News for today's 2018

SOUTH AMERICA

5:22 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM63fNqMiMMczNR-KLDoBreG-PlA-QjHiAeGSNgB0GisY-J9WdD5WKdiM-G9_Z5smykC2I4dTmrZZ0ZozTI_UkXnbSt7_zBxXwYOqhI7Ss8j2Uc5ygimyyHkYH1nVh3vP8BWzXyQHK2sL/s1600/Flickr_UNASUR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXM63fNqMiMMczNR-KLDoBreG-PlA-QjHiAeGSNgB0GisY-J9WdD5WKdiM-G9_Z5smykC2I4dTmrZZ0ZozTI_UkXnbSt7_zBxXwYOqhI7Ss8j2Uc5ygimyyHkYH1nVh3vP8BWzXyQHK2sL/s400/Flickr_UNASUR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div><b> </b><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">UNASUR TO CREATE SOUTH AMERICAN DEFENSE SCHOOL</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Union of SOUTH AMERICAN Nations (UNASUR) has announced that it will create a united defence body to promote democratic stability among its member countries.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Military delegates of ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, and ECUADOR concluded a two day meeting in Quito, and agreed on creating the first SOUTH AMERICAN Defence College (ESUDE) – a safety training centre with the aim of turning “the regions into a zone of peace”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">UNASUR has said that the idea behind the project is to “eliminate outdated visions that have formed our military, with manuals and taxes from foreign powers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The goal is to start from scratch and consider a defence doctrine, without starting from the premise of opposing countries. It is important to define our role in the military, to assume responsibility for prevention, border control or emergency responses.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“We want to create a body of higher and postgraduate education to create a regional identity for civilians and our military, and to avoid interference of other countries or geopolitical zones,” a UNASUR spokesperson said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The ESUDE proposal paper will be presented at the next meeting of the executive body for the SOUTH AMERICAN Defence Council in Lima, PERU. Members who attended the meeting in Quito will meet again during the second week of July in Buenos Aires, to define the Esude proposal.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One of the issues that is expected to be up for debate in the following meetings is the level of participation in the armed forces from each country.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The initiative already has the support of other member countries, including ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, ECUADOR, PERU, VENEZUELA, GUYANA, SURINAME, and URUGUAY.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span>

SOUTH AMERICA

UNASUR TO CREATE SOUTH AMERICAN DEFENSE SCHOOL The Union of SOUTH AMERICAN Nations (UNASUR) has announced that it will create a united de...

calgon, take me away

3:00 AM Anonymous 0

Have you ever had one of those weeks? Those weeks where you feel like you are behind on everything and no matter what you try to get done, more things just pile on top? What do they say in Alice in Wonderland?<br /><br />"The hurrier I go the behinder I get."<br /><br />Yep, that's me this week sister. No worries though. I'll have met the bulk of my deadlines by the time Monday roles around and then I'll start myself fresh. I've never been so excited for a Monday.<br /><br />So I'll stop by bellyaching and leave you with this beauty.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WLbVVgaNhemjoWgDXNbiOA0sc94yUjSnbfa_vgwmhVrZ2kFrqFHxW_Go8mxQt00zhKsyRj6vlTWBQpVsF72llkA6Js12VPR7dSjt37fGx4q-gwQAjqHZ6usJFvkkMB0AS7yLTI_HV6lI/s1600/531316ff35064acb4d33a496ba9c5933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WLbVVgaNhemjoWgDXNbiOA0sc94yUjSnbfa_vgwmhVrZ2kFrqFHxW_Go8mxQt00zhKsyRj6vlTWBQpVsF72llkA6Js12VPR7dSjt37fGx4q-gwQAjqHZ6usJFvkkMB0AS7yLTI_HV6lI/s400/531316ff35064acb4d33a496ba9c5933.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />A bouquet for you.<br /><br />Because flowers always make me happy, even the virtual ones!<br /><br />But on the bright side, make sure to <a href="http://babycafe.com/2013/05/30/blogparty7/" target="_blank">stop by Simply Baby this week, I'm talking nurseries</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAK0ou_ARhpIX2yGFFDlbnWKpHpEe3jy_8Z8lerVtbyCrU7ZDF7qM9vcPXAeWx-IEfAqLF7gSk5z198wwdyOlSm6AJ5-kLQ6vO7Y62sTUPTkkHKKZZoWPKv1q_j0nA5Uu969tFB1HU3m2/s1600/Mom-Blog-Party-Badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAK0ou_ARhpIX2yGFFDlbnWKpHpEe3jy_8Z8lerVtbyCrU7ZDF7qM9vcPXAeWx-IEfAqLF7gSk5z198wwdyOlSm6AJ5-kLQ6vO7Y62sTUPTkkHKKZZoWPKv1q_j0nA5Uu969tFB1HU3m2/s320/Mom-Blog-Party-Badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />

calgon, take me away

Have you ever had one of those weeks? Those weeks where you feel like you are behind on everything and no matter what you try to get done, m...

For a Boomer, Sunscreens Came Late and Cancer Too Soon - NYT

1:17 AM Tukiyooo 0

<blockquote type="cite"><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">In retrospect, I should have taken a last look at the nose I was born with. This was on the first Wednesday of November in 2011, the day of a scheduled appointment with a dermatological surgeon for Mohs micrographic surgery, the purpose of which was to carefully remove some previously discovered skin cancer from the lower left side of my nose. But it was also the fourth day after a surprise autumn snowstorm that had left our home in north central Connecticut without heat or electricity and the surrounding landscape devastated by thousands of fallen trees. On the morning of my procedure I washed my hair and sponged my body with a few quarts of water heated in a stockpot on a gas barbecue grill outside the house, threw on some clothes and rushed out the door. The entire exercise felt like an inconvenience. Looking back, taking proper care of my freckled, reddish skin, descended from somewhere on the moors of Ireland, had always felt like an inconvenience.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">There was scarcely time to squint at my reflection in the near-darkness and run cold fingers over the contours of a nose that over the course of my five and a half decades on earth had been broken, punched, cut, slapped, tweaked, swollen, nuzzled, kissed, blown and sunburned (boy, had it been sunburned), and, unbeknown to me, would be roughly half gone in a few hours. I was in a hurry. The appointment was at eight in the morning, so I plotted out the rest of the day as I drove through a snowy, battered moonscape en route to the procedure: Home by 10, cut up and stack tree limbs until early afternoon, scarf down some lunch, work until darkness. No problem. This was the norm for me: to schedule my hours aggressively and resent any intrusion on my plans, whether for a day, a week or the rest of my life.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Mohs surgery involves progressively removing sections of cancer-afflicted tissue, microscopically examining the tissue and, if cancer is found, taking yet another larger and deeper slice. This process is repeated — in "stages," according to the language of the profession — until the cancer is gone. It's even more primitive than it sounds but it almost always leaves the infected area cancer free (though disfigured to varying degrees). The statistic quoted reassuringly by the surgeon's scheduler was that 80 percent of their patients are out of the office after one stage. Because my tumor (a basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer) was in the thin, alar wall of the nose, and near the bottom, I had been warned that some plastic surgery might be needed to smooth out the cosmetic damage (would it ever). In fact, removal of my cancer required 6 stages, 8 hours and 29 shots of Novocain. Office assistants who had been cheerful in the morning were averting their gazes by late afternoon. One of them blinked back tears when she gave me a phone charger to use.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">A plastic surgeon was brought in from a neighboring office suite and tipped his head to the side as he assessed the damage, which I had not seen and would purposely not examine for another five days. "You know,'' he said, "there are some great prosthetic noses out there.'' Hence the first of many decisions was made: That guy wasn't getting near me with a scalpel or a rubber nose, which I imagined would look like Bozo's. I walked into the fading daylight with a bandage the size of a throw pillow taped to my face, very much in need of a skilled facial plastic surgeon and with no conventional Internet access to find one. I tapped out e-mails and texts to college and professional friends on my phone, looking for advice. The local guy was prepared to operate in two days, and with my nose a wasteland of exposed tissue, cartilage and bone, the clock was ticking. Two hours after the last stage of cancer was removed, I had made an appointment with a New York plastic surgeon who was recommended by a family friend with high standards. In truth, my decision was based almost solely on my long-held belief that the best of almost everything is in New York, especially doctors and pastrami.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">The reconstruction would take place in three surgeries over six weeks, during which a chunk of tissue from my forehead would be used to build a new nose. This sounds medieval, but it's older than that: the Mayans had used forehead flaps to repair warriors whose noses had been sheared off in battle or by torture. Two days before the first procedure, my surgeon, Dr. Adam R. Kolker, insisted that I look at the damaged area so that I would understand the starting point in this process. I had avoided looking beneath my dressings, fearing that I would become emotionally engaged when I needed a clear head to make decisions. I looked in a hand-held mirror for less than 10 seconds. A notch the size of the first joint of my pinkie was entirely gone, extending from the rim into the middle of the nose; a much larger area, probably a little bigger than a quarter, was an open wound, dark brown in color, with flecks of white cartilage. Frankly, it was disgusting. And deeply dispiriting. Dr. Kolker explained that my "defect,'' (a technical term that seems to imply some sort of manufacturer's error) was in the upper 5 percent of skin cancer damage, in terms of size and severity. (The good news: basal cell carcinomas rarely metastasize, so this was a cosmetic issue, albeit a significant one). I would later learn that damage of this variety is usually seen in patients in their 70s and 80s, whose faces have already undergone many Mohs procedures.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Many in my generation resent the inconveniences of aging, injury and illness and regard them as if they are optional. This is delusional, but there you go. I had long expected that with enough vigorous exercise and attention to popular music tastes I could live indefinitely as I had in my 20s. I would be the cool dad to my kids (they would debate that this was ever true) and later drink tankards of beer after winning a road race trophy in the 80 to 84 age group. The reality is that life changes in a heartbeat. Mine changed when I looked in that mirror. (At the time I told Dr. Kolker to save me a photograph of the "before'' nose. He told me I would never want to see it, and he was right. I don't want to see it).</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">How did I get myself into this mess? The same way that Hemingway's Mike Campbell went broke in "The Sun Also Rises," "Gradually, then suddenly.''</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">The damage that led to my skin cancer was almost certainly done in childhood and adolescence, when I was sunburned frequently. I could blame my mother for this, but in truth she took care to keep me in hats and T-shirts and slathered me in white, goopy suntan lotion, which was the standard of care in the 1960s and '70s. But she wasn't always there. I once spent the afternoon at a friend's pool and was burned so badly that my small town doctor made a house call and bathed me in ice water cooled with rubbing alcohol because I was covered in water blisters and running a dangerously high fever. There were other occasions: at daylong high-school track meets, on beaches in Florida and Cape Cod during college breaks and countless times on golf courses. Sun protection was an annoyance. (How could I approach that girl at the ocean with white gunk on my nose?). As a professional journalist, I incurred many surprise sunburns, like the time when an N.F.L. player decided he would prefer to do our 45-minute interview out on the field, rather than in the locker room, and I hadn't worn a hat or applied sunscreen. Through much of this, skin cancer was a distant echo. I denied its existence, I suppose, like a smoker pretends he is not destroying his lungs (though I'm guessing at this, because I've never smoked).</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">In my 40s, I began getting annual skin checks from a dermatologist, most of which resulted in dozens of precancerous keratoses being frozen with liquid nitrogen. (This was around the same time that my sister was found to have a serious melanoma, a far more dangerous form of skin cancer, although I was already getting checked by then). In the fall of 2009, I noticed what looked like peeling skin on my nose and made an unscheduled visit to the dermatologist. He froze the area and sent me along. The peeling returned, and bled when disturbed. The dermatologist froze it again and again it returned. Eighteen months passed before he elected to perform the biopsy that turned up the cancer. By then I could feel what seemed to be a pea-size lump in the wall of my nose, and was, in fact, a basal cell tumor. It's pointless to wonder if I should have pushed for a biopsy earlier, but I wonder nonetheless. I take some solace in my plastic surgeon's assurance that my outcome would have been similar, "18 months earlier or later,'' because skin cancer cells grow slowly.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Through the reconstructive surgeries, I spent six weeks with my nasal tissue graft tethered to its original home on my forehead by a tentacle of flesh and arteries, providing it with a blood supply to grow in its new home. It looked deeply weird. If I tapped the graft on my nose with my index finger, I would feel it on my forehead. I went out in public only to see the surgeon (and once for an emergency visit to my dentist; you should have seen the look on his face). In late December of that year, the graft was separated and allowed to live on its own, in essence giving me a new nose.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">It is not a perfect nose. We get only one of those, and we get it at birth. The procedure has left me with a vertical scar from my rapidly (and naturally) disappearing hairline to the inside edge of my left eyebrow, which is a little asymmetrical from the cutting. The nasal graft itself is slightly different in texture from the rest of my original nose, because forehead tissue is the closest match to nasal tissue, but it's not exactly the same. The graft is slightly enlarged where cartilage was transplanted from my left ear. There is a parabola-shaped scar line where the graft was sewn into my nose to cover the defect. The entire ensemble often feels strange; part of me, yet not fully mine. My surgeon will tinker some more before we're done, and nature will continue to blend the new into the old for years. Yet, the nose works fine now — I can breathe through it, blow it and sneeze with it. I have begun a collection of sun hats and bought a supply of sunscreen that costs more for three ounces than a bottle of decent wine. The truth is that given where I started, I am very fortunate.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Yet not a day passes that I don't wish I had stayed indoors more often as a kid, or worn a dorky, wide-brimmed hat as a college student. This regret accomplishes nothing useful, but I find it inescapable. I am keenly aware that I could have drawn much worse numbers in the cancer lottery; I never worked a day for the editor who gave me the most important break of my career 25 years ago, because he was given a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer right after hiring me and was gone in 13 months at age 50. I have a very healthy heart from lifelong exercise, a reasonably good diet and solid genes (the same ones that gave me red skin; DNA giveth and DNA taketh away). There's nothing I could do before the surgery that I can't do now, except possibly reprise my stirring cameo in the movie "Secretariat."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">I am a sports journalist by trade, which means that much of my work revolves around one-on-one interviews in which I'm trying to earn a subject's trust with my intelligence, preparation and, not least, appearance. My profession has a reputation for slovenliness, and I've always tried to defeat that stereotype. I had been a high school and college athlete and ran until age 50 before arthritis (more inconvenience!) forced me to become a cyclist, all in the name of staying lean and vibrant. I would dress professionally. Now I find myself wondering what subjects think of my face, and the only way to get past that worry is to focus more intensely on the substance of the interview. Paradoxically, it's made me better at my job.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Vanity is a complex partner. "Fortunately," I would tell people, "I wasn't attractive before the surgery." That's half true. Like most humans, I also wasn't unattractive. Now I pause to look at my reflection in mirrors, car windows, elevator walls and pretty much any reflective surface, trying to convince myself that others' assurances of my normalcy are sincere. (My wife and grown children are exhausted with this exercise, presumably, because one can only say ``You look fine,'' so many times before giving up). I study people's noses, coveting some and drawing strength from the imperfections of others, of which there are many.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">There is a constant energy in all of this. Life relentlessly doesn't pause for earthquakes and hurricanes, so it sure doesn't wait for a sportswriter to mourn the loss of his old nose or become accustomed to a new one. Family and friends thrive and grow or suffer and struggle. Seasons shift. Games are played and articles written. Lives change, but life surges forward.</p><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><em><br></em></div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/booming/for-a-boomer-sunblocks-came-late-and-cancer-too-soon.html?ref=booming&_r=0&pagewanted=print">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/booming/for-a-boomer-sunblocks-came-late-and-cancer-too-soon.html?ref=booming&_r=0&pagewanted=print</a></blockquote>

For a Boomer, Sunscreens Came Late and Cancer Too Soon - NYT

In retrospect, I should have taken a last look at the nose I was born with. This was on the first Wednesday of November in 2011, the day of ...

Creepy Kid Next Door Graduates

9:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi Old Forgotten Folks…Creepy Kid Next Door Here…<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIc-wj7IXuCam0-8uzVwOtP8spR3lBM8uFIHTA4F3LVuUgRguDP-Jzat6MyDpR5VU0dM-reudzFSb91IrrgF3sLmEVTKPAz1mux-I4XLxT00ecLDrGXLVWc8t_08HYRxP6B58mG4y6S8/s1600/Creepy+Kid+Next+Door+(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIc-wj7IXuCam0-8uzVwOtP8spR3lBM8uFIHTA4F3LVuUgRguDP-Jzat6MyDpR5VU0dM-reudzFSb91IrrgF3sLmEVTKPAz1mux-I4XLxT00ecLDrGXLVWc8t_08HYRxP6B58mG4y6S8/s320/Creepy+Kid+Next+Door+(1).png" width="307" /></a></div><br />Haven’t seen me in awhile have ya?  Ya know why? Because I have been scoring hot babes during my Senior year in High School!!<br /><br />Yeah…Take that, munch faces, and dig it…I am GRADUATING from High School tomorrow, and let me tell you!!<br /><br />I have kissed so much damn face and scored so many points while I have been ballin’ and High Schoolin’ that my lips are swollen!!<br /><br />Holy your face…I was, the baller of all-time, picking up High School girls n’shit.<br /><br />My Dad asks me why I never made All-County High School Basketball Player, to which I say, <i>“Did you?”</i> and he says…<br /><br /><i>“I was All-City my entire four years playing Little League Baseball.”,</i> and I always say…<br /><br /><i>“I bet you were something when you were eleven or so…while you were pounding that 58 mile an hour fastball to short center field, you old dick.”</i><br /><br />What the hell does my dad know?  In fact, my dad says to me…<br /><br /><i>“Okay Ryno, High School is over.  Get a job and pick a school.”</i><br /><br />And I’m like, yeah I know, but there are several schools out there that are testing me out. I may still get a scholarship or at least a Dean of Academics who doesn't hate me.<br /><br />And the Dad unit, is all like…<br /><br /><i>“That’s your mom talking, and she is hoping and praying, because Dad, and that would be me, you little, yet taller runt, doesn't have to pay if he doesn't want to, but you will, because I love you or something.”</i><br /><br />And then, my Dad suggested, that maybe I could go to Clark State and play basketball as well, since they have a transfer degree with Wright State and save money.  But, just as Dad had suggested a year ago, mama is not keen on that, because that makes me look like a lesser man saving money at a two year school with all benefits paid.<br /><br />In fact…as mama would put it…that’s crazy talk, and…more importantly, embarrassing, because well…her son simply does not go to a two-year school!!<br /><br />She’s always wanted me to take advanced courses and what not, because she was barely a C student…hmmmmm…I mean, I know parents want more for their kids but with Mom?  It really wasn’t that hard to beat her GPA.<br /><br />Anyhoo…<br /><br />The Creepy Kid Next Door finally made it and I will be successfully going to college soon.<br /><br />I remember when some of you sent me emails when I was an academic slug and prompted me to get along on my dad’s old website.  I appreciate that.<br /><br />Okay, I really don’t remember and barely remember the website, because my mom wouldn't let me read it, let alone let me see my dad unless he came to our house, but anyway…<br /><br />Is my dad still funny?  I never thought he was, but as he doesn't HAVE to give us money any longer, Mom tells me to say, <i>“Yes HE IS.”</i><br /><br /><i>Thank you all for taking interest in me over the years even though I didn't know it,</i><br /><br />Ryno (The Creepy Kid Next Door)<br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank">mattmaniws@ymail.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank">MattMan_IWS</a></div>

Creepy Kid Next Door Graduates

Hi Old Forgotten Folks…Creepy Kid Next Door Here… Haven’t seen me in awhile have ya? Ya know why? Because I have been scoring hot babes dur...

What a Difference 3 Years Makes

7:30 PM Tukiyooo 0

What a Difference 3 Years Makes

Below are a couple photos I snapped three years apart of the Lower Manhattan skyline. The top one is from a showroom near Madison Square Par...

Fruit point O review and Giveaway!!

12:57 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jRZ9fiFJlL0/UaerCBOFKoI/AAAAAAAAINQ/CQmW5wZqy-I/s1600/Fruit+point+o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jRZ9fiFJlL0/UaerCBOFKoI/AAAAAAAAINQ/CQmW5wZqy-I/s320/Fruit+point+o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whether I'm on the go or just in need of a snack I look for something that's healthy and convenient and is best of all guilt free, so fruit comes in handy!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love fruits and smoothies so when I came across these fruity all natural snacks from <a href="https://www.fruitpoint0.com/new/index.php?route=common/home">FruitPointO</a> I knew I just had to try them!<span id="goog_1018060771"></span><span id="goog_1018060772"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was sent a case of their drinkable fruits for review and also a giveaway to share with my readers!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Which reminds me follow my blog as well! I forgot to put in my blog link in the giveaway entry form to follow eek!! </span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What I like is that their snacks have more than one fruit in them so their all mashed up into one drink and taste oh so good!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are the two different flavors they have!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mango Pear Pineapple:</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I received this package today I tore the cap off and took a gulp and thought hey this is really good!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I absolutely love Pineapple flavored foods especially when it's mixed along with other delicious ingredients such as mangoes.</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's a great snack and full of yummy fruity flavor!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's not too sweet either which I love!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sweet pineapple with a burst of mango!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Blueberry Blackberry Banana:</span></i><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A little on the sweet and tart side but so delicious and works well with yogurt!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Fruity Facts*</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Healthy</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Delicious</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Certified Organic</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">nutritious</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Natural</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rich in Vitamins</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gluten Free</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100% Crushed fruit</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No added colors, flavors or preservatives</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love how delicious these little snack pouches are because they are not only healthy but great for a quick snack on the go!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can even mix a pouch into yogurt, ice cream, oat meal or even blend it up with some juice and ice for a refreshing fruit smoothie, especially with the summer months approaching this is a great little snack to bring to the beach!</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Giveaway Rules*</span></i><br /><i><br /></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/20ee160/" id="rc-20ee160" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>  </span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One winner will be selected and get a case of 10 with any flavor combination!</span></i></div>

Fruit point O review and Giveaway!!

Whether I'm on the go or just in need of a snack I look for something that's healthy and convenient and is best of all guilt free, s...

Stressed-Less Living

9:57 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://melissataylor.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Stressed-Less-Living-Book-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://melissataylor.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Stressed-Less-Living-Book-Cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>A few weeks ago I began this online bible study through <a href="http://www.proverbs31.org/communities/" target="_blank">Proverbs 31 Ministry</a>.  It's called Stressed-Less Living, and it follows along with <a href="http://www.stressedlessliving.com/" target="_blank">Tracie Miles' book</a> on how to lessen the stress in our lives.<br /><br />This study could not have come at a better time, with the impending changes about to happen in my life!  While having a baby is a happy and joyous occasion, it certainly brings an added element of stress into our daily lives. <br /><br />I think whether you're a parent or not, you can imagine the changes that are involved with having a child: daycare costs, general care for the child and the costs associated with it (diapers, formula, food, clothing, doctor's visits, college education savings, etc), sleepless nights - this list could go on and on.  Joel and I have been blessed in that we are both employed fulltime, and so I am less concerned about the added expenditures of having a baby.  There will be an impact for sure, but at least we have jobs that can afford us the freedom of worry for caring for her!<br /><br />Still, there are other stressors that one might not think about as readily when it comes to having a baby.  For example, I know until I get into a new routine, my life is not going to be my own anymore.  The priority will be caring for her and making sure her needs are met first.  Time will be even more of the essence that it is now.<br /><br />I'm used to my freedom - exercising when I want to, cooking/meal planning and preparation at my convenience, taking college classes toward my nursing degree, reading, swimming, meeting up with friends, making my weight loss journey a priority. This list could <i>also</i> go on and on.   <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://melissataylor.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/SLL-Ch-8-Pin-Graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://melissataylor.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/SLL-Ch-8-Pin-Graphic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Truth be told, this latter group of things is what I'm most worried about right now.  This is a weight loss blog after all.  My health and my journey toward getting to goal is still very important to me.  I don't want to become that mother who has a baby and never devotes anytime to self-improvement.  Afterall, now I have <i>one</i> more reason to want to better my health - to be around for as long as possible to see my child grow up into a beautiful young lady.<br /><br />One thing that has really resonated with me during this study is a quote the author shared that says:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><b>If the devil can't hinder our relationship with God by making us immoral, he'll simply make us busy.</b></span></i></blockquote>In essence, what this means is that God no longer becomes the center of our universe - other things do.  I was taught from a very early age, back in my Sunday school days, the importance of having quiet time with our Lord each day.  It is hard to do that when you have a to-do list a mile long, like mine tends to be! <br /><br />Still, another thing that I've learned during this study, via a participant, is that no matter how busy her day appears to be - if she starts her day with quiet time with the Lord, her day always progresses so much more productively.   Sure, she might not get everything done on her to-do list.  But she made the one thing that should always be #1 on her to-do list a priority.  I've started implementing that same idea into my life, and I really see the positive impacts already.  It's hard to explain, but I think what happens is that the other things on my to-do list suddenly become less stressful to accomplish, and also not as important.  I almost take on the mentality of, "If it gets done, it gets done.  If not, there's always tomorrow."  However, many times I am able to knock those things off my list with near ease - I know it's because of how I chose to start my day!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-is0.pinimg.com/originals/6f/55/5b/6f555b589c44da52c73a83a55a92ab30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://media-cache-is0.pinimg.com/originals/6f/55/5b/6f555b589c44da52c73a83a55a92ab30.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br />So when the baby comes, I know our lives are going to be turned upside down for awhile until we can get used to this new change.  I also know that it's going to become imperative that I pray for God to reveal to me areas of my life that I have to let go of.   This might be in the form of finding a new job where my commute isn't as long or my schedule is more flexible, electing to work part time, reading less, getting rid of Facebook/Pinterest (i.e. big time suckers/wasters), etc... whatever it is - I know some things are going to have to go to the wayside for now, if not for forever.  <br /><br />And that's okay!<br /><br />Afterall, we are about to be blessed with one of the most precious gifts in life, and it's hard to imagine that I'm going to love her anymore than I already do.

A few weeks ago I began this online bible study through Proverbs 31 Ministry . It's called Stressed-Less Living, and it follows along w...

Gmail Server down in india at 12:00 noon : Problem faced by some Indian Business Men

7:53 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today ( 30 June 201 ) Indian business men faced some problem due to Gmail server down. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfRMNAqgInCjcVzE_sGXjscUB7fNsPqBspbVQ_kXdKk15wdSylkawv8ZxofOCssOhO3QCpO0t5q-U0H0bM-VuSuEkjKYhS2L8f6b_y79U41ZwuqEfkNruTMsibQJk1g3z7WAwvs3k2Lg/s1600/servererror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfRMNAqgInCjcVzE_sGXjscUB7fNsPqBspbVQ_kXdKk15wdSylkawv8ZxofOCssOhO3QCpO0t5q-U0H0bM-VuSuEkjKYhS2L8f6b_y79U41ZwuqEfkNruTMsibQJk1g3z7WAwvs3k2Lg/s640/servererror.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>502 error appears when was open mail id by indian people .<br /><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Note</span> : In that time gmail is the most secure mail server compare to other mail-server this is my opinion.Because gmail provide 2-step security for Gmail customer which is highly secure . In that service you receive a phone call or message on your personal mobile.In phone call or message you get a random generated number which is new every time.<br /><br />So most of indian people use Gmail service But today that people face problem due to Gmail server down.   </div>Published by <br /><a href="https://plus.google.com/109838201058606610638" rel="author">Jacob lefore</a></div>

502 Gmail news server Gmail Server down in india at 12:00 noon : Problem faced by some Indian Business Men

Today ( 30 June 201 ) Indian business men faced some problem due to Gmail server down. 502 error appears when was open mail id by indian pe...

Developing a mindset to go from good to GREAT

7:13 AM Tukiyooo 0

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/94439770@N06/8604845859" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Greatness" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="180" src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8520/8604845859_025ee76623_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;">Greatness (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/94439770@N06/8604845859" target="_blank">Sonel-SA</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table>Sometimes in order to be great, you've got to leave some good things behind.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You must choose</b></span><br /><b>How you spend your time</b>. If you're at the swimming pool, you can't go to Disney. You can't inhabit two spaces at the same time. You choose.<br /><br /><b>How you spend your money.</b> If you spend $1,000 a month at Wal-mart buying tupperware and coffee cups, you can't save that money for a cruise. You have to choose.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes you have lots of good choices.</span><br />If you're one of those gutsy talented people out there - your problem isn't going to be "what do I do?" but "which do I do?"<br /><br /><b>You'll have to choose between good and great. </b><br />Why be good if you can be great? Why do good things if you can do great things? Good just isn't good enough. You have a life to live. You can do stuff or you can do something really important and meaningful.<br /><br /><h2>Will your legacy be heirlooms or "stuff"?</h2>Thinking of the end of my life. Will they go through my closets and find stuff? Will they find heirlooms? Will my work mean anything to anyone else?<br /><br />I want my life to be full of heirlooms. Treasured, beautiful things polished with care that help others.<br /><br /><h2>When does great become just good?</h2>Sometimes we do something great but when we've done it for the tenth or fifteenth time, it isn't great anymore. In fact, we wonder if it is even good.<br /><br />Ruts are the enemy of greatness. Greatness blazes new trails, it doesn't get stuck in old ones.<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/AVvXsEgCa9xQRMliXdyVexRujFG8t-4bfS2pc2UhZCgUrNWmtSjqbtRG-xLuC62OsU4oSlnC-QBovD4iiqVQKZv9AXA3dY_biIGMtjsLdVYXRi1z4ntrR8bbOoY3FsPGIRF4UC5KWz5WuAGA44Ln/s1600/IMG_5714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCa9xQRMliXdyVexRujFG8t-4bfS2pc2UhZCgUrNWmtSjqbtRG-xLuC62OsU4oSlnC-QBovD4iiqVQKZv9AXA3dY_biIGMtjsLdVYXRi1z4ntrR8bbOoY3FsPGIRF4UC5KWz5WuAGA44Ln/s400/IMG_5714.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I admit that I was scared to go to South Africa by myself with Microsoft<br />invited me to cover their <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/Training/Innovative_educator/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Microsoft Innovative Educators</a><br />international conference. I went anyway and had one of<br />the most memorable experiences of my life!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2>Fear is a liar.</h2>Fear is the enemy of greatness. Fear tells you that you'd better stay where you are. Where you are is safe. Where you are is known. Where you are is where you are and you can stay there and be comfortable.<br /><br />But Fear is a liar. Fear won't remind you that in nature and life that every living thing is either growing or dying. There is no in between. Fear won't tell you that the human brain really enjoys doing new things. Fear will whisper lies into your ears at night when you wrestle with your dreams.<br /><br />Fear will tell you that you'll look back and regret the decision. Fear will lie. It will tell you that you're not good enough and the opportunity isn't good enough for you at the same time.<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/AVvXsEhfNgTT2-aSMETIlmZDj2__YJyVyrtnibAqoV19eK1NY8MhwvTu1MCIfZPahHmA-sf3oH-urwQg2enrc8zPHjv3nLSf6FTJkkLKycKl-wc4egrToYCODrqNSMO81axa4CsvK_MbMILg1_Lp/s1600/bigstock_Conquer_your_fears_5666567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNgTT2-aSMETIlmZDj2__YJyVyrtnibAqoV19eK1NY8MhwvTu1MCIfZPahHmA-sf3oH-urwQg2enrc8zPHjv3nLSf6FTJkkLKycKl-wc4egrToYCODrqNSMO81axa4CsvK_MbMILg1_Lp/s320/bigstock_Conquer_your_fears_5666567.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fear will lie to you. Great paths are often fraught with uncertainty.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2>Seek wisdom</h2><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;">Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14</span></blockquote><br />I'm not talking about seeking sympathy here. Find those one or two people close to you who love you. Seek their advice. I have wise counselors and wise words in the Bible that advise every move. If I don't have any wise words from my counselors, I''ll sometimes wait until it is a bit more clear. Being bold doesn't mean being stupid. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference.<br /><br /><h2>Don't look for happiness in people</h2>Happiness can't be found in the eyes or arms of another. It is a grave mistake to think another person can complete you. It doesn't work that way. Love is fantastic, fun and wonderful. But after 20 years in a fantastic marriage to the man of my dreams, I've learned that love is a decision. I've learned that Kip won't make me happy. If I'm not happy, no one can make me happy.<br /><br />Sometimes people considering going from good to great want to blame others. They mistakenly think if they can just sever this relationship and move to another one that they'll be happier. People don't make you happy.<br /><br />That said, if there are negative people in your life that you can move away from, your soul will enjoy the fresh air.<br /><br /><h2>Greatness doesn't mean good things will always happen.</h2>The avoidance of pain and heartache is the goal of some. They think if they can just settle in the land of good that nothing bad will happen. Whatever path you choose, it will have good and bad. that is life. This is earth, not heaven, that is what it is called earth. Things stink here sometimes. Bad things happen to good people.<br /><br />But since you know bad things (and good things) WILL happen. Not fulfilling your purpose while you're here, to me, is the worst thing that could happen. Settling for good will always keep you from your purpose. You are made for a reason and that reason is to be GREAT. Settling in the land of the good can keep you from great. You must choose this day whom you will serve and you can't serve everyone and serve up greatness.<br /><br /><h2>Examine your life for the good and the great</h2>Armed with my pen and journal, lists and logic fill pages as I seek to discern what is good and what is great in my own life.<br /><br />Great doesn't happen by accident. It takes decisionmaking. Sacrifice. Wise advice. A face set like flint and an <a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&ie=UTF-8#output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=define%3A%20indefatigable&oq=&gs_l=&pbx=1&fp=9b4583a0fdd32626&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47244034,d.eWU&biw=1280&bih=685" target="_blank">indefatigable</a> heart.<br /><br />As you spend this summer. Examine where you're heading. If you're facing north, you'll head north.<br /><br />Don't stand in New York and head north and wonder why you don't end up in Hawaii.<br /><br />Be intentional about your life, what you love, and how you LIVE.<br /><br />Choose greatness but don't expect applause.<br />Choose greatness but realize that you'll be lucky to have the time to wipe the sweat off your brow.<br />Choose greatness but realize that you have to say "no" to some good things.<br />Choose greatness but be careful not to define greatness in the eyes of the fickle masses.<br />Choose greatness but know that great isn't often recognized until you're done. Enjoy the journey.<br />Choose greatness. It is what you were born to do.<br /><br />Too many of us settle in the land of the good. We should pack our bags and move across the river and become great. It might not be as far away as you think.<br />  <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=55c4a963-c303-492d-b1ec-fc7c9b8d5c01" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

Developing a mindset to go from good to GREAT

Greatness (Photo credit: Sonel-SA ) Sometimes in order to be great, you've got to leave some good things behind. You must choose How you...

Today's archidose #681

7:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

Here are some photos of the <a href="http://cannatafernandes.com/built/laboratorio-da-paisagem/">Landscape Laboratory</a> (2012) in Guimarães, Portugal, by <a href="http://cannatafernandes.com/">Cannatà & Fernandes Arquitectos</a>, photographed by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/">José Carlos Melo Dias</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/8883092728/" title="Guimarães, Laboratório da Paisagem. Cannatà & Fernandes by Jose Carlos Melo Dias, on Flickr"><img alt="Guimarães, Laboratório da Paisagem. Cannatà & Fernandes" height="425" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3665/8883092728_8561ed4087_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/8882270641/" title="Guimarães, Laboratório da Paisagem. Cannatà & Fernandes by Jose Carlos Melo Dias, on Flickr"><img alt="Guimarães, Laboratório da Paisagem. Cannatà & Fernandes" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/8882270641_dea2f242e1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/8882607465/" title="Guimarães, Laboratório da Paisagem. Cannatà & Fernandes by Jose Carlos Melo Dias, on Flickr"><img alt="Guimarães, Laboratório da Paisagem. Cannatà & Fernandes" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8415/8882607465_25fcfeccef_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/89707735@N00/8883935905/" title="Guimarães, Laboratório da Paisagem. Cannatà & Fernandes by Jose Carlos Melo Dias, on Flickr"><img alt="Guimarães, Laboratório da Paisagem. Cannatà & Fernandes" height="800" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7359/8883935905_60290af470_c.jpg" width="531" /></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 #681

Here are some photos of the Landscape Laboratory (2012) in Guimarães, Portugal, by Cannatà & Fernandes Arquitectos , photographed by Jo...

Former DNC Chair Howard Dean says press is 'thin-skinned and sanctimonious'

6:20 AM Tukiyooo 0

Former DNC Chair Howard Dean says press is 'thin-skinned and sanctimonious'

Democratic National Committee Howard Dean Joe Scarborough Morning Joe MSNBC Press Former DNC Chair Howard Dean says press is 'thin-skinned and sanctimonious'

Thursday morning found former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean as co-host of the "Morning Joe" political wake-u...

Creative Writing #10: An African Storybook Project report back from The Rock Academy…

4:11 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am SO thrilled when teachers send reports on how their Digital Storytelling writing is going for the African Storybook Project. This is an amazing project. The plan is to create a huge website of stories for the Grade 1-3 children of Africa where the stories can be read, translated and adapted for use by teachers and students across Africa. The website is due to be launched in July and the idea is to populate it at its launch with donated stories created by mainly South African teachers and students. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today’s report back comes from The Rock Academy in Fish Hoek where the Grade 6 teacher, Christine Venter, is working in conjunction with the ICT teacher, Lisa Gair, in engaging the Grade 6s in writing for the project. This is what they say:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Mrs Gair & Mrs Venter reporting…</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWtrfN0q7Bt4zSLLJ_hI25Bj3lb4eAT12__9zNLkaD-WPa0ARZ0mfliJE0JMS-LuRu0_lFpUrRewy1fKWSqqs56YSDVQI4qRQxSTMZkyNa8L_ADCpKEXTqVy6cOJ6oNOqcFMaGslK36g/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa Gair (left - ICT teacher) and Christine Venter (right - Grade 6 teacher) </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Grade 6 Rock Academy kids have loved taking on this writing adventure. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They started off with a bang, ideas were pouring out, and constant chit chat was happening while comparing their ideas. They knuckled down quickly to get their thoughts on paper and developed their story line.  Some were so eager they took their writing home to complete in one afternoon (even though they had 2 weeks to get it done).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANvOD1Ds7mOeAOvleicgmb-rzvpGjqfxf0qhqVCO8JlsMJ4u_yf8o900f8ka2Cykv7LjnPntreso7HU8749bXOElgDbBGUuhj9ApvIR-ihTclyHCUPdSXBtdHBoxSVpie1GXGhcoXbK8/s1600-h/image%25255B14%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfdbatspCXN7rSgWnqo4L37Vfjrr0JySUDzzJJ7AMT4xmc6iwoMzG5ilfOXUNqq6FVau07kMve0YPGnRznkmVnZXC1Kq9jdOLD2uM1DQY_Ig8V9slFVNu-YcvkUPbLBGnypsivBp4lMw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u></u><u></u> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now we're on our animation stage and they are also loving this too. It has been a growing, and fun experience for each child individually and as a class. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sEgyEtKk8Um5N2RtwnF1HCWi3WKs3q0wcLfoa5iU39nlvltTdfDfV-wWzaWRWgXOX2h6qnbXE1xTTj2j9XfEEDZpRtOH5fwvVNHZxBXCUjq1CtbjTE7RudbRedaaevvNC6iYwUyz_TM/s1600-h/image%25255B18%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYkoykLchtnzdbgOFYGLd7fQ4bwGZJ0Wag1sUDv-xhmA6Ujg1am491AfKy3QYTrCexmjFQjpUQ4uyCDgauXpwyC_SESBv5kUZbbXz8dbBVuX3y2Vi7BGWWN64GrUt_t98WebR9Oo8Gt0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jWRyulG4j3ZGLqqyRxgModT55n0rEK3VhU7nShhyphenhyphen_ZDuGbge1NkcqDqY2X5eGOWfsxsr5gdGK8RuyrQPFt7ZTjnanInjrkCmCXyIDZFw_A0Y8Dutqk_x3WAuORsywxxx129S2fY-f4Q/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="267" /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They have moved to the ICT Centre and are busy typing up their stories in PowerPoint and doing their illustrations in Paint. We are learning lots of new skills in both programs and are looking forward to reading their final products!”</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvDZrE2kqxt5ic5pwmRFF6oEFHOIm9WZrPhjHdbIZvXHnfiTZJ1G5dAbFe_yhGwYuvnzNBgq7HeS8yo5KBeQNlrgVbqiwxNtZrqQ2F1CnnwcPEjIrGdRKOPYl6Zgld1DT4rrA3L_iz2w/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mrs Christine Venter with her Grade 6 writing their stories</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you SO much for participating in the project and for this wonderful report back Mrs Venter and Mrs Gair – we can’t wait to read your stories!</span></div>

African Storybook Project Creative Writing #10: An African Storybook Project report back from The Rock Academy…

I am SO thrilled when teachers send reports on how their Digital Storytelling writing is going for the African Storybook Project. This is an...

Webinar recording from 29/05/2013 - Uploading a Learning Activity to the Partners in Learning Network

3:09 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8VZF0t_z8Wpyj1YUcNRM1K5eokX-l3Qdre75AvUrrfozzpbSP9kF3ZcLHXIWWzu-kErcSoUBRlC35c4_awPvZNOEcV4Hf-CzUcpriCI-1-_uhaY8FwON9Y0LSbZqt1Og1hGLrSgu4Vs/s1600/flamingtext_22973154611741195.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="57" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8VZF0t_z8Wpyj1YUcNRM1K5eokX-l3Qdre75AvUrrfozzpbSP9kF3ZcLHXIWWzu-kErcSoUBRlC35c4_awPvZNOEcV4Hf-CzUcpriCI-1-_uhaY8FwON9Y0LSbZqt1Og1hGLrSgu4Vs/s400/flamingtext_22973154611741195.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday we had a great webinar presented by Megan Rademeyer of SchoolNet. It showed how to create and upload a Learning Activity to the Microsoft Partners in Learning Network. This webinar is of special relevance to anyone who wishes to enter the<i> Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert competition</i> which has new requirements this year. These requirements require uploading a Learning Activity to the Partners in Learning Network and creating a 2 minute video about that Learning Activity. (A Learning Activity can be anything from one really good lesson, or a series of lessons on a topic, or a project).   If you wish to be one of the 15 teachers selected to be sponsored to the Schoolnet Conference in July as part of the South African and Lesotho Partners in Learning Forum you need to do this by Monday 3rd June. However the competition proper has a closing date of 30 September 2013. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The webinar summary</span></b><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Are you using technology in a creative and engaging way to enhance a lesson? Have you developed a project that makes use of technology to build knowledge or solve a real world problem? If so - share your learning activity on the Partners in Learning Network and you could win a trip to the Global Partners in Learning Forum. In this webinar you will learn about the requirements for the competition and tips for developing an impressive learning activity."</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Presenter</strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Megan Rademeyer from SchoolNet</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Webinar recording </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(30 mins)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to those who attended. Here is the link to the recording. </span><br /><a href="http://meet78641452.adobeconnect.com/p8czjpzksbn/" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold;">http://meet78641452.adobeconnect.com/p8czjpzksbn/</a><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The presentation used for the webinar</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the presentation that was used in the webinar. It can be easily downloaded from Slideshare.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="356" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/22120116" style="border-width: 1px 1px 0; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="427"> </iframe> <br /><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/Schoolnetsa11/uploading-an-activitytothepilnetwork" target="_blank" title="Uploading an activity_to_the_pil_network">Uploading an activity_to_the_pil_network</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/Schoolnetsa11" target="_blank">Schoolnet SA </a></strong> </div></div>

Microsoft Webinar recording from 29/05/2013 - Uploading a Learning Activity to the Partners in Learning Network

Yesterday we had a great webinar presented by Megan Rademeyer of SchoolNet. It showed how to create and upload a Learning Activity to the Mi...

Doggy holiday

12:56 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div><br /></div>Normally when we go away at Christmas my parents mind Bones.  This June, however, we are all going away so we needed to organize a minder for him.<br /><div><br /></div><div>We finally chose Doggy Holidays which is run by the head groomer in Mutt Ugly.  The dogs are minded in her home and then taken in to Mutt Ugly during the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last Friday, Bones did a trial day in day care to see how he got on with the other dogs.  He was fine so we are all now set for our hols and his "Doggy Holiday"</div><div><br /></div><div>We will be able to see how he is getting on while we are away as there will be photos put up on the Doggy Holidays Facebook page!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3OUWa76qXyhzK1_2q29Y1L8UZvF4TKIKiz13mGrs6nrpKOghXOm2vDbWTlZbGTgSjdyTmZlnAFO7djrPcyk2lPNb46Q-f0M1s7oxLSrF3p9Ud8v53P08QRi-rQrvJAkk0M9KGveAKOrH/s640/blogger-image-594790566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3OUWa76qXyhzK1_2q29Y1L8UZvF4TKIKiz13mGrs6nrpKOghXOm2vDbWTlZbGTgSjdyTmZlnAFO7djrPcyk2lPNb46Q-f0M1s7oxLSrF3p9Ud8v53P08QRi-rQrvJAkk0M9KGveAKOrH/s640/blogger-image-594790566.jpg" /></a></div>

Doggy holiday

Normally when we go away at Christmas my parents mind Bones. This June, however, we are all going away so we needed to organize a minder fo...