Getting results: 10 strategies for job-search success

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><div class="hdr_org_bld" style="color: #ff6600; font: normal normal bold 18px/normal arial, helvetica;"><h1 id="articleHeadline" style="color: #ff7700; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br /></h1></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b><br /><br /><div class="cbmsnArticleImage"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/gg/ar5l6hc6wdkrnvq4pngg.gif?time=6/17/2011%206:26:17%20pm" /></div></div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Job hunting boils down to finding an opportunity and convincing the employer you are exactly what he needs. Are you doing both effectively? Here, experts offer 10 suggestions for boosting success.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>1. Develop a top-notch elevator pitch</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Craft a succinct speech that eloquently conveys what you are looking for and what you can offer. "Practice this pitch in unlikely places, such as the grocery checkout line," says Cindy Hyman,<a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/associate+director/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">associate director </a>of alumni career programs at the University of Denver. "It will help you gain confidence so you're ready when you're at networking events."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>2. Look for connections</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The shaky economy has virtually eliminated job-search stigma, so go ahead and contact that friend of a friend on LinkedIn or let your dad introduce you to his golf partner. Lavie Margolin, author of "Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers," says, "Anyone who works for the company and can submit your résumé is more likely to yield a positive response for you than submitting your résumé cold."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>3. Get out of the house and meet people</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">While computers are an important part of the modern job hunt, don't spend all day in front of your screen. Face-to-face connection is still vital. "Set a goal of meeting or networking with a certain number of people each week and stick to it," Hyman advises.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>4. Follow through on leads</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Think of yourself as a <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/sales/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">salesperson</a>, and treat each job opening that you find as a lead," Margolin says. "You have found a company that has a job that is a fit for you. What about competitors to that organization? Most likely, they would have a similar role at their company as well. Perhaps it is not vacant at the moment, but it is a lead nonetheless." Likewise, it pays to regularly check back in with people and companies you approached previously, because business needs change.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>5. Target your cover letter</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Margolin recommends thinking of the cover letter as an advertisement to get attention. "Spend time writing a cover letter that will appeal to the reader as opposed to a generic message where you have only changed the name of the company and the job title. Emphasize why you are a fit for that job as opposed to any job."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>6. Do your homework</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">With so much information readily available, there is no excuse for coming to an interview unprepared. Start by perusing the company's website, but then learn more about the organization and the industry as a whole -- and look for opportunities during the interview to show how your abilities match this work environment. Matthew Randall, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/executive+director/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">executive director</a> for the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of <a href="http://msn.careerbuilder.com/jobs/pennsylvania/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Pennsylvania</a>, also notes that preparation shows you aren't going to waste the interviewers' time with questions that could have been answered easily beforehand.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>7. Show, don't tell</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Anyone can say he is a "team player" or an "effective communicator." "When you are discussing your qualifications, give a specific example, not just a list of qualities," says Caroline Ceniza-Levine, co-author of <a href="http://www.sixfigurestart.com/about-sixfigurestart/fierce/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">"How the Fierce Handle Fear: Secrets to Succeeding in Challenging Times"</a> and partner at the career-coaching firm SixFigureStart in <a href="http://msn.careerbuilder.com/jobs/New+York/New+York/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">New York City</a>. "Don't say you are good with people; talk about a specific instance where you managed a team, generated consensus, worked with a difficult customer or some other people-related example with tangible results."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>8. Present a consistent package</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Candidates should realize that they need to manage three different personas: an online profile that includes LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter; a written persona that includes the cover letter and résumé; and an in-person persona," Randall says. "These all need to be congruent. If they don't match, that is a huge red flag for hiring managers."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>9. Troubleshoot your search regularly</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Occasionally, step back and evaluate what is and isn't working in your job search. Ceniza-Levine recommends examining the situation every two or three weeks. "Look at how many meetings you are getting and if these meetings are yielding good information, referrals to other people who can help and actual job interviews. If you are not getting good-quality meetings, something is wrong, and you should review your search with someone who knows the process and can pinpoint what you can change."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>10. Keep an upbeat attitude</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Finally, don't give off the vibe of a battle-weary job seeker. As Hyman notes, "No matter how long your job search has already taken, how many rejections you have already experienced and how disappointed you are, when you speak with potential employers – and remember, virtually everyone you meet is a potential employer or can connect you with an employer – you need to express a positive attitude and excitement about the new opportunity you are seeking."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b></b></div><i>Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.</i></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

Getting results: 10 strategies for job-search success

Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder Job hunting boils down to finding an opportunity and convincing the employer you are exactly w...

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Casablanca with the San Francisco Symphony

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaao2WsBJaRUE6eq0HYGCOqMvQglQvJxqaSCU5GInNh9C3d2u6_ENv-E_eCU5aOdet63sTZLm6VaGT2j0QsleSxVA5tIJnNuvGxiuO019oIKNzYK1rZhhM3OQOg_oKG2T1jDMXFJXgK8x/s1600/casablanca+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaao2WsBJaRUE6eq0HYGCOqMvQglQvJxqaSCU5GInNh9C3d2u6_ENv-E_eCU5aOdet63sTZLm6VaGT2j0QsleSxVA5tIJnNuvGxiuO019oIKNzYK1rZhhM3OQOg_oKG2T1jDMXFJXgK8x/s640/casablanca+1.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Last Friday night I attended a very special screening of "<i>Casablanca </i>with the San Francisco Symphony" at Davies Hall. Conductor Michael Francis led the orchestral accompaniment and a full house spent the evening in thrall to Warner Bros.' sublime 1942 film classic and composer Max Steiner's unforgettable score. </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><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/AVvXsEhXlUFpCDDLBk5tOllk0Z_5Zq4qsN0DMW2Mv7mRp21QEdzm_h5qbsovP1BtPhM4Es0sr39yhqnAgHydK518WT_GfUgSZ3q4e4D_U9543Tej2j1DWG7XjI40V9lCYaeBFWf3zsZz-QDNjYSM/s1600/davies_symphony_hall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlUFpCDDLBk5tOllk0Z_5Zq4qsN0DMW2Mv7mRp21QEdzm_h5qbsovP1BtPhM4Es0sr39yhqnAgHydK518WT_GfUgSZ3q4e4D_U9543Tej2j1DWG7XjI40V9lCYaeBFWf3zsZz-QDNjYSM/s400/davies_symphony_hall.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The sell-out audience of 2,800 or so was a mix of film and music lovers of every generation. Some of the young and old attended in full 1940's attire; most spent time sipping champagne and cocktails on the mezzanine before the program got underway...</span><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When the lights flickered and muted tones chimed,  it was time for my friend and I to take an elevator to the second tier balcony. From blissfully comfortable seats we spied a huge screen at center stage surrounded by the symphony orchestra. Mr. Francis entered, stepped to the podium, picked up his baton, glanced into a small monitor next to his sheet music and in a moment the hall reverberated with those oh-so-familiar notes that herald the start of a Warner Bros. picture. Then came Max Steiner's almost as familiar score:</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0KGOB1WIjRs" width="560"></iframe></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The San Francisco orchestra interpreted Steiner's music a bit more gently, with less bombast, than the original movie soundtrack. The experience of a live score lent both immediacy and charm to the viewing experience and it was interesting, from time to time, to steal a look at the musicians as they accompanied familiar scenes. The harpist was fascinating to watch and listen to during the Paris flashback sequence. The essence of magic that is new love seemed to float from her strings.</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/AVvXsEg-QrOXHgjZPQgvMyXDKir3-Eq1IIHVkoAMqJrPGn8YjvSHjR2IDYCPWtlhFNmLLoUjEbbNQLjq32ZihLYauVevQedqq0cMmvdbERcWfP_eeMlvkDrfTo843iqUTrlU6Yj15QlzSbS0w0Eh/s1600/madeleine+lebeau+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QrOXHgjZPQgvMyXDKir3-Eq1IIHVkoAMqJrPGn8YjvSHjR2IDYCPWtlhFNmLLoUjEbbNQLjq32ZihLYauVevQedqq0cMmvdbERcWfP_eeMlvkDrfTo843iqUTrlU6Yj15QlzSbS0w0Eh/s320/madeleine+lebeau+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...at <i>Rick's</i>, Bogart, Madeleine Lebeau and Leonid Kinskey</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've loved and admired <i>Casablanca </i>for years but it wasn't until I sat watching from high in Davies Hall that a particular thought occurred and recurred in my mind..."this film is perfect." In every respect...direction, cinematography, set design, screenplay, dialogue, wardrobe, score, editing - and the cast. <i>This</i> is Bogart at his apex as a romantic lead, Bergman at her most beautiful and pure - along with a most eloquent supporting cast: Claude Rains, Paul Henreid, Conrad Veidt, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, S.K. Sakall, Madeleine Lebeau (the last cast member still living), Dooley Wilson, Joy Page and Leonid Kinskey. It's no surprise that <i>Casablanca</i> was honored with eight Academy Award nominations and won for Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Curtiz) and Best Screenplay (brothers Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch). Humphrey Bogart was nominated for Best Actor, Claude Rains for his supporting role, Max Steiner for his score, Arthur Edeson for cinematography and Owen Marks for editing.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">  </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Perusing the program during intermission, I came upon Larry Rothe's insightful write-up on the picture and read of many things I knew and didn't know about <i>Casablanca</i>...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I found out that the timing of the film's release was auspicious. <i>Casablanca</i> premiered in New York in November 1942. The Allies had invaded North Africa earlier in the month - which was significant. Even more powerful was the fact that in January 1943 President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met in Casablanca to discuss the terms of an Axis surrender. This became headline news at the end of discussions, on January 24. <i>Casablanca</i> had gone into national release the day before...a windfall for Warner's PR team.</span><br /><table align="center" 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/AVvXsEhKNd6Zvfcp338PaEdj12pAPLUp4nqqsDrruTEV-42We1gIHVW2RlyfWDnqSLOUnsVoemQV4bq9jiFKvXIYkaGsZ7K7kNrTTj-jWBuNf_rr0j_g-WBGe-uf2aYe32YfN7_-ZV7RsaNkV9ml/s1600/casablanca+paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNd6Zvfcp338PaEdj12pAPLUp4nqqsDrruTEV-42We1gIHVW2RlyfWDnqSLOUnsVoemQV4bq9jiFKvXIYkaGsZ7K7kNrTTj-jWBuNf_rr0j_g-WBGe-uf2aYe32YfN7_-ZV7RsaNkV9ml/s320/casablanca+paris.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> According to Rothe, Steiner wove four major musical themes through the film. The first, of course, is "As Time Goes By," a song that became immortal with <i>Casablanca</i>. The second is the romantic theme accompanying the flashback to Paris. The third theme is France's national anthem, the "Marseillaise," first played as part of the title sequence, but most memorably featured when Victor Laszlo leads the crowd at Rick's in a stirring rendition of the anthem. A conscience-stirring variation on the "Marseillaise," first heard when Ilsa tells Rick about her devotion to Laszlo and the Resistance, is the fourth theme.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The entire night was thrilling (and I hope the fact that it sold out will persuade the symphony to do this again), but there was one moment I don't ever want to forget...listening to the San Francisco symphony play "Perfidia" as Bogart and Bergman dance (and he presses his face to hers) ...exquisite! </span><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Meanwhile, Max Steiner's day is not done in San Francisco. Friday, July 29, the Castro Theatre begins a seven-day, 13-picture program, "Legendary Composer: Max Steiner." Included in the series will be <i>Mildred Pierce</i>, <i>The Letter</i>, <i>Casablanca</i>, <i>Treasure of the Sierra Madre</i>, <i>Gone with the Wind</i>, <i>Now, Voyager</i>, <i>Dark Victory</i>, <i>White Heat</i>, <i>Angels with Dirty Faces</i>, <i>The Big Sleep</i>, <i>Key Largo</i>, <i>King Kong</i> and <i>The Searchers</i>. <b><a href="http://www.castrotheatre.com/coming-soon.html" style="color: #990000;">Click here</a></b> to learn more. </div>

Bogart Casablanca Casablanca with the San Francisco Symphony Claude Rains Ingrid Bergman Max Steiner Michael Curtiz Paul Henreid Peter Lorre Sydney Greenstreet The Lady Eve (author) Casablanca with the San Francisco Symphony

Last Friday night I attended a very special screening of " Casablanca with the San Francisco Symphony" at Davies Hall. Conductor M...

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Hey Ya'll!

Joel and I had a safe and awesome trip to/from Savannah, GA.<br /><br />We spent 10+ hours in the car (we stopped a few times on the ride down and back), but the actual drive time was 9.5 hours.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjkT04yBRVF53sqVvSEIEjENidqnIciZCmNqlHya4pgXr2DPl0EoeRw1_knGg5P74Gx_2mNRi59Iv6t7my3QpcwNLXfWwuv98zkT1VqsmaL8HQcMsGn_gdDE-88wYERSrf5BMx-kyr2s/s1600/savannah+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjkT04yBRVF53sqVvSEIEjENidqnIciZCmNqlHya4pgXr2DPl0EoeRw1_knGg5P74Gx_2mNRi59Iv6t7my3QpcwNLXfWwuv98zkT1VqsmaL8HQcMsGn_gdDE-88wYERSrf5BMx-kyr2s/s400/savannah+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We spent half of our week in Savannah and the other half in Tybee Island.<br /><br />The time spent in Savannah was filled with LOTS of walking.  In the first full day there, we walked over 6 miles on just the self walking tour alone!  We made sure to check out as many of the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil hotspots as we could, including a tour of the Mercer-Williams house.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqgQ2kj6SnAj8WVwCvj_lowCWy90UZX35e656rW8iMoTHpguB2kRNbHgic8p-h32HhNylBnMMyVoKGALXFQxy6BuBF0OWL8WBUFDuDhYydiK1gnRKAk9Nw_P8r0MI0uCsXzWv7FUe7rg/s1600/savannah+115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqgQ2kj6SnAj8WVwCvj_lowCWy90UZX35e656rW8iMoTHpguB2kRNbHgic8p-h32HhNylBnMMyVoKGALXFQxy6BuBF0OWL8WBUFDuDhYydiK1gnRKAk9Nw_P8r0MI0uCsXzWv7FUe7rg/s400/savannah+115.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We toured the entire Historic District, along with the River district. We did a lot of shopping and did a few guided tours as well.  We took a river boat cruise.  We rode around in a trolley bus listening to ghost stories about the townsfolk (Savannah is one of the most haunted cities!) and also took the lovely Paula Deen tour :).<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/AVvXsEizvJ0pT_zd9pOGbdMM411CXIH8Qfu9uT0qPcEsLhg8iXEUODPLG-tql-Jx05wnxYFJuKZhhuGE1Anwt_91rIFElQEC0rJIGvSjMx9twXVg49WMEXJ06fW7yhfVif4ERIY7ZZ6IxVXIRCI/s1600/savannah+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvJ0pT_zd9pOGbdMM411CXIH8Qfu9uT0qPcEsLhg8iXEUODPLG-tql-Jx05wnxYFJuKZhhuGE1Anwt_91rIFElQEC0rJIGvSjMx9twXVg49WMEXJ06fW7yhfVif4ERIY7ZZ6IxVXIRCI/s400/savannah+004.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The church where her and her current husband were married.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />My honest assessment overall on some of the things we did is this: I pictured the River District to be a little more....."cool" - filled with sidewalk-dining eateries, coffee shops, antique stores, local arts stores etc.  Not really the case at all.  I know the town is probably trying to maintain the original "look" to this part of town, but I just wasn't impressed.  The shops were mainly those that you find at the beach - filled with stuff that is "Made in China".  The ones that pertained to local artistry were way out of our budget!  We stopped into a few bars and had drinks and even ate dinner down there at one point, but this was definitely not what I had pictured and not my favorite part of Savannah.  I enjoyed the Historic District most - the tree lined streets were definitely in full swing!  As for the PD tour - the only things we really did that were exclusively PD related was going to tour the church her and Michael were married in, which sits on a property that Paula has invested a lot of money in - a boys home called Bethesda.  The rest of it was spent driving us around to various local shops (including a candy store and cookie store).  Overall, I still really enjoyed the tour - we had an awesome guide who knows PD personally and told us a lot of stories about how she got her start in Savannah and on the Food Network.   <br /><br />Of course, I had good intentions of trying to stay On Plan while on vacation, and I failed..... miserably.  I took some WW friendly snacks, and while the trip started off well, it quickly went downhill.  I'm not good at staying On Plan when eating out.  Whats the point in eating out if you have to order things you really don't want to eat?  Despite all our walking, I still gained weight on this trip.  I actually even took the scale with me, with the intention of weighing in each day to help keep me on track.  Instead, I became scared of it and only weighed in on the first morning  (which, btw, I did have a loss that morning - why couldn't I keep the momentum going??) :(.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWmYM4iR5hZWMtD0r5X8hMiz6yuN0490LFP0Gc9quFJaasVWyUOrE4NyW-1PzsOYQWrjPTa1fAsZqH_91JLbDSNAWLaH0hca9OXVonEU7_7Lxyt34I6sM2Q5rj94ebWOpaNCPVohj1r8/s1600/savannah+119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWmYM4iR5hZWMtD0r5X8hMiz6yuN0490LFP0Gc9quFJaasVWyUOrE4NyW-1PzsOYQWrjPTa1fAsZqH_91JLbDSNAWLaH0hca9OXVonEU7_7Lxyt34I6sM2Q5rj94ebWOpaNCPVohj1r8/s400/savannah+119.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not exactly the type of homes I imagined, but still pretty none the less</td></tr></tbody></table>I weighed in last Friday at 261.2 - no surprise.<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/AVvXsEiq4it4PFTTVLIEm22KR2ruX6PPurBmpQ4CmkPuHV-Mz3hqoGZ7E3AWy5mLL4DFKsdumGlr7RXNHW8vc2F-hiGags65S2Z-YEAgXKl1fnYzkQclRYtX9a6qK8LeSswxW0uLqiJLKtC4jm4/s1600/savannah+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4it4PFTTVLIEm22KR2ruX6PPurBmpQ4CmkPuHV-Mz3hqoGZ7E3AWy5mLL4DFKsdumGlr7RXNHW8vc2F-hiGags65S2Z-YEAgXKl1fnYzkQclRYtX9a6qK8LeSswxW0uLqiJLKtC4jm4/s400/savannah+017.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of Bonaventure Cemetery - from The Book</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm jumping back on the wagon this week and giving it another go... as per the usual.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCxfyoF3F3gY7TsLmW2nZt_EGBgOJMhXuu2JIasehcA7WOLXt4iqyTP42wa7oDQe-dujCy-DXSWg5xyarYyYxeLc6qT8m79FKN8aW72JD8XTIxIMfSCXys1sgwRASG-OcugU4942JWPU/s1600/savannah+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCxfyoF3F3gY7TsLmW2nZt_EGBgOJMhXuu2JIasehcA7WOLXt4iqyTP42wa7oDQe-dujCy-DXSWg5xyarYyYxeLc6qT8m79FKN8aW72JD8XTIxIMfSCXys1sgwRASG-OcugU4942JWPU/s400/savannah+012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lady & Sons Restaurant (Paula Deen's place!)</td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEhstPiHL3_yyZNEc6PqbrHcR9zIa74YWYRtxnP3Zdg6Qp7y7CaEwsB5Wjc48CLqOkctUc1Fv3Um6yc4ecu6FsYQV0IXdKmfQyjFCa6eBJiUDdEYP7TZhKxR50ilfRoIPgFTr0jsUuPIzZU/s1600/savannah+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstPiHL3_yyZNEc6PqbrHcR9zIa74YWYRtxnP3Zdg6Qp7y7CaEwsB5Wjc48CLqOkctUc1Fv3Um6yc4ecu6FsYQV0IXdKmfQyjFCa6eBJiUDdEYP7TZhKxR50ilfRoIPgFTr0jsUuPIzZU/s400/savannah+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>We then spent the latter half of the week in Tybee Island, and I worked on finishing The Book while sitting with my toes in the sand :) - I LOVE this life!  I would give up my current situation in a heartbeat if I knew that I could survive comfortably with some other job near the beach if I could do this on a more regular basis - but then again, who wouldn't?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPMPpMoVljOPdJeBe_IFano0NYXOBUyq8KlgqYFeCY63GsF5Pwf_Y2pShWg3O5aDkx5vyRbtZqY_Y5Lmam2w_0QfMD1TWfCNaCdwHDzBsgQZrQNlSbDOz10sDxTn_-WQgW_clVeqC2pY/s1600/savannah+085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPMPpMoVljOPdJeBe_IFano0NYXOBUyq8KlgqYFeCY63GsF5Pwf_Y2pShWg3O5aDkx5vyRbtZqY_Y5Lmam2w_0QfMD1TWfCNaCdwHDzBsgQZrQNlSbDOz10sDxTn_-WQgW_clVeqC2pY/s400/savannah+085.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Joel fished a lot - and only caught sharks. <br /><br />We definitely loved our vacation, and even though it was a long drive, we were grateful and blessed for a safe and uneventful journey to/from Virginia.  <br /><br />Anything else you care to know about Savannah?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEjfWQbC83dAaOL33PjCP9Fx8W6zmi_nhnDJc0WWd9ZOIUcilBXUti_6VM77PUjg2ePE3hTxT8XptTTSiAmf7SikW7095y-yVHOfRcXcrrz2Rnseq8Fj-vvyL9KE2bZRIHzuRgz5gcmU/s1600/savannah+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEjfWQbC83dAaOL33PjCP9Fx8W6zmi_nhnDJc0WWd9ZOIUcilBXUti_6VM77PUjg2ePE3hTxT8XptTTSiAmf7SikW7095y-yVHOfRcXcrrz2Rnseq8Fj-vvyL9KE2bZRIHzuRgz5gcmU/s400/savannah+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Back at it again folks...

Gain Miscellaneous Savannah GA Weight Loss Challenges Hey Ya'll!

Joel and I had a safe and awesome trip to/from Savannah, GA. We spent 10+ hours in the car (we stopped a few times on the ride down and back...

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Southern Stars

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">SchoolnetSA has encouraged some superstars to shine over the past few years. With support through training and access to innovative practices, several teachers have had the opportunity to shine on the international stage.<br />At the moment, there are 5 such “Southern Stars”<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhws0Ev7XA_gE8gdWyQwt5gXQHHnfRwuiNSQYbINQ7FbvzmHFswxBCFsTEmFa3H7q6t8Tx5S7K-tgwIg1jo44erEoV0y0NCsE0khp5kGG0OWujK5uoiiTHdmB5eF42BpSmefZH4NDN0hsw/s1600/hlengiwe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhws0Ev7XA_gE8gdWyQwt5gXQHHnfRwuiNSQYbINQ7FbvzmHFswxBCFsTEmFa3H7q6t8Tx5S7K-tgwIg1jo44erEoV0y0NCsE0khp5kGG0OWujK5uoiiTHdmB5eF42BpSmefZH4NDN0hsw/s200/hlengiwe.jpg" width="159" /></a></div>Hlengiwe Mfeka’s story is found on the Case Studies page of the Blog. She and 2 learners are off to Santa Clara, California on the 2 August to attend the Adobe Youth Voices Summit. Hlengiwe’s mentorship has helped learners at Mconjwana High School in rural KZN to produce a very thought provoking and moving movie on Street Children.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Another Southern Star who has just returned from dazzling teachers in the Northern Hemisphere is Warren Sparrow. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnKkLS-7IrUwgj24w5yPeeTxH1ilaKL2RsDsFr74R3yG0aLBlvhu6Av7p8EWJ5Rn6_liijJYvmE1OKxDe3kd4kEJ9UyN08ifubx2QqTeWr_Hhg3EuB_33gwvifFwq4K5ceWw1IeiioiA/s1600/warren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnKkLS-7IrUwgj24w5yPeeTxH1ilaKL2RsDsFr74R3yG0aLBlvhu6Av7p8EWJ5Rn6_liijJYvmE1OKxDe3kd4kEJ9UyN08ifubx2QqTeWr_Hhg3EuB_33gwvifFwq4K5ceWw1IeiioiA/s200/warren.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>Warren is a previous Microsoft Innovative Teachers Forum winner. His “Veggie Man” media project has been selected to be showcased as part of the Adobe Youth Voices Festival. This project will be screened with other projects during the International Education and Resource Network (IEARN) Conference in Taiwan. This conference was held in Kaohsiung City (2nd Largest city in Taiwan) and the theme was Green Tech, Green Life, Green Era. SchoolNetSA staff felt it was a bit sad for his media piece to go to Taiwan without him, and managed to find a sponsor so that he could accompany it! We look forward to hearing Warren’s reflections on the IEARN conference. You can see his video at http://www.schooltube.com/video/58be1f70e1973c694fad/Super-Veggie-Man<br /><br />The other three “Southern Stars” are on their way to Washington USA right now. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49tpiPmnJ50B-xh3qxD93Ic2OxeYm2VkTn4_KTGi-Ez4rk8cwJUcaOxUFL-2ggs_jPSYu_rgcphaiRAOBh9r57au_8sLVFTRSYyySnM5vE4KXy7m1wS1cjoD-5R1QdwKU31mtiexZYUc/s1600/fiona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49tpiPmnJ50B-xh3qxD93Ic2OxeYm2VkTn4_KTGi-Ez4rk8cwJUcaOxUFL-2ggs_jPSYu_rgcphaiRAOBh9r57au_8sLVFTRSYyySnM5vE4KXy7m1wS1cjoD-5R1QdwKU31mtiexZYUc/s200/fiona.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Fiona Beal, Ngaka Ralekoala and Cheryl Douglas. They have been selected to be part of the inaugural Microsoft Partners-in-Learning Institute week at MS Headquarters in USA. The Partners in learning Network has identified the top innovative teachers in the World, and Fiona, Cheryl and Ngaka are amongst the less that 500 teachers globally who have been invited to join the circle and the even more exclusive group who have been invited to attend the workshop. All three have been winners in the South African Microsoft Innovative Teachers Forum in the past. We look forward to profiling them and their excellent work soon.<br /><br />These are all exceptional teachers – but all Premium Members have the opportunity of becoming exceptional. SchoolnetSA is committed to helping all teachers grow to new levels of innovation. Being involved in PM interventions and entering the Innovative Educators Forum competition next year is a good place to start.</div>

profiles Southern Stars

SchoolnetSA has encouraged some superstars to shine over the past few years. With support through training and access to innovative practic...

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Should outrageous job-hunting strategies be part of your search arsenal?

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Alina Dizik, Special to CareerBuilder</span></b><br /><br /><div class="cbmsnArticleImage"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/xz/ar5l67g75z0mx0h6syxz.gif?time=6/17/2011%206:28:25%20pm" /></div></div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">With so many applicants for the most coveted positions, standing out from the crowd can be difficult. Of course, some applicants get attention with memorable and outrageous tactics. But not all bold strategies are created equal, and experts are split on whether going against the grain can help you land an interview. Thinking of sending a hiring manager your shoe with a sign saying: "I want to get my foot in the door at your company"? Consider the following first.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Stay sane</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">While doing something entirely off the cuff would garner attention, it's probably the wrong kind of visibility. "I'm not a proponent of outrageous," says Jenny Foss, a job-search expert who blogs at JobJenny.com. "However, I am absolutely an advocate of bold, strategic moves when one is seeking a new job." If you're thinking of ways to get hired, consider what it means to go above and beyond in your particular industry.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For someone who is considering a <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/technology/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">technology</a> position, coming up with a website that speaks directly to the company or hiring manager can help garner some great attention, Foss says. Jason Zimdars, a <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/graphic+designer/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">graphic designer</a>, <a href="http://jasonzimdars.com/svn/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">created a site</a> that's tailored to the company 37Signals, his dream firm. The site served as an example of the skills Zimdars would contribute to the firm and signaled his enthusiasm for the company. He landed the job.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Use Twitter</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">While this <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/social+networking/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">social networking</a> platform isn't specifically used on a professional level, connecting with prospective <a href="http://msn.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/manager/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">managers</a> over Twitter can help get your hired. Follow hiring managers or potential supervisors and take time to interact with their Tweets, Foss says. Whatever you decide to say, "make sure it's professional, inquisitive and thoughtful," she says, adding that this can help you build rapport. If they follow you back, pick a time to send a direct message and inquire about work opportunities.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Another job tactic to try is taking out Facebook ads aimed at your target audience. Marian Schembari, a <a href="" style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">social media</a> expert who writes the blog MarianLibrarian.com, bought Facebook ads to get a job in <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/publishing/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">publishing</a>. Each ad was aimed at Facebook users who worked in publishing houses and included a link to Schembari's professional information. "It was like a networking event on steroids with an added bonus of never needing to leave my house or get out of my pajamas," Schembari says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Don't force them to interact</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">One recent client of Foss' was so eager to land a job that he wanted to wait for the hiring manager outside of the lobby. This kind of tactic can hurt your chances, she says. "You could threaten their sense of security and land in big trouble," Foss says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Consider industry norms</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Not all fields are created equal. For those job titles with a more formal hiring process, it may be best to avoid any creative job applications. Especially if you're applying to work in a large firm, any bold moves may be frowned upon. Don't try it with a law firm, says Ann Dunkin, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/operations+director/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">director of operations</a> at Attorney Resource, a staffing firm for <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/legal/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">legal</a> professionals. "Law firms and corporate legal departments are looking for candidates who can handle themselves with grace and maturity in very busy, sometimes stressful, work environments."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">No matter what strategy you consider, it's important to evaluate the professional consequences. Develop ideas that hold true to your own goals. As you're brainstorming, look for strategies that put you in direct contact with the hiring manager. "Essentially, find ways to capture a hiring manager's attention directly, and not in the way they're used to, [like] the old pile of résumés on their desk," Foss says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Alina Dizik researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

Should outrageous job-hunting strategies be part of your search arsenal?

Alina Dizik, Special to CareerBuilder With so many applicants for the most coveted positions, standing out from the crowd can be difficult. ...

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Falling down and forgiveness

My bike ride was awesome! It was the best bike ride I've had in a long time. Perfect weather, 71 degrees going to the gym and 75 degrees coming home, with a light, cool breeze. Sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. I LOVE the Pacific Northwest when the sun shines!<br /><br />It took 45 minutes to get to the gym. Normally it's 22 minutes going fast, really pushing myself going up the hills. Today I decided not to race to get there. I thought of it more as a therapy bike ride. Enjoy the scenery, get my heart rate up but don't kill myself doing it. I found the hills a lot more challenging at my heavier weight (193 this morning).<br /><br />The gym was almost empty, which was really nice. I did weights for an entire hour and there were only a couple guys in the free weights area. I had planned on a lower body workout but I remembered the last time I biked to the gym and then did a lower body workout. I almost didn't make it home. So it was upper body, a full hour-long workout.<br /><br />Somehow, and I'm really not sure how it happened, I fell off my bike while standing still in the parking lot of the gym. I know that sounds crazy, and it happened so fast that I'm not even sure how it happened, but it did. I was just about to start riding out of the parking lot, when I fell over and crashed into some beauty bark on my right knee. I tangled myself up in my bike, then rolled onto the pavement, scraping a lot of skin off of my knee.<br /><br />It was kind of embarrassing, but not too many people saw me.  After brushing myself off, I quickly got out of there. I made it home in 22 minutes. My knee still hurts and burns. Probably beauty bark poisoning or something.<br /><br />While I was riding home I thought about something I saw in a notebook that I found in my little backpack I use when I bike. I always take a notebook to the gym with me to keep a record of my workouts. The last workout date in this one was April 23, 2011. I have one in my car that I used every day, but decided to use this one since it was already in the backpack. I accidentally dropped it, and it flipped open to the last page. I saw the following, written in my handwriting:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhE3JgEYaEK5JFXEAT-je0bJcmpvNCY6KoCFwIZJkY04EC3Y-7KS8a7epdnAq7P_5ej396Pfcjqn_wQeuo3BhY8zvwj6i-AIDQNxybqqGzHpUpO_dm-9fd6-VHerqT-H-uQut0xCrLx0E/s1600/Ashamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhE3JgEYaEK5JFXEAT-je0bJcmpvNCY6KoCFwIZJkY04EC3Y-7KS8a7epdnAq7P_5ej396Pfcjqn_wQeuo3BhY8zvwj6i-AIDQNxybqqGzHpUpO_dm-9fd6-VHerqT-H-uQut0xCrLx0E/s320/Ashamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>  <br />I have no idea why I wrote those words. It sounds like something to do with gaining weight. Specifically gaining a lot of weight after losing a lot of weight. Maybe I saw it on TV or read it in a book or a magazine. I may have even read it on someones blog.  <br /><br />Since I don't really know where I heard it, I can't give the correct person credit, but it makes a lot of sense regarding my weight gain. My gain of 40 pounds in a year and a half, after an 85-pound weight loss, has caused me to feel each one of these emotions very deeply. It's been a painful journey re-gaining this weight. <br /><br />1. <b>Ashamed</b>. There are few things in life more embarrassing than losing a lot of weight and then gaining it back. When I lost weight, people were constantly telling me how great I looked. When I started gaining it back, people had no idea what to say, so out of politeness, they said nothing. I  know they notice it, how could they not see it. It's so blatantly obvious as I get bigger and my clothes get tighter.<br /><br />2. <b>Angry</b>. I was really angry about my weight gain for a long time. Angry mostly at myself, but also at the unfairness of it all. Unfairness that I have these issues with food, and that I can't eat anything I want to eat. Unfairness that I love food so much, too much, and even the mere fact that I love food makes me angry. I've gone through the "why me?" many times, but ultimately, it's pointless to be so angry about something that just "is".<br /><br />3. <b>Afraid</b>. I remember this one really well, in fact, I still have a little bit of fear about my weight. The fear of gaining all of it back, the fear of never being able to lose the weight I've re-gained, and the fear that I'll be even fatter than before, that I'll make it up to 300+ pounds.<br /><br />I've relaxed quite a bit about being afraid of my weight. I'm not heartbroken about the weight gain anymore, nor do I fear gaining a ton more weight. I'm feeling confident that I'll lose it again. I still think a little fear about gaining weight is a good thing. Too much fear is damaging to my soul. A little fear keeps me on my toes.<br /><br />4. <b>Forgiveness</b>. It's been a long haul but somehow I have made it to this one. I have forgiven myself for my past mistakes. Simply put, I screwed up a good thing. It's okay. I'm allowed to screw up as long as I don't dwell on my past mistakes, forgive myself and move forward.<br /><br />Forgiveness of one's own transgressions is a lot harder than forgiving someone else. We're harder on ourselves than we are on other people. Kind of crazy that we're built that way, but it just seems like that's how most of us function. If someone else messes up, we're kind and caring, we understand how things can happen. We forgive them. But let us screw up our own life by gaining weight and holy crap, you'd think we'd committed a murder. The simple fact is that I ate too much food, and I gained weight. That's all there is to it. I didn't hurt anyone in the process except myself.<br /><br />Forgiveness. It's good for the soul. Falling off my bike or falling off my diet, it's all kind of the same thing. I just have to get back up, brush myself off, and keep on going. Of course it's embarrassing, but there's really no other option.<br /><div style="color: lime; text-align: center;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><br />Pictures from my bike ride today...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A new sign that was put up at the trail head in the last few months. Funny thing, but I saw a coyote cross the road, right in front of my car on the way to the gym a few weeks ago. Kind of scary. At first I thought it was a big, skinny weird looking dog, but then I realized, that's a coyote!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj8PATap4EaD-eY1HNxCuBhPQ5w4TFYHV0HIINvBR2jI_tX5a_HKDyPgxKqQxsVfK2Amsper5FiBV8WKag-YpA3-AElssWy9s6PkZCbnimVlZQcAe4yesyBKCjlfVYipVsO3IgT3O2ds9/s1600/Coyote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj8PATap4EaD-eY1HNxCuBhPQ5w4TFYHV0HIINvBR2jI_tX5a_HKDyPgxKqQxsVfK2Amsper5FiBV8WKag-YpA3-AElssWy9s6PkZCbnimVlZQcAe4yesyBKCjlfVYipVsO3IgT3O2ds9/s640/Coyote.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I'm sure you're all thinking, not another Mt. Rainier picture! Sorry, I just can't get enough of this mountain. I love it. When it's clear out it looks like I could just reach out and touch it. In reality it's about 60 miles away.  </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc1QDGYr-K-YkJd8pmrZkNSvDRJkF4I7scf-BIjcTwf1FlIWWub7a8VNxHU9TUsyq1GG2r1czsMnLMRucQkB6r7Z0wy3s5rM9T9CwN0yEL1dLCUvD9hTYuR-o1Xt4WYEpN6AywV55LnaL/s1600/Mt.+Rainier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc1QDGYr-K-YkJd8pmrZkNSvDRJkF4I7scf-BIjcTwf1FlIWWub7a8VNxHU9TUsyq1GG2r1czsMnLMRucQkB6r7Z0wy3s5rM9T9CwN0yEL1dLCUvD9hTYuR-o1Xt4WYEpN6AywV55LnaL/s640/Mt.+Rainier.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The part of the trail I prefer to ride my bike, but I decided after seeing the coyote sign maybe I'd better stay on the paved trail instead of wandering off into the woods by myself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTI5pUC9OhNrGDb7qZs0L3L-16-ApakGSvcYvz52k0oBh0zci3zqSUOTWYc9oda2sHvfu3LNZLq3KDzVNmPMLhbVYhJFCI5HihlCGVGg34kcNnN0Mx2RtzALhuZMNV86gl-o6t0cAajg2/s1600/Trail+I+really+wanted+to+ride.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTI5pUC9OhNrGDb7qZs0L3L-16-ApakGSvcYvz52k0oBh0zci3zqSUOTWYc9oda2sHvfu3LNZLq3KDzVNmPMLhbVYhJFCI5HihlCGVGg34kcNnN0Mx2RtzALhuZMNV86gl-o6t0cAajg2/s640/Trail+I+really+wanted+to+ride.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Just part of the trail. And yes, there's a horrible power line that runs along the side of the trail. I'm sure I'm getting an extra dose of cancer-causing electricity jolted through my body when I ride next to it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gr-DK7ROAI8ipxrJ1qv-EzVVdP2-6v4HPNbWpBvfpTCSNHvu1ZdPXqT0i51J66ehjBKln1N4_y3bHrQsYHHA8T8Mpbhbgk508NLPQewNzoWOqkB0adOrLr3QVIKFXnAIbLxTYCAOivoD/s1600/the+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gr-DK7ROAI8ipxrJ1qv-EzVVdP2-6v4HPNbWpBvfpTCSNHvu1ZdPXqT0i51J66ehjBKln1N4_y3bHrQsYHHA8T8Mpbhbgk508NLPQewNzoWOqkB0adOrLr3QVIKFXnAIbLxTYCAOivoD/s640/the+bike.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Just a picture of me, not exactly flattering. I was trying to get Mt. Rainier in the picture, it's behind me somewhere, but somehow I totally missed getting it in the picture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_6zVkgx7osA3o7s_Ppl3XBkmyo_bUwV_j7Y9ti4C1ES-QBBoT__IsdARmY-Nu3jA7XxKchfyxepSUUbYf12p-XG1uaR73v5BYY9woDxTia1Ha0xyeTNz8cZTkBEy-Nut2nTE6tSCuuWM/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_6zVkgx7osA3o7s_Ppl3XBkmyo_bUwV_j7Y9ti4C1ES-QBBoT__IsdARmY-Nu3jA7XxKchfyxepSUUbYf12p-XG1uaR73v5BYY9woDxTia1Ha0xyeTNz8cZTkBEy-Nut2nTE6tSCuuWM/s400/me.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Part of the trail that's fun going down, not so fun going up on the other side. I can't believe how much harder the hills are now that I'm so much heavier. I thought I was going to have to walk my bike up some of the hills, but I forced myself to do it. It wasn't easy and my heart rate was up to 155 at one point, but I did it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRlk6w2953MrdE6fMlvEUYSlJDwR3FYJWEcuxhr1AAlUA4fTMGYH1vC5wAMyk_foe6gMISFoYF3pePabxCpQg6mxulfd1a5lPQJ2kUpYcc6MIdD91Web8kJBEEFCWmYPTjPQWBgJ9TmhA/s1600/The+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRlk6w2953MrdE6fMlvEUYSlJDwR3FYJWEcuxhr1AAlUA4fTMGYH1vC5wAMyk_foe6gMISFoYF3pePabxCpQg6mxulfd1a5lPQJ2kUpYcc6MIdD91Web8kJBEEFCWmYPTjPQWBgJ9TmhA/s640/The+trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Dinner tonight was wonderful. Kalbi chicken breasts that I bought ready to cook from the neighborhood butcher, and fresh broccoli and sweet corn on the cob from the neighborhood produce store. I stopped in on my way home and tied the bags to my bike handle bars for the last two blocks home. It made for a perfect ending to a perfect day.<br /><br />Note: you may notice I took down my old "after" picture where I weighed 152. It use to be on the right side. I didn't like to look at it because every time I saw it, it made me a little bit sad. I'll post new pictures when I lose some weight.

Falling down and forgiveness

My bike ride was awesome! It was the best bike ride I've had in a long time. Perfect weather, 71 degrees going to the gym and 75 degrees...

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Where is the time going?

It's really true what they say, the older you get the faster time flies. As I'm approaching 56 in a couple of weeks I feel like time is speeding up. What seems like a few days is actually a few weeks. It's like I'm living a movie where everything is being fast-forwarded.<br /><br />That's part of the reason my posts have been so few and far between. Every day I think of several topics I want to write about, but I never seem to find the time to actually sit down and write.<br /><br />It's the same with my dieting. Almost every day ends on the same note...well, I screwed up again today, but there's always tomorrow. I've been saying that for weeks, or actually, I guess it's been months, perhaps even years now. <br /><br />How have I been doing? <br />I've been doing better in all areas of my life. Not perfect, just better.<br /><br />Work is still work, and I've decided to learn something new at work. All my protesting that I didn't want to learn anything new is what led me down the path of my job ending in a few years.<br /><br />I work in IT. It's a changing world. If I want to stay in IT I have to change with it. I don't know why it took me so long to accept this fact, but I have and now it's time to get going on learning the new technologies that I was unreasonably dead set on not learning. I decided that was a career ending move on my part, and now is not the time to end a career. I'm almost 56 and we're in an economical crisis here in the United States with record unemployment rates. It's really not the time to consider a career change. I've accepted this and it's made things much better in my workplace.<br /><br />The unending quest to lose weight continues. Sometimes I amaze myself at my refusal to give up on losing weight, especially considering I've felt like a miserable failure in the weight loss arena for many months now.<br /><br />Since Monday I managed to lose six pounds, from 199 to 193. Some of that weight loss is from the Triamterene blood pressure meds, a very low-dose diuretic. My BP is now 121/62, a huge improvement from 148/98 that it was on Monday. I hate taking a medication, but I hate the possibility of a stroke or doing damage to my heart even more than I hate taking a tiny pill each day.<br /><br />I cut back quite a bit on my food intake last week so I know it wasn't all water weight that I lost. My binge food all week was cherries. The Asian market, HMart, sells the most incredible tasting local sweet dark red cherries as well as Rainier cherries at a crazy low price ($1.49 & $1.99 a pound). I think I've finally eaten my fill of them for a while. I'm actually glad they're seasonal because I was wondering if I'd ever get tired of them. <br /><br />My exercise is still not up to the level it should be. I keep finding reasons to skip the gym in the mornings. In the last week I only went four times (since last Saturday). That might sound good to a lot of people, but it's not that good for me. Five or six times would be better, and what I've been doing the past three years. My latest excuse is I'm tired and sleep is more important than exercise. They're both important. I really shouldn't be making a choice of which is more important, but when the alarm goes off at 5 a.m. I often go with the sleep is more important.<br /><br />Speaking of sleep, I think the Melatonin is actually working for me. I've been waking up less in the middle of the night and my sleep feels deeper and more restful. When I get up I don't feel groggy or exhausted. There's a lot of conflicting information out there on the internet regarding Melatonin, some say it works, others say it doesn't.<br /><br />The most interesting thing I read is that melatonin is naturally secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. As we age, our brain secretes less of the hormone, which is possibly why older people have trouble sleeping. Of course, they're still doing research to prove this fact. At least I didn't read about any negative effects. The worst case is that it doesn't do anything. Maybe it's all in my head, but I really think it's helping. <br /><br />Well, as I said when I started this post, time is slipping by me. I have a lot of things to get done today, top of the list is physical activity. My plan is to bike ride to the gym, then a lower body weight workout, then ride home. The temperature is suppose to get up to 80 degrees today. So far this year, we've had 78 minutes of temperatures at 80 or above here in the Seattle area (I think the highest was 81 one day for a couple of minutes). It's the running joke around her, 78 minutes of summer so far this year. <br /><br />Almost forgot to mention my Body Media. It was sent out on the delivery truck yesterday morning by UPS at 9 a.m. for delivery by the end of the day. It never arrived. I checked the UPS tracking site at about 9pm and they changed the delivery to Monday. Slightly annoying since I live about three miles from the UPS station that was the delivery truck origin. I was really hoping to play with it this weekend, but looks like I have to wait until next week. <br /><br />Now for a quick breakfast and get out on my bike, hopefully for noon before our Northwest "heat wave" hits. I'm sure folks in the 105 temps find it pretty funny that we think 80 is is HOT.<br /><br />On the agenda for tomorrow is a hike up near Mt. Rainier. My husband said he wants to go, and since it's our first nice weather weekend in weeks, we're going!

Where is the time going?

It's really true what they say, the older you get the faster time flies. As I'm approaching 56 in a couple of weeks I feel like time...

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PEAJE - EXPENSIVE COMMUTING

<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Food for thought</b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="hps"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">Alimento para el pensamiento</span></span></b></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Argentine luxury – Highway travel </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="ES" style="color: yellow;">Argentina De lujo  - Viajar en autopistas</span></b></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Out of a total population of approximately 40 million Argentines, 15.2 million live within close proximity of Buenos Aires, thus making it the second largest Latin American metropolitan area after Sao Paulo in Brazil.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">De una población</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">total de</span> <span class="hps">aproximadamente 40</span> <span class="hps">millones de argentinos</span>, 15,2 <span class="hps">millones viven</span> <span class="hps">en las cercanías</span> <span class="hps">de Buenos Aires,</span> <span class="hps">por lo que esta es la segunda  área</span> <span class="hps">metropolitana</span> <span class="hps">más grande</span> <span class="hps">de América</span> <span class="hps">después de</span> <span class="hps">Sao</span> <span class="hps">Paulo</span> <span class="hps">en Brasil.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">See <a href="http://www.mpsargentina.org/turistic.html">http://www.mpsargentina.org/turistic.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Given the density of this metropolitan area, a large amount of people are forced to commute to work from the outskirts of Buenos Aires.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Teniendo en cuenta la densidad de esta área metropolitana, una gran cantidad de personas se ven obligadas a ir al trabajo desde las afueras de Buenos Aires.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whereas public transport such as trains and subways are very cheap, commuting by car on  highways to and from Buenos Aires is considerable more expensive than in most European counties.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Considerando que el transporte público, como ferrocarriles y el metro son muy baratos, los desplazamientos en coche en las carreteras desde y hacia Buenos Aires es bastante más caro que en la mayoría de países europeos.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Commuting from Pilar, a popular countryside residential area located 55km North West of Buenos Aires, to work downtown using the “Autopistas del Sol” highway which is the only feasible option during peak hours, toll expenses are approx </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">14$</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Pesos, coming and going <b><u>once per day</u></b>, equals </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">70$</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Pesos per week, </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">280$</span><span style="font-size: large;"> per month, <b style="color: red;"><u>3360$ Pesos</u></b> per year which equals to <b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;">560 Euro</span>!!!!</span></b> (Exchange rate 6$ to 1 EUR) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">El viaje desde  Pilar, una zona residencial popular situada a 55 km al noroeste de Buenos Aires, al centro para trabajar usando  la "Autopista del Sol", que es la única opción viable en las horas pico, los gastos de peaje son unos 14 $ pesos (ida y vuelta) una vez por día, es igual a $ 70 pesos por semana, 280 $ por mes, <u>$ 3360 pesos por año</u>, lo que equivale a 560 euros!! (Tipo de cambio $ 6 a 1 EUR)</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Commuting </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">29 km</span><span style="font-size: large;"> from the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires to the city center at peak hours, using the highway for one roundtrip, toll expenses’ amount to <b style="color: red;"><u>2544 $Pesos</u></b> per year which equal <b style="color: red;"><u>424 EUR</u>!!!!</b></span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Los viajes desde los suburbios de zona norte , a 29 kilómetros de Capital Federal  al centro de la ciudad en las horas pico, por la autopista implica un gasto de ida y vuelta de $ 2,544 pesos al año que equivalen a <u><b>424 euros!!</b></u></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Compared to the <b><span style="color: red;">560 Euro</span></b> per year, Argentine commuters pay on highway toll, European countries, with the exception of France are considerable cheaper.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Si comparamos  los 560 euros al año que los viajeros argentinos pagan como  peaje a la autopista con los países europeos, con la excepción de Francia son considerablemente más baratos.  </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here are some comparisons: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Vignette (road tax system)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Aquí están algunas comparaciones:<br />Vignette (sistema de impuesto de circulación)</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;">AUSTRIA </span>- </b>Approx <b style="color: red;">76 EURO</b> (<b style="color: red;">456$</b> pesos) for 1 year unlimited use of countries entire highway system </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">Aprox</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">76</span> <span class="hps">euros</span> </span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">(456$ Pesos) </span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">para</span> <span class="hps">1 año</span> <span class="hps">sin límite</span> <span class="hps">de</span>  uso en las carreteras de todo el país</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;">SPAIN </span> - </b>Approx <b style="color: red;">45 EURO</b> (<b><span style="color: red;">270$</span></b> pesos) for 1 year unlimited use of most of countries highway system</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">45</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">euros</span> <span class="hps">(270$pesos) para</span> <span class="hps">1 año</span> <span class="hps">sin límite</span> <span class="hps">de</span>  uso en las carreteras de todo el país </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;">SWITZERLAND</span> -  </b>Approx <b style="color: red;">31 EURO</b> (<b style="color: red;">186$ </b>pesos) for 1 year unlimited use of countries entire highway system</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES">Aprox</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;"> <span class="hps">31</span> <span class="hps">euros</span> (186$ Pesos) <span class="hps">para</span> <span class="hps">1 año</span> <span class="hps">sin límite</span> <span class="hps">de</span>  uso en las carreteras de todo el país </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">GERMANY</span> <span style="color: red;"><span style="color: lime;">Free highway usage</span> </span></b></span><br /><div style="color: blue;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;">libre</span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 115%;"> <span class="hps">uso de</span> <span class="hps">la carretera</span></span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Use of alternative commuting is rather limited due to infrastructural shortcomings, especially train connections to and from city outskirts are insufficient and outdated. Due to the heavily populated area, use of freeways as alternative commuting is becoming increasingly difficult because of permanent traffic congestion's, thus commuters using their car have no alternative but to utilize the <b>privatized highway system. </b>Subsequently private operating companies such as “Autopistas del Sol”  have no scruple charging higher tolls then in Europe, for lack of alternatives.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Adding to the toll fuel cost and vehicle attrition, the feasibility to commute becomes “Food for thought”.   </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="hps" style="font-size: large;"><span lang="ES">El uso de</span></span><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;"> <span class="hps">rutas alternativas</span> <span class="hps">es bastante limitada</span> <span class="hps">debido a las deficiencias</span> <span class="hps">de infraestructura,</span> <span class="hps">especialmente las conexiones</span> <span class="hps">de trenes</span> <span class="hps">hacia y desde</span> <span class="hps">las afueras</span> <span class="hps">de la ciudad</span> <span class="hps">son insuficientes</span> <span class="hps">y anticuadas.</span> <span class="hps">Debido a que las</span> <span class="hps">zonas se encuentran densamente poblada</span>, el uso de <span class="hps">rutas sin pago</span> como <span class="hps">rutas</span> <span class="hps">alternativas</span> <span class="hps">es cada vez más</span> <span class="hps">difícil debido a las</span> <span class="hps">congestiones de tráfico</span> <span class="hps">permanente</span>, por lo que <span class="hps">los viajeros</span> <span class="hps">con</span> <span class="hps">su coche</span> <span class="hps">no tiene</span> <span class="hps">más remedio que</span> <span class="hps">utilizar</span> <span class="hps">el sistema de autopistas</span> <span class="hps">privatizadas.</span> <span class="hps">Posteriormente,</span> <span class="hps">las empresas</span> <span class="hps">privadas que operan</span> <span class="hps">como</span> <span class="hps">"</span>Autopistas del Sol" <span class="hps">no tienen</span> <span class="hps">escrúpulos en</span> <span class="hps">utilizar</span> <span class="hps">el cobro de peajes</span> <span class="hps">más altos que</span> <span class="hps">en Europa.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="hps" style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><span lang="ES">Agregando a la</span></span><span lang="ES" style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"> <span class="hps">cifra de</span> <span class="hps">costo</span> <span class="hps">de combustible</span> <span class="hps">y</span> <span class="hps">desgaste</span> <span class="hps">del vehículo</span>, <span class="hps">la posibilidad</span> <span class="hps">de conmutar</span> <span class="hps">se convierte en "</span>Alimento para el pensamiento".</span></div><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">See related links:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-size: large;">Ver los enlaces relacionados:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ausol.com.ar/cuadrotarifario.asp">http://www.ausol.com.ar/cuadrotarifario.asp</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ruta0.com/rutas_argentinas.aspx?d1=Buenos+Aires&desde=7&h1=Pilar&hasta=222&tipoq=1&tipo=1&clima=Si">http://www.ruta0.com/rutas_argentinas.aspx?d1=Buenos+Aires&desde=7&h1=Pilar&hasta=222&tipoq=1&tipo=1&clima=Si</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kfz-auskunft.de/info/autobahngebuehr.html">http://www.kfz-auskunft.de/info/autobahngebuehr.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilar,_Buenos_Aires_Province">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilar,_Buenos_Aires_Province</a></span></div>

PEAJE - EXPENSIVE COMMUTING

Food for thought Alimento para el pensamiento Argentine luxury – Highway travel Argentina De lujo  - Viajar en autopistas Out of a total pop...

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How to keep networking during summer vacation

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder Writer</span></b><br /><br /><div class="cbmsnArticleImage"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/p8/ar5f8795w2cgwgxxltp8.gif?time=6/7/2011%2012:12:49%20pm" /></div></div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For many people, regardless of age, summer is a time when work is low on your list of priorities. Perhaps all those years of three-month summer vacations as young students conditioned us to think of June, July, and August as reprieves from using our brain. Even many offices let their workers leave early on Fridays during the summer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For job seekers, the summer months can be particularly troublesome due to several factors. Aside from wishing they were outside sunning at the pool rather than inside typing up a résumé, many job seekers have children at home for three months and need to entertain them. Not to mention scheduling conflicts of the employers who are off at some resort enjoying the sun and don't have time for interviews. Despite these problems, however, summer isn't a lost cause for job seeking.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Why summer is a good time to job hunt</b><br />"Conducting a job search during the summer can be tricky, and it is important to avoid the biggest hazards for job seekers during the summertime -- timing and schedules," says Patty Coffey, a partner in the <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/information+technology/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">information technology</a> division of staffing firm Winter, Wyman. "Candidates shouldn't feel discouraged if the interview process takes extra time, and those who can withstand a longer process may just find that perfect job."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In fact, Coffey offers these five tips for job seekers to keep in mind during the summer:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Some industries slow down in summer</b><br />"Employees of many companies may actually have more time to interview candidates in the summer, when they aren't on vacation, because it isn't a busy time for their organization," she explains.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Don't assume no one's hiring</b><br />"Companies still need to hire even when it is 95 degrees outside," Coffey reminds. "If you stop your job search, you could miss out on some great opportunities. And you may face less competition if other job seekers are buying into the summer slowdown myth."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Be prepared to act quickly</b><br />"While summer vacation schedules can prolong the interview process, they can also expedite it," she cautions. "If the schedules of all involved align, companies will speed up interviews -- to even just one day -- to avoid the complexity of scheduling multiple meetings."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><strong>Starting in the summer gives you more breathing room</strong>"Summertime is typically a less hectic time to transition to a new job. Prospects can get acquainted with the company when fewer people are in the office and things are slower. It can also be less traumatic for families if a move is involved, since children wouldn't have to switch schools mid-year," Coffey says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Use summer hours to your advantage<br />"</b>Many companies have a more lax schedule in July and August," she reminds. "Bosses are often on vacation or may take a long lunch, so employees can slip away unnoticed. Vacation days are more accepted -- boss won't think it is odd if you take a vacation day or two in August. In fact, you could even consider taking a 'job search vacation' where you conduct a week-long blitz of intense searching and interviewing."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How to network and make connections in the summer</b><br />Now that you know summer is the perfect time to job hunt, and maybe even the secret to landing a job while everyone else has given up, you need to know how to do it. We asked some career experts to give their best advice for making the most of summer picnics and sports games in order to advance your career. Here's what they think you should be doing:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"At the summer barbecue or pool party, networkers should listen as well as talk. Listening establishes rapport and people are more likely to help you when they feel listened to. Job seekers should never say, 'I'm unemployed.' It sounds passive and negative. If you are networking and not employed, the best thing to say is 'I'm in [a] career transition.' It puts you in the driver's seat. If you were caught in a downsizing, never say 'I lost my job' or 'I was laid off.' Instead say, 'My position was downsized' or 'my department was eliminated.' Then, it sound less like the layoff was about you and more like it was about the financial operations of the company." <i>- Marky Stein, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/career+coach/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">career coach</a>and author of "Fearless Resumes: The Proven Method to Get a Great Job Fast"</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"The challenge of summer networking is that so many of the venues and places are outside. Most of us are not walking around with our briefcases and resumes in hand. We forget that these summer places offer real opportunities.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"[My] Best advice: Keep your business cards with you wherever you go -- in your pocket or wallet or glove compartment of your car. If you have a smartphone, learn to use it by immediately uploading a new contact into it and beaming your contact info to the person you have just met. Be careful: since these are usually social or recreational, do not come across as too pushy. Keep it low key!" <i>- Larry Chiagouris, professor of <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/marketing/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">marketing</a> at Pace University</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"The best thing about networking [at picnics, softball leagues or tennis matches] is people get to know the real you, the person behind the suit, the face and the personality. Be yourself! And connect with them on LinkedIn.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Considering most conversations either begin or end up focusing on what you do for a living, have that elevator speech planned but don't sound too canned. Bring business cards or connect with new contacts on LinkedIn but know going into it what you're looking for. Identify what you want such as a company you want to work for and/or specific jobs and put yourself in the position to ask new contacts for help." <i>- Vicki Salemi, author of "Big Career in the Big City"</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"At times, professionals forget the conversation starters and ways to look for making connections to build their networking. Ask probing questions to find out more about the other person. Don't talk all business but ask them about their personal interests outside of work, their family, their occupation and what made them select that industry, where they like to vacation and what are their dreams and aspirations. When you find a common connection that is when the real magic begins to happen.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"I challenge people to keep asking questions on various topics until they find a common interest. I've personally done this and found people who attended the same university, from the same home town or like to vacation in the same type of relaxing vacations. This is how to build a professional network that can lead to long-term rapport." <i>- Sarah Hathorn, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/CEO/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">CEO</a> of Illustra Consulting, a corporate and individual professional consulting firm</i></div><i>Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, </i><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>The Work Buzz</i></a><i>. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.</i> </div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

How to keep networking during summer vacation

Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder Writer For many people, regardless of age, summer is a time when work is low on your list of priorities. P...

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BOSNIA - EUROPEAN UNION’S STEPCHILD

<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY (IC) AND ORGANIZED CRIME (OC) ARE THE MAIN OBSTACLES IN SOLVING THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (BIH).  </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uJ2BYMwEt3Y?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2X29QvipgS380mmXtFhBWcZJ5FgL8Fzi0kJVt8py-YUYX4JCqDOvsEJOso92xb_Mtao2FyPHFsNXIlVKe4h0zN7Wfgc-OwwEU9bT9VnEKmVc6CP2q4YC2BkDZjZUK6XKbjbLFIaqW9yt/s1600/bosnia_herzegovina_pol97.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2X29QvipgS380mmXtFhBWcZJ5FgL8Fzi0kJVt8py-YUYX4JCqDOvsEJOso92xb_Mtao2FyPHFsNXIlVKe4h0zN7Wfgc-OwwEU9bT9VnEKmVc6CP2q4YC2BkDZjZUK6XKbjbLFIaqW9yt/s400/bosnia_herzegovina_pol97.jpg" width="321" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The notorious inability of the EU to find a common political consensus on pressing subject such as the current dept crisis management, immigration policies, unified air traffic control, to name but a few, reflect on the inability to find a united approach regarding BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (BIH) and its acceptance in the EU. Some EU countries, for historical reasons, follow their own agenda with BIH, where others seem indifferent to the developments occurring, right in front of the doorstep to EUROPE. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This division in opinion among EU states, as how to proceed with the membership negotiations and growing rift among the 3 BOSNIAN ethnicities are the perfect constellation to further escalate the already fragile situation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">By stalling EU membership negotiations, BOSNIANS, in particularly the BOSNIAK (Muslim) entity might turn their back on the EU entirely and seek support from TURKEY and other ASIAN Muslim states. And who can blame them? TURKEY’S and most ASIAN Muslim states are far better off economically then the EU and contrary to the EU, these countries are eager to accept young educated immigrants, of which BIH has plenty off. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The older generation of BIH grew up in an ethnic unified environment and has close ties to EUROPE because many citizens of FORMER YUGOSLAVIA immigrated to EUROPE in order to work, thus providing financial support for their relatives and families in BIH. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Diaspora still works in favor for the old generation of FORMER YUGOSLAVIA, thus ties to EUROPE still are strong due to the economic support, but with the economic situation in EUROPE worsening rapidly, the incentive to join the EU are diminishing rapidly, even among the older generation.</span><span style="font-size: large;">  </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HadIxyg1yxg?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlike EUROPE, the BALKAN has a rather young and growing population with a large amount of disillusioned youth at disposal. Thanks to the visa regime the EU placed upon BIH after the war, for fear of mass migration, travel to EUROPE for young BOSNIANS was impossible and only contributed to the fact that the young generation of Bosnia lost its ties, identification and association with EUROPE, thus student movements in BIH, in particularly in the Muslim part of BIH, increasingly voice their anger on the prolonged EU membership negotiations and see no need to join the Union. Most young Bosnians nowadays ask the question: Who needs Europe, with its stagnating economy, increasing “Islamophobia” and hostility towards immigrants? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">TURKEY and countries such as SAUDI ARABIA, MALAYSIA, EGYPT to name but a few are investing heavily in BIH and encourage young BOSNIAKS to study in their country, providing them </span><span style="font-size: large;"> job perspectives, excellent career opportunities and last but not least treat them as fellow Muslims. See also <a href="http://www.isaintel.com/2011/01/31/as-predicted-turkey-steps-in-to-help-bosnia-form-new-govt-while-spreads-disinformation-on-%E2%80%98flag-row%E2%80%99/">http://www.isaintel.com/2011/01/31/as-predicted-turkey-steps-in-to-help-bosnia-form-new-govt-while-spreads-disinformation-on-%E2%80%98flag-row%E2%80%99/</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">One should not underestimate the youth movements among the BOSNIAK entity. Currently there are no indications that the BOSNIAKS youth will turn towards Islamic fundamentalism, should however the economic situation in the country deteriorate, they could easily be the target of fundamentalist recruiting techniques and thus shake the entire political landscape in the region. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpy5RQwjT70?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The EU and the IC however seem to turn a blind eye on development in BIH for reasons that are not comprehendible, or as some argue, are deliberate. The “Internationals” as all foreign entities in BIH are referred to, earn vast amounts of money. Official posts such as the Office of the High Representative (OHR), OSCE chief etc are appointments which are limited to a certain period of time, thus a continuous flow of “new” ideas etc. should be imminent. On the other hand, international consultants, analysts, advisors etc. are in most cases permanent positions. Thus their objectives are to prolong the current eco - political situation in BIH, in order to continue earning high wages. Thus impartial analysis and conflict resolutions on BIH are almost none existing. </span><span style="font-size: large;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The “Internationals” are also under the influence from lobbies who manipulate the political landscape in BIH. Milorad Dodik, the Bosnian Serb leader of the REPUBLIC SRBSKA (RS) for example uses his warmongering rhetoric’s to “play” the “Internationals” as he deems necessary to archive his political objective in the RS. There are allegations that Dodik has strong lobbies within the EU and the USA who support his cause.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Organized Crime and “grey” Economy of BIH</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last but not least, the other entity in BIH which is not interested in a solution to the Bosnian problem and its acceptance in the EU are the Organized Crime syndicates. OC and the so called “grey” economy are far too developed and infiltrated in all levels of BIH society then to be eliminating them from one day to the other. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The close proximity of the SANDZAK </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">  (see </span><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand%C5%BEak">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand%C5%BEak</a> ) region, a OC stronghold and home to a BOSNIAK minority, most of whom are running their “international business” from there due to its geographic location in the Balkans and close proximity to main drugs and human trafficking routes to Europe, further stalls political as well as economic progress in BIH.</span><span style="font-size: large;">   </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">See also:</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><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></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_368951384">http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10243.doc.htm</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>

BOSNIA - EUROPEAN UNION’S STEPCHILD

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY (IC) AND ORGANIZED CRIME (OC) ARE THE MAIN OBSTACLES IN SOLVING THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION OF BOSNIA AND HE...

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