News for today's 2018

NAAEE 2012 EE--Certfication presentations

5:56 PM Tukiyooo 0

The primary reason for my attendance at this conference was to help present about Ohio's Environmental Education Certification program.  I was fortunate to be a part of the development of this program from the beginning and Jen Bucheit and I came out to sit in on two panel discussions to help other states that are interested in starting their own EE Certification program. They were called EE Certification 101 and 102.<br /><br />If you're not familiar with the EE Certification program, it is a professional certification process that is guided and accredited by NAAEE across the country.  NAAEE provides the guidelines, standards, and general policies for an EE Certification program and it's the state affiliates' job to follow those guidelines and standards as they develop their programs in order to gain that accreditation.  <br /><br />Ohio's program has been in development since 2006.  Our first pilot year was 2009 and we actually conducted two pilot years.  Our first full year was 2011 and we've just began our 2nd full year this past month.<br /><br />The premise of the EE Certification program is to provide a professional certification to those working in the EE field.  Most professions have some sort of certification that provides consistency, best practices, and a general base knowledge that helps ensure that those in the field are all on the same page.  It lends credibility to the profession and it looks good on a resume'.  <br /><br />Jen and I basically gave this information in our two sessions.  We had fellow panel members from Kentucky, Utah, Maryland, Colorado and Pennsylvania to help with the presentation.  There were a few states that had some questions, either because their state's programs were in disrepair or they didn't have a program at all.  There were a lot of good discussions and it's always interesting to see how other states run their programs.  Ours is fairly young and we "stole" ideas from several states, especially Kentucky.  Collaboration is a great thing!<br /><br />If you are someone who is new to the field of EE, would like to increase your own knowledge, boost your resume', are in need of professional development or graduate credit, and want to give yourself a competitive edge in the field, you can check out Ohio's EE Certification Program online at <a href="http://www.eeco-online.org/">www.eeco-online.org</a>   The fee is $500 and that includes your meals, lodging and materials for three in-person meetings with instructors and your cohort throughout the school year.  The syllabus and application are on the website.<br /><br />

NAAEE 2012 EE--Certfication presentations

The primary reason for my attendance at this conference was to help present about Ohio's Environmental Education Certification program. ...

Lance Armstrong and Our Doping Nation - NYTimes.com

12:32 PM Tukiyooo 0

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><nyt_text style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div id="articleBody"><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">An anemia drug has likely harmed hundreds of thousands of patients, soiled the reputations of two Fortune 500 companies and shamed one of our legendary sports heroes, the cyclist Lance Armstrong. Only that last part was at issue in the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/460432-10lede-usada-armstrong.html" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">United States Anti-Doping Agency report</a>, released on Wednesday, that laid out the astonishing evidence against him. It didn't explain the seductive power of the drug — an artificial blood booster called erythropoietin, or EPO for short — or how our health care providers and our culture pushed its irresponsible use.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">EPO is a naturally occurring hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells. As any anemic can tell you, without sufficient red blood cells we become exhausted, unhealthy and depressed. Those who couldn't make natural EPO, like dialysis patients and people without functioning kidneys, had to rely on blood transfusions to get it.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But that changed during the biotech drug rush of the 1980s, when a start-up called Amgen found a way to genetically engineer the hormone. After patenting its artificial EPO, Amgen formed a partnership with the marketing mavens at Johnson & Johnson and boomed into the world's largest biotech company.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Hailed as a wonder drug, EPO looked innocuous — 3,000 units of clear liquid swirling in a glass vial. To athletes, those tinkling vials also represented a way to "goose" the oxygen-carrying component of blood, increasing stamina. And really, what red-blooded American doesn't crave more energy? Our literature is rife with fictional drugs that bestow superhuman abilities — like the "spice" found in Frank Herbert's "Dune" — and so is our history; leaders from Grover Cleveland to John F. Kennedy used cocaine, "pep pills" or amphetamines.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But those energy boosts came with bad side effects. Not so, it seemed, with EPO, which was seen as safer than ephedrine, less risky than coke and more effective than a double espresso.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Before long, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson were selling two EPO brands — Epogen and Procrit. (Those who biked the short races called criteriums joked it was for "pro-crit riders.") By the '90s, in addition to cyclists, runners, skiers and other endurance athletes were injecting the stuff regularly — and illegally. All they had to do was pay a black-market dealer in Amsterdam or Marseille, France.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But it wasn't until 1994 that the marketing of these drugs burst into the mainstream. Amgen and Johnson & Johnson began trying to expand the uses of their energy-boosting drugs to include treatment for fatigue, depression and quality-of-life issues. Commercials depicted old, slow-moving people who, after a shot of Procrit, displayed a zest for life, and a young cancer patient, who after an EPO injection happily returned to work.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The aggressive marketing worked. Soon, exhausted but otherwise healthy people were begging doctors for a shot of what one Amgen executive called "red juice."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">And many doctors went along with these off-label promotions, even though regulators hadn't approved them. Indeed, in March 2007, Congressional hearings revealed that many oncologists were profiting. The drug makers paid doctors to prescribe the blood booster in high doses to unwitting patients. Some earned honorariums for speaking to their peers about the unapproved, off-label uses; others pocketed "education grants," or joined marketing studies that never quite addressed the safety of high doses even as they recommended them. The two drug companies were told to stop paying doctors for overprescribing, but that flew in the face of our cultural belief: if a little of something is good, then a lot must be better.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Increasingly, scientists were discovering that EPO doping doesn't work so well — in fact it can be lethal. Yes, it multiplies your red blood cells. But too many red blood cells turn your blood to sludge and make the heart work overtime. The drug <a href="http://www.natap.org/2011/newsUpdates/062711_04.htm" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">raised the risks</a> of strokes, blood clots and heart attacks. Even worse was that EPO could potentially multiply cancer cells. In fact, just last year, regulators warned most patients they should try and stay off the red juice completely.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But it's too late. We live in a world where the 7-year-old reality TV star Honey Boo Boo feels the need to drink "go-go juice" (a blend of Mountain Dew and Red Bull) just to maintain her energy and ratings; where a seven-time winner of the Tour de France feels emboldened to lie repeatedly about doping; where doctors would risk the health of their patients to make them better, quicker, and to make themselves richer.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">It's too bad about Lance Armstrong. But the real shame is that, in our get-rich, quick-fix, more-is-better culture, we are all culpable in this blood-doping scandal — both on and off the race course.</p><nyt_author_id><div class="authorIdentification" style="margin-bottom: 2.8em; "><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; font-style: italic; "><a href="http://www.kathleensharp.com/" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; font-size: 15px !important; line-height: 22px; ">Kathleen Sharp</a> is the author of "Blood Medicine: Blowing the Whistle on One of the Deadliest Prescription Drugs Ever."</div></div></nyt_author_id></div></nyt_text><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/opinion/lance-armstrong-and-our-doping-nation.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0&pagewanted=print">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/opinion/lance-armstrong-and-our-doping-nation.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0&pagewanted=print</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Lance Armstrong and Our Doping Nation - NYTimes.com

An anemia drug has likely harmed hundreds of thousands of patients, soiled the reputations of two Fortune 500 companies and shamed one of ou...

What a lovely morning!

6:56 AM Tukiyooo 0

<span style="font-size: large;">We are getting a security alarm fitted in the house today.  I was off work so I headed off for the morning to let the engineers do their thing.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1012/1224325187403.html">cycled</a> to Rathmines firstly to do a few chores and potter around the shops.  I then called to Rathmines Library where I signed up for membership.  They had a very different selection of books to the Library where I work so it was nice to browse as a "borrower" rather than as a Librarian.  Obviously I couldn't help making comparisons between my work library and this branch library!  ;-)</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I then cycled into town to meet my twin sister for something to eat during her lunch break.  She took me to the cutest little place, Estling & Anders, and treated me to a gorgeous hot chicken wrap with the nicest tangiest relish.  It was delicious!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">After our food we got a coffee in <a href="http://www.ocbs.ie/">OCB's </a>and took a stroll around the area near her office.  </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Twin coffees for the twinnies!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsAyi4gBIKq0iyLhmh4fX_5RqNWpMnWi_tifMJbNOw0KjN6Pg03hWIaoFPM391jOAuhWjSUsC6C5YpvFTbqCME0A3o1gvgXAcIaJIEoyxQP7kZawK3o2fQqcA30fXhTvZurbVn8yTkvxB/s1600/IMG_2193%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsAyi4gBIKq0iyLhmh4fX_5RqNWpMnWi_tifMJbNOw0KjN6Pg03hWIaoFPM391jOAuhWjSUsC6C5YpvFTbqCME0A3o1gvgXAcIaJIEoyxQP7kZawK3o2fQqcA30fXhTvZurbVn8yTkvxB/s320/IMG_2193%255B1%255D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Here is a picture of a little food market that was on down at the canal - Amy works just a few steps away from the Canal.  Lucky girl!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7X5jagHKRqhlNq6ZEmR9PHj2ovnqZDqOF2u44B29VudUz1h_ZlfRjlL-CTUxstdE-q6ST5FkqKozdLcte9e1bq30miYIWrI4jaLRHsgn57qUv-H3MpIkO6AhYzcZ9_PYf3SIl4SIgc7OJ/s1600/IMG_2192%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7X5jagHKRqhlNq6ZEmR9PHj2ovnqZDqOF2u44B29VudUz1h_ZlfRjlL-CTUxstdE-q6ST5FkqKozdLcte9e1bq30miYIWrI4jaLRHsgn57qUv-H3MpIkO6AhYzcZ9_PYf3SIl4SIgc7OJ/s320/IMG_2192%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The food market was just great!  There were about 20 different stalls selling various types of food including Thai Curries, Paella, Wings, Gourmet Burgers, Noodles, Burritos and also cakes and pastries.  There were loads of people sitting on the wall of the canal eating their delicious food.  I will definitely be meeting Amy here when the weather is warmer and we can sit out and eat in the open!</span></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Here's a picture of Miss Amy!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjU00mJbfB9ADAU77C-PNVbFD8NRqyD6ExupYTeQqOjoz_wHuyEOuJdgMKA8ABNtRRb0WrrwNt4iA7xdF8fznK1N2bENo79movF64RnIxQlIih6S16GL01jfwnlXAU1ow9ofYiawSrgNB/s1600/IMG_2191%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjU00mJbfB9ADAU77C-PNVbFD8NRqyD6ExupYTeQqOjoz_wHuyEOuJdgMKA8ABNtRRb0WrrwNt4iA7xdF8fznK1N2bENo79movF64RnIxQlIih6S16GL01jfwnlXAU1ow9ofYiawSrgNB/s320/IMG_2191%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Great days like this make me feel very blessed to live in Ireland!</span>

What a lovely morning!

We are getting a security alarm fitted in the house today. I was off work so I headed off for the morning to let the engineers do their thi...

Circulation Assistant - Chester Public Library

6:41 AM Anonymous 0

<strong>Circulation Assistant - </strong><span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Chester Public Library</strong></span> seeks a friendly, service oriented individual with strong interpersonal  skills to provide high quality service to library users. Candidate must  be able to juggle priorities, work independently, attend to detail, and  be a welcoming presence in the library. Duties: The Circulation  Assistant performs a variety of circulation and clerical tasks related  to the operation of this small community library. The Circulation  Assistant will check materials in/out, answer or refer reference  questions, answer phone, shelve library materials, register new patrons,  manage overdues, help patrons use library equipment and online catalog,  perform data entry, open and close the library. Qualifications: Ability  to work independently and handle multiple tasks in a busy environment.  Ability to learn automated library system. Ability to climb stairs while  carrying library materials.  Familiarity with online research  procedures and basic computer applications is strongly preferred.  Library or related experience is a plus. Ability to work regular  Saturday and evening hours with flexibility to work at other times is  essential. Hours and Compensation: 15 hours per week at $12.00 per hour.  No benefits. Send letter of interest and statement of qualifications to  Linda Fox at <a href="mailto:chesterctlibrary@yahoo.com">chesterctlibrary@yahoo.com</a>.  Deadline: <span style="color: red;">October 25, 2012</span>.  Chester is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action employer.

Circulation Assistant - Chester Public Library

Circulation Assistant - Chester Public Library seeks a friendly, service oriented individual with strong interpersonal skills to provide h...

Even More From Jay's Notebook

9:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />Hola y’all! It’s time again to see what all is in <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/search/label/Jay%27s%20Notebook">Jay’s Notebook</a>. I know you’re excited so let’s get right to it!<br /><br /><b>-</b> If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it.” – Henry Ford<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna27i4saWsitEuLOsrHNEwpjeC-cpme9fX1wsSUMl4Y9SLLFwwFrnJVzfRLwgBgsEUP0G7cUf6-65JMH20SuhA0IomU8nufkiArZqDPGMJB-k9nETTubEvnfXGWOLqKKJt7BzYhRuGK8/s1600/Paris+Hilton+Hot+Legs+Car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna27i4saWsitEuLOsrHNEwpjeC-cpme9fX1wsSUMl4Y9SLLFwwFrnJVzfRLwgBgsEUP0G7cUf6-65JMH20SuhA0IomU8nufkiArZqDPGMJB-k9nETTubEvnfXGWOLqKKJt7BzYhRuGK8/s320/Paris+Hilton+Hot+Legs+Car.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Man, what a beautiful quote. Have you ever noticed that it’s really rich people like billionaire Henry Ford who make moronic statements like that? Or things like “Money can’t buy happiness?” Total bullshit.  Rich people love to lecture poor people and working class folks and tell them that “money isn’t everything.” I have no doubt that Paris Hilton is constantly wondering why people think having money is such a big deal.<br /><br /><br /><b>-</b> Have you ever been driving down the road like at about 80 mph and decide that you need to turn on the air or heat. And just before you push the button to turn it on you think “Man, I hope my car doesn’t blow up the instant I hit this button.”<br /><br />And then you are actually hesitant to turn the air on because HOLY SHIT what if that really does happen? It happens in movies sometimes right? What if someone booby-trapped my car? Does my sexual deviant upstairs neighbor know how to do something like that? Shit, I’ll just roll the windows down. OH CRAP THEY’RE ELECTRIC TOO! Now you realize that you have to get home before it gets dark because if you turn on your lights: KA-BLOOEY!<br /><br />Driving can be scary man.<br /><br /><b>-</b> You know what sucks? Emptying the dishwasher. What a freaking hassle this is. It’s a pain because you never remember to until you’re holding something in your hand that you want to put in there. Like a big pot that you made chili in and you’ve washed it out and you open the dishwasher and realize the damn thing is full and you say “Aw shit! I gotta empty the motherfuckin’ dishwasher!”  And I don’t care if you’re fucking Mother Teresa, you will say “motherfuckin’ dishwasher” in that situation.<br /><br />Filling the dishwasher is no big deal because that happens a little at a time. But, you have to empty it all at once. And it’s a detail oriented activity too! You have to focus and make sure you put things where they belong. You don’t want to put the serving spoons in the wrong drawer or mix the salad forks with the dinner forks. This shit has rules people!<br /><br /><b>-</b> Do you guys watch “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo?” No, of course you don’t! What about “Swamp People?” No? It’s all so beneath us isn’t it. We’re superior intellectual beings to these people. Just look at our Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr feeds. Nothing there but smart, educated observations about the world from us.<br /><br />Okay, I don’t watch Honey Boo Boo, but I do love Swamp People. Oh man, you gotta shoot them gators in the perfect spot right between the eyes cause they’re skin is tough and a bullet might not go through or go deep enough and that’ll just piss him off!<br /><br />Anyway, I was watching people on social media deriding these folks and I started wondering about who’s happier in their lives and about who and what they are. We love to make fun of these people but you know they seem to have it all figured out. They’re not trying to be something or someone they’re not. They’re not worried about follower counts or about finding something impressive about their kids to post on Facebook or any of that shit.<br /><br />They aren’t worried about looking smart, or dumb or silly. They are who they are they’re fine with that. I honestly think we could all learn a few things from them. Well, maybe some of you could. I totally keep it real all the time.<br /><br />Most of the time.<br /><br />Well, I try.<br /><br />Okay, that’s another exciting edition of Jay’s Notebook! Nothing but fun times kids!<br /><br />Jayman<br /><a href="mailto:Jayman@gmail.com">Jayman@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/jayman_iws">@Jayman_IWS</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Be sure to check out the I’m With Stupid podcast! The #1 Comedy show on Blog Talk Radio! <br /><br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.adobe.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="270" id="143577" name="143577" width="210"><param name="movie" value="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fim-with-stupid%2Fplay_list.xml%3Fitemcount%3D5&autostart=true&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf" flashvars="file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2fim-with-stupid%2fplay_list.xml%3Fitemcount%3D5&autostart=true&shuffle=false&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx&width=210&height=270&volume=80&corner=rounded" width="210" height="270" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" wmode="transparent" menu="false" name="143577" id="143577" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;">Listen to <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/">internet radio</a> with <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid">Im With Stupid</a> on Blog Talk Radio</div></div>

Even More From Jay's Notebook

Hola y’all! It’s time again to see what all is in Jay’s Notebook . I know you’re excited so let’s get right to it! - If money is your hope ...

MIDDLE EASTERN EQUATION

4:21 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xVcYmnqjRfQ4vrwz_yquu-iB5_lxeQ4o2dVgnc3H6VeP2czIYRvX1qYZGrKpScpwoT4KmRfmaaGqwJIxURezR0DcXx-GEH_1AqV_78WC6FOBEadYgqA9emdedZUVDuhcZSFZh2vfWVid/s1600/94757362-benjamin-netanyahus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xVcYmnqjRfQ4vrwz_yquu-iB5_lxeQ4o2dVgnc3H6VeP2czIYRvX1qYZGrKpScpwoT4KmRfmaaGqwJIxURezR0DcXx-GEH_1AqV_78WC6FOBEadYgqA9emdedZUVDuhcZSFZh2vfWVid/s320/94757362-benjamin-netanyahus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">NETANYAHU’S DILEMMA: CAMPAIGNING ON A SECURITY TICKET WHEN IRAN CALLS THE SHOTS</span></b></span></div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">via DEBKA<i>file</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><i> </i> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced an early general election in January, 2013. Most pundits agreed he would lead his Likud party’s campaign for reelection on the security ticket, namely the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran.  </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />Netanyahu explained his decision by his coalition partners’ refusal to make do with a “responsible budget” and  said he would rather have his government fall than increase the deficit, especially when the country’s top priority was stopping IRAN gaining a nuclear bomb.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><i>Running on the IRAN ticket subjects him to three major difficulties</i>:</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />1.   Tehran can be safely guaranteed to place every possible obstruction in the prime minister’s path to an election win because his failure in the polls would not just suit IRAN but be popular in the Arab world where he is portrayed as a fire-eating militarist although he has delayed attacking IRAN for three and-a-half years.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />2.   Tehran, helped by its proxies, the LEBANESE <b>Hizballah</b> and the <b>Palestinian Hamas</b> and <b>Jihad Islami</b>, will dig up every possible stratagem to tarnish his performance, such as the unmanned helicopter flyover which Saturday, Oct. 6 showed ISRAELI air defenses in a poor light , and the salvo of 55 missiles and mortars from the Gaza Strip two days later.<br />Until recently, it was generally believed that the ISRAELI government’s military decisions were motivated solely by considerations of national security without political undertones.<br />But that was only so long as the prime minister and the defense minister were of one mind.<br />However, the falling-out between them of late means that neither trusts the other’s decisions any longer. An election campaign in these circumstances could have disastrous fallout.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />3.  President Barack Obama’s campaign for reelection in less than a month will no doubt play into the Israeli election contest. The US president, who has accused Netanyahu of interfering in his race for a second term, will no doubt bring his weight to bear on the ISRAELI poll.  Last-minute cancellation of joint exercises, for example, or other such steps could reflect negatively on Netanyahu’s prospects.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Obama will be swayed most of all by his prospects against the Republican Mitt Romney. This consideration might persuade him to play the IRANIAN card and thereby indirectly affecting how the ISRAELI prime minister comes out of his election.<br /> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In this respect, Obama has three options: </span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">a) To exercise the AMERICAN military option and blowing away IRAN’S nuclear program – with or without ISRAEL. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">b) To meet IRAN’S leaders halfway for a diplomatic breakthrough that would amaze the AMERICAN voter and be inimical to ISRAEL and set back Netanyahu's chances or reelection; or </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">c) To do nothing.<br />It is hard to say at this time whether or not Mitt Romney if elected would give Netanyahu a leg up before he takes the oath of office.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />The rumor mills in Jerusalem, Washington and Tehran are buzzing with speculation about what to expect in the days ahead.  The new players in the ISRAELI ring, Labor’s leader Shelly Yacimovich who has never before faced a general election and Yair Lapid who has just founded “Yesh Atid” (There Is a Future) and whose platform is still an enigma, are unlikely to have cruckal effect on the eventual outcome of the high-stakes game of strategy in progress between Obama, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hassan Nasrallah, and Binyamin Netanyahu.  </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

MIDDLE EASTERN EQUATION

NETANYAHU’S DILEMMA: CAMPAIGNING ON A SECURITY TICKET WHEN IRAN CALLS THE SHOTS via DEBKA file Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has an...

Breast cancer surgery rate differences 'raise questions' - Health - CBC News

2:13 PM Tukiyooo 0

<base href="data:">Mastectomy rates for breast cancer vary widely across Canada, according to a new report.<br><br>Thursday's report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information showed differences in the use of all surgical treatments for breast cancer. About 22,000 women in Canada have surgery for breast cancer each year.<br><br>Most of the breast cancer patients studied were treated for invasive disease. (iStock)<br>"These findings raise questions about how Canadian women are exercising their treatment options and the resultant quality of care," the report's authors concluded, based on data from 2007–2008 to 2009–2010.<br><br>Mastectomy rates ranged from 69 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador to 26 per cent in Quebec.<br><br>The differences decreased only slightly when age, income and travel time to a cancer centre were considered, the institute said.<br><br>Generally, clinical practice guidelines recommend breast conserving surgery, also called lumpectomy, and radiation therapy for the majority of women with breast cancer. Lumpectomy and radiation are less invasive and are associated with fewer complications with similar survival to mastectomy.<br><br>Dr. Geoff Porter, a professor of surgery at Dalhousie University in Halifax, called the report an important step in understanding differences in breast cancer surgery.<br><br>"We can only really understand where we're going if we know where we are," Porter said. "I think that's just very valuable when you think about optimizing the quality of breast cancer care. We need to know those patterns and trends so that we can see whether they're changing."<br><br>Porter said that the high rates of mastectomies and re-excisions or repeated surgeries if lab tests show that residual tumours may be present, could be higher in Newfoundland and Labrador because of differences in how the surgeries are counted in that province.<br><br>In many areas in Canada, core biopsies with a needle are used to make a diagnosis. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the tumour itself may be removed for the diagnosis and that surgery could be counted as the first one, he said.<br><br>Porter said the report offers a powerful way to look at breast cancer in the population. The tradeoff is that clinical data, such as the size of tumour and its stage, weren't included.<br><br>The type of surgery can also vary with income. In the report, women living in the least affluent areas had the highest rates of mastectomy. Long courses of radiation are generally recommended after lumpectomies and travel time appeared to significantly reduce use of less-invasive surgery, the authors said.<br><br>A third of mastectomies in Ontario were done as day surgeries but fewer than two per cent in Alberta and Saskatchewan were done that way.<br><br>"The extent of this variation raises interesting questions regarding the organization of care and resources issues."<br><br>The report was prepared by CIHI and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYCFGvc3tz8Fb1Mrh39tbXETO-SvSLa-qCh_INllBeF1-o2ovqamIvNGqCe3Hj1kK5MYboet5ttXR24uD9_-pMayxCPrS3-hmxWChGNxzm1AFbCHDScsqyMs5OQT2gPFrFSSZhjmzkzk/s1600/Data-714584.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5798162963459059570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYCFGvc3tz8Fb1Mrh39tbXETO-SvSLa-qCh_INllBeF1-o2ovqamIvNGqCe3Hj1kK5MYboet5ttXR24uD9_-pMayxCPrS3-hmxWChGNxzm1AFbCHDScsqyMs5OQT2gPFrFSSZhjmzkzk/s320/Data-714584.jpg" /></a><div><br><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/10/11/breast-cancer-surgery.html">http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/10/11/breast-cancer-surgery.html</a><br><br></div>

Breast cancer surgery rate differences 'raise questions' - Health - CBC News

Mastectomy rates for breast cancer vary widely across Canada, according to a new report. Thursday's report by the Canadian Institute for...

Furnishing Tama

10:30 AM Tukiyooo 0

<img alt="tama1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/tama1.jpg" title="Tama Art University Library" /><br />[Photo by Iwan Baan | image <a href="http://www.archdaily.com/22711/tama-art-university-library-toyo-ito-by-iwan-baan/">source</a>]<br /><br />One thing I learned about Toyo It's design for the <a href="http://www.toyo-ito.co.jp/WWW/Project_Descript/2005-/2005-p_11/2005-p_11_en.html">Tama Art University Library</a> (2007) when reviewing <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/10/08/toyo-ito-forces-of-nature/"><i>Forces of Nature</i></a> recently was how the ground floor slopes, which required some skill in terms of furnishings. Ito decided to have the countertops remain level even as the floor pitched itself at 1:20, meaning that stools had to not only be adjustable in height but actually sit up straight on a leaning floor.<br /><br /><img alt="tama2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/tama2.jpg" title="Tama Art University Library" /><br />[Photo Photo by Fujie Kazuko Atelier | image <a href="http://www.fujie-kazuko-atelier.com/fujie_kazuko_atelier/tama.html">source</a>]<br /><br />The resulting stool—carried out with <a href="http://www.fujie-kazuko-atelier.com/">Fujie Kazuko Atelier</a>*, a firm with a mission to "<span class="style_2">propose the comfortable relationship between architecture and furniture</span>"—is an adjustable-height design that sits upon what can be described as a squished ball rather than four legs. This allows the stool to address the two driving considerations on the ground floor, but I'm guessing it also makes sitting at the counters and computer workstations kind of fun.<br /><br /><img alt="tama3.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/tama3.jpg" title="Tama Art University Library" /><br />[Photo Photo by Fujie Kazuko Atelier | image <a href="http://www.fujie-kazuko-atelier.com/fujie_kazuko_atelier/tama.html">source</a>]<br /><br />Yet Kazuko Atelier's documentation of the building's furniture doesn't stop with the stools. They also show some chairs whose backs peel away (above), ideal for lounging and listening to music or watching videos, and an undulating object that is less furniture than a surface for improvisation (below). The more I look at Ito's design for Tama, the more I'm impressed by it. Some of that appreciation stems from the choice of furnishings, which work well with the architecture but don't try to compete with it (I'm glad furniture with arched legs, for example, wasn't the route taken).<br /><br /><img alt="tama4.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/tama4.jpg" title="Tama Art University Library" /><br />[Photo Photo by Fujie Kazuko Atelier | image <a href="http://www.fujie-kazuko-atelier.com/fujie_kazuko_atelier/tama.html">source</a>]<br /><br />*I'm not sure if Kazuko Atelier is responsible for the design for the furniture or just its selection, but nevertheless they are an integral part of furnishing the spaces.

Furnishing Tama

[Photo by Iwan Baan | image source ] One thing I learned about Toyo It's design for the Tama Art University Library (2007) when reviewi...

Who is it?!

9:44 AM Tukiyooo 0

<span style="font-size: large;">Recognise this pair?!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW-Diyw8-tRXn5SHjuFUqWg529H1xNlENvM7-WqhyphenhyphenZi9NLPXwYMD22LTyydRMsdvB0M2EFa78fHhoZcHy66vYTeaPuGF5SvlBznYWUlv2eh7JpH73dASZ0MfZwqvZnfQDl1ATMmBxCfQH/s1600/IMG_2183%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW-Diyw8-tRXn5SHjuFUqWg529H1xNlENvM7-WqhyphenhyphenZi9NLPXwYMD22LTyydRMsdvB0M2EFa78fHhoZcHy66vYTeaPuGF5SvlBznYWUlv2eh7JpH73dASZ0MfZwqvZnfQDl1ATMmBxCfQH/s320/IMG_2183%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> Painted by Ciaran</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And check out this little handsomer!!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKLi-ZeKNhhui1mBOvVVf-bkXbkgEWNGcdiLQkIITZGlTSZ8DlHg55V1bxthai9fHa-_rFGrXwOk57idmsfd9u_Fca3DVVRE2gY2dmKKxh-IepL9HIkTwN5IzvMQphAOD6YBEtJSoFE2g/s1600/IMG_2188%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKLi-ZeKNhhui1mBOvVVf-bkXbkgEWNGcdiLQkIITZGlTSZ8DlHg55V1bxthai9fHa-_rFGrXwOk57idmsfd9u_Fca3DVVRE2gY2dmKKxh-IepL9HIkTwN5IzvMQphAOD6YBEtJSoFE2g/s320/IMG_2188%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> "Bones" painted by Ciaran's Dad</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsdCTu_i-nwXZbJqplm9T20_StdHwjdEkNnNJ26gmRx4V-Mh1vkSbgP7AkiXPdULmvxOOBR9JvzSGJAM7CaA-qcFIPF3agl_qikzvVaobcVSZHFWrDirgm0eTMAqlb-njbl9A6G13W32V/s1600/IMG_2032%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsdCTu_i-nwXZbJqplm9T20_StdHwjdEkNnNJ26gmRx4V-Mh1vkSbgP7AkiXPdULmvxOOBR9JvzSGJAM7CaA-qcFIPF3agl_qikzvVaobcVSZHFWrDirgm0eTMAqlb-njbl9A6G13W32V/s320/IMG_2032%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bones outside the house - he is not an outside dog, he goes out to go to the bathroom and then immediately starts to whine to be let back in - I think he thinks he is human!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>

Who is it?!

Recognise this pair?! Painted by Ciaran And check out this little handsomer!! "Bones" painted by Ciaran's Dad Bones outside ...

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 10/11/2012

2:30 AM Tukiyooo 0

<ul class="diigo-linkroll">      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://business.ftc.gov/blog/2012/10/justin-demi-selena-rihanna-and-coppa">Justin, Demi, Selena, Rihanna - and COPPA | BCP Business Center</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">This Justin Beiber fan site has been penalized more than $100,000 for collecting emails of minors under 13 without parental permission. COPPA compliance is more important than ever. I find it ironic that kids under 13 aren't even supposed to be able to have emails in the first place on many websites.  "The details of the registration process varied depending on the site, so you'll want to read the complaint for the specifics.  But the 25-words-or-less summary is that Artist Arena allegedly collected kids' names, addresses, email addresses, birthdates, gender and other info without properly notifying parents and getting their consent.  According to the complaint, the company violated COPPA by knowingly registering over 25,000 kids under 13 and collected and maintained personal information from almost 75,000 other kids under 13 who started the sign-up process, but didn't finish it."</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/coppa">coppa</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/digital_law">digital_law</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 10/11/2012

Justin, Demi, Selena, Rihanna - and COPPA | BCP Business Center This Justin Beiber fan site has been...

NAAEE 2012-Wednesday

11:18 PM Tukiyooo 0

I had to catch up on some sleep, having been up since 4:45 EST the day before.  So after sleeping in a bit, till 9:30 EST :-), I joined the Phenology Monitoring and Citizen Science Workshop.  This all day workshop focused on the science of phenology.  <br /><br />If you have never heard this term before, phenology is the study of recurring plant and animal life cycle stages.  These stages are also called phenophases.  These phenophases are usually looked at on an annual basis and they are phenomenon that have an onset, duration and end stage.  Some examples might include the study of the blooming periods of spring wildflowers, or the timing of foliage color change, or the migration patterns of songbirds and waterfowl.<br /><br />This science is not by any means a new field or practice.  Native Americans used phenology to determine prime hunting and gathering periods based on the emergence of buds, flowers and berries for centuries.  For example, tribes on the Canadian east coast would not fish for shad until the "shadbush," or serviceberry as we call it in Ohio, bloomed.  They learned to associate the timing of the emergence of the bush's blooms with the time of when these fish were at their peak for eating.  In the U.S., the <a href="http://www.usanpn.org/archive/history" target="_blank">Department of Agriculture</a> was using phenology in as early as the 1920's to help determine growing seasons for crops.<br /><br />Basically, phenology is about paying attention to the physical cues that plants and animals exhibit to determine changes in the environment.  These physical cues can be used to track climate change, including temperature and precipitation changes, and overall environmental changes that occur over time.  <br /><br />Why would we want track these changes? Phenological changes have biological and economical importance.  <br /><br />A biological example is found in Europe with the relationship between the English oak, the Winter moth, and the Dutch Pied flycatcher. <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v441/n7089/abs/nature04539.html" target="_blank"><em>Both et. al. Nature 2006.</em></a><em>  </em>Basically, this study showed that as the English oak begins to leaf out earlier and earlier each year, the caterpillar of the Winter moth begins to emerge earlier as well.  However, the Pied flycatcher continues to return at the same time each year from its migration, finding less and less of its favorite food available as the caterpillars have already entered the pupae stage, making them unavailable to the birds.  The bird's populations have declined as much as 90% in the last two decades because of this "mistiming" of phenological events.<br /><br />One simpler and more familiar economic example is the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C.  This festival is centered around the blooming of the thousands of cherry trees in the nation's capital that are an annual gift from Japan.  The timing of peak blooms vary to some degree each year, as much as a 10 days, depending on local weather conditions.  However, you can see that in the last twenty years, <a href="http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/bloom-watch/" target="_blank">the trend</a> as crept earlier and earlier from early April to now mid-March.  This impacts when events will be held each year, which impacts the local economy to the tune of over $120 million annually. A mistiming of this event could be critical to local hotels, restaurants, tour guides, and more. <br /><br />There is a relatively new national organization called the <a href="http://www.usanpn.org/" target="_blank">USA National Phenology Network</a>, or NPN. This network is hoping to become the clearinghouse for any and all national, regional and local data related to phenology of plants and animals.  It already contains information on 630 plant species and 230 animal species across the country.  They work with many partners across the country to develop collection protocols, best practices, and education about phenology, as well as data collection.  This is where you come in.<br /><br />If you're interested in learning more about conducting a phenology study in your area, and how to contribute data, please check out the NPN website at <a href="http://www.usanpn.org/">www.usanpn.org</a>  They have a ton of valuable information on conducting research, engaging students and adults, submitting data, using archived data for comparison studies, and more.  It is a very user-friendly, intuitive website.  <br /><br />My hope is that we, as an agency, can eventually provide training in phenology for schools that have high quality outdoor classrooms as part of our WILD School Sites program.  I believe that phenology can be used in not only science, but math, language arts, and social studies as well.  And, as the new Ohio Academic Content Standards move towards more project or process-based learning, phenological studies fit very well within these frameworks for learning.<br /><br />At a minimum, I hope that you all start to pay attention to the natural world around you.  Phenology can help you reconnect with the nature that is right in your neighborhood and backyard.  Keep a journal for your property or local park.  You can submit that data to NPN as well.  Get reconnected to nature through the science of phenology.<br /><br />We took a field trip to the Golden Gate Bridge National Recreation Area to see how to conduct a phenology study.  The field trip was hosted by the educators of <a href="http://www.naturebridge.org/" target="_blank">NatureBridge</a>, a non-profit organization that works in partnership with western national parks and recreation areas to bring students to these areas for environmental educational experiences.  Many of their programs include the collection of phenological data.  Here are some pictures from the day.  Enjoy!<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5OgZ4-802rktfdIPtt5MpEeLOXzwmKBsLecdN2RtGUzNeizOEW0X8BCHva84QOWTkwxPKJBIQHHRWl1z30IZfbhkF3FO7Kv-B29qwERvnluMsZVxrMFQp-qEmg-aNMTbikN8J75jVRiN/s1600/P1010868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5OgZ4-802rktfdIPtt5MpEeLOXzwmKBsLecdN2RtGUzNeizOEW0X8BCHva84QOWTkwxPKJBIQHHRWl1z30IZfbhkF3FO7Kv-B29qwERvnluMsZVxrMFQp-qEmg-aNMTbikN8J75jVRiN/s320/P1010868.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bus view of the Bay from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccq_U5dYlrmZcTCl88QoOyNX1KJRQhyB0Bc_WwYhrmTocOZ9qYzn6iThdRrGQSmKwYL83tdp9-kKqV8FPAbi9vnn1zZpDvJXGeciNGaltbHJbIeSOAKSIoNGMGllDX3_xzLDZdKx3Vb9o/s1600/P1010873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccq_U5dYlrmZcTCl88QoOyNX1KJRQhyB0Bc_WwYhrmTocOZ9qYzn6iThdRrGQSmKwYL83tdp9-kKqV8FPAbi9vnn1zZpDvJXGeciNGaltbHJbIeSOAKSIoNGMGllDX3_xzLDZdKx3Vb9o/s320/P1010873.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Rock Island.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3DL-aQHRmMHWDJniIvY86mFFvPq8Q0qKp78Ejuu47j_nkBDg5nt2De39PFO_Jj0bEtfWHgjtKd_IFL7d80VVY0qvDnnmHLX2YTXTaPaGFz1E2SOMvFjBeJdi36-EprzIalqGekIZNrp4/s1600/P1010890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3DL-aQHRmMHWDJniIvY86mFFvPq8Q0qKp78Ejuu47j_nkBDg5nt2De39PFO_Jj0bEtfWHgjtKd_IFL7d80VVY0qvDnnmHLX2YTXTaPaGFz1E2SOMvFjBeJdi36-EprzIalqGekIZNrp4/s320/P1010890.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group members having a great discussion.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1eycIFg8AisesP6Tvppeu0nqzMnmpqlbvQLwIOWkUAviE5qRX4jgKSH2GQVALiPqWChPYk2X00bcyZLGbDcU7KVDkOPouQIrGJI3UmcMU0FOj9TXAjukhV6wfiFPSHO_VNhtpysDt3vsJ/s1600/P1010889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1eycIFg8AisesP6Tvppeu0nqzMnmpqlbvQLwIOWkUAviE5qRX4jgKSH2GQVALiPqWChPYk2X00bcyZLGbDcU7KVDkOPouQIrGJI3UmcMU0FOj9TXAjukhV6wfiFPSHO_VNhtpysDt3vsJ/s320/P1010889.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out one of the plant species that this site monitors.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBaz40Vc0LGOdFFsHLovOWN4th3c8d-orjW0HXiZ1BAQwlpaAJek3qakbNgwZIl_5t0GbQaFbzNDL__xNSZV_L2tttKUK5EnsUfHNuK-tXHyCu0gCbnHJof62v492c1xWBpjSzdH5tmWm/s1600/P1010878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBaz40Vc0LGOdFFsHLovOWN4th3c8d-orjW0HXiZ1BAQwlpaAJek3qakbNgwZIl_5t0GbQaFbzNDL__xNSZV_L2tttKUK5EnsUfHNuK-tXHyCu0gCbnHJof62v492c1xWBpjSzdH5tmWm/s320/P1010878.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nature Bridge monitors three plant species at this particular site.  <br />This is called Coyote Bush, or <span class="kno-fv">Baccharis pilularis</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWFOtp5scOe9A4d-96TpdB8a0UMhQnT707KIEY7W7aC-3M0zTQpwjtIOW8o8CgYBLjvlosrOJYz03T_hfp84C3v94AZxmhpt9X0D2dAdHh9hzl7j_B-chhCPgZNfAUwGb7weV2duLGCkN/s1600/P1010879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWFOtp5scOe9A4d-96TpdB8a0UMhQnT707KIEY7W7aC-3M0zTQpwjtIOW8o8CgYBLjvlosrOJYz03T_hfp84C3v94AZxmhpt9X0D2dAdHh9hzl7j_B-chhCPgZNfAUwGb7weV2duLGCkN/s320/P1010879.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An upclose view of the leaves and flowers of the Coyote Bush.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOakr_TbjMTKJEjTiHEv_sLBC9WPmUitIwxfyGPSZVGXyWyiSJL1Wjt-bOjVJj9f5-nCHPLhnaRmHug2yWOMjXVy7qcPymwjSCUB8mJr3K0FqfvC0fffJ1tTNHrvGhefQLfYpq1WKpkkzm/s1600/P1010880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOakr_TbjMTKJEjTiHEv_sLBC9WPmUitIwxfyGPSZVGXyWyiSJL1Wjt-bOjVJj9f5-nCHPLhnaRmHug2yWOMjXVy7qcPymwjSCUB8mJr3K0FqfvC0fffJ1tTNHrvGhefQLfYpq1WKpkkzm/s320/P1010880.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another plant that is monitored is the cow parsnip, or Heracleum maximum </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97ZnLCdZoMA09rXd_HLI3hpD_iGZ6b_43Ia75LGe74v31y3x9xAeSiARJwvfphTmfSeGOU_Gng-JdFXQRg54lq7PDItCdy716KCWpPdaOFWLxT4cH2eRQpAkkUaA-Fx35YL-e6PnMatpx/s1600/P1010883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97ZnLCdZoMA09rXd_HLI3hpD_iGZ6b_43Ia75LGe74v31y3x9xAeSiARJwvfphTmfSeGOU_Gng-JdFXQRg54lq7PDItCdy716KCWpPdaOFWLxT4cH2eRQpAkkUaA-Fx35YL-e6PnMatpx/s320/P1010883.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The third monitored plant is the Sticky Monkey plant, or Mimulus aurantiacus.</td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEj_pAP4hRe0cK_p0uUYzwBstvoD-ejGY0ORNCHYJCSxTLOtXiyJmN8EbMVCmaHeXuTdfNvjybJkpupu2Aqaai39gnNcVm-q_VBAHoDWR0Mqs2_CFnx4EUEOWoBVYR2V1wwZeLX9IMUao3Gy/s1600/P1010882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pAP4hRe0cK_p0uUYzwBstvoD-ejGY0ORNCHYJCSxTLOtXiyJmN8EbMVCmaHeXuTdfNvjybJkpupu2Aqaai39gnNcVm-q_VBAHoDWR0Mqs2_CFnx4EUEOWoBVYR2V1wwZeLX9IMUao3Gy/s320/P1010882.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just so that you won't think I made up that name. :-)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccx9el3PNiByKzPA0NTJ9NmQFu1OcZowuV9ZAyTueOw56zsxwo7kfbWzmXtU1aa8khBmi5R4u2coP07CZMWvBBml1LWO-hdlUtHbBfXH6vf95IAZzI80Jt7kSBhsbtp4UjQUXqwyIOokv/s1600/P1010887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccx9el3PNiByKzPA0NTJ9NmQFu1OcZowuV9ZAyTueOw56zsxwo7kfbWzmXtU1aa8khBmi5R4u2coP07CZMWvBBml1LWO-hdlUtHbBfXH6vf95IAZzI80Jt7kSBhsbtp4UjQUXqwyIOokv/s320/P1010887.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many spectacular views from the Golden Gate Bridge National Recreation Area.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFXD8nMS8N7xUJPWf6RflHscR795h_IPGfUkcj6R0dB4H1xo72l4v34uiduXSuzfZrEYM5NOJnAuSGkPPMCLkXvVF0IIB8PFBu9v1aCE4P3ExaTkUQJPvOR9VPnvtj2qWpdgr72lQkXBy/s1600/P1010888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFXD8nMS8N7xUJPWf6RflHscR795h_IPGfUkcj6R0dB4H1xo72l4v34uiduXSuzfZrEYM5NOJnAuSGkPPMCLkXvVF0IIB8PFBu9v1aCE4P3ExaTkUQJPvOR9VPnvtj2qWpdgr72lQkXBy/s320/P1010888.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tanker steaming into the Bay.  Another great view from the Recreation Area.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1aXYONXfZA4lsMWCbzIDUdsyZruXGtGHh829JjTQqpDhG_BAM9jljwjJTc2fUILGuP6XLIhhMnOCGDkIHx47aHZLy8I8e20pQ1C3U_DUpGaUTPjy7rEK3gsCTlvLshQLer6nGxxCdd94/s1600/P1010895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1aXYONXfZA4lsMWCbzIDUdsyZruXGtGHh829JjTQqpDhG_BAM9jljwjJTc2fUILGuP6XLIhhMnOCGDkIHx47aHZLy8I8e20pQ1C3U_DUpGaUTPjy7rEK3gsCTlvLshQLer6nGxxCdd94/s320/P1010895.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the few shots I was able to get from the bus of the actual Golden Gate Bridge.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />

NAAEE 2012-Wednesday

I had to catch up on some sleep, having been up since 4:45 EST the day before. So after sleeping in a bit, till 9:30 EST :-), I joined the ...

North American Association for Environmental Education Conference, Oakland, CA 2012

9:24 PM Tukiyooo 0

As the wildlife education coordinator, I have the privilege of travelling to a lot of great places in the U.S.  This week I am in Oakland, CA for the North American Association for Environmental Education Conference, or NAAEE for short.  This is an annual conference and, as conferences go, it's pretty huge.  Attendance usually gets to around 900 or so each year.  I just heard this year's was closer to 1000!<br /><br />It's been several years since I've been as this conference is also pretty pricey.  But, I always learn a ton of things while I'm here.  This year is no exception.  So, the next few posts will be all about what I've seen and learned at the NAAEE Conference.  I hope you enjoy it and I hope it inspires you to attend future NAAEE conferences and even become a member.  You can find more information about that online at <a href="http://www.naaee.net/">www.naaee.net</a><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QdP6hyphenhyphenaVwIGB5uhWUyeRY3mLydR7W4wvxCTKcOPDgn5tS_vMNgzvB5f_xrRD-Nx7g_iY2LUWhqN4KUd3fvNrMuYmPacEvjKALQ7Wgipk-orz0KBZp0D3XhzlQYFlA_sVWF6RtYDSOHaF/s1600/P1010857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QdP6hyphenhyphenaVwIGB5uhWUyeRY3mLydR7W4wvxCTKcOPDgn5tS_vMNgzvB5f_xrRD-Nx7g_iY2LUWhqN4KUd3fvNrMuYmPacEvjKALQ7Wgipk-orz0KBZp0D3XhzlQYFlA_sVWF6RtYDSOHaF/s320/P1010857.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You've got to love a good view from your hotel room.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmPZVDZEuG_K3WtZO2h20jA943DS7RXzZJfTDMFRjYCszWjCR9Wqd0tZvcMkEoswI585EpBTvDadiutvQ6w3qAYM_Ssgdgt0Wwfqxt72p3lP6RH98MrsKbj1EbwGiF43TqEO09pepuSrY/s1600/P1010858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmPZVDZEuG_K3WtZO2h20jA943DS7RXzZJfTDMFRjYCszWjCR9Wqd0tZvcMkEoswI585EpBTvDadiutvQ6w3qAYM_Ssgdgt0Wwfqxt72p3lP6RH98MrsKbj1EbwGiF43TqEO09pepuSrY/s320/P1010858.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's San Francisco across the Bay.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqfxrDpYjOA9iiYt4XmJEKo0fjlD2Idp4rY9m6xCfaD_Dp7ar2Qukm3NZrO8xYtvIgDOGM7eldh43lHzQLoM4uncOmzgGNsh6dNX-_vdDgU9Cuwx9Cb09ER0RoUOXtjXZMECXpKWEnpeu/s1600/P1010861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqfxrDpYjOA9iiYt4XmJEKo0fjlD2Idp4rY9m6xCfaD_Dp7ar2Qukm3NZrO8xYtvIgDOGM7eldh43lHzQLoM4uncOmzgGNsh6dNX-_vdDgU9Cuwx9Cb09ER0RoUOXtjXZMECXpKWEnpeu/s320/P1010861.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second bridge in the back is the famous Golden Gate bridge.  You could see the orange color with binoculars. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfDYWBwyJ0ilnsiaps0TEKQ6I2k-ZpaO-VCVz4d_pw_MTZMEnOUmtFmKuALneqWbTXRn__J6APyHIbYkwHviB68tgFKAYHX-SDsZX6SaXN2MDgBdjnyUGdAEaRqzf3Kk2Mb_ovM-kmELo/s1600/P1010864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfDYWBwyJ0ilnsiaps0TEKQ6I2k-ZpaO-VCVz4d_pw_MTZMEnOUmtFmKuALneqWbTXRn__J6APyHIbYkwHviB68tgFKAYHX-SDsZX6SaXN2MDgBdjnyUGdAEaRqzf3Kk2Mb_ovM-kmELo/s320/P1010864.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also beautiful at night.</td></tr></tbody></table>OK, enough of the room views.   I am staying at the <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/oakdt-oakland-marriott-city-center/" target="_blank">Marriott</a> and it's attached to the Oakland Convention Center.  Everyone has been super friendly and very accommodating.  And downtown Oakland is very nice.  Very clean and foot traffic friendly.  And, as could be expected in California, very environmentally conscious.  Lots of opportunities to recycle, reuse, and conserve.<br /><br />I got in Tuesday afternoon and got to have lunch at the <a href="http://www.pacificcoastbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Pacific Coast Brewing Company</a>.  Very good food and micro brews, if you're into that.  I then met up with the affiliates group for dinner.  Most states have a state affiliate organization of NAAEE.  Ohio's is EECO or the <a href="http://www.eeco-online.org/" target="_blank">Environmental Education Council of Ohio</a>.  I happen to be the ODNR Advisor to their executive board.  Each year, NAAEE hosts an Affiliates workshop and they all went out to dinner together at <a href="http://www.jdvhotels.com/dining/sanfranciscoeastbay/miss_pearls" target="_blank">Miss Pearl's Restaurant</a> in the <a href="http://www.jacklondonsquare.com/" target="_blank">Jack London Square</a>, which is Oakland's waterfront district.  Good food and good conversation with people from the D.C., Hawaii, Maryland, Vermont and more.  This is another benefit of these conferences, you get to meet a lot of cool people from all over the country.  The networking is tremendous!<br /><br />More to come!

North American Association for Environmental Education Conference, Oakland, CA 2012

As the wildlife education coordinator, I have the privilege of travelling to a lot of great places in the U.S. This week I am in Oakland, C...