Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha

Alright buds, I did the research today on the Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha (SCM), and here's what I came up with....<br /><br />First off, it's always important to give credit where credit is due.  WE ALL have <a href="http://www.nothankstocake.com/" target="_blank">Kelly @ No Thanks to Cake</a> to thank for this concoction.  Let me make that clear! Sometimes you have these moments in life where you're like, "Why didn't I think of that?"... and Kelly does that a lot for me.  She tends to make the obvious even more obvious for myself :).  Case in point - if you're trying to enjoy some 'bucks, but you don't want to splurge on the full drink recipe/calories, why not modify it?  We do it with food, so why not beverages?  There's clearly no better place to do this than at a Starbucks, where customizing your drink is the norm.  Still, I would have never thought to ask my barista to go easy on the pumps.  Duh!  Thank God someone is a genius out there!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE06UAtZYcZwZUWSSSkbPaOUglZ_kmW35WTSrKVGqeyT3i6o5P6KJBXIuRg6mKo8vv18HLr_Li8Jr2MBGOQBENT0JDNa3_fih-r28x-IeADmFDjicHUG-qd1aM6Dt7xWkHeVyNGVRtRsk/s1600/starbucks+syrups+nutrition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE06UAtZYcZwZUWSSSkbPaOUglZ_kmW35WTSrKVGqeyT3i6o5P6KJBXIuRg6mKo8vv18HLr_Li8Jr2MBGOQBENT0JDNa3_fih-r28x-IeADmFDjicHUG-qd1aM6Dt7xWkHeVyNGVRtRsk/s400/starbucks+syrups+nutrition.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />So, with that being said, I took the research that <a href="http://www.nothankstocake.com/2011/09/16/two-airport-finds-and-the-truth-about-the-salted-caramel-mocha/" target="_blank">Kelly has already generously done</a>, and added on to it.  She learned that your baseline tall, nonfat SCM contains 3 pumps each of the mocha and toffee nut syrups.  Based on the nutri-stats, that is 25 calories per pump of the mocha syrup, and 20 calories per pump of the toffee nut (reference chart above).  That means, in a tall SCM, you're swallowing 135 extra calories just in syrups. However, when you only do <b>1 pump mocha + 2 pumps toffee nut in a tall (no whip!)</b>... NOW we're talkin'!<br /><br />What the NTTC queen discovered is that the SCM is simply a prettied up version of a caffe mocha.  That's great!  Why?  Because not all that long ago, Starbucks debuted a SKINNY version of the caffe mocha, which is good news for us!<br /><br />Still, here is where things get a <i>little </i>hairy, and we learn why this is only an estimate.  At this time, I'm not 100% certain that the mocha syrup they use in the skinny version is totally sugar-free and totally calorie free.  So, for now, I am accepting that<i> the baseline tall skinny mocha's nutri-stats already has 3 pumps of the skinny syrup included in their calculations</i> <i>below</i>.  In order to get our estimated PointsPlus, just add on 2 pumps-worth of nutri-stats of the toffee nut and you can achieve a close estimate of your PointsPlus value.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkg9KPwknYScn3kvQ2WP7o8-YVN9shUDf5M8anhUYC7TUOxH2VZdacV8aOgbZG8J26feeyW4ycGZJjwrB2miWQMAtuuS9AoiGWjxUdQXwijAwyaQRDwM-v7gmyzZvbq614bLZWyMyy3o/s1600/SCM+tall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkg9KPwknYScn3kvQ2WP7o8-YVN9shUDf5M8anhUYC7TUOxH2VZdacV8aOgbZG8J26feeyW4ycGZJjwrB2miWQMAtuuS9AoiGWjxUdQXwijAwyaQRDwM-v7gmyzZvbq614bLZWyMyy3o/s400/SCM+tall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Calories - 165</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999;">(110 cals from skinny mocha + 40 cals of 2 pumps toffee nut + 15 cals caramel drizzle)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fat - 1.5g</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999;">(no fat in syrup + 0.5g fat in caramel drizzle)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Total Carbs - 26g</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999;">(14g from skinny mocha + 10g from toffee nut + 2g caramel drizzle)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dietary Fiber - 3g</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999;">(no fiber in syrup)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Protein - 11g</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999;">(no protein in syrup)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Total PointsPlus = 4</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999;">(I calculated a grande at 5 PointsPlus - </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #999999;">2 pumps skinny mocha + 3 pumps toffee nut)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In conclusion, if the mocha syrup is sugar free, then the PointsPlus total would stand as is because it would not affect the nutrition stats based on the other sugar free syrups (refer to chart above).  However, if the mocha syrup is "light", and we're only doing 1 pump of it versus the 3 pumps for the baseline drink, then we've most likely over-estimated our PointsPlus value, but I'm sure not by much, even if at all.  I'd rather estimate more than less in this case!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>And by the way, I tried the SCM today and fell immediately in love.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6k8uMFzMuQd8jiBKsSBJ0MpYXTRCmxzunIWwMlydZtBK8sVsz4xURRGGm_BOzdLV7lKC4R73cyEsfFWnMR3KnVMaOq8a2b1PH392FhtPwXw9y8khvdR_xvobSW6r5hSnu550PwrAVCyk/s1600/skinny+scm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6k8uMFzMuQd8jiBKsSBJ0MpYXTRCmxzunIWwMlydZtBK8sVsz4xURRGGm_BOzdLV7lKC4R73cyEsfFWnMR3KnVMaOq8a2b1PH392FhtPwXw9y8khvdR_xvobSW6r5hSnu550PwrAVCyk/s400/skinny+scm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And I won't lie to you when I say this: I enjoy it <i>more </i>than my beloved pumpkin spice!  The SCM has a lot of nice flavors melding together.<br /><br />The PSL.... well, let's just say we've "separated" for now!<br /><br />

starbucks Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha

Alright buds, I did the research today on the Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha (SCM), and here's what I came up with.... First off, it'...

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Prix vs. Chipperfield

In case you haven't seen Wolf D. Prix's criticism of the David Chipperfield-directed <a href="http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/">13th International Architecture Exhibition</a> in Venice and Sir Chipperfield's response, here they are, without comment.<br /><br /><b>Wolf D. Prix press release (<a href="http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/Feature401.htm">source</a>):</b><br /><blockquote><i>Praise be to Nero’s Neptune.</i><br /><i>The Titanic sails at dawn.</i><br /><i>And everybody’s shouting</i><br /><i>“Which Side Are You On?”</i><br />(Bob Dylan: “Desolation Row,” 1966)<br /><br />If one did not know that the media constantly exaggerates, one could almost conclude – as the <i>Süddeutsche Zeitung</i> has – that the Venice Biennale of Architecture really is the world’s most important architecture exhibition.<br /><br />However, I believe that the word “exhibition” is not intended to describe an exhibition in this case, but rather that the notion only designates the event per se. In other words, an industry meeting, like a product fair. Other critics fail to even question the purpose of the exhibition; instead they immediately conclude that the coming together, the meeting, the networking is the key aspect. That’s that!<br /><br />I would like to maintain at this juncture that the meaning of the Venice Biennale of Architecture, for theoretical arguments, has been increasingly losing significance since its beginnings with the “Strada Novissima” by Paolo Portoghesi in 1980. Even the personal significance for the participants is very low when compared to the Art Biennale. So let us not deny the truth. This event is an expensive <i>danse macabre</i>. In a city of plunder (an exhibition of plunder) hordes of tourists (architects) roll along broken infrastructure in order to satisfy their <i>petit bourgeois</i> desire for education (in the case of the architects: vanity, envy, <i>schadenfreude</i>, suspicions). Even the glamour that the visitors are supposed to feel is staid and faked by the media for whom a star architect is like a film star.<br /><br />In truth it is all hollow, arduous, exhausting, bleak, and boring. It is no longer about lively discussion and criticism of topics in contemporary architecture, but rather about empty, conservative, and perhaps populist shells that are charged with feigned meaning. What a great Architecture Biennale it would have been had they established forums and put out themes which would have provided a chance to look behind the scenes at the decision-making, instead of boring exhibitions. Take, for example, the dispute about the train station in Stuttgart. Or the reasons for the cost explosion for prominent buildings such as the Elbe Philharmonic Hall. Or the political arguments about mosques and minarets – in other words, the disputes about the localization of an idea. Why the market for single-family homes in the U.S. has collapsed and how power politics is conducted through settlement architecture. These topics would be worthy of discussion – not who is and who is not a star architect.<br /><br />However, instead of that we face: “People Meet in Architecture,” and now “Common Ground.” In other words: compromise. It cannot get any worse!<br /><br />This situation conjures an image of the Venetian carnival – one can imagine all the architects in Pierrot costumes surrounded by masked critics and dancing the <i>Dance Banale</i>. Or, even better, the architects are playing on a sinking gondola like the erstwhile orchestra on the Titanic playing their last song, while outside in the real world our leaky trade is sinking into powerlessness and irrelevance. This is because politicians and project managers, investors and bureaucrats have been deciding our built environment for a long time now. Not the architects.<br /><br />While in Russia artists are stubbornly resisting the authoritarian regime, the current director of the Architecture Biennale considers these characteristics to be obstacles for our profession, and he explains in an interview that space must be taken from the genius. One would have to show him Pussy Riots in order for him to finally understand our society.<br /><br />Furthermore, I consider that the Venice Biennale of Architecture needs to be reorganized.<br /><br />Wolf D. Prix / COOP HIMMELB(L)AU 24.08.2012</blockquote><b>David Chipperfield's response (<a href="http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/aj-exclusive-chipperfield-counters-prixs-venice-biennale-criticism/8635216.article">source</a>):</b><br /><blockquote>I am disappointed that our British architectural press should give so much coverage to the destructive opinions of a Viennese architect about the Biennale, even though he hadn’t even visited Venice.<br /><br />My concerns are not about the criticism, which I didn’t understand, but that this statement and the ensuing "controversy" stimulated by its publication reinforce the negative attitudes of our architectural culture. Wolf Prix demonstrates no interest in the position of others and only imagines that architecture can conform to his own priorities and preconceptions.<br /><br />This year’s Biennale, with all its weaknesses and mistakes, was above all conceived and realised in a spirit of generosity, optimistically proposing that there is an architectural culture bound together by shared intentions, influences and disappointments and that even the most celebrated protagonists of our profession are capable of engaging in such a dialogue.<br /><br />When I began to formulate the theme of this Biennale, paradoxically I had Wolf Prix in mind, as only a few months before he had publicly pronounced (again through a press release) that my building in Vienna for Peek & Cloppenburg was a "piece of shit".<br /><br />Beyond the fact of the criticism itself was the fact that an architect should be so drawn to criticise a "colleague" through the medium of the press. How can our profession be regarded as anything more than a soap opera if the personalities of architects dominate all reporting and serious critique is abandoned not only by the media but also by architects themselves?<br /><br />It is a shame that Mr Prix seems incapable of defining his own position except in opposition to others, and that our press doesn’t deem us capable of being interested in any discussion about architecture unless it is laced with controversy.<br /><br />David Chipperfield, 03.09.12</blockquote>

Prix vs. Chipperfield

In case you haven't seen Wolf D. Prix's criticism of the David Chipperfield-directed 13th International Architecture Exhibition in ...

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Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 09/06/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://blog.walls360.com/periodic-table-wall-graphics-from-yiying-lu-plus-free-periodic-table-design-downloads/">WALLS 360 BLOG » Periodic Table Wall Graphics from Yiying Lu. Plus FREE Periodic Table Design Downloads!</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Free periodic table downloads with QR codes to use in your classroom. </p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/qrcode">qrcode</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://grandparentsday.org">Grandparents Day</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">For Grandparent's Day, this organization is asking people to committe to do something grand. Here are some ideas.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/grandparents">grandparents</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/lessonplans">lessonplans</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/grandparentsday">grandparentsday</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/cyberseniorscorner">Cyber-Seniors Corner - YouTube</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Here's the Cyber Seniors corner where Grandparents teach others how to do things. Consider filming your grandparents and sending it to them. This is a neat idea.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/grandparentsday">grandparentsday</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.cyberseniorsdocumentary.com/grandparents-day.html">Grandparents Day! | Cyber Seniors Documentary</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">This organization has created a YouTube channel called "Cyber Seniors corner" - film your grandparents and their wisdom and share it with this site to have it posted on YouTube. What a great idea to help grandparent's share their legacy. You're preserving this for your children and children's children and beyond. </p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/youtube">youtube</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/grandparents">grandparents</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://pinterest.com/Artsy_momma/make-for-moms-or-grandmas/">Make for Moms or Grandmas</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Also from @artsy_momma - things you can make for Mom's or Grandmas. Over 100 ideas on this pinterest board to get you started.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/pinterest">pinterest</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/grandparents">grandparents</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/grandparentsday">grandparentsday</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://pinterest.com/Artsy_momma/make-for-dads-or-grandpas/">Make for Dads or Grandpas</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Grandparent's Day is Sunday. Here's a lovely Pinterest board from @artsy_momma about things you can make for grandpas or Dad's. </p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/grandparents">grandparents</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1439&itemID=34426&URL=Safety%20Information/Fire%20Prevention%20Week/About%20Fire%20Prevention%20Week&cookie%5Ftest=1">NFPA :: Safety Information :: Fire Prevention Week :: About Fire Prevention Week</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Here is the official Fire Prevention week website. Remember to plan now to help children learn about fire safety. The odds are you ARE saving a life. Plan ahead.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/fire">fire</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=2495&itemID=58071&cookie_test=1">NFPA :: Safety Information :: Fire Prevention Week :: Sparky's Wish List</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Fire prevention month is in October. This wish list will help fire departments get information and materials to local schools for October 9 (commemoration of the great Chicago fire.)</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/october">october</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/fireprevention">fireprevention</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/safety">safety</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 09/06/2012

WALLS 360 BLOG » Periodic Table Wall Graphics from Yiying Lu. Plus FREE Periodic Table Design Downloads! ...

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Assistant Director, Administrative Services - Fairfield Public Library

<strong>Assistant Director, Administrative Services - </strong><span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Fairfield Public Library</strong></span> is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Assistant Director- Administrative Services. As a member of the Fairfield Public Library Team you will assist in the execution of the Long Range Plan. You will be an active listener, a team player who thinks quickly on their feet and engages well with others. Your responsibilities include: supervision of the custodians and Senior Circulation Coordinator, enhancement of administrative systems including some budgetary and payroll responsibilities, collection and program development. You are responsible for the daily oversight of the physical plant of the Main Library, the technology plan, management and promotion of some library collections, program execution and any other related duties. You must have 5 or more years of supervisory experience including a proven record working cooperatively with staff, patrons and other community stakeholders. Your familiarity with all aspects of library service will allow you to be proficient at initiating more efficient library processes and procedures. You are a problem solver who is an effective communicator and active listener. You must have experience working with budgets and payroll. Your knowledge and experience working with integrated library management systems and library information technology applications is thorough. You are a great reader who enjoys developing ways to promote library collections. This is a 35 hour per week position, one evening on a public service desk until 9:00 pm and one Saturday a month. Attending meetings, programs or workshops for professional development and community outreach is expected. An MLS from an ALA accredited university and five years of supervisory experience and progressively responsible administration experience. Salary range: $65,700 - $92,441. Good benefits package. 401K deferred compensation plan. Please send cover letter and resume to: Karen Ronald, Town Librarian, Fairfield Public Library: <a href="mailto:kronald@fplct.org">kronald@fplct.org</a>. Review of applications will begin September 18th.

Assistant Director, Administrative Services - Fairfield Public Library

Assistant Director, Administrative Services - Fairfield Public Library is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Assistant Direct...

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If a country neglects to improve its infrastrucuture

<h2 class="ff_g fs30 mb10"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">America facing infrastructural collapse </span></span></h2><div class="publishinfo"><br /></div><div class="galleryes"></div><div class="articlevideo mb10"><div class="mainimagevideo"><div id="MainImageVideo"><img alt="A view under the Julia Tuttle causeway bridge in Miami, Florida (Reuters/Carlos Barria)" height="277" src="http://rt.com/files/usa/news/america-infrastructure-us-billion-459/florida-miami-julia-tuttle.n.jpg" width="370" /> </div></div><br class="clr_all" /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The US has been neglecting its infrastructure, putting lives at risk and weakening the economy as pipelines, bridges, roads, dams, and water mains fall apart. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Natural disasters like this month’s Hurricane Isaac shed the spotlight on America’s poor infrastructure as 100,000 people were left without power for a week and 2,800 checked into shelters to escape the flooding in their homes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave the US a grade of “D” for its infrastructure on an A-F scale. The group recommended that America spend $2.2 trillion on repairs and maintenance to bring the crumbling country back up to standard.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, the US government was forced to spend $14.5 billion to build flood defenses, levees and pumps to prevent another catastrophe. While no levees fell apart after Hurricane Isaac this year, the US is still suffering the deterioration of many of its other infrastructure elements.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“America has scrimped on taking care of the public furniture, endangering people and weakening the economy as bridges rust, roads crumble, dams weaken and water mains leak,”</i> writes David Cay Johnston, author of<i>The Fine Point</i>, in an article for the Daily Beast.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The worst infrastructure is corporate-owned, writes Johnston. High-pressure oil and natural-gas pipelines can easily explode without warning, electric power poles need to be replaced, and the telecommunications system is gradually getting worse. Of 2.5 million miles of pipeline in the US, one third are older than 40 years – which played no small role in the 10,483 reported pipeline accidents or explosions in the past decade. Many high-pressure pipelines have almost 70 percent of their walls corroded, but have still been granted safety-inspection waivers by the Department of Transportation – even though the National Academy of Engineering warned about these dangers in 2004.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">In 2010, a natural-gas pipeline explosion caused the deaths of 8 people and the destruction of 38 homes near San Francisco.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Crumbling infrastructure can also be found in the US transportation system. Each year, traffic jams caused by insufficient infrastructure waste a total of 4 billion hours of commuters’ time and 3 billion gallons of gasoline. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Overall, a decaying transportation system costs $78 billion annually in lost time and fuel. Additionally, one in four US bridges are unstable or carrying more traffic than designed for.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">This summer’s record-breaking drought that plagued most US states has also left its mark on the country’s infrastructure. A US Airways jet become stuck in melted asphalt. A subway train derailed after the heat stretched its tracks. From highways to homes, infrastructure has been shrinking and cracking, causing billions of dollars in damages. Nuclear power plants have been forced to shut down because the heat raised the temperature of their cooling water.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">And in a struggling economy, each additional natural disaster will take its toll on the already-weak US infrastructure, putting American lives and finances further at risk.</span>

If a country neglects to improve its infrastrucuture

America facing infrastructural collapse The US has been neglecting its infrastructure, putting lives at risk and weakening the economy...

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guest post - the vintique object

<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Ugly </i></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">is Contextual:  The Story of the Orange Sofa</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hello, readers of The Little Black Door.  I'm Camille of <a href="http://thevintiqueobject.blogspot.com/">The Vintique Object</a> and delighted to be here today to guest post for one of my favorite funny and talented bloggers. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">So here's the story of the orange sofa. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> If you saw this baby, what would you think?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrRbclv8RKCjqOTO8gm9lnU2fIs0f11M-_t7A1mj2-HjexHegQ7At08RGme4EjI95loTEocUS2EO5LUDgstUihF21plih0ZVxb58KaBm1azcM0d7jU-1uomTBN18NkCg1Y9QEYXtH0cU/s640/photo(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrRbclv8RKCjqOTO8gm9lnU2fIs0f11M-_t7A1mj2-HjexHegQ7At08RGme4EjI95loTEocUS2EO5LUDgstUihF21plih0ZVxb58KaBm1azcM0d7jU-1uomTBN18NkCg1Y9QEYXtH0cU/s640/photo(10).JPG" width="478" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yeah, that's orange corduroy you see there.  </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Would you think it's ugly?  I did.  But my shopping partner-in-crime Lane, of <a href="http://www.urbanorchardinteriors.com/">Urban Orchard Interiors</a>, and I pride ourselves in being able to look past the ugly. We saw the above sofa with its nice lines and dreamed of transforming it into something like this:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/153544668515780297_UQHcR8pM_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/153544668515780297_UQHcR8pM_f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></i><a href="http://www.wisteria.com/Linen-European-Furniture-Natural-Linen-Settee/productinfo/W2506/"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wisteria's Natural Linen Settee </span></span></a><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i>So, on a whim, we bought it, planning to reupholster the thing for our shared booth at the once-a-month Alameda Antiques Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But as luck would have it, not long after we purchased the sofa, one of my clients pinned this photo to our shared board on Pinterest:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/280138039291787490_3DBpjgIq_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/upload/280138039291787490_3DBpjgIq_f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jonathanadler.com/Templeton-Apt-Sofa/?cat=360&initial=">Jonathan Adler's Templeton Apartment Sofa</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">And I thought, <i>Wow, our orange sofa could be that!  </i>So I went off in search of 'orange sofa' pictures on Pinterest and found some pretty amazing photos which you can see in a post <a href="http://thevintiqueobject.blogspot.com/2012/06/orange-sofa.html">here</a>.  </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lane saw that post and we both knew we'd just need to clean it up and <i>try</i> to sell it as is.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanorchardinteriors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Flea-Market-Wide-1-1024x575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://www.urbanorchardinteriors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Flea-Market-Wide-1-1024x575.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">You can see her on the left there in all her orange glory at our booth at the antiques flea market.  (<a href="http://claremontfinderskeepers.blogspot.com/">Claremont Finders Keepers</a> is my other blog and business.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I tell you, I shook my head as we hoisted that thing into Uhaul the night before.  I was sure we'd be loading it back up at the end of the day.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But you wouldn't believe how much interest our orange sofa got.  And about half way through the day it sold for a healthy profit.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Since the customer who bought it lived nearby, we agreed to deliver the sofa for a fee.  On the way over, I tried to imagine what her house would look like. It was really anybody's guess.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, here's what it looked like:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanorchardinteriors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Sofa-in-house-2-1024x575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://www.urbanorchardinteriors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Sofa-in-house-2-1024x575.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanorchardinteriors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Orange-Sofa-House-3-575x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.urbanorchardinteriors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Orange-Sofa-House-3-575x1024.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I tell you, if I had tried, I wouldn't have been able to imagine a more perfect place for our ugly-duckling-sofa-turned-swan to live.  (Get a load of those gorgeous curtains!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">If you are a reader of The Little Black Door, I'm betting you've got the thrifting/DIY gene somewhere in you.  Which is why I've told you this story.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The more of The Orange Sofa story is this:  Sometimes we spend so much time looking for things to transform -- to make beautiful, that we fail to imagine them in a different context.   That was certainly the lesson I learned with our little ol' orange sofa.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">However...sometimes things are just ugly.  </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.allaboutprops.com/images/inventory/inventoryph-resid/Chair%20-%20Recliner%20Brown%20Plaid_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.allaboutprops.com/images/inventory/inventoryph-resid/Chair%20-%20Recliner%20Brown%20Plaid_md.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth, hope you are having a restful and fun time while you are gone. Thanks for having me!</div>

guest post - the vintique object

Ugly is Contextual:  The Story of the Orange Sofa Hello, readers of The Little Black Door.  I'm Camille of The Vintique Object and deli...

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La Biennale di Venezia 1-2-3

<img alt="Insight-cover-3.jpg" src="http://www.world-architects.com/img/frontend/pages/1757/1000x750/Insight-cover_3.jpg" title="La Biennale di Venezia" width="640" /><br /><br />My three-part coverage of the <a href="http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/">13th International Architecture Exhibition</a> of la Biennale di Venezia for World-Architects.com is complete. Click below for the different features from the eMagazine.<br /><br /><b>Part 1: <a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/biennale-architettura-2012">International Exhibition at the Arsenale</a></b><br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/biennale-architettura-2012"><img alt="Insight-cover-3.jpg" src="http://www.world-architects.com/img/frontend/pages/1757/1000x750/Insight.jpg" title="La Biennale di Venezia" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><b>Part 2: <a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/page_item/biennale-architettura-2012-2/">National Pavilions at the Giardini</a><br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/page_item/biennale-architettura-2012-2/"><img alt="Insight-cover-3.jpg" src="http://www.world-architects.com/img/frontend/pages/1771/1000x750/US2.jpg" title="La Biennale di Venezia" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Extra: <a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/page_item/biennale-architettura-2012-3/">International Exhibition in the Central Pavilion</a></b><br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/page_item/biennale-architettura-2012-3/"><img alt="Insight-cover-3.jpg" src="http://www.world-architects.com/img/frontend/pages/1784/1000x750/elemental.jpg" title="La Biennale di Venezia" width="640" /></a>

La Biennale di Venezia 1-2-3

My three-part coverage of the 13th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia for World-Architects.com is complete. Cl...

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I Luv Fall

Growing up in western Pennsylvania, summertime was my favorite season hands down.  Not only was school out, but I got to spend as much time as I wanted in my parents' pool, lazily floating around on the lounge chair deep into the pages of a book.<br /><br />Summer in PA meant mildly warm days, and refreshing nights (mostly!).  But perhaps most importantly, summer meant the bitter cold temperatures were over, and there was no more drudging up and down the steep driveway of Wayne & Cindy's because, despite having SUVs and trucks with 4 wheel drive, Cindy was simply too afraid to travel up the driveway when it was covered in snow! <br /><br />As a college student, summer meant working at my job at the drugstore (which I loved), or eventually, living my last 2 summers at Penn State - enjoying micro-brews at my favorite restaurant.  In hindsight..... <i>those </i>were the days!<br /><br />*sigh*<br /><br />Once I moved to Virginia, summertime became my worst enemy.  Summertime in our nation's capital goes something like this:<br /><ul><li>boggy, hot, humid temperatures - where by the time I arrive to work for 6:30 AM, I already need to another shower.   </li><li>tourists jammed packed into Metro trains (which, without fail, causes delays) </li><li>air conditioning units on trains simply shutting down, resulting in Ovens-on-Rails.  </li><li>major traffic delays due to "sun glare" in both the a.m. and p.m. commutes.   </li></ul><br /><br />By the time September roles around in these parts, I am about to reach my peak of the year.  Friends, these next 4 months are my <i>absolute </i>favorite!  Fall means pumpkin carving with my niece and nephew, watching the leaves change into vibrant shades of red and orange, and partaking in a few fall winery tours.  I. love. it!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEFy2lF0F5odAfWba31GwVNM5PsDgX9EiKbZmRwDMJJFRCmX4kKkjXD_i_-vsgP6jyF4UI8B0yrsVh2t13cc4Kzqlbbz0UVXsA-Mramy5BRrYUQ_m0Poy9K9s4Rdekf3fHt6QI7hilMM/s1600/Williamsport+October+2011+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEFy2lF0F5odAfWba31GwVNM5PsDgX9EiKbZmRwDMJJFRCmX4kKkjXD_i_-vsgP6jyF4UI8B0yrsVh2t13cc4Kzqlbbz0UVXsA-Mramy5BRrYUQ_m0Poy9K9s4Rdekf3fHt6QI7hilMM/s400/Williamsport+October+2011+047.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br />But you know what else comes with fall?  Starbucks. Pumpkin. Spice. Lattes.  *HUGE sigh*<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwViZTZdD68f0-6gKvCrwPOY4lzIySykmysK1anxpGa9uuRZn4gHMfM5ACFb2DxLDkcv9iaWEOe-OG-oZgsErrS-AGKuyEUBjQUuwtJzkbgFZGV2NJGQUimbDCQ2E6ui_gIJcaIbPT01Y/s1600/starbucks+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwViZTZdD68f0-6gKvCrwPOY4lzIySykmysK1anxpGa9uuRZn4gHMfM5ACFb2DxLDkcv9iaWEOe-OG-oZgsErrS-AGKuyEUBjQUuwtJzkbgFZGV2NJGQUimbDCQ2E6ui_gIJcaIbPT01Y/s400/starbucks+sign.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />I LOVE these drinks!  What I don't love, however, is the 7 PointsPlus value for a freaken grande!  That's nuts!  As much as I adore this taste of fall in a cup, this year, I am putting my foot down and simply not indulging like I have in years past.  While all the health experts preach non stop about how you shouldn't drink your calories, I still need a nice brew in the morning.  But not one for 7 PointsPlus!  <br /><br /><a href="http://www.nothankstocake.com/2012/09/03/weigh-in-update-and-an-epic-return/" target="_blank">Kelly</a> has shared her concoction for the other fall hit - the salted caramel latte: tall, nonfat, 2 pumps toffee nut and 1 pump skinny mocha.  I have yet to give this drink a try because I have <i>yet </i>to figure out a good estimate for the PointsPlus value.  However, thanks to the <a href="http://www.nothankstocake.com/2012/09/03/weigh-in-update-and-an-epic-return/" target="_blank">NTTC queen</a> herself, I was able to finally uncover the nutrition facts for their syrups. (I couldn't find this particular info anywhere on their website.  Can you?)  I picked up this brochure today at the store:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE06UAtZYcZwZUWSSSkbPaOUglZ_kmW35WTSrKVGqeyT3i6o5P6KJBXIuRg6mKo8vv18HLr_Li8Jr2MBGOQBENT0JDNa3_fih-r28x-IeADmFDjicHUG-qd1aM6Dt7xWkHeVyNGVRtRsk/s1600/starbucks+syrups+nutrition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE06UAtZYcZwZUWSSSkbPaOUglZ_kmW35WTSrKVGqeyT3i6o5P6KJBXIuRg6mKo8vv18HLr_Li8Jr2MBGOQBENT0JDNa3_fih-r28x-IeADmFDjicHUG-qd1aM6Dt7xWkHeVyNGVRtRsk/s400/starbucks+syrups+nutrition.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This drink is on my "to try" list!  Once I figure out the PointsPlus.. I will share with you to see if you got the same estimate. <br /><br />What gets you excited about fall?

starbucks I Luv Fall

Growing up in western Pennsylvania, summertime was my favorite season hands down.  Not only was school out, but I got to spend as much time ...

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Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 09/05/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://societyofdigitalagencies.org/2012/08/soda-student-html5off/">SocietyOfDigitalAgencies</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">I'm an Adobe Education leader and just found out about this competition. "The Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) http://societyofdigitalagencies.org/ and Adobe wish to throw out a challenge your students so they might show their creative flair by submitting their best HTML animation work using Adobe Edge Animate.  The competition is called the HTML5-Off Challenge!  Registration cut off is Oct 20 and the work submission cut off is Nov 9.    In the short term students will be required to use Edge Preview offered (free) out of Adobe Labs.  We understand that there may be lack of clarity around the availability of Preview past the noted date of expiry on Oct 24, but we wanted to reassure you that Adobe is committed to making the Adobe Edge Preview capabilities available to all students and faculty for at least 6 more months. More exciting news on this front to come shortly!   We hope you can find a way to slot this into your program as an additional project, or maybe in place of a similar project included in your coursework, to the benefit of the students.    Prizes for the top three performing students include an Apple iPad, free annual subscriptions to Adobe’s Creative Cloud, and of course having your work published!"</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/webdesign">webdesign</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/html5">html5</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.sharemylesson.com/resourcecalendar.aspx?nbday=0&nbmth=9&nbyr=2012">September Lesson plans aligned with Common Core</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Lesson planning sites are proliferating. Here's a set of 135 lessons all relating to events in September aligned with Common Core from Sharemylesson.com. Plan ahead. (You can also upload lessons - they are giving away a free ipad to those who upload the most quality lessons still.)</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.sharemylesson.com/ResourceCalendar.aspx?nbday=0&nbmth=9&nbyear=2012&evcode=107">9/11 lesson plans (aligned w/ common core)</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Teaching about 9/11 is hard - it still feels like yesterday for many of us. It is, however, our responsibility to share it with a generation that may not know much except the date. Here are some lesson plans aligned with Common Core standards and different subject areas. Take time to remember and to share what it means to be free. The United States is a wonderful country - we're not perfect, but we are free. If you visit a few other countries, you'll understand how much freedom we really have. </p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.edgalaxy.com/journal/2012/9/1/this-weeks-newest-free-classroom-posters.html">This Weeks Newest Free Classroom Posters</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Free hi-res classroom posters. For those of you who have poster makers, you'll love these but you could also print and piece them together. </p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/free">free</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/posters">posters</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 09/05/2012

SocietyOfDigitalAgencies I'm an Adobe Education leader and just found out about this competition...

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Today's archidose #616

Here are a bunch of photos by other people, after a couple weeks of me hogging the "today's archidose" features with my trips from Zurich and elsewhere in Switzerland.<br /><br />Faculty of Law at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada, by Diamond Schmitt Architects (2012), photographed by Michael Leckman:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/micantlec/7897769928/" title="Floating timber roof by michaelleckman, on Flickr"><img alt="Floating timber roof" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/7897769928_64d24f1513_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Convent de Sant Francesc in Santpedor, Spain, by David Closes Arquitecte (2011), photographed by "theurbaner":<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16537692@N07/7930663634/" title="Convent de Sant Francesc by theurbaner, on Flickr"><img alt="Convent de Sant Francesc" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8306/7930663634_fbb4791d0d_b.jpg" width="532" /></a><br /><br />"SPIEGEL HQ" in HafenCity, Hamburg, Germany, by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (2011), photographed by Martin Maleschka:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/33027180@N00/7914701290/" title="Neues Verlagshaus, 'SPIEGEL HQ', Schmidt Hammer Lassen architects, 2011. / 092011 by Martin Maleschka, on Flickr"><img alt="Neues Verlagshaus, 'SPIEGEL HQ', Schmidt Hammer Lassen architects, 2011. / 092011" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8312/7914701290_0417605937_c.jpg" width="597" /></a><br /><br />The nHow Music and Lifestyle Hotel in Berlin, Germany, by Sergei Tchoban, with interiors by Karim Rashid, (2011), photographed by "d.teil":<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dteil/7899363530/" title="nps-tchoban-voss @ nhow berlin [2011] by d.teil, on Flickr"><img alt="nps-tchoban-voss @ nhow berlin [2011]" height="507" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8033/7899363530_6977e198a4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Museum Aan de Stroom in Antwerp, Belgium, by Neutelings Riedijk Architects (2010), photographed by Ken Lee:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlee2010/7930164452/" title="MAS | Museum Aan de Stroom, Antwerp, Belgium by Ken Lee 2010, on Flickr"><img alt="MAS | Museum Aan de Stroom, Antwerp, Belgium" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8439/7930164452_65b6a1b65b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Poliesportiu al Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Spain, by Batlle i Roig Arquitectes (2009), photographed by "theurbaner":<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16537692@N07/7920084284/" title="Poliesportiu al Parc de la Ciutadella by theurbaner, on Flickr"><img alt="Poliesportiu al Parc de la Ciutadella" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8440/7920084284_09da73e575_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />18 Septemberplein in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, by Massimiliano Fuksas Architetto (2009), photographed by Ken Lee:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlee2010/7862987080/" title="18 Septemberplein, Eindhoven, The Netherlands by Ken Lee 2010, on Flickr"><img alt="18 Septemberplein, Eindhoven, The Netherlands" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/7862987080_e35b71e2db_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Can Framis Museo in Barcelona, Spain, by BAAS arquitectos (2009), photographed by "theurbaner":<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16537692@N07/7898861264/" title="Can Framis by theurbaner, on Flickr"><img alt="Can Framis" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8305/7898861264_e850b8b5f0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Kindergarten Langenegg in Langenegg, Austria, by Fink Thurnher Architekten (2004), photographed by Frank Stahl:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/formsache/7709838610/" title="Kindergarten Langenegg by frank formsache, on Flickr"><img alt="Kindergarten Langenegg" height="428" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7709838610_bea74b06e5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Aluminium Centrum in Houten, The Netherlands, by Micha de Haas (2001), photographed by Ken Lee:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlee2010/7880578112/" title="Aluminium Centrum, Houten, The Netherlands by Ken Lee 2010, on Flickr"><img alt="Aluminium Centrum, Houten, The Netherlands" height="384" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7880578112_a147708370_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Zentrale Tierlaboratorien "Mäusebunker" in Berlin, Germany, by Gerd Hänska (1967-1981), photographed by Martin Maleschka:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/33027180@N00/7879143910/" title="Zentrale Tierlaboratorien 'Mäusebunker', Gerd Hänska, 1967-1981. / 08/2012 by Martin Maleschka, on Flickr"><img alt="Zentrale Tierlaboratorien 'Mäusebunker', Gerd Hänska, 1967-1981. / 08/2012" height="478" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8444/7879143910_0a8577acb4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #616

Here are a bunch of photos by other people, after a couple weeks of me hogging the "today's archidose" features with my trips ...

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Adobe Youth Voices in South Africa–teachers, you have to join this amazing project!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><i>Submitted by Omashani Naidoo from SchoolNet</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv92RSSfwOoRxebt82UlwLoZMgzCh5yEnXXbfsNygUaUOezsw4nhSdEvaqEFY1ENOWz6KG9L3KTNfFDXKOQScXUUBLR626VUj67XXNWWYxnfQkTN7qsViZEF-Fq7yxMVxDAAQVjqu19M8/s1600/AYV.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv92RSSfwOoRxebt82UlwLoZMgzCh5yEnXXbfsNygUaUOezsw4nhSdEvaqEFY1ENOWz6KG9L3KTNfFDXKOQScXUUBLR626VUj67XXNWWYxnfQkTN7qsViZEF-Fq7yxMVxDAAQVjqu19M8/s320/AYV.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><i> </i><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">What is the Adobe Youth Voices project? </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) engages talented educators of intermediate and high school age youth in a year-long professional development and support program. Educators enhance their teaching strategies, gain new skills, and collaborate with like-minded educators and youth media experts to enable young people to express themselves using digital tools and to create media with a personally meaningful purpose. Educators from participating sites join a global network to exhibit and share youth-created media projects, including videos, documentaries, photojournalism, animations, websites and multimedia. The International Education and Resource Network (iEARN) joined the Adobe Youth Voices program as a founding partner in 2006, and now manages and supports the program in over 16 countries around the world. South Africa has participated in the AYV programme for the past three years.</span><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The AYV programme contains two phases:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">a) AYV eight week online course for teachers <br />b) Media projects for students requiring media projects with social messages to be completed<br /><br /><b> </b></span></div><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) Online course</span></b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) online course is designed to introduce educators to the Adobe Youth Voices program; and to help educators to more effectively support youth in making media. During the eight week course, educators build their knowledge and skills to create media with young people. One activity per week of the eight week course is posted; however, if educators experience challenges during the allotted week, then some leeway is allowed for late submission. Activities are focused on topics such as media forms and formats; process, product and presentation; community collaboration and exhibition; and technical skills necessary to use Adobe media making software. </span></h3><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Participating in an online course makes it necessary for a trusting rapport to be created amongst peers; educators are thus encouraged to actively respond to questions and review peer activities. Throughout the course, two experienced online facilitators provide guidance and support to course participants. By the end of this course, participants are sufficiently skilled to provide similar support to guide young students in their schools to create media with purpose.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the past three years, AYV has sponsored twelve South African educators to participate in this global project. In 2012, a concerted effort was made to find educators in and around the Gauteng province to participate in the programme, providing opportunities for contact workshops and greater interaction among course participants.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The 2102 participants</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here are some of our 2012 participants</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSM2lkanN8sn3lBCdXWg-R82p8jbIBEW7t21v0H4GV2TB9wKHrZoMWwh4XxGkEjsBDSE7fgTY__Hu8-agMRENvlAhtzAANTlxfSdtRqAoPqD2GYLzVxqduCP0XnKOAVKI9QhT9sSK18KQ/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2Crmd1bGZkhGQveKodYRs9suJVaO8_Ex06AlqJvIvbDyyoYVF6QrFpv-FWcB8SqMd2nY9iVrlGC98MAcJ4HVZJliA25bbU9207jWF2ORb6C7lk3iICJu50FRqDBQ3svxAbDnAURZ3o4/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From Left</i>: Paballo , Molifi, Lindiwe, Cynthia, Omashani, Saul & Faith</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All educators were invited to a contact workshop in March 2012 and were asked to bring artefacts of their students’ media projects. This would allow participants to peer-review work as well address any questions around techniques for improving the various media projects.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The workshop was well received and arrived timeously as educators were grappling with software challenges and working with learners during examinations and holidays. The group was able to brainstorm ways to work around challenges and Mr Paballo Diboke, from the Intel Clubhouse volunteered to be the support person for technical questions on the Adobe Premiere Elements and Photoshop Software.</span><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Completing a Media Project</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All participating educators were encouraged to submit at least one completed media project during the 2012 AYV programme. . The following are brief project descriptions and links to the projects received:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/VWBP9xpLXh8">Bullying...</a><i>submitted by</i><b> Mr Saul Pila</b> (Gauteng Department of Education-Gauteng) <br />This project highlights bullying in schools. Student and educator interviews help deal with this issue </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/RRqlutCaZWw">Water is life... use me wisely!</a> <i>submitted by</i><b> Cynthia Lukhele</b> (Ivory Park High School- Gauteng) <br />This project highlights the need for all citizens to be water wise</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/aVBkX-osqYQ">The Power of a Woman</a> <i>submitted by</i><b> Cynthia Lukhele</b> (Ivory Park High School- Gauteng) This photostory pays tribute to a wonderful teacher, who consistently ‘goes the extra mile’ to motivate her students to remain committed in everything they do.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/XcJi7SZm5rc">Hold on…</a> <i>submitted by </i><b>Cynthia Lukhele</b> (Ivory Park High School- Gauteng) </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This music video and song was compiled by Wynand Monyeseala and performed by Precious Zulu</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/e83NDrYdb2Q">Dance is my Language </a><i>submitted by</i><b> Cynthia Lukhele</b> (Ivory Park High School- Gauteng) This video displays kwaito dance and the language of dance as interpreted by students at Ivory Park High School</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/C5lZj9-nWRE">South African Heritage</a> <i>submitted by</i><b> </b>Cynthia Lukhele (Ivory Park High School- Gauteng) </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This video focuses on the different cultural dress and traditions of people living in South Africa</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/n8K49mExArY">You can make it...</a> <i>submitted by </i>Lindiwe D Zulu (Eqinisweni Secondary School- Gauteng)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This photostory was designed to motivate and encourage youth to understand that despite difficulties, there is always hope.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/IkddFbwAWok">The Rise of Racism and Hazardous Stereotyping</a> <i>submitted by </i>Tebogo Monareng (Bokomaso Senior Secondary School-Limpopo)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Racism and Sterotyping is found in all countries and South Africa is no different. The students of Bokamaso Secondary use this video to discuss and understand this deep rooted issue and find ways to overcome them.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Join us for the next AYV intake? Apply now</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Although our teachers did not make the deadline to be showcased at the International Adobe Youth Voices Festival, they have done amazing work with their learners and we are extremely proud of them. SchoolNet SA looks forward to a new cohort of teachers and learners participating in the 2012-2013 programme. Will you join us? (Contact omashani@schoolnet.org.za)</span></div>

Adobe Youth voices Adobe Youth Voices in South Africa–teachers, you have to join this amazing project!

Submitted by Omashani Naidoo from SchoolNet   What is the Adobe Youth Voices project?   Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) engages talented educators ...

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Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 09/05/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/09/04/new-research-most-top-torrents-monitored-ip-address-logged-within-three-hours/">New Research Finds Most Top Torrents Are Monitored</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Most torrent sites like Bit Torrent are logged and your ip address is being tracked.Best advice, don't try to download things for free that aren't supposed to be free. Be wary, wise, and share it with your students.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/privacy">privacy</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/security">security</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.sharemylesson.com/resourcecalendar.aspx?nbday=0&nbmth=9&nbyr=2012">September Lesson plans aligned with Common Core</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">Lesson planning sites are proliferating. Here's a set of 135 lessons all relating to events in September aligned with Common Core from Sharemylesson.com. Plan ahead. (You can also upload lessons - they are giving away a free ipad to those who upload the most quality lessons still.)</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/08/31/amazons-dual-sided-tablet-idea-shows-up-at-ifa-berlin-as-a-smartphone/">Amazon's Dual Sided Tablet Idea Shows up at IFA Berlin - as a Smartphone - The Digital Reader</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">A dual sided tablet? Interesting idea. Here's an example of a dal sided smartphone prototype. You could use the lower power eink side when reading or extended periods and the lcd when you want brighter lights. Interesting. This is a new one on me, but one I'd like to think about.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/technology">technology</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/tablets">tablets</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5940283/inbox-pause-puts-your-email-on-hold-so-you-can-actually-relax-or-get-things-done">Inbox Pause Puts Your Email on Hold So You Can Actually Relax or Get Things Done</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">The productivity research I'm reading keeps stating that an open email box with notifications turned on is the nemesis of productivity - it takes a full 4 minutes to re-enter what you were doing and up to 20 minutes to reenter a flow state. This Chrome extension may make a happy medium and lets you pause your email if your company REQUIRES you to keep email open. I think that companies should rather encourage checking at certain times during the day. Often, email is a time waster and there are those who specialize in e-procrastination. Like those who wait to see you walk out the door before hitting send. ;-)</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/productivity">productivity</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5940382/placing-the-signature-on-top-of-a-form-promotes-honesty">Placing the Signature on Top of a Form Promotes Honesty</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">When you sign your name at the top of a document, you're more likely to be honest, according to a new research study. I guess putting student's names at the top of a paper is more than just convenient for the teacher. ;-)</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/research">research</a></p> </li> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/09/04/ifttt-launches-google-drive-channel-let-automatically-save-data-like-tweets-photos/">IFTTT Launches Channel Dedicated to Google Drive</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">If this then that helps you archive tweets, make copies of photos where you are tagged on Facebook and more. Now, in an amazing coup, they have added Google Drive as a channel. This means that some productivity nuts out there would have an alternative to dropbox or for those who have Google apps for domains and don't allow dropbox, you have a great place to archive and store. Definitely take a look at ifttt.com as a great timesaver if you use social media. (You could have ifttt.com archive all of your social media posts on Facebook for your school or any time you're tagged in a photo and more.)</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/productivity">productivity</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/Google">Google</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 09/05/2012

New Research Finds Most Top Torrents Are Monitored Most torrent sites like Bit Torrent are logged an...

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Made to Crave - Ch 4 Reflections

I'm back again for more reflections!  So glad I decided to do this via TBW... I enjoy going back through and re-reading my thoughts.  Hopefully it helps these ideas stick!<br /><br /><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/08/made-to-crave-ch-1-reflections.html" target="_blank">Chapter 1 Reflections.</a><br /><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/08/made-to-crave-ch-2-reflections.html" target="_blank">Chapter 2 Reflections.</a><br /><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/08/made-to-crave-ch-3-reflections.html" target="_blank">Chapter 3 Reflections.</a><br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">1. When a friend expresses success with healthy food choices and losing weight, do you feel encouraged and inspired by her example, or do you feel discouraged and envious?  Do you communicate your feelings to your friend or keep them to yourself?</span></i></b><br /><br />What a great question!  Honestly, the answer here for me depends on who the person is.  I am very often encouraged by several of your stories, and when you share a loss with me I am genuinely thrilled for you.  I also find it inspiring.  One of my absolute favorite weight loss bloggers started her journey near the current weight that I am today, and she is so close to reaching her goal.  That is very inspiring to me.  I know it's not always been an easy road for her, so when she has a victory, I'm thrilled and inspired to know that I can do it too.<br /><br />Conversely, there are some people who shared weight loss victories with me where I immediately get upset.  This mostly occurs with people in my "real" life (i.e. not bloggers!).  I wouldn't even say the feeling is of envy for me, as much as it is of annoyance and frustration.  So,  you're 5'8", 130ish lbs and you think you need to lose weight?  I have a hard time getting excited for people who think they have 5 lbs to lose or 10 lbs to lose when they hardly realize what it's like to live an obese lifestyle.  I also often feel even more like $hit when super skinny people share their weight loss victories with me, because I feel like.... they're telling the fat girl in order to make me jealous?  Perhaps I over think this!<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><i>2. Complete this sentence:  I do/do not want to invite a friend to help me on my journey to healthy eating because____________________.</i></span></b><br /><b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><i><br /></i></span></b>My friends in this journey are you guys.  You guys who know exactly what it's like to fight the good fight of loads of weight to lose.  I will honestly tell you that in my real life, there is not a single person who I would invite along to help me on this journey.  Come to think of it, I actually do not have a single close friend who is/was fat, and therefore I wouldn't ever feel good about inviting any of my current friends along on this journey.  At the end of the day, they don't know what it's like to have nearly 100 lbs to lose.  They don't know what it's like to eat in an uncontrollable way.  They cannot possibly remotely relate to the struggles I've dealt with for just about half of my life.   Do you sense bitterness? Ha!  Perhaps there is a little of that thrown in there!<br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">3. If accountability is crucial, what is the biggest challenge you face in making accountability part of your healthy eating plan?</span></i></b><br /><br />Not tracking absolutely everything I put into my mouth, regardless of the fact that it will send me into the red for the week - is the biggest challenge I have.  Why is it hard for me to track?  Mainly because tracking that setback forces me to come to terms with the guilt and reality of the crap I just ate.  Seeing eTools going into the red (yes, it happens!) makes me feel like a huge failure!<br /><br />Still, tracking is so important because, more times than not, when I've tracked a "detour", I feel so much better when I see that it really wasn't as bad as I thought.  Therefore, by tracking and seeing the numbers in black and white ("Oh, that wasn't so bad afterall"), I don't send myself into a downward binging spiral.  Certainly, there are times when it is as bad as I thought, but I still feel all the better because I wrote it down. <br /><br />I've had this mindset that if I don't write it down, it "never happened".  Yeah, I know. Stupid!   You know where that gets me though?  A gain on the scale (or no loss).   Tighter pants and shirts.  Feelings of sluggishness.  The scale can sometimes lie (i.e. you ate well all week and you were "robbed" by the scale).  However, the way you truly feel does not lie.   Not only that, you obviously know you ate a bunch of crap that you chose not to acknowledge on paper (or eTools, in my case).  Pretending it didn't happen does absolutely no good for you (or me, rather!).<br /><br /><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><b><i>4. If you were to imagine a life-giving experience of accountability, one that empowers you and helps you to feel companioned rather than alone in your struggles, how would you describe that experience?  What kind of person would you want to be accountable to?  What do you hope this person would do for you?  What do you hope they would not do?  How would you determine whether or not the relationship is providing effective accountability?</i></b></span><br /><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>I think the way I envision it is just that I would have a best bud that I could check in with as often as I needed to.  I would want to be accountable to someone who is going to support me in my journey, giving me encouragement when I need it, but to also push me and set me straight when I'm being a sissy.  What I would not want them to do is leave me hanging<i>.  </i>I would pretty much want someone at my beck and call! LOL... Obviously this person probably doesn't exist.. that's what God is for right?  But at the end of the day, I wouldn't want this person to judge me.  I wouldn't want them to make me feel like a failure.  I would just want undying support whenever I needed it.<br /><br />Share some of your answers with me!

Made to Crave Made to Crave - Ch 4 Reflections

I'm back again for more reflections!  So glad I decided to do this via TBW... I enjoy going back through and re-reading my thoughts.  Ho...

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Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 09/04/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://www.mpmschoolsupplies.com/contest/">2012 Back-to-School Bulletin Board Contest</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">A pinterest based bulletin board contest where you can win prizes for the most "likes" and "pins" for your bulletin board. Some of you will be interested in this because I've seen your amazing boards on Pinterest.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/pinterest">pinterest</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/contest">contest</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 09/04/2012

2012 Back-to-School Bulletin Board Contest A pinterest based bulletin board contest where you can wi...

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Opto-Mechanical Design Engineer ( CAD | PRO/E | FEA | Precision Design) (#108550)

<!-- Converted from text/rtf format --> <P DIR=LTR><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Job Title:</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial"> Opto-Mechanical</FONT></SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"> <FONT FACE="Arial">Design</FONT></SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"> <FONT FACE="Arial">Engineer</FONT></SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR> </SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Location:</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"> <FONT FACE="Arial">Milpitas, CA</FONT></SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR> </SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Position:</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"> <FONT FACE="Arial">Full time</FONT></SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR> <FONT FACE="Arial"> </FONT></SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR> </SPAN><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Job Description</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR> </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">The Wafer Inspection Division (WIN) of KLA-Tencor is the world leader in design and manufacturing of systems that are used for capturing yield-impacting defects through optical inspection of patterned wafers for semiconductor manufacturers to ramp and maintain yields for their products.</FONT></SPAN></P> <P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Design opto-mechanical parts, modules and subsystems to support the design of the next generation NarrowBand optical wafer inspection tools.<BR> <BR> •Responsible for the complete design process, including requirements specification, feasibility studies, cost and scheduling, conducting various analysis, such as fluid, thermal, vibrational, and FEA modeling, conceptual and detailed design using Pro/E, detailed drawings, design review presentations, procurement of prototype parts, system integration, prototype testing, and handoff to manufacturing.  These tasks will require working with other engineering groups such as Optics engineers, Systems engineers and Manufacturing engineers to ensure flawless integration and test at the subsystem and system level. </FONT></SPAN></P> <P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">•Develops the required supporting documentation, such as assembly and test procedures. Works closely with and manages suppliers to ensure all design requirements are specified and achieved. Addresses and resolves product issues thru the product phases. Has strong leadership, communication and problem solving skills.  For the right candidate, this position offers growth into a lead and possibly management role.</FONT></SPAN></P> <P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN></P> <P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT FACE="Arial">Qualifications</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT FACE="Arial"> :</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR> </SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">•Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, including design principles, machine elements, materials, fabrication methods.<BR> •Must be proficient with solid CAD, ProEngineer skill strongly preferred.<BR> •Should have experience in  precision mechanisms, opto-mechanics, optics alignment, flexure design, vibration, and Pro-E.<BR> •Experience in several of these areas is desirable: opto-mechanical systems, optics, optics alignment, flexure, design of semiconductor equipment or similar instruments, motion controls, electronics, lasers, data acquisition systems such as Labview, measurement instrumentation.<BR> •Candidate should be able to create  effective presentations in order to  communicate with cross-functional teams.<BR> •Desirable to have experience in following areas: thermal, structural analysis and fluid flow modeling (Pro/Mechanica,CFDEsign skill strongly preferred), and instrumentation.<BR> •Project management skill is a plus. </FONT></SPAN></P> <P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Doctorate (Academic) with at least 2 years of experience. OR Master's Level Degree with at least 4 years of experience. OR Bachelor's Level Degree with at least 5 years of experience.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P> <P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Kindly send your resumes to</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B> <FONT FACE="Arial">abhinav.rajkumar@kla-tenor.com</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P> <P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>

Opto-Mechanical Design Engineer ( CAD | PRO/E | FEA | Precision Design) (#108550)

Job Title: Opto-Mechanical Design Engineer Location: Milpitas, CA Position: Full time   Job Description The Wafer Inspect...

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guest post - lemondrop dreams

<div align="center"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Hey my friends! I hope you all are enjoying my vacation as much as I am. :) Before I get to my dear friend Colleen, I wanted to let you know I'm also revealing a makeover today at <a href="http://themustardceilingblog.com/" target="_blank">The Mustard Ceiling</a> on an old piece of (literal) trash. <a href="http://themustardceilingblog.com/2012/09/guest-post-elizabeth-from-little-black-door.html?doing_wp_cron=1346759005.3433799743652343750000" target="_blank">Check it out</a>...after you read Colleen!</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbPj-ytfSMsgbSsMnegSzytuX77TZYZ6Wsq_lDjOSxwcGSBlOnNqb_oIKbs96DKvLRHMn9x3yOmDYDcb_YWVMrckdBHkuoSA5efiGFiqGMu4FYnD9dCW6eGOV8l4opsdehQt_BObFx3jI/s1600/LDDHeader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbPj-ytfSMsgbSsMnegSzytuX77TZYZ6Wsq_lDjOSxwcGSBlOnNqb_oIKbs96DKvLRHMn9x3yOmDYDcb_YWVMrckdBHkuoSA5efiGFiqGMu4FYnD9dCW6eGOV8l4opsdehQt_BObFx3jI/s400/LDDHeader.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Hello all you lovely Little Black Door readers!  I’m Colleen from <a href="http://www.mylemondropdreams.com/">lemonDrop dreams</a>…I was just giddy when Elizabeth asked me to guest post on her blog…I stumbled across Elizabeth’s blog via another blog a while back and have been an addict ever since!</div><div align="center">Today I’m going to share with you my fancy new custom made <a href="http://www.mylemondropdreams.com/2012/07/big-daybeforeafter-family-room.html">slipcovers</a>…</div><div align="center">I went from this…</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgZdc2pYNtcDl757aZ3fdXgDo6s8QCUO6PFJcL0CHIVLwxbtYHwaXfk8WJJPQ4l6BIZ39iO5mPw1upRhFnq3im4C4rmfBHATCZiWZKJLfhQCol161RVYWyPRpdCfWsM6uDo4ECJVJqIgu/s1600-h/008%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="008" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNsRtBkrua5juTHKuJPit406MTyQlHInUPwvcEFnQF-mYrOdg88_2oZ2KcAGZ1EgzEQwkAHYJT5pvchKSe7K6y9kf3f74hyLIFZ0SdeXR33PMVeJLNQEI6x45i9fKZ8hB2MWQFAGmKNxS/?imgmax=800" style="display: inline;" title="008" width="640" /></a></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizrJZ1mkpwcU2DfbgsiEx_BUC4IoQ-Z4l7FcXEe_CsZeoO4TZA9QJnLvB2U7eJDKeD8sSyuzwY19KcBSF8IjZmaoYqjnRr5YMs8pfJkWK4TwUEv9VpRmbNc_yKMFgFBsP_tXmhcNjweoh/s1600-h/007%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="007" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9O6D4ek3lrX2KPruqj6JgeOMPDvcbk8TgJxzZqnoWCLmB44sHJD8cIXP6rrPgNkGwPGQ67PJdV1KZIAr8hkAoPoY6jxIV_w-b9qldYlpoDgoi0O9APNwBQJV_wDYuSqL0TVf6uBUPRpO/?imgmax=800" style="display: inline;" title="007" width="640" /></a></div><div align="center">To this…</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWQSqb4wkRcnV30DpaLIXV8fxYNkmPLOaYMwF9Njn8AeTDfXyCLrpKIBIca8xyf5ISo1eB7YrWjlZjgFqVM5-XNf3rXhwoLNLBJxBNWLwkI4AmEOBpjrGkcEShDfu0wMgu7EHei30rJba/s1600-h/008%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img alt="008" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhyphenhyphenlXSBzyreU477dLeOZsj5t9c_61bJy3Z1tVPiHY8jHB5muqUXm4Y3pde73PASBZPqqRHvxGy20ZOf-v82fJUtg4IZuqU9-9b99cEL9blHVq4nMPbGs9Kn0GmDnCgzaH4E3SqD9i40pq/?imgmax=800" style="display: inline;" title="008" width="640" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMZVmx_jJDsqKa-CmWMwJ_18_AAiWCWARbZl-Ol1ch5J1Okgp4nlHWvdauBuo5w7-Y9HbgCrcE5l0gYN93P_tM_mlRb-4MR7K2llbeaWs-7Mq-bmyTg4YFxAy0y4XmKKA19DzWeAVDabz/s1600-h/006%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="006" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1CyLCvM8TH0gHtYkM0osCXysyKC_wW3sM0CDB_GCA2rfGA17tfB8tA5i6t_7gTzkuiw9c6P6B6s5Ggo7JR97wRCsaDsEYY-KsZy70bAujsxPayVmvHZsMPwV_n6NgSVkf-DzcJcJzpmo/?imgmax=800" style="display: inline;" title="006" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center">Quite a punch in the face, no??  Since the base of the room  is now done it’s time to do some zhushing…rug, art and my personal favorite, PILLOWS!!</div><div align="center">Here are some options I’m considering…</div><div align="center">for the green couch, because really, what’s better than green and leopard??</div><div align="center"><img alt="Leopard Print Linen Blend 17" Pillow Cover" height="362" src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/000/0/6121242/il_570xN.346311154.jpg" width="450" /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/102284452/leopard-print-linen-blend-17-pillow">via</a></div><div align="center"><img alt="Leopard Print Cotton Velvet 17" Pillow Cover" height="362" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/6121242/il_570xN.322365421.jpg" width="450" /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/95843023/leopard-print-cotton-velvet-17-pillow">via</a></div><div align="center">And since I love to add a little bit of quirk around my house these would be good with the polka dots…</div><div align="center"><img alt="Hug Needlepoint Kit - small" height="310" src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/000/0/5215267/il_570xN.194780290.jpg" width="450" /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/62389420/hug-needlepoint-kit-small">via</a></div><div align="center">If only this were true…</div><div align="center"><img height="230" src="http://www.jonathanadler.com/detailed_images/np_10kaday.jpg" width="230" /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.jonathanadler.com/-10-000-A-Day-Pillow/?cat=347&initial=">via</a></div><div align="center">I wonder if I can DIY this…</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFG6_HIYzUYNzDQzaVSdSuVE-B_Uqw7g0pEPUUoSdi-q3vmDTkfLJtFq5hZx3mqSmnUImYZTxc_3MHbL2FPDfc6RKdbfbqo-Dpg1fTZ0keUmWkrS0c80yEnzL-KpWCOK2Rw8s4SDTM43ls/s1600/IMG_1111.jpg"><img border="0" height="671" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFG6_HIYzUYNzDQzaVSdSuVE-B_Uqw7g0pEPUUoSdi-q3vmDTkfLJtFq5hZx3mqSmnUImYZTxc_3MHbL2FPDfc6RKdbfbqo-Dpg1fTZ0keUmWkrS0c80yEnzL-KpWCOK2Rw8s4SDTM43ls/s1600/IMG_1111.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div align="center"><a href="http://kikis-list.blogspot.com/2012/01/god-bless-our-pad.html">via</a></div><div align="center">So there you have it ladies (& gents)…Hope you enjoyed my humble abode!!</div><div align="center">Thanks again Elizabeth for inviting me over for a little show & tell!!</div>

guest post - lemondrop dreams

Hey my friends! I hope you all are enjoying my vacation as much as I am. :) Before I get to my dear friend Colleen, I wanted to let you know...

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30 Days of webtools: #26 Use Slideshare to share online PowerPoints

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slideshare (</span><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" title="http://www.slideshare.net/">http://www.slideshare.net/</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) is one of my favourite free programmes. It is a way of easily presenting information online.  It could be really useful if you have a classroom blog or wiki because you could upload all sorts of different information for your class to access at home.  It is also a way for your students to present their information online if they are collaborating with another class. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Basically, with Slideshare you can upload and share (publicly or privately) PowerPoints or PDFs for online viewing. Slideshare says you can also upload Word Documents but I haven’t tried that yet! To date I mainly use SlideShare for uploading PowerPoints and PDFs that I want to share with others. I see now that file formats that are supported by Slideshare are ppt, pps, pot, pptx, ppsx, potx, OpenOffice, and Keynote. Document formats supported are PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel sheets, OpenOffice files and text files. The maxmum allowed file size is 100 MB. There you have it! I see you can also create Slidecasts using voice but I haven't tried that yet!</span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">SchoolNet’s Slideshare account</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To show you what a Slideshare looks like I have given the links to Schoolnet’s Slideshare accounts.  Every time you make a presentation and upload it to your account, your account keeps a record of it. This account tells you a lot about your SlideShares – how many you have uploaded, who is following you, how many downloads and embeds have been made by others etc.</span><br /><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 400px;"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="133"><br /></td> <td valign="top" width="133"></td> <td valign="top" width="133"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/Schoolnetsa11">http://www.slideshare.net/Schoolnetsa11</a></td></tr><tr> <td valign="top" width="133"></td> <td valign="top" width="133"></td> <td valign="top" width="133"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWkOfMOwJmHk9i0sjpTzvIdZBZm6kA01Qh7ChEmg6ej1t2jYqc7CUhtKc_cXx6WXU69OwismsZi3wJbz-mEwGcsGnS-__hbNqc9I8RzZ09rnXHoneTHbHtqY_Gurn8_ispLOuGjLRc_WC/s1600-h/image9.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIKrSHkXkTPqb7agIactRFuXZUC36NTWFgx91isRdQh6NHSDJ8KO3idrL06OangZFG3Q0B2GDddQP308sUP1KVqxzxSR5q4ywYI_1jlSBN8EY-hZ_7Et7WjsQEh2pzvnGEx5eFdpkEOSP/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="280" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How to join Slideshare and create a Slideshare presentation</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a really good video from Teacher Tube called 'Slideshare for teachers'  that seems to give a good explanation about Slideshare. It gives an error message when I embed it, so let me rather give the link.. It can be accessed at: </span><a href="http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=100970&title=Slideshare_for_Teachers">http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=100970&title=Slideshare_for_Teachers</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before you start you need to create a PowerPoint presentation on your topic offline. This can then be converted to a PDF OR it can be uploaded just as it is to SlideShare. I also found this tutorial on YouTube giving a step-by-step approach but haven’t had a chance to evaluate it properly yet. </span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/M91903Q-CQQ?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br /><b><br /></b><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why use Slideshare?</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found this Slideshare in Slideshare giving some tips on how it can be used! It lists some exciting uses that I confess I haven't yet tried - but will in the future!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="356" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/380816" style="border-bottom: #ccc 0px solid; border-left: #ccc 1px solid; border-right: #ccc 1px solid; border-top: #ccc 1px solid; margin-bottom: 5px;" width="427"> </iframe> <br /><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><b><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/AmitRanjan/quick-tour" target="_blank" title="SlideShare 101">SlideShare 101</a> </b>from <b><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/AmitRanjan" target="_blank">Amit Ranjan</a></b> </div><b><br /></b><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Using Slideshare to include videos</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many ways to use Slideshare that I haven’t explored yet. One of the things I HAVE used though is combining videos with a SlideShare. This works really well.  In fact, I absolutely LOVE this feature of Slideshare where you can embed YouTube videos within Slideshare instead of having a string of them one under the other on your blog page. One of the ways I did this was to gather a collection of Google tutorials - 12 videos - to see if adding a large amount of videos would work. Well, it was a lengthy affair because I first got all the URLS incorrect. You have to use the URL that shows under the video after clicking on <i>'Share'</i>. Two of the videos would just not take! So, instead of redoing the whole thing and replacing my Slideshare, I thought that I would post it for now...so you could see the problem that occurs when adding the wrong URL. </span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/all-things-google-a-collection-of-tutorials" title="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/all-things-google-a-collection-of-tutorials">http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/all-things-google-a-collection-of-tutorials</a><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="356" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/11657693" style="border-bottom: #ccc 0px solid; border-left: #ccc 1px solid; border-right: #ccc 1px solid; border-top: #ccc 1px solid; margin-bottom: 5px;" width="427"> </iframe> <br /><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><b><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/all-things-google-a-collection-of-tutorials" target="_blank" title="All things Google - a collection of tutorials">All things Google - a collection of tutorials</a> </b>from <b><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal" target="_blank">Fiona Beal</a></b> </div><b><br /></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Uses of SlideShare for teachers</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Have you ever plugged your flash drive into a laptop, opened a PowerPoint presentation and it doesn't work? Have your students ever done the same thing and then been relieved that they can get out of presenting? Well, if your PowerPoint is uploaded to Slideshare you’ll never have that problem! Before I give a Conference presentation or do a workshop at a school I upload the PowerPoint to Slideshare and then refer everyone to it afterwards in case they would like to have access to it.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Have you ever wanted to embed your PowerPoint slides on a wiki to share with students and parents? You can do that so easily with Slideshare. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. You could have your lesson planned and outlined on Slideshare and as you go through it your video clips and even your Screencasts (if it was a technology linked lesson) could be right there. If this was placed on your classroom blog the students could access it that evening to review.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Your students can use this site to communicate with different audiences around the world.  Slideshare allows students to share their work, view other students’ work and make comments.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. The Slideshare site is a treasure chest of resources for teachers to use since presentations on many different topics can be found using their search feature. There is an Education category in Slideshare where you can view the most popular shared <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/popular?category=education">education slideshares.</a> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. This is an interesting Slideshare shown below. (It is actually given on Authorstream which is another way of presenting PowerPoints but it allows voice in its paid version). This teacher is setting a Slideshare presentation task to his students using his voice as well. Take a listen.</span><br /><br /><div><h3 style="margin: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/mrplough07-176896-slideshare-lesson-final-entertainment-ppt-powerpoint/" style="font: 18px ,arial;" target="_blank">Slideshare Lesson Final Draft</a></h3><object height="354" id="player" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.authorstream.com/player.swf?fb=0&nb=1&pl=as&ap=0&c=#dfdfdf&p=176896_633755835874741475" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.authorstream.com/player.swf?fb=0&nb=1&pl=as&ap=0&c=#dfdfdf&p=176896_633755835874741475" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="354"></embed></object> <br /><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal;">More <a href="http://www.authorstream.com/" target="_blank">PowerPoint presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.authorstream.com/mrplough07/" target="_blank">cory plough</a></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Try opening a Slideshare account and upload a PowerPoint or a different type of document to it to see what happens!  I am sure you'll start to love using Slideshare.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Please share your link with me!</span></div></div></div></div>

30 days of web tools Tutorials Web tools 30 Days of webtools: #26 Use Slideshare to share online PowerPoints

Slideshare ( http://www.slideshare.net/ ) is one of my favourite free programmes. It is a way of easily presenting information online.  It c...

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