beach and a good book

The countdown in our house has begun and the beach is just a few weeks away. I've decided this year instead of packing up a bunch of magazines for the trip, I'd rather get one great new design book. Apparently Emily Henderson has been listening to my inner most thoughts as <a href="http://www.stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/top-24-interior-design-books.html" target="_blank">she's thinking the same thing</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTJnOfSWc2TH2z4nQ7Vtv1FMMJyVJeom-s1AxlMxio1bs14FnT1DYzMe9dQCgYe6NlPb4FXqm2ymHTv0zrJbvw_e5aFiDNL18ZTw5sUCQXz3Dhis18YtawGnPXct0zYkwG0OynFkjUAt1/s1600/beach_reading_c.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTJnOfSWc2TH2z4nQ7Vtv1FMMJyVJeom-s1AxlMxio1bs14FnT1DYzMe9dQCgYe6NlPb4FXqm2ymHTv0zrJbvw_e5aFiDNL18ZTw5sUCQXz3Dhis18YtawGnPXct0zYkwG0OynFkjUAt1/s400/beach_reading_c.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Any recommendations of good books you've read recently? (And Luke, if you are reading this, this doesn't eliminate the 'core' magazines I need each month in order to live.)

beach and a good book

The countdown in our house has begun and the beach is just a few weeks away. I've decided this year instead of packing up a bunch of mag...

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Steeplechase: A History

<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Main Blurb</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">All right, time for another history lesson. What the heck is the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">steeplechase</b>?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The steeplechase is an obstacle-course event in the Olympic games. How cool is that? How many of you have ever done an obstacle course before? I always love doing obstacle courses. It makes me think of Double Dare, too. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In the Olympics, the steeplechase is 3,000 meters long. It has 28 normal jumps and seven water jumps. Unfortunately, that’s it. No rings of fire or slides full of chocolate pudding. But there’s a reason for that.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The steeplechase originated in the British Isles, when runners would race from one town to the next. When you come into a town, what is the first thing you see? Likely, it’s a church steeple. So they would race from steeple to steeple. Back then, there were no highways or even paved roads for the runners to race on, so the runners would have to jump over obstacles like stone walls and small streams. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The modern steeplechase was formed in the University of Oxford way back in 1860. They’ve been running the race in the Olympics ever since 1900. The official distance of 3,000 meters was instituted back in 1920. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Nothing has been said about official dances after winning the steeplechase, but Ezekiel Kemboi just set the standard in steeplechase celebrations last night.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mini Blurbs</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Michelle Beadle must have been reading my Blurbs, because she made Kobe Bryant’s Olympic appearances the subject of her social media discussion this afternoon on daytime. They even had a map of places he’s been. They include: the basketball arena (duh), the Velodrome, Wimbledon, the Earl’s Court, Olympic Stadium (which is where he was last night – I should have known), Olympic Village, and the Aquatic Centre. Today his basketball game ended late, so I doubt he went anywhere. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">By the way, I can’t believe Michelle Beadle left her cushy ESPN job doing “Sports Nation” to appear for, like two minutes every other day to talk about social media. Someone give her more facetime! She is kooky and sports-knowledgeable, which makes her likeable by both women and men. She deserves better. (NBC could give her Seacrest’s job, who has been appearing less and less as the days have gone by. That can only be a good thing.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In 2008, The US men swept <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">two</i> track events: the 400-meter hurdles and the 400-meter dash. Angelo Taylor, Kerron Clement, and Bershawn Jackson took the hurdles medals, while LaShawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner, and David Neville took the medals in the regular event. This year? One measley medal by Michael Tinsley (silver) in the hurdles. We didn’t even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have</i> an American in the 400 final! What in the world?! How embarrassing. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Has anyone seen the commercial by Bounty with little kids doing Olympic events in their living room? That boy who is doing pommel horse on his living room ottoman is better than all our male Olympic gymnasts in that event. Sign him up for Rio!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The rowing seems to be over, but taking its place is canoeing and kayaking down the Thames, which I think is cooler than rowing. Kayaking is just like recreational kayaking, but canoeing is done on one knee! It’s pretty fabulous.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I watched the Canada-USA soccer match in a unique way. I have DirecTV, but I don't have a package that gets NBC Sports Network. Since my computer was taken with track events, I put it on the Sports Mix channel on my television, which shows a few channels that I don't get, like MLB Network and NBC Sports. I put the audio on the soccer match and watched the first six goals on the tiniest of screens. (Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch any of the extra time due to a meeting.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But I wasn't about to go to that meeting without watching the end of the women's pole vault! Jen Shur took the gold for the Americans, when Russian Yelena Isinbayeva - back-to-back gold medalist from Athens and Beijing - missed at 15 feet, 9 inches, and Yarisley Silva of Cuba had more misses than Shur. Shur missed her three final jumps, which isn't a great way to win a gold. But heck - it's a gold medal!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Watching synchronized swimming for too long can make me dizzy, what with all the leg movements and spinning. But I watched a couple of routines, including the American’s free routine done to a medley of Olympic songs. Of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">course</i> I’m going to like that, especially since they brought back the 2002 Winter Games theme done by John Williams that NBC never uses. Another cool thing about the synchro is the camera – they use two cameras – one at water level, and one under the water, and put the two views together to show a seamless shot of what’s going on above and below water. I know you may hate synchronized swimming, but watch one routine just to see that “twin camera” angle. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This whole gymnastics in the early morning, track in the midafternoon is throwing me off. At least it’s done tomorrow and I can have a normal schedule again.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Two medal-less countries got medals today. Cyprus got a bronze medal in sailing, while Grenada got a GOLD medal in the 400 meters! That's the way to get your first-ever medal for your country. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There were two "elder statesmen" that competed in gymnastics the past couple of days. 39-year-old Jordan Jovtchev of Bulgaria competed in rings today, while 37-year-old Oksana Chisovitina competed in vault yesterday. Neither medaled, but kudos for keeping the youth in their place.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Do you think any athletes are sick of Chariots of Fire yet?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Today’s roundup: high jump, hammer throw, trap shooting, field hockey, synchronized swimming, running of all kinds, vault, uneven bars, basketball, canoeing, kayaking, wrestling, soccer, pole vault, shot put, equestrian jumping, and diving! I believe I only have two events that I have not seen: archery and sailing. I think I’ll have to catch a recap of the archery, since I think it’s already done. But there will be sailing tomorrow! If you can think of another event I’ve missed so far, let me know. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Czech Republic Gold Medal Watch:</b> zero medals today.  Denisa Rolosova and Zuzana Hejnova are in the 400m hurdle final tomorrow - may they win gold! (Well, silver - I want Lashinda Demus to win gold.)</div>

Steeplechase: A History

The Main Blurb All right, time for another history lesson. What the heck is the steeplechase ? The steeplechase is an obstacle-course event ...

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Today's archidose #605

Here are some photos of the Woodchips Retention Barrier in Leça da Palmeira, Portugal, by <a href="http://www.menosemais.com/">menos é mais - arquitectos associados</a> (2011). Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/">José Carlos Melo Dias (z.z)</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/7685556772/" title="Matosinhos, barreira de contenção da estilha. menos é mais by z.z, on Flickr"><img alt="Matosinhos, barreira de contenção da estilha. menos é mais" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7685556772_8793cf5c79_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/7685557618/" title="Matosinhos, barreira de contenção da estilha. menos é mais by z.z, on Flickr"><img alt="Matosinhos, barreira de contenção da estilha. menos é mais" height="425" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/7685557618_c82e40ee67_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/7685555982/" title="Matosinhos, barreira de contenção da estilha. menos é mais by z.z, on Flickr"><img alt="Matosinhos, barreira de contenção da estilha. menos é mais" height="425" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7685555982_f40ca6e583_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #605

Here are some photos of the Woodchips Retention Barrier in Leça da Palmeira, Portugal, by menos é mais - arquitectos associados (2011). Pho...

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Christian Duty In The Face Of Hate Crimes Against Other Faiths

<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">The murder of 6 Sikhs gathered for worship in Wisconsin on Sunday was followed today by an arsonist torching a mosque in Joplin, Missouri. This comes just a few months after a man threw a Molotov cocktail into a Queens, New York mosque while worshipers were at prayer – and burning one Muslim owned business and two Muslim owned homes on the same night.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">It should be sufficient for Christians to remember that we follow the victim of religious violence, not a perpetrator of it. But if that is not enough, the history of religious intolerance in the Western World, the crimes that have been committed in our name, mean that Christians have a special moral duty to stand against violence of any kind but especially violence against faith communities. That is our calling, but when one of our priests announced that she would be attending a 9-11 reconciliation service at an Islamic Center last year, members of the congregation walked out. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">It is not enough for Episcopalians to look at hate crimes committed by “those people” against ‘those other people” and say, “tsk, tsk.” In the face of growing bigotry and violence, sometimes accompanied by ignorance that cannot tell a Sikh from a Muslim, we have a duty to act in the following ways:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">First we must educate our own people. We need to know the truth about the world religions. There are plenty of good texts to use, starting with the Huston Smith classic, World Religions, and more recent books like Bowker’s World Religions: The Great Faiths Explored And Explained or Brodd’s World Religions: A Voyage Of Discovery. Or use a video such as Beyond Our Differences or Pillars of Faith. (You can buy it from Amazon and watch it with a group from a different religion). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">But Christians need to do more than know what other religions teach. We need to know what Christianity teaches about the inconvenient truth that other people worship the same God in other ways. For this, a good starter would be Gordon Kaufman’s God, Mystery, Diversity. We need to know how to honor other faith traditions not in denigration of our own beliefs but because of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Second – this is really two things but the best way is to do them together -- we need to form personal relationships with people of other faiths and join hands with them in working for our communities and our world. Nevadans for the Common Good (Southern Nevada) and ACTIONN (Northern Nevada) are prime examples of how we can befriend each other while uniting for a more just and merciful world.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Third, we must take public stands against religious intolerance. If we do not do so, then non-violent people will turn their backs on us and rightly so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>

Christian Duty In The Face Of Hate Crimes Against Other Faiths

The murder of 6 Sikhs gathered for worship in Wisconsin on Sunday was followed today by an arsonist torching a mosque in Joplin, Missouri. T...

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Library Media Specialist - Nichols Elementary School

<strong>Library Media Specialist - </strong><span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Nichols Elementary School</strong></span>, Stratford. The Stratford School District has a certified position available for the 2012 - 2013 school year. The position requires appropriate State Certification and Endorsement. The position will remain open until filled. Candidates interested in applying should submit cover letter, resume, 3 letters of reference, graduate and undergraduate transcripts and copy of Connecticut DOE certificate(s) to: Personnel Department, Stratford Board of Education, 1000 East Broadway, Stratford, CT 06615. Email: <a href="mailto:mansit@stratfordk12.org">mansit@stratfordk12.org</a>. EEO.

Library Media Specialist - Nichols Elementary School

Library Media Specialist - Nichols Elementary School , Stratford. The Stratford School District has a certified position available for the...

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Monday, Monday

<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.archidose.org/wp/">A Weekly Dose of Architecture</a> Updates:</span><br /><br />This week's dose features <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/08/06/artist-residence-and-studio/">Artist Residence and Studio</a> in New York City by Caliper Studio:<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/08/06/artist-residence-and-studio/"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Aug12-06.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="This week's dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The featured past dose is the <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2009/11/half-dose-70-east-village-penthouse.html">East Village Penthouse and Roof Garden</a> in New York City by Pulltab Design:<br /><a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2009/11/half-dose-70-east-village-penthouse.html"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/HD70a.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="featured past dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />This week's book review is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/08/06/a-smart-guide-to-utopia/"><i>A Smart Guide to Utopia</i></a> by Le Cool (L):<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/08/06/a-smart-guide-to-utopia/"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/lecool-utopia.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="This week's book review" /></a>   <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2009/03/book-review-weird-and-wonderful-guide.html"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/book-lecool.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="This week's book review" /></a><br />(R): The featured past book review is <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2009/03/book-review-weird-and-wonderful-guide.html"><i> A Weird and Wonderful Guide to London</i></a> edited by Mat Osman.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">World-Architects.com U.S. <a href="http://www.american-architects.com/projects/reviews/41">Building of the Week</a>:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/projects/projects_detail/37542">The Middlebrook Studios</a> in Woodside, California by CCS Architects:<br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/projects/projects_detail/37542"><img alt="this week's Building of the Week" src="http://www.world-architects.com/files/projects/37542/images/MiddlebrookStudios_002.jpg" title="Current Building of the Week on american-architects.com" width="640" /></a>

Monday, Monday

A Weekly Dose of Architecture Updates: This week's dose features Artist Residence and Studio in New York City by Caliper Studio: The f...

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Director of Library & Educational Technology - Manchester Community College

<strong>Director of Library & Educational Technology - </strong><span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Manchester Community College</strong></span> (Community College Professional 20). ANTICIPATED STARTING DATE: November 2012. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Master’s degree in Library Science or Library Information Science from an American Library Association accredited institution with three or more years professional experience, including at least one year of supervisory experience required. Additional degree and/or experience in educational technology and demonstrated knowledge of learning management systems such as Blackboard Learn are essential. Demonstrated ability to deliver a full range of library and technology services which include reference research, library systems management, public services, and instructional assistance in effective use of learning and technology resources in a higher education environment; demonstrated ability to train and direct professional and support staff in comprehensive learning and technology resources in a higher education environment; demonstrated ability to supervise, train and direct staff; design of instructional course adaptation; leadership and program development; fiscal and business administration; and effective written and oral communication skills required. An understanding of and commitment to the mission of the community college, a demonstrated ability to respond to and work with multiple constituencies and involvement in support of a culturally and ethnically diverse population are essential. Applicants who do not meet the minimum qualifications as stated must put in writing precisely how their experience has prepared them for the responsibilities of this position. RESPONSIBILITIES: The Director of Library & Educational Technology, reporting to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, provides the vision and strategic plan for the development of the Learning and Technology Center, and manages a full range of learning and technology resources and services. These services include the following functional areas: Development, organization and delivery of learning and technology services, programs and resources for faculty, students, staff, administration and the public; Assessment and evaluation of learning and technology programs, services and resources; Budget, fiscal and facilities management; Evaluation, training and development of learning and technology staff; Participation and leadership in local and regional library and distance learning organizations, as well as college-wide committees and task forces. MINIMUM SALARY: $68,218 approximate annual. APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Please send letter of intent, resume, transcripts, e-mail address and the names of three references to: Deborah A. Wilson, Director of Human Resources, Manchester Community College, Great Path, MS #2, Manchester, CT 06045 -1046. DEADLINE: Letter of application must be postmarked no later than <span style="color: red;">September 7, 2012</span>. MANCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER, M/F. PROTECTED GROUP MEMBERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

Director of Library & Educational Technology - Manchester Community College

Director of Library & Educational Technology - Manchester Community College (Community College Professional 20). ANTICIPATED STARTING D...

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6 eggs and more: Giving all you have to your students

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Up-Slavery-Booker-T-Washington/dp/1602068011%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dhttpwwwbrighc-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1602068011" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Cover of "Up From Slavery"" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="300" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41xj-UQ7jbL._SL300_.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="194" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 194px;">Cover of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Up-Slavery-Booker-T-Washington/dp/1602068011%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dhttpwwwbrighc-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1602068011" target="_blank">Up From Slavery</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="tr_bq">In his must-read book, Up from Slavery, Booker T.Washington <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/TH5_DUO-TTCmUXxep98lDw" target="_blank">shares one</a> of the most moving events of his entire career:</div><br /><blockquote>"I recall one old coloured woman who was about seventy years of age, who came to see me when we were raising money for the farm. She hobbled into the room where I was, leaning on a cane. She was clad in rags; but they were clean. She said: </blockquote><blockquote>'Mr. Washin'ton, God knows I spent de bes' days of my life in slavery.God knows I's ignorant an' poor; but,' she added, 'I knows what you an' Miss Davidson is tryin' to do.I knows you is tryin' to make better men an' better women for de coloured race.I ain't got no money, but I wants you to take dese six eggs, what I's been saving' up, an' <b>I wants you to put dese six eggs into the eddication of deseboys an' gals</b>.' </blockquote><blockquote>Since the work at Tuskegee started, it has been my privilege to receive many gifts for the benefit of the institution, but never any, I think, that touched me so deeply as this one." <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/TH5_DUO-TTCmUXxep98lDw" target="_blank">Kindle Link</a></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eggs_3145g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Eggs" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="201" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Eggs_3145g.jpg/300px-Eggs_3145g.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">Eggs (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eggs_3145g.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table>Six eggs. All she had. And so many of us want to give nothing.<br /><br />You get what you pay for. Now, before all of you start complaining about property taxes, I agree that we all pay a lot in taxes. This isn't about that.<br /><br />In times of prosperity, we put money into things and think that is doing something. Money isn't everything, especially when it has to do with children. Children need our hearts, hands, and time. Nothing less for educating the young.<br /><br />This woman knew that there were good things happening at Tuskegee and gave all she had to help. <b>If you know good things are happening somewhere, are you giving anything at all? </b>You can give your time but you can also volunteer, give something for an event coming up, sponsor an ad in the annual, or help with an after school club.<br /><br />I'm challenged by this woman. In fact, I'm challenged by everything that Booker T Washington has to say in his autobiography and feel that he is often oddly prophetic about many things that have come to pass. I wish every educator and student had to read Up from Slavery as it has so many things to discuss and was written only a few years after the abolition of slavery.<br /><br />School starts today. I'm going to get dressed, run to get some Mello Yello Zero and Diet Coke Zero to restock my fridge and school and open up my room for the first day. I'll pray over each chair and make my list as I help teachers get their computers doing, reset passwords, and get the PowerSchool mobile app ready for the meetings tonight. I'll cry a little bit as I consider that my son will start his senior year this Thursday. My heart and soul will be poured into my students this year and I'll be there for my kids. I'll sell some spare computer parts to try to raise enough money to outfit our auditorium with a projector and screen.   I don't have everything I want or even need, but I have me and my God and that is enough to change the world and the lives of these students.<br /><br />I'll give all I have and that will be enough. I believe that good things are happening in my school and classroom and those good things start with me and a love for my students. This year, I'm going to have a folder for each child and they'll put their passions and interests into that folder on day One. I want to know them and encourage them.<br /><br />If 6 eggs is all I have, then that is enough, but since I have more, I'll give it. The best days of my life are spent being a Mama and a teacher. I'm ready to start and dive in. <b>I don't look back to a summer now gone but forward to a life well spent.</b><br /><br />Wake up to a new day dawning - the dawn of a school year. See this woman of old hobbling to a school to give all she has because she believes education is a good thing and humbly set your face towards a task so noble that a former slave will give her last 6 eggs to support it.<br /><br />Remember your noble calling, teacher.  YOU ROCK!<br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=329ba6be-4125-4747-8774-b9cdecbd2f84" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

6 eggs and more: Giving all you have to your students

Cover of Up From Slavery In his must-read book, Up from Slavery, Booker T.Washington shares one of the most moving events of his entire car...

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 8/6/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"><li> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey9NE3jz0DM0nUC9FShG93JoEXBgDCpc6IqTXGqJ5Gf1qo_u-Ljy3sT08yKt8FX2SLgUwrtCpnLYlWyIlQUEAwJcK6efeCeFloxKT4M1Xti-WypqoUZivYRY-IFMDJGj8ZeXtbK0YEzSL/s1600/iStock_000005105196Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey9NE3jz0DM0nUC9FShG93JoEXBgDCpc6IqTXGqJ5Gf1qo_u-Ljy3sT08yKt8FX2SLgUwrtCpnLYlWyIlQUEAwJcK6efeCeFloxKT4M1Xti-WypqoUZivYRY-IFMDJGj8ZeXtbK0YEzSL/s320/iStock_000005105196Small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="diigo-link" style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.sharemylesson.com/ResourceCalendar.aspx?nbday=26&nbmth=8&nbyr=2012&evcode=120">19 Lesson plans, ideas and downloads for Women's Equality Day August 29, 2012</a></div><div class="diigo-description">Never assume. Many in the US forget that women's equality is a fairly recent occurence and that many women overseas are still treated as property. My heart was broken as a new friend described observing a young girl being stoned by her family because her bathing suit top accidenally fell off. (This was in the Middle East.) Many don't realize or consider such things as happening in the world. I love and appreciate the men in my life but also that my father always told me that I could do anything in this world and to never say "I can't do this because I'm a girl." Please talk about this topic in August, it is important.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/august">august</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://www.sharemylesson.com/TaxonomySearchResults.aspx?area=resources&keywords=mars">Lessons about Mars</a></div><div class="diigo-description">With the Mars landing, I've been perusing lessons about Mars - these are aligned with common core standards and at all grade levels.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/science">science</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/mars">mars</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://www.strath.ac.uk/press/newsreleases/headline_643421_en.html">News Releases - University of Strathclyde</a></div><div class="diigo-description">Bilingual students are linked to more creativity in some tasks. Interesting research.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/research">research</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/interactives/edlcuriosity/index-2.html">How do I land on Mars?</a></div><div class="diigo-description">For those of you following the Mars landing, this cool website has a simulation that will intrigue some of you science teachers.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/science">science</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/scichat">scichat</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/mars">mars</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://thankstextbooks.tumblr.com/">Thanks, Textbooks.</a></div><div class="diigo-description">A Tumblr website dedicated to exposing preposterous inclusions in textbooks. Many criticize blogs for errors, but they are right there in the beloved sacred textbook. I'm following this tumblr.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/textbooks">textbooks</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://www.patrickmlarkin.com/2012/08/looking-back-at-year-one-of-11-with_4.html">Learning In Burlington: Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) Part Three</a></div><div class="diigo-description">This school has been reflecting upon their 1:1 ipad program. I applaud their transparency and encourage you to reflect if you're doing it, and read if you're considering it.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/ipad">ipad</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/ipadchat">ipadchat</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://hastac.org/blogs/cathy-davidson/2012/08/04/why-have-students-been-left-out-mooc-discussion">Why Have Students Been Left Out of the MOOC Discussion? | HASTAC</a></div><div class="diigo-description">This fascinating question on the HASTAC site asks if students are being included in the discussion about MOOCs. Good question, but I wonder if the enrollment says something. There are many of us in remote places that will either learn online or not at all - so I'm not sure if it is a matter of preference. I predict, however, that there will be a K12 MOOC in the next 12 months. It is ripe for someone to do it. Who will do it? Who will do it well?</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/mooc">mooc</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://gizmodo.com/5931828/how-gizmodo-got-hacked-and-how-you-should-defend-yourself">How @Gizmodo Got Hacked and How You Should Defend Yourself</a></div><div class="diigo-description">Tips on how to prepare yourself for a hacker attack such as hit Gizmodo. I strongly wonder how any of these tips could have prevented the problem since the weak link was Apple tech support with the hacker talking Apple into getting them into the iCloud account. It is so nice to hook everything into your iOS except when that iOS is compromised.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/hacking">hacking</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/security">security</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/aug/04/50-best-apps-chidren-smartphones-tablets">The 50 best apps for children | Technology | The Observer</a></div><div class="diigo-description">This is an interesting, creative list of apps including apple and Android apps and the price. I thought there were some interesting ideas here. I still feel the "cute" factor is part of evaluation as no serious evaluation mechanism has emerged for reviwing apps.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/ipadchat">ipadchat</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/appchat">appchat</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/eduapp">eduapp</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://innovativeedu.visibli.com/share/G7cGEG">A Friendly Guide to Deploying iPads at Your School</a></div><div class="diigo-description">As more schools deploy ipads, please look at best practices. Having ipads in your school isn't going to make kids smarter -- if I rubbed Einsteiin's head, I wouldn't be smarter either. It is about the interaction and what you're doing with it that makes the difference.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/ipadchat">ipadchat</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/04/give-with-target-education-program-_n_1742978.html">Target Makes Education Fundraising A Click Away</a></div><div class="diigo-description">A great way to get some money for your school. "Using a personal Facebook account, students can vote once per week for the K-12 school of their choice--schools will receive one $25 Target gift card for every 25 votes, with a maximum payout of $10,000 per school. Kids can literally become digital cheerleaders for their schools." See the linked article for more.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/fundraising">fundraising</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/google-in-the-enterprise/quick-tip-sort-gmail-with-an-advanced-keyword-search/745">Quick Tip: Sort Gmail with an advanced keyword search | TechRepublic</a></div><div class="diigo-description">Some additional gmail power-tips for sorting.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/gmail">gmail</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/productivity">productivity</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://www.gtricks.com/gmail-tricks/sort-gmail-subject-label-sender/#/vanilla/discussion/embed/?vanilla_discussion_id=0">Sort Gmail by Subject, Size, Labels and Sender</a></div><div class="diigo-description">Gmail loses some flexibility with sorting, however, there are powerful search features you can use to be able to search gmailin some powerful ways.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/productivity">productivity</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/gmail">gmail</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://www.smithsonianconference.org/shout/badges/">Smithsonian Quests | Shout Online Conference Series</a></div><div class="diigo-description">You can earn badges by completing science challenges through Shout Learning. It is an exciting way to learn and motivate students.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/science">science</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://scistarter.com/index.html">Welcome to SciStarter</a></div><div class="diigo-description">A great website for finding citizen science activities - this used to be science for citizens but now it is scistarter and it is for anyone. Great site to share.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/science">science</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://www.sharemylesson.com/TaxonomySearchResults.aspx?area=resources&keywords=class+rules">400+ ideas for class rules and management</a></div><div class="diigo-description">Class rules should be simple but effective. Here are some ideas.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/classrules">classrules</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="https://www.sans.org/tip_of_the_day.php">SANS: Security Awareness Tip</a></div><div class="diigo-description">This website has daily security tips and is an excellent way to help keep people informed and updated about online safety issues. I'd sign up my whole staff for this one but will at least email it and point it out.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/security">security</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/safety">safety</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/privacy">privacy</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://theedublogger.com/2012/07/26/the-state-of-educational-blogging-in-2012/">The State of Educational Blogging in 2012 | The Edublogger</a></div><div class="diigo-description">A fascinating report from Sue Waters at the edublogger. Although the sample size doesn't give a complete picture, it shows me that blogging and technology are rapidly becoming fully integrated into schools.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/blogging">blogging</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/07/26/increased-dopamine-can-reduce-impulsivity/42260.html">Increased Dopamine Can Reduce Impulsivity | Psych Central News</a></div><div class="diigo-description">I find the reads over at Psych Central news fascinating.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/psychology">psychology</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a></div><div class="diigo-tags"><br /></div></li><li> <div class="diigo-link"><a href="http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/07/26/anxiety-more-common-in-the-western-world-depression-in-east/42253.html">Anxiety More Common in the Western World, Depression in East | Psych Central News</a></div><div class="diigo-description">Anxiety is more common in western countries and depression more common in countries where conflict is occurring. Problems are part of life around the world.</div><div class="diigo-tags">tags: <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/depression">depression</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/anxiety">anxiety</a></div></li></ul><div class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href="http://www.diigo.com/">Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher">here</a>.</div>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 8/6/2012

19 Lesson plans, ideas and downloads for Women's Equality Day August 29, 2012 Never assume. Many in the US forget that women's e...

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The Hardest Part of Writing this Blog is Thinking of a TITLE!

<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Main Blurb</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Did anyone else think “Breakfast at Wimbledon” this morning? I woke up just as it was starting – albeit I had woken up that early to watch gymnastics event finals on the computer. But it was still fun to watch Wimbledon for the second time in a month, with a different result.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have watched Andy Murray in quite a few tennis matches, and they normally had the same routine: come out strong, fail in the end. All of Britain turns to the local Brit tennis player in June and July, praying that he will save them from their drought of winless men’s singles for many years. But they never come through. Even Murray, who was in the Wimbledon final just a few weeks ago, failed to take the championship away from Roger Federer. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But this time it was Murray besting a flustered Federer on Centre Court in front of his home crowd. Home court advantage had never been so much of a, well, advantage! With the raucous crowd – a little bit more raucous than a usual Wimbledon match – Murray couldn’t be beat. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Usually when you watch tennis, you are waiting for someone to break the other’s serve. Well today, Murray broke Federer’s serve five times – four times in a row in one moment of the match. On the other hand, Murray faced break point seven times, and each time didn’t allow the point to happen. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The tennis is always fun to watch in the Olympics, because the best pro players often come out to participate for their countries. This week has been no different. Between Murray and Serena Williams and the Bryan brothers, there was quality tennis being played. I kinda wish there was more of it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mini Blurbs</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">You wanna hear today’s roundup? *Deep intake of breath* tennis, equestrian team jumping, women’s basketball, women’s triple jump, running of all kinds, women’s vault, men’s floor exercise, beach volleyball, badminton, fencing, women’s marathon, men’s field hockey, wrestling, boxing, women’s handball, women’s discus, women’s pole vault, and track cycling! WHEW! What a day!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I did indeed wake up at 7am to catch Jake Dalton and McKayla Maroney in their individual event finals. Dalton was adequate, but not able to match other gymnasts on the floor. Maroney, on the other hand, was proclaimed by the Internet announcer as “the best vaulter in the world.” Well, even the best vaulters can fall on their butts at the worst of times, and that’s exactly what happened to Maroney. All the Romanian gymnast had to do was land on her feet twice, and that’s exactly what she did. Sorry, McKayla.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The men’s steeplechase was today, with Kenyan Ezekiel Kemboi winning gold, and Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad winning silver. Those two must know each other, because they exchanged jersey tops, and Kemboi jumped into Mekhissi-Benabbad’s arms at the end in celebration. It’s probably the most interesting celebration I’ve seen yet.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In wrestling, you can challenge a point and ask for a video review. Well, to announce this, they throw a challenge brick. Yes – a brick. Only in wrestling would you throw a brick to challenge.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The next team event you watch, take a look at the referee/umpire’s uniform. I’ve seen quite a few interesting outfits on these guys today. In wrestling they wear a suit. In handball they wear shorts and a shirt. In water polo it looks like the refs are going to go sailing afterwards. And my favorite: field hockey. I swear it’s the first time skinny pants have been allowed as a uniform.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Don’t just watch NBC tomorrow, either. MSNBC has had some great matches – lots of non-American events, for those who are sick of the all-American NBC coverage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you are watching on another channel – say CBC or CTV or BBC – it’s not called “track and field.” It’s called “athletics.”<br /><br />Tonight in Where in the World is Kobe Bryant? Well, I didn't see him anywhere. Probably uploading the swimming video he took last night on his leopard-print phone. Tomorrow he plays more basketball.<br /><br />And in our <b>Czech Republic Gold Medal Watch</b>, the Czech team did not get a gold today. Their women's doubles team took silver, losing to the Williams sisters. But they do have a runner who had a very good heat today in the women's 400m hurdles. We'll see how she does in the end. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It really makes a difference to watch the online coverage. You usually get a more rounded understanding of the events, because they show all the competitors. But sometimes the Internet has its problems. After the introductions of the women’s 400m runners, the streamers decided to break for an ad! I ended up missing the start and about 100m of the race. And then in the men’s 100m, the screen decided to reload right in the middle of the race. It’s TEN SECONDS. Can’t you wait ten seconds to freeze up and misbehave? I wish the Internet would work better. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m probably waking up early tomorrow for more gymnastics finals. Are you? Good night everybody!</div>

The Hardest Part of Writing this Blog is Thinking of a TITLE!

The Main Blurb Did anyone else think “Breakfast at Wimbledon” this morning? I woke up just as it was starting – albeit I had woken up that e...

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Today's archidose #604

Here are some photos of the Moorraum Pavilion in Krumbach, Austria, by <a href="http://www.paulsteurer.at/">Paul Steurer</a> (2009). Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/formsache/">Frank Stahl</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/formsache/7709833922/" title="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach by frank formsache, on Flickr"><img alt="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach" height="428" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8148/7709833922_dc1b27b26d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/formsache/7709832938/" title="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach by frank formsache, on Flickr"><img alt="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach" height="428" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7709832938_997b6fd434_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/formsache/7709831328/" title="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach by frank formsache, on Flickr"><img alt="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7709831328_61580e93d2_c.jpg" width="534" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/formsache/7709831864/" title="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach by frank formsache, on Flickr"><img alt="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/7709831864_9aaff0b83e_c.jpg" width="535" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/formsache/7709828176/" title="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach by frank formsache, on Flickr"><img alt="Pavilion Moorraum Krumbach" height="428" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7709828176_a177f9d579_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #604

Here are some photos of the Moorraum Pavilion in Krumbach, Austria, by Paul Steurer (2009). Photographs are by Frank Stahl . To contribute ...

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Swimming into the Sunset

<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Main Blurb</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Since today was the final day of swimming, I’m going to bid a fond adieu to the USA Swim Team. Remember earlier in this week? I was frustrated that we didn’t seem to be doing anything and making much progress in the medal standings. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I can gladly say that they finished kind of how Michael Phelps did: they finished very strong. New stars like Katie Ledecky, Allison Schmitt, Matt Grevers, and Nathan Adrian came through in the clutch, promising that World Championships and Olympics to come would be in good hands. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ryan Lochte came into this Games with a lot of expectations. He started with gold, but then kind of petered out at the end. Casual observers may remember Lochte more for his mother’s “one-night stand” blunder or his statement that he peed in the Olympic pool during events than his 400IM gold. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Phelps, on the other hand, missed the medal stand in his first final last Saturday, but didn’t miss the podium after that. He finally got some silver medals (4x100 relay, 200 butterfly) and four more golds (200IM, 100 butterfly, 4x200 relay, 4x100 medley). I am more impressed with his week than Lochte’s. As a fan of Phelps since 2004, I guess that’s understandable.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But I need to give mad props to the ladies of the swim team. Missy Franklin, Ledecky, Dana Vollmer, Rebecca Soni, and Allison Schmitt all went away with individual golds in their specialties. Others – Natalie Coughlin, Elizabeth Beisel, and Jessica Hardy – helped gain more medals for the ladies. Then the 4x100 medley team came out, and it looked like Murders’ Row: Franklin, Soni, Vollmer, and Schmitt. There was no question that they would come away with gold – with a world record, no less! It was more of a sure-thing than the men’s medley relay!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is time to say goodbye to a few names that I have grown familiar with as I have watched swimming in the past eight years – some from the States, and some from rival countries: Michael Phelps, Brendan Hansen, Kosuke Kitajima, Laslo Czeh (who probably deserves a lot of gold medals for just dealing with Phelps for eight years), and my favorite swimmer to hate, Milorad Cavic. Farewell, guys. You made it fun to watch swimming!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mini Blurbs</b><br />DID YOU KNOW? The song that NBC opens their Olympic coverage with - you know, "Bum! BUM! Ba-bum bum bum bum! Bum bumbumbum, bumbum bum bu-da-dum bum bum!"<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>was written in by Frenchman Leo Arnaud way back in 1958. ABC used it when they had the Olympics coverage starting in 1968, and then NBC took it. It's actually called "Bugler's Dream."<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Watching Sun Yang’s bio about him and his Australian coach Denis Cotterell, I could see that being a quirky sports movie. Beach bum Cotterell and stiff upper lip Sun? I’d probably go see that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And did you see the underwater camera? His legs never move – I’ve never seen freestyle swimming like that!)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I wonder if Morgan Freeman was as happy that Michael Phelps kept getting medals. Can you imagine his cell phone going off after every win? “Hey Morgan – you have to dub that Visa commercial again. Michael got another gold.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Where in the Olympics was Kobe Bryant? Well, he almost lost to Lithuania in basketball pool play, but then he appeared at the pool to help send Michael Phelps off with his giant silver trophy.  </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ever heard of Keirin? It’s part of track cycling. Six racers start together, but are forced to follow a guy on a motorcycle for a bunch of laps before they are allowed to go full speed. That would be like having the Zamboni lead the short track speed skaters for half of the race. Which also helps me make my claim that track cycling is the speed skating of the Summer Games.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I LOVE the overhead camera for the track races. Such a different point of view!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday and today in the morning featured preliminary heats for the 100-meter dash. No, not the first heat, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">preliminary</i> heat before the first heat. Pretty much countries that don’t have a strong sprint team and don’t have a runner who has accomplished the A- or B-standards for the Olympics can enter in the preliminary heat. The top three runners get to be in the heats later in the day. There were women from Middle Eastern countries and men from the smallest Pacific islands competing, and I almost think that those heats were more interesting to watch than the heats and semifinals!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I think the trampoline gymnast from the US had a cooler-looking singlet than the regular gymnasts. By the way, apparently trampoline gymnastics are the most competitive in China and…Canada? A Canadian took gold in the women’s trampoline event today. Yesterday it was a Chinese man named Dong Dong! I am not even kidding here.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I think I may know the answer already, but it’s nice to put it out there: In the 400 medley relay they start with the backstrokers because the handoff is a lot easier that way. So why doesn’t the individual medley start with the backstroke? Because most IM-ers wouldn’t know how to start off the blocks and in the water? That’s my guess.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jessica Ennis has abs of steel. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I got to watch Serena Williams absolutely annihilate Maria Sharapova this morning. I’ve never seen a woman so giddy about winning a gold medal!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The 10,000 meters was incredibly exciting this afternoon – I hope you were able to watch it. American Galen Rupp and his training teammate, Mo Farah of Great Britain, went 2-1 in that event. The field was so bunched for most of the race, I was thinking there would be a trip-up and fourteen runners would fall over. But they’re better than that. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">BOOM! As soon as I put out a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Czech Republic Gold Medal Watch, </b>they go out and win one! Miroslava Knapkova won women’s single sculls in rowing today. Congrats! Let’s win some more golds!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Today’s roundup: diving, tennis, trampoline gymnastics, volleyball, track, beach volleyball, rowing, long jump, heptathlon, water polo, soccer (I watched South Korea beat Great Britain in a shootout!), boxing, swimming of all kinds, and running of all kinds. </div>

Swimming into the Sunset

The Main Blurb Since today was the final day of swimming, I’m going to bid a fond adieu to the USA Swim Team. Remember earlier in this week?...

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WAHHABISM IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA - Part 4

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-un2_Dfjo-nCRteA8FX7EbH5q_zpmuT7jYqWTUmc8I3K6WJ7Z6Y2E22PAciSjwO4xY1Z0OivfyyyuvZ1E984J4rRHNF6Yx-IVfGmo_1h-04FkWA9A60mDXQQeom9ZybpK-OHuWJToZEMA/s1600/bosnia-and_herzegovina_on_map_of_europe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-un2_Dfjo-nCRteA8FX7EbH5q_zpmuT7jYqWTUmc8I3K6WJ7Z6Y2E22PAciSjwO4xY1Z0OivfyyyuvZ1E984J4rRHNF6Yx-IVfGmo_1h-04FkWA9A60mDXQQeom9ZybpK-OHuWJToZEMA/s320/bosnia-and_herzegovina_on_map_of_europe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">WAHHABISM AT THE DOORSTEPS OF EUROPE</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Topics:</span></b></span></div><ul style="color: blue;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wahhabism versus Islamic community?</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Recruiting tactics in BIH</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Recruitment of BOSNIAK Diaspora</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIAK’S youth increasingly choose to study in Muslim countries rather than EUROPEAN countries </span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Sandžak region, not only the gateway for BALKANS organized crime syndicates, but also for spreading Wahhbism to Europe?</span></b></span></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span lang="ES-AR" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By Juan Carlos Antúnez</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After the reported closure of the AIO, Muhamed Porča, has appointed himself as the leader of the emergent Islamic Youth in Europe, an organization or movement that has appeared as a parallel of the AIO that insists on being point of reference for all the Bosniaks which no one should digress. In BIH Porča is using Selam organization to take the control over those Salafis that are not maintaining contacts with the BIH Islamic Community. These Salafi communities, such as those in the area of Bihać, Maoca and Bocinja, have decided to isolate themselves from official mesdžids and tears apart of the BIH Islamic community , embracing the concept of hijra, or emigration, to be a part of the jahilia, the corruption, the dark period before Muhammad spread their message.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Safet Kuduzović is considered to be one of the Missionary Salafi / Wahhabi leaders in BIH. Kuduzović is a graduate of the Islamic University in JORDAN, with a Masters degree, and a former Imam of the BOSNIAN Salafi Kewser Džemat (Muslim religious congregation) in Linz, AUSTRIA. Kuduzović is a well-known and active figure in BOSNIAN Salafi circles. It is possible he currently resides in BIH. Kuduzović actively cooperates with the Studio-din portal (www.studio-din.com), Salafi / Wahhabi missionary portal, and advices it on its political and religious direction.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In its 1 June 2007 edition, ‘SAFF’ magazine reported that after the death of Jusuf Barčić, a majority of members of his group had chosen Nusret Imamović to be their new leader. ‘Saff’ reported that Imamović was well known as a religious leader and primary school teacher in the village of Gornja Maoca. For more background information see:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Islamic_Youth">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Islamic_Youth</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8493855.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8493855.stm</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://occidentallibertas.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/police-action-in-gornja-maoca/">http://occidentallibertas.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/police-action-in-gornja-maoca/</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://serbianna.com/blogs/michaletos/archives/750">http://serbianna.com/blogs/michaletos/archives/750</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nusret Imamović is a prominent Salafi / Wahhabi cleric originating from Kalesija. Imamović’s reporting started in 2002, when Barčić was imprisoned, Imamović had taken over the leadership over his network.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Major media attention has been drawn to an important inter-ethnic incident that occurred on 15 July 2006, in the Bukvik settlement near Brčko, when some 10 persons, known to belong to a Wahhabi group, clashed with three Bosnian Serbs. One Bosnian Serb, Mihajlo Kisić, was seriously injured and allegedly gunshots were fired too. The Brčko District (BD) Police started an investigation, and six Salafis / Wahhabis were detained by the Tuzla Police. BD Police increased the security around the detention centre as it was close to Gornja Maoca. A few days after the incident, the local police detained Imamović. He is known to have contacts with Nedžad Balkan, who was arrested together with Imamović, after the Bukvik incident. Imamović is close to Vienna-based Wahhabi cleric, Muhamed Porča. Imamović is one of the few Bosnian Salafis / Wahhabis who has publicly refused any kind of collaboration with the BIH Islamic Community. He is linked to the ‘Selam’ organization.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">WAHHABISM VERSUS ISLAMIC COMMUNITY?</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A mainstream Islamic biweekly ‘Preporod’, published by the Islamic Community of BIH, in its 15 March 2007 issue featured an editorial by the Editor in Chief, Aziz Kadribegović, entitled ‘Destruction of the Islamic Community as a Long Term Goal’, in which the author claimed that Bosnian Salafists were contemplating a new strategy for their mid-term activity. Kadribegović wrote that ‘Preporod’ had learned that one of the Salafi authorities in the Diaspora, a JORDANIAN student with a Masters degree mentioned as ‘S.K’ (probably Safet Kuduzović), having grasped the seriousness of the situation in which his companions could find themselves, and having realized that ‘the sand that until yesterday appeared as mortar has started to crumbled’, had held a meeting with a group of ‘the most mature Salafi / Wahhabi Da’ias or missionaries’. At this meeting, he presented them with the basic elements of a new strategy for the Salafi / Wahhabi movement, which the editorial called ‘the Organization’.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According to ‘Preporod’, the leader of the meeting stressed that:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">‘The Organization’s activity in the EU countries must remain a strategic interest, because the BIH Islamic Community was weaker abroad than in BIH, which created a manoeuvring space for the Organization’.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">He told meeting participants that the strong ‘Organization’ outside BIH could:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">‘Financially assist ‘the brothers’ in BIH, and act as a powerful platform for a more aggressive approach in BIH’.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RECRUITING TACTICS IN BIH</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The editorial also commented that the leader highlighted the importance of a new generation of missionaries graduating from Middle Eastern Islamic universities, who would be returning to BIH shortly. ‘These missionaries are better educated than the BIH Islamic Community missionaries, more eloquent, and, most importantly, fully committed to their work and ideas. In time, they will overwhelm the BIH Islamic Community and take full control of the Muslims in BIH’.</span></b></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_N5c2D9vTQ5kSZ2et01v4zVv9s8h1tJN4FsBIy6E0usoLX9bY964qXZdd5LilGplQl4z_QaOdN7iqVsYryzpLmMoWFfsXvyGLVCodptbeRUM7eSqUZebN9xRj0W6D8ujgHk_ZQnuciw5/s1600/img_0991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_N5c2D9vTQ5kSZ2et01v4zVv9s8h1tJN4FsBIy6E0usoLX9bY964qXZdd5LilGplQl4z_QaOdN7iqVsYryzpLmMoWFfsXvyGLVCodptbeRUM7eSqUZebN9xRj0W6D8ujgHk_ZQnuciw5/s320/img_0991.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saudi funded Mosque in Sarajevo</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At the meeting, <b>the importance of avoiding future incidents was also highlighted. As ‘Preporod’ wrote, he advised that ‘brothers’ at all times ‘give the impression that they are normal citizens in BIH and in the EU countries in which they reside’</b>. ‘With this goal in sight, we must bury immediately the hatchet with the Rijaset, BIH Islamic Community executive office, and the representatives in BIH and abroad’. Jusuf Barčić was not mentioned at the meeting, which led Kadribegović to conclude that Barčić was probably ‘a lone shooter’ and not a member of ‘the Organization’. However, ‘some brothers from Sandžak’ were mentioned in this context at the meeting. According to the editorial, it was proposed that those ‘who cannot be controlled’ first be ‘isolated’ by ‘the Organization’ and, if this did not work out, then to ‘denounce them’ openly in Islamic papers such as ‘Saff’ (an Islamic youth magazine reflecting of Salafist, favouring some sort of cooperation with BIH Islamic Community) and ‘Al Asr’ (Islamic Salafi / Wahhabi bi-monthly, published by the BOSNIAN Salafi ‘Hidžra’ Džemat (BOSNIAN version of the Arabic word Jama'at) in HOLLAND, more theological in nature).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As for the group’s attitude towards Muslims sentenced on terrorism charges, the participants of the meeting have reportedly agreed that ‘brothers’ should be advised ‘not to embark on similar undertakings’ in the future, in view of the stiff sentences envisioned for these acts. However, the meeting decided against a public distancing from individuals charged with terrorism. Terrorism verdicts ‘should be ignored’ and ‘there should be no public reaction to them’.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RECRUITMENT OF BOSNIAK DIASPORA</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Assumptions taken in the previous chapters of this paper support the above information and give credibility to the ‘Preporod’ article. Salafi / Wahhabi future strategy may be summarized as:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- Recruitment of Bosniak Diaspora. This recruitment is especially easy and profitable for ‘the Organization’ because:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A. the BIH Islamic Community is weaker abroad.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">B. the BOSNIAN ‘converted’ Muslims are a healthy financial source.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">C. Converted Muslims abroad are able to spread Salafism / Wahhabism in their close circle when they come back to BIH.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- Well trained Salafi / Wahhabi scholars will argue with those who are less prepared within the BIH Islamic Community. In 2003, there were about a hundred BOSNIAN students of Islam in different Middle East countries. Although many of them would easily find their place in the BIH Islamic Community upon return to the country, some of these students could adopt Salafi / Wahhabi ideas. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BOSNIAK’S YOUTH INCREASINGLY CHOOSE TO STUDY IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES RATHER THAN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 2010 the number of BOSNIAK students studying in different Middle Eastern and Far East Muslim countries has increased significantly. In the not too distant past, BOSNIAK families used to send their children to study in EUROPE. As the EU visa regime became more restrictive and the economic situation for many BOSNIAK families deteriorated, they increasingly opted to send their children to Muslim countries, such as MALAYSIA, TURKEY, JORDAN, EGYPT and of course SAUDI ARABIA for studies, since these countries willingly provide scholarship as well as sponsorship programs for BOSNIAK students. Furthermore SAUDI ARABIA and also IRAN and TURKEY deliberately target BOSNIA’S education system by providing special loans for education projects etc. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- Silent creation of a parallel Islamic religious structure, without publicly facing the official one but with the final goal of defeating it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- Not to be directly linked to any kind of terrorist activity.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ALTHOUGH ANY MISSIONARY ACTIVITY CANNOT BE SEEN AS A THREAT PER SE, THE RISK OF MISSIONARY ISLAM TO BIH SECURITY HAS TO BE ANALYZED FROM THREE PERSPECTIVES:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- To understand the meaning of this threat, it is necessary to pay attention to a concept very common amongst radical Islamic movements: The concept of ‘Takfir’ - the practice of declaring that an individual or a group, previously considered Muslims, are in fact Kafirs, or apostates. The sentence for apostasy under Sharia law, as traditionally interpreted, is execution. For this reason, orthodox Islamic law normally requires stringent evidence in support of such accusations. In many cases this requires an Islamic court of religious leaders to pronounce a Fatwa, or religious decree, of Taqfir on an individual or group. Also texts of scholars as Ibn Taymyyah and Abd Al Wahib recommended the ‘utmost restraint’ in Taqfir. However, certain extremist movements have been very ready to practice Taqfir, for which they have been condemned by mainstream Muslims. Modern groups, such as the Algerian GIA, take this practice to an extreme, and regard virtually all non-strictly orthodox Muslims as Kuffar, whose blood is legitimate to shed. Taqfir <b>might have taken root in some ‘groups of young Muslims in BIH’</b>. This position can be considered a threat, especially for the safety and security of Bosnian Muslims who do not agree with Salafi ideas and can be seen as ‘impious’ and be targeted by radical groups.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- <b>Members of the Salafi / Wahhabi movement may change their approach to Islamism</b> when its perceived that they are not going to attain their goal as a result of preaching and proselytizing, and so they may take a more radical and violent stance. The lack of a result by the Wahhabi mission and the religious attitude of the BOSNIAN Muslim mainstream, who wants to maintain the traditional local and moderate version of Islam, may hasten this process.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- Salafi / Wahhabi groups are used to spot talent by Jihadi groups that find highly motivated and religiously convinced youngster.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Jihadi Salafism / Wahhabism</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Jihadism defends an armed struggle that has three main variants:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- Internal: a Jihad against nominally Muslim regimes which the Jihadis hold to be ‘sinful’ and thus legitimate targets for insurrection.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- Irredentist: the fight to redeem land considered to be a part of Dar Al Islam or Muslim territory, from non-Muslim rule or occupation.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">- Global: the Jihad against the West, particularly the US and their associates.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The three different strands of Jihadism can, and are, used in various combinations by the same Jihadist group simultaneously, according to their objectives.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SANDŽAK REGION, NOT ONLY THE GATEWAY FOR BALKANS ORGANIZED CRIME SYNDICATES, BUT ALSO FOR SPREADING WAHHBISM TO EUROPE?</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe0FXrRtrU_h903VW7uOLW0DaNG9-xZMpZePDZHhQkfIxONovAD-om3NuTsItQB06uDU1jl14TDcVHFJP5WpMo42vhyphenhyphenw3nfMR6Y7gCsSkk-PEVcGutLX40CvIXRa3-OP45xV0lsVMt5fk/s1600/642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe0FXrRtrU_h903VW7uOLW0DaNG9-xZMpZePDZHhQkfIxONovAD-om3NuTsItQB06uDU1jl14TDcVHFJP5WpMo42vhyphenhyphenw3nfMR6Y7gCsSkk-PEVcGutLX40CvIXRa3-OP45xV0lsVMt5fk/s320/642.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">No jihadi leaders have been reported in bih</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">, although Nedžad Balkan, labeled as the leader of a Sandžak Jihadi group, maintains contacts with religious leaders in BIH. For further background information see: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand%C5%BEak">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand%C5%BEak</a>as well as <a href="http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/crime_omero.pdf">http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/crime_omero.pdf</a>(page 47), <a href="http://www.transconflict.com/about/where-we-work/the-balkans/sandzak/">http://www.transconflict.com/about/where-we-work/the-balkans/sandzak/</a>and</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2667210/posts">http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2667210/posts</a><a href="http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/rel_exterm_vs_fried_beweg_05_radical_movements_moderate_balkan_islam_e_hecimovic_17.pdf">http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/rel_exterm_vs_fried_beweg_05_radical_movements_moderate_balkan_islam_e_hecimovic_17.pdf</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_taGCAtMGlBvl6_7x9SmiB5y3blatlxx8KqPqSKIvVlv9L22eV5fKdbX-HWc6Q2f-ZSTVfs8ulOk8OlVIb1Ns44pvncvHx2YTKoaanGV8x88zSL5RZm8T3F8wa3kR5uNFDpKdTiAWXOhi/s1600/Pazar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_taGCAtMGlBvl6_7x9SmiB5y3blatlxx8KqPqSKIvVlv9L22eV5fKdbX-HWc6Q2f-ZSTVfs8ulOk8OlVIb1Ns44pvncvHx2YTKoaanGV8x88zSL5RZm8T3F8wa3kR5uNFDpKdTiAWXOhi/s400/Pazar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nedžad Balkan, also known as Abu Muhammad, who was born in Vienna AUSTRIA, is a BIH citizen of Sandžak origin. He studied at the Islamic University in Medina, SAUDI ARABIA, but he left without graduating, reportedly disappointed with the SAUDI political regime. Upon his return, he stayed in AUSTRIA, where he preached at the ‘Al-Tawhid’ Mosque. He left the mosque due to disagreement with Muhamed Porča and other members of the congregation. Nedžad Balkan led the ‘Sahaba’ Mosque in Vienna’s 7th County. In 2005, Balkan was placed under observation of the AUSTRIAN Police, for condoning the London bombings and for making extremist statements for the AUSTRIAN press<b>. According to ‘SAFF’ magazine, Balkan is considered to be the ‘highest religious authority’ of the Jihadi group Kelimetul-Haqq and of young extremists in Sandžak. </b><span style="color: blue;">www.kelimatulhaqq.co.nr</span><b>, the website of the group Kelimetul-Haqq (Words of the Truth, Right Words) is the first openly Jihadi Bosniak website, actively promoting the concept of holy war and disseminating Jihadi videos and lectures.</b> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">However, its radical message appears to have little support outside its base in the Sandžak region. <span style="color: blue;">www.islamskadravska.com</span>, whose content is hard-core Salafi. There are indications of ties with the Sandžak-based Jihadi group Kelimetul-Haqq. The website is also linked to <span style="color: blue;">www.abuhamzabrigade.tk</span> and <span style="color: blue;">www.bugojnocity.tk</span>. Both are Bugojno-based minor Salafi / Wahhabi web pages.</span></span></div>

WAHHABISM IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA - Part 4

WAHHABISM AT THE DOORSTEPS OF EUROPE Topics: Wahhabism versus Islamic community? Recruiting tactics in BIH Recruitment of BOSNIAK Diasp...

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It’s the little things…

<p>One thing I did to keep me motivated to work out during the month of July was to write down my workout each day and put a sticker on the calendar for those days. Yes, I’m sure it sounds silly & maybe childish. But after I started I was so excited and wanted to fill up that calendar!</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEWaUI4EGkepsawL3k7Tfxk1LzxOyM7nDN87uEDkDYRjxYTLbL9W-vlRhsTzv2e0NLhAHjlKPnj7RRTd4YBNhZDKTaO3ap0j39sLvDdxABcGiFV0inh4CC7ReWZVtQk8Xup65uD6S6epq/s1600-h/IMG_30674.jpg"><img alt="IMG_3067" border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAkrUbFmaIFhKeS0WGH3bdJhrmmV-oNbsZK7Wlc9U77VKOEEvpBDXoCOi9Cm5q-oliTxbHYwCYjdjS601igSjpNiVrDEDCaXMqyaT2Qp8naERzXhLFj7rfMHNrWUaB1tzbUgMiO0PBVyt/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3067" width="404"></a></p> <p>I used some free {sesame street} stickers I randomly got in the mail {side note: when you have a baby, you somehow get lots of random things in the mail!}. I just keep a sheet of stickers clipped to the back of my calendar. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRMmsWdXRXgg-xAly_rCKMYnpKGbut3JyCb-I3bwqrDWvGqBHGiHMslytFSe0Uc-p_WFX4tpWTIBxx29JZxljngCAgXhVLUWA_Ly2bfGbAWCvWCT4V6CPwugUNt-Sn-43WkK9ufzx26zo/s1600-h/IMG_30684.jpg"><img alt="IMG_3068" border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgpYGd1UZBZODs__BRq0r4g6wnhH8lWxGMNMxD2-xh23gvUmWi9bm56pI4De0YqDTFKgL6PezbN_UM1flW_juQbG-Ne5C3eJJJdjM1fHgWeXGfi4D5KBixxomnOx0vU7PLaIDd9-B_0UF/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_3068" width="404"></a></p> <p>I printed each month through the end of the year, so when August 1st came I was ready for a new month!</p> <p align="center"><strong>What do you do to keep yourself motivated to get those workouts in or meet your workout goals?</strong></p>

It’s the little things…

One thing I did to keep me motivated to work out during the month of July was to write down my workout each day and put a sticker on the cal...

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Book Briefs #10

<i>"Book Briefs" are an ongoing series of posts with two- or three-sentence first-hand descriptions of some of the numerous books that make their way into my library. These briefs are not full-blown reviews, but they are a way to share more books worthy of attention than can find their way into reviews on my <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/search/label/book-review">daily</a> or <a href="http://www.archidose.org/books/books.html">weekly</a> pages.</i><br /><br /><img alt="BB10-1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/BB10-1.jpg" title="Book brief covers" /><br /><br />1: <a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/alcatraz.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Alcatraz: History and Design of a Landmark</span></a> by Donald MacDonald and Ira Nadel | Chronicle Books | 2012 | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1452101531?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1452101531&linkCode=xm2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">Amazon</a><br />When I visited San Francisco in the mid-1990s, one of the few touristy things I did was visit <a href="http://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm">Alcatraz</a>, donning headphones and listening to old inmates talk about the place. Of course, the place is so much more than just an old prison, and a visit makes that clear, even as the prison buildings and spaces define much of the experience. So I was looking forward to receiving this history of the island, its architecture, landscape, and nature. Written by Donald MacDonald and Ira Nadel and illustrated by MacDonald, the book is hardly a comprehensive history, but it is not meant to be an academic study of the well-known island. At first I thought the watercolors were too bright for a place that was home to criminals and an American Indian occupation, but the varied formats (perspectives, plans, sections, etc.) do a good job of telling part of the story.<br /><br />2: <a href="http://books.wwnorton.com/books/978-0-393-73302-0/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Saving Wright: The Freeman House and the Preservation of Meaning, Materials, and Modernity</span></a> by Jeffrey M. Chusid | W.W. Norton | 2012 | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393733025?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0393733025&linkCode=xm2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">Amazon</a><br />In 1985, Jeffrey M. Chusid moved into the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed <a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/slide/Freeman/index.html">Freeman House</a> as a tenant of Harriet Freeman. Eventually he became the preservation architect for the textile-block house (one of four in the Los Angeles that Wright designed area in 1923), which he documents in this book. Interestingly, the house was also a canvas for Rudolph M. Schindler, who performed some infill interventions in the 1930s and '40s. Equal parts history, theory, and preservation literature, the book is an extremely thorough documentation of a house overshadowed by Wright's other textile-block houses (Millard, Storer, Ennis). It illustrates, among other things, what is needed to extend an idiosyncratic house designed by a master architect for many more decades. As a laboratory for preservation, the house and book offer lessons for many architects. <br /><br /><img alt="BB10-2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/BB10-2.jpg" title="Book brief covers" /><br /><br />3: <a href="http://books.wwnorton.com/books/978-0-393-73352-5/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Urban Intersections: São Paulo</span></a> edited by Nina Rappaport, Noah Biklen, Eliza Higgins | Yale School of Architecture | 2012 | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393733521?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0393733521&linkCode=xm2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">Amazon</a><br />The sixth in Yale SOA's <a href="http://www.architecture.yale.edu/drupal/publications/books">Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Architecture Fellowship Series</a> presents the work of students in Spring 2010 under Tishman Speyer's Katherin Farley and architect Deborah Berke. The balance of real estate and architectural interests is embodied in the fellowship, and the projects exhibit something similar; as juror Claire Weisz mentions in a transcript of one of the crits, the projects "achieve a degree of economy while maintaining a sense of place." To me, the projects resemble those of an urban design studio. To be sure, they are architectural, but they take the greater São Paulo context into consideration, which is also evident in the supplementary essays that preface the projects.<br /><br />4: <a href="http://books.wwnorton.com/books/Turbulence/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Turbulence</span></a> edited by Nina Rappaport and Leo Stevens | Yale School of Architecture | 2011 | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393733505?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0393733505&linkCode=xm2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">Amazon</a><br />Like <i>Urban Intersections</i> above, <i>Turbulence</i> documents Yale SOA studios, in this case three of the Louis I. Kahn Visiting Assistant Professorships. This, the third title in the series, features student projects under Ali Rahim (<a href="http://www.c-a-p.net/">Contemporary Architecture Practice</a>), Christopher Sharples, and William Sharples (both <a href="http://www.shoparc.com/">SHoP Architects</a>). Rahim's studio is set in Dubai and features, not surprisingly, a number of tall buildings that stand out on Sheikh Zayed Road. Christopher Sharples's studio rethinks airports and envisions designs for "Airport City" in New Delhi, India. The studio of William Sharples goes even farther, designing spaceports for three hypothetical sites in the United States. Interviews with the three architects preface each project section to provide background on their work and methods.<br /><br />5: <a href="http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300170375"><span style="font-style: italic;">Constructing the Ineffable: Contemporary Sacred Architecture</span></a> edited by Karla Britton | Yale University Press | 2010 | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300170378?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0300170378&linkCode=xm2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">Amazon</a><br />This book documents a <a href="http://www.architecture.yale.edu/drupal/events/archive/symposium/constructing_ineffable">2007 symposium of the same name</a>, organized by the Yale SOA with the Yale Divinity School and Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Some big names (Kenneth Frampton, Zaha Hadid, Steven Holl, Richard Meier, Rafael Moneo, Vincent Scully, Stanley Tigerman, etc.) tackle the topic of religious architecture, presented here in three sections: theoretical essays, historical precedents, and "contemporary expressions of the ineffable." This structure allows for the broadest exploration, but it also means there is something for everyone; those not interested in philosophical investigations toward sacred architecture, for example, will still find the case studies valuable. It's an important book in terms of understanding the many definitions of the sacred in the 21st century.

Book Briefs #10

"Book Briefs" are an ongoing series of posts with two- or three-sentence first-hand descriptions of some of the numerous books t...

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Marilyn Monroe: Out of a Dream

<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><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/AVvXsEjUl9XriX9DxisG86jxNHfm4FcHJAjvFQB429C_vHDUJxxdKYRtVemOGiHsyfm-eXttfwFATFsGu5ysRonKy4vh7PCY2VmIfhlLSAiDfqZCAnpDBhjy2kBPbV35eY4Fnr8d-JA6SlYTzTXr/s1600/MM+by+Cardiff+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUl9XriX9DxisG86jxNHfm4FcHJAjvFQB429C_vHDUJxxdKYRtVemOGiHsyfm-eXttfwFATFsGu5ysRonKy4vh7PCY2VmIfhlLSAiDfqZCAnpDBhjy2kBPbV35eY4Fnr8d-JA6SlYTzTXr/s400/MM+by+Cardiff+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo by Jack Cardiff</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One chilly winter morning in 1953, a 15-year-old boy took a bus from his home in New Jersey to New York City in search of adventure. His conception of the city then was of Times Square and he roamed the neighborhood until daylight began to fade. As he made his way to the Port Authority Terminal and his bus trip home, he noticed a long black limousine driving slowly toward him. The limo came to a stop and its driver jumped out and opened the back door at the curb. As he did, he motioned the boy to stay where he was so his passenger would have a clear path across the sidewalk. Nearly 60 years later, the man who had been that boy remembered,"...a white-gloved hand reached out for help and it was given. Then came a face of dizzying beauty..." She was blonde and she wore a long gown that appeared to be made of "tiny white pearls seemingly flung at her in wild abandon and clinging to every pore. Around her neck, over her wrists and on her ears were brightly sparkling diamonds." The boy's heart was already pounding when, as she turned, the woman noticed him, smiled and whispered, "Hi."</span><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Z71LHpcSOn4d7F07C7z_wbfH3ZOfuo8y8ytMEyZn0jy3e-U_APLtEVteF6Sgg5J50oPRy_XUnGyk-tz3AjOsJQAY0Riq5MPgWNRRZSH5C-NzsLHWVeJbwph-ZIptoleiAbJeISAoD2r1/s1600/Marilyn+by+Avedon+4.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/AVvXsEg_Z71LHpcSOn4d7F07C7z_wbfH3ZOfuo8y8ytMEyZn0jy3e-U_APLtEVteF6Sgg5J50oPRy_XUnGyk-tz3AjOsJQAY0Riq5MPgWNRRZSH5C-NzsLHWVeJbwph-ZIptoleiAbJeISAoD2r1/s320/Marilyn+by+Avedon+4.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo by Richard Avedon</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The bedazzled boy, Frank Langella, who grew up to be an Oscar-nominated, three-time Tony-winning actor, was stunned. He had serendipitously encountered Marilyn Monroe, "the girl" who enraptured the world that year in <i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i> and <i>How to Marry a Millionaire </i>and would soon create pandemonium with <i>The Seven Year Itch</i>. Years later Richard Avedon, one of many famed photographers for whom the actress posed, would comment, "There was no such person as Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe was an invention of hers. A genius invention that she created like an author creates a character."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The vision that materialized before wide-eyed young Frank Langella on a New York street was the painstaking creation of the former Norma Jeane Baker, but the realization of this fantasy creature had required inspiration and encouragement from others. Not too unlike an orphan on a quest in a folk tale, she rose from humble origins, faced great obstacles and setbacks and, with the aid of others along with her own hard work and desire, transformed her life.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3v1ToxOvx7d9qlTCuCjXhm6SuhyphenhyphenmQegIlimTe2gWrlN__7l_fD-k4oLurmphAy_me7QKRfmbiNBq6fwKZgw-wZtC02OvC-s28rEDrIr5BqNT47rRorEORp1B2TtB5EUqLZCjDemDmdVql/s1600/Marilyn+at+age+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3v1ToxOvx7d9qlTCuCjXhm6SuhyphenhyphenmQegIlimTe2gWrlN__7l_fD-k4oLurmphAy_me7QKRfmbiNBq6fwKZgw-wZtC02OvC-s28rEDrIr5BqNT47rRorEORp1B2TtB5EUqLZCjDemDmdVql/s320/Marilyn+at+age+9.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norma Jeane Baker, age nine</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In 1935, Grace McKee, a friend and co-worker of Gladys Baker at a Hollywood editing lab, became her unstable friend's court-appointed guardian and the legal guardian of the woman's nine-year-old daughter, Norma Jeane. A childless peroxide blonde with "stage mother" instincts, McKee filled the little girl's imagination with lavish fancies of one day becoming a bombshell movie star like the one with whom she herself was obsessed - Jean Harlow. When Grace married "Doc" Goddard, Norma Jeane was, for a time, sent to live in the red-brick mansion that served as the Los Angeles Orphans Home. Grace would take the girl out to lunch and a movie most Saturdays and regularly had the child's hair styled at a beauty parlor. Norma Jeane would be returned to the orphanage with her hair freshly curled and be-ribboned and, on occasion, wearing makeup Grace had applied to her very young face. The guardian coached the girl on her smile and paraded her in front of friends crowing "isn't she pretty?" and bragged that the child was going to grow up to be beautiful and famous. It would be little more than a decade after becoming Norma Jeane Baker's guardian that Grace Goddard would, because her charge was not yet 21, sign the girl's first contract with 20th Century Fox.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When Johnny Hyde, a powerful William Morris agent on the West Coast, met 22-year-old Marilyn Monroe on New Year's Eve 1949, she was a starlet adrift in the wilderness of the "party circuit" looking for a break. At one time known as producer "Joe Schenk's girl," she had been under contract to Fox for a year, from 1946 to 1947, and with Columbia Pictures for just six months in 1948. It was during her stint at Fox that she had adopted her screen name with the help of Ben Lyon, the studio's casting director. "Monroe" was her mother's family name; Lyon suggested "Marilyn." He had known and loved Broadway star <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126833333" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">Marilyn Miller</a> before his marriage to Bebe Daniels, and Norma Jeane Baker reminded him of the talented and lovely blonde, blue-eyed actress who had died young.</span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhO1ZmpAkZv7VpB8DpHviHCQRnwSqiPelYBUh36-okLnmWqvAUyAmksa0igpspJECpfMTSPCUhLnrg3cK3hQp9a1QfPbjwwPmPmFi4qMYFm_F13Rz2aTQfM7aRLOF1Ng3aYoej_ng72ukD/s1600/Marilyn+in+1950+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhO1ZmpAkZv7VpB8DpHviHCQRnwSqiPelYBUh36-okLnmWqvAUyAmksa0igpspJECpfMTSPCUhLnrg3cK3hQp9a1QfPbjwwPmPmFi4qMYFm_F13Rz2aTQfM7aRLOF1Ng3aYoej_ng72ukD/s320/Marilyn+in+1950+2.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marilyn Monroe in 1950</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For Johnny Hyde, meeting Marilyn Monroe led to an enchantment that brought an end to his marriage and the beginning of his tireless promotion of her career. He saw a singular quality in the sensuous blonde and worked to make things happen quickly for her. By the time of his sudden death in 1950, Hyde had negotiated parts for her in John Huston's <i>The Asphalt Jungle </i>(1950) and Joseph Mankiewicz's <i>All About Eve </i>(1950). Her success in these roles led to a new, more generous contract with Fox, an agreement that was secured by Hyde.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Howard Hawks had been unimpressed with the starlet when he first met her in 1948. But after seeing her in <i>The Asphalt Jungle</i>, he realized she had something. And when she was cast in a supporting role in one of his films, <i>Monkey Business </i>(1952), he took a closer look at her potential. Hawks became convinced that Fox chief Darryl Zanuck was misreading Marilyn's appeal, too often casting her in the wrong sort of films. He told Zanuck, "You're making realism with a very unreal girl. She's a completely storybook character..." and urged him to produce <i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i>, a studio property, and cast her in it; furthermore, he agreed to direct.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In 1949 <i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes </i>had made Carol Channing a Broadway sensation; in 1953, the screen adaptation had an even more powerful impact on the career of Marilyn Monroe. With the film's tremendous success, Marilyn left behind forever her years as a struggling cheesecake model/rising newcomer and emerged a bona fide superstar. She proved to have a talent for comedy and a fine sense of timing and, with Howard Hawks creating the ideal vehicle for her and overseeing an elegant Technicolor upgrade of her look and style, she embodied to scintillating perfection a funny, sexy, sweet and unique confection that produced fireworks on the screen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In <i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i>, Marilyn Monroe and top-billed co-star Jane Russell are well-matched as a pair of gorgeous gal-pal showgirls on the loose on the high seas and in Paris. Delectably dizzy/witty blonde Lorelei and droll, down-to-earth brunette Dorothy cut loose in clever comic scenes and dynamic musical routines. Both perform renditions of the centerpiece number, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend." Marilyn's version became legendary.</span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/y2bGerBiZQ8" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fox strikes again! This video clip has been blocked</span></span>.</div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fox's next assignment for its new star was not as solid a film as her last, but it was even more popular. <i>How to Marry a Millionaire </i>(1953) teamed Marilyn with not just one but two other glittery leading ladies - Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall. Another glamor-fest, the story follows three models who rent a ritzy penthouse in Manhattan for a year in hopes of luring and marrying wealthy suitors before their lease expires. Bacall's is the central storyline and hers is the commonsense character; Grable and Marilyn are both ditzy-but-dear dumb blonde types. Marilyn, of course, is the knockout in the trio and, next to her, Betty Grable seems a decade out-of-date. <i>How to Marry a Millionaire </i>was the #5 box office hit of 1953, with <i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes </i>close behind at #6. As for Marilyn Monroe, she was on top.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleWBrBKTUsAgThPj4XUKceKKfN6KD94YF-VquJHLqjS31MZQK5ZH9AQOM3oDKQjiZaMHmF_qQG6K3cRpGYHVXS7TUI9IIUZ5u5kX3p6GBw1ZhCUoxx1vTxoWuLCz2EJKwYTJutzq1cDJz/s1600/Marilyn+in+Travilla+HtMaM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleWBrBKTUsAgThPj4XUKceKKfN6KD94YF-VquJHLqjS31MZQK5ZH9AQOM3oDKQjiZaMHmF_qQG6K3cRpGYHVXS7TUI9IIUZ5u5kX3p6GBw1ZhCUoxx1vTxoWuLCz2EJKwYTJutzq1cDJz/s200/Marilyn+in+Travilla+HtMaM.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Marilyn in a classic Travilla gown<i></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By the time Darryl Zanuck conspired with Billy Wilder to adapt the Broadway adultery romp, <i>The Seven Year Itch</i>,<i> </i>to the screen for Marilyn in 1955, there was no longer any need to pair her with another actress or even an established leading man to bolster the film's box office appeal. Though it is minor Wilder, <i>The Seven Year Itch </i>is the film that certified Marilyn as a phenomenon. On Broadway, George Axelrod's play centered on the brief affair of a married man with his gorgeous neighbor while his family is away on vacation. Even though Hollywood's Production Code demanded that there be no adultery in the adultery comedy, the onscreen presence of Marilyn Monroe was enough to tantalize and satisfy a worldwide audience. The studio's enticing publicity campaign - it was all about Marilyn in a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2011-06-20-marilyn-monroe-dress-auction_n.htm" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">billowy white dress</a> - created a furor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For a while the sensitive but wily star was able to navigate Hollywood's treacherous rapids. She managed to use the scandal of nude calendar photos to her advantage; she explained away the revelation that she was not, technically, an orphan; and she weathered the outcry stirred by the public remarks of Joan Crawford who implied she was lewd and vulgar. But Marilyn could never cope with her performance anxiety.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Billy Wilder, ever outspoken and eminently quotable, quipped about his tribulations in working with Marilyn, "I had no problems with Monroe. It was Monroe who had problems with Monroe."</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWWTkOrRBxJXo6xDg45clzEQN29qrhtcCY8aODunwxBR3rnuYo8EXDsHw6QxdJQAoewcewJAovtFpT_1Ys604e_49EKg9a-6VHsBpov77FU7uvB3aJmH4VdxxAEf9tK09jzEh2FEvXCIj/s1600/Marilyn+sans+makeup+2.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/AVvXsEiQWWTkOrRBxJXo6xDg45clzEQN29qrhtcCY8aODunwxBR3rnuYo8EXDsHw6QxdJQAoewcewJAovtFpT_1Ys604e_49EKg9a-6VHsBpov77FU7uvB3aJmH4VdxxAEf9tK09jzEh2FEvXCIj/s320/Marilyn+sans+makeup+2.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marilyn <i>sans</i> makeup</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fritz Lang, who had directed her in <i>Clash by Night </i>(1952), remembered that she was "...scared as hell to come to the studio, always late, couldn't remember her lines..." And Howard Hawks noted, "The more important she became, the more frightened she became." Whitey Snyder, Marilyn's makeup artist from her Fox screen test to her funeral, thought her anxiety was connected to her appearance. He said that though she knew every makeup trick there was and used them to marvelous effect, "...it was all an illusion: in person, out of makeup, she was very pretty but in a plain way, and she knew it." It was more than that, though. Marilyn Monroe wasn't simply at the mercy of a fantastical physical image that required scrupulous upkeep. Her ever-shifting entourage included more than hair, makeup and massage professionals, she was also closely attended by personal confidants, studio advisors, talent agents, attorneys, psychotherapists, trophy husbands - and drama coaches.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Determined to be more than a pretty onscreen face with a voluptuous body, she took acting seriously. Teacher Natasha Lytess, employed by Fox at Marilyn's insistence, coached her even as the actress performed in front of the camera. Howard Hawks balked at this and successfully barred Lytess from the set of <i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i>. Billy Wilder referred to her as "that creature Lytess" but put up with her on <i>The Seven Year Itch</i>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By the mid-'50s, Marilyn was studying with "method" guru Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York. Julie Newmar, a member of the Studio at the time, remembered her performance of a scene from <i>Anna Christie</i> with Maureen Stapleton. She recalled that Marilyn's hand actually shook as she lifted a drink from the bar. In her view, Marilyn reflected precisely the essence of Strasberg's teachings - she had <i>become </i>Anna Christie. Of Lee Strasberg, Newmar mused that he favored three kinds of artists, "the highly gifted; the injured, tortured souls; and the beauty queens. He adored Marilyn." Soon Lytess was replaced as Marilyn's personal acting coach by Paula Strasberg, Lee's wife.</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_g26QKnkIcGsPgafHeu1xuLOAE6rO4AahyphenhyphenX6SbdMlM10QCHt92ElXBlVJvessDe-KZfucuR-c_sZ4VydO9bZKuvROyzQq0RTlVCcDh8gIYu_L-kyirlEVKtqtoeg5y-TnLbEZGX53VVl/s1600/marlon+and+marilyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_g26QKnkIcGsPgafHeu1xuLOAE6rO4AahyphenhyphenX6SbdMlM10QCHt92ElXBlVJvessDe-KZfucuR-c_sZ4VydO9bZKuvROyzQq0RTlVCcDh8gIYu_L-kyirlEVKtqtoeg5y-TnLbEZGX53VVl/s400/marlon+and+marilyn.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...with Brando promoting a 1955 Actors Studio benefit </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Billy Wilder happily agreed to tackle another project with Marilyn in 1959; her natural luminosity was "something extra, something special" that he believed </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">no one else could bring to the film. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He would struggle mightily with her on the comedy masterpiece <i>Some Like it Hot </i>and was critical of the effect method acting seemed to have had on her. Before she took up Strasberg's approach, he said, Marilyn came before the camera as if she were about to walk a tightrope over a pit. After adopting "the method" it seemed to him that she focused her full concentration on only the pit...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Over the years, perhaps in an attempt to deal with her terror of "the pit" and other personal woes, Marilyn became dependent on drugs - pills that lifted her up or calmed her down or put her to sleep - and alcohol. Her reputation for being unreliable and difficult grew to epic proportions. Those who worked on her later films reported that she sometimes appeared on the set as if in a daze and, during the filming of <i>Some Like it Hot</i>, screenwriter Izzy Diamond recalled that she sipped liquor from a thermos that ostensibly contained coffee.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kElKxgf2t0Owzpw9Au1ruoRdNTMRNE2qBRzcwdv44PELwFAREQBlDvjNyYtcCJ-zR7urWnGNTTKTyhkSmqwjLTw4WyP-d62M04SxExYW4wNqSfqhQSLUeXZkkqQfBUQxkfj1FTHIA0Z2/s1600/Marilyn+by+geo+barris.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/AVvXsEh7kElKxgf2t0Owzpw9Au1ruoRdNTMRNE2qBRzcwdv44PELwFAREQBlDvjNyYtcCJ-zR7urWnGNTTKTyhkSmqwjLTw4WyP-d62M04SxExYW4wNqSfqhQSLUeXZkkqQfBUQxkfj1FTHIA0Z2/s320/Marilyn+by+geo+barris.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo by George Barris</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">When Marilyn returned to Hollywood in 1960 after years of making her home in New York, she sought the care of Freudian analyst Ralph Greenson. The doctor, who treated her until her death, diagnosed her as "a borderline paranoid addictive personality." Norma Jeane Baker had endured a confusing and chaotic childhood, passed from home to home among friends and family - to an orphanage and back - until she was handed off in marriage at just 16.  Young Marilyn Monroe was also passed around - among the powerful men of Hollywood - during her years as an aspiring starlet. From a psychological standpoint, then, it's no surprise that her relationships were intense and volatile, her identity unstable, her emotions erratic and her actions impulsive. Greenson, who viewed her as a perennial orphan, discarded traditional therapeutic methods and took up a highly unorthodox approach in treating her. In a misguided attempt to "save" her, he welcomed Marilyn into his home and family and took on the role of "father" as well as therapist. He had set for himself an impossible task.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktWVTLVUR8lSJSTGgJVsU7zfoZk3JVUczEM84GWgxoa2uY4TKhD0oEcKfOQhicz-uv5vcA8rlAQppAJKXrta_OX_Q2g_7GGfGoj1ZAuVPvuwdGGviAMPfDfiPu8MKHPX8JEwZjWVfcfoI/s1600/MM+SGtG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktWVTLVUR8lSJSTGgJVsU7zfoZk3JVUczEM84GWgxoa2uY4TKhD0oEcKfOQhicz-uv5vcA8rlAQppAJKXrta_OX_Q2g_7GGfGoj1ZAuVPvuwdGGviAMPfDfiPu8MKHPX8JEwZjWVfcfoI/s320/MM+SGtG.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Something's Got to Give </i>(1962)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even at the peak of her popularity, Marilyn was considered risqué, a sex symbol, and was not taken seriously. Her film roles changed little over time and became, for her, a deadly repetition – the artless, often giddy showgirl, or ex-showgirl. Cherie in <i>Bus Stop </i>(1956), Elsie in <i>The Prince and the Showgirl </i>(1957), Sugar in <i>Some Like it Hot</i>,<i> </i>Amanda in <i>Let’s Make Love </i>(1960) and even Roslyn in <i>The Misfits</i> (1961) are variations on a type the actress wanted to break. With her final, unfinished film, George Cukor’s <i>Something’s Got to Give</i>, she was cast in a role that might have helped her broaden the "Marilyn Monroe" persona; Ellen Wagstaff Arden was beautiful but she was also married and the mother of two small children. Had she been able to finish the film, Marilyn might have gone on to romantic comedy roles <i>a la</i> Doris Day or Shirley MacLaine. It’s also possible she could have moved into mature dramatic roles as Ava Gardner, Lee Remick and others did. But this was not to be. Life as a cultural metaphor and brand-name commodity may simply have been too much for a woman already consumed by an array of insecurities. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">50 years ago Marilyn Monroe stepped out of the dream and into eternity. Her extravagant fulfillment of a childhood guardian’s fuzzy fantasies had taken her on a journey both harrowing and exhilarating, but her life would come to no fairytale ending. Only with death would come transcendence, and the mythical being she so carefully fashioned and brought to vibrant life lives on, unforgettable and bewitching.</span></div><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/AVvXsEiMd-0vYMqgVD9vKY0lSmts5kvGFIVl6tlP3tszTIc_jIa_DkhzkHOiafw1031zcuqyq4_yFEKW-ZmAL6gH57KU70VKdNkZEwPosqLlTCHOGbYWCzryhRNNgRRnw3z9TZQRmxCoPJHqV6p0/s1600/Marilyn+in+black+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMd-0vYMqgVD9vKY0lSmts5kvGFIVl6tlP3tszTIc_jIa_DkhzkHOiafw1031zcuqyq4_yFEKW-ZmAL6gH57KU70VKdNkZEwPosqLlTCHOGbYWCzryhRNNgRRnw3z9TZQRmxCoPJHqV6p0/s400/Marilyn+in+black+2.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo by Bert Stern</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>T</b><b>his post is my contribution to the Summer Under the Stars blogathon hosted by Jill of Sittin' on a Backyard Fence and Michael of ScribeHard on Film.</b></span><b> <a href="http://scribehardonfilm.wordpress.com/tag/2012-tcm-summer-under-the-stars-blogathon/" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">Click here</a> <span style="color: #0b5394;">to learn more...</span></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> ~</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Notes</u>:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Marilyn Monroe: The Biography </i>by Donald Spoto, Harper Collins (1993)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Marilyn Monroe</i> by Barbara Leaming, Crown (1998)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>On Sunset Blvd.: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder </i>by Ed Sikov, Hyperion (1998)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis </i>by David Wills and Stephen Schmidt, It Books (2011)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Dropped Names </i>by Frank Langella, Harper (2012) </span></div></div>

Billy Wilder Gentlemen Prefer Blondes How to Marry a Millionaire Howard Hawks Marilyn Monroe Summer Under the Stars TCM The Lady Eve (author) The Seven Year Itch Marilyn Monroe: Out of a Dream

photo by Jack Cardiff One chilly winter morning in 1953, a 15-year-old boy took a bus from his home in New Jersey to New York City in search...

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