News for today's 2018

Sherpaa - blog

6:24 AM Tukiyooo 0

Sherpaa - blog

Sherpaa was founded by Dr. Jay Parkinson and Cheryl Swirnow when the need of a real change in healthcare became all too evident. Though so m...

I Am Stuck in the Middle of a More Ass

6:20 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgxOM-8_T3XRLrSHKcE0iH_ISBsX2HhiHtgbHvmmfeyRvIWz9PAFDxvtQ8DIr8hZN-l3SEVbq9vJp1czIp4fZYe7YnU1U2UPevqnGCun3JN-DUtNLbU5gQJ5SVsnTfUCj41rSySVilU4/s1600/Mark+Sanford+South+Carolina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgxOM-8_T3XRLrSHKcE0iH_ISBsX2HhiHtgbHvmmfeyRvIWz9PAFDxvtQ8DIr8hZN-l3SEVbq9vJp1czIp4fZYe7YnU1U2UPevqnGCun3JN-DUtNLbU5gQJ5SVsnTfUCj41rSySVilU4/s400/Mark+Sanford+South+Carolina.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Cheers, Suck It, and Go to Hell you Rotten Bastards!!<br /><br />Ha!!  Take that!!<br /><br />How did it feel reading that as you opened up this page?  It didn’t shock you.  Move you.  Or anger you at all, did it?<br /><br />I didn’t think so.  And that my friends, has become a problem for me.  The last couple of days my posts have been late because well…I can’t think of anything to write about in a way that would elicit disturbed laughter and/or true outrage in people.<br /><br />You know why?<br /><br />I believe we Americans have become mental and emotional zombies, and that is making things difficult for guy like me who dabbles in the art of clever and sophisticated shock prose which we call satire.<br /><br />Some of my malaise and lack of literary fire can be blamed on the weather.  For the past three months here in Ohio, we have had what seems like a mere four days of sunshine.  Seasonal Affective Disorder?  Oh yeah, there’s something to that.  However…<br /><br />Much of the problem lies with our state of society and culture.  For instance…<br /><br />Perhaps I could write an uproariously hilarious satirical piece about a conservative Governor in a conservative southern state who bolts from his duties, skips town, skips out on his wife, and hikes to Argentina in order to have sex with a hot babe in Buenos Aires.  Ha, Ha, and then, and then people dig it…Hee Hee…<br /><br />A couple of years later this same wacky, adulterous Governor who left office in shame and disgrace runs in a special election to become the U.S. Rep. from South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District and garners more votes than any other Republican.  Ha…that would make a great piece of satire.  Well, it would have, however…<br /><br />Last night?  Real life beat me to the punch line when Mark Sanford far outdistanced his Republican opponents in the aforementioned special election.  Thanks a lot South Carolinians!!  Fucking Gamecocks…<br /><br />Or…or…yeah here we go…I could write a scathing, biting, and jocular piece of satire about the GOP, the party of moral superiority and fiscal frugality hosting a conference and two of the headliners are a half term Governor/reality TV star who gives birth to out of wedlock baby makers and a thrice bankrupted reality TV host.  Ha!!  That has possibilities maybe I’ll----<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ6JNINSnRP76sgWv-TLJ9pT4IM0_oyg4eyNmtYSqTy29HPgnvGKE_2rpzHZoccSbc01Z4ST_QlS0EbtkWS9EQJpaP13z1pghlCGd2L3T2Otl6pUhFpLEbP8d9ZTwu60WOnA07JskSdI/s1600/Sarah+Palin+Hot+Clevage+Naked+Sexy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ6JNINSnRP76sgWv-TLJ9pT4IM0_oyg4eyNmtYSqTy29HPgnvGKE_2rpzHZoccSbc01Z4ST_QlS0EbtkWS9EQJpaP13z1pghlCGd2L3T2Otl6pUhFpLEbP8d9ZTwu60WOnA07JskSdI/s320/Sarah+Palin+Hot+Clevage+Naked+Sexy.jpg" width="320" /></a>Wait…What?  That happened at C-Pac last week?  What the fuck?  See what I mean?  I guess one can no longer say, “Art, or in this case satire, imitates life.”, because life IS satire these days.  One big, satirical string of events after another.<br /><br />How can I compete with life when life and actual events have become their own laugh factory to the point where the wacky and edgy are no longer wacky nor edgy?<br /><br />Jay and I often joke about how politicians, pundits, and various people are quick to pop themselves in front of TV camera in order to feign outrage over the latest non-crisis or comment they had recently heard.  I think Jay and I have stumbled upon something that has happened in and to this country.<br /><br />The reason that these folks feign outrage is because they have to fake it, because no one is any longer actually outraged…about anything!!  Anything that matters that is.<br /><br />Oy…The last time I managed to actually outrage anyone through my satire was ayear and a half ago when I wrote about the “true reason” that <span style="color: blue;"><i><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2011/07/anders-behring-breivik-super-trouper.html"><span style="color: blue;">Anders Behring Breivik</span></a> </i></span>went on a rampage and killed a smelt tin full of Norwegians.  Oh Baby!!<br /><br />We had a more than a hand full of pissed off Norwegians (and Dutch people for some reason) more than a little ticked off at IWS.<br /><br />But man…that was, as I said, a long, long time ago.  So I figure I have two options as to how to once again make an impression and elicit emotion through my writing.<br /><br />I could one, step up my game.  Get better at it, be more creative, or number two…<br /><br />Move to Norway.  Hmmmmmmmmm?<br /><br />I think I’ll opt for option one because as I mentioned earlier…I get bummed out during the drudgery and dreariness of an Ohio winter; I bet I would become downright suicidal trying to live through a winter in Oslo.<br /><br /><i>Cheers!!</i><br /><i>Matt-Man</i><br /><br /><a href="mailto:mattmaniws@ymail.com">mattmaniws@ymail.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS">@mattman_iws</a>  </div>

I Am Stuck in the Middle of a More Ass

Cheers, Suck It, and Go to Hell you Rotten Bastards!! Ha!! Take that!! How did it feel reading that as you opened up this page? It didn’t ...

Jay Parkinson, The Doctor Is in (Well, Logged in) - NYTimes.com

6:18 AM Tukiyooo 0

Surfing the Web in his all-white Dumbo loft, Dr. Jay Parkinson, 37, looks like any other young tech visionary. He has a trim beard and thick-framed glasses. He wears slim-fitting black outfits and jaunty scarves. He speaks with a measured, "This American Life"-like cadence. And he's a firm believer in the utopian promise of the Internet.<br /><br><br /><br>But Dr. Parkinson's start-up isn't a new app or social network. He is a founder of Sherpaa, a Web site that operates like a virtual doctor's office, examining patients by e-mail and text message.<br /><br><br /><br>"We're using the Internet to reinvent health care," Dr. Parkinson said proudly, seated next to a Ping-Pong table and a shaggy goldendoodle.<br /><br><br /><br>Have a mysterious rash? Send a photo of it to Sherpaa, reply to a few e-mails (Are you sure it's not a bruise? Do you have bed bugs?), and proceed to the nearest Duane Reade to pick up your prescription.<br /><br><br /><br>This may seem like health care for the "OMG, I'm sick :( " generation, but clients include high-tech players in New York like Tumblr, Skillshare, General Assembly and Hard Candy Shell. "We're tech-savvy doctors," he said, "for tech-savvy patients."<br /><br><br /><br>In fact, Dr. Parkinson is perhaps the most prominent of the city's 2.0 doctors, who are rethinking the health care model along 21st-century lines.<br /><br><br /><br>In 2007, after graduating from Penn State College of Medicine, and completing a residency in pediatrics at St. Vincent's Manhattan Hospital in Greenwich Village, and another in preventive medicine at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, he did what every young roustabout did at the time: he moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn.<br /><br><br /><br>Dr. Parkinson rented a ground-floor apartment on North Ninth Street, and spent his nights at Hotel Delmano and the Brooklyn Ale House and his days caffeinating at Atlas Cafe. He was adrift.<br /><br><br /><br>"I knew I didn't want to join a private practice," he said. "I'd be the low man on the totem poll, get paid poorly and not be in control of my hours."<br /><br><br /><br>Instead, he started a self-titled blog on which he wrote about health issues relevant to the L train crowd, like the dangers of cocaine and the wonder of Thom Yorke's left eye ptosis. He also started a Tumblr page, which included a flattering photo of himself standing underneath the Williamsburg Bridge with a stethoscope.<br /><br><br /><br>Rather than set up a standard practice — an office with, say, back issues of Vice magazine and a surly tattooed receptionist to schedule appointments — he invited patients to contact him directly through instant message and e-mail. "We can figure out if I need to come to your work, your home or meet somewhere else in the city," he wrote on the site. "We can even meet in the park or a coffee shop."<br /><br><br /><br>The concept seemed so trendy that Gawker mocked Dr. Parkinson in a post entitled, "Williamsburg's Hipster Doctor Will Diagnose You Via IM." The article went viral. "When I read that," he recalled, "I thought my career was over. But after it came out, I had seven million visitors on my site that month. I was offered both a book deal and a movie deal. 'The Tyra Banks Show' called. They wanted me as their Dr. Oz."<br /><br><br /><br>(Full disclosure: I was an editor at Gawker at the time but did not write the post in question.)<br /><br><br /><br>Dr. Parkinson turned down the various offers, but he rode the wave of popularity. He started a design consultancy called the Future Well. He also stopped seeing patients and let his license to practice medicine lapse. "Seeing patients is stressful for me," Dr. Parkinson said. Instead, he networked.<br /><br><br /><br>He held parties, cocktail mixers and backyard barbecues that attracted Web luminaries like David Karp, founder of Tumblr; Chris Hughes, a founder of Facebook and current publisher of The New Republic; and Jakob Lodwick, a founder of Vimeo. "The Internet crowd really latched on to my practice," Dr. Parkinson said.<br /><br><br /><br>Instead of making house calls to ailing freelancers, Dr. Parkinson was now hobnobbing with their bosses. His new start-up, he decided, would work exclusively with companies.<br /><br><br /><br>Started in 2012, Sherpaa now has eight employees, including two primary-care physicians, and counts 500 customers from 30 companies. Sherpaa's network includes 100 specialists to whom it refers clients.<br /><br><br /><br>More than offering 24/7 service, Sherpaa's main selling point to employers is cost. By moving away from a reliance on traditional primary-care physicians and emergency room visits, Sherpaa claims that it can save companies up to $4,000 a year for each employee. (It charges $50 a month for each employee.)<br /><br><br /><br>Dr. Parkinson still holds mixers for hepcat medical professionals. At a recent barbecue, he served sausages from the Meat Hook and whisky cheese from the Bedford Cheese Shop at the apartment he now shares with his girlfriend, Paige Ferrari, 30, a producer for "Doomsday Preppers." The décor is classic Bedford Avenue contemporary: a pair of suspenders hang from a lamp; a stuffed javelina is mounted above the bed.<br /><br><br /><br>Sitting under a vintage World War II Red Cross flag, guests discussed the health issues of the day like the "quarter-life crisis" among 20-somethings and "hipster belly," a result of too much pulled pork and too few pull-ups.<br /><br><br /><br>"Part of being a 20-year-old is doing stupid things," said Dr. Parkinson, spearing a bratwurst. "And part of being a 30-year-old is realizing you can't have this sexy body doing the same thing forever."<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/fashion/jay-parkinson-the-doctor-is-in-well-logged-in.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/fashion/jay-parkinson-the-doctor-is-in-well-logged-in.html</a>?

Jay Parkinson, The Doctor Is in (Well, Logged in) - NYTimes.com

Surfing the Web in his all-white Dumbo loft, Dr. Jay Parkinson, 37, looks like any other young tech visionary. He has a trim beard and thick...

Giddy Up And Go Granola Review

5:38 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9obidGqwGXo/UUmomUl6VcI/AAAAAAAAG5o/Z6ot70XF_6U/s1600/giddy+up+and+go+granola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9obidGqwGXo/UUmomUl6VcI/AAAAAAAAG5o/Z6ot70XF_6U/s320/giddy+up+and+go+granola.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday morning there was a knock on the door and this lovely package of granola was delivered by the Fed Ex guy! Just love when they arrive at the door, you know it's something great!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was sent some of Thoughtful Food's <a href="http://thoughtfulfood.net/Giddy-Up---Go-Granola.html">Giddy Up and Go Granola</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am in love with granola, you can add it to just about anything!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love adding them into parfaits for a healthy and delicious breakfast to get me up and going each morning.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can even put it on fruit, ice cream, heck you can even eat it right out of the bag it's so good!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love everything about this product from their name to the little bow tied right on the bags of granola.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With a product like this you can tell that a lot of thought was put into it.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thoughtful Food line was set out on a mission to serve up some good foods that were healthy, all natural and clean.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Facts:</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gluten Free</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dairy Free</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vegan </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No GMOs</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also Great For Diabetics</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The flavors I was sent for my review was Seriously Seedy and Notoriously Nutty.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I couldn't wait to try it because I love granola and being organic this just sounded and looked a whole lot healthier and better for me, besides I love all of the ingredients in it.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every granola that I've tried has been different ranging from fruity to chocolaty.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXImuSd8IFQ/UUmtfhCWRKI/AAAAAAAAG54/ePb0ChUBnco/s1600/giddy+up+and+go+yogurt+bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXImuSd8IFQ/UUmtfhCWRKI/AAAAAAAAG54/ePb0ChUBnco/s320/giddy+up+and+go+yogurt+bowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This morning I grabbed my bowl and measured out my yogurt then tore the bag of granola open and nibbled on a piece, wow amazing!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I noticed that it was more chewy and soft rather than hard and crunchy like other granola's, but I loved it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I sprinkled some on my yogurt and added blueberries.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then dug right in.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Great flavor of the raisins and the clusters and worked great with my yogurt!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Couldn't believe at how great this tasted!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seriously Seedy:</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dftdp2jd9ek/UVT0K6_6DAI/AAAAAAAAHVc/WP3CVul_KLw/s1600/giddy+up+and+go+granola+seriously+seedy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dftdp2jd9ek/UVT0K6_6DAI/AAAAAAAAHVc/WP3CVul_KLw/s320/giddy+up+and+go+granola+seriously+seedy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am in absolute love with this kind of granola as well from Giddy Up!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tastes great and it didn't taste much different from the Notoriously Nutty one.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sweet, delicious and worked perfect in you guessed it, yogurt!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I added a bit of orange cranberries and the flavors altogether were amazing!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Website </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://thoughtfulfood.net/index.html">http://thoughtfulfood.net/index.html</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like them on Face Book</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/giddyupgranola?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/giddyupgranola?fref=ts</a></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Due to FCC guidelines:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thoughtful Foods sent me bags of their granola in exchange for a product review. All the opinions expressed are my own.</span></div></div>

Giddy Up And Go Granola Review

Yesterday morning there was a knock on the door and this lovely package of granola was delivered by the Fed Ex guy! Just love when they arri...

How to Clean Toenails

5:22 AM Tukiyooo 0

Having being blessed with really rough wide and dry flat feet, it has always been a challenge for me to keep my feet and toe nails looking bright and sprightly. Here are some useful tips I have gathered on how to keep toenails clean. There is a secret recipe - it is just not cleanse, file and polish.<br /><b><br /></b><b>Step # 1</b>  - Keep the following tools ready at hand. Nail file, cleanser, toenail clipper (optional), nail polish, footfile or pumice stone, nail polish and finally <b><i>a tooth brush and tooth paste</i></b><br /><br /><b>Step # 2</b> - Soak feet in warm water with salt<br /><br /><b>Step # 3</b> - Go through the usual process of drying and filing away the dead skin with the pumice stoce or the foot file<br /><br /><b>Step # 4</b> - Cleanse the toe nails with a nail polish remover and cleanser<br /><br /><b>Step # 5</b> - File the toe nails using a nail file or emory board<br /><br /><b>Step # 6</b> - Clip the dead skin and the ingrown nails. Be careful not to break the skin. It is better to file away the ingrown nails than clip it if you are likely to hurt yourself.<br /><br /><b>Step # 7</b> - Soak the feet again to remove the dead skin and soften the skin <br /><br /><b>Step # 8</b> - Dry feet<br /><br /><b>Step # 9</b> - The most important step in cleaning toenails and it works! Apply some toothpaste to your toothbrush. Brush your toe nails as you would your teeth. Brush the skin around the toes. Reappy paste and brush the feet, sole and all.<br /><br /><b>Step # 10</b> - Rub the pumice stone on your feet and around your toes to make the paste more effective<br /><br /><b>Step # 11 </b>- Clean feet and apply moisturiser<br /><br /><b>Step # 12</b> - Lo - your feet and toe nails are bright and shiny - and clean. Apply polish as you wish.<br /><br />Most of these are normal procedure for cleaning our toenails and pedicure. The abrasive ingredient in toothpaste that cleans teeth and the freshener that keeps our mouth fresh - works equally well for our toes. So do it and tell me the results.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Having being blessed with really rough wide and dry flat feet, it has always been a challenge for me to keep my feet and toe nails looking b...

Doctors Urge F.D.A. to Restrict Caffeine in Energy Drinks - NYTimes.com

4:19 AM Tukiyooo 0

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><nyt_text style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div id="articleBody"><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">A group of 18 doctors, researchers and public health experts jointly urged the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/f/food_and_drug_administration/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about the U.S. Food And Drug Administration." class="meta-org" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">Food and Drug Administration</a> on Tuesday to take action on <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/energy_drinks/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="More articles about energy drinks." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">energy drinks</a> to protect adolescents and children from the possible risks of consuming high amounts of caffeine.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"There is evidence in the published scientific literature that the caffeine levels in energy drinks pose serious potential health risks," the doctors and researchers wrote.<a title="The letter [PDF]." href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/BestofScienceLetter_v22.pdf" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">In their letter </a>to Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, the F.D.A. commissioner, the group argued that energy drink makers had failed to meet the regulatory burden placed on them to show that the ingredients used in their beverages were safe, specifically where children, adolescents and young adults are concerned. As a result, the group urged the F.D.A. to restrict caffeine content in the products and to require manufacturers to include caffeine content on product labels.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; "><a title="Related article. " href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/business/safety-of-monster-energy-drinks-questioned.html" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">A similar letter was sent</a> to the agency by the San Francisco city attorney, Dennis J. Herrera, who is one of several public officials conducting investigations of the energy-drink industry.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Energy drink makers have insisted their products are safe and that their levels of caffeine, a stimulant, are on a par with other widely consumed drinks, like coffee.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The F.D.A. has said that it is safe for adults to consume about 400 milligrams of caffeine daily, though many experts say that most adults can consume 600 milligrams or more of caffeine without ill effect. A 16-ounce cup of Starbucks coffee has about 330 milligrams of caffeine, an amount about twice that of some similarly sized energy drinks.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Less is known about the safe level of caffeine for a young teenager, experts say, apart from the fact that it is considered to be lower than for an adult. In their letter Tuesday to Dr. Hamburg, the group of researchers and scientists also pointed out that makers of energy drinks aggressively marketed their products to young teenagers and urged them to consume the drinks quickly.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">In recent years, the number of reported emergency-room visits in which an energy drink was cited as the primary cause of a health problem, or a contributing factor, has grown sharply. In 2011, there were 20,783 such visits, compared with 10,068 in 2007. Problems typically linked to excessive caffeine consumption can include anxiety, headaches, irregular heartbeats and heart attacks.</p><nyt_correction_bottom><div class="articleCorrection" style="margin-bottom: 2.8em; "></div></nyt_correction_bottom><nyt_update_bottom></nyt_update_bottom></div></nyt_text><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important; float: none; "></span></div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/business/doctors-urge-fda-to-restrict-caffeine-in-energy-drinks.html?&pagewanted=print">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/business/doctors-urge-fda-to-restrict-caffeine-in-energy-drinks.html?&pagewanted=print</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "> </div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; ">Related:</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/business/in-a-new-aisle-energy-drinks-sidestep-rules.html?">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/business/in-a-new-aisle-energy-drinks-sidestep-rules.html?</a></div>

Doctors Urge F.D.A. to Restrict Caffeine in Energy Drinks - NYTimes.com

A group of 18 doctors, researchers and public health experts jointly urged the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to take action on ...

one room challenge - the reveal

2:30 AM Anonymous 0

The big day has finally arrived - reveal day! Six weeks, 20 bloggers and one room later, my girls' have a new bedroom and I have a new manicure coming my way (catch up on weeks <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/p/one-room-challenge.html" target="_blank">1-6 of work on the ORC here</a>).<br /><br />So in the words of Jennifer Grey in Ferris Bueller, 'let's not ruin this with a lot of talk.' Let's get right to the good stuff.<br /><br />If you follow me on <a href="http://instagram.com/littleblackdoor" target="_blank">instagram</a>, then you've been getting little sneak peeks for the past few days. Here is where we started.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifI9en5KRMrQ_65mku19hpwXhQO4lblfKo_Iq44yFCYTSv1G1C4xPV4wCwdXcU1oalj48YwY8Oj_0XNz1F-nB_g0_e3fmqNYMwGrEhjOsek9GDc05kiO4J5MdZ26YXltxSSykeBNoNyGGz/s1600/LittleBlackDoorGirlsRoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifI9en5KRMrQ_65mku19hpwXhQO4lblfKo_Iq44yFCYTSv1G1C4xPV4wCwdXcU1oalj48YwY8Oj_0XNz1F-nB_g0_e3fmqNYMwGrEhjOsek9GDc05kiO4J5MdZ26YXltxSSykeBNoNyGGz/s640/LittleBlackDoorGirlsRoom.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />And six weeks later, here is where we are today.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPyL3h8VgpbBCYMdfJDHt8EiZXDNckVp6ItxandXPsqcZCqQp-T_Xqg8uDSlBmHoDucsoUyzXOAX1HaI0OMZG2ylWLOEbGpKJRsvseKc1vXBgYGXZRE35_vPTuRlYZI1HEvWLVVFpIM2Z/s1600/GirlsRoomWideShot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPyL3h8VgpbBCYMdfJDHt8EiZXDNckVp6ItxandXPsqcZCqQp-T_Xqg8uDSlBmHoDucsoUyzXOAX1HaI0OMZG2ylWLOEbGpKJRsvseKc1vXBgYGXZRE35_vPTuRlYZI1HEvWLVVFpIM2Z/s640/GirlsRoomWideShot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYsraRVvxPHUDGR0wQcOOdsivB0QGSrN32KwQzmvpii5MWuP0bzwcwO-l4ROaj7jeDHgKIY6kBbPG0RjYqJ8HPrdaRJAJJnVc_PwwpvEcYfP2pcL_Dlqwk_Fixz4-9yphJngEFaukM0hJ/s1600/GirlsBedsideTable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYsraRVvxPHUDGR0wQcOOdsivB0QGSrN32KwQzmvpii5MWuP0bzwcwO-l4ROaj7jeDHgKIY6kBbPG0RjYqJ8HPrdaRJAJJnVc_PwwpvEcYfP2pcL_Dlqwk_Fixz4-9yphJngEFaukM0hJ/s640/GirlsBedsideTable.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCu5D2QEaX6jeJHrTZsMwTOdFvtFYJvIbmKWLaCXRUJ3KtAoFKz3TJIWBhAYTnIu827Cc8jcAYm-pBtpK_L9tN3HQr_xD1an7EVSnOSGT1TDGCtGI-mFiPrWgWRkB36twp3ruMN4oAL6zq/s1600/LampShadeCloseUp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCu5D2QEaX6jeJHrTZsMwTOdFvtFYJvIbmKWLaCXRUJ3KtAoFKz3TJIWBhAYTnIu827Cc8jcAYm-pBtpK_L9tN3HQr_xD1an7EVSnOSGT1TDGCtGI-mFiPrWgWRkB36twp3ruMN4oAL6zq/s640/LampShadeCloseUp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyoN96KNlOWQ8bUDSoxcMiyzaLERo8PB8ULEfgTuxP6naeaBs6dh7mMj6qEMkOPDs7X91SWU0S1kJoqpgTj3YU3azV3By8H_AtnEJ5_iw42iXQywUCDWLCQUdggQLLWzV4qUKDbldUUkB/s1600/EveBed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyoN96KNlOWQ8bUDSoxcMiyzaLERo8PB8ULEfgTuxP6naeaBs6dh7mMj6qEMkOPDs7X91SWU0S1kJoqpgTj3YU3azV3By8H_AtnEJ5_iw42iXQywUCDWLCQUdggQLLWzV4qUKDbldUUkB/s640/EveBed.jpg" width="510" /></a></div><br />Learn more about the <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/03/one-room-challenge-week-6.html" target="_blank">silhouettes here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduDvZ0WOy7f_R5qIXoZHaqN2uUrVZDKHJh594XwJmjMqDmT-uB2WyZYXKClRG-3HMtY9S_XZ-iPmecD-xJlQaMMYTciyxCJse6vXEmb96e84ArrTdj53BJ7ye4eIwiFQh2jiE3m7n562g/s1600/ExpeditBookcase2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduDvZ0WOy7f_R5qIXoZHaqN2uUrVZDKHJh594XwJmjMqDmT-uB2WyZYXKClRG-3HMtY9S_XZ-iPmecD-xJlQaMMYTciyxCJse6vXEmb96e84ArrTdj53BJ7ye4eIwiFQh2jiE3m7n562g/s640/ExpeditBookcase2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uRilstuLbFjIX6C-uIWvzfhhy8xOkfbjkolcIFCbN-rS5S6JnyhPtNOniP7jYuqZxSp-2BdbohM4-66PC_5Q8c0xgRTSuVAKUHuGoRv-650Nsk-Lz6sn3C9CbrHEPOLmjmXuoOKWw2Mz/s1600/Details.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uRilstuLbFjIX6C-uIWvzfhhy8xOkfbjkolcIFCbN-rS5S6JnyhPtNOniP7jYuqZxSp-2BdbohM4-66PC_5Q8c0xgRTSuVAKUHuGoRv-650Nsk-Lz6sn3C9CbrHEPOLmjmXuoOKWw2Mz/s640/Details.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXFN-cNFEwfZcIyVnFVDL-KtQ-iX_HETyH48iGLMgUKusaV9yifaQgG5Ovml8lZL70XOMyz_kKSIt_qQ6eQ8iLshN8BYDvyaxZV_6OwT5_UlD4jRYRled_X0Vn5ChOq_-L-CfWbC48IDm/s1600/LoveYouForever2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXFN-cNFEwfZcIyVnFVDL-KtQ-iX_HETyH48iGLMgUKusaV9yifaQgG5Ovml8lZL70XOMyz_kKSIt_qQ6eQ8iLshN8BYDvyaxZV_6OwT5_UlD4jRYRled_X0Vn5ChOq_-L-CfWbC48IDm/s640/LoveYouForever2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Learn more about the <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/02/pom-pom-heart-art.html" target="_blank">heart artwork here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3MpSYrI7-_RoiKoMD3n2_olHlHL_xIDgz8cLo6f0A6otcl66d7PATsVF7v0YnRJmY4r9A9DJMmN2lDfegeMMcvbxnT0mbCDLLDq57x8ULAGu6VLQAQgfn_EfbAJHiGCIHnM9ujHBzb81/s1600/gallerwall5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3MpSYrI7-_RoiKoMD3n2_olHlHL_xIDgz8cLo6f0A6otcl66d7PATsVF7v0YnRJmY4r9A9DJMmN2lDfegeMMcvbxnT0mbCDLLDq57x8ULAGu6VLQAQgfn_EfbAJHiGCIHnM9ujHBzb81/s640/gallerwall5.jpg" width="592" /></a></div><br />Watercolor by <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MaiAutumn" target="_blank">Mai Autumn</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIUaJeBdCdWUf5DIZEZYoU2AUuES13OJlcu95XmR6RwozjMHfzDrMv2KHeX5XxiYYZBPoTZbjijyX6lx5U_yubD9qojeuPfYJfERWpJtcMtgeEiN7lu2rLusUZfP8j-OMTyAg-AxkkhmE/s1600/GirlsRoomSide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIUaJeBdCdWUf5DIZEZYoU2AUuES13OJlcu95XmR6RwozjMHfzDrMv2KHeX5XxiYYZBPoTZbjijyX6lx5U_yubD9qojeuPfYJfERWpJtcMtgeEiN7lu2rLusUZfP8j-OMTyAg-AxkkhmE/s640/GirlsRoomSide.jpg" width="626" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7y64lntS3LMj7V3CB9TSYNHjUDYJVYTIHgphXbaqwhmKjwuje-Jny5wcSZm93qx5s9J9uDgdTvPbSbSLmR1fslvAIaXFDOtR_NPwauuwun74i2zBCMQ_RHKnjyLge5_aih7kAuNICRTOs/s1600/vanity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7y64lntS3LMj7V3CB9TSYNHjUDYJVYTIHgphXbaqwhmKjwuje-Jny5wcSZm93qx5s9J9uDgdTvPbSbSLmR1fslvAIaXFDOtR_NPwauuwun74i2zBCMQ_RHKnjyLge5_aih7kAuNICRTOs/s640/vanity.jpg" width="590" /></a></div><br />Learn more about the <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/03/one-room-challenge-week-5.html" target="_blank">vanity here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDGo1kUOJ3ODVM8vtN8QaIYFEucUh5BkuRTaZAuunUD9ecLU4E11G7WCKTvJ8GiFTLy1LViEomSerwZ3fh4QegNsfbm8t9yBd-IT1Jj-Z26u3D76NedzLZZrCV6c3bzsZSMNOw_SvTJGd/s1600/VanityDetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDGo1kUOJ3ODVM8vtN8QaIYFEucUh5BkuRTaZAuunUD9ecLU4E11G7WCKTvJ8GiFTLy1LViEomSerwZ3fh4QegNsfbm8t9yBd-IT1Jj-Z26u3D76NedzLZZrCV6c3bzsZSMNOw_SvTJGd/s640/VanityDetail.jpg" width="586" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS8M_FXhcGynNWgiCHPZnMEnx5hvOq8KooT9cEjBA1JXf1kUXRDfwmoSHpRQABJrkxr_R-Stwz4ZyCTW2GOUZ37wU6DjTis99kH8Oj-C8sxugdsVtxvIMfIOYXAE5EB9L82gr_TTPaJ1l/s1600/BedsideTable2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS8M_FXhcGynNWgiCHPZnMEnx5hvOq8KooT9cEjBA1JXf1kUXRDfwmoSHpRQABJrkxr_R-Stwz4ZyCTW2GOUZ37wU6DjTis99kH8Oj-C8sxugdsVtxvIMfIOYXAE5EB9L82gr_TTPaJ1l/s640/BedsideTable2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Learn more about the <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/03/high-gloss-dresser-tutorial.html" target="_blank">dresser here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDV_XKpJdnH66YS_clAHZ2VYx8E2BIv94wfHGdbzn1u56kjxLjmp4GD-i7V7FMRgCk54-Zj5CXVaIqPdNdGeviNOFlPdusMwiohiJoMqoOMylWasqV9WNJdahD1XSZqPCxnd-eeuvdjpc/s1600/GirlsBed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDV_XKpJdnH66YS_clAHZ2VYx8E2BIv94wfHGdbzn1u56kjxLjmp4GD-i7V7FMRgCk54-Zj5CXVaIqPdNdGeviNOFlPdusMwiohiJoMqoOMylWasqV9WNJdahD1XSZqPCxnd-eeuvdjpc/s640/GirlsBed.jpg" width="440" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLV8aSyPtClC1kq3CDVLosoR5PJ7NyklRV7XwM6qGHTsQGJilOaIsjHrhhlCzJ_wTa6i1FNZGMyc8sHZb3KVn7lkY1YyKxMEX6eDGnp3-ueYaE0YUXaxGXbFT-_gPpz7zZkcz8aecNDRC/s1600/GirlsRoomGalleryWaLL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLV8aSyPtClC1kq3CDVLosoR5PJ7NyklRV7XwM6qGHTsQGJilOaIsjHrhhlCzJ_wTa6i1FNZGMyc8sHZb3KVn7lkY1YyKxMEX6eDGnp3-ueYaE0YUXaxGXbFT-_gPpz7zZkcz8aecNDRC/s640/GirlsRoomGalleryWaLL.jpg" width="632" /></a></div><br />And with that I am spent. Happy but spent.<br /><br />I want to thank all of you for following along and for your encouraging comments and support. I accept this Oscar on behalf of all the....oh wait, that's a different speech.<br /><br /><div>If you are new, please come back often as this project has actually triggered several others through out the house (I'm sick, I know). And for you regulars, big hugs and kisses to you.</div><br />And a big thanks to my friend <a href="http://www.callingithome.com/" target="_blank">Linda</a> for including me. My first two cocktails tonight will be in your honor my dear.<br /><br />Make sure to check out my fellow ORC ladies to see their beautiful spaces as well. It's like Christmas morning I tell ya.<br /><br />Now about that cocktail...<br /><br /><div style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://chattafabulous.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Chattafabulous</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com/2013/03/one-room-challenge-reveal-surprise.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Chinoiserie Chic</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.classiccasualhome.com/2013/03/orc-finale-blue-white-guest-room.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Classic Casual Home </span></span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://laurenleonardinteriors.com/blog/one-room-challenge-reveal-part-i/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">the Cottage Mix</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cottageandvine.blogspot.com/2013/03/one-room-challenge-reveal.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Cottage & Vine</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://designindulgence.blogspot.com/2013/03/one-room-challenge-final-reveal.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Design Indulgence</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.designmanifest.com/inspiration/one-room-challenge-finale-master-bedroom-reveal/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Design Manifest </span></span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://everythingleb.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Everything LEB</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.markovadesign.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Hodge Podge</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://kimmacumberinteriors.blogspot.com/2013/03/orc-reveal.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Kim Macumber Interiors</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little Black Door</span></span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mattersofstyleblog.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Matters of Style</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.callingithome.com/2013/03/one-room-challengethe-finale.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calling it Home</span></span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://scottdesigns.ca/blog/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Nicole Scott Designs</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://blog.pacificfamilyhomes.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Pacific Family Homes</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.pawleysislandposh.blogspot.com/2013/03/one-room-challenge.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Pawleys Island Posh</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thepeakoftreschic.com/2013/03/the-one-room-challenge-reveal.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">the Peak of Tres Chic</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://blog.thepinkpagoda.us/2013/03/one-week-challenge-final-week.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">the Pink Pagoda</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.powellbrower.com/2013/03/3rd-challenge-downthe-reveal.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Powell Brower Home</span></a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23.7pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://simpledetailsblog.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #365f91;">Simple Details</span></a> </span></span><br /><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sharing on</span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicu_8PMqBR94CfvcDcBHfZUx6mOBjAT_h2wnKsWDgMYEjeYoscgUZiZpu9bvDkmsCNlOxVKlTF8ge-W_z0VLzS_kgI1qrGZMe-MzHiwDHKa77_vPUO2bxaeb9nBt1TlMNDrLdOmbJTEqAe/s1600/EmilyAClark+button_thumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicu_8PMqBR94CfvcDcBHfZUx6mOBjAT_h2wnKsWDgMYEjeYoscgUZiZpu9bvDkmsCNlOxVKlTF8ge-W_z0VLzS_kgI1qrGZMe-MzHiwDHKa77_vPUO2bxaeb9nBt1TlMNDrLdOmbJTEqAe/s1600/EmilyAClark+button_thumb.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/2013/07/kids-spaces-link-up-500-pottery-barn.html" target="_blank">Emily Clark's Kid's Spaces Link Up</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #365f91; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div></div>

one room challenge - the reveal

The big day has finally arrived - reveal day! Six weeks, 20 bloggers and one room later, my girls' have a new bedroom and I have a new m...

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 03/20/2013

2:30 AM Tukiyooo 0

<ul class="diigo-linkroll">      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://social.razoo.com/2012/07/seven-image-editing-tools-to-create-awesome-visual-content/">7 Image Editing Tools to Create Awesome Visual Content | Inspiring Generosity</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">Some more interesting ways to edit pictures online.</p>              <p class="diigo-tags">          <span>tags:</span>                      <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a>            <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/photography">photography</a></p>                                        </li>      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://www.pimp-my-profile.com">Facebook Covers | Myspace Layouts | Twitter Backgrounds | Blogger Templates | Layouts for hi5, YouTube, Friendster - Pimp-My-Profile.com - Pimp-My-Profile.com</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">This is an interesting website with cover generators and other tools for you to use to create pictures for your profile.</p>              <p class="diigo-tags">          <span>tags:</span>                      <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a>            <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a>            <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/photography">photography</a></p>                                        </li>      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://frabz.com/44g5">My wish is for every child to have 1 to 1... - Meme Generator Captionator</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">I've been turning tweets that have had the most shares and favorites into photos for two reasons: 1) to test photo makers and 2) to satisfy my own curiosity if it is true that pictures travel further than text these days. Here's one that reached almost 100,000 people on Twitter.  The exact tweet was "My wish for children is 1 to 1. Every 1 to have 1 person who loves them. Be the one, teacher. Be the one."  Hope this encourages you as you share. </p>              <p class="diigo-tags">          <span>tags:</span>                      <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a>            <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a></p>                                        </li>  </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='https://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 03/20/2013

7 Image Editing Tools to Create Awesome Visual Content | Inspiring Generosity Some more interesting ...

CYPRUS'S FINANCIAL CRISIS AND ITS GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS

7:17 PM Tukiyooo 0

<br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-X31KEfcUBKR3xibfZddM2PnqtkkOLEIlM-jKZnHslJSwNyCn61x0aKmqux_cE1b670TyOu17X403GGzi9vIFUxBqK5EEAGMSAQ506ZNc0Sc9By3Do6zSGdZ9SMg8q0qCQI4HkJIVxKS/s1600/BFkFrgaCMAECgEb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-X31KEfcUBKR3xibfZddM2PnqtkkOLEIlM-jKZnHslJSwNyCn61x0aKmqux_cE1b670TyOu17X403GGzi9vIFUxBqK5EEAGMSAQ506ZNc0Sc9By3Do6zSGdZ9SMg8q0qCQI4HkJIVxKS/s400/BFkFrgaCMAECgEb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>COULD IT BE THAT THE TROIKA IN REALITY FOCUSES ON TAKING CONTROL OF CYPRUS’S PROCLAIMED HYDROCARBON FINDINGS? </b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Could it be that the bigger picture of this imposed "crisis" on CYPRUS is the geopolitical game of the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">"troika," made up of the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)</span> to secure recently found gas recourses around the southern shores of CYPRUS, in order to break the quasi gas monopoly of the RUSSIAN Federation. This implies the crash of the CYPRIOT Banks and a further increase of CYPRUS’S debts, so that the government, under the fear of financial collapse, basically gives away its natural recourses to the “troika”. This is a financial as well as energy war is against opposing entities such as RUSSIA, and not the pitiful half-dozen citizens of CYPRUS. One should not forget that CYPRUS is RUSSIA’S “LUXEMBURG”, when it comes to offshore financial dealings, something the EU has been opposing for some time now, despite the fact that the EU seems to turn a blind eye on LUXEMBURG, on the same topic.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGe2QfUbbbgUdPwb_tP7IPLLybsiAQDnan0_F37m5LGBb2FtOw_xNNtorX1wRNE1ip_fIRvdwL_dwFofdVgJGwMVbrpJcmH0mzRkDeFDdlZBrmiblDsEORoOYORZ56NTHtEjVK7ZEoEpn/s1600/cyp_oil_and_gas_drilling_72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGe2QfUbbbgUdPwb_tP7IPLLybsiAQDnan0_F37m5LGBb2FtOw_xNNtorX1wRNE1ip_fIRvdwL_dwFofdVgJGwMVbrpJcmH0mzRkDeFDdlZBrmiblDsEORoOYORZ56NTHtEjVK7ZEoEpn/s320/cyp_oil_and_gas_drilling_72.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">See also:</span></i></span></div><span style="color: blue;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue;"><span class="hps"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">CYPRUS</span></i></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> DRESS <span class="hps">REHEARSAL:</span> <span class="hps">FIRST</span> SUCCESSFUL COMPULSORY DEPOSITOR ACQUISITION <span class="hps">IN CYPRUS</span></span></i></b></span></div><span style="color: blue;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2013/03/eu-zypern-generalprobe-erfolgreiche.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2013/03/eu-zypern-generalprobe-erfolgreiche.html</a></span></i></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">CYPRUS RESCUE IN CHAOS AS BANK LEVY REJECTED </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>BRUSSELS' GRIP SLIPPED ON ITS EUROZONE RESCUE STRATEGY AS CYPRUS REJECTED THE CONDITIONS FOR ITS €10BN (£8.6BN) BAIL-OUT, AND APPEARED TO TURN TO RUSSIA FOR HELP INSTEAD. </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">Via Telegraph UK</div><br />In a vote in CYPRIOT parliament last night, not a single politician voted for the proposed bank levy, which was designed to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">raise the €5.8bn needed to secure a vital €10bn cash injection</b> from EUROPE and the IMF. President Nicos Anastasiades, led the rebellion by abstaining. There were 19 in abstentions and 36 votes against. <br />Mr Anastasiades telephoned Angela Merkel ahead of a crucial debate on the botched bail-out to tell her the results would be negative. He told reporters that politicians “feel and think it isn’t just and that it’s against the interest of CYPRUS.”<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CYPRIOT FINANCE MINISTER IN RUSSIA FOR CONSULTATIONS </b></span><br />Meanwhile, the CYPRIOT finance ministry said its boss had gone to Moscow. Government sources also said the CYPRIOT government was considering asking Midde East investors for help. Cypriot banks will be closed for the fourth day today. The Royal Air Force flew €1m in cash to CYPRUS for army personnel. <br /><span style="color: blue;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">See: </span></i></span><br /><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">RUSSIA AND THE CYPRUSGAMBIT</span></i></b></span><br /><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/russia-and-cyprus.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/russia-and-cyprus.html</a>and</span></i></span><br /><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">CYPRUS AT ODDS WITH BRITAIN OVER SOVEREIGN BASE AREAS AND ITS GEOPOLITICAL IMPACT FOR THE REGION</span></i></b></span><br /><span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/cyprus-emerging-geo-strategic-key.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/cyprus-emerging-geo-strategic-key.html</a></span></i></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">EUROPE WILL GIVE CYPRUS A BRIEF AND FINAL CHANCE TO RETHINK AND VOTE AGAIN</b></span><br />The European Central Bank said it would continue to provide liquidity to CYPRUS under existing rules. <br />But the confusion caused equities to fall across EUROPE while traders ditched the euro amid fears of a fresh banking crisis. In ITALY the MIB dropped 4.6pc, the FRENCH CAC fell 1.3pc, the GERMAN DAX slid 0.8pc. The worse hit was SPAIN’S IBEX fell 2.2pc as traders feared its banks would be first to suffer any contagion. The yield on 10-year gilts fell to their lowest level this year as traders sought a safe haven. Luis de Guindos, SPAIN’S finance minister, scrambled to reassure investors. “Deposits of under €100,000 are sacred from the point of view of the bloc’s rules and SPANISH rules,” he said. Luc Frieden, LUXEMBOURG’S finance minister, told Bloomberg: “We will make sure that deposits in EUROPE are safe.” He added that the fisasco could “not be seen as destroying the confidence that people have” in the EUROPEAN financial system.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7pfunxLg8-4397z72-kDRS-QGsFEnlTbfLPCtUQrfY_JVphhZcSs7nWfrs3d2LSO9xOAC8q-9aCFQOljKW8s9Wzm8fZ7DAg0rb0_HcURzXwmvFBUkmsUMkU1vVZ7fEcMbnrFG4hGGron/s1600/240264-cyprus-financial-crisis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7pfunxLg8-4397z72-kDRS-QGsFEnlTbfLPCtUQrfY_JVphhZcSs7nWfrs3d2LSO9xOAC8q-9aCFQOljKW8s9Wzm8fZ7DAg0rb0_HcURzXwmvFBUkmsUMkU1vVZ7fEcMbnrFG4hGGron/s320/240264-cyprus-financial-crisis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>But analysts were not convinced. “There is no precedent for what would happen if CYPRUS rejected the conditions,” Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank wrote in a note. “Our best guess is that EUROPE would give CYPRUS a brief and final chance to rethink and vote again.” <br />President Anastasiades has called an emergency meeting of political leaders this morning, the fifth day since the government and the euro group thrashed out the rescue plan. The original plan, backed by the EU, the EUROPEAN Central Bank and the IMF, was for CYPRUS to raise €5.8bn from a tax of 6.75pc on all desposits under €100,000 and 9.9pc above that level. The parliamentary vote was delayed twice while changes were inserted to protect deposits of under €20,000. However, the move has been widely condemned as tearing up the EU’s pledge to guarantee deposits up to €100,000.<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SERIOUS BLUNDER BY EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS THAT ARE ESSENTIALLY BLACKMAILING THE GOVERNMENT OF CYPRUS</b></span><br />Sharon Bowles, chairman of the EUROPEAN Parliament’s economic committee, said the ECB’s authority had been damaged. “Central banks have to be tough sometimes, but what hope is there for accountability when they seemingly force decisions like this at gunpoint with no regard for financial legislation,” she said. “We must question ECB independence on supervision. If anything this strengthens the case for more democratic accountability.” <br />The former Governor of the Central Bank of CYPRUS, Anthanasios Orphanides, said there had been a “very serious blunder by EUROPEAN governments that are essentially blackmailing the government of CYPRUS to confiscate the money that belongs rightfully to depositors in the banking sector in CYPRUS...What we are witnessing is the slow death of the EUROPEAN Project.” Gervais Williams of Miton Capital Partners said: “My worry is that the CYPRUS announcement will change the behaviour of large depositors. And that is the thin end of a very worrying wedge.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><span style="color: blue;">On <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>7<sup>th</sup>Jan 2013</u></b> Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring published the following: </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DE FACTO LOSS OF SOVEREIGNTY: </b></span></div><span style="color: #990000;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CYPRUS MAKES BIG CONCESSIONS FOR BAILOUT</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">CYPRUS wants help from the EUROPEAN UNION'S bailout fund. But the price for the billions in emergency aid money is high. The country will effectively lose its sovereignty.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“TROIKA” WILL ESSENTIALLY TAKE CONTROL OF THE MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND, AND SUBSEQUENTLY ITS NATURAL GAS RESOURCES!</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Dimitris Christofias ( at that time President of CYPRUS ) had a serious look on his face as he turned to the cameras and spoke of what a "gut-wrenching" decision it was, but added that it was also a "necessary evil." The CYPRIOT president was not giving his people good news.</div><div class="MsoNormal">His staff realized how bad it would be when Christofias, in his televised address, reminded viewers of his country's darkest hour, the TURKISH invasion of northern CYPRUS in 1974.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Although CYPRUS is not about to suffer the same fate, it is already clear that in return for billions of Euros for the debt-ridden country from the EUROPEAN bailout fund, the "troika," made up of the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will essentially take control of the Mediterranean island.<br /><br /><span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Background Information: </span></u></i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/energy-adventures-in-eastern.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/energy-adventures-in-eastern.html</a></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/new-mediterranean-oil-and-gas-bonanza.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/new-mediterranean-oil-and-gas-bonanza.html</a></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/complexity-of-eastern-med-energy-games.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/complexity-of-eastern-med-energy-games.html</a></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/energy-games-in-eastern-mediterranean.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/energy-games-in-eastern-mediterranean.html</a><b>:</b></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">EUROPEAN UNION ENERGY STRATEGY </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">See:</span> <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2013/01/broke-cyprus-could-be-energy-trump-card.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2013/01/broke-cyprus-could-be-energy-trump-card.html</a></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The EUROPEAN UNION is also supportive of the aforementioned, since it agonizes for its energy security and a potential discovery of new reserves by a Eurozone country such as CYPRUS further strengthens its energy planning. FRENCH and GERMAN companies, being the dominant players in the EUROPEAN energy corporate environment, estimates they will be able to acquire concessions and strengthen their businesses worldwide. EUROPE will face an issue with natural gas imports sometime after 2020 due to rising consumption, decreasing North Sea reserves and increase in demand by the rest of the world.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u><b>Background Information:</b></u></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue;"><i>See: <span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIA AND CYPRUS </span></b></span><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/turkey-and-russia.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/turkey-and-russia.html</a></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The CYPRIOT government and representatives of the troika negotiated for almost five months over the terms of a bailout package, worth at least €17.5 billion ($22.8 billion). The negotiations produced the draft version of a 30-page Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), in which the troika dictates to CYPRUS what steps it will have to take in the coming years, down to the smallest detail.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BLAMING THE BANKS</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">The euro rescuers also addressed government revenues. The tax on fine-cut tobacco will go up drastically from €60 to €150 per kilogram, while the beer tax will increase to €6 per degree of alcohol and hectoliter. The troika also believes that a tax increase of 7 cents per liter is appropriate for diesel fuel and gasoline.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Citizens will be especially hard-hit by the planned 2-percent increase in the value-added tax, bringing it up to 19 percent. <span style="background: yellow;">The troika (IMF, ECB and World Bank) is also calling for cuts in the healthcare sector, as well as reduced pensions.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: yellow;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Background Information: </span></u></i></b></span></div><span style="color: blue;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">IMF</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/imf-destroyer-of-nations.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/imf-destroyer-of-nations.html</a></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/imf-on-trial.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/imf-on-trial.html</a></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Christofias left no doubt as to who he blames for the disaster, saying: "It's true that the decisions of bank executives and the miserable control by the CYPRIOT CENTRAL bank have cost CYPRUS billions of EUR." The amount of the aid package corresponds almost to the country's entire economic output in a year. According to the troika's plan, by 2016 CYPRUS'S national budget will be cleaned up enough that the country can hopefully make do without new debt.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CREDITORS TO TAKE LOSSES FIRST</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CYPRIOT banks are also expected to make a contribution. Crisis-ridden institutions will no longer be supported solely by injections of cash from the EUROPEAN bailout fund. <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">This time, the banks' creditors are also expected to pay up</span>. "With the goal of minimizing the cost to taxpayers, bank shareholders and junior debt holders will take losses before state-aid measures are granted," the MoU draft reads</b>. This means that creditors of CYPRIOT banks won't just be able to withdraw their money. Instead, their claims will be converted into bank shares.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">In taking this step, the troika is avoiding a potential embarrassment. Substantial sums of RUSSIAN capital are deposited into CYPRIOT banks, and some of it is probably of dubious origin.</span></b><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"> It would be difficult to explain to the EUROPEAN public why its taxes are being used to rescue wealthy oligarchs. Now, people who had previously invested their wealth into yachts, cars and football clubs will be forcibly turned into bank owners.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Background Information</span></u></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">: See <b>11 Feb 2012</b> article published by <b>Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring,</b> <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/eastern-mediterranean-sea.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/eastern-mediterranean-sea.html</a>:</span></i></span></div><span style="color: blue;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MUCH NEEDED ECO- FINANCIAL BOOST FOR CYPRUS AFTER RUSSIA’S BAILOUT, BUT WITH GEO STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">During 2009 and 2010, CYPRUS and ISRAEL discovered enormous natural gas deposits off their shores in the Mediterranean Sea. And in late 2011 NOBLE ENERGY, the firm contracted by CYPRUS with exploring for gas in its waters, announced a discovery of gas estimated at 5-8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas there. <b><span style="background: yellow;">This discovery could not come at a better time for CYPRUS, which in 2011 endured a slippage in its fiscal ratings, was shut out of international capital markets, hit by a large munitions blast, and was finally forced to accept a RUSSIAN bailout.</span></b>All told, the discoveries by both countries amount to 33 trillion cubic feet of gas (ca. 1 trillion cubic meters). And the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Levant Basin, where most of these discoveries have occurred, may hold 122 TCF (3.4 tcm).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjisC_BbI8h_ceg-5BZ_qglYUFGA76SdCUbXYTRfQwQzN5tPBrTruJRMHczqazl24phh7wK9syVA05wFLEOYFXApPXSLxJWW-zP_hKQlhyphenhyphenTPgMwCyU8T6xIG4hkTCzYap-B5q0lpAy8vF/s1600/Russia_Cyprus1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjisC_BbI8h_ceg-5BZ_qglYUFGA76SdCUbXYTRfQwQzN5tPBrTruJRMHczqazl24phh7wK9syVA05wFLEOYFXApPXSLxJWW-zP_hKQlhyphenhyphenTPgMwCyU8T6xIG4hkTCzYap-B5q0lpAy8vF/s320/Russia_Cyprus1.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TURKISH THREATS DEEPLY DISTURB CYPRUS AND RUSSIA</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">However, TURKEY’S threats against CYPRUS and ISRAEL due to their exploration and drilling for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean caused concern in RUSSIA. <b><span style="background: yellow; color: blue;">Moscow recently organized a large loan for CYPRUS to sustain it against a crisis should GREECE default because so many RUSSIAN accounts are held in CYPRUS’ banks and then reinvested in RUSSIA or used to launder the elite’s money by cycling it out of RUSSIA into the global banking system</span></b><span style="background: yellow; color: blue;">.</span><span style="background: yellow;"> <b><span style="color: blue;">Clearly, Moscow cannot allow CYPRUS to go under</span></b>.</span>TURKISH threats therefore deeply disturb both CYPRUS and RUSSIA. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CYPRUS FUNCTIONS AS AN OFFSHORE FINANCIAL CENTER FOR RUSSIA, </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">At the same time, CYPRUS will have to rebuild its financial sector in the coming years, along with drastically improving regulations and intensifying the fight against money laundering and tax evasion. </div><div class="MsoNormal">The president wasn't willing to end his address without giving his fellow CYPRIOTS at least some words of comfort and hope. After the TURKISH invasion, he said, the country was rebuilt. And added, today Cyprus can hope for a new "economic miracle."</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Parts of above article has been adapted from Christian Reiermann and Markus Dettmer via DS</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

CYPRUS'S FINANCIAL CRISIS AND ITS GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS

COULD IT BE THAT THE TROIKA IN REALITY FOCUSES ON TAKING CONTROL OF CYPRUS’S PROCLAIMED HYDROCARBON FINDINGS? Could it be that the bigger ...

The Great Lululemon Panic: It's Not Just About the See-Through Pants

6:51 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.383333206176758px;">After riding the yoga boom to four years of amazing sales, it's not clear that the trendiest name in athletic wear can keep hold its growth steady.</span><br /><br /><h1 class="headline" style="background-color: white; color: #242b30; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 36px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 6px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"></h1><h1 class="headline" style="font-size: 36px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 6px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><img alt="570_Lululemon_Reuters.jpg" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/business/570_Lululemon_Reuters.jpg" /></h1><div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26.100000381469727px;"><span style="font-size: 1em;">The yoga world was rocked to its meticulously-toned core yesterday, when Lululemon announced it was pulling some of its signature black Luon pants from shelves, after a manufacturing foul-up left them overly see-through. This "sheerness problem," as the </span><i style="font-size: 1em;">Wall Street Journal</i><span style="font-size: 1em;"> </span>artfully <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323415304578368911367151242.html?mod=us_most_pop_newsreel" style="color: #00598c; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">deemed it</a><span style="font-size: 1em;">, might affect one out of every six pairs currently in stock. As a result, the company says its customers should expect <a href="http://www.lululemon.com/media/index.php?id=224" style="color: #00598c; text-decoration: none;">a shortage</a>. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26.100000381469727px;">The reaction from investors has been decidedly un-yogi-like -- a swift and harsh sell-off that's knocked about <span style="font-size: 1em;">5 percent off the Canadian company's share price. Now, this </span><span style="font-size: 1em;">might just be a temporary blip, as investors adjust their expectations for this quarter's profits. But it's tempting to wonder whether the market's anxiety is a sign of deeper problems for the trendiest name in athletic wear.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26.100000381469727px;">As you might have noticed from the parade of multicolored mats at your local gym, the U.S. has been going through a bit of a yoga boom in the last few years. The Analysts at IBISWorld <a href="http://www.ibisworld.com/Common/MediaCenter/Fastest%20Growing%20Industries.pdf" style="color: #00598c; text-decoration: none;">estimate</a> it's one of the top ten fastest growing American industries. And perhaps nobody has benefited from that more than Lululemon, which has seen its sales nearly quadruple since 2008, and its stock price grow about 740 percent <a href="http://www.ibisworld.com/Common/MediaCenter/Fastest%20Growing%20Industries.pdf" style="color: #00598c; text-decoration: none;">in less than three years</a>. It's tough to earn a living teaching yoga full-time, but $98 Astro Pants are the modern version of the old adage about Levis: Nobody made any money off California's 1840s gold rush except the stores selling blue jeans and pick axes to the miners. </div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26.100000381469727px;">Investors have been plowing their money into Lululemon's stock under the assumption that there was still lots of room to grow. Its share price is trading at just under 40 times its earnings. Apple's, by comparison, trades at about 10X. That's a sign investors are betting on an extremely bright future, not what the company's quarterly earnings look like today, or even three months down the line.</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26.100000381469727px;">Even before this week's sell off, though, the stock had already been declining over <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/breakingviews/2012/06/08/yoga_retailer_lululemon_expects_a_sales_drop_in_its_second_quarter_.html" style="color: #00598c; text-decoration: none;">the quarter</a>, as investors began <a href="http://ycharts.com/analysis/story/the_lululemon_growth_debate_explained_here" style="color: #00598c; text-decoration: none;">to wonder</a> whether the company could keep adding new customers at such a rapid pace. As Meg Miller of Reuters Breakingviews pointed out <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/breakingviews/2012/06/08/yoga_retailer_lululemon_expects_a_sales_drop_in_its_second_quarter_.html" style="color: #00598c; text-decoration: none;">back in June</a>, yoga's exploding popularity has attracted competition from companies like Gap and Victoria's Secret, who are selling their lines for less. </div><div style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26.100000381469727px;">Before Lululemon, nobody was really marketing high-end yoga wear. Now that the company has proven the concept, others want a cut. It's the curse faced by many lifestyle brands -- think of Apple's recent trouble fending off Samsung -- and Lululemon's ability to thrive in the coming years will depend on somehow convincing customers that its products really are worth the premium. And the first step is to make sure people can actually wear your pants with peace of mind them while they're doing handstands in public. </div></div></div>

Lululemon The Great Lululemon Panic: It's Not Just About the See-Through Pants

After riding the yoga boom to four years of amazing sales, it's not clear that the trendiest name in athletic wear can keep hold its gro...