Thursday, March 31, 2011

Notes from parent-teacher conferences

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1.  Your kid is mostly the same at school as he is at home.  We walked into Jane’s conference and the teacher asked “is Jane really messy at home?  She’s my messiest kid here.” Yeah, well, she’s our messiest kid here, too.  Seth talks all the time at kindergarten, too.  Gabe cares most about getting done fast, which is what we deal with during chore time, here, too.

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2.  There are character traits that seem to run through the entire family.  EVERY SINGLE CONFERENCE, the teacher said “They are so smart and are doing fine.  I just wish they’d take a little more time on their work. And they struggle with organization.”  In fact, I’ve heard that at every single conference since Emma started Kindergarten.  Heck, I’ve heard it every single conference since I started going to school, because guess what?  That’s exactly the kind of student I was, and frankly, I’m still kind of like that.

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3.  It’s good to take your husband.  I’m glad I don’t have to be the filter.  I’m glad he was able to tell me what he heard, because, I was kind of only hearing the negative.  It was good to have him remind me that there was 90% positive there and I should probably focus on that. 

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4.  My kids are really nice kids.   I’m grateful that we don’t have behavior issues and that they are known as kind, fun students.

5. You feel very proud and very embarrassed in the same 20 minutes.  Like when Jane’s teacher points out the that Jane got a 4 for effort in every extra-curricular class (music, computer, PE, etc.) and that she’s never seen that.  That it’s an indication of a girl who puts her best, cheerful effort in EVERY place she goes.  And then tells us how they had to take pencils with erasers away from Jane because she was EATING THE ERASER HEAD OFF OF EVERY ONE.  In fact the aide asked her, “What are erasers for Jane?” and she replied, in all sincerity: “For eating?” ?!?!

6. Even though I’m a little crazy to think that I’m smart enough to guide 5 different human beings, I’ve also learned that I don’t need to feel guilty for their failings.  I’m trying my best.  So are they.  When either of us realizes we need to do things differently, we will!

What did the monkey say in the presence of the lion? Google Translation

Was a beautiful forest, vast fertile lands, and its population of animals living in the good and peace, even managed to rule the forest elephant and a lion Vaqtzma power between them. The elephant became king of the jungle The lion became the guardian of the Secretary. March Assad mission faithfully and efficiently. Was cruising through the night areas adjacent to the forest and looks about him cautiously hinted If an animal predator infiltrators attacked him bravely before that affects the population of the forest in bad .. Assad has gained appreciation and respect for animals. Unlike the elephant who was owned by an unjust and corrupt, and taken to the same followers of the two platoons: pigs, who were robbing a food animals, and they were dirty to the point that foul smell spread throughout the forest .. The wolves were terrorized and abused animals in all of the students against him. How many innocent animals wolves killed her in cold blood, because they expressed an objection to what he is doing .. Elephant King Animals bore the injustice of the elephant for many years so fed up one day and there was a battle Vthart not see the forest has ever seen .. Wolves fought fiercely in defense of the elephant, while the animals are all rushed valiantly amazing, waves and waves behind, desperately fighting for the liberation of the forest from the injustice .. Wolves have killed dozens of animals, but animals increased insistence on victory, and after two days of bitter fighting, she felt exhausted Vlazt wolves fled, followed by pigs, the animals became rebellious from each side takes the elephant king, who came out to them and asked, voice quivering scared: What do you want me ..? Giraffe shouted enthusiastically: Was supposed to kill you just penalty for heinous crimes committed in our right, but we will not pollute our revolution Bdmaik clean. Now we want you to come out of the forest is not never see you then. Elephant said: If you go out of the woods will make a mess. Chaos, which you built Bzlmk and Fassadk. Suddenly exclaimed the giraffe: I leave .. Leave Jobtha and angry voices of animals from all over the forest: leave .. I leave .. Then realized that his old elephant had gone and asked him a grace period of the animals one hour until his plotting. Agreed to animals but has been watching carefully the elephant because it was known that a traitor by nature. Alone with the elephant lion behind a tree far away and then returned two and raise the elephant trunk and shouted: - From now on, Assad will be responsible for the rule of the jungle instead of me. Launched the cries of animals, it was a joy to love and trust in the lion's courage and honesty .. But Assad visited and said: Thank you but I will not be able to judge the forest and I guarded at the same time .. I will rule for a week or two to stumble on a new king. Animals felt relieved and announced its approval and then returned Htaffha again: I leave .. Leave Acquiesced in the elephant and the big move the ears and trunk drooping down and turned away from the jungle ruled by Fezlm people and looting and repression. Under walks and animals followed until it reached beyond the river .. Then returned the animals and celebrated freedom. Each animal, expressed his joy in his own way: deer jumped in the witty and graceful movements of monkeys screamed and jumped from tree to another and zebras Brtawa voices and shot coarse humor even hares Thqbawa on the ground .. Passed the days of happiness which they felt the animals for the first time you breathe pure air. The future seemed, no matter how pregnancy problems, a bright source of optimism. Split of opinion among the animals on who will be king of the jungle .. Is the old fox is known as cunning and experience in life or giraffe good courage by their leaders during the Revolution ..? Despite the severity of the discussion of each animal was proud that he will choose the next king .. One week after what happened boat turbid, has returned smell unpleasant smells in the pigs throughout the forest, and severely disturbed the animals rushed to the al-Assad to cry by: Dear Assad great we smell the pigs and the meaning of breath, they returned at night and walking around Siston on our food .. Assad looked forward to them a mysterious look and said quietly: - Do not worry .. I will do the necessary. I left the animals has been increasing concern, and the next day smell has increased, indicating that the pigs entered the forest and in greater numbers by the population of the forest to absorb this surprise Hui news fuses on their heads: The number of wolves attacked the forest during the night and wreaked havoc in .. Ate the large number of wild rabbits and killed zebra tried to address them, as a beautiful young woman attacked Ghazala Vosaboha seriously injured and led to her death .. Animals lion rushed to help her he looked up to the same view of the vague and said: Please disperse, and I will do too .. Giraffe said softly and Literature: But you told us that before you Assad great .. Why did not prevent the wolves from entering the woods? Why did not defend us when we were sleeping as you always do ..? Roaring Lion tight and shouted a voice ominously: Do you not understand .. I told you I will do the necessary. Gone. I left the animals feel sadness. Zebra said, his voice husky: The feasibility of the revolution that we have made if the smell of pig ugly is back and the wolves attack us and kill us? .. I have returned everything as it was in the era of deposed Elephant .. Giraffe and stuttered in a sad voice: - I do not understand what is happening .. The lion can easily be spent on pigs and wolves, so why leave them to walk in the woods? Fox smiled and said bitterly: O group, it seems that we cheated. We were naive when we believe that Assad will stand with us against the unjust Elephant .. Monkey man shouted: Do not overstate my fox .. Have stood with us and helped us to Assad to expel the elephant. ICE giraffe neck and said: Yes. Really. Assad governed by the standards of honor and has sided with the right. Fox smiled and he said, gasping with emotion: - Sharif is no doubt in that, but the closest of friends to the elephant deposed. There was deep silence made Fox said: Hear, O group. I have an idea to reach the truth .. Animals looked with interest, Fasttrd: If Assad meets Elephant ousted, then surely it comes out to meet him during the night.We can send to those who watched Vnfem what happens. Grunts loud applause, and excited Nisnas young man and said: Dear Fox .. I wish to entrust this task .. I am I will be watching lion during the night. Fox looked at him cautiously and said: O Nisnas you unfit for the task because you are intelligent and fast-moving but I honestly am afraid of Andvaek reckless because you often act without thinking of the consequences. Ton monkey twice in the air and fired Kalsfir voice and said: Dear Fox Give me this opportunity and I promise you that I behave wisely. That night monkey crouch over a high branch of a tree on the edge of the jungle watching a lion, which has been cruising in the usual guard tours, and how I feel saddened when he saw the two pigs and a wolf to walk in the forest are seen in front of them al-Assad does not move a muscle .. Under Assad monkey watching from above the tree until he found it moves away from the forest, then jumped from the monkey skill tree to another without losing sight of Assad. In the end, he saw the lion, a monkey will meet Elephant, who ousted seemed to be waiting to greet him, and heard monkey Warning fully to the dialogue between the lion and the elephant .. The next day I went to complain about the animals of New Lion: The foul smell of pigs became unbearable, and the wolves became a change on the forest every night .. Yawn-Assad and said quietly: Will edit in this matter. Monkey rushed here, saying: Sidi al-Assad that you will do nothing to prevent pigs and wolves. Assad looked forward to the monkey look closer and then fired Ziira scary and shouted: How dare you talk to the monkey on the way?! There was deep silence and jumped from the usual monkey excessive emotion and then said: Dear Lion .. I saw you and you met the deposed elephant and heard the talk between you. Seemed surprising amount of the lion's face and moved his temple a sign of muscle tension and said: Have you reached your insolence O Nisnas to the extent that watching me ..? Forgive me, O al-Assad has it happened by accident. Roaring Lion said: What do you want now? Spoken. Monkey said: May I ask why is keen to visit the elephant after all the crimes committed in our right. Re-Assad, saying: - Elephant friend and teacher and his great credit on .. Are you with us or with the elephant ..? So the fox asked quietly, Assad replied: I am with you of course but I also with the elephant. 

Shouted the giraffe: 

Can not be with the oppressor and the oppressed at the same time. 

Felt animals Vlazt silent alarm, but the monkey said bravely: 

O-Assad. We love animals and Nhtermk you have our pledge of integrity and honor. If the elephant to a friend Vawk ousted inconsistent with the right must stand with the right.This is what we expect from you always. We do not want evil Elephant. All we want to live our lives freely. Dozens of animals of our colleagues have given their lives in the revolution in order to get rid of injustice. Dear great-Assad as much as I loved the forest and fought to defend them. So please stand with the right. Will not walk from here before we undertake to protect us from pigs and wolves. Voices of animals supports the monkey and the words seemed to think the lion's face and then Roaring strongly before announcing his final decision: - Democracy is the solution.

ماذا قال النسناس فى حضرة الأسد؟


بقلم : علاء الأسواني
كانت الغابة جميلة، أراضيها شاسعة خصبة، وسكانها الحيوانات يعيشون فى خير وسلام، حتى تمكن من حكم الغابة فيل وأسد فاقتسما السلطة بينهما. الفيل أصبح ملك الغابة أما الأسد فصار حارسها الأمين. مارس الأسد مهمته بإخلاص وكفاءة. كان يجوب طوال الليل المناطق المتاخمة للغابة ويتطلع حوله فى حذر فإذا لمح حيوانا مفترسا متسللا انقض عليه بشجاعة قبل أن يمس سكان الغابة بسوء.. اكتسب الأسد تقدير الحيوانات واحترامها.
على عكس الفيل الذى كان ملكا ظالما وفاسدا واتخذ لنفسه أتباعا من فصيلتين: الخنازير الذين كانوا يسطون على قوت الحيوانات، وكانوا قذرين لدرجة أن رائحتهم الكريهة انتشرت فى أنحاء الغابة.. أما الذئاب فقد روعوا الحيوانات ونكلوا بكل من طالب بحقه. كم من حيوانات بريئة قتلتها الذئاب بدم بارد، لأنها أبدت اعتراضا على ما يفعله الملك الفيل.. تحملت الحيوانات ظلم الفيل سنوات طويلة حتى فاض بها الكيل ذات يوم فثارت وحدثت معركة لم تر الغابة لها مثيلا.. قاتلت الذئاب بشراسة دفاعاً عن الفيل، بينما اندفعت الحيوانات كلها ببسالة مدهشة، موجات وراء موجات، تقاتل باستماتة من أجل تحرير الغابة من الظلم.. قتلت الذئاب عشرات الحيوانات لكن الحيوانات ازداد إصرارها على النصر، وبعد يومين من القتال المرير أحست الذئاب بالإنهاك فلاذت بالفرار وتبعتها الخنازير وصارت الحيوانات الثائرة تحيط من كل جانب بالملك الفيل الذى خرج إليهم وسأل بصوت خائف مرتعش:
ــ ماذا تريدون منى..؟
صاحت الزرافة بحماس:
ــ كان يفترض أن نقتلك جزاءً عادلاً للجرائم البشعة التى ارتكبتها فى حقنا، لكننا لن نلوث ثورتنا النقية بدمائك. نريدك الآن أن تخرج من الغابة فلا نراك بعد ذلك أبدا.
قال الفيل:
ــ لو خرجت من الغابة سوف تحدث فوضى.
ــ الفوضى أنت الذى صنعتها بظلمك وفسادك.
فجأة هتفت الزرافة:
ــ ارحل.. ارحل
وجاوبتها أصوات الحيوانات الغاضبة من كل أنحاء الغابة: ارحل.. ارحل..
عندئذ أدرك الفيل العجوز أن عهده قد ولّى وطلب من الحيوانات إعطاءه مهلة ساعة واحدة حتى يدبر أمره. وافقت الحيوانات لكنها ظلت تراقب الفيل بانتباه لأنها كانت تعرف أنه خائن بطبعه. اختلى الفيل بالأسد خلف شجرة بعيدة ثم عاد الاثنان ورفع الفيل خرطومه وصاح:
- من الآن فصاعدا، سيكون الأسد مسؤولا عن حكم الغابة بدلا منى.
أطلقت الحيوانات صيحات الفرح لأنها كانت تحب الأسد وتثق فى شجاعته وأمانته.. لكن الأسد زأر وقال:
ــ أشكركم لكنى لن أستطيع أن أحكم الغابة وأقوم بحراستها فى نفس الوقت..
سأتولى الحكم لمدة أسبوع أو اثنين حتى تعثروا على ملك جديد.
أحست الحيوانات بارتياح وأعلنت موافقتها ثم عاد هتافها من جديد:
ــ ارحل.. ارحل
أذعن الفيل وحرك أذنيه الكبيرتين وتدلى خرطومه إلى أسفل واستدار مبتعدا عن الغابة التى حكمها فظلم أهلها ونهبهم وقمعهم. ظل يمشى والحيوانات تتبعه حتى وصل إلى ما بعد النهر.. عندئذ عادت الحيوانات واحتفلت بالحرية. كل حيوان عبّر عن فرحته بطريقته: الغزلان قفزت فى حركات رشيقة بارعة والنسانيس صرخوا وقفزوا من شجرة إلى أخرى والحمير الوحشية برطعوا وأطلقوا أصواتا خشنة مرحة حتى الأرانب البرية تشقلبوا على الأرض.. مرت أيام من السعادة أحست الحيوانات خلالها أنها تتنفس لأول مرة هواءً نقياً. بدا المستقبل، مهما حمل من مشكلات، مشرقا يبعث على التفاؤل. انقسم الرأى بين الحيوانات حول من يكون ملك الغابة.. هل هو الثعلب العجوز المعروف بدهائه وخبرته فى الحياة أم الزرافة الطيبة الشجاعة التى قادتهم أثناءالثورة..؟ بالرغم من حدة النقاش كان كل حيوان فخوراً بأنه سيشارك فى اختيار الملك القادم.. بعد أسبوع واحد حدث ما عكر الصفو، فقد عادت رائحة الخنازير الكريهة تفوح فى أنحاء الغابة، انزعجت الحيوانات بشدة وهرعت إلى الأسد لتستغيث به:
ــ أيها الأسد العظيم إننا نشم رائحة الخنازير الكريهة ومعنى ذلك أنهم عادوا يتجولون ليلا وسيسطون على طعامنا..
تطلع إليهم الأسد بنظرة غامضة وقال بهدوء:
- لا تقلقوا.. سأفعل اللازم.
انصرفت الحيوانات وقد تزايد قلقها، وفى اليوم التالى زادت الرائحة الكريهة مما يدل على أن الخنازير دخلت الغابة بأعداد أكبر وقبل أن يستوعب سكان الغابة هذه المفاجأة هوى على رؤوسهم نبأ صاعق: لقد هاجم عدد من الذئاب الغابة أثناء الليل وعاثوا فيها فسادا.. التهموا عددا كبيرا من الأرانب البرية وقتلوا حمارا وحشيا حاول التصدى لهم، كما هاجموا غزالة شابة جميلة فأصابوها بجراح خطيرة أدت إلى وفاتها.. هرعت الحيوانات إلى الأسد تستنجد به فتطلع إليها بنفس النظرة الغامضة وقال:
ــ تفضلوا بالانصراف وأنا سأفعل اللازم..
قالت الزرافة بنعومة وأدب:
ــ لكنك قلت لنا ذلك من قبل أيها الأسد العظيم.. لماذا لم تمنع الذئاب من دخول الغابة؟ لماذا لم تدافع عنا ونحن نيام كما كنت تفعل دائما..؟
زأر الأسد بضيق وصاح بصوت ينذر بالشر:
ــ ألا تفهمون.. قلت لكم سأفعل اللازم. انصرفوا.
انصرفت الحيوانات وهى تحس بأسى. قال الحمار الوحشى بصوته الأجش:
ــ ما جدوى الثورة التى قمنا بها إذا كانت رائحة الخنازير البشعة عادت من جديد والذئاب تهاجمنا وتقتلنا؟.. لقد عاد كل شىء كما كان فى عهد الفيل المخلوع..
وتمتمت الزرافة بصوت حزين:
- أنا لا أفهم ما يحدث.. إن الأسد يستطيع بسهولة أن يقضى على الخنازير والذئاب فلماذا يتركهم يدخلون إلى الغابة؟
ابتسم الثعلب وقال بمرارة:
ــ يا جماعة يبدو أننا خدعنا. لقد كنا ساذجين عندما صدقنا أن الأسد سيقف معنا ضد الفيل الظالم..
صاح قرد عجوز:
ــ لا تبالغ يا ثعلب.. لقد وقف الأسد معنا وساعدنا على طرد الفيل.
مدت الزرافة رقبتها وقالت:
ــ نعم. فعلا. الأسد تحكمه معايير الشرف ولقد انحاز إلى جانب الحق.
ابتسم الثعلب وقال وهو يلهث من الانفعال:
- هو شريف لاشك فى ذلك لكنه أقرب الأصدقاء إلى الفيل المخلوع.
ساد صمت عميق قطعه الثعلب قائلا:
ــ اسمعوا يا جماعة. عندى فكرة نتوصل بها إلى الحقيقة..
تطلعت الحيوانات باهتمام، فاستطرد:
ــ إذا كان الأسد يلتقى بالفيل المخلوع، فلاشك أنه يخرج لمقابلته أثناء الليل. نستطيع أن نبعث إليه بمن يراقبه فنفهم ماذا يحدث.
علت همهمات استحسان، وتحمس نسناس شاب وقال:
ــ أيها الثعلب.. أرجو أن تعهد إلىّ بهذه المهمة.. أنا سأراقب الأسد أثناء الليل.
تطلع الثعلب نحوه بحذر وقال:
ــ يا نسناس أنت تصلح للمهمة لأنك ذكى وسريع الحركة لكنى بصراحة أخاف من اندفاعك الطائش لأنك كثيرا ما تتصرف دون التفكير فى العواقب.
نط النسناس مرتين فى الهواء وأطلق صوتا كالصفير وقال:
ــ أيها الثعلب امنحنى هذه الفرصة وأنا أعدك بأن أتصرف بحكمة.
تلك الليلة ربض النسناس فوق غصن شجرة عالية على أطراف الغابة وظل يراقب الأسد وهو يطوف فى جولات حراسته المعتادة، وكم أحس بالحزن عندما رأى خنزيرين وذئبا يدخلون إلى الغابة أمام الأسد فينظر إليهم ولا يحرك ساكنا.. ظل النسناس يراقب الأسد من فوق الشجرة حتى وجده يتحرك بعيدا عن الغابة، عندئذ قفز النسناس بمهارة من شجرة إلى أخرى دون أن يغيب الأسد عن نظره. فى النهاية، رأى النسناس الأسد وهو يلتقى بالفيل المخلوع الذى بدا وكأنه ينتظره، انتبه النسناس واستمع بالكامل إلى الحوار بين الأسد والفيل.. فى اليوم التالى ذهبت الحيوانات تشكو إلى الأسد من جديد: إن رائحة الخنازير الكريهة صارت لا تحتمل، كما أن الذئاب أصبحت تغير على الغابة كل ليلة.. تثاءب الأسد وقال بهدوء:
ــ سوف أحقق فى هذا الأمر.
هنا اندفع النسناس قائلا:
ــ سيدى الأسد إنك لن تفعل شيئا لمنع الخنازير والذئاب.
تطلع الأسد إلى النسناس بنظرة متفحصة ثم أطلق زئيرا مخيفا وصاح:
ــ كيف تجرؤ أيها النسناس على الحديث إلىَّ بهذه الطريقة؟!
ساد صمت عميق وقفز النسناس كالعادة من فرط الانفعال ثم قال:
ــ أيها الأسد.. لقد رأيتك وأنت تقابل الفيل المخلوع وسمعت الحديث الذى دار بينكما.
بدت الدهشة البالغة على وجه الأسد وتحركت عضلات صدغه علامة على التوتر وقال:
ــ هل وصلت بك الوقاحة يا نسناس لدرجة أن تراقبنى..؟
ــ سامحنى أيها الأسد لقد حدث الأمر بالصدفة.
زأر الأسد وقال:
ــ ماذا تريدون الآن؟ تكلموا.
قال النسناس:
ــ هل لى أن أسألك لماذا تحرص على زيارة الفيل بعد كل الجرائم التى ارتكبها فى حقنا.
رد الأسد قائلا:
- الفيل صديقى وأستاذى وصاحب فضل كبير علىَّ..
ــ هل أنت مع الفيل أم معنا..؟
هكذا سأل الثعلب بهدوء، فأجاب الأسد:
ــ أنا معكم طبعا لكنى مع الفيل أيضا.
صاحت الزرافة:
ــ لا يمكن أن تكون مع الظالم والمظلوم فى نفس الوقت.
أحست الحيوانات بهلع فلاذت بالصمت، لكن النسناس قال بشجاعة:
ـــ أيها الأسد. نحن الحيوانات نحبك ونحترمك وقد عهدنا منك الاستقامة والشرف. إذا كان وفاؤك لصديقك الفيل المخلوع يتعارض مع الحق فلابد أن تقف مع الحق. هذا ما نتوقعه منك دائما. نحن لا نريد شرا بالفيل. كل ما نريده أن نعيش حياتنا بحرية. إن عشرات من زملائنا الحيوانات قدموا أرواحهم فى الثورة من أجل التخلص من الظلم. أيها الأسد العظيم بقدر ما أحببت هذه الغابة وقاتلت دفاعا عنها. نرجوك أن تقف مع الحق. لن نمشى من هنا قبل أن تتعهد أمامنا بحمايتنا من الخنازير والذئاب.
ارتفعت أصوات الحيوانات تؤيد كلام النسناس وبدا التفكير على وجه الأسد ثم زأر بقوة قبل أن يعلن قراره النهائى:
Go to ElmasryElyoum.com هذا المحتوى من

الديمقراطية هى الحل.

Now we decide to find out who the rebels are

With news breaking that President Obama has signed a "finding" that will send weapons to the Libya rebels, it finally occurred to someone in the administration that it might be a good idea to find out just who those guys are. As often, Drudge provides the pithy link:

Link to the story
There's no minute like the last minute, eh?
The Obama administration has sent teams of CIA operatives into Libya in a rush to gather intelligence on the identities and capabilities of rebel forces opposed to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, according to U.S. officials. ...

Several lawmakers briefed by Clinton, Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they were told that the United States is still trying to put together a full picture of the Libyan rebellion but believes that it does not contain large numbers of radical Islamic militants.

“Nobody had detected any significant presence, although they knew there were some people,” said Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.). But “nobody’s vouching for resumes” at the moment, Ackerman said.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), said he heard nothing in the briefing that turned him in favor of arming the rebels. Calling it a “horrible idea,” Rogers said: “We know what they’re against. We don’t really know what they’re for.”
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Mad Maxing in Libya

During America's abortive (and aborted) "humanitarian" war in Somalia, the warlords' gunmen rode around in pickup trucks with homemade weapons mounts. They were nicknamed, "technicals."


Sort of reminds you of Mad Max vs. Humongous in the second of the series.


That's pretty much what the Libyan rebels have, too, As this ABCNews report shows quite clearly. No wonder they're getting their hineys kicked by Qaddafi's army. Even without aircraft, Daffy's loyal troops are a real military and the rebels are not. Having advanced as far as the outskirts of Daffy's birthplace, Sirte, the rebels have been thrown back - often at very rapid speed! - through city after city.



Undisciplined Libyan rebels no match for Gaddafi's forces
The revolution lacks an organised military structure in spite of several attempts to stamp its authority on the volunteer army. Discipline is bad. Few of the fighters have proper military experience and they would need training in the use of weapons such as artillery. But the revolutionaries have made a strong point of saying they do not want foreign troops on Libyan soil.

The revolution's de facto finance minister, Ali Tarhouni, claims that there are 1,000 trained fighters among the rebels but there is little evidence of it on the battlefield where the anti-Gaddafi forces appear capable of advancing only when the way is cleared by foreign air strikes.

The problem is not solely the rebels' lack of more powerful weapons. In the past two days their disorganisation has shown as they have been badly outmanoeuvred by better-trained forces that have outflanked them with sweeps through the desert. The revolutionaries lack any cohesive defensive plan. Instead they fire wildly at the enemy and argue among themselves about what to do next and who should be giving orders before turning and fleeing. ...

The rebel performance in recent weeks has amounted to rapid advances followed by almost as speedy retreats.
Yet the Obama administration continues to insist that Qaddafi's options are narrowing and that he will soon see he has to leave. But why? He's winning! Winners don't quit.

My prediction: Qaddafi knows he can outlast us and he will. Like Somalia, Libya will become an anchor on the other things the president wants to achieve (coff, 2012, coff) and the mission will be ended. No doubt, we will "declare victory and go home."

As I said before, all that Qaddafi has to do to win is not to lose. But if the rebels don't win, they will lose. This is what is happening now.

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Be A Leader : Leading cross functional teams

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Leadership is not so much about technique and methods as it is about opening the heart. Leadership is about inspiration; of oneself and of others. Great leadership is about human experiences, not processes. Leadership is not a formula or a program, it is a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It is an attitude, not a routine. - Lance Secretan, Industry Week 98

The word "leadership" comes from an old Norse word-root meaning "to make go." Indeed, leadership is about making things go — making people go, making organizations go. But the misunderstandings come in when leaders fail to recognize who actually makes what go.

Be it service or production - leadership is essential element to mange group integration and best practices. Fast growing IT & Biotech industries are in need of great leaders to manage innovation and intelligence. With expectation of managing multiple functionalities and skills required business, Buzz world wants cross-functional team leaders.

Cross Functional Team
A cross-functional team is made up of participants from a variety of business functions. For instance, one might have a cross-functional team whose aim is to develop a new product. That team might be composed of participants from the company's manufacturing, sales, marketing, and financial functions. Cross-functional teams help companies do more with less.

Cross-functional teaming is not just about managing relationships in different locations or functions. It is not about using "old management techniques" in a new business world. Rather, it is about expanding our thinking and our tools to create new opportunities that are aligned with the best thinking about using the resources of our people.

Leading As Leader

Effective team leader are self-directed with teams and committees. Effective team leader has a clear vision and able to communicate that vision to the members of the team. Such leaders develop a sense of urgency about the team’s work, involve team members in goal setting and decision-making and foster a climate of openness and honesty. People want to work for them.

If we try to identify key words to become or leading a team as a leader then such words are: - Clear Vision, With Teams & Committees, Ability to communicate vision, Sense of Urgency, Involve team in decision-making, Openness and Honesty.

When we talk about cross-functional team leader, leader should add further more keywords. Pulling a group of people together and dealing with upper management, functional department heads and support groups.

Lao Tzu said "Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men."

Let me list out qualities a leader needs.

* Be participative than directive, more enabling than performing.
* Leaders do nothing more important than have people get results.
* Practice effective relationship management up down and across the organization.
* Be able to work with little, no, or at best unclear authority.
* Demonstrate a working knowledge of the technical, scientific and business issues.
* Facilitate the establishment of team goals and an implementation plan and then keep focused on their targets.
* Protect team from undue and unproductive interference.
* Be assertive about obtaining the resources necessary for the team to be successful.
* Keep faith with the past, keep step with the present, and keep the promise to posterity. (Harold)
* Commit and believe in value of the work and willingness to work through obstacles.
* Able to deal with ambiguity and act without complete information.
* Be open to change and help the team adjust to changing conditions and priorities.
* Be authentic; make honest commitments, tell the truth and act with integrity.
* Inspire self with great confidence in self.
* Leader is to get others to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve (Tom Landry)

Cross functional leader needs following qualities in core of leadership.
- Recognizing the talent and contribution each individual can make.
- Keeping the team focused on goals, measurements and outcomes.
- Facilitating a sense of diversity, interdependence and accountability among team members.
- Defining a decision process that encourages empowerment and keeps corporate bureaucracy to a minimum.
- Realizing that organizational change is more a way of life than an obstacle to be overcome.

And Finally…
Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning. (Warren Bennis)

Further Readings
Managing cross-functional teams - Terry R. Seamons
Leadership and Cross Functional Teams - Brent Filson

Columbia Business School Executive MBA


Core Curriculum

Columbia Business School’s core curriculum, a series of focused, rigorous, and relevant courses taken primarily during the first year of the Executive MBA Program, is designed to give students an in-depth mastery of the aca

Electives

Upon completion of the core curriculum, Executive MBA students assemble their own schedules, choosing the courses they are most interested in from a wide array of electives. These courses allow students to delve deep into specialized topics with faculty members who are on the forefront of innovation in their respective fields.
Schedule permitting, students also have the chance to enroll in electives in the traditional MBA program, many of which meet weekday evenings, and to participate in elective block weeks, which bring together students from all Columbia’s EMBA programs for intensive, cross-cultural learning experiences. In the second year, EMBA students also take the weeklong International Seminar, which sends them abroad to directly experience business at the international level.
Some recent electives include:
demic disciplines and applied functional areas necessary to every business leader’s success.
First-year EMBA students are divided into clusters of 60 to 70 students who take every core course together. Clusters are further broken down into learning teams of five to six students with diverse professional backgrounds, strengths, and weaknesses, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration from the start of the program. The bonds formed among clustermates and learning team members form the foundation of Columbia Business School’s community and global network.
Core courses are:

Note that each core course is taught by several different professors each term; the professors and syllabi linked above are merely samples of what may be offered in a given term.


Columbia Business School MBA


Core Curriculum

The Columbia MBA Core Curriculum represents about 40 percent of the degree requirement — two full courses and 12 half-term courses. As of fall 2008, the new core also offers students the option of a “flexible core.” In the second half of the second term, students will select their core classes from three prespecified menus (Organizations, Performance, and Markets), choosing a single course from each area.
The courses that make up the core curriculum follow. Click on a course name to view the course description.

First Term


1st halfCorporate FinanceFinancial AccountingManagerial StatisticsManagerial EconomicsStrategy Formulation
2nd halfMarketing StrategyOperations ManagementLeadership Development

Second Term


1st halfGlobal Economic EnvironmentDecision ModelsManaging Marketing ProgramsElective 1Elective 2
2nd halfMenu 1: OrganizationsMenu 2: PerformanceMenu 3: Markets
OrganizationsPerformanceMarkets
Organizational ChangeOperations StrategyGame Theory and Business
Power and InfluenceFinancial Planning and AnalysisGlobal Economic Environment II: Business Cycles and Financial Markets
Social Networks and Social Capital
Incentives and Performance
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Electives

Students may choose from more than 130 elective courses at Columbia Business School and supplement them with more than 4,000 graduate-level classes from the University’s other graduate and professional schools.
Among the most popular electives at Columbia Business School are the following:

Master Classes

Among students’ many elective options are the newly developed Master Classes. Each Master Class focuses on a specific industry context (e.g., media, real estate, consulting) and draws significant input from the professional community via group projects, guest speakers, adjunct faculty, and alumni participation. With substantial project work and practitioner involvement, Master Classes provide students with unique exposure to real-time business challenges.

Economics of Strategic Behavior

Offering an excellent background for all consultants, managers, and corporate finance generalists, this course examines the economics of successful business strategy — from the dynamics of entering an industry and the strategic imperatives of competitive markets to the sources of competitive advantage.

Financial Statement Analysis and Earnings Quality

Recent events underscore the importance of this course, in which students learn how to glean information about a firm’s current and past performance from financial statements. Students also gain a deeper understanding of specific financial statements from a user’s perspective, particularly focusing on issues of earnings quality, as well as more advanced topics related to mergers and acquisitions and consolidated financial reporting.

Introduction to Venturing

This course challenges students to consider how appropriate an entrepreneurial career may be for them. An overview of the entrepreneurial process, the course covers such topics as characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, techniques for finding and screening ideas, entrepreneurial finance, the politics of new ventures, valuation and deal making, writing a business plan, buying a business, family business dynamics, and managing crisis and failure.

Launching New Ventures

Students work individually or in teams to develop a comprehensive and effective presentation of a real business concept. Faculty, industry mentors, and others help students distill business opportunities into a written and oral presentation ready to seek funding and commence operations.

Managerial Negotiations

Recognizing the critical role that negotiations play in management, this course — one of the most celebrated electives at the School — uses actual negotiations, as well as concepts from the behavioral sciences, economics, and game theory, to hone students’ negotiating skills.

Modern Political Economy

Beginning with Adam Smith, this course examines leading political economists’ theoretical contributions to the development of capitalism. It focuses on the effects of international business on the development of American capitalism and the nation-state.

Operations Consulting

This Master Class is a hands-on laboratory in which student teams work on real-world consulting projects representing diverse industries and varied problem types. The course has been designed and is delivered with substantial participation by major consulting firms. Students learn consulting skills and leading practices through guest lectures by senior consultants at these firms. Throughout the term, the teams will interact intensely with the client organization and receive feedback and critiques on their work.

Retailing: Design and Marketing of Luxury Goods

Bringing together Columbia MBA students and the Parsons School of Design undergraduates, this course provides students with the tools to address the idiosyncrasies of the luxury industry by studying various aspects of the business, from design, production, and management to distribution and promotion. Students work in teams on company-sponsored projects focusing on product design, communication design, and interior design.

Security Pricing: Models and Computations

This course examines the development of models for security pricing, portfolio analysis, and risk management. Particular attention is given to computer-based models for option pricing and hedging; mean variance analysis; multi-period portfolio optimization; analysis of the term structure; and interest rate-sensitive securities, including swaps, “swaptions,” and mortgage-backed securities. Techniques include binomial methods and Monte Carlo simulation, as well as linear and quadratic programming and regression.

Seminar in Value Investing

Designed to develop the approach to investments and security analysis pioneered by Columbia Professors Benjamin Graham and David Dodd, this course details the comprehensive statistical evidence in favor of such a technique and the types of investments that are likely to be fruitful targets of a value approach. Lecturers and visiting speakers — successful practicing value investors — have included Warren Buffett, MS ’51; Robert Bruce, MBA ’70; Mario Gabelli, MBA ’67; and Charles “Chuck” Royce, MBA ’63.

Top Management Process

How do general managers get things done? Typically, they work through processes, or sequences of tasks and activities that unfold over time. This course explores six top management processes: strategy, decision making, resource allocation, learning, managerial decision making, and change.

Turnaround Management

Turnarounds require an integrated view of accounting, corporate finance, cash flow and balance-sheet projections, debt restructuring and liquidation analysis, and credit relationships. Students examine these concepts from the general manager’s perspective through group-oriented projects.