HAMAS’ PROPAGANDA WAR

<b><br /></b><br /><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>MANUFACTURING BLOOD LIB<span style="font-size: x-large;">EL</span> </b></span></span> <br /><div class="navi-top-alignment"></div><div class="postwrap"><div class="post-28477 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-hamas-islam-fundamentalists category-israel category-israelipalestinian-conflict category-media-bias-media category-palestinian-terrorism-israelipalestinian-conflict category-pro-palestinianism-israelipalestinian-conflict category-rob-harris tag-blood-libel tag-hamas tag-israel tag-israeli-palestinian-conflict tag-media-bias tag-muhammad-al-dura tag-operation-amud-anan tag-palestinian-terrorism tag-pro-palestinianism tag-propaganda-war tag-rob-harris tag-social-media" id="post-28477"><div class="post-content"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #233f55; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.04em;">I</span>ntensive propaganda campaigns led by Palestinian terrorist groups are perhaps the most predictable occurrence when it comes to any minor or major conflict involving Israel. Typically, the strategy is to exaggerate death tolls, and conflate the killing of terrorist combatants with that of innocent civilians, in an effort to turn the issue on its head when Israel engages in morally legitimate acts of self-defence.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The display of highly emotive imagery is central to the strategy, and the most tasteless element must surely be the use of children. Children on both sides suffer, and conflict would of course cause fear to children, if not suffering. Nonetheless, these stories are often faked, and any apparent suffering paraded to the point of frenzy, a phenomenon that is intensifying with the use of social media sites like Twitter.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The recent violence between Hamas and Israel, leading to Operation Pillar of Cloud, has proven no exception. Almost immediately, Hamas began misrepresenting <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/11/14/Hamas-Fakes-Casualties-on-Twitter" target="_blank">images of children that had been injured or killed</a> in Syria as Palestinian dead. Notably, one of Hamas’ own supporters called out some of the fakery in a Tweet.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Similarly, a <a href="http://bdsgb.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/keep-faking-dead-kid-photo-from-gaza-is-actually-syrian/" target="_blank">heartrending image of a dead two year-old child</a> killed by the Syrian armed forces has also been passed off as another Palestinian casualty in the recent Israeli air strikes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_28481" style="text-align: justify; width: 388px;"><div class="wp-caption-text"><br /></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The strategy: Jew-as-child-killer</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are many examples of forged Palestinian propaganda, most of which get no media attention, other than the <a href="http://www.crethiplethi.com/the-muhammad-al-dura-hoax-and-other-myths-revived/israel/2011/">case of Mohammad Al-Dura</a>, a death proven to be falsified, and made in collusion with elements of the French media, a fact journalists at Haaretz and the Guardian have poured doubt upon.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In June Hamas <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/157150" target="_blank">claimed</a> that an Israeli air strike killed a child. However, no strike appeared to have been conducted in the area in question, and the <a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.ie/2012/06/un-confirms-that-arabs-lied-about-dead.html" target="_blank">UN confirmed</a> another cause. In March, AFP retracted <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/story-removed-gaza-power-cuts-193131038.html" target="_blank">a faked Hamas story</a> concerning a child supposedly dying due to electricity shortages.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Such propaganda is heavily promoted internationally by pro-Palestinian groups, which can often come to resemble proxies, and indeed many pro-Palestinians are also very keen to take the initiative for themselves. Examples this year include <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/u-n-media-employee-tweets-bloody-photo-of-palestinian-child-from-2006-but-attributes-it-to-current-airstrikes/" target="_blank">an image of a young girl purportedly killed in an Israeli air strike</a> but the girl in question was actually a casualty of an accident six years earlier, which was knowingly peddled on Twitter by no less than a member of the UN.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This content goes viral within a very short time, so viewed by millions of users. The fakery does not need to be of a good standard to be believed either. Overtly falsified incidents, such as <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/02/viral-photo-of-israeli-soldier-appears-fake.html" target="_blank">a staged event</a> where a child is seen under a supposed IDF soldier’s boot, have found similar success on the Internet.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pallywood becomes Hammywood – Al Dura style</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">It has been <a href="http://anneinpt.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/uk-media-coverage-of-the-rocket-fire-onto-the-south-of-israel/" target="_blank">noted</a> that many news outlets minimised or failed to report that the present conflict was very much initiated by Hamas. Indeed, the strategy of delaying the reporting of news stories concerning the conflict until Israel strikes back, whereby headlines lead with Israel’s actions, seems to have almost become editorial policy at the majority of mainstream news institutions, due to the <a href="http://blog.camera.org/archives/2012/11/post_104.html" target="_blank">astonishing frequency</a> of such occurrences.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The BBC, a major international news outlet, <a href="http://www.anorak.co.uk/339538/news/israel-watch-bbc-broadcasts-fake-hamas-injury-as-fact.html/" target="_blank">broadcast content</a> on their prime news bulletins that was clearly falsified. This occurred only a day after Operation Pillar of Cloud had commenced.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="youtube"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">A man in a tan-brown jacket, and black top featuring small print, is carried away by a crowd, circa 2:14 in the clip. The same man is seen walking around a short time later (circa 2:44). Both shots happened in the seemingly chaotic aftermath of a strike. Two alternatives can be posited. Either the scene was largely faked or a gravely injured man was up and walking again unassisted in a matter of minutes.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qwkdJJ001W8?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: small;">BBC fake Hamas attack</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The footage is in fact redolent of old unedited Pallywood material, in which <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_B1H-1opys" target="_blank">youths and men are seen falling</a> as if just shot by the IDF only to get up again.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Consequences</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Palestinian movement, both at home and abroad, has engaged in an intensive campaign to delegitimise its enemy for decades. We see its consequences every time we see news of the conflict in newspapers, on TV sets, radios, computers, and increasingly even <span style="font-size: large;">on </span>phones.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Obviously such material further incites hatred in a region where there is already more than enough to go around. The examples cited in this article are just occasions when Hamas have been caught out, and it should be noted that the success of this material necessitates most being passed off as genuine.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Knowledge in the hands of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKeAVBYAbn0" target="_blank">would-be genocidists</a> is a tool of war, and ought to be treated as such. However, elements within the media are complicit.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The focus on children taps into the anti-Semitic canard of the Jew as child killer, as exemplified by Carlos Latuff’s <a href="http://jcpa.org/article/anti-semitic-cartoons-on-progressive-blogs/" target="_blank">illustrations</a> — a motif prolifically adopted by mainstream pro-Palestinianism. It is a tool to engineer anti-Semitic blood libel.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">At this time of conflict, it should be affirmed that the many who defend Hamas do so at the expense of the Palestinians themselves! Those claiming Hamas are elected representatives conveniently forget that they imposed an <a href="http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/06/11/gaza-five-years-on-hamas-settles-in/birb#" target="_blank">effective dictatorship</a> on the electorate by repeatedly delaying elections. We are constantly told Hamas are pragmatists, sheep in the clothing of wolves, but with the present fracas Hamas have essentially started an unwinnable war over the killing of a leading terrorist. It shows where their priorities truly lie.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9Fic15V8ChE?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Hamas MP: The Jews were brought to Palestina for the "Great Massacre </span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/880818a.htm" target="_blank">Article Seven</a> of Hamas’ Charter also gives a hint</span></div><div class="indent" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: ‘O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.’</span></div><div class="indent" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Similarly the words of Hamas’ leaders attest to extremism, some of whom believe Allah brought the Jews to Palestine for the purpose of “The Great Massacre” to be instigated by the Palestinian nation:</span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> 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Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">HAMAS.</span></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="youtube"></span></span></div><div class="indent" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="indent" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Rob Harris</b> contributes articles to several websites on contentious political issues (not to be confused with the popular English novelist (1957-) of the same name). He blogs at <a href="http://eirael.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">eirael.blogspot.com</a>. He lives in Ireland. For all the exclusive blog entries by Rob Harris, go <a href="http://www.crethiplethi.com/category/guest-writers/rob-harris/">here</a>.</i></span></div></div></div></div>

HAMAS’ PROPAGANDA WAR

MANUFACTURING BLOOD LIB EL   I ntensive propaganda campaigns led by Palestinian terrorist groups are perhaps the most pre...

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Using a Learnist board to curate information about the iPad Summit in Boston

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JEa3HCsLPQVep79qHy4_oCcbBsK3J5vEwdsHvzqdpyfESKSoIKJCToQmDy3VQbb4kFUam_JXLwwfHViHWyVjrqbUj2HXMAj3LQAdSNsjATiLWEzc4jA7AEnvTS00bQ4ZCOzRCmiEft8/s1600/learnist2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JEa3HCsLPQVep79qHy4_oCcbBsK3J5vEwdsHvzqdpyfESKSoIKJCToQmDy3VQbb4kFUam_JXLwwfHViHWyVjrqbUj2HXMAj3LQAdSNsjATiLWEzc4jA7AEnvTS00bQ4ZCOzRCmiEft8/s1600/learnist2.JPG" /></a></div><i>submitted by Fiona Beal</i> <br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a while now I have been wanting to learn how to use Learnist for curating. I have tried (and LOVE using) Pinterest and Scoopit and today it was Learnist's turn. </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">Learnist</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> makes it very easy to share what you know by curating the web. You can use videos, blogs, books, docs, images or anything on the web to explain </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">. In my first attempt I used blogposts and a Google Docs presentation. Perhaps in my next Learnist I'll get more adventurous!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A Learnist board about the use of tablets</b></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I am very interested in the use of  tablets in the classroom I thought a worthy topic would be to find out more about the recent iPad Summit which was held at Harvard in Boston earlier this month. I did an Internet search of relevant posts and was delighted with what I found.  So please take a look at my embedded Learnist. In one of our following Schoolnet blogposts I'll relate how to create a board using this great curation tool - Learnist.  </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simply click on the heading in this image to be taken to the completed Learnist board called 'Ipad Summit posts'.  </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="456px" scrolling="no" src="http://learni.st/users/36830/boards/7817-ipad-summit-posts/embed?o=v" width="300px"></iframe></div>

Learnist Web tools Using a Learnist board to curate information about the iPad Summit in Boston

submitted by Fiona Beal For a while now I have been wanting to learn how to use Learnist for curating. I have tried (and LOVE using) Pinter...

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Photo Shoot

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today we had a photo shoot in our house for a UK Interiors Magazine.  It started this morning at about 10am when the photographer, <a href="http://www.reportage.ie/">Barbara Egan</a>, and stylist, Penny Crawford-Collins, arrived.  The stylist was very happy with the house and said she would need to add very few props as we had a very "strong look".  The shoot only took about 5 hours - again the stylist said this was very speedy as normally most houses need serious decluttering but ours thankfully didn't. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here's a few photos from the shoot.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A little rearrangement of a shelf by Penny the Stylist</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qvQsFAQ1h3DfG5krmeOhPwTByBRUTR4Gricmh97fz9Cph5hlXCW3yXLhoMZUr-ICrzu2swn-y6nXqSKnBWvmFH0EV4NnVbkfmYUnqKRSSr8IoueXkTqCJe__CyWrWrUdry1BsPh3kQ97/s1600/IMG_2466%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qvQsFAQ1h3DfG5krmeOhPwTByBRUTR4Gricmh97fz9Cph5hlXCW3yXLhoMZUr-ICrzu2swn-y6nXqSKnBWvmFH0EV4NnVbkfmYUnqKRSSr8IoueXkTqCJe__CyWrWrUdry1BsPh3kQ97/s320/IMG_2466%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Lamp being set up in the hallway (our habitat rug was removed from the hall as the stylist felt it didn't match the fabulous rugs that were loaned by <a href="http://www.rugart.ie/">RugArt</a></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrL58uHjmI_VKske3kwu_SN_WwEOz8Hq6sW7gErz4CObI-nZhYvTRywJbvQOgoRKj48YBHHz9bbjxAeEh_ZQgp56ZS5KPB3MQWOM67P-7upiAr0HckAPUQqzmRi_vZbql9IcBuhA5ZlQF/s1600/IMG_2468%5B2%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrL58uHjmI_VKske3kwu_SN_WwEOz8Hq6sW7gErz4CObI-nZhYvTRywJbvQOgoRKj48YBHHz9bbjxAeEh_ZQgp56ZS5KPB3MQWOM67P-7upiAr0HckAPUQqzmRi_vZbql9IcBuhA5ZlQF/s320/IMG_2468%5B2%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The stylist added accents of orange to the kitchen.  Oranges were arranged on a platter and my orange Le Creuset pot was set up on the induction hob.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFacYzWiymHqyZGC27P90nvU_mp3wTHmmN5cSyjmbn_28EchfGDlJS1hC2Nd7V_rDTNsBgNrwIT7nJTGtkLUJYQNoYlrjSuM_Sb9eDs-3Lh4OpIIHAPg_pNHWubykKbzn2HUM7y1koE8Xi/s1600/IMG_2470%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFacYzWiymHqyZGC27P90nvU_mp3wTHmmN5cSyjmbn_28EchfGDlJS1hC2Nd7V_rDTNsBgNrwIT7nJTGtkLUJYQNoYlrjSuM_Sb9eDs-3Lh4OpIIHAPg_pNHWubykKbzn2HUM7y1koE8Xi/s320/IMG_2470%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Here's Barbara the photographer taking a picture of the conversation pit</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcGJduIAe8GFl4lfH66XfrjgwG-WWCgolJElkmZlSBlMos0VQ1SwGmCaJ-P9oHWmLDu6bYSRAMeFRva-8CpLAXzqyjs9ckoGFIbXEE5eUxmzgOrLK_UL61B1L8V_KNiOoc0nY17KWnowJ/s1600/IMG_2474%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcGJduIAe8GFl4lfH66XfrjgwG-WWCgolJElkmZlSBlMos0VQ1SwGmCaJ-P9oHWmLDu6bYSRAMeFRva-8CpLAXzqyjs9ckoGFIbXEE5eUxmzgOrLK_UL61B1L8V_KNiOoc0nY17KWnowJ/s320/IMG_2474%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not a whole lot was changed in the master bedroom.  The stylist added these cushions and brought a few items from the guest room in to this bedroom</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQafdRwZeKm_PvWQN94645fwolPhfysmoX-ZfYT9lRQOBb9a8Q1Sm-3Z448YL6goqsBMSJ9oSnD1LT45i2pdkNWYfJUBftzJ0TpsmFZ8eT6Z3tdu212UByg2_4l3d8uxTEcu6hv-A-uEo/s1600/IMG_2479%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQafdRwZeKm_PvWQN94645fwolPhfysmoX-ZfYT9lRQOBb9a8Q1Sm-3Z448YL6goqsBMSJ9oSnD1LT45i2pdkNWYfJUBftzJ0TpsmFZ8eT6Z3tdu212UByg2_4l3d8uxTEcu6hv-A-uEo/s320/IMG_2479%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLJ-CjtFHiKCu3kUoxDI5HshYgm8CH-3_vqiB0ciBpFTIstzi6KgzoMKsJ8IKBp1_62hjsWcvh6Xj9aiGPcJqH2QrFmEiqfaMAwfIqgO8iM2Ld9gU0Y7A3iN7pN2CcDSeuarGLBhpZXty/s1600/IMG_2476%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLJ-CjtFHiKCu3kUoxDI5HshYgm8CH-3_vqiB0ciBpFTIstzi6KgzoMKsJ8IKBp1_62hjsWcvh6Xj9aiGPcJqH2QrFmEiqfaMAwfIqgO8iM2Ld9gU0Y7A3iN7pN2CcDSeuarGLBhpZXty/s320/IMG_2476%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9R9DR7dY6zgi_8HqtqOkOActtg-im3_W73piuQNumPJd9W1xnHuUhKo5yAk91XrnR_djWDzhtY1NLPS25LgKxf87LMemERK-Oxylq9p1mJpUrMsOHMSiE-rhDGwQrWaP8pt7JPn7a6m5/s1600/IMG_2490%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9R9DR7dY6zgi_8HqtqOkOActtg-im3_W73piuQNumPJd9W1xnHuUhKo5yAk91XrnR_djWDzhtY1NLPS25LgKxf87LMemERK-Oxylq9p1mJpUrMsOHMSiE-rhDGwQrWaP8pt7JPn7a6m5/s320/IMG_2490%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Here is the back of the house being photographed.  Isn't the <a href="http://www.kubekitchens.ie/designer-furniture">Calligaris</a> chair amazing?!!</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS39ZoxPKg4FZqwijIruC2qSv3SRsrqQTXHVfk9DZv-tTKRtbCbnWVfr6HC6Ls7iaEeVGHOinvmRPnEu0N0guaE_Ck16k10RkGoW3j4Eb1u4uW9boqICcHTBLMLAgQv3oFcA2xmsYR9uB4/s1600/IMG_2512%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS39ZoxPKg4FZqwijIruC2qSv3SRsrqQTXHVfk9DZv-tTKRtbCbnWVfr6HC6Ls7iaEeVGHOinvmRPnEu0N0guaE_Ck16k10RkGoW3j4Eb1u4uW9boqICcHTBLMLAgQv3oFcA2xmsYR9uB4/s320/IMG_2512%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Here is my own attempt at staging!!  I set up this little tray of cocktails (Cosmo's) and nibblies - it was used in the picture of the hot tub.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUcpTV-HRmZJ7jLi2dCg9jBWFDWbgfTOH9iPzn4if1KNQA_aghthrR5Dkcq25U-BiWnH6ybLOW39ZQWz1h-fCZEVYMRkIM3isJfLKzHYZ4rE97svvCxYwWJseSmiXwo8znCNZ-w4CBhnZ/s1600/IMG_2483%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUcpTV-HRmZJ7jLi2dCg9jBWFDWbgfTOH9iPzn4if1KNQA_aghthrR5Dkcq25U-BiWnH6ybLOW39ZQWz1h-fCZEVYMRkIM3isJfLKzHYZ4rE97svvCxYwWJseSmiXwo8znCNZ-w4CBhnZ/s320/IMG_2483%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Look to the left of the picture - it's my cocktail tray!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The stylist added the lovely bright cushions which make you nearly forget that it is November and that there was frost this morning!  <a href="http://www.shadowlight.ie/">Shadowlight</a> gave us the lamp to the right of the picture for the shoot.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jwuAeJp3qHeo4rucsHWKhjTrZQEfX-oa6cCfP5kVLCibEjFEdivxTDfxPszZrEkZHsZGlYyAvsMAauSRsUqNEu6RBheZa4e8X1rTfdkur5BsnSoUX3OcE8EMiuomRaCDUs7fKk54mqoV/s1600/IMG_2513%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jwuAeJp3qHeo4rucsHWKhjTrZQEfX-oa6cCfP5kVLCibEjFEdivxTDfxPszZrEkZHsZGlYyAvsMAauSRsUqNEu6RBheZa4e8X1rTfdkur5BsnSoUX3OcE8EMiuomRaCDUs7fKk54mqoV/s320/IMG_2513%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ciaran and I were photographed along with the dog once the house was all done. Due to the fact that it will be possibly Summer before the photos are featured in the magazine I was advised that I should not wear winter clothes i.e no woolly jumpers or boots.  I was told to wear pale colours - no black, navy or brown.  I wore a cream floaty blouse with tan trousers and a pair of ballet pumps while Ciaran wore a pink shirt with dark chinos.  We were photographed in various poses such as relaxing watching TV, chatting on the couch and then Ciaran coming in the door with the dog and me greeting them from the couch.    </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We enjoyed the whole experience and are looking forward to seeing the photos in the magazine! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">As far as we know the photos won't be published until the middle of 2013 but I will keep you updated!!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">Here's a few more pictures to give you a taste of the day.  Enjoy!</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhuUz-soOrp4fKORIZ8y7Pn9n8w5xTxsSP1oVTMlJpXoXxojRE-Kyr31W8eonHOpV16guBukYavf3yxgz-WQogyRaFiyPRWvX8cvFiZfq7Qu8aRpu-sR_YlAdgnACCa0uMVrmeREgHmtT/s1600/IMG_2508%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhuUz-soOrp4fKORIZ8y7Pn9n8w5xTxsSP1oVTMlJpXoXxojRE-Kyr31W8eonHOpV16guBukYavf3yxgz-WQogyRaFiyPRWvX8cvFiZfq7Qu8aRpu-sR_YlAdgnACCa0uMVrmeREgHmtT/s320/IMG_2508%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKbMoNH3ijwiVqnVhnggh8d5DGIWdmDqfoiWV7eQ-D03LdA2-LbZWhPDNFsJKN1Iqt4R1nxGVBDVW25WgHYDRo-uF1Yh7xARGfgbIhKYuvTut_W84NOYy_EVa7hjmORf6PVgkLzEbGtNs/s1600/IMG_2509%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKbMoNH3ijwiVqnVhnggh8d5DGIWdmDqfoiWV7eQ-D03LdA2-LbZWhPDNFsJKN1Iqt4R1nxGVBDVW25WgHYDRo-uF1Yh7xARGfgbIhKYuvTut_W84NOYy_EVa7hjmORf6PVgkLzEbGtNs/s320/IMG_2509%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitw5WFpMndBRaGCrIQC-FTtJMuoz5ADJEMgWPJeglNDyQPw7BSArenfSmtyglo-W0autzMBWz3XpoWwwnH7_cxybXNjT7_mWB6y-LJMNLv0nasm1UxU4hOM8bePBVEHBSSeYaVaAQczzWd/s1600/IMG_2511%5B2%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitw5WFpMndBRaGCrIQC-FTtJMuoz5ADJEMgWPJeglNDyQPw7BSArenfSmtyglo-W0autzMBWz3XpoWwwnH7_cxybXNjT7_mWB6y-LJMNLv0nasm1UxU4hOM8bePBVEHBSSeYaVaAQczzWd/s320/IMG_2511%5B2%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">You can checkout more pictures <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.453266344709707.90420.122333021136376&type=1">here</a>!</span>

Photo Shoot

Today we had a photo shoot in our house for a UK Interiors Magazine.  It started this morning at about 10am when the photographer, Barbara E...

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IWS Babe of the Week: Thanksgiving Hotties!!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Thanksgiving is a few days away so let's gobble up some Thanksgiving Day Babes of the Week IWS style...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Anytime I see Rachel Ray pulling a hot, moist turkey from her oven, I get an incredibly hard wishbone...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8cZ0mHmrRaRcZWwFKS4qdiWFaedm5R2HGPmD54-2s2tFxMPVswGbozVgPR_GNuB46YGAjHbdhZnTFDY0OhItPmuTBWsYMwYJXLpHntnQ9RXgsU3AftP4jhpuQBAdqocYS-MY7wc2H7w/s1600/Rachel+Ray+Sexy+Nude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8cZ0mHmrRaRcZWwFKS4qdiWFaedm5R2HGPmD54-2s2tFxMPVswGbozVgPR_GNuB46YGAjHbdhZnTFDY0OhItPmuTBWsYMwYJXLpHntnQ9RXgsU3AftP4jhpuQBAdqocYS-MY7wc2H7w/s400/Rachel+Ray+Sexy+Nude.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Democrats and Republicans may fail to get along, but Indians and Pilgrims not only can, they have an estrogen-filled good time doing so... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUCTgGL2Op5TaV-XgNgkIrRW9JBbTN2qTNkIMSgEFX5HNx_HpMPWX8xhvGL7kWamdbku7K_Q6OELoAJBwYYjDcSWDXkzazyhh1_rgU_aoQPqW6W0zfpHSCgylKoPQPlSy80qqyxyS-Tg/s1600/Thanksgiving+Sexy+Indian+and+Pilgrim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUCTgGL2Op5TaV-XgNgkIrRW9JBbTN2qTNkIMSgEFX5HNx_HpMPWX8xhvGL7kWamdbku7K_Q6OELoAJBwYYjDcSWDXkzazyhh1_rgU_aoQPqW6W0zfpHSCgylKoPQPlSy80qqyxyS-Tg/s400/Thanksgiving+Sexy+Indian+and+Pilgrim.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Can you say, Poke-a-Hottie..?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-GtlTnTrK4c-IfO9mPtx9112SiZWMccAcqzh7jm0tzkKvyxLIsPotE9wVq2GHlMVkWHI03jaHlAruNdq0b88SwrTzqzlWwsvsEGr2iHjK4mGeqQJ9rKAjRHww_xmV5dUpIewnTolnqg/s1600/Thanksgiving+Sexy+Indian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-GtlTnTrK4c-IfO9mPtx9112SiZWMccAcqzh7jm0tzkKvyxLIsPotE9wVq2GHlMVkWHI03jaHlAruNdq0b88SwrTzqzlWwsvsEGr2iHjK4mGeqQJ9rKAjRHww_xmV5dUpIewnTolnqg/s400/Thanksgiving+Sexy+Indian.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I hope that the oysters that she is cooking up for the dressing are going to make her go mad for me...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFoIirUT9E-bK13sIFsCu5qbMxAFP_YrnYEJf82hSbXmkkKS9tug8n-BRuJCV2e2dKqKj5fk_SzcXYoBORbmWUlkhwIbjZuIzUp8RDx6lIcWV8u2X1hprG22AoHBy1a8nQyt-7qt4lTQ/s1600/Hot+Sexy+Naked+Woman+Cooking.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFoIirUT9E-bK13sIFsCu5qbMxAFP_YrnYEJf82hSbXmkkKS9tug8n-BRuJCV2e2dKqKj5fk_SzcXYoBORbmWUlkhwIbjZuIzUp8RDx6lIcWV8u2X1hprG22AoHBy1a8nQyt-7qt4lTQ/s400/Hot+Sexy+Naked+Woman+Cooking.png" width="343" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We already met Poke-a-Hottie, now allow me to introduce you to, Sock-It-Me-Uh...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpFv8op65uy1wFwmYKvVO7SKT2z2vLKhL7qk1VGYakkYOtG4w8bB8sjMdHKGm_lYtqTkSWvTAa9f0YdEpZuodWfHnJoSjyK7bTmrfKujFoDMzdKfCVdY9HUlXV9b6T42a2pmEM26iV_E/s1600/thanksgiving+sexy+nude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpFv8op65uy1wFwmYKvVO7SKT2z2vLKhL7qk1VGYakkYOtG4w8bB8sjMdHKGm_lYtqTkSWvTAa9f0YdEpZuodWfHnJoSjyK7bTmrfKujFoDMzdKfCVdY9HUlXV9b6T42a2pmEM26iV_E/s400/thanksgiving+sexy+nude.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not a big fan of Rachel Ray, but I bet her pie tastes awesome...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-2rLWb5LUonU-iBlVzLCQe4NF9GW1QNeKq1axbm5NgXKU9CO1wqbX5sjMDtS3f35q8rZ6cfNx35rP8L0ZalHGglQmr8nPkGCBsvL8UUdAgqVvY98y77cv_kXxvehdv5Rv-V-9K35iHY/s1600/Rachel+Ray+Hot+Sexy+Nude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-2rLWb5LUonU-iBlVzLCQe4NF9GW1QNeKq1axbm5NgXKU9CO1wqbX5sjMDtS3f35q8rZ6cfNx35rP8L0ZalHGglQmr8nPkGCBsvL8UUdAgqVvY98y77cv_kXxvehdv5Rv-V-9K35iHY/s400/Rachel+Ray+Hot+Sexy+Nude.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jay and I give thanks for her everyday, but on Thanksgiving, both of us always give a special thanks to our friend, the uber-lovely Tamra...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrb6dQ9mCmXUmL2PnL90v6Bfnmp2Wetn9SZyOekCqj4lKyW8mNEKiiLLTsA_Z54JIKVNVa2TOUX-BsUc1pIuK9CcSkAaZopwxKo_aJk1CSW-SwiKe26pn8tPTvY9wffoNmARzH0GWOUY/s1600/Tamra+Looking+in+Mirror+Stockings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrb6dQ9mCmXUmL2PnL90v6Bfnmp2Wetn9SZyOekCqj4lKyW8mNEKiiLLTsA_Z54JIKVNVa2TOUX-BsUc1pIuK9CcSkAaZopwxKo_aJk1CSW-SwiKe26pn8tPTvY9wffoNmARzH0GWOUY/s400/Tamra+Looking+in+Mirror+Stockings.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Thanksgiving all, and...if you need advice on how to handle the stress, family in-fighting, and normal idiocy that transpires during the holidays...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You need to listen to IWS Radio today LIVE at Noon ET, as we offer advice on how to handle the clusterfuck that is the Holiday Season.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You can listen live today at NOON ET by clicking <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/11/18/advice-for-the-holidays" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>HERE</i></span></a>, and/or...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Call us live with your questions and dilemmas at 661.244.9852.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>

IWS Babe of the Week: Thanksgiving Hotties!!

Thanksgiving is a few days away so let's gobble up some Thanksgiving Day Babes of the Week IWS style... Anytime I see Rachel Ray pulling...

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Archipendium Calendar

Yesterday I received a copy of the <a href="http://www.archipendium.com/">Archipendium 2012 Architecture Calendar</a>. Yes, it's a little late in the year to receive a calendar, but I made it a "test drive" to help people decide if they want to get the <a href="http://www.archimaps-shop.com/">2013 edition</a> now available. As can be seen below, it is a daily "tear-off" calendar with one building every day that is about 4.25x5.5 inches (11x14 cm), with a hole near the top for mounting on a wall.<br /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-1.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" /><br />[Archipendium 2012 Calendar | All photos by archidose] <br /><br />My first thought after taking a quick glance at the calendar was, "what do I do with the sheets after tearing them off?" Throwing them away—I mean recycling them—is certainly an option, but if saving them is more valuable, both environmentally and in terms of keeping an archive of the daily buildings, then the question is how to save them. I decided to build a base for the calendar, one side (left, below) for the torn-off sheets and one side (right, below) for the calendar; I used a screw post with the latter, to help keep it in place. <br /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-2.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" /><br /><br />Tearing my way through 10-1/2 months of the calendar, one day at a time, confronted me with a bevy of nice buildings, most of them in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. <a href="http://www.archi-maps.com/">Archimap Publishers</a>, who puts out the calendar, is based in Berlin, so this is no surprise. On the back of each daily photo is a description of the project and a drawing, sometimes a plan, but other times an elevation, a section, a detail, a rendering; whatever is of interest. Unfortunately, only about half of the projects are described in English; the rest are in German.<br /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-3.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-3.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" /><br /><br />As January 20 attests, there are buildings elsewhere, but they are much fewer than those within Europe, German-speaking countries or otherwise. More buildings in Asia, Australia, and South America would be nice, but again I'm not surprised by the geographic density of the projects.<br /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-4.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-4.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" /><br /><br />With 366 projects (2012 is a leap year), there's plenty of fresh architecture for even the most devoted architecture buff. I found a good deal of likable architecture that I was not familiar with, though it seemed that every one I wanted to learn more about was accompanied by a description in German. To the Internet!<br /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-5.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-5.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-6.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-6.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" /><br /><br />The choice of buildings is decidedly modern, but there is still some eclecticism, as this project by FAT Architecture attests:<br /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-7.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-7.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" /><br /><br />Tearing through page after page, day after day, one thing I realized is that the quick-and-dirty base I made (with black museum board and electrical tape) isn't such a bad idea. But it would be a lot better if it could close, so then the torn sheets could be saved inside an archival box that could be referenced at will. Instead, I'll be left with a base that can be used for subsequent years and still be faced with the question of what to do with the torn sheets.<br /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-8.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-8.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-9.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-9.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" /><br /><br />The 2012 calendar has an introduction by Tony Fretton, who jokes about "provid[ing] a thin veneer of respectability to the whole affair," but more accurately catches on to how the daily march of buildings produces some "awkward conversation[s]." A more expected but nevertheless an interesting tactic would take the relationship of building to day or time of year into account. Why not have the <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Dec06/25/dose.html">Ice Hotel</a> on Christmas Day? Or a building surrounded by cherry blossoms in early May? Or feature buildings from certain countries on days that coincide with major local holidays? There's lots that can be done to make something good even better.<br /><br /><img alt="archipendium2012-10.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/archipendium2012-10.jpg" title="Archipendium 2012 Calendar" />

Archipendium Calendar

Yesterday I received a copy of the Archipendium 2012 Architecture Calendar . Yes, it's a little late in the year to receive a calendar, ...

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The Importance of Regular Mental Health Checkups - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><div class="articleBody" style="margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; "><nyt_text><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">EVERYONE is familiar with the concept of a periodic medical checkup — some sort of scheduled doctor's visit to check your <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/blood-pressure/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Blood Pressure." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">blood pressure</a>, weight and other physical benchmarks.</div></nyt_text></div><div class="articleBody" style="margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.7em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; "><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Ideally, doctors should ask patients about their moods as part of a regular wellness visit, Dr. Borenstein said — there doesn't necessarily need to be a special visit to gauge mental health. But if the doctor doesn't bring it up, patients can educate themselves and start the conversation with their physicians.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Jeffrey Cain, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said family doctors were trained to spot symptoms of mental illness, like depression, and he encouraged patients to bring in questions or concerns for discussion. But people don't necessarily go to their <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/specialtopic/choosing-a-primary-care-provider/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Choosing a primary care provider." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">family doctor</a> and say they are depressed, he said. Rather, they say they're tired, or that they lack energy, that they're having trouble concentrating or that their body aches — all of which can be symptoms of depression or anxiety.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">There are some well-known screening tools that patients can use as a starting point to assess themselves, to help prompt a conversation with their doctor. Dr. Borenstein mentioned a common tool used by doctors to assess patients for depression: a "P.H.Q.," for "patient health questionnaire" He cautioned that the idea here was not to self-diagnose using such forms — there are several versions, varying by number of questions — but rather to self-assess, and then discuss your concerns with a professional.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">The P.H.Q.-9, which asks nine questions, was developed by researchers at Columbia University and Indiana University, with help from a grant from Pfizer Inc. The form is available on several Web sites, including (<a target="_" href="http://phqscreeners.com/pdfs/02_PHQ-9/English.pdf" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">phqscreeners.com/pdfs/02_PHQ-9/English.pdf</a>).</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">It asks about the patient's outlook and health habits over the previous two weeks. The first question, for instance, asks patients whether they have had "little interest or pleasure" in doing things and asks them to check a box ranging from "not at all," which scores a zero, to "nearly every day," which scores a 3. A professional computes a total score, which gives more weight to frequent symptoms; the higher the score, the greater the likelihood of significant depression.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Another set of screening tools for depression and other mental health disorders were developed by Screening for Mental Health, a Boston-area nonprofit that creates assessment tools for use by health plans, colleges, the military and the general public. Founded by Douglas Jacobs, an associate clinical professor of <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/psychiatry_and_psychiatrists/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about psychiatry." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">psychiatry</a> at Harvard Medical School, the organization grew out of the first National Depression Screening Day, which is held annually each October during Mental Illness Awareness Week.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Mental illnesses have specific signs and symptoms, much as a disease like <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/diabetes/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Diabetes." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">diabetes</a> does, Dr. Jacobs said, and those symptoms can be identified and treated. Take depression, again, as an example. It's normal to be sad for a while after a personal loss or a traumatic event. But when the effects linger and begin to affect your self-esteem, or interfere with your ability to do your job or handle other responsibilities, he said, you may want to consider if you are suffering from a more serious depression that should be treated professionally — with behavioral therapy, medication or both.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">At the site <a target="_" href="http://helpyourselfhelpothers.org/" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">helpyourselfhelpothers.org</a>, which is sponsored by Screening for Mental Health, you can find locations near you that offer mental health services. Or, you can use a free online screening tool that can help you gauge if you might be at risk for various illnesses including depression, anxiety, <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/bipolar-disorder/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Bipolar Disorder." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">bipolar disorder</a>, <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/eatingdisorders/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about eating disorders." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">eating disorders</a> and <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Post-traumatic stress disorder." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">post-traumatic stress disorder</a>.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">You can choose a specific screening or answer questions to help narrow your choice. For instance, the tool asks you to complete the sentence "I have been..." with phrases like "feeling sad or empty," or "drinking more than planned."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">The depression screening tool asks questions about how you have been feeling during the last two weeks, like whether you have been "blaming yourself for things" some of the time, all of the time, or most of the time.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">The questionnaire concludes with a finding based on your answers. For instance, it might tell you that "Your screening results are consistent with symptoms of an eating disorder," along with a recommendation to seek a professional evaluation. Gina N. Duncan, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta, who has blogged about the notion of a personal mental health checkup, said sleep disruptions were often a sign of stress. If you're sleeping much more or less than usual, or having <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/specialtopic/insomnia-concerns/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Insomnia concerns." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">difficulty falling asleep</a>, that can be a warning signal.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Many large employers include mental health coverage as part of their health benefits packages, and recent federal rules on benefits "parity" mean such benefits at large plans should not have higher have co-payments and deductibles or stricter limits on treatment than benefits for other medical or surgical needs. Also, most large companies currently offer employee assistance plans, which provide counseling and referrals — both over the phone and in person — to workers and members of their families who are suffering from personal crises.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Helen B. Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, a consortium of large employers, said employee assistance plans were an important way to screen for mental health problems. Help through them is generally provided free of charge outside of the main <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/your-money/insurance/health-insurance/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="More articles about health insurance." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">health insurance</a> plan, so using the service does not generate an <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/your-money/insurance/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="More articles about insurance." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: underline; ">insurance</a> claim.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Over all, however, 15 percent of employers in the United States do not offer mental health coverage to employees, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Such benefits may become more widely available in 2014, when many provisions of the Affordable Care Act take effect. Mental health benefits will be part of the "essential package" that must be offered by many insurance plans, including the new state-sponsored insurance exchanges.</p></div></div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/your-money/the-importance-of-regular-mental-health-checkups.html?">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/your-money/the-importance-of-regular-mental-health-checkups.html?</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

The Importance of Regular Mental Health Checkups - NYTimes.com

EVERYONE is familiar with the concept of a periodic medical checkup — some sort of scheduled doctor's visit to check your  blood pressur...

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Can Housework Help You Live Longer? - NYTimes.com

It's well known by now that active people typically live longer than those who are sedentary. But precisely what types or amounts of exercise most affect life span has not been clear. Several new studies, though, are beginning to provide some clarity, suggesting that certain activities may be better than others in terms of affecting mortality risk.<br /><br><br /><br>Perhaps the most memorable of the new studies was conducted by researchers in Europe who turned to a large database of health informationabout middle-aged British civil servants. The workers, ages 35 to 55 at the start, were followed for a decade or so, during which time they filled out repeated health questionnaires.<br /><br><br /><br>The topics included each man or woman's physical activity during the previous month. Specifically, the questionnaires asked about the number of hours that the volunteers had spent walking, gardening, performing housework, playing sports (swimming, cycling, golf or soccer) and puttering around the house completing yardwork and do-it-yourself repair projects.<br /><br><br /><br>Each activity was designated as "mild," like washing the dishes and cooking; "moderate," encompassing weeding and brisk walking; or "vigorous," which here included swimming and mowing the yard. (Riding mowers apparently didn't factor in.)<br /><br><br /><br>The researchers also checked death records for the civil servants.<br /><br><br /><br>They found that in general, physical activity of any kind was associated with longer life. But the association was much stronger among those people whose activities were relatively intense. Those who regularly painted and repaired their houses or walked briskly enjoyed more protection against premature death than those who washed dishes, even if people spent more overall hours engaged in "mild" activities.<br /><br><br /><br>That finding agrees with those of a study published this year in The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, in which scientists in Copenhagen followed 5,106 adult recreational cyclists for about 18 years, asking their volunteers to occasionally report how many hours and how strenuously they were riding their bikes.<br /><br><br /><br>The researchers also tracked deaths among the group.<br /><br><br /><br>It turned out that the men and women who reported riding relatively hard (although none were racers) lived longer than those who rode at an easy pace, even if they weren't pedaling for as many hours. On average, cyclists who regularly rode hard lived about four or five years longer than those who went at a more leisurely pace.<br /><br><br /><br>"Our general recommendations to all adults would be that brisk cycling is preferable to slow," the authors conclude.<br /><br><br /><br>But not all researchers are convinced that intense exercise is essential, if your goal is a longer life. The general consensus among most researchers studying exercise and longevity "is that it is the total amount of energy expended that is important," and not whether you huff and strain during that expenditure, says Dr. I-Min Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, an author of a major new examination of exercise and life expectancy.<br /><br><br /><br>In that study, published last week in PLoS Medicine, Dr. Lee and colleagues from the National Cancer Institute and other institutions compiled physical activity, body mass and mortality data for more than 650,000 American adults who'd participated in National Cancer Institute studies over the years.<br /><br><br /><br>The researchers compared the volunteers' activity levels against the current governmental recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) per week. They found that those who met the recommendation lived on average 3.4 years longer than people who didn't exercise. Those who ambitiously doubled the recommended amount of weekly exercise enjoyed additional gains in life span, but at a noticeably diminishing rate, typically living 10 months or so longer than those who just met the guidelines.<br /><br><br /><br>Even people who were overweight or obese lived longer if they exercised moderately, whether or not they lost weight during the study period.<br /><br><br /><br>Interestingly, the association between physical activity and longer life held true also for those volunteers who reported exercising only occasionally. "A very low level of activity, equivalent to 10 minutes per day of walking, was associated with a gain of almost two years of life expectancy," says Steven Moore, a research fellow with the National Cancer Institute, who led the study.<br /><br><br /><br>In fact, he says, "maximum longevity was reached at a physical activity level equivalent to 65 minutes per day of walking, with no evidence for gains above this level of activity."<br /><br><br /><br>What all of this suggests, Dr. Lee says, is "that physical activity, even at a modest level, can increase life expectancy."<br /><br><br /><br>But it's also probable, although not yet definitively proven, she continues, that "intense exercise gives additional benefit above the risk reduction afforded by energy expenditure alone."<br /><br><br /><br>In other words, pushing yourself during your next walk, bike ride or home-repair project might amplify the activity's longevity-enhancing benefits, Dr. Lee says. But if you don't wish to or cannot increase the intensity of your exercise, don't sweat it.<br /><br><br /><br>The largest gain in terms of adding years to someone's life, she says, comes in that space between "doing nothing to achieving the lower end of the activity scale," which makes even the usually tedious prospect of washing this morning's breakfast dishes more palatable.<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/can-housework-help-you-live-longer/?src=recg">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/can-housework-help-you-live-longer/?src=recg</a>

Can Housework Help You Live Longer? - NYTimes.com

It's well known by now that active people typically live longer than those who are sedentary. But precisely what types or amounts of exe...

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You may be walking wounded, but Teacher, stay in the game!

<br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5811792685072437954'><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNexVgvl4dABmBRxBywwjEmnaRaWKKDmO5o0Wv8dx0s8Dl5mpP3yDzuwcCyZV3JCPONB1SP9WMa_GPjioi7kaEydZyJ8Z66ug6M9OmLR21hmqcCE1WVldczaIveBlMFBZ5T12spA5_eHcQ/s288/4.jpg" style="margin:5px" width="281"></a></center><br />We are all walking wounded. We all have things that have hurt is in life: personal or professional situations that have left us limping. While it would be nice to go into the struggles of our lives with muscles rippling like a well-oiled Apollo or Athena in all the grandeur of a fresh rest on Olympus and a brief appearance to do battle among humankind -- that isn't what happens in life. Far from appearing like ancient gods, we all have our flaws. Chinks in our armor...holes in our thesis, a wilt in our leaves-- whatever your analogy, if you're reading this with breath in your nostrils - you and me are both mortal and imperfect.<br /><br />I share stories from my life because it is the stories of life that teach me. When I feel the emotion and struggle, that is when I learn things. Last night my son's football team was playing an excellent, strong, fast team in the state quarter finals. With 4 minutes left, he got up from the bottom of the pile limping. But he was walking it off trying to pretend like nothing was wrong. When the coach called time out, my son wouldn't look him in the eye because he didn't want him to know he was hurt. He is a senior, he loves the sport, and he's played his whole life for this moment - to be a team captain in a state playoff ballgame. He wasn't coming out -- but he was the walking wounded. The other team saw him limping and started driving the ball to that side. My son was hurt but he was there -- raising his arm to block a pass and struggling to shut down a guy who was as fast as the wind. (We won -- oh yes, we did.)<br /><br />As I worried about his unknown injury -- as his Mom, I knew he was hurting badly -- I thought to myself. "What is the alternative? Who is going to take his spot? The boys on the sidelines have their own issues- some have inexperience and others can't go in from prior injuries. Honestly, they are all walking wounded and someone has to play and take care of this game. He's telling himself -- this is the game I was born to play and I'm going to leave it all on the field." <br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5811792718123446626'><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIegHwQPSAz1RfqyCEIwZIPvg1CMow6PnM1She_AOmWxHGk_PPUtGAm_yawVgAa8yxyFQm3p8zreTer3cgnQMSLFYF5CVL_i5akCSRESCE_kVgwbRAa6gN2Nfsyo_dnDgG_sez6BGyOF1Z/s288/5.jpg" style="margin:5px" width="281"></a></center><br />Then it hit me. That's me and that's you. Teaching and parenting are tough -- they aren't sports, they are very real, important life -consuming callings. Whether you're dealing with screaming fussy tots, the elementary kids taking naps on cots, the middle school "I'm nots" or the high school big shots -- it is enough to leave you wounded, frayed, and exhausted. By now, if you're reading this on a Saturday, you're probably "over the top" tired like me.<br /><br />You're the walking wounded. It is so easy to wish to be taken out of the game. When I'm exhausted and have what feels like a thousand kids in my room, I ask myself, probably like you, how much longer can I play in this game? How am I going to have the fortitude to make it? <br /><br />I've always felt like summer time is the time for educators to heal and for parents to feel --what is like to handle their kids day in and day out. (They are always ready to give them back' aren't they?) <br /><br />But what happens when you're smack dab in the middle of the game, hurt? What happens when it is the middle of the school year and you're so tired from coaching a sport or a drama team or getting ready for prom,or managing another sale -- on top of your regular teaching duties-- that you don't know if you can see straight? What happens when you've got a crisis or two on the home front and you wake up tired every day wondering how you're going to make it?<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5811792867947514178'><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcbECgpiol7Mr9MVkUZnJ3NfDGKt8c1xQPw0ndJt5kY3g_TkFd78I0a8OnVWhSGjpTvV0tFM1Waogs2mogSFC-EZJK-RlPFM0LQYhPgPP4B8r_uLrUWTp3fxVyGanuIEXvx9RclrgmAcZ/s288/6.jpg" style="margin:5px" width="281"></a></center><br />What do you do when you're wounded and all that is in you wants to come out?<br /><br />Well... you rest for the brief moments you have...and then, you realize, like my son, like me-- that this is the job you were born to do. This is your moment. Do what you were called to do. Live a life full of purpose -- because, I guarantee you, you may not know it, but your students are wounded too.<br /><br />Teaching isn't all neat and tidy like it looks on the films. I've had 3 film crews in my classroom and none of them really captured IT. It is a wild and crazy place. I'm pushing kids to do more...sometimes some of them who have been told what to do all their lives and just want me to do it for them (these kids tend to like being an automaton mindlessly completing worksheets)...they actually cry or try to shut down on me. I have to take everything I have to reach within and help bring them back to a place where they can think on their own and solve problems. <br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5811792916946952786'><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BlpmRrk9HaBgbSoAOTt_vuAawYw1JogNnSWBrTC-mWMpueFU1azoQS1sYju_d_yz1H1h6tq6tYZjPDAJLYKhoox9aad89T4ov3cvJVzgemU8IvzUZY5LCFoNwsRKJFmxJsGULPKM9_UQ/s288/7.jpg" style="margin:5px" width="281"></a></center><br />Sometimes the light bulb goes on and they jump out of their seats and say "I'm so excited, I feel good about myself because I did that" (it happened just yesterday) or they stay in their seats when the bell rings spellbound by something we're discussing and not wanting to leave. <br /><br />Sometimes they are crying on my shoulder because a parent or friend crushed their emotions. Sometimes they are making sideways glances at each other as I'm angry - talking to them about the character traits of life that they must remember. (Mrs. Betty, my curriculum director, always says - even if you think it won't change them and even if you've given the lecture a thousand times - TELL THEM - SAY IT - MEAN IT - don't let the moment or situation pass without interjecting your emotion and perspective into it. She's right. If something needs to be said, I'll say it -- I'm not here to be popular, I'm here to change their lives and sometimes that means I need to be sandpaper upon the rough splinters of character traits that will get them in trouble.)<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5811792947448737890'><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHm-xdC2mEkeTWeepPXp-uXCdtaO40aHV0N1ezg9Y4BycqI8PtPR-QpFEMjWNsdM7o9KTNvpw4NMNKs8-uDp7kQl8R2ubK9WtUWEU5BmvK-OKr_1BfZbuPvzSLovLoaduNNlAKfNbiiy_-/s288/8.jpg" style="margin:5px" width="281"></a></center><br />But this is our fight -- our game, if you will. This is our moment. There is no such thing as a rested teacher. There is no such thing as a teacher without wounds. We are the walking wounded. There are a lot of coaches on the sidelines and lots of edu-casters telling us how to play this game - but we are the ones on the field. We are the ones in the fray - doing this job every day. Lots of gray haired men sit around in coffee shops scratching their beards saying what educators today need to do -- and lots of newspaper writers do too. But many of those very same people who second guess both sports and the classroom wouldn't be able to take one minute in either place. Talking about the game should never be mistaken for actually having played it.<br /><br />You can and you do every single day. You live this job and you do this job! You're in it -- and so am I. I don't want to be any where else in this world but right in this classroom with my students. I'm completely and utterly crazy about them and my subject. I'm also sometimes completely and utterly driven crazy by them and struggle to adequately cover my subject. <br /><br />Things worth doing are hard but this is worth doing and worth doing well. I don't know why it was such an epiphany for me to realize that we're all walking wounded. I guess I've just been hoping that somehow I'd feel my heart heal up and know that I'm rested so I can unleash all that energy on my students. But daily, right now, I just pray for strength to meet THIS day - to make another play -- one play at a time. Because too short, this game will be over, I'll be a senior, and the season will be done. Like a kid looking into the stadium lights at midfield on his last regular season game and feeling every breeze and hearing every yell from the stands, I want to relish this craziness - because when it is over, it is over.<br /><br />One of the mottos of our team, besides the Phillipians 4:13 that the boys wear on the black under their eyes -- is "give it all and leave nothing on the field." I intentionally put this sign from last week's game in this post because that is what we must do. <br /><br />As we feel ourselves being poured out -- the day I retire, I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt - like my son can after last night's game -- that I gave all I had to my students and left it all in the classroom. I do want to have a life after school - but this is important and I want to give all I have to my students.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5811793035160866514'><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MEaUqn5c4aCJHpuiAKTTQC_33KaMURe5nOaR9V4xem6vaCMWN32y2_KdeFSj9K9eqDiVOiYZFDW1sM_ZYITcpcqWV_cFbbQzRu2pNEsL6lwQCWJQWsIcH5Qrkuyy-wrYmviW0W-c6X3G/s288/9.jpg" style="margin:5px" width="281"></a></center><br />Here's to you, my friends, my colleagues, my heroes. You are the ones - not on the sidelines - but IN thiS every day. You educators are my intended audience and my unending heroes. You know exactly what I'm feeling and saying. Kind of like those who talk about having a baby and those who've actually done it -- the real thing -- life in the trenches -- it is the only way to really understand how tough and rewarding teaching can be. <br /><br />Keep at it. It is work worth doing. It would be nice if all the kids were nice and the parents were nice and the workload was manageable but that isn't the reality of teaching - it never has been and never will be. <br /><br />We don't work in a factory or a short order kitchen -- what we do takes time and gives us very little feedback - so I'm your personal feedback today.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5811793069098047234'><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUa1a6eWL2o1WkDVWVpxZ9Bnm-fvIvPNcsvP3cnIGyPDTU8S5iUMDNxEoTVZLnh9pqqkBcj6JziTs8U5D7kvQABLVeM0ZcgQzx-Gg5QV0gqTy8YB6PsU57pEHDEMVILRgt1oYh6YLqw71S/s288/10.jpg" style="margin:5px" width="281"></a></center><br />KEEP IT UP. KEEP GOING. YOUR WORK IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU ARE VERY IMPORTANT. BE STRONG. Rest and remember and get ready to go back in on Monday. STAY IN THE GAME -- but teaching isn't a game -- it is real life and you're vitally important to a generation struggling to make meaning and nations struggling to buoy in tough times. The responsibility to help guide a new generation of global leaders is our goal and it is our time to make the play. This isn't a play... it is our day and our time to make a difference. You matter, very much. More than you know. So, don't go - stay in the game -- get some rest and do your best. That is enough. You are enough. You're more than enough - YOU ARE VITAL. <br /><br />Remember your noble calling, teacher.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5811793103879413826'><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmT9ZQj9oEubU51kD14miLCHplOPYO8YC6v3sO0YV8EcKVCNC9e6XRjSJ7u8EOGp4gvL_3BTDRJ3m1fuqtg9dkWfZez2zFg4yaSmZS_TFtXY-nMp9hiq3unFcVMu7nJXBiMKS1zFUuTVf/s288/11.jpg" style="margin:5px" width="281"></a></center><br /><br /><br />You rock.<br /><br /><br />- Written on my iPad using Blog Press by Vicki Davis, author, Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds<br />

You may be walking wounded, but Teacher, stay in the game!

We are all walking wounded. We all have things that have hurt is in life: personal or professional situations that have left us limping. Whi...

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ISRAEL AND GAZA

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font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWo1v_NMANTWqIG9EwTKsAplwtc1j_a3tJ23rBqSXiSV6X6JUx0LFklzynbtlqNQwpPYmfRZHZx7_Z_qMnDl-iNGiDa7BkqE271zOG3fvxLP6fLONuXjYJ9tQiDM0kuJ7aZx897HBtWBg0/s1600/RAFAHSMIGGLINGTUNNEL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWo1v_NMANTWqIG9EwTKsAplwtc1j_a3tJ23rBqSXiSV6X6JUx0LFklzynbtlqNQwpPYmfRZHZx7_Z_qMnDl-iNGiDa7BkqE271zOG3fvxLP6fLONuXjYJ9tQiDM0kuJ7aZx897HBtWBg0/s640/RAFAHSMIGGLINGTUNNEL.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">WHO IS REALLY BESIEGING GAZA?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 7.5pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By Mudar Zahran </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 7.5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: blue;">HAMAS REAPS OVER HALF A BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR FROM TARIFFS ON THE EGYPT-GAZA TUNNEL TRADE</span></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 7.5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 7.5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: blue;"></span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Apart from the presumed public relations gains to be amassed by "sticking it to ISRAEL," according to a 2011 report Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Hamas reaps over half a billion dollars a year from tariffs on the EGYPT-Gaza tunnel trade. It is therefore in Hamas's best interest to keep the blockade idea alive, in order to secure larger revenues for its Gaza government, all the while demonizing ISRAEL and causing Gaza's residents to suffer, thereby making them even more dependent on Hamas.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 7.5pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOU61CsQDI-yxJldOoA0S55SKShKbq_6Q4xc7KVVMVtSqyU3ejVFRARh952epabFm56x49rHQ-fP1EwHEzAXSxUCBgfHpHnAHjgcNkBm95Vx2QAvunzv5-h8Usil6dRoNERBE9VOQmJ79/s1600/Ismail-Haniyeh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOU61CsQDI-yxJldOoA0S55SKShKbq_6Q4xc7KVVMVtSqyU3ejVFRARh952epabFm56x49rHQ-fP1EwHEzAXSxUCBgfHpHnAHjgcNkBm95Vx2QAvunzv5-h8Usil6dRoNERBE9VOQmJ79/s400/Ismail-Haniyeh.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Islmail Haniyeh enjoying Israeli products</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A photo of the "Prime Minister" of Hamas's government in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, <a href="http://www.kulalhaqiqa.ps/arb/ar_page.php?id=5ui6eha909607ynos3jc44b"><span style="color: blue;">buying ISRAELI grapes</span></a> in Gaza, with a boy standing next to him enjoying a bag of ISRAELI chips has been circulating online among Palestinians.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The photo is an example of the hypocrisy of the senior Hamas leader, as his group and its sympathizers in the West and in Muslim countries have been advocating a universal boycott of ISRAELI products. The photo of Haniyeh buying ISRAELI grapes also ridicules those across the world claiming that people in Gaza are starving to death under a "terrifying" ISRAELI siege. An ISRAELI siege, in fact, might be exactly what Hamas's leaders want to bring about, both to try to hurt ISRAEL economically and at the same time to gain global political and financial support for themselves while Gazans are suffering under Hamas's rule.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">GENERAL PUBLIC IS HARDLY AWARE OF THE FACT THAT ISRAEL PROVIDES WATER AND ELECTRICITY FREE OF CHARGE TO GAZA AND THE WEST BANKS! </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Before Haniyeh's picture became an internet sensation -- distributed by Palestinians over social websites such as Facebook -- just this past August, former PA security chief Muhammad Dahlan said that Gaza was "<a href="http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=280722"><span style="color: blue;">not under siege</span></a>," and that its residents were "not lacking anything." Dahlan was expelled from Fatah in 2011 following a dispute with PA president Mahmoud Abbas, a circumstance which possibly gives him more freedom to speak his mind.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Dahlan is not alone in his assessment. In July 2010, EGYPTIAN journalist <a href="http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4482.htm"><span style="color: blue;">Ashraf Abu Al-Houl wrote</span></a> in Al-Ahram (EGYPT'S most prominent newspaper) that "in actual terms" Gaza is not under siege. He further noted that stores were "flowing with goods" at "low prices." Abu Al-Houl went as far as detailing the thriving entertainment and amusement parks industry in Gaza.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHIXBBa4GAM0sjLenTpZ2eZ6eVRLWzSQAGmz3TGwu5yY4m3Ewp2NfwfsSk_i8QyknA1hxKkD6k_CILgAOew0Gr_YiV-4zoObOkmGueir3By1_ahHYlhdqvCn3okNOPQCIRkxh1lEDVt2W/s1600/gazamall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHIXBBa4GAM0sjLenTpZ2eZ6eVRLWzSQAGmz3TGwu5yY4m3Ewp2NfwfsSk_i8QyknA1hxKkD6k_CILgAOew0Gr_YiV-4zoObOkmGueir3By1_ahHYlhdqvCn3okNOPQCIRkxh1lEDVt2W/s400/gazamall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaza shopping mall</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Still, in the global media, the notion of Gaza being under an "inhumane" ISRAELI siege is alive and well. Weeks after Dahlan's statement, the United Nations released a report stating that "the situation in the Palestinian enclave has reached a critical point. If no action is taken, by 2020, Gaza will become uninhabitable" -- noting that ISRAEL is to blame for the conditions in Gaza.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Ironically, throughout all of the alleged Israeli siege on Gaza, ISRAEL has consistently been providing Gazans water and power supplies, which <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/8918983/Israel-threatens-to-cut-water-and-power-to-Gaza.html"><span style="color: blue;">Israel threatened to cut</span></a> in 2011 if Palestinian Authority pursued reunification with Hamas -- a threat which ISRAEL never carried out.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Moreover, <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/weeklygazaaid.html"><span style="color: blue;">numbers</span></a> speak for themselves: in March 2012, the same month when 300 Hamas rockets were fired from Gaza at ISRAELI towns, 3,653 truckloads of goods were delivered from ISRAEL to Gaza and 1,375 Gazan patients and companions entered or passed through ISRAEL for medical treatments, followed by another 1,364 in April, 2012.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In August 2012, the Hamas prime minister's brother in law was <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/08/231069.html"><span style="color: blue;">allowed to enter ISRAEL</span></a> for treatment in an ISRAELI hospital.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This is the same Haniyeh who visited TUNIS in 2011 by invitation from its Islamist-dominated parliament and told the welcoming crowd, "We shall not relinquish Palestine," to which the crowd chanted: "<a href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/01/hamas-prime-minister-ismail-haniya-tells-tunisians-we-shall-not-relinquish-palestine-crowd-chants-killing-the-jews-is-a-duty/"><span style="color: blue;">Killing Jews is A Duty</span></a>".</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ESTIMATED TUNNEL TRADE BETWEEN GAZA AND EGYPT <span style="font-size: large;">PEAKS</span> TO AROUND $600-850 MILLION PER YEAR, WITH HAMAS TAKING A HEFTY CUT FROM THE TRADE</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">So, if ISRAEL has never stopped humanitarian supplies to Gaza and does not enforce the alleged blockade of humanitarian supplies on Gaza, why does Hamas insist on promoting the blockade's myth and even provoking ISRAEL whenever possible by rocket attacks such as the most recent ones?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">To understand Hamas's motives, apart from the presumed public relations gains to be amassed by "sticking it to ISRAEL," it might help to know that the Washington Institute for Near East Policy released a report in 2011 stating that the estimated tunnel trade between Gaza and EGYPT had "likely peaked at around $600-850 million per year," and noted that Hamas takes a hefty cut from the EGYPTIAN tunnel trade, "imposing high 'customs' duties and a daily fee on local tunnel contractors." </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According to the report, the </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TUNNEL TRADE HAD BEEN DRAMATICALLY REDUCED SINCE JUNE 2010, WHEN ISRAEL QUADRUPLED THE NUMBER OF TRUCKS PERMITTED TO BRING GOODS TO GAZA</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>through legal terminals. It is therefore in Hamas's best interest to keep the blockade alive to secure larger revenues for its Gaza government, all the while demonizing ISRAEL and causing Gaza's residents to suffer, thereby making them even more dependent on Hamas.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At the same time, Hamas manages to get the world's sympathy in the name of the blockade, as well as the world's cash: <b>Qatar, for example, recently allocated $400 million as aid money for Gaza. Of course, how decent Hamas will be at handling those funds is anyone's guess.</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It is Hamas, not ISRAEL, which is besieging Gaza. Those who claim to be concerned about the Palestinians in Gaza would actually do more good for these fine people if they stopped attacking ISRAEL and instead switched their focus to addressing the true source of the Gazans' poverty, suffering and oppression: HAMAS.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

ISRAEL AND GAZA

WHO IS REALLY BESIEGING GAZA? By Mudar Zahran HAMAS REAPS OVER HALF A BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR FROM TARIFFS ON THE EGYPT-GAZA TUNNEL TRADE Ap...

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