9e1jDz2EIfYH8bCnO2BSS9uDlgz3muuAvWOxI7X9FWzsFVMPe_QiVpoY0ZnUCTAVyvYs9_0lPUIzWDHV3k0mn9xYk_EJPDDgTFxskqf7pDK_Vxk_vJTA5qolyb9mR9q1CT8/s1600/zipfizz+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstBUn3DdC9e1jDz2EIfYH8bCnO2BSS9uDlgz3muuAvWOxI7X9FWzsFVMPe_QiVpoY0ZnUCTAVyvYs9_0lPUIzWDHV3k0mn9xYk_EJPDDgTFxskqf7pDK_Vxk_vJTA5qolyb9mR9q1CT8/s400/zipfizz+3.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The fine folks at Zipfizz have offered to provide one of their sample Zipfizz packs to <b>TWO </b>readers!  Woo hoo!  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The sample pack includes 1 of each flavor of Zipfizz (shown below) as well as a BPA-free water bottle. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></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/AVvXsEiwNYkoGXgaM5om6klXmvvXZV8Cc4d60LiowspieNjIHNJGestJoIzNVLCBxlZdAB8y3BoM8VsTWwYUthZB7BNrGaiXWrclUVNbksVCpDkEFgc2TbmXAruhgM95MFAC6vTXBTEyyfGdnoQ/s1600/zipfiz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNYkoGXgaM5om6klXmvvXZV8Cc4d60LiowspieNjIHNJGestJoIzNVLCBxlZdAB8y3BoM8VsTWwYUthZB7BNrGaiXWrclUVNbksVCpDkEFgc2TbmXAruhgM95MFAC6vTXBTEyyfGdnoQ/s400/zipfiz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Each item below gets you one entry into this giveaway (6 possible ways to enter!).  <b style="color: purple;">Two</b> lucky winners will be randomly selected on <i>Friday, January 13 at 9 AM EST</i>. (US & Canadian residents only please):</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="text-align: left;">1. Follow Zipfizz on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/zipfizzcorp">@zipfizzcorp</a>) and leave a comment letting me know you've done so.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Like Zipfizz on <a href="http://apps.facebook.com/zipfizzgiveaway/">Facebook</a> and leave a comment letting me know you've done so (<i>if you choose to search for them manually, this is their name: <b>Zipfizz Healthy Energy Mix- Official Page</b></i>.  <i>Currently, if you like them on Facebook, you can get a coupon for the drink!</i>)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">3.  Share with me which flavor you think you'd like best, and why you'd like to try this product.  </div></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="text-align: left;"> 4. Like The Big Weight on Facebook (handy link on the right hand side) & comment to let me know you've done so.</div></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Follow The Big Weight on Twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/thebigweight">@thebigweight</a>) & comment to let me know you've done so.</div></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">6. Blog/Facebook post/re-Tweet about this giveaway & comment letting me know you've done so. </blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Good luck!  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>

giveaways It's a Giveaway!!

I just have to cut to the chase because I'm so excited about this! After writing my previous post earlier today, I sent a note to the f...

Read more »

Things I'm Loving This Week

<b>1.  2 New Coffee Mugs</b><br /><br />I received two new coffee mugs for Christmas and both are awesome!  One came from my niece, Grace.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXeoNMbK3CPER9w36nr3nkhEgcoetazhLMhFuxIxGPbQXtUIjKtVd2nTcP2et4b5KHjMbz1WP4jCon2nkpj0ahotGD0l_-hHeyiuqUZHcaPEeL_kgx4GfqrFelPdO8XvFIsmsowYL98M/s1600/grace+mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXeoNMbK3CPER9w36nr3nkhEgcoetazhLMhFuxIxGPbQXtUIjKtVd2nTcP2et4b5KHjMbz1WP4jCon2nkpj0ahotGD0l_-hHeyiuqUZHcaPEeL_kgx4GfqrFelPdO8XvFIsmsowYL98M/s400/grace+mug.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The other came from my young cousin, Brice.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCyCCIoP_k7wpWGIyewnXZbwwLwBcejR7B8X3n2okIFa3aMZ0bzGgPCrqo5mdtAxJdXSOzTHUJ37zaHnUSnUrZppKDMOapN7jgHkThSLjiP-e1xYu_jdbf52a_12_jdr-l6_LDWus0tc/s1600/brice+coffeemug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCyCCIoP_k7wpWGIyewnXZbwwLwBcejR7B8X3n2okIFa3aMZ0bzGgPCrqo5mdtAxJdXSOzTHUJ37zaHnUSnUrZppKDMOapN7jgHkThSLjiP-e1xYu_jdbf52a_12_jdr-l6_LDWus0tc/s320/brice+coffeemug.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br />These have already proved amazing for sipping my morning tea with a 1/4 cup of half and half (2 Points+) or what is left of my pumpkin spice coffee from Trader Joe's... with an 1/8 cup of half and half  (1 Points+)! <br /><br /><b>2.  <a href="http://zipfizz.com/">Zipfizz</a> in Grape and Orange</b><br />While my parents were visiting last week, my mom and I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries and stumbled upon this gem.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9n2kbTtqdis4oXFnpn05UhkQony_Wx_k_GB9mva2sGDZe08uIXxzYLPRZqE_GoVo09VOGj2R92CtoFD0AUqwgV5MbCcU7qE5pHkXEMDT9CyYlMEZ51lQUZzzUZKL2ebJevbPOehGg2Y/s1600/zipfizz+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9n2kbTtqdis4oXFnpn05UhkQony_Wx_k_GB9mva2sGDZe08uIXxzYLPRZqE_GoVo09VOGj2R92CtoFD0AUqwgV5MbCcU7qE5pHkXEMDT9CyYlMEZ51lQUZzzUZKL2ebJevbPOehGg2Y/s400/zipfizz+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />They were actually part of a product promotion, so we got to try them right away.  They're called <a href="http://zipfizz.com/">Zipfizz</a> and they are marketed as an all-natural healthy energy drink.  There are 3 tubes to each box.  There are just 10 calories in each tube and 0 grams of sugar. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1VdWdulxoN-9ky4IRQ4SBs51s0oRwFV5DKdKex605RDFWrdhzRrvSM0593ztH2bVzJxXY6HjD-5auY6eWONY9Bgvw6GaHZo8FPATJ7LU-kmEc9nwWaHrDTbya4tO-C2URTBwi5Vxp74/s1600/zipfizz+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1VdWdulxoN-9ky4IRQ4SBs51s0oRwFV5DKdKex605RDFWrdhzRrvSM0593ztH2bVzJxXY6HjD-5auY6eWONY9Bgvw6GaHZo8FPATJ7LU-kmEc9nwWaHrDTbya4tO-C2URTBwi5Vxp74/s400/zipfizz+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click for larger size</td></tr></tbody></table><br />So far I've only had the orange and grape because this is all that my Wal-Mart carries.  However, they come in other flavors that sound equally delicious: <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNYkoGXgaM5om6klXmvvXZV8Cc4d60LiowspieNjIHNJGestJoIzNVLCBxlZdAB8y3BoM8VsTWwYUthZB7BNrGaiXWrclUVNbksVCpDkEFgc2TbmXAruhgM95MFAC6vTXBTEyyfGdnoQ/s1600/zipfiz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNYkoGXgaM5om6klXmvvXZV8Cc4d60LiowspieNjIHNJGestJoIzNVLCBxlZdAB8y3BoM8VsTWwYUthZB7BNrGaiXWrclUVNbksVCpDkEFgc2TbmXAruhgM95MFAC6vTXBTEyyfGdnoQ/s400/zipfiz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Zipfizz website</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Other than the flavor, which I think tastes great, the thing I love most about them is that they are somewhat similar to drinking a pop (or soda for the rest of yinz ;) ) because they offer this fizzy flavor.  The only pop I care to drink on a regular basis is Cherry Coke or Wild Cherry Pepsi mixed with Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi (1/4 cherry to 3/4 diet).  But there are still more calories in my concoction of pop than there are in the Zipfizz.  It totally satisfies my craving for a pop, and that is a major win for me!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstBUn3DdC9e1jDz2EIfYH8bCnO2BSS9uDlgz3muuAvWOxI7X9FWzsFVMPe_QiVpoY0ZnUCTAVyvYs9_0lPUIzWDHV3k0mn9xYk_EJPDDgTFxskqf7pDK_Vxk_vJTA5qolyb9mR9q1CT8/s1600/zipfizz+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstBUn3DdC9e1jDz2EIfYH8bCnO2BSS9uDlgz3muuAvWOxI7X9FWzsFVMPe_QiVpoY0ZnUCTAVyvYs9_0lPUIzWDHV3k0mn9xYk_EJPDDgTFxskqf7pDK_Vxk_vJTA5qolyb9mR9q1CT8/s400/zipfizz+3.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br />All you do is pour the tube into a 16-20 oz bottle of water and shake it.  A word to the wise on this... you must do it quickly or it will fizz out of the bottle!  OR, better yet, drink a little bit of the water first to give yourself enough room at the top so you can easily pour it in without concern.  The only other thing I want to say about this is when I went back to Wal-Mart to buy more, I had a small challenge finding them.  I first checked where the Crystal Light stuff is shelved but they were not there.  Of course I was immediately concerned that Wal-Mart didn't have them in stock, but then I tried the coffee aisle (since they are marketed as energy) and still no luck.  Finally I found them over near the pharmacy with the Slim Fast/Atkins/Ensure/whatever else energy drinks.  Voila!<br /><br />The deal breaker for you may be the cost... they are $4 and some change per box, which I thought was a little pricey for just 3 tubes.  Zipfizz, if you're reading this, please offer my readers a giveaway :).  They MUST try this!<br /><br /><b>3. <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-Beach-Two-Square-Belgian-Style-Waffle-Maker/16913517">Hamilton Beach Waffle Iron</a></b><br />I ended up with this <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-Beach-Two-Square-Belgian-Style-Waffle-Maker/16913517">waffle iron</a> over Christmas when I learned that my sister was receiving one from her inlaws as well. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZaxMpPUHEJm4Df0DDyd8N1Kd0rVXb5JNn1Q99V67mwHHzDBUTu_9qvr5uu1hF0zYzMa_p0cIqmm3JLduoplezUur96kCnGlseWncng4OIdWf6SOE-px2vwyAMv3teUZ3qfYc8ejL69k/s1600/ww+and+waffle+iron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZaxMpPUHEJm4Df0DDyd8N1Kd0rVXb5JNn1Q99V67mwHHzDBUTu_9qvr5uu1hF0zYzMa_p0cIqmm3JLduoplezUur96kCnGlseWncng4OIdWf6SOE-px2vwyAMv3teUZ3qfYc8ejL69k/s400/ww+and+waffle+iron.jpg" width="387" /></a></div><br />So far I've used it twice (purchased from walmart.com for $14 on sale in December... it's now $19.28 but isn't available online currently) and made Weight Watcher's Buttermilk Whole Wheat Waffles (5 Points+) from their <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Watchers-New-Complete-Cookbook/dp/047061451X/ref=pd_sim_b_8">New Complete Cookbook</a>.  This is the first time I've ever had homemade waffles and they are sooooo much better than the frozen variety from Kellogg's.  The waffle iron is so simple to use... $14 well spent! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNB2KmdCaQbfbW293gfQj8XSA630VDkjscM8xnPVIohdCw5Ljc19zrvwaZv_tqy8xAudKW6AtbcIcazCHBPDRf7FLleZUvR0jKHTcnWxDJUwun1wS5JsxD-hMmaCjXvmF0Di93u9jPzQ/s1600/blog+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNB2KmdCaQbfbW293gfQj8XSA630VDkjscM8xnPVIohdCw5Ljc19zrvwaZv_tqy8xAudKW6AtbcIcazCHBPDRf7FLleZUvR0jKHTcnWxDJUwun1wS5JsxD-hMmaCjXvmF0Di93u9jPzQ/s400/blog+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Do you own a waffle iron?<br />  <br /><b>4. <a href="http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/591">Hungry Girl Krispymallow Treats</a></b> <br />I had an entire box of Rice Krispies left over from <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/12/deen-family-cookbook-meemaws-kitchen.html">Paula Deen's Christmas Cookies</a> and decided to use those up to make this recipe.  I thought these were a phenomenal substitute to the traditional Rice Krispy Treats.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5nfYNriUbN84pKnaxtluiVetxBjTUvZX0HouVIagfbLstBjuNIXUWMD2P_U9il3U_-XssZqvN4qinYNVmkxzJoq94DeV1FF101QXQi3sy8BaTaKdmoOiNDIJIsyiLVCrdxseRyBDl6Q/s1600/krispymallowtreats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5nfYNriUbN84pKnaxtluiVetxBjTUvZX0HouVIagfbLstBjuNIXUWMD2P_U9il3U_-XssZqvN4qinYNVmkxzJoq94DeV1FF101QXQi3sy8BaTaKdmoOiNDIJIsyiLVCrdxseRyBDl6Q/s400/krispymallowtreats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The bonus is that you get some added fiber in there from the Fiber One cereal, but the marshmallow and Rice Krispies overpower the Fiber One... still allowing them to taste great.  The recipe says it serves 25, but I had a hard time cutting up the 9x13 dish into just 25 squares (that would be REALLY small and 1 Points+ each).  I cut mine into 18 squares and came to a Points+ value of 2.. still not bad and a nicer size of a serving!  Have you had this version before?<br /><br /><div style="color: purple;"><b>Any particular things you're loving this week?</b></div>

Things I Love Weight Loss Products Things I'm Loving This Week

1.  2 New Coffee Mugs I received two new coffee mugs for Christmas and both are awesome!  One came from my niece, Grace. The other came from...

Read more »

STARTING OVER WITH FOOD--WITHOUT YOUR PARENTS!

<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How many of you link your over eating and emotional eating to your parents? There must be some memory you have, sitting at the table, being forced to eat. Or you accomplished something they approved of, wanted to give you positive reinforcement, and rewarded with a cupcake or some other food of their choice. Or maybe you grew up in a large family like myself (9 siblings) and remember the scarcity of food and the frantic feeling when the dinner bell rang. As soon as the blessing was said we were hyenas, fending for ourselves.  I was number 9 of ten children so eating dinner was pretty intense. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5bsaBP4j-HV3h_jmE-Vo_eMMUSvPPcp2dT8aEEOGdnwOdmJNVga0h2mZdLnTI6Wtwv6b6V__whzP4wWVqFaIfCdrG2Toua56ZXM-v0BeuaOhRLt0AVfLbZ8ZVbDg5wQBDPtMzLPwBQvM/s1600/dinner+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5bsaBP4j-HV3h_jmE-Vo_eMMUSvPPcp2dT8aEEOGdnwOdmJNVga0h2mZdLnTI6Wtwv6b6V__whzP4wWVqFaIfCdrG2Toua56ZXM-v0BeuaOhRLt0AVfLbZ8ZVbDg5wQBDPtMzLPwBQvM/s320/dinner+table.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today I’m 34, have three children and a mild mannered husband who eats methodically and slowly. There is no threat of hunger, and no panic over how much food we have to share, and no need to continue to eat so quickly.  Then why do I continue to eat as if I’m an 8 year old girl competing for food with an 18 year old brother, and everyone in between? The more I observe other adults and their eating habits, much of their eating habits started when they lived at home with their parents, and they’ve never considered if those same habits would still apply today.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For example, one woman started eating excessively at 25. It all started after her parents forced her to get an abortion, which was extremely traumatic for her. She chose to go along with the abortion, not because she wanted to, but to avoid disappointment, criticism, rejection, and possible abandonment from her parents. Although when looking back, she realizes her parents would never have abandoned her if she had kept the baby. However she believed because of their intense opinion as to what she should do, that in order to please them she’d have to go through with the abortion. So she did. Not because she made the decision out of her choice, but out of a reactive emotion to please them.  All along, feeling traumatized by their control and the incredible fear of their rejection.  Immediately she started drinking alcohol and spent the next 5 years drunk. Once drinking became a problem she stopped, and immediately turned to food to replace what was hiding those traumatic emotions. She thought she was an alcoholic, and by letting go of her need to drink, she thought everything was fixed. But instead of drinking she turned to food-- without understanding the behavior that drove her need to hide her emotions.  She would hide in her basement with large amounts of candy and she’d watch TV and movies for hours on end, to distract her from the trauma. The obvious result: obesity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She sat in front of me 17 years later. She was happy, content with her life, and was in a loving marriage. We discussed her eating history, she became aware that her need to eat emotionally began after she stopped drinking. She’d never made that connection before. Once she realized that  was an obvious behavioral and emotional lateral move, she began to cry. She recognized that the emotional trauma she thought was fixed when she stopped drinking, had continued, but instead of drinking she ate. She was once again being challenged to process the trauma that started when she felt emotionally forced to get an abortion.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I asked her, “Knowing what you know now, and how your life has turned out, would you go back in time and make the same decision? Would you choose to get the abortion, or would you take the risk of your parent’s disapproval, and keep the baby?”  She sat and thought, and to her own amazement, she said, “I am content with my life today. I am deeplly in love with my husband, and if I was given the choice to go back? Robin, I would go through with the abortion again.” She was surprised by that thought, but I could see the calm and peace in her expression. I could feel and see the incredible emotional weight lifted off of her. I asked her, “Going back in your mind and making that decision regardless of your parents fears, does it still feel traumatizing?” She started to cry in relief. The trauma was over, simply by going back in her mind and processing the decision from a new place of self-worth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">From that moment forward, her need to eat emotionally began to diminish. She recognized that her behavior today, was continued based on the trauma she felt at 25, which didn’t make sense any more. If she could go back with the level of self-worth she values today, her choice would be the same, but her response to the situation would have been very different. The outcome: less trauma and need to emotionally compensate. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My point with this example is to show how many of us in adulthood continue to eat based on what was appropriate and defining in the past. But if you stop to evaluate those decisions and why they made sense to you in the past, would those reasons to eat still make sense today? Stop and think about why you eat and ask yourself if your relationship with food is still appropriate. </span></div>

STARTING OVER WITH FOOD--WITHOUT YOUR PARENTS!

How many of you link your over eating and emotional eating to your parents? There must be some memory you have, sitting at the table, being ...

Read more »

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:Water

<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6896989063397229776" name="5453974309888478600"></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The article below reiterates what I have claimed numerous times on this blog.</b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>In the Rush for Land, Is it All about the WATER? </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /> </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Article by Christina Daggett </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Wealthy countries with shrinking stores of natural resources have quietly purchased huge parcels of fertile farmland in Africa, South America, and South Asia to grow food for export to the parent country</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1muIqn3zUnRLtfI-BwFXeqn879U6rT_kBie5jwrULrr6wbMQ4QvGbj1MoxVJa6oLiLiOb3xzY8sJQ6GeGiRyLAe3yy4F7LoQ9HvD0P1ZaFT6IwsXlT5UA7XtvkROMNweniQfGQfBi-JZG/s1600/UNCTAD-landgrab-map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1muIqn3zUnRLtfI-BwFXeqn879U6rT_kBie5jwrULrr6wbMQ4QvGbj1MoxVJa6oLiLiOb3xzY8sJQ6GeGiRyLAe3yy4F7LoQ9HvD0P1ZaFT6IwsXlT5UA7XtvkROMNweniQfGQfBi-JZG/s400/UNCTAD-landgrab-map.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over the past few years, wealthy countries with shrinking stores of natural resources and relatively large populations (such as China, India, South Korea, and the Gulf states) have quietly purchased huge parcels of fertile farmland in Africa, South America, and South Asia to grow food for export to the parent country. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Are growing “land grabs” really about food or more accurately “water grabs”</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">With staple food prices shooting up and food security projected to worsen in the decades ahead, it is little wonder that countries are looking abroad to secure future resources. But the question arises: Are these “land grabs” really about the food — or, more accurately, are they “water grabs”? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b>The Great Water Grab</b><br /><br />With growing urban populations, an expanding middle class, and increasingly scarce arable land resources, some governments and investors are snapping up the world’s farmland. Some observers, however, have pointed out that these dealmakers might be more interested in the water than the land. <br /><br /><b><span style="color: orange;">In an article from The Economist in 2009, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, the chairman of Nestlé, claimed that “the purchases weren’t about land, but water. For with the land comes the right to withdraw the water linked to it, in most countries essentially a freebie that increasingly could be the most valuable part of the deal.” </span><br /></b><br />Consider some of the largest investors in foreign land: China has a history of severe droughts (and recently, increasingly poor water quality); the Gulf nations of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain are among the world’s most water stressed countries; and India’s groundwater stocks are rapidly depleting. <br /><br /><b>A recent report from the World Bank on global land deals highlighted the effect water scarcity is having on food production in China, South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, stating that “in contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa and </b><b style="color: blue;">Latin America have large untapped water resources for agriculture.</b><b style="color: blue;">”</b><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b>Keeping Engaged and Informed</b><br /><br />“The water impacts of any investment in any land deal should be made explicit,” said Phil Woodhouse of the University of Manchester during the recent International Conference on Global Land Grabbing, as reported by the New Agriculturist. “Some kind of mechanism is needed to bring existing water users into an engagement on any deals done on water use.”<br /><br />At the same conference, Shalmali Guttal of Focus on the Global South cautioned, “Those who are taking the land will also take the water resources, the forests, wetlands, all the wild indigenous plants and biodiversity. Many communities want investments but none of them sign up for losing their ecosystems.”<br /><br />With demand for water expected to outstrip supply by 40 percent within the next 20 years, water as the primary motivation behind the rush for foreign farmland is a factor worth further exploration.<br /><br /><b>Global Farming</b><br /><br />According to a report from the Oakland Institute, nearly 60 million hectares (ha) of African farmland – roughly the size of France – were purchased or leased in 2009. With these massive land deals come promises of jobs, technology, infrastructure, and increased tax revenue. <br /><br />In 2008 South Korean industrial giant Daewoo Logistics negotiated one of the biggest African farmland deals with a 99-year lease on 1.3 million ha farmland in Madagascar for palm oil and corn production. The deal amounted to nearly half of Madagascar’s arable land – an especially staggering figure given that nearly a third of Madagascar’s GDP comes from agriculture and more than 70 percent of its population lives below the poverty line. When details of the deal came to light, massive protests ensued and it was eventually scrapped after president Marc Ravalomanana was ousted from power in a 2009 coup.<br /><br />While perhaps an extreme example, the Daewoo/Madagascar deal nonetheless demonstrates the conflict potential of these massive land deals, which are taking place in some of the poorest and hungriest countries in the world. </span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">In 2009, while Saudi Arabia was receiving its first shipment of rice grown on farmland it owned in Ethiopia, the World Food Program provided food aid to five million Ethiopians.</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">Other notable deals include China’s recent acquisition of 320,000 ha in Argentina for soybean and corn cultivation – a project which is expected to bring in $20 million in irrigation infrastructure</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">,</span> the <i>Guardian</i> reports – and a Saudi Arabian company which has plans to invest $2.5 billion and employ 10,000 people in Ethiopia by 2020, according to <i>Gambella Star News</i>.<br /><br />But governments in search of cheap food aren’t the only ones interested in obtaining a piece of the world’s breadbasket: Individual investors are also heavily involved, and the <i>Guardian</i> reports that US universities and European pension funds are buying and leasing land in Africa as well. <br /><br /><b>The Future of Land and Water</b><br /><br />Whatever the benefits or pitfalls, large-scale land deals around the world look set to continue. The world is projected to have 7 billion mouths to feed by the end of this year and possibly 10 billion plus by the end of the century. <br /><br />Currently, agriculture uses 11 percent of the world’s land surface and 70 percent of the world’s freshwater resources, according to UNESCO. If and when the going gets tough, how will the global agricultural system respond? Whose needs come first – the host countries’ or the investing nations’?<br /><br /><i>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.grain.org/landgrab/UNCTAD-landgrab-map.png"><span style="color: blue;">Number of signed or implemented overseas land investment deals</span></a> for agricultural production 2006-May 2009, courtesy of GRAIN and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).<br /><br />Sources: BBC News, Canadian Water Network, Christian Science Monitor, Circle of Blue, The Economist, Gambella Star News, Guardian, Maplecroft, New Agriculturalist, Oakland Institute, State Department, Time, UNFPA, UNESCO, World Bank, World Food Program.</i></span></div>

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:Water

The article below reiterates what I have claimed numerous times on this blog. In the Rush for Land, Is it All about the WATER? Article by C...

Read more »

A fantastic way of integrating technology into your Social Sciences curriculum

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently I have taken interest in integration the curriculum with Social Sciences so I started doing a websearch. Its amazing what treasures you come across when you do that. After looking through and bookmarking an enormous amount of sites including the Edublogs 2011 winner sites, I came across a social studies Ning site that had won one of the Edublogs awards. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://sschat.ning.com/">http://sschat.ning.com/</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLDUkvq3pfueuu4OSEq94zrEvaBDalFJ57xUcDP8my6_c3rhKI-uaxSojf7HU1vfajHvCWvHRI3qvsiWWTjAHXPy6KYZKtXZNbXGjI40DN2LNkhr-0X9fqU9R9mqJVeRzcx9YuoEzVUY/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LELa5xOB7aIn80ux60H_Pp0w77XG16KUTPpzLI2guxgP6v_9RDpP19BbJujTBKLR_2GcgLdTQeXVMmHBkELOJ9vUpRGRrBP4SYVybhCrFeGfoVfAOW9TTi_rnMuVEMaK3s_iv22wK8U/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="466" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">After looking around the Ning I came across a family, the <i>van Soyes</i>,  who will be taking a 400-day around-the-world journey to raise geo-literacy in K-12 students. They will be publishing emails, photos and video from 50 counties and 6 continents.  Wow, they already have an enormous collection of amazing stuff from just preparing for their travels and they have documented it so well. I thought I would record some of it here as it gives great ideas for the classroom.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Embed PDFs into blogs or wikis</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a sample from where they plan to be in February. They have created their documents colourfully in a word processor it seems, and have then converted them to PDFs. They then embedded them into their website. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.trekkingtheplanet.net/docs/W02_Hawaii_Education_Module.pdf">http://www.trekkingtheplanet.net/docs/W02_Hawaii_Education_Module.pdf</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvq6pBtoizAPWeTd933HV-_txpsHIq4t2UlCgyS-Tckl1N1URj8_0Mw3WxQEWMAtkr3TCFr7n9VNGYdKPfYt10DKtdkghyphenhyphenoeMrqu-L5asvczI01SqhyS5VeHo5XjSMiMnCsJKKlESWNc/s1600-h/image21.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbx7wXwF3RnQcXPcQ3NVdtB7Xm8rQoaxrpR7UjOStpNK2oWsaQKXYeQ_oXW8FPI8eno8-5AENJS781x0_BLgzLYjqd5Ck_F_hPWoxmA983MervNpIhkm7RjL2yYe_NEEyl0WOTDEBPDI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="477" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Actually it looks as though they have been very busy with their planning as they have already done all their research and documented it ready for when they actually get there.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTGEMkpZVS2VBV_2Trhi243dLgvWv125C-sciYnk8Y0KcNyl1LLXYpGj1fY-EnfSPzEgP1yz9YuEKfukQpCuTYNQVNOQdZFv7La_nOiqm1zNAhGbta4SN7LHBKcgqwm9f_haK0VReWTU/s1600-h/image28.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="563" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdJFa9ZpeIbGnegajWMhAXW4ayCFJvDYvmU8iwcvwVfEoGxtqnasgiw5VAfaiItGCHMjvQh7OuG8BtMiVv2xtXJ2qjQmVkRXQhG6HQPchn5wRpZAN659csSq5ZqqlVeLsx9tGgkQmRAo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="437" /></a><br /><br /><u><b>Classroom idea</b></u><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">This gives me the idea of getting the learners to study a country using a programme like Microsoft Word to record the details details. They then turn it into a PDF and place it on a blog or wiki. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Make use of podcasts</span></b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <i>van Soyes</i> have a beautiful website for recording their travels with podcasts, webcasts etc. This will be a good website to keep in mind. They would also like to visit schools along the way. I have just checked and they won’t be visiting South Africa unfortunately or we could have arranged for them to visit a school or two!</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.trekkingtheplanet.net/">http://www.trekkingtheplanet.net/</a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDI1AIyeSKnQ-QvhvzpgaohUE3vIN8wo_x9WQfxaQQ6Trzr-UYDw2RxI23j0jumd89PYRrb85jxevCqGohfYdN0jV83uqVvuay8zqzSmNwRBiiENQdubLm35-mPzPuNGPgohlrPSGvapg/s1600-h/image22.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QSAIk11VVurx-5gSCHfgHTt8a6xzWQTLrB0FGOxa3bwYHoD8lyo5Uk1dwBi11PX0PeeBviCL6TyqnSTCWSVUrGU9MS58gx2Ns_W-NU4KRVqEcNYA0pDx_Eg6UVQxqq-x1vjB0dmYKNM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="482" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><br /></u></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><b>Classroom idea</b></u><br />This gives me the idea that using audio podcasts and getting the learners to make short videos about various aspects of a trip can add great interest to classroom work. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Make use of webcasts</span></b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I see on their website that they made a webcast giving background to their intended journey. You can view it here:</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.spreecast.com/events/trekkingplanet">http://www.spreecast.com/events/trekkingplanet</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfYPGwKbVBdInQfmrGHAhrV1nDQmXZ5717onp2kfDTseDKq5OS8-ZkSmLz85OnnRxUj6XbYLA_DSrHXmgo-De_OSvi6fWQw61XfDTf3H0xVvtFer2JPUUVnc2HEq0uFmbTK0LX1Kha_0/s1600-h/image33.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="523" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgcsQvIUZHUZTJLwhSPUroOrAwvHnCAIhEjMFC-XUX99C-Kqf95Z5YmXhj9OKxR0Gd-0MelLSZDt6HZ_PWd2f8wfTwAk5QjzdysZomYbhbnFKHxbnW47PBWjcZrqSLcxrPUZJBBd7efU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="387" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><b>Classroom idea</b><br /></u>This gives me the idea of using a programme such as Spreecast for webcasts, (<a href="http://www.spreecast.com/">http://www.spreecast.com</a>)  I have just taken a look at it, and it is a social video platform that allows  people to broadcast together.  It says:<br />Up to 4 people on camera at once. <br />*Unlimited number of people can view (can also be private). <br />*Recorded live and immediately available for playback. <br />*Viewers: Chat, ask questions, join in on camera! <br />*Creators: You control who goes on camera and when. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, this is a project I for one will take a great interest in next year. Why not join me? </span></div>

Technology integration A fantastic way of integrating technology into your Social Sciences curriculum

Recently I have taken interest in integration the curriculum with Social Sciences so I started doing a websearch. Its amazing what treasures...

Read more »

minty fresh

What do you bring over to your dear friends' house that will go well with champaign (New Years Eve champaign) and also make 5 kids under 10 happy? Chocolate - mint cake. I made this for our New Years Eve celebration after drooling over the recipe <a href="http://issuu.com/feaststl/docs/feastmag/63" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TMJ-s06l-3RayF31_98IfoDOsBwZDzLvSa6jWg5nvwiPYfHQ2QzxVv5maKAuzok5-evJj7jhE3LdiCrviAhV2zhWk02evEIxzByG1rjtAOd1QCSbBQE1Lmtb627ePSXoaMgR0I095hFy/s1600/PC312905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TMJ-s06l-3RayF31_98IfoDOsBwZDzLvSa6jWg5nvwiPYfHQ2QzxVv5maKAuzok5-evJj7jhE3LdiCrviAhV2zhWk02evEIxzByG1rjtAOd1QCSbBQE1Lmtb627ePSXoaMgR0I095hFy/s320/PC312905.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My layman's attempt</td></tr></tbody></table>Chocolate, peppermint and almost 3 full sticks of butter? Yes please! All that's missing is bacon and this would be the worlds best recipe. OK, maybe not bacon in the cake, but you know what I mean. And, even better, I had a bag of peppermints left over from my <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/12/good-enough-to-eat.html" target="_blank">wreaths</a>. It was obviously ment to be.<br /><br />You can get the cake recipe from the link above, so I won't repeat it here. Instead I've give you my insider tips. The perfect 'I wish I'd known this' accompaniment for all your baking needs.<br /><br /><br />1. <b>You need some muscle.</b> The thing that makes peppermints perfect for wreath making is what makes them 'challenging' for cake decorating. Those suckas are hard.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzb3Dubb7PP4mb7Q1bWEf6CLTcFwWxopkkK9xpp48LKt0x1d6H3I-p7dsGdtQob8xFws2cnI7HVBUfdGy-GE6EqY0-K2rbggWRgtmLcp3vCZ0p1-2rRb0Vnhn644Shm_1b88BwkCWL7hX/s1600/PC312860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzb3Dubb7PP4mb7Q1bWEf6CLTcFwWxopkkK9xpp48LKt0x1d6H3I-p7dsGdtQob8xFws2cnI7HVBUfdGy-GE6EqY0-K2rbggWRgtmLcp3vCZ0p1-2rRb0Vnhn644Shm_1b88BwkCWL7hX/s200/PC312860.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had them switch to something stronger than serving spoons.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbMOS5AW0kXcG9MzmiUqkWuS_ON53D2An01e1vW9XL2JgPpeM7vwSGvYYGSDfTKXD02nd-1BCn4XSmpLFkqclD0EjdmS5wN1Q9mO6hSn2ZOauDkTKwcVVnknj-Pyx_BGQZF2myZ0mMg4Y/s1600/PC312879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbMOS5AW0kXcG9MzmiUqkWuS_ON53D2An01e1vW9XL2JgPpeM7vwSGvYYGSDfTKXD02nd-1BCn4XSmpLFkqclD0EjdmS5wN1Q9mO6hSn2ZOauDkTKwcVVnknj-Pyx_BGQZF2myZ0mMg4Y/s200/PC312879.JPG" width="200" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The whole 'haphazard, randomly broken into varying shapes and sizes peppermint' is actually hard to attain. I had two helpers whacking away at those suckers for a good 20 minutes. I would recommend 1 - 3 glasses of wine (depending on the strength of your whackers) to drown out the loud ringing in your ears. (hard candies equal hard whacks)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>2. <b>Invest in a vat.</b> If the cake serves 18-20, then the frosting must serve 40-50. We cooked the frosting in my big pot. The one I use for spaghetti. And that sucker was full. We had enough left over to frost 2 other cakes and a dozen cupcakes. Luke suggested I freeze the rest in a tupperware container and use it the next time I bake a cake. I'm sorry, I don't have a tupperware container big enough to hold a vat of frosting.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4Lt-CM0cHusk2Ycc_Y7GomXZaXPsu0IzC2LQVr08kLnNQHzeHegXd919HO1pnteg-tdsxytT_FoqOv6AWrhGXUHhS50ERX0PCwVr4ghyphenhyphenKq26JCqyLnQAUj3XGIAkm2qwMmgRwH0qfSex/s1600/PC312868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4Lt-CM0cHusk2Ycc_Y7GomXZaXPsu0IzC2LQVr08kLnNQHzeHegXd919HO1pnteg-tdsxytT_FoqOv6AWrhGXUHhS50ERX0PCwVr4ghyphenhyphenKq26JCqyLnQAUj3XGIAkm2qwMmgRwH0qfSex/s320/PC312868.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leftover frosting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. <b>Its flourless cake with the flour</b>. This cake is three layers. Wonderful layers, but very dense. Almost like fudge. Mmm, fudge. I am an anal freak, bordering on Rain Man precision, when it comes to following recipes but for whatever reason I thought the actual cake would be a bit spongy-er. (that can to be a word).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tu1miUZtwXo5tFzNCdJPHDFWtJnpHZDvWPQYNUypBDThYFnSAxLSm8xSIfVlDg9W7f6fCHFFP5cd95F1Qy7SqkyP6Ry6XCmnLERNPbic3qcE4rO4UJl2OTFwSYV-QNvt5VQRv05NpGc5/s1600/PC312894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tu1miUZtwXo5tFzNCdJPHDFWtJnpHZDvWPQYNUypBDThYFnSAxLSm8xSIfVlDg9W7f6fCHFFP5cd95F1Qy7SqkyP6Ry6XCmnLERNPbic3qcE4rO4UJl2OTFwSYV-QNvt5VQRv05NpGc5/s320/PC312894.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> 4. <b>Feeds an army...or 18-20</b>. Wait, what? Had I noticed the small print that says serves 18-20 I might have rethought the whole thing. But as Dr. Phil would say - lets get real - is there ever too much chocolate cake? Turns out the answer to that is yes. A little piece of this goes along way. It is rather tasty, but be sure to enjoy it with your entire neighborhood, church or office...or friends (if you are that popular).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLYAM9nfa2pCSGy73kGpnSJH32HJ7ltmmjuF7yU6Rj1xYWMYOWEF0kKkdzaqDsFmqUdLLVGiGDjqfIeUD3Vb7RlH30ai2NKkMCgFHNq1pJqq15jWjk6cOgyvWwZs2VobikjV5mnXLeLwJ/s1600/PC312896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLYAM9nfa2pCSGy73kGpnSJH32HJ7ltmmjuF7yU6Rj1xYWMYOWEF0kKkdzaqDsFmqUdLLVGiGDjqfIeUD3Vb7RlH30ai2NKkMCgFHNq1pJqq15jWjk6cOgyvWwZs2VobikjV5mnXLeLwJ/s320/PC312896.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />With all of that said, it <i>was</i> a fun family baking activity. And a tasty treat.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktvCPX-9XapmdDWBBbBd6Vtth0JSC0Z2Y0Rr__msAHxGYdCwpWzJ1tzpKZhmM246jkXXjlgV0biz1ZBeGc4Vqw96HsefAFvjlzioINY9n9xWKl8CH9voS5alUAzvAZgtdpW0oBJW9FIJn/s1600/PC312899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktvCPX-9XapmdDWBBbBd6Vtth0JSC0Z2Y0Rr__msAHxGYdCwpWzJ1tzpKZhmM246jkXXjlgV0biz1ZBeGc4Vqw96HsefAFvjlzioINY9n9xWKl8CH9voS5alUAzvAZgtdpW0oBJW9FIJn/s320/PC312899.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />We finally finished the last piece...yesterday.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIuqSv001w1Jsg1jNreMk-5ztb2rTjHQ35oQILeYZUfteBw0y32AcKNQ6NW5D8-ki8EflDIM5uopWma-_jkJZoX_t6-UfemlAegTNnDWL1kNlhT0hpXB196K9BKoAjBAkVho0W7jnHaJZ/s1600/PC312902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIuqSv001w1Jsg1jNreMk-5ztb2rTjHQ35oQILeYZUfteBw0y32AcKNQ6NW5D8-ki8EflDIM5uopWma-_jkJZoX_t6-UfemlAegTNnDWL1kNlhT0hpXB196K9BKoAjBAkVho0W7jnHaJZ/s320/PC312902.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />

minty fresh

What do you bring over to your dear friends' house that will go well with champaign (New Years Eve champaign) and also make 5 kids under...

Read more »