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Although the ghost of the Great Man still haunts leadership studies, most of us have recognized by now that successful organizations are the product of distributive, collective, and complementary leadership. The first step in putting together such a team is to identify each member of the team's personality makeup and leadership style, so that strengths and competences can be matched to particular roles and challenges. Getting this match wrong can bring misery to all concerned and cause considerable damage.
I was once asked to facilitate in a group coaching intervention for the leadership team at the subsidiary of a large chemical company. A year before Kate (not her real name, the head of the subsidiary) had been moved from head office to take charge. At head office she had always been viewed as a person extremely insightful about personnel decisions. Given her talents in HR, she was seen a good candidate to sort out the mess in that particular subsidiary. It was a big leap in terms of promotion but Kate was given a chance.
Unfortunately, I quickly realized that her tenure had been a disaster. She may have been a good coach but didn't have what it takes to create greater strategic focus and execute a turnaround. A great amount of money had been spent on consultants and on training a workforce that had no clearer idea at the end of 12 months what they were doing or why. What had dazzled the people at head office had been Kate's coaching and communication skills. She was at sea, however, in a more operational role.
What can be done to prevent a situation like the one with Kate? There are a number of serious leadership questionnaires that are worlds away from the enneagrams and compatibility tests that litter the coaching circuit. Some of these try to identify certain recurring behavior patterns considered more or less effective in a leadership context. We have also tests to discover whether executives are people or task oriented, autocratic or democratic, transactional or transformational, and variations on all of these. These sorts of questionnaire may be a bit simplistic, but they can help point someone in the right direction on a career or organizational path.
My own approach to leadership assessment is based on observational studies of real leaders, mostly at the strategic apex of their organizations. My aim is to help them see and understand that their attitudes and interactions with people are the result of a complex confluence of their inner theater (including relationships with authority figures early in life), significant life experiences, examples set by other executives, and formal leadership training.
As these influences play out over time, one typically sees a number of recurring patterns of behavior that influence an individual's effectiveness within an organization. I think of these patterns as leadership "archetypes," reflecting the various roles executives can play in organizations and it is a lack of fit between a leader's archetype and the context in which he or she operates is a main cause of team and organizational dysfunctionality and executive failure. The eight archetypes I have found to be most prominent are:
- The strategist: leadership as a game of chess. These people are good at dealing with developments in the organization's environment. They provide vision, strategic direction and outside-the-box thinking to create new organizational forms and generate future growth.
- The change-catalyst: leadership as a turnaround activity. These executives love messy situations. They are masters at re-engineering and creating new organizational ''blueprints.''
- The transactor: leadership as deal making. These executives are great dealmakers. Skilled at identifying and tackling new opportunities, they thrive on negotiations.
- The builder: leadership as an entrepreneurial activity. These executives dream of creating something and have the talent and determination to make their dream come true.
- The innovator: leadership as creative idea generation. These people are focused on the new. They possess a great capacity to solve extremely difficult problems.
- The processor: leadership as an exercise in efficiency. These executives like organizations to be smoothly running, well-oiled machines. They are very effective at setting up the structures and systems needed to support an organization's objectives.
- The coach: leadership as a form of people development. These executives know how to get the best out of people, thus creating high performance cultures.
- The communicator: leadership as stage management. These executives are great influencers, and have a considerable impact on their surroundings.
Working out which types of leaders you have on your team can work wonders for your effectiveness as a group. It helps you to recognize how you and your colleagues can individually make their best contributions. This will in turn create a culture of mutual support and trust, reduce team stress and conflict, and make for more creative problem solving. It also informs your search for new additions to the team: what kinds of personality and skills are you missing?
Kate's story had a happy ending. The group coaching session made it clear that the problem was not so much Kate's lack of ability but rather that team lacked specific leadership qualities. If the team incorporated an executive with a strategic outlook and who had turnaround skills and experience then Kate's skills as a communicator and coach would be more effectively leveraged to resolve the subsidiary's crisis. After talking to the head of talent management at head office we were able to identify exactly such a person, creating a more rounded team and helping Kate to fulfill her mandate.


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Fox Ignores The Implosion Of Its EPA Email Scandal
Inspector General Report Refutes "Richard Windsor" Claims
An independent report has all but destroyed one of the right's most cherished Obama administration "scandals," a fever dream that featured former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson intentionally shirking transparency laws with the help of a secret email account under the name "Richard Windsor." Fox News mentioned the saga in at least 40 different segments in the last year -- yet despite the network's fascination with the story, it has not covered the recent development, which undermines most of its previous coverage.
The EPA's Inspector General (IG) recently found "no evidence" that the department has "used, promoted, or encouraged the use of private email accounts to circumvent records management responsibilities." The IG was similarly unable to turn up proof of any senior agency officials trying to dodge federal recordkeeping, and the report noted that the EPA has taken various actions to improve its electronic content management in the last four years.
That inquiry came in response to claims that Jackson and others were using such accounts to elude Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Congressional Republicans who pushed for the review had cited a Daily Caller article that reported Jackson used the name "Richard Windsor" for her "secret" secondary account. The Daily Caller got its information from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a partly industry-funded free-market think tank obsessed with the idea that some elusive, unguarded conversation would expose the Obama administration's (effectively imaginary) "War on Coal." (Later, when CEI actually got to read some FOIAed emails, it declared the lack of suspicious content somewhat suspicious).
But Jackson has explained that she regularly told people to "make sure" they searched for the Richard Windsor account when they made FOIA requests. Furthermore, EPA officials (and the IG) have noted that the use of a primary, staff-managed public account as well as a secondary account is common in both the public and private sectors in order to stem the flow of emails and get work done. Two former EPA administrators under George W. Bush reportedly used secondary (sub. required) email addresses as well.
However, the ordinariness of the practice didn't stop conservatives from feeding the "scandal" oxygen. Right-wing media couldn't get enough of Richard Windsor. They speculated that unseen emails contained information on an "expected" carbon tax (even though the administration has repeatedly stated that it is not pursuing a carbon tax). They bizarrely insinuated that the digital nom de plume was related to a "fetishistic" website (it was actually in honor of Jackson's family dog and hometown). They claimed the administrator was fleeing from the issue when she stepped down after a little over four years at the helm (neglecting to mention that she'd held the post longer than all but one past EPA chief). And in order to keep the "scandal" relevant once she resigned, they connected the allegations to Jackson's nominated replacement, Gina McCarthy (even though McCarthy told a Senate committee that she did not conduct business with a secondary account).
Fox News played a leading role in making Richard Windsor a story. A search of Nexis and internal video archives indicates that the network has mentioned the ordeal in more than 40 different segments in the last year, hosting the putative architect of the "scandal," CEI's Christopher Horner, ten times to promote it. In all, about 86 percent of guests discussing the issue voiced anti-EPA sentiment (7 percent defended the EPA and 7 percent were neutral). Over 90 percent of segments did not mention the mitigating factor that previous administrations had also used secondary email accounts:
Horner specializes in filing FOIA requests in an attempt to dig up something -- anything -- that might shame climate scientists, government agencies and others. This has led the board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science to censure him for making "unreasonable, excessive Freedom of Information Act requests for personal information and voluminous data that are then used to harass and intimidate scientists." It has also led Horner to tell Politico that such muckraking "could be a game-changer for the entire federal government."
This isn't even the first time Fox News has hyped a Horner-engineered EPA "scandal" and then ignored the story once it fell apart. The network covered his claim that the EPA gave liberal groups favorable treatment in waiving FOIA fees at least a dozen times.
Ultimately both the secret email "scandal" and the FOIA fee "scandal," like so many others that have captured Fox News' attention, ended with a whimper. It would be a welcome surprise if the network let viewers in on that secret.

subset: commoncrawl


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New Surgical Technology First Tested in Humans at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is Giving Fido a Second Chance Too
Some dogs with pituitary tumors are living to bark about it
Los Angeles - Oct. 19, 2010 – Some of man's best friends are wagging their tails – literally -- thanks to human research on a new type of surgical imaging device being pioneered at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Nine dogs that would have died of canine Cushing's disease are alive and barking today, and even one cat has been given a new lease on one of its nine lives.
Neurosurgeon Adam N. Mamelak, M.D., had been studying the use of a scope called a VITOM™ for human surgery when he was approached by a group of veterinary endocrinologists and surgeons at VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital who were interested in having him teach them to perform similar surgeries in dogs. Some pituitary tumors are extremely common in dogs, and often fatal.
After studying the problem, Mamelak, an expert in minimally invasive pituitary surgery in the Department of Neurosurgery and co-director of the Pituitary Center at Cedars-Sinai, noted that the VITOM device happens to be a nearly perfect fit for use in dogs with pituitary tumors. He agreed to proctor the animal hospital veterinarians in performing potentially life-saving canine neurosurgery to remove these tumors.
This arrangement benefits both canine and human patients because after a tumor is removed, Mamelak takes tumor tissue back to Cedars-Sinai's laboratories for study, and research teams have already begun to make important observations about treating the tumors with certain drugs.
Only one other group in the world – in the Netherlands – is known to be regularly attempting a similar procedure in dogs. Both groups use what is called a transsphenoidal approach, creating a tiny hole in the back of the mouth to enter the skull at the base of the brain and remove the tumor. But because dogs have long snouts, Mamelak says there isn't much to see. The VITOM, which is also called an exoscope, solves this problem by providing up to 12 times magnification and projecting the operating field onto a large high-definition video monitor. This gives the surgeon a vastly larger and sharper view of the tumor and the surrounding brain structures, making removal safer and easier.
Mamelak says veterinary medicine is becoming increasingly sophisticated and is almost as technologically advanced as human medicine. The exoscope is cutting-edge human surgery technology that has made an early jump – at least in a limited way – to a veterinary application.
"I've been training the veterinarians to use the exoscope," Mamelak says. "They've never done any significant neurosurgery, let alone through a tiny hole, but they're getting better and better. By adopting technology developed for humans – and tested initially here at Cedars-Sinai – to veterinary medicine, we are able to provide a technological leap that makes the procedure more accessible to veterinarians and their patients."
So far, the operation has been performed on 14 animals. Eight dogs and one cat have survived and are doing very well, according to Mamelak.
Although canine pituitary tumors are not identical to those in humans, they are very similar, making the canine disease a very good model to study for understanding human illness as well. Interestingly, the most common tumors found in dogs – those that produce too much of a hormone called ACTH and cause Cushing's disease – are extremely rare in humans. Cushing's disease occurs in only about one in every 1 million people, but there are more than 100,000 cases in dogs each year in the U.S. alone.
Symptoms include increased thirst and urination, diabetes, hair loss, thinning skin, increased appetite, and abdominal enlargement. Without treatment, the canine disease is fatal, and the few existing drugs for the condition are usually not curative, have serious side effects, and can be very expensive.
All of the veterinary work is done with the expressed consent and approval of the pet owners, using strict federal guidelines for humane animal care.
"This research collaboration benefits both humans and canines with these tumors. In addition to saving dogs' lives, it provides a mechanism for early testing of drug therapies that may be useful for humans as well. As we progress with our laboratory studies we are identifying drugs that may treat the tumors. We then hope to be able to give medicines to dogs to shrink their tumors, then monitor the dogs, perform the surgery, and restudy the tissue to see how it was affected by the medicine," says Mamelak, a dog-lover who has a 6-year-old mutt named Maya at home. "This working model really benefits dogs and veterinary medicine as much as it benefits people."
Additional background on Dr. Mamelak and human pituitary surgery:
Although the VITOM exoscope appears to be an excellent tool for several kinds of human surgery and canine pituitary surgery, it is not ideal for human pituitary surgery. For that, Mamelak uses an endoscope – a narrow tube with an HD camera lens at the tip. It is inserted through the nose and the back of the nasal cavity. A small burr hole through bone allows the endoscope and operating instruments to be positioned directly in the area of the pituitary gland, and the surgical site is displayed on a large HD monitor.
"There are no external cuts, bruises or tissues that need to heal, and because the endoscope provides a wide field of view, we can remove tumors deep inside the brain and we can be sure to get every little last bit of the tumor out," Mamelak says.
Most neurosurgeons who treat pituitary tumors still use an operating microscope, which also provides HD viewing, but the equipment is large and bulky and has a fixed focal point. The deeper the tumor, the narrower the field of vision becomes – almost like tunnel vision. Mamelak trains residents in Cedars-Sinai's neurosurgical residency program in the use of the endoscope because, while the microscope is easier for the surgeon to use, he believes the endoscope provides a much better experience for the patient.
The exoscope is something of a hybrid of the endoscope and the operating microscope. It provides image quality rivaling the microscope but is lightweight, portable and far less costly.


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The Brain Freeze
Oh no, not again! Another frozen treat, another brain freeze. "Ice cream headaches" happen when something cold touches nerves in the roof of the mouth, triggering blood vessels in the front of your head to swell. This rapid swelling causes the familiar, jabbing pain of a brain freeze. An easy solution? Try eating ice cream or other cold foods more slowly to avoid getting a headache.
Excessive Sweating (Hyperhidrosis)
Sure, it's a mood killer, but this problem is very common and happens to completely healthy people. While it can occur on the face, sweating is usually worse on the palms, soles, and in the armpits. Treatment may include aluminum chloride antiperspirants, Botox injections, oral medications, mild electrical currents, or even surgery.
Whoa! If it feels like the room's moving when it's not, it could be vertigo. Sometimes caused by inner ear problems or nerve damage, vertigo can last minutes, even hours. To distinguish vertigo from dizziness, there must be a feeling of motion; other symptoms that may occur include hearing loss, ear discomfort, and unusual eye movements. Treating vertigo depends on the cause. Go to your doctor for a complete evaluation.
Arm or Leg Goes to Sleep
Ever get that dull feeling in your arm or leg like it's asleep? This temporary and harmless sensation is caused by constant pressure on nerves, leaving them unable to transmit messages to your brain. The cure is simple: change positions. As feeling starts to come back to the area, you may experience tingling ("pins and needles") for a little while. Chronic tingling indicates a more serious underlying condition that should be evaluated.
Hiccups are an uncontrollable contraction of the diaphragm (the breathing muscle under the lungs). Eating too much or too fast, overdoing alcohol, or swallowing air can all cause the hiccups. They usually go away on their own, but you can try remedies like holding your breath, quickly drinking water, and breathing in a bag to help hasten hiccups away.
Tonsil Stones
Although those bad smelling lumps can be uncomfortable, tonsil stones (also called tonsilloliths) are generally harmless. Hanging out in the tonsil pockets, they form when bacteria and debris get trapped, forming a hard piece of matter and a bad taste in your throat. You can remove small stones with a swab, but if they're not bothering you, no treatment is necessary.
Ear Popping
We've all yawned on a plane trip to "pop" our ears. What we're doing is equalizing the pressure between the inside and the outside of our eardrum as the altitude changes. That "pop" means a tube connecting your middle ear to the back of your throat has opened, relieving pressure. To help, you can also close your mouth, hold your nose, and blow gently; or try chewing gum or yawning.
Charley Horse
This startling muscle spasm can last a few seconds, even several minutes. Dehydration, muscle overuse, nerve irritation, and low levels of certain minerals -- like potassium and calcium -- can be culprits. Walk around to relieve the pain, or shake your leg and stretch the muscle. If cramps persist, see your doctor.
Ear Wax Buildup
Keep fingers and cotton swabs out of your ear canals. Earwax helps fight infection, keeps ears clean, and our bodies naturally get rid of excess earwax through the ear opening. When we try to clean our ears with a swab or another object we may block the canal with an earwax plug. Impaction symptoms include pain, itching, ringing of the ears, or hearing loss. Your doctor can remove excess ear wax with irrigation or manual removal.
Black Hairy Tongue
No, this isn't something from a creature feature. Black hairy tongue occurs when the little bumps on your tongue grow long (instead of shedding), and bacteria grow on them. Poor oral hygiene, smoking, some mouthwashes, radiation therapy to the head and neck, and certain medications can play a role. To help, brush your teeth and tongue twice a day, use a tongue scraper, and avoid aggravating factors.
Eye Twitching
Eyelid spasms are unpredictable, bothersome, and harmless. Eye twitching can be caused by stress, fatigue, eyestrain, caffeine, and dry eyes, though more serious twitching may be caused by neurological disorders, like Tourette's syndrome. Eyelid spasms usually go away on their own, but if they are severe, Botox injections may be recommended.
Overdevelopment of Male Breasts
Gynecomastia is usually caused by normal changes in hormone levels at birth, puberty, and later in life. For newborns and boys, the ratio of estrogens (female hormones) to androgens (male hormones) balances out in time. It's also seen in men as they age, often related to certain medications, liver or kidney problems, or tumors. A physician's evaluation is important to get to the root cause, but by itself, the condition is usually harmless.
Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Got raccoon eyes? People blame age or fatigue for these dark circles and they're right. Lack of sleep makes your skin pale, emphasizing the dark circles, while age means thinner skin around the eyes, making it easier to see any discoloration. Allergies can also lead to dark circles, and heredity plays a role, as well.
Excessive Hair Growth
Few women enjoy excess hair on their face and body, but while hirsutism can be embarrassing, it's generally harmless. Hirsutism affects about 5% of women. It may be genetic or caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition characterized by an excess of androgens (male hormones). In rare cases, hirsutism is caused by hormone-secreting tumors. Treatment depends on the cause and can include bleaching, electrolysis, hormone therapies, and laser hair removal.Seen here is Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907 - July 13, 1954).
Discolored Nails
Curious about color changes in your nails? About 50% of nail problems are caused by fungal infections. Greenish nails may come from pseudomonas bacteria and are easily treated with antibiotics. Yellowish nails are often a sign of fungus. And red, purple, or black under nails may be caused by blood resulting from injury. Changes can also be related to medical treatments or signal a more serious condition. Unsure? Get those nails checked!
Red Nose From Rosacea
Rosacea often causes red patches on the sensitive skin of the face. In rare cases the nose becomes thickened and bumpy, a condition called rhinophyma. This is more common in men than women, and genetics do play a role. Treatments at this stage can include lasers and other light therapies, dermabrasion, and electrocautery.Seen here is comedian W.C. Fields, whose red, bulbous nose is characteristic of advanced rosacea.
Canker Sores
Canker sores are small ulcers inside the mouth. They are also called aphthous ulcers. Unlike cold sores, which appear as painful, small blisters and are very contagious, canker sores are not caused by a virus. Certain foods or nutritional deficiencies may trigger a canker sore, as can emotional stress and a mouth injury. When needed, treatments include topical medication and mouthwash solutions.
Weird Body Quirks: From Brain Freeze to Hiccupping
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AARP Eye Center
Caregiving may be one of the most important, and challenging, roles you'll ever take on. No matter where you are in your caregiving journey — starting to plan; taking care of a family member in your home, in a facility, or from a distance; or managing end-of-life caregiving responsibilities — having resources at your fingertips will make the process easier.
AARP developed this family caregiver guide with you, the caregiver, in mind and as a starting point to help you find the services and support you might need throughout your journey.
To order a print copy of this online guide, call the toll-free AARP Family Caregiving Resource Line at 877-333-5885 and indicate which state(s) you would like to receive. A copy will be mailed to you.
General Resources
- Supporting Family Caregivers in Your State
- AARP has a website dedicated to providing you with information about how we're advocating for caregivers in your state.
- The Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs (225-342-7100)
- The Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs provides services through a network of Area Agencies on Aging on a range of assistance for older adults and caregivers, including personal care, delivered meals, transportation, legal assistance and more.
- State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Information (225-342-7100 | 866-632-0922 toll-free | firstname.lastname@example.com)
- Ombudsmen assist consumers in choosing a long-term care facility and help resolve complaints made by or on the behalf of residents in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and personal care homes.
Health Resources
- Louisiana Primary Care Association (LPCA) (225-927-7662)
- LPCA is a nonprofit organization that represents 39 federally funded Community Health Center organizations across Louisiana. These organizations operate more than 295 individual sites and serve over 465,000 patients a year.
- Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Behavioral Health (225-342-9500)
- The Louisiana behavioral health care system is operated by independent health care districts or authorities and provides accountability for all behavioral health care, including mental health treatment services and addictive disorders, for Louisiana citizens.
- Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Public Health (225-342-9500)
- The Office of Public Health protects and promotes the health of the communities of our state and operates more than 50 programs with staff in 63 parish health units, three specialty clinics and nine regional offices.
Home- and Community-Based Resources
- Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS) (225-342-9500)
- OAAS administers home and community services through various plan programs for individuals who are elderly or have disabilities, so they can remain in their homes and in the community.
- Louisiana Department of Health's Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD) (225-342-0095)
- The Office for Citizens With Developmental Disabilities (OCDD) serves as the single point of entry into the developmental disabilities services system.
Financial Resources
- AARP Foundation's Benefits QuickLINK
- Find public benefits that can help you pay for food, medicine, health care, utilities and more by using AARP Foundation's Benefits QuickLINK tools
Legal Resources
- Disability Rights Louisiana (DRLA) (800-960-7705 toll-free)
- DRLA works on behalf of all people with disabilities to combat all forms of discrimination, abuse and neglect through monitoring, investigations and legal action.
- Louisiana Legal Aid Services
- This resource guide lists contact information for some of the legal aid service providers located throughout Louisiana. Legal aid services provide free or low-cost legal advice and/or representation for those unable to afford full-cost services
Workplace/Employer Resources
- Supporting Caregivers in the Workplace
- AARP offers valuable resources to help employers create a caregiver-friendly workplace.
Transportation Resources
- The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (225-379-3060)
- Select a parish from this interactive guide and learn about the availability of public transportation throughout Louisiana.
Housing Resources
- Louisiana Housing Corporation (225-763-8700 | 888-454-2001 toll-free)
- The LHC allocates federal and state funds to support the development of affordable, energy-efficient housing for low- to moderate-income families.
- Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) (844-698-9075 toll-free)
- The Louisiana PSH program links affordable rental housing with individualized services to people with severe and complex disabilities, enabling them to live successfully in the community.
Advocacy Resources
- Live at Home Louisiana (225-276-1941 | email@example.com)
- A coalition of organizations that advocates for home and community services to help people live where they want and receive the care they need.
Specific Audience Resources
- AARP Caregiving Guides
- AARP offers free caregiving guides for specific audiences, including guides for military families and LGBT individuals. The guides, also offered in Spanish and Chinese, are designed to help develop and implement a caregiving plan.
Care for Caregivers
- Community Connections
- AARP Community Connections is a new website that offers steps to find or give help. Organize online mutual aid groups to stay connected, share ideas, and help those in need.
- Create the Good
- Create the Good connects you with volunteer opportunities and project ideas to share your life experiences, skills and passions in your community.
AARP Resources for Family Caregivers
- AARP Family Caregiving Website (en español: aarp.org/cuidar)
- AARP's Family Caregiving website is your one-stop shop for tips and tools to help you care for a loved one. It has valuable information about handling medical issues, health records and advance directives, home safety, financial and legal issues, caregiver life balance and much more.
- AARP Family Caregiving Resource Line (877-333-5885 toll-free, en español: 888-971-2013 toll-free)
- Connect with a real person and learn how to access local resources via our toll-free family caregiving hotline.
- AARP Family Caregivers Facebook Group
- Join the AARP Family Caregivers Discussion Group on Facebook to connect, ask questions and share ideas with other family caregivers.
- Community Resource Finder
- Community Resource Finder, a joint service from the Alzheimer's Association and AARP, is a database of dementia- and aging-related resources powered by Carelike. The online tool makes it easy to find local programs and services.
- I Heart Caregivers
- Join the thousands of family caregivers who have shared their experiences through AARP's storytelling initiative, I Heart Caregivers. Your story will help AARP continue to fight for more support for family caregivers.
- AARP Online Caregiving Community
- Join our community and connect with other caregivers like you.
- AARP HomeFit Guide
- The AARP HomeFit Guide can help individuals and families make their current or future residence age-friendly. It can also help elected officials, policymakers and local leaders learn about and advocate for the types of housing features and designs that communities need so that their residents can live safely and comfortably and thrive.
- National Resources for Family Caregivers
- A listing of national agencies, groups and organizations that can connect family caregivers with direct services and supports.
If you have thoughts about how AARP can improve this resource guide, we invite you to go to aarp.org/preparetocaresurvey (en español: aarp.org/encuestacuidador).


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Let $(\Omega,\mathcal{F},P)$ be a probability space and $(\mathcal{F_{t}})_{0\le t\le T}$ a filtration generated by standard Brownian motion $W_t$. Let $f(x)$ be $C^1$ function such that $|f'(x)| > 0$. Then if $\xi$ is a random variable measurable w.r.t. $\mathcal{F}_T$, process $M_t=E(f(\xi)|\mathcal{F_t})$ is a martingale and according to martingale representation theorem there exists an adapted process $a(t)$ such that $$ M_t = E(f(\xi)) + \int_0^ta(s)dW_s. $$
My question is if it is possible to express $a(t)$ as $a(t) = A(t,W_t)$ or $a(t) = A(t,M_t)$ where $A(t,x)$ is deterministic (maybe in some special cases).


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How to make the most of your visit to a fair
Planning your visit to our fair couldn't be simpler. Pre-register online, read the guide below and plan your day.
- Before your visit: Questions to ask yourself
- What do I want to study in the future?
- What is my current academic result?
- What is my budget?
- Do I want to live in a big city or a small town? (e.g. London or non-London)
- Check the exhibition website, which institutions will be there?
- On your visit :Questions to ask institutions
- What courses can I take based on my academic background and interest?
- What are the entry requirements and application materials?
- Can I apply for more than one course or university?
- When should I start to apply and what is the application deadline?
- Do you have any partnering agent you recommend?
- How much are the tuition fees and living costs?
- What are my accommodation choices?
- Can I work in the UK while studying?
- Are there career and employability support on campus?
- Is there are any local alumni I can talk to?


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You are likely to get even less for a 40 Leaf now from Tesla, not to be a downer.
The small-ish opening on the 3, makes the deepest part difficult to use unless loading long suitcases. When it does appear to take quite a bit of luggage.
It's only good for those that live in a state where there is a state rebate like CO and NJ. They can drive it for free for a year and trade it in next year and repeat the process.DougWantsALeaf wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:47 pm Leafs are good drive it into the ground car. Not so good for purchase and quick trade in.
Not sure what your daily drives are like, but a model Y is worth whatever justification you can conjur to get it. Surely, there must be another family member who's still driving a combustion vehicle and would benefit from a taste of going electric? Or perhaps put it on turo.com to get some extra income?jusgetalong wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:21 pm Well Doug, you were right. they came in near $14K. I just can't see dropping the hammer for that little for a trade. Our leaf looks and drives like a new car so everybody will just have to live with the backseat space in it. Wife sure is mad at me though.
My experience is that my Model 3 continues to surprise me just how much it will carry.DougWantsALeaf wrote: ↑Mon Jan 18, 2021 2:48 pm The small-ish opening on the 3, makes the deepest part difficult to use unless loading long suitcases. When it does appear to take quite a bit of luggage.
Don't recall which trim is your leaf, but here's a relevant posting (for the SV/SL): https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic. ... 10#p575360jusgetalong wrote: ↑Sun Jan 24, 2021 8:43 am Well folks, a happy wife is more important than a happy wallet. So we have a reservation for 2021 Model Y to be delivered on Feb 1. We just rolled with the trade in, more for the simplicity of it than anything else. Now the question is how do I default the Nissan Leaf to all it's original configurations? I used Leaf Spy to turn off the VSP, which I still think was awesome, and a few other items, which I can't seem to remember. Is there a way to go into LeafSpy and factory default everything?


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The time has come, y'all. As I promised, here is Cheetah's story.
I was sent off to college under strict orders that I was not to take a horse to school and I was not to get one while I was there. The thought of this conversation with my father still makes me chuckle. I had been trying to find a loophole since I left.
I began an internship in my second year for the director of the university's equestrian center where I schooled/trained program and sale horses, assisted in horse sales, led summer horseback riding camps, and helped run local horse shows. I had anywhere between two to five horses on my 'string.' The best part about it was I could ride two to three horses a day while going to school and I still got good grades…my parents could not complain! Anyhoo, Cheetah was in my first group of horses (could have been the second group, but that really is not an important detail) during that first fall of my internship. It was practically love at first sight. No one at the center wanted to use her for anything, being the strong, opinionated mare that she
was is.
I have learned that the majority of the horses I fall for begin with this descriptor…probably not the best thing in the world. Oops. I was asked to put some miles on her and either get her placed in a university program or aid in her sale. After the first week of riding her, I was a goner. She was 4.5 yo at the time and did not know much of anything past go. She turned…some…and was not the biggest fan of stopping. She was also a booger to catch. Most days it took me a solid 30 min to bring her in. She made incredible strides in the riding department in just a matter of a couple weeks. Knowing the opinions about her and her personality, my Cheetah girl would not be a match for any of the school programs. She would have to be put up for sale. This thought broke my heart. I constantly shoved it away as I found new things that she 'had' to work on.
One horrible day, you know the kind where you are just all over the place emotionally and have that sick feeling where you have no idea what you are doing in life and that you are doing the wrong thing…that all too common feeling during that time in your life where you are just figuring it all out, I went out to the barn all bottled up like a shaken bottle of champagne. Everything was just beneath the surface, ready to explode. As I entered Cheetah's turn out, we made eye contact and I said a little prayer, "please, just let me catch her today. I have had an awful day and I just need to stick my face in her mane." When I turned back around from locking the gate to walk out and try to catch her, she started walking to me. We met in the middle. I then sat and cried with her head in my lap for the remainder of my allotted catch time. That awful feeling of her being sold kept creeping up on us.
I went home after finals for Christmas with a plan. I attempted to convince my father over Thanksgiving that my life could not go on without this mare to no avail. I had my mother and my Aunt though. Game changers. I gave him my best pitch at Christmas and I do not even remember what I said. I thought it would never work out until my Aunt stepped in and said he had to say yes. Well, I never did get a 'yes,' but I got something that was not a 'no.' I texted my boss on Christmas and asked if I could buy Cheetah. She probably thought I was crazy when she said yes, but I doubt she was surprised.
My boss and I ended up working a deal where I worked off the payment. It was a win win for everyone. I have to be honest though, I think I got the better deal on all fronts. I have lost count of the times I have cried into her mane and she has been great to catch ever since that one day. I honestly do not think I would have finished college without her.
We have logged countless hours in the arena and out in the crop fields. We trained. We showed some. We conquered. We made life long friends. The best part is, our story is not over yet! She is only 12. We are still doing even if sometimes it feels as if we are not. We enjoy our time together even if I am just standing in the pasture next to her while she grazes. She knows me better than anyone and has changed my life for good. I can not imagine my life if she had never
mare glared galloped her way into it. I thought about changing her name when she first became 'mine' (my boss' daughter named her), but you know they say that is bad luck and really, it suits her personality. I went through the hassle and ridiculous advanced age fee to get her registered with AQHA because I had our next adventure planned. I just had to graduate first.
This, my dear readers, brings me to Lito's story. That is a story for another day ;).
Go walk in love.


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Cool Chow: Icy Treats for Hot Summer DaysJun 30, 2016 11:58AM ● By Sandra Murphy
In 2015, manufacturers of commercial dog and cat foods and treats issued 28 recalls, some for multiple products, due to the potential presence of listeria or salmonella bacteria, mold, dangerous levels of cumulatively harmful propylene glycol, inadequate thiamine, elevated levels of vitamin D, off odors or labeling problems (Tinyurl.com/PetFoodRecallList). In response, homemade treats have grown in popularity to ensure that pets enjoy safe and healthy snacks.
"Most summer fruits work naturally to cool the body," advises Cathy Alinovi, co-author of Dinner PAWsible: A Cookbook of Nutritious Homemade Meals for Cats and Dogs, in Pine Village, Indiana. "Healthful treats, made from the best ingredients, are a good way to take a break from summer heat."
She suggests taking a refreshing look at low-calorie fruits and veggies such as stuffed celery used in creative, tasty ways. After removing strings, fill celery logs with plain yogurt and freeze. To serve, cut into one-bite pieces appropriate for a dog's size.
Another easy favorite is filling an ice cube tray two-thirds full with Greek-style or traditional plain yogurt mixed with diced strawberries or whole blueberries and freeze overnight. For cats, omit the fruit and instead add bits of mercury-free water-packed tuna or salmon as a special treat. Add fresh or dried catnip to catch Kitty's attention.
"Once when fixing dinner, I dropped a piece of frozen yellow squash and the dogs dove for it," says writer Livia J. Washburn, in Azle, Texas, of her Chihuahuas. "Nicki waits for things to hit the floor; Nora showed her game face and won the Squash War."
"Obesity is the number one nutritional disease affecting our pets, so summertime activities that avoid overheating are vital for overall health," says Veterinarian Jeff Werber, a veterinary medical journalist with a Los Angeles practice. "Proper nutrition is critical—not only to the foods we feed, but to the treats we give."
Twelve years ago, Rick Woodford's Belgian Malinois/Labrador mix, Jackson, was diagnosed with lymphoma. In order to keep him eating, Woodford shared his own food. Jackson lived an additional four years, in part due to improved nutrition. "Portion control is important," he says. "What's right for an 80-pound dog is way too much for a 30-pounder." Woodford, the author of Feed Your Best Friend Better and Chow, lives near Portland, Oregon.
Use the freshest ingredients, organic and non-GMO (no genetic modification) where possible; tuna or salmon in a pouch is safer than BPA-canned fish.
Frosty Paws is a lower lactose version of ice cream for dogs and discriminating cats. Recipes for homemade versions can be found online. The basics are one ripe, mashed banana, 32 ounces of plain or vanilla yogurt and two tablespoons of honey, all mixed in a blender and frozen in small ice cube trays. Variations may substitute goat's milk yogurt or add a quarter-cup of strawberries, cranberries or blueberries for antioxidants in lieu of the honey. Frozen vegetable broth, primed with added bits of cooked chopped spinach, broccoli, carrots or a small cheese cube, is a hit with dogs. Cats like theirs with tidbits of chicken, turkey or a few shreds of cheese.
Using a bone-shaped ice cube tray lets humans know it's the pet's treat. "When I was developing frozen treat recipes, my husband came in from the yard one hot afternoon and went straight to the freezer," says Paris Permenter about John Bigley, co-authors of The Healthy Hound Cookbook, in Cedar Park, Texas, who live with mixed breeds Irie and Tiki. "I watched him eat two helpings of the dog ice cream and then told him what it was. We often share our food with our dogs. It was nice for them to share their goodies with us!"
The bottom line for the best summertime treats is to go healthy, be creative, use fresh ingredients, don't overindulge and stay cool.
Connect with freelance writer Sandra Murphy at [email protected].
Frosty Treats for Furry Friends
Cooling Recipes
Fido's Frozen Fruit Pupsicles
4 cups water
1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses (optional)
1 cup fresh fruit (no grapes or raisins), chopped
Wash and core all fruit. Blueberries and strawberries are popular with most dogs, while others enjoy melons, peaches and apples.
Chop fruit into bite-sized pieces.
Mix fruit with water and molasses.
Freeze the mix in ice cube trays, small tubs or Popsicle molds.
Source: The Healthy Hound Cookbook, by Paris Permenter and John Bigley
Mango Sorbet
2 ripe mangos, peeled
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
Add all ingredients to a blender and purée.
Pour mixture into ice cube trays and freeze overnight.
Transfer frozen cubes to a zip-top plastic bag; stores up to 2 months in the freezer.
Source: The Healthy Hound Cookbook, by Paris Permenter and John Bigley
Watermelon Slush
Low-calorie watermelon is high in potassium and magnesium plus vitamins A and C; filled with fluid, it helps prevent dehydration. Blackstrap molasses has less sugar and more minerals than other sweeteners.
2 cups cubed watermelon, seeds removed
½ cup strawberries
1 Tbsp. blackstrap molasses
½ cup coconut water
1 cup ice
Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix.
Serve in a bowl as a slushie treat or pour into ice cube trays and freeze.
Or share a slice of fun. Many dogs love plain watermelon slices. Be sure the animal doesn't eat the seeds or rind.
Source: The Healthy Hound Cookbook, by Paris Permenter and John Bigley
Plum and Apple Coolers
One batch makes enough cubes to treat both a large- and medium-size dog.
(10-lb dog: 1 to 2 cubes; 20-lb dog: 3 to 4 cubes; 40-lb dog: 4 to 5 cubes; 60-lb dog: 5 to 6 cubes; 80-lb dog: 6 to 7 cubes; 100-lb dog: 7 to 8 cubes)
6 plums, washed and pitted
1 Tbsp filtered water, to begin
1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into
¼-inch cubes (no seeds)
Purée the plums and water in a blender or food processor. Add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of water if needed.
Spread the apples in the ice cube tray and spoon the plum purée on top. Don't pack, or it will become a denser cube.
Freeze for 4 hours.
Serve the cubes one by one (outdoors may be best) or in a big bowl.
Source: Chow, by Rick Woodford
Ingredients to Avoid
Avoid peanut and other nut butters or any ingredient with xylitol, grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts, coffee and caffeine, onions, chives, garlic, nuts and salty snack foods. Chocolate is also on the no-go list; the darker the chocolate, the worse it is for pets; baking chocolate is the most dangerous. If a pet eats any of these, try to determine how much and contact the family veterinarian, a veterinary emergency clinic or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.
For a full list of foods to avoid, visit Tinyurl.com/ASPCA-Foods2Avoid.


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Teledyne Technologies Announces First Quarter 2013 Earnings Webcast Details
Teledyne Technologies Announces First Quarter 2013 Earnings Webcast Details
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYS: TDY) will hold a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2013 results on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific. A press release with the first quarter financial results will be issued before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.
To access the call, go to www.teledyne.com or www.earnings.com approximately ten minutes before the scheduled start time. A replay will be available at these two websites for approximately one month starting at 9:00 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.
Teledyne Technologies is a leading provider of sophisticated instrumentation, digital imaging products and software, aerospace and defense electronics, and engineered systems. Teledyne Technologies' operations are primarily located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Mexico. For more information, visit Teledyne Technologies' website at www.teledyne.com.
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated
Investor Contact:
Jason VanWees, (805) 373-4542
Media Contact:
Robyn E. McGowan, (805) 373-4540
KEYWORDS: United States North America California
The article Teledyne Technologies Announces First Quarter 2013 Earnings Webcast Details originally appeared on Fool.com.
Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


text:
Note: Luis Suarez does not "lob" the keeper here when he scores here from eons away on the half volley. This is a flat out smash of a shot. And it was just the first. Suarez scored again in the 29th and 35th minutes, for a first half hat trick against Norwich. Plus, he added a screamer of a free kick in the second half.
That gives him three hat tricks in four games against Norwich, and 11 goals overall (hat tip butthaver). But the headliner is still that first golazo. On that, we agree with Squawka:
Here's a still from the first goal:
While the first of the three was an utterly unstoppable force of nature, his next two were the result of some pretty shitty defending. His second goal came when Suarez sent home a corner redirected by an unmarked Steven Gerrard. Here's a gif of the third:
And while that too was aided by some less-than-interested defending, the preposterous jink that saw Suarez flick the ball around the defender and wallop in the shot again on the half volley was pure class.
The fourth, to (maybe?) cap off an outrageous day, was a free kick that would've been a stunner had we not already witnessed what came before. His four direct free kick goals since the beginning of last season are the most in the Prem over that span. Here's that one in all it's gif'd glory:


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Speeding up composer on AWS OpsWorks
At EasyBib, we're heavy users of composer and AWS OpsWorks. Since we recently moved a lot of our applications to a continuous deployment model, the benefits of speeding up the deployment process (~4-5 minutes) became more obvious.
Composer install
Whenever we run
composer install, there are a lot of rount-trips between the server, our satis and Github (or Amazon S3).
One of my first ideas was to to get around a continous reinstall by symlinking the vendor directory between releases. This doesn't work consistently for two reasons:
What's a release?
OpsWorks, or Chef in particular, calls deployed code releases.
A release is the checkout/clone/download of your application and lives in
srv/ └── www └── my_app ├── current -> /srv/www/my_app/releases/20131008134950 ├── releases └── shared
releases directory, contains your application code and the latest is always symlinked into place using current.
Atomic deploys
- When deploying code, deploys need to be atomic. We don't want to break whatever is currently online — not even for a second or a fraction of it.
- We have to be able to roll-back deployments.
Symlinking the vendor directory between releases doesn't work because it would break existing code (because who knows how long the composer install takes or a restart of the application server) and it would require an additional safety net in place to be able to rollback a failed deployed successfully.
Ruby & Chef to the rescue
Whenever a deployment is run, Chef allows us to hook into the process using deploy hooks. These hooks are documented for OpsWorks as well.
The available hooks are:
- before migrate
- before symlink (!)
- before restart
- after restart
In order to use them, create a
deploy directory in your application and put a couple ruby files in there:
If you're a little in the know about Rails, these hooks will look familiar.
The migration hook is probably used to run database migrations — something we don't do and probably will never do. ;-) But be assured: at this point in time the checkout of your applications is complete: or in other words, the code is on the instance.
The symlink hook is what we use to run
composer install to get the web app up to speed, we'll take a closer look in a second.
Before restart is a hook used to run commands before your application server reloads — for example something like purging cache directories, whatever you want to get in order before
/etc/init.d/php-fpm reload is executed to revive APC.
And last but not least, after restart — used on our applications to send an annotation to NewRelic — that we successfully deployed a new release.
Before symlink
So up until now, the
before_symlink.rb looked like this:
composer_command = "/usr/local/bin/php" composer_command << " #{release_path}/composer.phar" composer_command << " --no-dev" composer_command << " --prefer-source" composer_command << " --optimize-autoloader" composer_command << " install" run "cd #{release_path} && #{composer_command}"
release_path is a variable automatically available/populated in the scope of this script. If you need more, your
node attributes are available as well.
Anyway, after reading Scaling Symfony2 with AWS OpsWorks, it inspired me to attempt to copy my vendors around. But instead of doing it in a recipe, I decided to use one of the available deploy hooks for this:
app_current = ::File.expand_path("#{release_path}/../../current") vendor_dir = "#{app_current}/vendor" deploy_user = "www-data" deploy_group = "www-data" release_vendor = "#{release_path}/vendor" ::FileUtils.cp_r vendor_dir, release_vendor if ::File.exists?(vendor_dir) ::FileUtils.chown_R deploy_user, deploy_group, release_vendor if ::File.exists?(release_vendor) composer_command = "/usr/local/bin/php" composer_command << " #{release_path}/composer.phar" composer_command << " --no-dev" composer_command << " --prefer-source" composer_command << " --optimize-autoloader" composer_command << " install" run "cd #{release_path} && #{composer_command}"
Step by step:
- copy the current release's vendor to the new release (if it exists)
- chown all files to the webserver (if the new vendor exists)
This allows the deploy hook to complete, even if we're on a fresh instance.
Effectively, this cut deployment from 4-5 minutes, to 2-3 minutes. With tailwind, a 50% improvement.
That's all. Happy deploying!


text:
Alphacool double-sided adhesive pad 15x15x0,5mm
- Article no.: 12097
- Weight: 0,001 kg
- Images may differ slightly from the original
Prices incl. VAT plus shipping costs
ready for shipment in 1-3 days
Alphacool's answer to the often difficult situation of being unable to mount the heatsink conventionally.
With this double-sided thermal adhesive pad from Alphacool it is possible to mount a heatsink at any desired spot without having to worry about mounts, hole spacing or other constructive details.
This is especially interesting for systems such as Alphacool's MCX system to allow mounting of heatsinks for graphics cards or Mainboards. But long-term testing shows that these pads are capable of much more than just holding small heatsinks! A holding power of at least 16N/25mm means an adhesive force greater than with some duct tapes! This allows mounting even of heavy coolers and the capability to deal with shocks from transport or twisting/ permanent pressure.
But the engineers at Alphacool also paid attention to the thermal conductivity aspect. Different from the first adhesive pads on the market, which were rather insulation than thermal conductor, these pads transfer the heat with a thermal conductivity of up to 1W/mK
The pads are covered with a protective foil on both sides when shipped. When this foil is pulled off, the white pad becomes visible. The pad feels very similar to rubber, and has the same advantages: It adapts to the surfaces easily, hence allowing the best possible heat transfer. Multiple pre-cut dimensions make cutting almost obsolete, but should it be needed to adjust the size of a pad, simply use scissors or a knife!
Technical specifications:
Material: Polymers
Colour: White
Dimensions (L x W x H):15x15x0,5mm
Thermal conductivity: Up to 1W/mk
Adhesive strength: min: 16N/25mm
electrically non-conductive
conforms with ROHS
Extent of delivery:
1x Alphacool double-sided thermal adhesive pad 15x15x0,5mm
|15 x 15mm
|stark klebend
ready for shipment in 1-3 days
ready for shipment in 1-3 days
ready for shipment in 1-3 days
ready for shipment in 1-3 days


text:
Former Yes Keyboardist Rick Wakeman Releases New Archival Live Collection
Having racked up over four decades in the music business, Rick Wakeman's resume illustrates at loud volume an impressive list of accomplishments. The former Yes keyboard maestro will jump back to recall the early part of the aughts with the release of a new archival live album.
'In The Nick Of Time' dates from 2003 when Wakeman was touring to support 'Out There,' his current studio release at that point. Performing with a group of backing players dubbed 'The New English Rock Ensemble,' Wakeman touched upon quite a bit of material from the release and also threw in a choice nod to his Yes past with 'Wurm' wrapping up the set. Spanning seven tracks, this marks the first commercial release of the material, which has been greatly anticipated.
Wakeman remains actively involved in music and in recent years has collaborated with former Yes mate Jon Anderson for several tours and studio collaborations. Anderson says that the pair will continue to work and tour together in the future.
'Roundabout,' one of Wakeman's most celebrated Yes moments recently received special recognition, charting at No. 88 on our list of the Top 100 Classic Rock Songs.


text: Although we started this before Valentine's Day to be ready for Valentine's Day, we only had it partially completed. Instead we ended up spending that day at Grandma's visitation and funeral. This turned into a sort of tribute to a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother, age 96, who taught us to love simple things the best. To see the beauty in nature, to love picnics and fireworks and so much more. She was my biggest cheerleader in life. When I was little, I thought Grandma's birthdaywas the whole reason there were firework celebrations on the Fourth of July.


text:
Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
I think I use the UI-2 (is that the nice one with blended buttons on top?), because I have the Sort button on the left hand lower corner. When I select sort by Filename, I only see:tv_shows_0tv_shows_1Only when I sort by Title, I see all my files, but its quite unmanageable. So I use the "Search" option under "More", but as I said in the original thread its kinda tedious.Is it possible that sorting by Filename doesn't work for me, because the devices (they're SAMBA shares) are READONLY? Let me know your thoughts.Gracias,Erasmo
If the latter, did you add the shares manually? If so, look in the web admin - I think there is a property there for the share device that says to use LMCE structure - I have NO idea whether you can just change that and expect it to fix it up, or whether that was something that had to be done when the share gets auto detected.


text:
The common room does not look, certainly, as a place Lanei would willingly join, if only she had been asked about. The place was built to host the sailors and, thus, it has little to do with the rooms nobles are used to dwell within. At least, the dornish lady is not used, that is. And, surely, the men that were sent to another side of the ship would agree there.
No wonder, then, the frown upon her brow. This, and the fact that she has been attempting to do some needlework and, as always, with little success- angers her. For the third time the needle pricks one of her fingers and, with a tired ֖and frustrated- hmpf, Lanei throws the embroidery frame upon the large table.
The frame lands on the wooden surface with a soft thud, and for a long while the young woman eyes it as if it were the enemy himself. Then, wish a resigned sigh, she reaches out for the grey silky cloth… and resumes the embroidery.
"I see you have the same issue as my sister, Carmella, my lady." Doran's voice seems to cut through the stiffening creak of wood that accommodates every inch of the bowels of this great sea-faring vessel. He comes much as he was dressed the day before, save this time he has favored a thick black cloak, to match the ensemble of the night that so always seems to compliment his mood.
A weak smile is offered as Doran moves into the common room, stopping only a few feet the table which the lady so diligently works her needle. "She was always more interested in dreaming than her needlework." He says softly, turning his eyes to the ladder that ascends to the upper deck.
"Ah, Ser Doran", Lanei greets the incoming westerosi knight and inclines her head. "Have a good day. I have been searching for you…" she starts. But she realizes than a little drop of blood is forming on her thumb and, without to think it twice, the lady brings it to her lips. "Well, I asked for you to a couple of squires I saw around, but they did not know where you would be…" she continues, once she verifies that the blood won't soil the cloth.
"The cloak. I wanted to return it to you" the lady explain, and then chuckles. "So, am I not the only lady hating needlework? For long I thought I were. Alas, it is expected of us to perform these arts, although I use to be skilled enough… to dodge it."
The Blackbolt of Blackhaven will keep his weak smile on his face as he dismisses thoughts of returning above deck, his brilliant emerald eyes return once to the fair face of the Fowler. "The cloak was a gift, my lady, but I understand if you do not wish to wear Dondarrion colors." Doran's voice is soft and respectful, yet at the same time every word spoken seems forced as if the man lived with a pain no other man had ever felt. "I apologize if you could not find me when you sought me out, at times a knight must seek solitude in order for him to clear his head for events that are to come."
"You are radiant as always, Lady Fowler." the Blackbolt offers his courtesy, and this does not seem to be forced, but something that comes with an ease that is not unlike breathing, "It does me good to see you again." Doran's eyes glance to the needlework, and a look of mirth will abolish the sadness in his eyes for a brief moment. "Not all are masters of all they pursue, my lady. I am certain there are activities that you perform that no man could label as amateur."
"A… gift?" She looks more than surprised and, certainly, her features betray her, for the lady cannot hide that Doran's words were the last thing she would have expected to listen to. Dropping her eyes to the cloth, as if all her attention were focused on the embroidery, Lanei nods in acceptance. "That is more than kind, my good ser. But now I am in your debt, and I cannot figure out how would I thank you, and what might you offer in retribution."
She slips on the bench, as if making room. "Won't you sit with me? I would welcome some company. If you can stay, and even wish to stay, that is." A couple of blue stitches on the grey cloth, before to add, "Colors are just colors. No lady would dress, only, her House's. That would be boring". A mischievous smile here. "Now, will you tell me of those coming events, that keep your interest and make you seek for solitude? Perhaps a tournament? In King's Landing?".
At the mention of a tournament, Doran's green eyes blaze to life with some ancient inner fire that until now has been nothing but smoldering embers. "A tournament?" the Blackbolt inquires, his eyes searching the face of the lady as if to discern whispers she may have heard that he had not. Yet he sees nothing that is easily read, and instead shakes his head and moves to sit beside her on the bench.
"No, my lady. I believe that my sister, the one I spoke of prior, is in King's Landing. She has always been fascinated by my cousins the Yronwoods, and I fear she may have heard of my dark success along the Boneway." Doran's voice seems to trail off, as if his voice was caught in his throat. A gloved fist moves up to his lips, and he coughs gently into it, "I miss tournaments." Doran will state as he drops his hand from his mouth, changing the subject as best as he can. "They remind me of days when I dreamt battle was noble and honorable."
Lanei tilts her head, pondering, and the cloth gets a few more stitches. "I suppose that war heroes will get their prize as they arrive back to King's Landing, will you not? All your ladies will be there, waiting for you. Festivals will be hosted… balls and tournaments. It is the usual stuff. And tournaments, unlike war, are noble and honorable. At least in Dorne."
Looking up at the knight, for a moment the needlework forgotten, Doran's next words catch all her attention. "You dark success? Along the Boneway? There you fought where, with the King?. I know but little of what happened there. My interest lied elsewhere… around the Prince's Pass, mainly. And, of course" she smiles sadly, "Around Hellholt, since my family sent me there. But why do you worry for your sister, should she learn of your deeds? Most likely she will pride you, as any sister would. I do pride the Fowlers… and my friends' deeds."
Doran turns his eyes to Lanei, once again examining her face intently, but this time to see if she is mocking him. When it seems he discerns she is actually ignorant to what he speaks of, a comforting smile is taken up by his lips. "I am not one to seek renown from the death of others, Lady Lanei. If you have not heard of the Blackbolt of Blackhaven during the Young Dragon's march, than perhaps there is still hope that I may reach King's Landing before word of my deeds."
"You have lost family in the war?" The Blackbolt questions, his emerald eyes still gazing intently at the Dornish woman's face. His right hand slips down underneath the table, adjusting the hilt of the ornate sword that had apparently been bothering him.
Right after to have launched her questions, Lanei gasps under her breath. The Boneway, he said. Doran claimed to have fought there and… What if he had something to do with Utheryn's death. But she was told of another man, Dagur Saltcliffe, killing him… Returning to her needlework, even if for the sake to hide her eyes to him, she listens to the knight and what he has to say about.
"That… says a lot of you, Ser Doran" the dornish lady offers, eventually. "Indeed, I heard of you, despite my thoughts were elsewhere, as said. But, I am afraid that I recall very little about you and your deeds. So many unknown names, so many well-known places falling, one after another… As for your question…"
She sighs, truly distressed, no feign there. "Gerald, my Lord uncle, the former Lord of Skyreach. Landon, the Falconhelm, which I loved as a father. Astin, his son, who was my cousin and betrothed." Lanei bites her low lips. "And Franklyn, my little brother, who was but thirteen, and even being but a squire was killed while defending, valiantly, Sunspear. I have another brother, and last I heard, he was brought to Skyreach, gravely wounded. I don't know, even, if he lives or has passed away." A new sigh leaves her lips. "And a good number of dear friends, as were Ser Garvyn and, especially, his brother, Ser Utheryn Uller. Perhaps you would have heard of them."
"And what of you, Ser Doran? Have you lost family in this… war?".
"Ser Pearse Dondarrion." Doran replies, his eyes glazing over and appearing distant as he turns his eyes to watch the lady's hands and her work on the embroidery. "I watched as my own cousin cut him down." Doran's tone sounds far off, as if he were reliving the moment in his mind. The sadness that always accompanies his eyes seems to appear heavier, until the brilliant green dulls from their usual deep intensity. "I was lucky though to have my brother, Ser Anders, ride with me. I love him beyond question, but his temperament I fear will be the end of him, as he strives to prove himself to me and himself. There will come a time when he commits to a fight he can not win, and I only pray the Seven are kind enough to make certain I am there to protect him from his own anger."
The Blackbolt once again has a uncomfortable silence take hold of him, and his lips press tightly together as he gathers his thoughts at what to say next. "You know of my mother's house, and I consider them as much blood as I consider my own. If you do not know which of them fell, you will hear not their names from my lips. For me, the pain is still to near." Doran's tone seems to take on a droning, his eyes still distant as if remembering a past that has haunted him. Yet his face is clearly guarded, and if it were not for his eyes no emotion would betray his mood.
All turns suddenly blurry around her, and Lanei blinks several times, quickly, to regain her vision. She successes, yet at the price of a couple of tears leaving the eyes, running down her cheeks. Embarrassed at her own weakness, the young woman fumbles, searching for her handkerchief. Mildly alleviated as she wipes her face, removing those betrayer tears, and cursing herself, Lanei swallows and gathers her strength to regain her voice back. Still, and for now, she will dodge to meet the Blackbolt's eyes.
"I am sorry for your losses, ser" Lanei whispers, her voice touched, "May the Judge be kind to them all, and the Mother protect your brother, so that you will have him at your side for unnumbered years. "Your lady mother's house, the Yronwoods… I know that they have lost all their men but Ser Kay, who is on board too. What—?" She cuts her words off, suddenly realizing of what transpires there, lifting her head to ask, "You… Did you meet them on the battlefield? Ah! Of course, you are the Kinsl—!". Once again the lady does not finish what she would attempted to say.
The cursed name that has so oft been whispered behind Doran's back may not have been finished, but it still deals a blow of equal weight. His brow furrows, and water seeps into the bottom of the knight's emerald eyes. A large exhale is heard as if the Blackbolt were recovering from a smite of an unseen hammer that took from him the wind required to breathe. Still, Doran tries hard to maintain his composure, and his hands drop down to the table to slowly lift himself up from his perch upon the bench.
"Please beg my pardon, Lady Lanei." Doran's voice is a near whisper, and each word spoken catches in his throat. The handsome knight seems to shrink as he begins to walk towards the ladder that allows access to the upper deck, and he loses all presence as the fearless Blackbolt of Blackhaven, favored knight of the Stormlands.
For one second or two, the Fowler lady just stares at him in disbelief. "You killed one of your uncles, they said" she says, but as the woman realizes, fully, that he looks nearly broken and devastated, Lanei rises to her feet as well and hurries after him, arriving to Doran's side right in the moment that he is about to join the ladder. Taking him by a sleeve, she tries to stop him, standing before the man, so that he would need to push her off him way to reach the ladder.
"Those things… happen, when men wage war upon men, Ser Doran" she says is hurry. "It is unfortunate, ill-fated… and pitiable, to have been brought to the Boneway where you knew you would risk yourself to meet you mother's kin. Surely… it would have been better for you to join Garvys Tyrell's forces at the Prince's Pass, although you were with that Baratheon, Sarmion—but then, I am sure, I would not be here, speaking to you this way."
Lanei does not wish even to figure out how this man will feel about his deeds. It is said that God will doom those spilling his own blood. But did God even suspect that Daeron would desire to conquer Dorne?. "What now, my good ser? Won't you speak to me anymore?".
As the memories of his crimes flood back to the Blackbolt, they become too intense for his body to handle. His eyes lose the salted water that had built up within them, and slowly tears begin their descent down his face. Ser Doran's gait halts as the lady's hand takes hold of his sleeve, but he refuses to gaze upon her face, instead favoring a knot in the wood on the deck not far from where he stands. "Your voice is sweet, Lady Lanei, and you have been naught but kind to me. Yet sweet words spoken from a beautiful face do not give me absolution in the eyes of the gods. It is the Seven's understanding I seek, not yours." His voice is cracked, and the soft-spoken knight struggles for every word from within himself.
"I wish to speak no more of the Boneway, nor the Conquest. Let men such as Ser Jonn and the Stormbreaker cling to their deeds as if it makes them wealthy in the eyes of men. They are vultures in the land of the dead, nothing more." Ser Doran brings his free arm up to his face, roughly wiping the tears that fell unbidden.
"Now… I fully understand what you said about your sister…" Lanei mutters, almost for herself, "and they were not empty words. Aye, it is not on my hand to forgive you or to punish the one that… But it is a start, I do suppose. You might seek for the Gods absolution, but you will need to seek, too, for us the mortals', as long as you dwell among us. Don't disdain in your rush the forgiveness that you might find here."
Looking down at her hand grasping his sleeve, the lady releases it. "I did not intend to… offend you. I do apologize. And… if you do not wish to speak of the War, we will not. But, in retribution, I will demand of you to speak not of those men you mentioned." Her hand roams within her pocket, and draws the handkerchief that wiped her eyes a while ago, offering it to Doran in silence.
Doran waves his hand away, dismissing the handkerchief, "The air from the sea is filled with salt, and it is a terror on the eyes." the Blackbolt states, making reference to the tears he wished had fallen unseen. The knight turns from the knot he took interest when avoiding the Fowler's gaze, and now allows his eyes, that bare scars from his tormented soul, to look upon Lanei's face once again. "You are a wonder, my lady. I have not felt such kindness in many years, and I beg you to believe me, that I wish we had met on better terms."
Doran allows a weak smile to cross his face, and for once the knight appears to look his age, a man in his mid-twenties and still young to the world, "There is no doubt in my mind had it been at one of the tournaments I was declared champion, you would wear a crown of roses." A flush comes over his face as he speaks the words, apparently the honest aspects of the Blackbolt having caught the best of him, and his dull golden tint of his skin turns a crimson that would make an apple envious.
A faint yet comforting smile reaches Lanei's lips, as she nods and puts the handkerchief back on the pocket. "The air from the sea is salty enough to irritate the eyes beyond understanding, aye, as is the sand from the desert when windstorm shakes the wastelands. We the dornishmen are aware." She chuckles. "But I was not aware the wonder I do, ser; alas, I missed it. But do not tease me, mercilessly, for I am pretty sure that more than one woman has spoken to you, in the last years, and kinder than I do."
Slipping her arm upon his, the lady leads the Blackbolt back to the room. "So, we are on the tournaments topic again." Aren't men as children? Give them a toy to play with or a blade to a ser- and they will forget, even if for a while, their former grief. "Twice the knights I favored were proclaimed the champions and I was crowned; I must to confess I liked it. Both" she grins, "to see their triumphs and to know that, of all the ladies around, and despite they were prettier than I will ever be, I was their Queen. But they were dornish. To have a westerosi knight championing me would be, certainly, interesting to see, this at least."
Doran's smile remains on his face, as he allows the lady to lead him back into hold. "The tournament is a place where all men are equal, regardless of their heritage." The smile has lit up most of his face, even the sadness in his eyes seem to dim, and so to fades the flush spawned from compliment. "Twice a Queen? May I ask which two noble knights crowned you?"
"Oh, that's true, I should suppose, for neither heritage nor family's influence will help a knight there. Well" Lanei tilts her head, "Gold can buy better armors and weapons, aye" And perhaps something more? "But, basically, aren't tournaments established to test the knights' skills?".
Arriving back to the bench, the lady rejoins her place and sits down, her hands going for the embroidery frame to resume her needlework. "Why do you want to know, ser?" she asks, mischievously. "Are you trying to know if you would have bested them?".
A small flush rushes over Doran's face, and once again his tanned Dornish skin is shed in favor of a crimson one. "I am curious if I heard their names, I admit. Very few Dornish ever participated in the Reach or anywhere else in the Kingdom, but rumors were often heard." The Blackbolt slowly lowers himself on the bench beside the lady, and a smile creeps across his face as he drops his eyes down to examine the Fowler's work.
"Admittedly, I will tell you that the embroidery is not worth to look at. Ay." Lanei shakes her head. "I always hated these womanly arts, but… it is a way to pass the time." Besides, she has the feeling, wrong or not, that this must be the ladies of Daeron's Court favourite entertainment.
"Ser Astin Fowler, and Ser Utheryn Uller, the Knight of the Flame" she states, and drops her gaze to the stitches, checking them. "There were not important tournaments, as those hosted by the Prince, though, but minors. Yet, they meant a lot to me."
Doran nods, removing his gaze from the embroidery and focusing on Lanei's visage, "All tournaments are important. As you said before, it is designed to keep a knight's skill honed in wartime." Doran smiles softly, setting his hands on the table. "Have you seen Lady Liane yet this morning?" the Blackbolt inquires, his eyes glancing to the ladder that leads above.
"Last evening I noticed she was in the company of others, and had looked for her to see if there has been no trouble." The knight allows his eyes to drop from the ladder and find themselves once again gazing at the Lady Lanei. "I will be thankful when we arrive at King's Landing, and we can finally get away from all this madness." A strong sigh takes the Blackbolt, and he'll finally collapse into silence.
"Liane?". Lanei lifts her eyes, casting upon Doran a questioning gaze. "Nay" she shakes her head. "I have not seen her today. So, since you did it, was she doing well? I do hope she is not getting into problems, due… some sers she might find while roaming the decks. The Gods know that she has had enough of that."
The lady nods in agreement and continues her needlework. "Indeed, it will be relieving to arrive to King's Landing, even if for the sake to leave this ship. There is not a lot of space here, and this is a risk."
"Yes, when too many men share the same space, tempers often flare with ease." Doran replies, his hand going to his belt again to adjust the scabbard that is beside him. "As for Liane, I have not spoken to her. I was on my way to find her when I came upon you here in the hold."
"I know Ser Almer was with her, which troubles me. I have yet to discern his sort, and he is renown for deeds amongst those in the Stormlands." Doran's voice lowers considerably, and his gloved hand begins to pick at the table's wood.
"I heard of him, back in Dorne" she states, plainly. For sure she did; Almer Connington, the one raiding here and there in full wrath, and with his men, her land. Definitely, not a man the lady would like to meet.
"Then, I shall not distract you more, my good ser, for I did for long and, who knows: the lady might need you." Lanei's face saddens as she speaks these words; however, it is unclear to know if she did because Doran will take his leave, or at the thought of Liane facing, alone, Jonn or Sarmion or both of them at the same time.
The Blackbolt drops his gloved hands to the table, pushing himself up off the bench near the Fowler, "I would be honored if you would join me for a breath of the morning air?" Doran extends his hand to the Lady Lanei, "Besides, I don't believe the Lady has any love for me, and perhaps you may spare me harsh words."
"Ay, that will not be possible, Ser Doran" Lanei says, shaking her head. "I am afraid I must decline your kind offer, but lunchtime draws near and I should join Princess Ariana, which I serve as lady-in-waiting. But, should you renew you offer this evening, or tomorrow, and I would happily accept it ֖ if you don't mind to wander the deck with me."
She puts the embroidery frame on the table and stretches her finger, raising to her feet. Taking the frame, again, she offers, "But I will accompany you, at least for a little while, until I reach the Princess' cabin". Lanei walks to the narrow corridor, not before to wave a hand, inviting him to go with her.
A small smile crosses Doran's face, and eagerly he follows in the wake of the Fowler. "It would be my absolute pleasure, Lady Lanei." his eyes lose the sadness that so often plagues them, and his visage presents the feeling of contentment.
"Have a good day, Ser Doran" the lady wishes him, and entering the cabin, Lanei closes the door to the world outside.


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Last night it was time to try Kung Pao Pork. We love stir fry and trying variations of stir fry...and this one caught my eye. I've adapted it to suit our taste.
Here is the recipe:
Linked to A Little Nosh The King's Court 4 This Chick Cooks Not JUST a Housewife Chef In Training Mom on Timeout Eat Pray Read Love Tip Junkie


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With the understanding that some of this information must be placed in the unconfirmed category, I've heard from two sources now that Microsoft has an interesting goal for its well-received Surface tablets: 50 percent of all Windows tablet sales in the coming year.
That bit may seem somewhat extreme, but here's a shocker you may have missed: Microsoft already achieved this goal in Q1 2013, when Surface devices were indeed 50 percent of all Windows tablets sold. Of course, as the firm's PC maker partners pick up the slack and start shipping decent devices of their own, one might expect Microsoft's market share to slide. Oddly enough, that's not what Microsoft expects: It really does believe that Surface can maintain 50 percent market share going forward (again, among Windows tablets.)
Now we come to the rumor bit.
According to a single source who has proven reliable in recent weeks, Microsoft has specific Surface goals for fiscal year 2014, which starts July 1. These are:
Surface sales. Microsoft expects to sell 25 million Surface devices in FY2014. By comparison, it sold less than 1 million units in Q1 of CY2013, so this will require some changes. (See below.)
Enterprise tablets. Microsoft expects to become the number one enterprise tablets provider in FY 2014.
Retail tablet sales. Microsoft expects to become the number two provider of tablets at retail in FY 2014.
Education. Microsoft plans to at least bid for every available education tablet opportunity in FY 2014.
Distribution. Microsoft expects Surface to become the top tablet choice of its distribution partners, which will drive Surface sales through resellers.
To achieve these lofty goals, Microsoft will pump up its marketing, with FY 2014 advertising priorities focused on "first party [i.e. Surface] hardware to drive demand and highlight the family of devices and services from Microsoft." The Surface family will of course expand this year to include at least one more device, the 8-inch tablet I exclusively revealed earlier this year, and perhaps others. The internal budget? Reportedly $4.4 billion.
And Microsoft will dramatically expand the availability of Surface over the next year. In FY 2014, it will add Columbia, Poland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, India, and Malaysia to the list of countries that sell Surface tablets. This will give it near-ubiquitous coverage in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceana, with only South America and Africa having wide gaps.
"Surface success is a top company priority," internal Microsoft documentation notes, in "consumer and commercial, retail and broader, ARM and x86, growth and profit, and devices and accessories."
I feel pretty good about this one but, again: Until I can confirm some of the details, it's a rumor.


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[dj clue]
Dj clue, desert storm
You know how we do things
Right now, whachu bout to hear
Whachu bout to witness
F a b o l o you s
Come on, my man fabolous, the album, ghetto fabolous
Come on man!
Uh, come on
My gun go click and spark
Don't leave witnesses to point me out on one o six and park
Son those slick remarks
Gon' get you, bla-bla da da, bla-bla da da da da (blaow!)
Ya walk through my peas and carrots
Rind up hook on machines, livin' like peas and carrots
Ya team wanna beef
That's when I screw the muzzle on the tip and strap the beam underneath
When I ride through, ya don't see no lid
I put snipers on the roof like nino did
All it takes is some see no slid
And have you on the news askin anyone, if they seen yo kid
I don't scream it in a rough tone
But I got spots in the whip to stuff crome, that would of puff combs
Every hustler on this planet had
Givin' away twenties so big, they in sandwhich bags, nigga
Uh, yea
F a b, o l o you s
Yea, for real
[Verse 2:]
These niggaz gots to be punched
Act stupid, get shells in ya stomache, like you ate pasta for lunch
If I let this diablo door raid
I'ma have the front of ya crib lookin like diallos doorway
See I know all yay, we buy ours pure-yay
We waitin on boats, these guys know broadway
Ya gon make me tie a bomb under ya benz
See how much you talk wit firearms under ya chin
No you can't take the coupe wit ditches
Cause when I hit the highway, it always makes the croup suspicous
Please, I get my dollar from the hersey
I'm on that fly gangsta shit, I pop the collar on my jersey
You know I got the heat the way the vanson is bendin
Same laid back flow, no dancin' or grinin'
Who else can it be spellin it at them
You have them tappin they friend like
'I'm tellin you that's him', stupid


text:
Series; Album of Western Plants and Flowers
Album of Western Plants and Flowers - Lovely woodblock print from Tanigami Konan's "Album of Western Plants and Flowers" series. First published by Unsodo as a five-volume set in 1917, these beautiful designs illustrate the exotic flora of the Western world, with lush blossoms and colorful foliage from the four seasons. Carefully observed and beautifully drawn with delicate line work, these attractive images are enlivened with a range of color, from soft pastels to rich jewel tones. Although the plants are Western, the artistic treatment is distinctly Japanese, with a wonderful sense of asymmetrical balance and a fine contrast between flowers and leaves. A terrific choice to collect or display, either singly or in groups. The prints in this group are from a later edition.
Artist - Tanigami Konan (1879 - 1928)
Image Size - 8 3/4" x 13" + margins as shown
Condition - This print with excellent color as shown. Vertical centerfold. Slight paper remnants on reverse at sides from original mounting. A couple tiny spots and small indent on background. Please see photos for details.
This Auction Falls Under Our Standard Auction Rules and Guidelines
If you are a new bidder, please read the Rules and Guidelines page before bidding.


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Israel's relentless air attacks on a besieged Gaza, which have killed over 1,000 Palestinians and destroyed hundreds of homes, continue to take place away from the gaze of the international news media.
A country that claims to be the only multiparty democracy in the Middle East, Israel has barred all foreign journalists from entering Gaza, triggering strong protests not only from the United Nations but also from human rights groups and media organizations.
Speaking from Beirut, Mohamad Bazzi, a journalism professor at New York University, told IPS there are hundreds of journalists from around the world who have gathered in Israel trying to get access into Gaza.
Without access to the battlefield, they are having a difficult time verifying the claims by either side, he said.
"As the fighting continues and the civilian death toll rises in Gaza, the United Nations has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe and the world still does not have a full picture of the extent of that crisis," said Bazzi, who is also a board member of the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA).
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) fired off a strong letter of protest last week to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak criticizing the restrictions on the international media.
"By preventing journalists from covering its military offensive in Gaza, Israel is betraying its own democratic principles. It is also denying the world access to fact-based reporting," says CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.
He said Israel has a long history of allowing international journalists to cover conflicts.
"Why is it now restricting all access to a conflict zone? What is the legal basis for this restriction on the free movement of journalists?" he asked.
According to the CPJ, the Foreign Press Association in Israel appealed the ban to the Supreme Court, which suggested a compromise that would allow a small group of international journalists to file pool reports from Gaza.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) apparently agreed to allow eight journalists in through the Erez crossing in northern Gaza, but later scrapped the plan, "supposedly for security reasons, even as relief workers and others were admitted into Gaza".
"Although crossings have been opened more than once since the Israeli offensive on Gaza started, no journalists have been allowed to enter," Simon complained in his letter to Barak.
The letter also said there were more than 900 media personnel, mostly working for international news outlets, already in Israel who have been barred from crossing into Gaza for safety reasons.
"Israel has barred its own citizens from entering Gaza for the past two years, citing security fears. But the ban on international journalists is less than two months old and had been enforced sporadically until the latest military offensive," said Simon.
Meanwhile, the only 24-hour reporting has come from the Al-Jazeera satellite channel, whose reporters were present in Gaza long before the fighting began.
Bazzi told IPS that Israel has a history of a free and vibrant press, with news outlets that often challenge their government.
"Israel also has a history of allowing journalists to cover conflicts," he added.
During the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon from 1982 to 2000, the IDF took international journalists into the occupied zone.
And during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, journalists had access to the battlefield.
"This is the first time that Israel has banned all access to a conflict zone. Israel has not provided a legal basis or an adequate explanation for this ban on journalists," Bazzi added.
U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka has urged the Israeli government to provide "immediate access for international media into Gaza" and reminded the Israelis of the right to information enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
An equally strong protest has come from the director-general of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Koichiro Matsuura, who also condemned the killing of a journalist on the first day of the Israeli offensive against Gaza.
Basel Faraj, a cameraman for the Algerian TV network ENTV and the Palestine Broadcasting Production Company, died from wounds following an Israeli air strike.
Matsuura called on Israel "to allow local and international media professionals to report on events" in Gaza.
But these protests have had no positive response from Israel, which has continued with its devastation of Gaza minus international media scrutiny.
On Thursday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "outraged" that another artillery shell had landed in a UN compound in Gaza even as he was on a visit to Israel.
Following his protest, Barak admitted it was "a grave mistake" and assured the secretary-general that "extra attention" would be paid to UN facilities, a frequent target of Israeli attacks, in the future.
Besides the rising death toll, mostly women and children, the casualties also include some 4,000 injured in the 19-day fighting between Israel and Hamas.
"I am sorry to report that the tragic horror continues, and will continue until the guns fall silent," John Ging, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, told reporters early this week.
Ging said his UN agency would continue to call for a media presence in Gaza "not only because the truth must be told, but also because those making important decisions must be able to base their information on the facts."
Both the United Nations and the humanitarian community in Gaza regretted the absence of a "vibrant and impartial press corps on the ground", Ging added.


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Francine and David Wheeler's youngest son Ben was one of the 20 children killed in the Dec. 14 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Their grief has led them to Sandy Hook Promise, a now-nationwide group founded by Newtown friends and neighbors to heal the hurt and find new ways to talk about and campaign against the scourge of gun violence in the United States.
One of their allies is folk singer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, who joined with the Wheelers and others in a February concert of harmony, resilience and solidarity.
Francine Wheeler and Peter Yarrow discuss with Bill the power of music to create change, and their mission to protect children and adults from gun violence in communities across America. We also see excerpts from the concert, soon to appear on many public television stations. Later, the conversation continues as David Wheeler joins his wife to talk about what can be done and if the gun issue can be addressed in a way that includes diverse viewpoints and bypasses partisan brinkmanship.


text:
The Library of Congress has prepared a number of online finding aids that conform to the Encoded Archival Description standard. One of these is the register for the Federal Theatre Project collection.
The finding aid describes the entire Federal Theatre Project collection, estimated to include 525,000 items. Several thousand items have been digitized and approximately 3,000 images are presented in this release of the online collection. Late in 1997 or early in 1998, an additional 10,000 pages (20,000 images) will placed online.
The finding aid does not now contain links to the digital images that have been placed online. The next version of the online collection will implement links from the finding aid to the images. Apart from some illustrative examples, this will represent the Library's first effort to link an EAD finding aid to digital reproductions of content. Additional background information will be offered when the linked finding aid is ready.