tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58205206960460966712024-03-04T23:14:38.398-08:00Author PostsPanama Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12980317471469207695noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-54647543970568374422020-05-31T13:05:00.001-07:002020-05-31T13:05:37.580-07:00Rioting and Looting ARE Effective Tools to Affect Change<p style="margin: 0px;"> I have heard, too many times, in response to the current riots and looting that arose from protests related to the murder of George Floyd, that "they are accomplishing nothing," or "they are only hurting themselves."</p><div><p style="margin: 0px;"> This, of course, is wrong. They are accomplishing everything.</p></div><div><p style="margin: 0px;"> The strategy of rioting and looting is to make doing nothing about a problem more expensive than doing something about a problem. <br /></p></div><div><p style="margin: 0px;"> The problem now (among others, and certainly oversimplified) is institutionalized racism. As manifested on a local level, the police have too often been "given a pass" when they kill black people. The problem can be solved, but it hasn't been solved. Certainly the current administration in Washington, DC has no intention of solving it and has, in fact, encouraged it. (Contrast the current response from Washington to that which existed when the Rodney King officers were acquitted in Simi Valley: The federal government stepped and initiated a federal case against those officers. After the Rampart scandal, the federal government stepped in and subjected the LAPD to the consent decree.)</p></div><div><p style="margin: 0px;"> Considering the current administration in Washington, it is probable that the ONLY way to get action is to make complacency MORE EXPENSIVE than solving the problem. That is exactly what the rioters and looters are doing and they are doing it effectively.</p></div><div><p style="margin: 0px;"> The rioters and looters are not the problem. The encouragement and protection of institutionalized racism coming from Washington is the problem. The rioting and looting are logical responses to that.<br /></p></div><div><p style="margin: 0px;"> Peaceful protests following past manifestations of this institutionalized racism didn't do much for George Floyd. It is possible that the economics of civil unrest will save lives to come.</p></div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-62182578036922759712020-05-29T10:32:00.001-07:002020-05-29T10:32:24.028-07:00Blame the people or the government?The context I present below owes to Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, in <u>Hitler's Willing Executioners</u> which compellingly makes the case that the German citizenry of the early 20th century was responsible for the holocaust and that the blame cannot be laid at the feet of a single man or political party.<div><br /></div><div>I think its premise is interesting when applied to current events in the United States. In each branch and in every agency of the U.S. Government there are legions of citizens carrying out genuinely evil agendas set by the current administration. One need only scan recent headlines to find examples:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>family separation / children in cages;</li><li>increased detention;</li><li>MPP;</li><li>removing cost protections for healthcare and medicine;</li><li>censorship of social media by removing liability protections;</li><li>withdrawing from multi-lateral arms agreements;</li><li>encouragement of police brutality; open support of Nazism;</li><li>creation of unpayable national debt for the benefit of billionaires;</li><li>targeting of political enemies for prosecution and the dismissal of legitimate charges against political allies for political gain/positioning.</li></ul><div>So, to all of those who do not feel personally responsible for the resulting harm from the policies they implement, enforce, or lend administrative or physical support to, ask yourselves the following questions:</div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Are you compelled to do the vile task or do you have a choice?</li><li>Have you justified your personal acts by elevating obedience to the rules above obedience to a personal moral code?</li><li>Do you feel that your own moral guidance must be somehow wrong because people you respect don't find doing these same acts repugnant?</li><li>Is there some benefit to you personally for overlooking you own moral code?</li><li>Have you thought of your acts as being insignificant in the greater scheme of the evil being perpetrated such that if you didn't do the job someone else would anyway?</li></ol><div>If this administration finds itself out-of-power after the next election, or the one after that, and its leaders and functionaries are held to account for the destruction they have caused, you will have to answer these questions under oath. And when you make your final accounting, remember...the universe already knows the answers.</div><div><br /></div></div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-92026724444369986192018-06-16T14:01:00.001-07:002018-06-16T14:01:49.766-07:00Kuwait to extend citizenship to Palestinians and Jews alike. Why isn't this being reported?!It seems that no one is reporting the news that the Kuwaiti foreign minister announced today that Kuwait is extending an offer of citizenship to both Arabs and Jews who were displaced in the 20th Century.<br />
<br />
The foreign minister is quoted as saying<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Kingdom of Kuwait encompasses nearly 7000 square miles and has a population of only four million people. We also have great wealth. We most certainly have the room and resources to accommodate both Palestinians who left Israel to fight with Arab nations against it, and also for the millions of Jews who were displaced from their ancestral homelands in the Arab world during the same time.</blockquote>
Asked why they are agreeing to extend Kuwaiti citizenship to Jews as well as Palestinians, the minister replied:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We recognize that Jews who were expelled from their homes in Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Yemen literally have no other country other than Israel in which they can relocate in the middle east. To the same extend we feel that Palestinians should have a right to return to homes their parents abandoned in Israel, so too should Jews have a right to reclaim their homes in Arab lands that they were forced to abandon. Accordingly, we have decided to lead by example.</blockquote>
<br />
Asked why they were offering citizenship and not just residency, the minister replied:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The only country in the middle east that has ever offered full citizenship to the Palestinians is, oddly enough, Israel. We felt that it would be hypocritical to condemn Israel while offering out brethren less than Israel. The only moral thing to do is offer full citizenship.</blockquote>
We were wondering why this news is not being reported, so we asked the article's author. The author explained that the story is being quashed because it is untrue, that the quotes are false, and that the forgoing never actually happened. Neither Kuwait nor any other middle eastern country other than Israel has ever actually permitted persons of Palestinian descent to obtain citizenship and has none have offered the Jews it expelled in the 20th century to return to their ancestral homes. Kuwait did not say that it recognizes that Jews were not only kicked out of the other countries in the middle east, nor did it acknowledge that the Jewish people literally have no place else to go as there are no other Jewish countries anywhere in the world (there are 28 Muslim countries, btw.) In fact,<br />
<br />
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Kuwait_relations<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-27391751109187046382017-03-31T09:53:00.002-07:002017-03-31T09:54:06.209-07:00The most powerful man in the world<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Imagine if you could, with the snap of your fingers, destroy the world's most powerful nation?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Vladimir Putin has that power. He need merely utter the words, "Yes, I colluded with the Trump team to make sure he got elected." Whether these words are true or false, Vladimir Putin has the power to utter them. Does that give him undue influence over the White House? You better believe it.</div>
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</div>
livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-21362268625100896362016-11-12T16:03:00.001-08:002017-04-01T08:36:50.857-07:00List of Companies that Openly Support Trumpism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is a list of companies or companies with CEOs that openly support Donald Trump and thus stand against my values and which I shall immediate cease patronizing. I will add to the list as I learn of more companies. Please feel free to contribute, BUT ONLY IF YOU CAN DIRECT ME TO A SOURCE!<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>November 12, 2016</li>
<ul>
<li>Source: https://mic.com/articles/159147/boycott-alert-here-are-companies-and-executives-that-supported-donald-trump#.ZEDcFB44M</li>
<ul>
<li>New Balance</li>
<li>Home Depot</li>
<li>Yuengling (Brewery)</li>
<li>Hobby Lobby</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
(note: this source included Facebook, but Facebook did not actively support Trump, in my opinion but stuck to an idealistic vision of free speech which, in this case, the "other side" exploited the heck out of. I am not adding Facebook to my list.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><ul>
<li>Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#Business_leaders</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Sands" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Las Vegas Sands">Las Vegas Sands</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-492" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-492" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[491]</a></sup></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News_Channel" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Fox News Channel">Fox News Channel</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Capital" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Colony Capital">Colony Capital</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wsj_finance_495-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-wsj_finance-495" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[494]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beal_Bank" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Beal Bank">Beal Bank</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wsj_finance_495-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-wsj_finance-495" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[494]</a></sup></li>
<li>New Hampshire 1 Network</li>
<li>Carlisle One Media,</li>
<li>Boch Industries<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-497" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-497" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[496]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlassian" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Atlassian">Atlassian</a>, </li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Craig_Inc." style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Jenny Craig Inc.">Jenny Craig Inc.</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Heil_503-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-Heil-503" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[502]</a></sup></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucor_Corp" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Nucor Corp">Nucor Corp</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-money.cnn.com_504-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-money.cnn.com-504" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[503]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One_Group" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Formula One Group">Formula One Group</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-506" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-506" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[505]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus_Capital_Management" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Cerberus Capital Management">Cerberus Capital Management</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-money.cnn.com_504-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-money.cnn.com-504" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[503]</a></sup></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_Investments" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Fisher Investments">Fisher Investments</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Brunner_508-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-Brunner-508" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[507]</a></sup></li>
<li><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Forbes">Forbes</a></i>,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-509" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASCAR" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="NASCAR">NASCAR</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ATH_510-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-ATH-510" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[509]</a></sup></li>
<li>The Blackwell Corporation</li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_Lobby" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Hobby Lobby">Hobby Lobby</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-512" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-512" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[511]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icahn_Enterprises" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Icahn Enterprises">Icahn Enterprises</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal-Mogul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Federal-Mogul">Federal-Mogul</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-icahn_514-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-icahn-514" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[513]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-515" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-515" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[514]</a></sup></li>
<li>H. J. Kalikow & Company<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-516" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-516" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[515]</a></sup></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushner_Properties" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Kushner Properties">Kushner Properties</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cnn.com_521-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-cnn.com-521" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[520]</a></sup><i><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Observer" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="The New York Observer">The New York Observer</a></i></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Home_Depot" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="The Home Depot">The Home Depot</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-522" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-522" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[521]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_Group" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Vector Group">Vector Group</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-money.cnn.com_504-2" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-money.cnn.com-504" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[503]</a></sup></li>
<li>Encima Global LLC, </li>
<li>W<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWE" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="WWE">WE</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Technologies" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Renaissance Technologies">Renaissance Technologies</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-527" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-527" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[526]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDC_Holdings" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="MDC Holdings">MDC Holdings</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-528" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-528" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[527]</a></sup></li>
<li>Dune Capital Management and Finance</li>
<li>Murray Energy Corporation<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-530" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-530" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[529]</a></sup></li>
<li>Terry Neese Personnel Services</li>
<li>Institute for the Economic Empowerment of Women<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tmpmbuis_494-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-tmpmbuis-494" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[493]</a></sup></li>
<li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulson_%26_Co." style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Paulson & Co.">Paulson & Co.</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-money.cnn.com_504-6" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-money.cnn.com-504" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[503]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TD_Ameritrade" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="TD Ameritrade">TD Ameritrade</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-531" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-531" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[530]</a></sup></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WL_Ross_%26_Co." style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="WL Ross & Co.">WL Ross & Co.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_Cyprus" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Bank of Cyprus">Bank of Cyprus</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-533" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-533" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[532]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vornado_Realty_Trust" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Vornado Realty Trust">Vornado Realty Trust</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-money.cnn.com_504-7" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-money.cnn.com-504" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[503]</a></sup></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Hotel_Las_Vegas" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Trump Hotel Las Vegas">Trump Hotel Las Vegas</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-534" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-534" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[533]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyBridge_Capital" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="SkyBridge Capital">SkyBridge Capital</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Selig_Real_Estate" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Martin Selig Real Estate">Martin Selig Real Estate</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Brunner_508-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-Brunner-508" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[507]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County_Choppers" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Orange County Choppers">Orange County Choppers</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-537" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-537" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[536]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="PayPal">PayPal</a>, </li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Fighting_Championship" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Ultimate Fighting Championship">Ultimate Fighting Championship</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ATH_510-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-ATH-510" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[509]</a></sup></li>
<li><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuengling_Brewery" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Yuengling Brewery">Yuengling Brewery</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Madej_544-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016#cite_note-Madej-544" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[543]</a></sup></li>
</ul>
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livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-30018056614047290282016-11-12T08:05:00.002-08:002016-11-12T08:05:41.310-08:00How to fight back<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
We are compromised, but not powerless to prevent the Trump campaign promises from destroying our ideals.</h2>
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Friends:</div>
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After a two plus year absence from social media, I find myself forced to make myself public again. Silence in the face of tyranny is complicity and I cannot make myself complicit in the unfolding of an agenda that I find personally repulsive and reprehensible.</div>
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Over the past few days I have been asked countless times, "What can we do now?" and I have begun organizing my thoughts. My initial impression was dour. With all three branches of government effectively under Trump's control, our first recourse to political solutions is two years away in the mid-term elections. By that time untold damage could be done to our communities and our institutions. We must act outside of the political arena if we are to frustrate the evil wind that has caught our nation's sails.</div>
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Here is a brief list of initial ideas that could have influence:</div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Identify and damage the businesses that supported Trump. There are companies and businesses whose CEOs vocally supported Mr. Trump despite his rhetoric. Stop doing business with them. Your plumber vocally supported Trump? Find a new plumber. Identify the businesses that fell in line behind Trump and stop patronizing them. Loud Trump supporters at your favorite bar? Find a new favorite bar. Do this vocally. "I will no longer be shopping here because of your support for Mr. Trump," or "I feel that I am in danger in this bar." Review your investment portfolio and find the political leanings of the CEOs of the companies in which you hold stock. Sell your stock in any company where the CEO supported Trump. Do the same for your cell service, your cable provider, and your credit cards. I will do my best to research and publish those that I have identified. As a personal endeavor, I am going to try to identify those businesses in my community and publish them here and via other media. Small businesses are the easiest targets. Don't forget, Clinton won the popular vote. Most Americans are with us.</li>
<li>Boost the businesses that did not support Trump. If you own a business, put a sign in your window that states, "We welcome all persons regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, and political opinion. You are safe here." I am thinking about printing signs like this and attempting to have them posted in businesses in my community.</li>
<li>Do not cooperate. Anticipating the "deportation force" proposed by Mr. Trump, it is a prime time to reinforce the fact that no one can be compelled to talk to law enforcement. Everyone reading should simply state, "I have a lawyer and I have been advised to make no statements and provide no documents to you without my lawyer present." I want CITIZENS saying this too, not just the targets. If we, the citizens of this country also refuse to cooperate with the deportation force, we can delay their agenda. "I am Spartacus". They cannot arrest us all and the more time they spend sorting out the targets from the rest of us the less they can accomplish. </li>
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Please feel free to contribute ideas to add to this list.</div>
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livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-7816180611272604722015-11-15T11:55:00.001-08:002015-11-15T11:55:13.661-08:00Why Paris?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just read this article: <a href="http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-paris/" target="_blank">Why Paris?</a> at the Times of Israel and had to react. So here we are again after a two year hiatus.<br />
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The answer given in the article to "Why Paris?" assumes that the attacks were symbolic rather than strategic. I believe this assumption is both false and dangerous. The strategic considerations offer a far more realistic explanation than the symbolic explanations. I would posit that the Paris attacks were strategically planned to destabilize France with the intention of eventually installing an Islamist government in Europe. As incredible as this seems, it is entirely possible for a number of reasons.<br />
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First of all, France has the highest Muslim population in Europe. In other words, the Islamic community has political power and large, insular communities. The large insular communities fulfill a strategic objective for Islamist movements, including, most notably ISIS. The first of these objectives is to insert militants into the host country. Especially with the new wave of refugees, ISIS was easily able to move its operatives into France and have them essentially disappear into the fabric of an existing community where they could work on recruitment and indoctrination. The geographic insularity of these communities decreased the reliance of these operatives on electronic communications as strategy sessions can occur in cafes and on streetcorners. Furthermore, because these communities are largely insular, the presence of intelligence agents is more easily detected. Accordingly, France is an easy place for militant Islamists to muster and to organize.<br />
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Secondly, France is a liberal democracy with high regard for individual rights. Like most western countries, it would be inappropriate to label or mark wide swaths of the population as suspect or to take prophylactic measures like preventative arrests of high risk individuals.<br />
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Third, France's rampant, sometimes unrestrained, antisemitism empowers Islamists both in France and across the globe. Israel is the western world's sole outpost in the middle east. In France there has been no political will to defend Israel unequivocally even against such petty attacks as food labeling in the EU, or even to acknowledge that attacks on Israel are attacks on the western world. Their misguided national consensus when it comes to Israel is that the terrorists "have a point." [Our own President falls into this trap, though he is very "between the lines" about it.] This mentality encourages all of these attacks on the west. The "Palestinians" and their allies repeatedly reject peace and sustain a terror campaign for decades against a far more powerful adversary. France has, with a fairly unified voice, been willing to reward those acts of terror by demonizing the attacked entity and its Jewish population. This, "you have to understand where their coming from" mentality infects the liberal and educated elements of French society. How then would French liberals reconcile their hatred of Israel with France's newly created consanguinity with the problems Israel has faced for decades? The only way is for it to react to this terrorism in a manner opposite to what Israel does: that is, to give in to what the terrorists want rather than to fight against it.<br />
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On the other hand, France's anti-semitism is also apparent in its growing nationalist movement as evidenced by the rise of Marie Le Pen as a viable candidate, which leads to reason Four: The coming election will likely attract reactionary, nationalistic voters who stand to elect reactionary, nationalistic leaders. Because France is a liberal, western, and open society, the election of such a leader would necessarily cause unrest and political instability. Even if France "goes the other way" as the United States did after 9/11 and elects a liberal, progressive leader, there will still be instability. Look how shackled the U.S. has been on foreign policy since 9/11. 9/11 caused the U.S. to factionalize to the extent that we are now politically incapable of pursuing any political agenda. France is even riper for factionalization. The French economy is already crippled by unemployment and will now be further hobbled by declines in tourism and travel after these attacks. A politically destabilized France that splits the electorate will create opportunities for Islamic political power if the Moslem communities act in a united fashion.<br />
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So, no, I do not believe that the attacks were symbolic. I believe they were strategic and I believe that the strategy will bear fruit. France will become unstable in three to five years, will have Islamic leadership within ten years, and will become and Islamist base in 12 years.<br />
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Sun Tzu told us what to do some 5000 years ago. We need to recognize and attack the enemy's strategy. Pretending they don't have a strategy is a sure way to lose this war. As to how to attack their strategy, I am not certain it can be done palatably.</div>
livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-50820410729284237432013-12-01T16:07:00.002-08:002013-12-01T16:07:20.555-08:00Human, a novel by Robert BerkeJust a coupla' updates on the writing and publishing venture:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006NTV4IO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006NTV4IO&linkCode=as2&tag=multimodomedi-20">Human</a> has breached the top 100,000 paid on Amazon again. Though it has previously made it into the top 500 paid on several occasions since its 2011 release, what makes this placement remarkable is that (1) it got there with absolutely no marketing, advertising, or promotions; and (2) it has been in publication for two years already.</li>
<li>Robert G. Berke's second novel, tentatively entitled "Six Severed Hands: a love story," could be published as early as spring/summer 2014. Watch this space for updates. Unlike <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006NTV4IO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006NTV4IO&linkCode=as2&tag=multimodomedi-20">Human</a>, the new novel is not science fiction. Rather, it is a character driven exploration of the crises of contemporary art set against the backdrop of a mystery.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.multimodomedia.com/">MultiModoMedia</a> Press is still seeking manuscript submissions. Trade Publications only. Novels (30,000 words minimum), Non-fiction (no minimum). No longer seeking poetry or short story collections.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=multimodomedi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B006NTV4IO" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Robert G. Berkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04638773749328984943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-50480854331359764572013-11-13T18:08:00.000-08:002013-11-13T19:11:56.867-08:00REPUBLICANS ARE HURTING ISRAELGrowing up Jewish in new York, a Jewish republican was akin to a space alien. Of course, as a young person, my understanding of economics was wanting, and I recognized the parties more for their social positioning than for anything. Ironically, in retrospect, the republican party of my youth was far more tolerant of minorities than the current party. Nonetheless, most social progress appeared to me to emanate from the democrats: housing for the poor, voting rights, desegregation, education, and even federal funding for the arts were all ideas which were pushed by the democrats. Also, these ideas of equality, helping the poor, creating societal safety nets, and giving our youth the world's best education all aligned perfectly with my Jewish upbringing and my understanding of Jewish values.<br />
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That is why it came as a shock to me when relatives of mine, including at least one survivor and one exceedingly religious relative, came out of the closet not just as republicans, but as VIRULENT republicans; having embraced republican doctrine whole-heartedly, including all of the racism, elitism, and trickle-downism that defines the modern party.<br />
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Now one of these relatives is wealthy; perhaps not a one-percenter, but in all probability, close enough for rock and roll. I get him. He would be affected by even the slightest rise in the tax rates, especially in the capital gains tax. But he does not justify his party affiliation by his greed. He justifies it in exactly the same way that my very religious relative does: by invoking Israel.<br />
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On the issue of Israel, the progressives and the lefties have gotten it all wrong. Though I am a progressive for lack of a better term, I am sickened by the propaganda that has been permeating progressive news and opinion sites. I try hard to remind my peers that the Palestinians displaced themselves voluntarily with the expectation that Israel would be over-run and the Jews pushed into the sea. They made a bad choice and have punished Israel with 50 years of terror because their evil plan didn't work. I can thus understand why a love of Israel would push Jews away from current left-leaning media. <br />
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In addition, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the most enlightened teacher of Torah of our times and a true Tzaddik being selfless in every respect, had a very close relationship with Ronald Reagan, the king of the modern republican party. This relationship too has caused Jews to associate republicans with unwavering support for Israel.<br />
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Admittedly, this was a concern for me too when I had to choose between McCain and Obama. McCain was a viable candidate for me until he started running in earnest. His alignment with the sickest, most abhorrent part of the republican party as embodied by his vice-presidential pick, made it impossible for me to cast a red vote. If Obama hadn't picked Biden as his running mate, I may have just sat the election out. But Joe Biden's track record on Israel was non-pariel and his support for Israel and his understanding of its historical place were beyond questioning. Campaigning, Obama said all the right things to convince me that his support for Israel as a Jewish state was also unwavering. Now, however, I am feeling like perhaps I was wrong. Biden and Obama seem to be straining our relations with Israel and also seem to be encouraging some form of Palestinian autonomy without safeguards that put not only every Israeli citizen, but every Jew in the world at risk.<br />
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And why? Because of John Boehner and the obstructionist republican House. Remember, there are three branches of government. In order to carry out a domestic agenda, Congress must be able to act. The Executive branch cannot unilaterally pass laws of strictly domestic interest. The Executive branch does, however, have independent power in foreign affairs. Thanks to the Republicans in the House, not only is it presently impossible to make domestic policy, but their smear machine has all but buried Obama's incredible success in getting a health care law passed. Unable to claim victory or advance any agenda on the domestic front as long as Congress sticks to its vow not to pass any legislation supported by the president, he has no choice but to seek to polish his legacy through involvement in foreign affairs. And what would be the greatest foreign affairs coup in the history of the modern world: the golden ring, the grand prize, the big one? Peace in the middle east.<br />
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The problem though is that the Palestinians cannot participate in the negotiations. They can pretend to negotiate in good faith, but events of today have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they absolutely, positively, cannot offer the ONLY thing that should cause Israeli's to even consider a compromise: a realistic promise that Palestinians will stop murdering Jews. Sure, they can pay lip service to that ideal, but that's all they can do. Here's why: Assume for the moment that the Palestinian authorities had adequate control over their people to cause them to stop. If they have that power, then why couldn't they stop the violence even during the peace talks? The answer is, they simply don't have the power. In other words, the only thing that the Palestinians can possibly bring to the table is something they cannot bring to the table. Accordingly, in order to eke a foreign policy win out of the middle east, the Obama administration has no choice but to get Israel to make unilateral concessions...SOMETHING IT HAS ALREADY DONE TIME AND TIME AGAIN. In fact, just two weeks ago, the Israelis released hundreds of convicted Palestinian terrorists in an act of good faith and were rewarded today with the unprovoked murder of an unarmed soldier in the Green Zone.<br />
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Yet, the Obama administration must continue to put pressure on Israel to make unilateral concessions because, as aforementioned, the Palestinians literally have nothing to put on the table. And that pressure on Israel will continue unabated until or unless Congress permits for actual debate on pressing domestic issues such as immigration reform and jobs. To keep the focus on the middle east, the administration has no option but to try to embarrass Israel into making an overture against its own interest (something that it has traditionally been willing to do, for instance, with the establishment of the PA and the prisoner releases.)<br />
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The administration's current struggle to keep peace talks in the middle east going is a direct and obvious function of the failure of Congress to do its job. The reason Congress will not do its job is because the Republican House leadership (including Eric Cantor, an very corrupt soul) has promised its constituency that it will not pass any important legislation. In other words, the Republican party has taken its strong support of Israel and placed it in on the rear burner in favor of obfuscating the President's agenda. The only agenda item worth working on for which he needs no Congressional action is peace in the middle east. Peace in the middle east is only possible if Israel acts against its own interests. Accordingly, the administration has no choice but to encourage Israel to act against its own interests. On the other hand, if immigration reform was something that anyone reasonably believed could even get serious debate in the house, the administration could very easily move foreign policy to the back burner. Unfortunately, that would require Congress to reassess its priories. So where are you, you so called supporters of Israel in the republican party. Have you really chosen the Koch brothers over Israel?Robert G. Berkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04638773749328984943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-19671011449306505802013-11-10T10:47:00.002-08:002013-11-10T10:47:55.771-08:00The absurdity of America's expectations of IsraelOkay, I've absolutely had it. With my own co-progressives no less. America's growing rift with Israel is based on the grossest absurdities.<br />
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The following are the FACTS. Facts, people, VERIFIABLE FACTS.<br />
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(1) When it was formed Israel never prevented an indigenous Palestinian from becoming a citizen, participating in the democratic process, or even holding elected office. The Palestinians could have been a political majority and taken over Israel peacefully already, bearing children to VOTE instead of to MURDER. I doubt that they would have been as open-armed to the displaced Jews who settled there.<br />
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(2) Instead of embracing citizenship, MANY but NOT ALL indigenous Palestinians decided to abandon their lands, flee to other other countries, such as Jordan, which never offered them citizenship and forced them into refugee camps, some of which are still operating to this day. The worst massacre of Palestinians were killed in such a refugee camp in Jordan by Jordanians. The Palestinians who chose to accept citizenship in Israel did not lose their homes and land. Those that did, did so with the expectation that they would return as VICTORS after joining other Arab nations in seeking to overrun Israel in the war. Their gamble did not pay off. The never returned to their homes or claimed citizenship.<br />
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(3) There is no faction of Palestinian leadership that has EVER renounced their position that Israel lacks legitimate sovereignty or the PLO's stated position of driving the Israelis into the sea. There simply is NO possibility of peace for Israel no matter what olive branch it extends.<br />
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(4) Prior concessions by Israel, such as land for peace, has been met with a middle finger for the most part. Not a month has passed since those concessions that an Israeli citizen has not been killed by Palestinian terror, organized and otherwise. Missiles being launched into Israeli neighborhoods from Palestinian administered territories, suicide bombers, etc. should have undermined international confidence that the Palestinians will allow for peace regardless of the concessions made by Israel.<br />
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(5) The Palestinians are incapable of ensuring that any concession will result in Peace. Even if the leadership and the populace would be amenable to peace, the leadership is incapable of controlling those who, through a lifetime of indoctrination, would strap explosives onto their children to kill Jews. The outside funding for the continued indoctrination and weapons supply far overshadows any control asserted by democratic process.<br />
<br />
(6) The United State's current position on the issue is nothing short of a death knell for the State of Israel. After Israel, it will be us. Anyone who thinks otherwise must have forgotten what happened on September 11, 2001. Though the VOLUNTARILY DISPLACED Palestinians have been used as a lightening rod to raise funds for terror, the destruction of the State of Israel is not the goal of those who fund them. Their goal is the destruction of western civilization and the imposition of Islamic rule. Israel is merely a buffer between the modern world and the Islamic world.<br />
<br />
(7) Israel has had nuclear weapons for decades and has had the power to genocide the voluntarily displaced Palestinians for as long. They haven't used any weapons of mass destruction EVER (if you are going to object by mentioning white phosporous, look it up and congratulate yourself after realizing that you are a victim of false propaganda, white phosphorous is neither a chemical weapon nor a weapon of mass destruction.) On the other, there is no need to speculate what the Palestinians (or the Iranians for that matter) would do if they had the capacity to reach a high capacity weapon into a dense population area. They do it every chance they get with every weapon they have access to.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, make sure you're on the right side before you open your mouth.Robert G. Berkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04638773749328984943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-89546993173029886942013-10-15T10:15:00.002-07:002013-10-15T10:16:12.346-07:00The Bone has been Thrown. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was right again.<br />
Sometimes I sicken myself with my powers of political prognostication.<br />
My last post was, "Throw 'em a bone..." The Republicans are squarely defeated and need only to save a little face.<br />
Over the weekend (because Congress always reads my posts) they came to the same conclusion.We can throw them a bone.<br />
John McCain (no pal of mine) said it in almost the exact same words this morning:<br />
"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The Democrats, I think, by doing negotiations now, are doing the right thing," McCain said. "Because you really don't want to crow over a victory. They know they're going to win. They know that. But we need to try to get an agreement that gives some something for the Republicans."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">My post suggested to delay the fines for the individual mandate briefly. Not the mandate itself, just the fines.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The actual plan proposed by the Senate (but probably doomed to failure in the House) is even more trifling a concession than what I proposed. To wit, the Senate negotiators proposed:</span><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">reopening the government through Jan. 15 (no winner); </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">extending the debt limit until Feb. 15 (no winner);</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">appoint representatives for a budget conference (win/win); </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">delay of a </span>reinsurance tax<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> to benefit unions (advantage Democrats);</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">income verification for Obamacare exchanges (advantage Republicans, sort of, since the income verification is already basically there, just not handled through the exchange. Quite literally a "for show" concession only.)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">As I reflected in my last post, if the House rejects this "compromise" the Republicans therein will appear to be intransigent, irrational, and hell-bent on destroying the economy. If the House approves it, they will have a very difficult PR job to not appear to be pussies. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">My advice to the GOP would be that they don't even try to convince the God-Guns-Gays element of the party that compromise was the right thing to do since that would be a fool's errand. They should reinforce the traditional notion that the Republican party is about millionaires and billionaires and corporations, all of whom know that the acceptance of defeat was in their best interest and send a message to the Tea Party that they are little more than an annoying little fly on the party's shoulder.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Peace.</span></span></div>
</div>
livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-83265558305042622862013-10-12T10:28:00.001-07:002013-10-12T10:28:02.298-07:00Throw Boehner a Bone and say, "Fetch, bitch".<h4>
Throw them a bone:</h4>
Its time to throw them a bone. The last shovel of dirt on the grave of the GOP would be "pity concession." The "bigger man" theory would hold that it is now the prerogative of the Democratic Party to accept that fact that it is completely dominant--that it can end the impasse with a temporary concession with the confidence that both houses and the presidency will be in democratic control in 13 months. If we kill the opposition, we look evil and one-party governments are inherently evil. If we let them save a modicum of face and continue to exist as a minority party, everyone wins.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Fetch, bitch:</h4>
The offer of a "pity concession" is a win-win for democrats. If the Republicans reject it, they look like the intransigent ones. If they accept it, they look weak. The Democrats have nothing to lose and everything to win. The more offensively picayune the concession the better. How about something like putting off the fines for not having insurance under the ACA for six months instead of suspending the whole program? Let them chase their tails over that. A second benefit of the extending the implementation of the fines (which is already over a year away) is that, if there is any part of the Republican narrative to be believed, it is the sloppy roll-out of the exchanges. Accordingly, there is now a principled reason for the Democrats to delay the fines without looking like they have merely given into extortion.<br />
<br />
Please remember the following:<br />
(1) I love politics; and<br />
(2) I'm (almost) always right.<br />
<br />
Peace.Robert G. Berkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04638773749328984943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-48160790527065769152012-10-11T22:58:00.003-07:002012-10-11T23:22:58.766-07:00The Reagan Coefficient (apologies to Art Buchwald)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;text-indent:25px;" trbidi="on" >
I met my friend Mitch Normey for lunch yesterday.<div>
"You're looking remarkably tan, Mitch," I told him.</div>
<div>
"Yes," he replied. "I'm going to be meeting with a delegation of tan voters today."</div>
<div>
"I'm sure they will be impressed," I told him.</div>
<div>
"You should have seen how impressed the little people I met with yesterday were. My knees are still sore from that," he said.</div>
<div>
"Was Grover Norquist there?" I asked as the waiter brought my soup.</div>
<div>
"Grover Norquist?" He asked with some befuddlement. "He's not a little person."</div>
<div>
I was embarrassed. Not being sensitive to the all newfangled ways we have found to point out the differences between ourselves and others, I had momentarily forgotten that when politicians say 'little people' they are often referring to unusually short people. I had to cover..."Oh," I said thinking quickly, "I'm sorry. It's just that when you said your knees were sore, I just assumed that Grover Norquist...well, never mind."</div>
<div>
"Its all right, old friend," Mitch reassured me, "its a common mistake."</div>
<div>
I was relieved. Mitch has never been anything if not polite. I decided to quickly change the subject. "I've heard that your campaign contributions have tapered off."</div>
<div>
"No, no, no, my friend," he said smiling as I bit into my sandwich, "you must have misunderstood. You see I intentionally decreased the amount of money my campaign takes in. I told all my biggest contributors to contribute less."</div>
<div>
"Why would you do that?" I asked incredulously. "Doesn't your campaign need money?</div>
<div>
Mitch gave me a broad and reassuring smile. "Oh yes, we need money very badly. In fact, my campaign is in deep, deep debt."</div>
<div>
"Then why would you reduce the contributions you are receiving?" I asked as I finished off the last of my french fries.</div>
<div>
"Its simple arithmetic, Bob. If you reduce your income, you also reduce your debt."</div>
<div>
"I don't understand," I said, feeling very, very ignorant.</div>
<div>
"Let me show you," Mitch said, writing a formula on a napkin to show me. It looked like this:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Money in - Money out=Net </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Net * -1/R = 2 * Money in"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"So lets say you make $500 a month," Mitch said, guessing very accurately, "that's your 'money in'. If you spend $600 per month, then your net is -100 every month. That's why my campaign is in debt. Now if you only look at the first formula it looks like the only way to get out of debt is to either get more money in or put less money out."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I was proud of myself for having followed his logic so far. "But then, if you're in debt, why would you purposely reduce your income?" I asked thinking it to be a very reasonable question.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"That's where the second formula comes in. See, if you multiply your net income by negative one divided by 'R', you always end up with a positive number equal to twice the amount of income you put in. So the the higher the negative number your net is, the more money in you're going to have."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He was starting to lose me, I pretended to be preoccupied with my coffee. I nodded and repeated back to him, hoping to look smart, "So you have to multiply your net income by negative 1 divided by 'R'."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"That's right, you multiply by the Reagan coefficient." </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"What is the Reagan coefficient?" I asked, starting to feel terribly outclassed.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Oh, that would be very difficult to explain, its sort of in the same class of numbers as the square root of negative 1," he said leaning back in his chair. "You'll just have to trust me on this."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Mitch was a very successful businessman before he became a politician, so clearly he knew the secret to making money. It would have been foolish of me not to trust him.</div>
<div>
I paid the bill and suggested he leave the tip. </div>
<div>
"Absolutely not!" He said, standing up to leave. "If I pay this waiter how will I have the money to hire another waiter? This waiter's just going to have to suffer a little if he expects me to create jobs."</div>
<div>
His logic seemed unassailable, notwithstanding that fact that he didn't own a restaurant.</div>
<div>
I tipped the waiter myself, because I don't create jobs. As I left the restaurant, I resolved to take care of my own debt too. I marched straight into my boss's office and said, "Boss, I want a pay cut!"</div>
<div>
My wife will be so proud that I'm finally taking financial responsibility.</div>
</div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-91110219424627340372012-07-04T23:05:00.000-07:002012-07-04T23:05:00.695-07:00HUMAN: Five Day FREE promo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1194828662">Human will be free for five days starting July 4, 2012 here:</a><br />
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/a%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006NTV4IO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=multimodomedi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006NTV4IO" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41enSklJ9UL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-68,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<br /></div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-91626957141464709022012-05-14T12:46:00.000-07:002012-05-14T12:58:19.321-07:00Take Me Into the Waves Print Version Available Now!<table>
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<p>Helene Farber's "novel of short stories" <u>TAKE ME INTO THE WAVES</u> is (finally) available in print.</p>
<p>Excellently reviewed on Amazon, <u>TAKE ME INTO THE WAVES</u> is a bittersweet journey of a contemporary woman, with whom both men and women will readily identify as she vacillates from strength to confusion to weakness and to redemption. Farber imbues her words with dark and occasionally cold humor as her characters navigate through their relationships in a universe that ultimately follows no one's rules.</p>
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</table>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-6236217643105656502012-04-14T12:04:00.002-07:002012-04-14T12:10:31.406-07:00Kirkus Review of Human<p><b>HUMAN</b> (reviewed on May 1, 2012)</p>
<p>First-time novelist Berke examines the tenuous relationship between the mental and the corporeal in a tale of political tug-of-war between the secret operatives of two world superpowers.</p>
<p>Elijah Smith, the founder of the scientific company SmithCorp, appears to have crested in old age and begun his descent into death. With the help of the precocious but scarred Dr. Bayron and Hermelinda—Smith’s nurse and lover—death isn’t the only option for Smith. Using materials imported from a Russian researcher who attempted to recreate the mind of a deceased government agent, Bayron sets out to reconstruct a digital model of Smith’s brain that effectively preserves his consciousness in a “prosthetic mind.” Though the experiment accomplishes its goal, both Smith and Bayron soon discover the dangerous knowledge contained in Smith’s hybrid mind: The Russian operative, whose memories Smith inherited, was one of three individuals who knew a code necessary to unlock an extensive nuclear warhead arsenal. What follows is a rollicking traipse through espionage stings, gunfights, and meetings between friends and enemies as two covert units, one American and one Russian, go to great lengths to protect their national—and, as it turns out, personal—interests. Despite the violence and manpower, however, it is the disembodied Smith who plays the biggest role, in a way that makes a strong claim about the potential drawbacks of immortality in a world where “once you are quantifiable, you aren’t human anymore.” Berke’s prose alternates between straightforwardness and meditation; in spite of its clockworklike plot, the novel manages to speak directly to the philosophical, theological, and biological paradoxes inherent in the idea of a human living past physical death. By the end of the novel, it’s clear that, at least for Smith, being human is not merely a matter of chemical processes, but a matter of doing the right thing.</p>
<p>A rough-and-tumble combination of science fiction, crime and romance that ultimately succeeds in salvaging the best from each genre to comment meaningfully on the perplexing—and often uncertain—nature of human identity.</p>
<p>Pub Date: Dec. 18th, 2011<br />
ISBN: 978-0984950706<br />
Page count: 346pp<br />
Publisher: MultiModoMedia<br />
Program: Kirkus Indie<br />
Review Posted Online: April 12th, 2012<br />
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1st, 2012<br /></p>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-85693408395671246782012-03-25T22:34:00.001-07:002012-03-25T22:34:51.395-07:00neat tool<script type="text/javascript" src="http://books.google.com/books/previewlib.js"></script>
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</script>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-43107324588230226522012-03-17T12:22:00.000-07:002012-03-17T12:22:57.261-07:00Helene Farber's Take Me Into the Waves<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">For release: March 15, 2012</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: left;">MultiModoMedia Press has published its second trade paperback, </span><u style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JEOYDE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=multimodomedi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007JEOYDE" target="_blank">Take Me Into the Waves</a></b></u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: left;">, by Helene Farber to </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><b>spectacular</b></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large; text-align: left;"> reviews:</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Available now for </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/B007JEOYDE/?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&tag=multimodomedi-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending" style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Kindle</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=multimodomedi-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-image: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; font-size: x-large; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/take-me-into-the-waves-helene-farber/1109524681" style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Nook</a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">, and </span><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/142439?ref=robertberke" style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">other e-readers</a></div>
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<span style="margin-right: 5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0 " style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/common/sprites/sprite-site-wide-2._V155328293_.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: -30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 65px;" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><b>Insight</b>, <nobr>March 16, 2012</nobr></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A20EMFPM3ET90J/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp" style="color: #996633;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr. Crime</span></a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A20EMFPM3ET90J/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="color: #996633;">See all my reviews</a></div>
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<b><span class="h3color tiny" style="color: #e47911;">This review is from: </span>Take Me Into the Waves (Kindle Edition)</b></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I found some of the stories reflect insight into the expectation of everyday life and the resulting disappointment reality metes out to us all.</span></div>
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<span style="margin-right: 5px;"><span class="swSprite s_star_5_0 " style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/common/sprites/sprite-site-wide-2._V155328293_.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: -30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 65px;" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span style="left: -9999px; position: absolute;">5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span> </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><b>You're So Vain</b>, <nobr>March 15, 2012</nobr></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A3OBO2AHZVHFFF/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp" style="color: #996633;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">vaporboy53</span></a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3OBO2AHZVHFFF/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="color: #996633;">See all my reviews</a></div>
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A powerful voice that demands to be heard. At times heart breaking then funny then insightful. I couldn't help recognize some of my own foibles and felt a bit sheepish. A must read confessional by a brillant new writer.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A3QXY7IAURQFTE/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp" style="color: #996633;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Avi Stachenfeld</span></a> (Berkeley, California USA) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3QXY7IAURQFTE/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="color: #996633;">See all my reviews</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ms farber... a penetrating eye, an original voice... insightful, passionate, and always empathic... i am looking forward to more from her mind and pen!!!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AEQ4OHY84YNHB/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp" style="color: #996633;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mala Schein</span></a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/AEQ4OHY84YNHB/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="color: #996633;">See all my reviews</a><br />
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I loved this book---kept me hooked to the very end. Finally, characters with depth---human frailties and relationships full of sexuality and love that repels and attracts. Compelling stories that psychologically draw you in and don't let you go. The writer is able to give a voice to people and their world that you want to be part of and feel what they feel even if it is scary and passionate.<br />
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<br /></div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-26541653236241710262012-03-17T11:53:00.003-07:002012-03-17T11:53:25.308-07:00Awesome review of "Human"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">"Robert, I'm about half way through "Human". I really, really like it. F*** those hacks like Tom Clancey or Stephen King. You just might be the next superstar author if there's anyone in the publshing world with a fraction of a brain. It's a page turner as well as dealing with some very deep themes (the God paradox for instance got me into a state of troubled contemplation for days). Way to go! Pete"</span><br />
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<br /></div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-45442487659037092172012-02-26T15:21:00.001-08:002012-02-26T15:21:57.333-08:00Really a great blog post by Chuck Wendig<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2012/02/21/25-things-i-want-to-say-to-so-called-aspiring-writers/comment-page-4/#comment-106435">http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2012/02/21/25-things-i-want-to-say-to-so-called-aspiring-writers/comment-page-4/#comment-106435</a>
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Felt terribly obligated to repost the link to this superb and entertaining post by Chuck Wendig.<br />
When I first announced that I completed my novel, a lot of people asked, how did you do it, how did you find the time, etc.<br />
As Chuck Wendig advises, I just sat down and wrote. I wrote a lot on the bus. I wrote a lot late at night when I should have been sleeping, I wrote while I was waiting for my wife to finish putting on her makeup.<br />
There is no magic to moving from aspiring writer to writer: just write.</div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-67429557525635692902012-02-21T15:24:00.001-08:002012-02-21T16:10:38.327-08:00A "Taste" of Artist, slated for May 30, 2012 release<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My second novel, <u>Artist</u>, has a tentative release date of May 30, 2012, which means it probably won't be available until November. Here's a snippet, just for fun: </span><br />
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<span style="color: #535353; line-height: 22px;"><span style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> If one could, for even a moment, ignore the fact that the dinner guests were corpses and the main course was a plate of severed human hands, then it would have appeared as if they had crashed a perfectly pleasant dinner party. The dead diners were all neatly dressed and well-groomed. There was no rot and barely a smell of death at all. In fact, Cos wondered if he were just imagining the smell of death. The corpses looked relatively fresh.</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #535353; line-height: 22px;"><span style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #535353; line-height: 22px;"><span style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> “I don’t know, Frankie,” Cos said, “but if I had to guess, I’d say that three hours ago all these people were still alive and those hands were still raw. I got a ten spot says forensics confirms that.”</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peace,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Berke.</span></div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-4416352329672023702012-02-12T10:42:00.000-08:002012-02-12T10:42:51.235-08:00Opening the Box to the Community<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Independent authors are a rising force within the publishing industry. Having recently joined those ranks, I confess to being very pleasantly surprised how supportive the community of independent authors is. Accordingly, I will be beginning a blog roll on the right side of this page and I will be creating a link at the top for self-publishers to promote their full-length works. I am also making the main page available to independent authors to publish short stories or opinion pieces. I'll make some rules for self-promotion on the main page and I will follow them myself.</div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-84423870203848760882012-02-04T14:28:00.000-08:002012-02-21T15:30:21.693-08:00Human hits Number 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-31999530291580085422012-02-03T16:24:00.000-08:002012-02-21T15:30:21.645-08:00Congratulations. Human now ranked number 3.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>livesimplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808968614436407416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820520696046096671.post-13298064422211947012012-01-27T12:38:00.000-08:002012-02-21T15:33:11.411-08:00CAMPAIGN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED<br />
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<span style="font-family: garamond; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: normal;"> President Obama has clearly been listening. If you watched his recent State of the Union Address you would have noticed that he has incorporated many of my key points into his agenda for the coming years. I will leave this site up as proof that our President still hears progressive voices and as evidence that our agendas now appear to overlap in every respect but one. The one disagreement we have is that unlike President Obama, I would continue to push for single-payer health care instead of the sloppy compromise currently in place. Perhaps we can continue to urge him to make this a priority.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: garamond; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: normal;"> Nonetheless, at this time, I perceive my continued candidacy to be redundant.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: garamond; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: normal;"> To all of those who supported me and helped me spread my ideas, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Though my campaign is likely at an end, it has clearly ended in victory. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: garamond; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: normal;"> I feel we can all take comfort in the knowledge that everything we believe in and everything we were fighting for will make it into the national debate with our President, Barack Obama, recommitted to our ideals and bravely leading us into the future.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: garamond; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: normal;"> I am giving my full support to President Obama in his reelection campaign.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: garamond; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: normal;">PEACE,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: garamond; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Robert G. Berke</span></span></div>Robert G. Berkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04638773749328984943noreply@blogger.com