Center for Strategic Planning and Studies in American Politics and Culture

Book Drum Grows with Book Lovers

2010-09-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

Book Drum is becoming ever more popular among book lovers as the following testimonies by some of the most celebrated authors of our times.

It's an exciting new way to review a book, and I am honored that you did it.
– Anne Rice, author of Interview with the Vampire

Book Drum is the perfect companion to the books we love, bringing them to life with immersive pictures, videos, maps and music.

I'm very pleased by this wonderful and enthusiastic response to my book.
– John Banville, author of The Sea

Whether it’s video of the Rockettes in The Catcher in the Rye, the Italian opera tracks that accompany Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, the historical context and maps of The Odyssey, stunning South American photography for In Patagonia, or video of Kabul kite fighting for The Kite Runner, we take readers beyond the page to enjoy interactive content alongside their favourite books.

Great, and great idea. Thank you.
– Paulo Coelho author of The Alchemist

With the next generation of e-readers in mind, we’re building the biggest library of multimedia companion content for books on the Internet. Designed using Wiki principles, anyone can contribute to it, adding to and refining each others’ work, making Book Drum one of the liveliest online communities for booklovers worldwide.

Thanks so much for putting Mukiwa on Book Drum. It looks great.
– Peter Godwin, author of Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa

Book Drum’s remarkable range of interactive content is particularly valuable to students and teachers, with over twenty A-level/GCSE set texts already profiled. Each book Profile consists of:

Bookmarks: page-by-page commentary and illustration of the text
Setting: description and illustration of the main places or themes of the book
Glossary: foreign, invented and tricky words deciphered
Summary: objective synopsis of the book
Review: subjective analysis and evaluation of the book
Author: biographical information, interview videos, links and photos

Book Drum was founded by:

• Mark Negus – Book Drum’s webmaster and software designer is a freelance consultant who has worked on projects as diverse as the London Stock Exchange and Big Brother voting.

• Hector Macdonald – Book Drum’s editor is the author of bestseller The Mind Game, The Storm Prophet and The Hummingbird Saint. He grew up on the coast of Kenya, and has worked as an English teacher, wildlife reserve gofer and business strategist.

• George Pennock – Book Drum’s business director has spent most of his career helping entrepreneurs fund and develop their ideas. He is a financial advisor with Barclays Wealth and a founding partner of Beamreach Capital.

Visit Book Drum today at http://www.bookdrum.com/.

Contact:

Chris McCafferty/Kaper: (chris@kaper.uk.com)

Hector Macdonald: (editor@bookdrum.com)

I am both impressed and grateful--in fact amazed and honoured is nearer the mark!
– Robin McKinley, author of Beauty

World Audience Publishers

2010-04-11T09:23:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

World Audience Publishers

View more presentations from dempsey87.

In the Footsteps of Dracula

2010-03-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

The follwoing review of In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journey and Travel Guide by Steven P. Unger was posted at Book Pleasures by reviewer Lois Henderson.

Author: Steven P. Unger
Publisher: World Audience
Edited by M. Stefan Strozier.
ISBN: 978-1-935444-53-4

The Introduction to Unger’s travelogue describes the work as follows: ‘In part, In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journal and Travel Guide is a memoir for the armchair traveler, with pictures and descriptions of every site that is closely related to either Bram Stoker's fictional Count Dracula or his real historical counterpart, Prince Vlad the Impaler. The memoir is divided into sections that first follow in the footsteps of the fictional Count Dracula, and then in the footsteps of Vlad the Impaler from his birth to his death and burial, Part V, titled "Nuts and Bolts: A Practical Guide to the Dracula Trail". "Nuts and Bolts" includes an itinerary for the entire Dracula Trail, with recommended lodging and restaurants; as well as detailed transportation directions and the cost for traveling from one location to the next in sequence. The Dracula Trail begins and ends in London for the English portion and in Bucharest for traveling in Romania.’

Clearly, this book is extremely well organized and logical in its presentation. It is also extremely well written – the reader is swept along for the ride through the relatively unspoiled Romanian countryside, while the exploration of English sites takes place at a slightly more leisurely pace, in keeping with Bram Stoker’s research orientation. Steven describes his intention with this work as that of ‘stripping away the layers of myth about Count Dracula and Prince Vlad the Impaler to find the reality within’.

Steven’s close familiarity with the text of Dracula enables him to compare elements of the novel that are incongruous with the Transylvanian reality, due to Bram Stoker never having visited the area of which he wrote in such glowing mythical terms. Throughout this guide, he quotes relevant parts of the novel that tie in with his personal observations of the unfolding landscape – definitely enough to entice the avid reader back to savor the original source once more.

The detailed description of Vlad Dracula’s rule on the Wallachian throne serves, in blood-drenched style (accompanied by appropriate authorial warnings of the graphic nature of such text), to contextualize the legend of Dracula. Though the references to graveyards, churches and historic ruins abound, due account is also taken of the exploitation of the Dracula legend by the tourism industry in both England and Romania. Not that the author himself does not benefit from such enterprise, as he avails himself of the hospitality of numerous hotels and bed and breakfast establishments. Though giving full praise where such is due, as with the Bed & Breakfast Coula in Sighişoara, which he rates as ‘hands down my favorite place to stay in my favorite town in Romania’, he also does not hesitate to advise about those that he finds to be not so appealing.

In the Footsteps of Dracula is filled with full color photographs of the people and places that Unger encounters on his travels. From the quaint fishing village of Whitby, where the novel Dracula was conceived and partly written, to the rugged Carpathian montane landscape surrounding the Borgo Pass, the site of Count Dracula’s ‘vast ruined castle’, Steven captures the essence of his environs. By identifying key components of the photos, which he relates to Bram Stoker’s text, their contents take on special significance and meaning for the reader. In his depiction of multiple Romanian street scenes, Steven encapsulates the medieval other-worldly feel of such towns as Tărgovişte and Sighişoara through which he travels. His inclusion of numerous photographs of young people garbed in Gothic attire, most of whom were captured while attending Whitby’s annual Gothic Festival, will no doubt also appeal to the younger reader.

About the Reviewer

Lois has a MA General Linguistics, BA (English) Honors, Higher Education Diploma, Higher Diploma in Library and Information Science - indexer of more than 130 books; editor of dozens of theses and study manuals at university and college.

L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition

2009-11-19T01:47:00.000-08:00

Submit now to the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition - one of Moviemaker Magazine’s 2009 “Top 25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee”! Now accepting entries in the following categories:

Feature Comedy Screenplays
Short Comedy Screenplays
Half-Hour Comedy Pilot Scripts
Short Comedy Films (30 minutes or less)

L.A. Comedy Shorts is currently the largest comedy film festival in the United States, dedicated to introducing the newest and hottest comedic talent to the industry. Sponsored by Will Ferrell and Judd Apatow's website FunnyOrDie.com, LACS is four, funny-packed days of screenings, parties, and panels, plus a star-studded red carpet awards event. Adam Carolla hosted last year’s gala, where actor/director Bobcat Goldthwait was honored with the first annual ‘Commie’ achievement award and Mark Hamill presented the Movie Magic Screenwriter Screenplay Competition award for best comedy screenplay.

In addition to exposure to the large industry and media presence at the festival, winners receive meetings with industry heavyweights, cash, and prizes. The 2009 winners met with Mosaic Media Group (Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, Elf), heads of production at Benderspink (The Hangover, American Pie), Generate (Comedy Central’s Chocolate News), Atomic Wedgie (a division of Fremantle), and Atom.com (Comedy Central's Atom TV). Winning films were also featured on the main player at FunnyOrDie.com. All finalists receive cash awards and Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 software!

Think you’re funny? Submit today! (Late Deadline: 12/02/09, Extended Final Deadline: 12/18/09)

As a special discount for Write Brothers fans… enter promo code "writebros" and get $5 off when you submit through the LACS website!

For more details, visit http://www.write-bros.com/12all_newsletter/lt.php?c=59&m=158&nl=11&s=e319e70d4569ed29e1497b278a842434&lid=534&l=-http--www.lacomedyshorts.com.

ErnestDempsey Interviewed

2009-10-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

Publisher Victor R. Volkman spoke with author Ernest Dempsey about his new collection of short stories The Blue Fairy and Other Tales of Transcendence. Ernest Dempsey has authored four book and, in just the past few years, seen the publication of his poems, essays, short stories, and literary reviews worldwide. He is now the editor-in-chief of the print quarterly Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing (www.recoveringself.com) and also works as the country editor for Pakistan on the celebrated internet news channel Instablogs. Dempsey's The Blue Fairy takes a subject that has been dreaded for centuries - Death.

In the book, he explores the manysides to the subject that make the final departure a meaningful reality of existence. Inspired mostly by real-life experiences, Dempsey's The Blue Fairy ingeniously integrates dying with living. It is a book for the soul.

W.I.S.E ( World Intellectuals' Social Establishment )

2009-04-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

W.I.S.E. is an international organisation dedicated to the enhancement of intellectuals' communications and to the protection of their rights.
PRLog (Press Release) – Apr 03, 2009 – Started by Prof.(h.c.) Askin Ozcan, many years ago, W.I.S.E. endeavors to enhance the communications of intellectuals both among themselves and with the masses and to protect the rights of intellectuals, with the belief that this will result in the increased resolution of the world problems and in the betterment of living conditions for all, globally. W.I.S.E. aspires to achieve its goals by means of educational seminars, congresses, publications, multi-media publicity, an international network of associations and social clubs, cafes; international lecturer exchange service and close ties with the universities. It also aspires to issue an "intellectuals' passport" to the members, hoping that this will, sometime in the future, result in visa-free global movement of the intellectuals.

The manifesto of W.I.S.E was first published by Prof.(h.c.) Askin Ozcan in PEACE PROGRESS magazine in India, when Prof.(h.c.) was Associate Secretary General of I.A.E.W.P. (NGO- U.N.) and its delegate at U.N. Vienna.

W.I.S.E. found then much adherence and attracted much interest from the intellectual circles in many countries. Now, owing to the lack of financing, its organisation is undergoing a stand-still. Prof.(h.c.) Ozcan says, " Maybe by an agressive re-appearance of W.I.S.E. and its principles in the world intellectual media, we can cultivate some capital and new leaders for this organisation. The increased internet resources can be just what W.I.S.E. might be needing for its re-birth and growth." The idea of intellectuals' associations and communications and their value for solving the world's problems is a long recognized issue both by U.N.E.S.C.O. (its magazine had devoted an issue to this topic many years ago) and by well-known universities.

Web-site for Prof.(h.c.) Askin Ozcan: http://www.xlibris.com/AskinOzcan.html

Prof.(h.c.) Askin Ozcan is the author of : THE SECOND VENICE, SMALL MIRACLES, STOCKHOLM STORIES, WISDOM IN SMILE, LIGHTNING AND A BOUQUET OF ROSES, THE MINI-SUBMARINE which are available at 200 internet bookshops (incl. www.amazon.com, www.bn.com, www.libreriauniversitaria.it, www.ibs.it, www.alibris.com, www.adlibris.com, www.fishpond.com.au, www.infibeam.com, www.loot.co.za) and via 25.000 bookstores and writes regularly for: www.thesop.org, www.newsblaze.com, www.thesepultimes.com, www.americanchronicle.com, http://thesop.org/index.php?article=7680 http://newsblaze.com/story/20081217072706tsop.nb/topstor ...
# # #
Author: Has six published titles in the U.S.A. Also many articles published internationally. Currently writer at www.thesop.org, www.newsblaze.com, www.theseoultimes.com, www.americanchronicle.com

Win a Free Book!

2009-03-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

What are book clubs reading? How often do they meet? Do they enjoy speaking with authors? Reading Group Guides is going to find out the answers to these questions and more with the 2009 ReadingGroupGuides.com survey.

The goal of the survey is to identify trends and topics that are of interest to book groups. The information will be shared with publishers and authors so they can provide the resources needed to enhance book group meetings and discussions.

The survey is only open to readers who are in book clubs. The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=JZxioOza4dvM_2byCHuqQb0A_3d_3dThe survey will take about 12-15 minutes to complete. As a token of the appreciation for filling it out, ReadingGroupGuides.com will award all participants (U.S. and Canadian residents only) with a free book, generously provided by their publishing colleagues. See the full list of 28 titles, each of which is perfect for a book group discussion, at: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/surveys/2009-reader-survey.asp.

We hope you will mention the survey on your site and encourage your readers who are in a book club to participate. And if you are in a book club, we hope you'll take the survey yourself. The survey will close on April 30th, or as soon as 2,500 prizes have been awarded, so visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=JZxioOza4dvM_2byCHuqQb0A_3d_3d to answer the survey now!

Other Sites of Interest

http://www.bookreporter.com/

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/

http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/

http://www.faithfulreader.com/

http://www.teenreads.com/

http://www.kidsreads.com/

http://www.authorsontheweb.com/

http://www.authoryellowpages.com/

http://www.thebookreportnetwork.com/

What Kind of Literature Do We Need in the 21st Century?

2009-02-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

The first decade of the 21st century is approaching its end. The Internet has revolutionized the world of communication, including that of reading and writing. Numerous online publications, discussion forums, blogs, and other publishing venues have opened up and continue to emerge, making the world wide web a truly global community of readers, writers, editors, and publishers. So what trends are evolving in our new world of literature? What kinds of stuff do the modern readers want to read and contemporary writers want to write? Is there some common point(s) that characterizes the 21st century literature? This is the topic we are going to discuss in our next issue of The Audience Review. Please send your opinion on the topic What Kind of Literature Do We Need in the 21st Century?

The opinion should be brief (up to 300 words) and should be sent via e-mail to dempsey87@gmail.com or vianna_renaud@yahoo.com. Please include the following information with your opinion.

Name:

Age:

Sex:

Profession:

Location (City and Country):

Looking forward to receiving your views,

Ernest Dempsey
Editor in Chief
The Audience Review
http://www.worldaudience.org/

INTERFAITH FREEDOM MARCH

2009-01-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

Look around you and tell me what world you live in: one dominated by war or immersed in soothing peace? Given all the mayhem we witness through the media (and many a time directly all around us), the answer seems to be a world occupied by war. But there are people like Frank Romano who not only believe in peace but are also actively involved in precipitating peace in the world. Here is Frank's latest update on his peace efforts in the Arab-Isreal region.

INTERFAITH FREEDOM MARCH

The Interfaith Freedom March will take place on Feb. 23rd, 2009. The group which will set out at 10 am ---------- in front of Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, West Bank-------- to Rachel’s Tomb, near Bethlehem, West Bank.

The marchers will walk in the light of the creator, following the principles of non-violence and respect for all creatures which are common denominators among the Peoples of the Book (ahl al-kitab) who reside in the area, as it is written in their Holy Scriptures of the Qur’an, the Torah, the New Testament, and in other texts. Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sufis, Kabbalists, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists, etc., and members of all faith communities are welcome.

The truth is that residents of the area are ready for a durable peace, even those who were not ready a year or two ago. Similar to the situation in Ireland and other conflict areas, residents of the area have become fed up with, as well as exhausted and disgusted by the violence and truly seek peaceful coexistence.

As a result, many are laying down their arms, working on interfaith projects to take religion/spirituality out of the conflict and working within the political system to bring about change in a permanent, nonviolent way.

A purpose of this march is also to counter-balance the filtered and false information about the suffering of the people in the area, notably Palestinians and Israelis. Their suffering has become invisible in the face of narratives with no basis in reality and exaggerated reporting on incidents of violence and subsequent retaliation, often dominating the news and distracting the world from focusing on the day to day suffering of the residents in the area.

Moreover, removing all West Bank settlements would help in diffusing the tension accelerating since 1967.

As such, the occupation of the West Bank must end as a precursor to peaceful coexistence on the condition that adequate security measures are taken by both sides to preserve the peace.

Another purpose of this event is to facilitate working together of all active freedom/peace/human rights groups in the area and in the World. It is also dedicated to building on humanitarian efforts to improve the education of people in the area (cross-cultural dialogues, mixed student programs, etc.) and to improve the economic environment.

This event will set up a concerted and consistent effort in furtherance of freeing the area from the terrible bondage of continued conflict.

Let this march be a precursor to freedom through love and understanding by bringing all people together, as brothers and sisters and as children of the creator, showing the world that all people want peace in Israel and Palestine.

Call for Submissions on Mothering

2009-01-14T22:17:00.000-08:00

I just got an update from the Association for Research on Mothering (ARM) on their extended deadline for receiving submissions on 'mothering'. The announcement is pasted below.

Wishes

Ernest Dempsey

CALL FOR PAPERS

In celebration of Mother’s Day,

The Association for Research on Mothering (ARM) and MAMAPALOOZA are hosting a two-day conference!

"MOTHERS GONE MAD: MOTHERHOOD AND MADNESSOPPRESSION AND RESISTANCE"

Thursday, May 28 - Friday, May 29, 2009 in New York City, venue TBA

FEATURING A KEYNOTE ADDRESS

BY:PHYLLIS CHESLER

http://www.phyllis-chesler.com/

ANDPAULA CAPLAN, Ph.D.

“Who Decides If Mothers Are Crazy? From Freud’s Mother to Today’s”

We welcome submissions from scholars, students, activists, artists, community agencies, service providers, journalists, mothers and others who work or research in this area. Cross-cultural, historical, and comparative work is encouraged. We encourage a variety of types of submissions including academic papers from all disciplines, workshops, creative submissions, performances, storytelling, visual arts, and other alternative formats.

Topics can include (but are not limited to):

Motherhood, Art, and Madness; Histories of Maternal Resistance; Historical Perspectives on Madness and Motherhood; Mothers, Madness, and Medicine; Maternal Anger; Mother Blame; Maternal Guilt; Racial Oppression, and Motherhood; Motherhood and Mental Illness; Psychoanalysis and Motherhood; Cultural Representations of Murderous Mothers; Depression, and Domestic Violence; Politicizing Motherhood: Maternal Activism; Post Partum Depression; LGBT Mothers, Oppression, and Resistance; Mothering and Disability; Mothers who kill; Motherhood in the News; Resistant Motherhoods; Momism and Oppression; Mothers who Live on the Edge; Working Mothers and Society; Raising Activist Children; Menopausal Mothers; Mothering and Eating Disorders; Demonizing ‘Bad’ Mothers; Madness as Agency and Resistance; Infanticide; Matricide; Grief, Bereavement and Loss; ‘Good’ Mothers versus ‘Bad’ Mothers, Medicalization of Maternity; Incarcerated Mothers; Mothers and Addiction; Psychology, Psychiatry and Mothers; Healing and Recovery; Feminist Mothering

EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS – February 3, 2009

*Please email 250 word presentation abstract and 50 word bio to http://us.mc568.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=arm@yorku.ca

MAMAPALOOZA Inc. connecting Mothers through Music, Art, Activism and Education for Cultural, Economic & Social awareness. MOMS ROCK!

Mamapalooza serves as a resource for mothers seeking support, awareness and education in the arts, entrepreneurship and areas of mental and physical health. We are a cultural and social service hub, fostering talent, and providing a network for professional advancement, creative fulfillment, and financial education, encouraging well-being for women and families. Founded in 1998 the Association for Research on Mothering (ARM) is the first and still only international feminist research devoted specifically to the topic of mothering-motherhood. Our mandate is to provide a forum for the discussion and dissemination of research on motherhood and to establish a community of individuals and institutions working and researching in the area of mothering and motherhood. ARM houses the Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering, Demeter Press, and the feminist mothers group MOTHER OUTLAWS.

Association for Research on Mothering (ARM)

Demeter Press 726 Atkinson, York University4700 Keele StreetToronto, ON,Canada, M3J 1P3

416-736-2100 x60366

(fax) 416-736-5766

arm@yorku.ca

www.yorku.ca/arm

New Year Bragging

2008-12-31T23:04:00.000-08:00

Clocks are ticking and hearts following their rhythm – we are in 2009 now. Let me wish everyone a very Happy New Year on behalf of World Audience Publishers. Was 2008 a special year for you? If so, what was especially special about it? Here is what I found in the year that just departed in the irretrievable train of time.

This year (and I mean 2008, of course) I took over as the chief editor of The Audience Review – a dream coming true, as I may put it tritely – and had some of the most remarkable interviews with scientists like Dr. Niall McLaren, Dr. Uner Tan, Dr. Robin Kelly, Dr. Rodger Murphree, and Dr. Rachel Herz. A number of other great conversations with novelists, poets, and writers of nonfiction filled my time with the greatest conceivable joy. My second poetry book Two Candles was published by Matt Ward’s My Lucky Guitar Press. All this journey in the writing life gave me enough reason to brag the way I am doing in these lines – a pleasure apart!

But that is certainly not all. In the form of a new online news channel Instablogs, where I am now the country editor for Pakistan, I started a part-time career as a citizen journalist. The supervising team of Instablogs comprises a group of very talented and well-educated people, mainly from Shimla (northern side of India), who are doing some really exciting work in a kind of interactive online journalism from all parts of the world. My experience of citizen journalism is rich and rewarding at this community; and it reminds me to tell you that anyone can be a part of our community. All you need is just register at the site (for free) and share your views with the world; and if you have a story to tell, you may find your voice in a video file watched by people from the entire world (made available at Youtube). Exciting, isn’t it?

For 2009, I have big big BIG plans. Victor Volkman’s Loving Healing Press is going to publish the first 12 issues of our newsletter Audience Buzz in book form. Also, World Audience is almost finished with editing my storybook The Blue Fairy and Other Stories, which is a collection of short stories on the theme ‘death’. So stay tuned! And that is only the beginning of the year. Hopefully(and I do mean it), I’ll finish my novel this year (now I mean 2009, of course) and start working on more ideas that inhabit the corners of my mind since antiquity!

With warm wishes in mild winter,

Ernest Dempsey

December Writing Contest at Litmocracy

2008-12-23T05:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a writing contest call from Dave Scotese of Litmocracy. Hurry to enter and win a prize!

Ah, December, season of joy and giving, season of bells-a-ringing, of snow softly falling…
Ha! December! Season of mobs and trampling, season of prices-a-rising, of cold and shoveling!
Aren't you tired of warm and fuzzy Christmas stories? Litmocracy's contest for December is a tribute to the decline of real, heart-felt Season's Greetings. Get cynical, it's ok! Get it all out now, so you can enjoy a relaxed, fun, and warm holiday season. Let's make this interesting:

Special Tags + : Your story MUST INCLUDE a palm tree and a cowboy hat.
Special Tags - : Your story CANNOT INCLUDE reindeer, real Christmas trees (fake ones are allowed), or the man himself, Santa Claus (feel free to dress up uncle Jimmy in your story, but no reference to the REAL Santa).

Word Count: 2000 words (yes I'm generous, it IS the season of giving after all)

Please refer to the Litmocracy contest guidelines here

Post your December Satire contest entry here Good luck all!

Saving Poor Children

2008-12-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

It is a shame that despite huamnity's access to other planets in the galaxy, we have millions of children on our very ownearth who are living in misery due to poverty. In response to my recent post about a poor Afghan girl being saved from a begging life by the Children Foundatiton, the customer service manager of the foundation sent me the following message. I think we agree with the coda: 'together, we can change the world.'

Ernest

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Dear Mr. Karim Khan,

Thank you very much for your kindness and support. Your article would cause a profound public awareness. I thought to share a little more in depth with you of who Child Foundation is and what we do.

Child Foundation is an international nonprofit organization that helps children in need to remain in school. As a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in special consultative status with the UN, ECOSOC. Child Foundation supports the 2015 Millennium Development Goals and is actively pursuing the following three goals:

· Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
· Achieve universal primary education
· Promote gender equality

Child Foundation believes that education and training are vital ingredients for enabling transformation and change to take place in a child’s life, especially when a family is experiencing dire poverty and has no available resources or support. By providing humanitarian relief and aid to underprivileged children, Child Foundation helps children to reach their full potential, eliminating child exploitation, such as boys entering the workforce prematurely, and girls being forced into early matrimony.

To keep you update, I will forward our monthly e-newsletter and welcome your feedback. Your readers can always visit: http://www.ChildFoundation.org or contact us between the hours of 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays.

I feel confident that together, we can change the world, .....one child at a time.

Best Regards,
Hossein Salehi
Outreach and Customer Service Manager
Child Foundation-Main Office
CF-Salehi@ChildFoundationUSA.org
Tel: 503-698-4084 • Fax: 503-297-1546
P.O. Box 463 • Portland, OR 97207
Please visit us at: www.childfoundation.org

Happy Green 2009 Video Contest

2008-12-14T23:30:00.000-08:00

Emerging online environment-friendly community Eco Green Projects is hosting a free video contest in collaboration with Sketch Firm, offering exciting prizes and invaluable publicity to participants. The contest aims at raising global awareness on eco-conscious lifestyle and the importance of eco-green projects.

Contest submissions should be made via web link (Youtube, MySpace Video, Google etc). Participants are required to send the following submission information via e-mail to livegreen@ecogreenprojects.com:

Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
E-mail:
Website:
MySpace Page (if applicable):

It is important to remember not to send the actual videos to the above e-mail address. The deadline for all submissions is January 31, 2009. Every participant will receive email confirmation of his/her submission within 24 hours of the submission. Selected winning entry will be notified by February 10, 2009. The winning entry will be awarded with a free customized MySpace layout, designed by Sketch Firm, valued at over $1000.

Any questions regarding the contest may be e-mailed to livegreen@ecogreenprojects.com.

Good luck!
Eco Green Projects
http://www.ecogreenprojects.com/

World Audience Publishers to Hold a Seminar for Authors

2008-11-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

The World Audience Publishers, with over 100 titles and 2 print quarterlies on their credit, is going to hold a seminar on ‘How To Be A Successful And Wealthy Author’ in December 2008. The two-plus-hour seminar will tell authors how to market their books successfully online.

This two-hour-plus seminar will be led by Mike Strozier, a successful publisher and CEO of the World Audience Publishers of more than 100 books and by a writer, Jay P. Granat (PhD), who has made more than a million dollars through publishing books, CD’s, videos, audio cassettes and manuals. Mike Strozier will explain how publishing works today and what writers need to understand to be successful in this rapidly changing industry. He will also detail online marketing for writers.

Jay P. Granat, has written four books which were published by three different companies. He has successfully developed and marketed a dozen successful informational, self-help products and programs. Jay writes a weekly column for three newspapers and is a guest columnist for several web sites. He is the founder of stayinthezone, drjaygranat, and expandyourpractice.

The seminar will answer aspiring and emerging authors’ questions about writing and publishing as a business. The event is scheduled for Monday, Dec 8th, 2008, at 6 to 8 p.m. at 1060 Main St., Suite 307, River Edge, New Jersey. Participants will be able to join for a small fee of $150.
Information on the seminar is available with Mike and Dr. Granat.

Open Letter to Citizen Bush

2008-10-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

I am an America citizen. I address you as a citizen that you will shortly become. As equals, you need to avoid me at all costs. I, however, am going to pursue you, and hound you until the day you die, and even beyond your grave, with my words.
The last 8 years have been the worst years that I have witnessed America suffer in my lifetime. Those years must be among the worst our nation has ever endured. This misery was brought about practically single-handedly by you, though many stood idly by, such as the newspaper press.

How can one person cause such havoc? You have the personality of a goat, or perhaps an ass. Simply witnessing your election in 2000 was uninspiring. You were not justly elected to become president of the United States. Our Supreme Court had to vote you into office by a vote of 5-4. You lost the popular vote. There was voting suppression, and tampering with ballots. The election of 2000 that brought you into office was a farce, and the world laughed at us for the first of many times to come in the next 8 years.

Once in office, you ignored your duties, much as I recall your father playing golf while I was working 23-hour-days, as a soldier in Germany preparing to go to war in Iraq during the Persian Gulf War. You were rarely at your desk and often on vacation. You moved the White House to your ranch in Crawford, Texas, a brazen act and the first of many of its kind. This act seemed to denote your style, too, one of defiance with the very office you hold. It is one thing to defy and challenge; it is quite another thing to defy your own position as leader. Action such as this demonstrates a certain bitter, deep-seated hatred of a personal nature. As a person, you have no humor or feeling or compassion for others. You also have a strange, false bravado, a machismo that is almost comical. As a physical presence, you have a sheepish, rather ugly appearance. You are not intimidating; yet, you insist that you are. Thus, you present a strange quality, part comical, part idiotic. To say you are ineloquent is to say the sky is blue. But, as with many of your actions, you take your failures to brave new lows; you turn a certain dialect into something that Americans have come to hate and despise, and even commiserate in shared misery. Initially, your inept style was something that you rejoiced in, to the pain of death of your countrymen, such as when you said, “Bring ‘em on” in the dialect that I speak of, about our brave soldiers fighting in Iraq. You comments caused the deaths of some of those soldiers, as a result of that stupid comment. Perhaps, you feel that by showing such a fearless lack of thinking others will respect the nature of the power that you wield.

Then came 9-11, and here was an event seemingly tailor-made for your rough personality. And, for a brief period, you seemed to think, act, and talk like a president. There have been numerous allegations of conspiracy around 9-11. Like all things, there is some truth to be found within. At the very least, by going on vacation as president, you were ill-equipped to handle this crisis and shocked by it. Had the last plane finished its mission, our nation would have been finished. But it did not and we survived, because we are a strong people. Surviving your legacy will make us even stronger. Your lack of leadership squandered the world’s good will toward America in 2001. You sent us to war in Afghanistan but have not achieved your mission to this day because the Taliban have returned, and our causalities are at all-time highs in that conflict. And the mastermind of 9-11 remains at large, as does many of his lieutenants. You often claim that we have killed or captured many of the enemy; but how many of them remain at large?

Then we went to war with Iraq. The reason we went to war was proven to be a lie. That lie was premeditated. We are fighting a premeditated, preemptive war based on a lie, in Iraq. And, we have been fighting it for 6 years. After the initial battles, which we won, you again showed your indecision. For all of your bravado, you can be a very indecisive man. As a result, Baghdad fell into chaos and there was widespread looting. The leaders and generals that you appointed were as inept as you are, and their bad decisions sealed our fate for what may be decades in that country. Many thousands American servicemen have now died in your premeditated, preemptive war based on a lie. Thousands died on 9-11, and you had a hand in their deaths. Your total of American dead will likely close in on tens of thousands before you leave office. These are deaths that you personally caused, by idiocy, negligence, and stupidity. And worst of all, you seem to remain proud of these dead. Like 9-11, to talk of conspiracies is often not wise; but still, if you are capable of killing Americans – many who died in the most heinous ways – surely you must have committed other acts upon Americans of which we have no knowledge. Perhaps we should learn your other crimes.

To create your war state, you changed our constitution and expanded the powers of the presidency to levels heretofore unseen. You also greatly increased the power of the vice-president, to a level not envisioned in the Constitution. Next, you began a systematic operation of torture against our enemies and opened Guantanamo Bay. Your plan of torture and rendition was eventually revealed. Amazingly, however, you persist in the righteousness of your acts in your plan. If I ever meet you in person, I will spit in your face and challenge you to torture me. I feel you are a coward to not take up my challenge.

There were other failures, almost too many to cover. Your actions, or the lack of them, devastated New Orleans, and again we were laughed at by the entire world. Your corrupt pardons of fellow criminals in your administration are noteworthy. You have done nothing for our economy, which is now in a violent spiral. You have not helped Americans with health care or fair wages or quality of living. You greatly expanded the military’s role in spying on Americans, whether legal or not. You oversaw the passage of legislation to restrict Americans’ rights.
All of these things are familiar to all Americans – almost to the man, woman and child, as if reciting a nursery rhyme chanted by Satan. And all of America hates you with a passion that burns brightly. We Americans truly, madly, and deeply despise you, in a way that I have never witnessed before against any politician. In fact, I have never seen any person hate another person the way that all Americans hate you, with a sense of personal hatred, seething animosity, pulsing with cruel delight. For myself, it’s your lack of recognition of your failures, and our hatred of you, that most get under my skin. It’s your admitted belief – professed to this day – that you will be proven right by history, that is truly regrettable. It’s a quality that your vice-president shares with you. You are not content with failure and the pain that you blindly inflict; you must perpetuate those things with all the established power that you have, for as long as humanly possible. To accomplish this, you rely greatly on words, at last. Words trouble you, and you do not speak clearly or accurately. The prepared argument that you deliver is offensive and arrogant. And we must endure your atrocious lies, which you deliver with a straight face – and even the occasional grimace and smirk (another quality you share with your near-death vice-president). For, to weaken in your argument would lead to your overthrow, because your argument is all you have, or have ever had. Thus, you create a sickening, shameful situation, without end.

I think it is a mistake to recognize your authority for another day. The American people think otherwise, and I must respect that decision. But there will be an end, because you are only human. You will soon be gone. And my words will follow you. You do not understand what it means to be an American. Your soul is poisoned, and the rot of it has infected the fabric of our great land. It is necessary to purge your great evil from our nation, so that we might become Americans again. The vastness of your failures is staggering. The sheer numbers of American deaths that you have caused for little to no gain is incomprehensible. When you are gone, we will praise God that you are gone. There will be an awesome silence at your departure, as if Lucifer had just exited the room. The evil housed in your soul is unimaginable, unfathomable. The feats that you are capable of lie beyond understanding. I, personally, wish you no harm. I, for one, forgive you. But you are no American. You have lessened my country. You have hurt and killed my fellow citizens, on account of your black, unyielding, psychological vendettas. America is a diminished land because of your actions, greatly diminished. No action that you have taken at home or abroad, in war or peace, will reverse that, despite your continuing arguments to the contrary.

In closing, I urge you to consider the hopelessness of your fate. Think, even if it is too late for that. But for the grace of God do we comprehend our sins, and the evil that is housed in your soul. Attempt to reconcile with your failures in your last months in office. There is nothing more that can be done than that. Consider humanity, though you will never grasp it. Feel for Americans, though you are not an American. Try to love your country, America, even if you hate it and wish death and destruction upon it.

M. Stefan Strozier

(A True American)

On Food Safety

2008-09-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Recently I happened to exchange bit of correspondence about food safety with Janice who is developing a website http://farmcommunities.com/ on green living and eco-friendly communities. Having recently witnesses a case of food poisoning in our university, I felt intrigued about sharing my correspondence with readers (after having Janice’s permission for it).

Janice: I wish more people would take the time to understand what they areconsuming. It's especially alarming here in the United States. The majority preferring the quick and cheap over quality and nature.

Me: Well, just last week I took my friend and colleague Asher to see a doctor in the nearby hospital. Asher was having diarrhea with blood in it. He told me he had taken his supper at the hostel mess (his wife not being home to cook for him) and it left him listless with motions. Later, I learnt from the canteen’s waiter that many people had suffered that problem since three dishes (two of them made of meat and one of red beans) were unclean. He told me that at the mess, it is common practice for the waiters and cooks to mix the leftover with fresh dishes of the same kind and serve them again, without freezing or boiling. Just imagine what we are eating here. Since that day, I always go out to eat. But who knows what I am eating there too?

Janice: Wow! Mixing old food with fresh food! I bet that happens more often thanwe think. I'm sure we are all exposed to unsanitary food throughout ourlives and in some ways it helps develop immunities but it just seems things are deteriorating all around. Becoming vegetarian was one of the best decisions of my life. I rarely eat out anymore as well. I don't even trust the local food market for any freshfruits and vegetables. I only purchase from an organic market and even thenI wonder if things are as they seem. Businesses are so consumed with the bottom line they will sacrifice us allfor their benefit. I read a disturbing story about a Chinese baby formulamaker that admitted to adding toxins to the baby formula in order toachieve higher nutrient gradings on the formula. A lot of children in China have died recently because of it. Too many souls have fallen dark to the mighty profit margin.

Farm Communities: Poll on Environmental Issues

2008-09-09T01:44:00.000-07:00

As the consciousness to conserving and ameliorating our environment grows, new green websites are appearing online with purposeful material about environment-friendly lifestyle. More recently, a new website called Farm Communities has been born on the web, aiming at creating and improving general awareness about environment related issues, with special emphasis on establishing eco-friendly communities. The website is expecting to grow into an interactive venue for people who want to learn about ecological issues, green living, and communities themed around green living. This growing site is now inviting people from all walks of life to express their opinion on what environmental issue is the biggest concern for them. The poll allows one to opt for one among 6 burning issues in environmental consciousness. You may visit http://farmcommunities.com/ and opt for the issue that concerns you most. Statistics obtained so far are displayed instantly after you vote. So rush to the site and poll your vote!

Ernest Dempsey

Which Animal to Become?

2008-09-07T00:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Folk!

Okay, I thought of posting the result of that poll on the question of what animal would you choose to become, if given a chance. I did not receive many responses but that is of course not a grievance. Life is busy for all of us and many of you are still away from your computer systems. So the poll statistics are pasted below. Click on the image to see the graphic representation of the poll result.

Total Responses Received: 30

Flying Bird: 8
Dogs/Wolf: 5
Predator Cats (Lion, Cheetah, Panther): 3
Mink/Raccoon: 2
Tortoise/Turtle: 2
Miscellaneous: 9

You can clearly see that, from the responses that arrived, flying birds are the most inspiring animals – at least to the people I know. This is a pleasant thing to look at since my own vote was for this category. Being a dog lover, it was really tough to choose between ‘dog’ and ‘flying bird’ but then the freedom aspect of flight took over and I joined the flock.

As for the categories, I grouped the closely matching animals together. Some of you may frown over this but I think I’ll excuse myself with the explanation that generalizing is the best way create meaning without spending dozens of hours over a matter. Let’s hope your personal definitions of animals don’t radically disagree with mine. Among the ‘miscellaneous’ category, each person named a different animal. Here is the list: Panda, Squirrel, Monkey, Amoeba, Goat (a black one), Flightless Bird (Penguin), Fish (Orca Whale), and Rabbit.

Finally, I got this response to the poll question from my brother Shais (he’s an MA in Philosophy): ‘Hello Bro! Man is, from the beginning, a social animal. So I am not ready to become an animal twice!’

Have a nice time,

Ernest Dempsey

Adieu Mon Ami!

2008-08-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

7: 24 pm
Friday August 29, 2008

This morning I felt very good because I restarted writing my novel last night, after a hiatus of about 4 years. What a feeling it was! Writing again the book of my dreams! It filled me with such ebullient energy that sleep deprivation due to power crisis lost to the comfort of my creative spirit. When my friend Zahid came up to visit me at about 10: 30 this morning, I instantly started cheering him up, thinking how very low-spirited he looked. Of course, it was me who was high on my sudden revival of that fiery passion for completing my very own novel. Taking him to have a cold drink at the fast food point nearby, I started to chat with him about what he’d do after he immigrates to Australia. Then came this disastrous news, striking me dumb. One of the waiters at the restaurant said, ‘the dogs roaming in campus were just poisoned by the municipal team.’ It was lightning that struck me. Poisoned! I looked at that young frisky pup that was about to grow into a healthy dog in some months, the one who visited the students sitting in the restaurant’s lawn, one by one; and trusted them as friends. He had no name but only an abstract impression of being a friend; a friend of all he saw there. How innocent and trusting he was, going from one group of people at a table to another, expecting food and a show of love. I don’t know how many people welcomed him, except that I loved him and shared a little of my food with him; stroked him gently on his back and silently assured him that there was one person who did not see him as a filthy little thing whose life didn’t matter. And he had started knowing me as a friend; coming to me from a distance, leaping over my chair in play. And there he was, right in front of my eyes, poisoned!

‘Was he poisoned too?’ I asked the waiter out of my darkness, struggling for my voice.

‘Yes, in minced meat,’ he said. ‘The older dogs sometimes survive the poison but the younger ones die soon.’

So my friend was going to die and I could not do anything. No even express my gear and anger, even in the most benign way. What cruelty! Where am I living? A culture that is so perverted, so nasty, so horribly ugly that an innocent creature is poisoned but the hands that shed the blood of thousands is adorned with gold and bank accounts full of money. I could not rush my friend to a doctor, not anywhere, since there is no facility for saving animals, except for those that meet the wicked demands of food and accessories for their human owners. Even they get slain when they are considered useless. But more horrible and shameful is my culture’s covert abandonment of concern for animals; killing the very spirit to help them when they are in pain; killing the friendliness in us. What a shame!

I didn’t get my lunch. Everything, everyone, felt so ugly; so inhuman and unbearable. All I kept thinking was just wishing my friend to somehow survive this cruelty. But I knew he wouldn’t. I rushed to my hostel room and cried myself out on my bed. It left me exhausted and I slipped into deep sleep.

In the evening, I came back to my office, feeling empty as a drum. I looked about the place where my friend used to walk, sit, and lie down. The place was empty, as empty as myself of my spirit. As usual, I went to take the evening tea in the restaurant and my horrible nightmare was true; he wasn’t there. My heart is wrenching as I write these lines. How can I stop this madness? How can I save life from what has become the greatest threat to it: humans? I feel so helpless, insignificant, and world weary that I think of my late uncle’s suicide as perfectly justified. However, I don’t have the guts to follow the same route. I would rather save myself and shamelessly live on by penning down my anguish and sharing with people who understand.

‘You are most probably gone my friend; killed mercilessly by creatures who are more powerful and much more cunning and wicked than your species can ever become. I am so sorry I couldn’t save you! I read somewhere that consciousness survives physical death. If you can hear me, please don’t exclude me from your list of friends. Thin of me as a dog, an innocent creature who won’t hurt you. I am not human; I am not one of these filthy things. Trust me my friend, just as you trusted me here. I don’t know how long will you live in my memories but perhaps these words will keep you alive to me. And yes, one more thing. I’ll light a candle for you tonight. Just once! Goodbye my friend!’

In humble shame and grief,

Yours,

Ernest Dempsey

Men or Women: Who’s More Intelligent?

2008-08-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

The other day, having my evening tea with friends in the university’s fast food restaurant, one of my well-read friends claimed women to be intellectually inferior to men. Though calling himself a feminist, he went on to assert that women were simply unable to create good literature or make some groundbreaking scientific/intellectual achievement. ‘Why’, said he, ‘are there so few women’s names on the historical records of human intellect? They were, in the 20th century, given complete freedom to pursue education and have other rights.’ I readily came to the defense of the opposite sex by mentioning names of great women writers and scientists, reminding him that a mere half-century of freedom (if really given) should be considered as a factor in contrast to thousands of years of slavery and confinement of women in all human societies. However, my friend weaseled himself out of the discussion by claiming that the brain characteristics of men have evolved for more intelligent and creative thinking. After the session, I searched the interest and failed to find any study that would definitely prove my friend’s claims. However, I thought of this issue as interesting and important enough to be brought to contemporary writers/readers’ attention. I would love to get everyone’s opinion on it. Please send your brief opinion (up to 300 words) via e-mail (to me at dempsey87@yahoo.com) on the question: Are Men more Intelligent than Women?

I’ll include the responses in our next issue of The Audience Review.

Please include the following information with your opinion:

Name:
Age:
Sex:
Profession:
Location (City and Country)

Looking forward,

Ernest

Bush and Iran -- M. Stefan Strozier

2008-07-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

President Bush says that America may go to war with Iran, and that, "All options are on the table." That is a serious problem for any number of reasons. First, we have to accept that President Bush is not a sane man. No matter what you think about his politics or psychology, his actions must be regarded with a heavy dose of suspicion. He is a failure, of that there is no question. The American public does not doubt this fact for an instant. Yet Bush does still not get it, these many years later. It must be slowly dawning on him that he has accomplished little, if anything, and has left a legacy of war and suffering without reward. In such a situation any man would be dangerous. Bush is going to try and do anything while he is still in power to "make things right," as he sees them. We all understand that Bush's vision is twisted and evil -- there is no real objection with that fact.

The important thing to understand about Iran is if they get a nuclear weapon it won't be for some time, years. Therefore, Bush is irrelevant. His rhetoric needs to be changed to reflect this reality. Iran is a problem for the next president, and we probably should negotiate with them. Iran is making a lot of noise but they are not a major player, so why treat them like one? We should simply meet and talk, we have nothing to lose and this will make them feel good and important -- whether or not they are.

Attacking Iran is truly a bridge to far for America, and it would end us. Let's not pretend otherwise. It's not simply a military matter, the economy cannot sustain a third war. Note that Iran is not a 3rd front of one war; but a new war. All of America's wars are currently under the umbrella of the "war on terror." But that is just verbal noise; in fact, our war in Afghanistan has nothing to do with Iraq, and a third war in Iran would be another war.

What is happening to America? Have we all lost our minds? This is not the country that I remember living in all my life. Why we are at the brink of this 3rd war at all is beyond me, although I have the answer: We Americans are following a madman. Watch his every move closely in his last days.

Authority, Obedience, and Integrity - Ernest Dempsey

2008-06-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

It’s been a year and a half since my disobedient temperament became manifest upon the ‘authorities’ at my employer institute – the National Center of Excellence in Geology (NCEG), University of Peshawar. Every now and then I get some irrational order from my boss and, in response, I write a critical answer to it. The reply vanishes and the concerned people assume silence. Certainly, they are doing their homework on deposing me while saving their ‘faces’ (no reason to use the more vulgar equivalent here) at the same time. Whether or not they succeed is not very easy to predict but one thing that I learnt from my encounters during this conflict is ‘NO to servile obedience!’

The word ‘disobedience’ is itself a treachery seen in many languages; in those I am familiar with, it is always made to sound like a negative act or quality. Disobedient children, disobedient students, disobedient workers – all are used in a way that makes them sound guilty of an offensive act. Of course, language is society’s faithful slave, serving a vital function to the society (as against the individual) that uses it. Obedience is the name of going tame before societal expectations and social pressure, losing your individual voice and personal integrity (provided you have managed to drag these on in your adult life). You say ‘no’ to someone who wants to cash your trust in social currency and you become a criminal in their eyes.

Authoritative systems work mainly by coercion. In early times, the fear of pain would coerce people to obey the one with the sword. Today, the fear of losing your job (and hence bread) works to impel you for obeying the one who manages your personal file (employee’s record). Now you may wonder whether obedience really is such a bad thing. I admit it is not in many cases. But that is only when you are sure, both formally and inwardly, that the affair in question is fair without any objectionable point that compromises your self-respect (you must have some, I mean to say). As it happens, in a great many number of cases, we clearly see the wrong side of authority and are left with two choices: (1) remain silent and complaint, (2) speak up against the wrong. The former is the more convenient choice for a large number of people since it brings social rewards (and material pleasures as well). But it is only the latter choice of questioning the abuse of authority that saves our integrity. Whether social reward or individual integrity is important to you is your choice – your INDIVIDUAL choice.

One thing I must not miss telling here is about the nature of the slippery process of accepting/resisting authoritative abuse. It all works by a reinforcing mechanism, i.e. you nod to coercion once and it becomes harder to shake your head the next time, even when more is being robbed of you (which usually is the case). On the contrary, once you give the coercive attempt a damn, you are very likely to save more next time when a similar, or even greater, threat comes to scare you. This is why my seniors did not think of pressing on me to mark my presence at the office while excluding themselves of this regulation (an act of discrimination in workplace), though my colleagues, serving in the same position as me, were coerced into following the self-made rule each time they straggled from it.

Now, my bragging about my disobedient antics may sound foolhardy to some of you. But I strongly feel it as my duty, as a responsible human individual, to discourage authority of any kind from coercing individuals into wrongful obedience. I have started enjoying being ‘disobedient’ and the word does not sound negative to me anymore. My watchword? It’s ‘NO’! Try it and you’ll love it. After all, it is shorter than ‘YES’ and will save you a tiny bit of energy.

Ernest Dempsey

DEBATE ABOUT ENERGY -- M. Stefan Strozier

2008-06-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

It is very interesting to watch the pundits, journalists, lobbyists and politicians debate what to do about the energy crises. These groups will have to compromise, because they have to take action to show they are working to solve the problem. They must show action because the problem is not going to disappear; in fact it is going to get worse, with gas rising to at least $5, and probably closer to $6 per gallon.

The compromise must include major offshore drilling, in the form of new oil platforms. It should also include drilling in ANWAR. The most important thing is to implement change that is meaningful, because this opportunity won’t come along again for decades. It any event, Americans won’t tolerate a weak fix. Nuclear energy must begin anew. The argument that these actions will take years to ‘bring about change at the pump’ is meaningless. Do people who make this point purpose doing nothing instead? Moving incrementally on alternative energy options is not going to solve our present problem, and it may not even solve the energy crisis in the near-future, or the regular future.

We must drain and use the entire strategic petroleum reserve. Right now, it is nothing more than a bombing target for the Chinese Air Force. Draining it will show the world a confidence of staggering proportion, with minimal change to our national security. I argue our security will be advanced; both tactically by saving the cost of maintaining an obvious target, and strategically, by having at least some effect on the price of gas, and by showing that we are going to absolve ourselves of being dependent on oil. Maintaining a strategic reserve is a clear indicator of dependence. Furthermore, it’s a lame attempt at showing a false strength, which is what dependence is. Saudi Arabia has a strategic reserve too, underground, and we are beholden to it.

We must also invest in other types of energy, wind, solar, geothermal, cars that run on hydrogen (like rocket engines, a technology we’ve had for decades), battery-powered cars, and anything related. And, we must invest in research and development, because there are very real and meaningful things coming out of R&D in the energy sector. The notion that the political Left is the “good guy” in this issue is not only misleading but wrong. In fact, in this issue, the Left is being highly misleading, and worse, where their arguments are leading are bad places, full of pain. The energy sector – the oil companies – are the good guys. It is their innovation that is going to save us. We must invest in that future. The only way we can do that is giving them more oil platforms. Increasing the amount of oil being produced creates nothing bad; it only changes who is controlling the wealth. I would rather that American companies control the wealth of the world – or, at least a substantial amount of that wealth. There is much more to oil companies and the energy sector of our economy than just “oil and profit”. Trash dumps, for example, fall in this category. There are smart ways to deal with trash, and we need to act on them now.

The Left is trying hard to make this issue an emotional one. Senator Obama won’t be a part of this consensus – that may be a good thing or a bad thing. Obama and McCain will lend partial voices. A refrain from those who favor only “green energy” – the Left – is that “this issue is incredibly complex.” In fact, the issue is very simple: gas prices are too high. What “makes it complex” is energy is an issue that is normally debated in Washington; but is now priority no. 1 among Americans. Most political issues are fought over and there is rarely any change in how they are dealt with, or impact people. But when any such issue – like energy – becomes a problem for Americans, then Washington gets very scared and confused, because now they must actually do something. And taking action means that there will be winners and losers. Incidentally, language is always very important. I hear – or read in newspapers – phrases like this all the time: ‘incredibly complex’, ‘totally wrong’. Similarly, I frequently read sentences that are constructed poorly. This Think Tank is ‘all about’ finding the how behind things. My examples indicate weak thinking and writing. Errors like these reveal much about the writer. Mainly, they demonstrate that the writer is involved in the issue, and is unable to separate him or herself from it. The issue is so important to them they are willing to change the actual meaning of words to fit their ‘incredible’ emotions about it. Rather than being the exception, this is the rule in writing, in 2008 America. When gas prices reach $5 a gallon, however, the emotions of Americans will trump those of the Left. Against this, no argument can stand, though right now the Left is the side purposing wild arguments, and using irrelevant language, like claiming oil companies don’t need any more leases and should use all the ones they have (they have done that), and they will be ‘drilling next to polar bears’, respectively.

We must take advantage of the cards on the table. We have been given a miracle chance to change our future, right now. If we mess up this one, not only will there not be another chance, but we will be in sad shape for decades, and ultimately may never recover the planet (for our own survival, as well as many other species, though the planet will live on with other species), and the human race will soon become extinct. Sadly, that’s the simple truth.

6-20-08 -- M. Stefan Strozier

2008-06-20T09:29:00.002-07:00

"Nothing Can Stop the U. S. Air Force"

No, apparently, there are things that can stop the U. S. Air Force; namely, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Government Accounting Office, an oversight branch of Congress. The president, it would appear, is impotent. I was an officer in the USAF for 6 years, and a sergeant in the Army for 5+ years before that, so I have a feel for the culture of the Air Force.

The Air Force shipped live, armed nuclear weapons over US soil, and then shipped nuke parts to Guam, and Robert M. Gates fired the AF chief of staff and the secretary of the AF. This week, the GAO told the AF that its contract with North Fork Grumman for new tankers was unfair, and awarded the contract back to Boeing Corp. Who knows what else is happening that I have no idea about. I've read that Gates is upset with AF leadership because they are not focusing on the 2 wars at hand, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Air Force has problems, and they need fixing. I had a great time in the AF, and I feel strongly that I left it better than I received it. But they had a lot of problems when I was in, and the problems seem to have metastasized. The source of the problem, simply put, is a severe lack of leadership at the AF. I recognized that instantaneously, upon being commissioned. Having come from the army, I had a unique perspective, and I was also a decorated enlisted soldier. The problem is not necessarily with the individual people, and a lot of my friends are still officers in the AF, by now captains and majors. Without getting too much into the culture, since it changes, there is a generational gap in the AF, between my group and those ranked Full Colonel and above. The latter are "cold warriors" and they are the ones who are the leaders, at present. The good news is my group, still up and coming, is fundamentally different than this old group, so there is still hope.

In the military, there are the Army and the Navy, and everything else is a subset of that. The Marines have a big problem with that, but they accept it. I don’t mean the Marines pretend to accept that they are not a major branch, or sometimes to – they fundamentally accept it and deal with it. They find ways around it. The AF came from the Army, and is the most recent military branch. Unlike the Marines, the AF has no history, and tradition is vital in the military. I don’t know much about the Navy; but one thing I know is that in some key ways it is like the army. There is a sharp divide between the officer and the enlisted corps. Strangely, the AF always stuck me as more like the Marines than the army in its interaction between the ranks. I reasoned that this was because the AF wanted to break from the Army, but it always struck me as bizarre to listen to ROTC cadets trying to drill like Marine troops. I’ve worked in the field with a lot of Marines, when I was a soldier, and needless to say, the AF can’t hold a candle to the Marines, so why even pretend? The AF will never be the Marine Corps – not even remotely close, so stop trying. That is my first piece of advice to the AF, but it is pithy to my point: leadership. Leaders have to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. More to the point is the fact that Close Air Support is a bastard step-child in the AF, because it deals with supporting the army. That's a problem because it's wrong -- it's an example of poor leadership.

The other problem for the AF is their officer corps itself. In the military in general, officers have their own culture. The AF is the least military branch, and this presents a problem for its officers in presenting a unified face. Their officers are the least-respected, in a military sense. In every military branch there are 2 main principles. One, those in combat are the most important part of a particular service, and consequently get the best jobs and the most attention, and make the important decisions. In the army, that means ‘combat arms’ officers are the quickest to the rank of general, and are the ones in charge. General David Petraeus is no doubt combat arms, probably infantry; I would be willing to bet. In my opinion, this is not always wise, because these officers are not always the brightest of the lot. But, the army has found a way to make it work. Secondly, those officers commissioned from military academies are more important than those who went through ROTC. Again, this can mean some good leaders are passed over for arbitrary reasons that only concern tradition that is strictly enforced. But the Army and Navy, and the Marines, can get away with this. In the case of the AF, none of it works, and is counter-productive. Complicating matters further, the pilots in the AF are the ones in combat. Even enlisted are not in combat in the AF. That presents a damn-near crisis of leadership because from what I saw in the military in general, pilots are very bad leaders. Even those pilots who were born with an inkling of leadership skills have no clue what they are doing because there is no one to show them how to be a leader. It takes training and mentorship to learn how to be a leader; it doesn’t just arrive overnight in a package. So, you can see, by letting pilots from their academy run the AF, they have little if any leadership. how do they do it, then? The answer is that AF has – by far – the most professional, excellent enlisted corps of all 5 services, far and away. There are a few bad apples; but the AF enlisted corps is something to marvel, and it runs the AF, and baby-sits the often child-like pilots and commanders.

What is the solution to the problem? The AF needs to get rid of its pilot-friendly culture, thank its enlisted corps, and look closer at ROTC officers for leaders. The AF needs to develop its own culture. That culture is not going to be a military culture, like the Army or Navy, nor even the Marines. It has to be different. It might help to realize that, really, pilots are not in all that much trouble to begin with, hard as that may be for them to accept. Barring these changes, the AF will always be a quasi-military, more civilian branch of the military, even more civilian in nature than the Coast Guard, and unlike the CG, a service with no leaders or even it's own culture.

6-18-08 M. Stefan Strozier

2008-06-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

ENERGY

President Bush today has called for lifting the decades-old ban on offshore drilling, and this is a good idea. Offshore oil rigs actually create marine habitat in the form of reefs. The arguments about this subject fall on two sides: those who say it won’t make a difference and hurt the environment and those who say it will yield oil quickly, and help America. These rigs will also create American jobs. I’ve also read that it’s better for America to manufacture its own oil, instead of paying for it from less savory sources. The argument that offshore oil well drilling will hurt the environment is inaccurate, and one of those arguments used to influence people through marketing efforts, rather than the truth. As for whether or not drilling will yield profits, that’s debatable, and once you start crunching numbers who can say accurately? It depends how you analyze the numbers that matters. The point is that we can’t predict the future. What if the green revolution is a failure? We need a backup plan, and producing our own oil is such a plan. Finally, the notion to tap into our strategic reserves is also useless talk, and something which will change little. I’m surprised to hear Obama even mention it. We should use up our strategic reserves – however long that will last us, maybe a couple months in a tough summer – and then move forward with a new plan. They amount to a bombing target and not much else, and cost money through maintenance. Congress is to blame here because they have taken no action. Too often the refrain is “that’s just how Washington works” but that’s not accurate, and never was the case prior to 1965. Think of FDR, or Kennedy, Eisenhower, Lincoln, Jefferson. There were men of action. But since the culture wars of the 1960s, everything must be carefully considered first and then nothing happens. Much could have been done for many years to avert our present crises. Congress’ low poll rating is well-deserved. Investing in solar, wind, etc. is great but the main motivation with doing that is emotional. It makes us feel good and happy to go green. People who want to be happy are a dangerous lot. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

THE INTERNET

We invite anyone to contribute to our think tank and widen our reach. In looking at our competitors, I see they are simply sharing ideas. As with things like advertising or publishing, the Internet changes everything. Think tanks were much more influential when the “old media” was in place, and an expert could go on TV and share his ideas and people would take note. But with the Internet, there is no quote-unquote party line. The only line exists between those who grew up with the old media and those who did not. What is the role of a think tank, then, in the digital age? It is not the same as it was in times past. No matter who is writing for the Cato Institute, for example, what that person is writing might go altogether unnoticed. A “center” – let’s call it – should not seek to be a blog, like the Huffinton Post. That Web site is linked to many places and its main advantage is the speed with which it updates. A printed newspaper doesn’t stand a chance against the Huffinton Post. Bloggers create topics these days, like journalists used to do. So the role of a think tank is also to create ideas and stories, but at a much deeper level. Thus, we don’t need a lot of people writing for us, or need to be linked to everyone in the world. We – whoever ends up writing for CSPSAPC – simply needs to examine issues as in-depth as possible, and thinking about them does not necessarily mean graphs and charts, as this is not a corporation watching its bottom line grow. A few good writers and some good readers are all we need.

June 17th, 2008 M. Stefan Strozier

2008-06-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to CSPSAPC. There is much to discuss. The idea is to gather as many contributors as possible, and to keep this a fertile environment for thought. Therefore, we will be posting advertisements and seeking contributors too, whenever possible. Google Ad words now connects with YouTube, in yet another merging of technology with great, long-term importance.

The '08 elections are center stage in any current analysis; but there are many other areas that have not been examined very thoroughly in the MSM yet this year. Therefore, I hope to get caught up with several topics that require scrutiny. Let's start with Obama. It's nice to see that he has developed a basic economic plan, one that largely deals with the environment, which he said yesterday Al Gore advised him to help create. I doubt that's the case at all, and if it is then Al Gore's plan for the environment is pretty sad, indeed. My degree is in science (geology) with graduate work, not politics, so I feel confident to put forth my insight. The first point is that I think we should allow offshore drilling, as soon as possible. And here I agree whole-heartedly with McCain, let the states decide. But, I would go further, and make a large federal project, starting with ANWAR in Alaska. A country like Norway has more money they they know what to do with thanks to their offshore oil platforms in the North Sea. Why can't we do that? The objections come from the environmentalists. But like their feminist cohorts, they are locked in the 1970s, along with their thinking. It is imperative that now we think smartly, and not emotionally. The problems we face today are vast and imminent. Drilling in ANWAR will have a nominal effect on the environment, global warming or anything else, for that matter, so why not do it? We have to think about this matter within its larger context. Drilling for oil -- at least with oil platforms -- actually creates habitat, in terms of santuaries for fish populations in the form of new reef systems. There is hardly any pollution that is caused by the drilling, and jobs are created. What is bad about it at all? The only counter-arguement is that we are making more oil; but what difference is a few million gallons right now in the global picture? It matters little, but that small amount could make a big difference in America's influence and near-future. I argue we are negligent by not drilling there. By gaining much needed capital, and energy, we can leverage other environmentally-friendly plans that we want to implement, and do it sooner. Why must we take the spartan, principled path, when it serves no purpose at all? But the environmental lobby will likely influence Obama to not take this option, ironically. This new generation of Americans needs to learn how to think for themselves, instead of being slaves to the 1960s. I see potential with this upcoming group but they have a way to go yet, IMHO.

TORTURE

Next, the decision by the Supreme Court the other day to allow habeas corpus challenges from GITMO detainees was a wise one. I read an article today in the Wall Street Journal today (2 of them, actually) that contended the decision was a bad one, and I watched McCain and Fred Thompson say the same thing on TV. One point in the WSJ was that we are in wartime and in other wars our past detainees, such as the Japanese or Germans or Confederates, did not have any habeas corpus rights in America, and that further the GITMO detainees aren't even on American soil. But the point here, seems to me, that those other examples were mistakes. That is how I've looked at them all my life. Shouldn't we seek to avoid mistakes, and work toward a more perfect Union? The only time that habeas corpus was ever suspended justifiably was when Abraham Lincoln did it, and his tactics were at least as rough as Bush's -- probably rougher. I am not sure if even Lincoln was justified in that case. But Bush is definitely not justified with what he is doing -- our present situation of the War on Terror is nothing like the Civil War's danger to our democracy and survivability of our constitution. So let the Court's ruling stand, I say.

Congress -- again, in today's WSJ -- is making noises to charge current or former Bush officials with crimes for implementing torture such as water-boarding. I think Bush needs to be impeached. It may still happen. However, barring that, and in light of what I just wrote about habeas corpus, we need accountability for our government. That is what makes us Americans, and what our constitution requires. What Bush's administration did was wrong. It cannot be justified.

And last -- for now -- Iraq is becoming more stable, it's true. But that does not equal success. Stability following 6 years of chaos is not success under any circumstances. McCain is seriously misguided in his belief that we must maintain a presence in Iraq, no matter how long. Obama is sticking to his guns and wants to exit. I think Obama's words are already having an effect on Iraq, not anything the surge is doing, or the Bush administration is saying.