Business Fantasy : July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Abu Mazen talks about how the 'Palestinian refugee' problem was created

The quote above is 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen talking about how the 'Palestinian refugee' problem was created. Rewriting history cannot erase the truth.

More here.

The ONE Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan - Book review

The ONE Thing

The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

By: Gary Keller, Jay Papasan

Published: April 1, 2013
Format:Hardcover, 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1885167776
ISBN-13: 978-1885167774
Publisher: Bard Press

"Where I'd had huge success, I had narrowed my concentration to one thing,and where my success varied, my focus has too. And the light came on", write chairman of the board and cofounder of Keller Williams Realty, Inc., Gary Keller; and Vice President of Publishing at Keller Williams Realty, Inc., Jay Papasan, in their inspirational and life transforming book The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. The authors describe how achieving real success, and reaching your goals, requires focusing on the one thing that matters the most in your career, work, or life.

Gary Keller (photo left) and Jay Papasan recognize that in today's fast paced and hectic business environment, people are stretched to the limit. Overworked and seemingly unable to make any one thing a priority, the end result is that very little gets done, goals are not met, and performance fails to meet expectations. To counter these relentless pressures to do more, and to chase an every expanding number of priorities, the authors present the alternative concept of going small. In that sense, the person focuses on the most critical task and goal, and set aside those other less important demands. The result is that more is accomplished through selective focus than by attempting to reach many goals at once.

Jay Papasan (photo left) and Gary Keller understand that by focusing time and energy on the one critical thing, that time, energy, and resources are used more effectively and efficiently. At the same time, the authors present the domino concept of how a smaller domino can knock down an even larger domino, so too can a person create the potential to utilize this force multiplier analogy in all of their tasks.

he authors guide people through the core principles of the book from the planning, to the time blocking, to the execution of The ONE Thing. The authors divide the book into three overall sections that focus on reclaiming control over a person's time, work, and life. The three parts are as follows:

* The Lies: How they mislead and derail us
* The truth: The simple path to productivity
* Extraordinary results: Unlocking the possibilities within you

For me, the power of the book is how Gary Keller and Jay Papasan combine a strong theoretical and philosophical case for pursuing The ONE Thing, with the practical exercises and techniques to put the theory into practice. Unlike many books on time management and achieving goals, this book offers more than simple suggestions. Instead, the authors present a comprehensive life changing perspective that transforms the way a person looks at their time, their goals, and their real priorities. Saving time means little if nothing is accomplished during that time, and this book returns that time to the person in the form of real achievement.

The authors also acknowledge that for many employees, other priorities may be handed to them, but instead of losing focus, the book teaches how to overcome those temporary time users. The authors are open about the challenges faced by people, both in their work and their personal lives, but the commitments and focus presented in the book transform those challenges into temporary events.

I highly recommend the performance building and real results oriented book The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, to anyone seeking a refreshing and clear vision for taking back their time, priorities, and lives with a practical set of techniques for personal and professional achievement. This book will make the idea of going small a more viable option than the false belief that person must somehow do it all.

Will his daughter's murderers go free?

Many years ago, when our financial pressures weren't quite what they are today, Mrs. Carl used to take classes at a seminary in Jerusalem. One day, just before Rosh HaShanna in 1995, we were driving our car, and she was telling me about how someone from the US came to speak about his daughter at the seminary. Mrs. Carl was telling me about how the speaker said he understood how our forefather

'Israeli Arabs' back out of Fox store in Ramallah

Two 'Israeli Arabs' who had planned to open a branch of Israel's Fox clothing in Ramallah have backed out of the venture out of fear for their lives. As a result, another 150 'Palestinians' will remain jobless.

Although the owners had obtained permission from
the PA Ministry of Economy to open the clothing store, Palestinian
activists and journalists launched a campaign against the opening

Tackling The Veterinary Terminology: Prefixes (endo-)

Remember the Spelling Bee? Big words are easier to tackle when you understand how they're put together. Veterinary terms are composed in the same way. Just like with other words, the main parts of a veterinary term are a prefix, a root, and a suffix. The difference is that they typically come more directly from Greek or Latin.

A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to modify its meaning by providing additional information. It usually indicates number, location, time, or status.

endo- [ˈɛndəʊ] - from Greek - within, inside, internal

Endo- is the opposite to exo-, which means out of, outside, external. Compare endoskeleton and exoskeleton. Endoskeleton is an internal skeleton, like our dogs or ourselves have. Exoskeleton is a rigid external covering of the body of some invertebrates.

Image Berkeley: Understanding Evolution

Endoskeleton of a dog. Image Wikimedia Commons

An endoscope, then, is an instrument that can be introduced into the body to view its internal parts.

Today these instruments can be used not only to view things, but also to take samples of tissues, remove foreign objects and even perform repairs, such as with arthroscopy.

Endoparasites are parasites that live inside your dog's body, such as worms.

The endocrine system is a network of hormone producing glands and tissues with internal secretion, directly into bloodstream.

Endocrine system. Image Merck Manual for Pet Health

The 'phased plan' is alive and well

After the Yom Kippur War, the Arab states realized that there was no way they were going to be able to destroy Israel militarily in one fell swoop. Therefore, in 1974, the PLO adopted a new plan which is known as the 'Phased Plan.'

The plan in brief:

Through the "armed struggle" (i.e., terrorism),
to establish an "independent combatant national authority" over any
territory that is "

The Great Defunding Obamacare Debate

By Alan Caruba

Congress is going on vacation in August and the President will be taking another one in Martha’s Vineyard where the very rich and the extremely rich pass a summer’s day. When both return they will have until September 30 to pass a continuing resolution; the way the government has been funded for many years.

On the table will be the need to raise the debt ceiling to allow the U.S. to borrow enough money to pay off the largest debt in U.S. history. In his first term, Obama borrowed more than all preceding Presidents combined. His “stimulus” package didn’t work and neither has anything else that might pass for an economic policy. The nation has been stuck in a rut of very low, inadequate growth for five years during which Obama spent the first four blaming George W. Bush and the last year blaming the Republicans.

Looming ahead to further exacerbate the nation’s economic decline is the implementation of Obamacare. Nobody seems to like it much. Major unions have written Obama, telling him to “fix” it and hardly a day goes by that we don’t learn some new horrid thing about it. Nearly half the states refused to set up the insurance exchanges it requires. By nearly everyone’s assessment, it is unworkable.

How bad is Obamacare? As far back as 2009 the Democrats in Congress tried to get themselves and their staffs exempted from it.

There is a debate raging among Republicans over whether to defund Obamacare as a way of avoiding its full implementation and driving a stake through its heart until it can be repealed. The White House is, as usual, lying to the public, saying this would “shut down” the government. It would not. The only services that would be affected would be those deemed “non-essential.”

Rep. John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, has maintained that repeal of Obamacare is the only solution. It is not the only answer. Defunding its implementation has been an option since it was signed into law. Boehner (R-OH) has been sharply criticized for not putting this option before the House. Now there’s a momentum growing in both the House and Senate to defund Obamacare.

“Republicans in the Senate and Republicans in the House need to stand on this issue, need to refuse to budge,” says Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), “because we will be complicit in Obamacare…if we provide funding for the administration to do that.” Defunding would be a victory for the Tea Party movement that was instrumental in electing Senators Ted Cruz (R-Cruz), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and others.

Leading the effort to defund Obamacare, the Heritage Foundation reports that it is closing in on securing enough co-sponsors of the Defunding Obamacare Act of 2013 to achieve “critical mass in the House”, but notes that “the Washington Establishment is more interested in striking a deal with President Obama on immigration, taxes, and spending than fighting to defund Obamacare.”

The House, which has passed any number of bills to repeal Obamacare at this point, controls the “purse strings” because all laws involving spending can only be initiated there. The bills, however, never go farther than the House.

Obama knows that the last thing Republicans on Capitol Hill want is to be blamed for causing the government to “shut down.” Political pundits recall that when it happened in 1995 everyone blamed then-Speaker Newt Gingrich and the GOP, but what they don’t remember is that, in 1996, the party picked up seats in the Senate and continued its control of the House. That could be a 2014 scenario, but these are different times with different players involved.

The problem the Republican Party has, in addition to a whole bunch of very squishy members in Congress, is a media that will defend Obama and Obamacare by framing the situation as one of intransigence and a blind desire to punish the President who bested them in 2012 by getting reelected.

The bigger problem, however, is Obamacare.

In my opinion, the Republicans in the House will likely not vote to defund it because they are looking ahead to the 2014 midterm elections. It is easier to fuss about the debt ceiling, get a few spending cuts, and use Obamacare as an issue to secure political control of Congress next year. Only then would the GOP be in a position to repeal Obamacare. To politicians on Capitol Hill, it is a less scary scenario. I would never bet on the courage of politicians.

One possible outcome for Obamacare would be something comparable to the fate of Prohibition, the national ban on the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol that was the law of the land from 1920 to 1933. It was enacted by the 18^thAmendment and repealed by the 21^st due to its unpopularity. It too was unworkable.

The only thing we know for sure about Obamacare is that it will ruin the best healthcare system in the world and it will end up killing people.

Oh joy! Guess who wants to bring us 'peace and security'

Just one week after the European Union announced that they are going to ensure that Israelis who live outside the 1949 armistice lines will no longer benefit from their occasional largesse, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is lobbying US Secretary of State John Kerry to allow the continent that spawned Nazism to bring us 'peace and security.'

The revival of negotiations between

The painful concessions American Jews should make

I've featured Northwestern Law Professor Eugene Kontorovich on this blog before. In this piece from the Times of Israel, he blasts American Jewish 'leaders' (perhaps the scare quotes should include the word 'Jewish' as well) who call on Israelis to make 'painful sacrifices for peace' while they sit in their ivory towers in the US.

Aliyah would steer away from the iceberg.
Adding even 150,000

They're going to discuss all the issues, but which one will come first?

Anyone want to caption the picture? Saeb is either cross-eyed or has a lazy eye....

I'm sure you'll all be shocked to hear that news of the 'talks' is leaking out despite John Kerry telling the cameras that he would be the only one to discuss them. I'm sure you'll be even more shocked to hear that while the parties have in fact agreed to discuss all the issues, there's a dispute about the

Livni: Coalition members have 'collective responsibility' to blindly support 'peace process'

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, whose party has six of the 68 seats in the coalition, is insisting that the other members of the coalition have a 'collective responsibility' to blindly support the 'peace process.'

Livni, speaking to Army Radio, appeared to be directing her comments at
Bayit Yehudi Leader Naftali Bennett and former foreign minister and
Israel Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman's

Some 'Palestinian' terrorists might not want to leave their Israeli prisons

It's happened before in Israel's 5-star hotels prisons.

Martin Indyk, shameless opportunist

Noah Pollak tries to figure out what, if anything, Martin Indyk believes.

The single most astonishing example of Indyk’s
opportunism is the settlement freeze that Obama demanded of Israel as a
precondition for talks, today widely acknowledged – including by Obama
and Indyk – as having been counterproductive. In 2009, Indyk endorsed Obama’s demand for the freeze as the only way to get the

Shame: 'Palestinian' flag on display at Knesset

The Israeli flag would never willingly be flown by the 'Palestinians' in Ramallah, and that's one reason why the 'Palestinian' flag ought not to be flown at the Knesset. But it was.

It was not the first time a Palestinian flag flew at the Knesset. In
July 1999, then-Knesset speaker Avraham Burg hosted his Palestinian
counterpart Ahmed Qurei, and there were Palestinian flags all over the

Marketing to Millennials by Jeff Fromm & Christie Garton - Book review

Marketing to Millennials

Reach the Largest and Most Influential Generation of Consumers Ever

By: Jeff Fromm, Christie Garton

Published: July 2, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN-10: 0814433227
ISBN-13: 978-0814433225
Publisher: AMACOM

"Businesses cannot afford to ignore the Millennials. Their collective buying power alone - an estimated $200 billion annually - is already noteworthy and will only increase as they mature into their peak earning and spending years", write Executive Vice President at Barkley, Jeff Fromm; and founder of U Chic Media, Christie Garton, in their pioneering, Millennial marketing strategy filled book Marketing to Millennials: Reach the Largest and Most Influential Generation of Consumers Ever. The authors describe the power and influence of the enormous Millennial generation, how these young customers differ from previous generations, and offer the strategies and techniques to capture these important and often misunderstood customers.

Jeff Fromm (photo left) and Christie Garton understand that despite their generational name, the Millennials are not a homogeneous group. The authors identified six distinct subgroups. That knowledge is crucial for marketers who believed a single message would resonate with this entire generation. The authors also point out, that despite their groupings, there are common traits shared by Millennials, that are very different from the predecessor Generation X.

The authors examine who the Millennials are, share new rules for marketing that brands will ignore to their peril. The also present some case studies, of companies and brands, who are attuned successfully to the new rules of engagement with the Millennial generation.

Christie Garton (photo left) and Jeff Fromm recognize the the Millennial affinity for and skill with technology is well known. As a result, the authors go far beyond that single concept and embark upon a more comprehensive guide to reaching these ethnically diverse and participation oriented consumers. The Millennials are anything but passive buyers, and instead demand to be considered partners in the products and brands withh which they participate.

The authors present a complete and well documented and researched analysis of the Millennial generation. The book includes a series of fresh marketing principles, that underline both the diversity and the similarities shared, by this fascinating and influential generation. The new marketing concepts are as follows:

* Millennials: Who are they?
* The new rules of marketing to Millennials
* Engage those early adopters of new technology
* Build a listening and participation strategy
* Make them look good among their peers
* Design a sense of fun and adventure
* Don't give them a reason to cheat on you
* Epilogue: Other key marketing ideas to know

Fr me, the power of the book is how Jeff Fromm and Christie Garton combine a comprehensive theoretical framework for marketing to the Millennial generation, with a complete and practical strategy to implement the new marketing rules that are so essential for success. The authors take a big picture perspective of the Millennial generation, and then drill down into the various aspects of how the Millennials behave in the marketplace. The key insight is the author's conclusion that Millennials demand a participative brand with which they can partner and share.

As a parent of Millennial children, Jeff Fromm brings that experience to the book. Christie Garton, as a Millennial herself, brings an internal viewpoint to the table. The authors base the irt premises on on real world research and case studies, completed with companies who have wide ranging experience will Millennials as customers. The various chapters of the book end with the key takeaways from the text and research, that can be applied readily to any marketing campaign geared toward gaining the Millennial market.

I highly recommend the insightful and research based book Marketing to Millennials: Reach the Largest and Most Influential Generation of Consumers Ever by Jeff Fromm and Christie Garton, to any business leaders, product marketers, brand managers, sales managers, entrepreneurs, and anyone else interested in engaging and collaborating with the vast and crucial Millennial market. This book shatters myths about Millennials, sweeps aside the old marketing rules, and replaces them with an engaging and participatory marketing model that will be embraced by Millennials.

Obama adds a founding father

Yes, Obama really did compare Ho Chi Minh to Thomas Jefferson.

WND.com reports: When
President Obama said Ho Chi Minh – the North Vietnamese communist
revolutionary who led the war effort against the U.S. that cost almost
60,000 American lives – was a fan of the U.S. Constitution and Thomas
Jefferson, he was echoing what an influential new book calls one of the
most deadly communist

When the 'peace talks' inevitably fail, who will be blamed

Like most of the legacy media, the Washington Post is already preparing to blame the 'settlements' for the inevitable failure of the current 'peace talks' between Israel and the 'Palestinians.'

In the past five years, the population of Jewish settlements in the
West Bank has grown by about 20 percent, and pro-settler politicians
have become major players in Israel’s government.

Here in the

Think tank: Iran to have 'undetected' nuclear capability by mid-2014

A report issued by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) on Tuesday warns that Iran will achieve a "critical capability" to produce sufficient weapon-grade uranium by mid-2014, without being detected, simply by carrying out its current plan to use centrifuges at its declared Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities. ISIS recommended that the IAEA increase inspections, but

Indyk: Hard to believe parties can reach agreement

Martin Indyk's moment of candor in January 2012 may yet come back to haunt him.

Indyk was named this week as the Obama administration's representative to the 'peace talks' between Israel and the 'Palestinians.' But in January 2012, Indyk told Army Radio that 'it's hard to believe' that the parties can reach an agreement.

Asked in January 2012 by Army
Radio’s Ido Benbaji whether he was

Awesome video: Spy drone can see what you're wearing from 17,500 feet high - and that's not all

A new camera developed by the Pentagon's research arm was highlighted in
a recent special on PBS' "Nova" in an episode called "Rise of the
Drones." It's a camera system so detailed it can discern specific
movements and even what a subject is wearing.

The Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency's (DARPA's) Autonomous Real-Time Ground
Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS) has 1.8

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The best Catherine Ashton image evah!

Heh.

How small is Israel?

This should give you some perspective (Hat Tip: Jack W).

Now, consider that Israel is surrounded on three sides by (mostly Islamist) enemies and on the fourth by the Mediterranean Sea....

Israeli policewoman who was at Camp Koby called to duty at demo against terrorist release

This is an amazing story by Sherri Mandell, the mother of Koby Mandell HY"D (May God Avenge his blood, pictured).
As we chanted, based on a slogan my sister recommended on Facebook that day: Release will not bring peace.

We also chanted: Murderers belong in jail.
Like the ones who were set free in a previous release though they had
murdered Rachel Weiss, a young mother, and her three

Cody's Eyelid Tumor

by Krista Magnifico, DVM

One of the most common eye problems that we see are eyelid tumors.

Cody after surgery

I see a lot of these. Most commonly they are seen in older dogs.

Luckily, in most cases the masses (I prefer the term 'mass' to 'tumor' although in veterinary medicine they are used synonymously), are benign cosmetic eyelid defects. In almost all cases we choose to monitor these masses very closely after they first are noticed.

There are a few exceptions to this;

Any pet that is having problems blinking.
Having discharge from the eye. Of greatest concern is any yellow or green discharge, excessive blinking, or squinting.
Any mass that is growing rapidly or taking up more than 1/4 of the eyelid margin.
Having multiple masses on the eye.

All eyelid tumors should be seen by the veterinarian as soon as they are noticed.

This is Cody's story of his eyelid mass.

His dad noticed a small mass on his lower eyelid many months ago. At that time we just decided to monitor it. That was until a few weeks ago when his dad thought that it began to cause Cody some discomfort.

Pre-operatively, Cody had a very thorough physical examination, pre-operative blood work, and we discussed post-operative concerns and recovery needs.

Cody is a very active but anxious boy.

He is young, healthy, and the joy of his fathers' life.

In the exam room he is a flash of brown and white. He shakes, jumps, shivers, quivers and is completely unable to relax even a teensy-weensy bit. When you can finally grab him and try to hold him still his constant erratic motion transfers to his vocal chords where a squealing high pitched ear shattering bellow makes the ability to hold him impossible. Cody is a quark of an English Springer Spaniel flavor. (For an interesting read see any veterinary neurology text book and all of the, (shall I say) "unique" neurologic disorders Springers have).

I have seen him four times in the last 4 weeks to examine the mass on his lower right eyelid.

Each trip has been met with the same unfortunate outcome. He cannot sit still, and I cannot adequately examine him. It is a fate that befalls some. We work around it, and we provide drugs to coerce compliance. Sometimes it is necessary, but always it is the last option. We scheduled surgery for this week.

The eyelid mass was visible grossly, but truth be told I was not able to identify how invasive it was while he was awake.

When Cody was placed under general anesthesia I saw for the first time how large the mass was.

The preliminary surgery plan was to safely and easily visualize the eyelid mass, resect it completely, and then rebuild the eyelid so that it remained functional and was as cosmetically pleasing (fancy-pants way of saying "looked good after").

I elected to remove the mass with our laser.

The laser allows for a very precise cut with little to no bleeding. This causes less tissue trauma a very precise incision and a quicker procedure.

The mass was removed in its entirety.

Cody went home with an e-collar so that he will not rub his eye, and an antibiotic ointment to keep the eye comfortable lubricated and free from infection.

For full description of the procedure and photos see How Do You Blink With Cauliflower In Your Eye? Eyelid Tumors .

***

Krista Magnifico, DVM owns a small animal hospital in northern Maryland, where she practices everyday. She wants to make quality veterinary care available to everyone, everywhere at any time; trying to save the world 1 wet nose @ a time. Her blog is a diary of he day-to-day life & the animals and people she meets.

Dr. Krista is also the founder of pawbly.com, free pet advice and assistance.

To contact her, you may leave a comment on her blog, email her or catch her on Twitter or Facebook.

Articles by Dr. Magnifico:
Don't Make This Mistake: Ruby's Death To Heat Stroke
Parvo: Cora's Story
Jake's Laryngeal Paralysis
The Tip Of The Iceberg: The Unexpected Dental Dilemma
The Ear Ache That Wasn't Going Away: Tottsie's Story

Only in the twilight zone called the United Nations

Only at the UN.... Iran is in line to chair the UN committee that deals with nuclear disarmament.

Iran is campaigning for a key position on a U.N.
General Assembly committee that deals with disarmament and international
security amid strong criticism from Israel and others who accuse Tehran
of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran is competing against Kuwait to be the rapporteur of

Israel's Borders

By Alan Caruba

When you look at a map of the Middle East, one of the smallest nations is Israel. With the exception of Jordan, it is surrounded by enemies with Lebanon and Syria to the north and Egypt to the south. The Gaza strip, controlled by Hamas, has been a staging ground for rockets and the disputed West Bank, known in ancient times as Judea and Samaria, has both Israeli settlements and is home to Fatah, the other Palestinian faction.

The Israelis are famous for their internal disputes about how to deal with the Palestinians and respond to the likes of Hezbollah to the north. Secretary of State John Kerry has been expending a lot of time and energy to getting the Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table, but if he expects the former to return to their 1967 borders, he is smoking some serious dope. If he expects the Palestinians to accept Israel as a sovereign nation, he’s in for a long wait.

At present, while the Israelis enjoy prosperity the rest of their region of the world is engulfed in turmoil. The horrendous slaughter in Syria is characterized by its regime as a war with “terrorists”, primarily al Qaeda. It is likely that the Israelis are quietly hoping the regime wins its civil war, the result of the regime’s terrible agricultural policies that impoverished a large part of its population, arousing its anger.

Would you believe that Syria is among the nations seeking a seat on the United Nations’ Human Rights Council when elections are held on November 12? Among the others are China, Russia, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia. The Council reflects that UN’s empty and hypocritical definition of human rights. It is corruption personified.

Jordan has become a refuge to a half a million Syrians that fled the fighting. It is hopefully receiving a lot of international aid to respond to their needs. Meanwhile several Gulf nations are covertly shipping arms to the Syrian rebels and the U.S. has moved some military assets to Jordan. Israel has moved its defense forces to its border on the Golan Heights, captured in the 1967 war, and with Lebanon. A lot of jihadists have been flooding into Syria and could decide to head south at some point.

Across its border with Egypt, specifically the Sinai, a military coup has overthrown the Muslim Brotherhood president and the new leadership is getting ready to address the lawless Sinai Peninsula with an operation ironically called “Desert Storm.” A refuge for Islamic extremists, the clear loser thus far has been the Brotherhood. Six of their leaders have fled to Gaza to prepare for another uprising.

Despite the U.S. State Department’s squishy wish that the new government in Egypt include the Brotherhood, Middle East expert, Daniel Pipes, succinctly says that breaking the Brotherhood’s neck “is good for Egypt, the region, and not least ourselves.”

The turmoil in the Middle East suggests that many of its Muslims have grown tired of life under Islam and, in particular, life dictated by the likes of the Muslim Brotherhood, al Qaeda, and the Taliban.

The other fact of life is the inability of Arabs to unite around any single goal. Left to their own devices, they return to killing one another as is the case in Iraq these days. The Sunni-Shiite divide is the most obvious cause, but one should never lose sight of the billions in oil revenue that is more likely at the heart of the bloodshed.

Egypt holds out the prospect for an evolving Middle East that is tired of its ancient traditions of corruption and oppression. Turkey, that was for decades a secular nation, voted in a president who has tried to move it back toward Islam’s sharia law, but he has run into a lot of opposition. Everywhere in the Middle East there is a desire for a decent, honest, functioning economy.

The most interesting element of all this has been the Obama policy of withdrawing U.S. military from Iraq and, next year, Afghanistan. There truly does not seem to be much justification to spend treasure and blood in the region and, at this point, America has few friends there.

All of which seems to be working to Israel’s advantage. This is not to say that there isn’t peril to address, but for all its internal debates about how to deal with the Palestinians and what to do about the fighting in Syria and Egypt, the Israelis seem to have figured out how to address these issues. I would not want them as an enemy.

'Why hunt Nazis and release Muslim Nazis'?

The title to this post was the reaction of Rabbi Eliezer Weiss upon learning that the Israeli government intends to release the murderers of his wife, three children and unborn child.
A neighbor of Rabbi Weiss, Efraim Holtzberg, recalled the rabbi’s
reaction to the news. “He told me he doesn’t understand why the state of
Israel invests millions in searching for Nazi criminals around the

It starts: 'Palestinian' terrorists shoot rocket at western Negev

The 'peace talks' have started and so has the 'Palestinian' rocket fire.

Several hours after Israel and the Palestinians resumed peace talks in Washington,
Gaza's
terror groups sent a message of their own. A Qassam
rocket exploded in an open area at the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council
on Tuesday morning. No injuries or damage were reported.

Benny, who resides in the surrounding

Think tank: Iran using Israeli laser technology to enrich uranium; Israelis fear Iran weeks away from breakout

The Institute for Science and International Security says that Iran may be enriching uranium using Israeli laser technology, an activity that it previously told the IAEA that it had ceased in 2003. And note the last paragraph of the story....

The institute says Iran is still developing laser technology for
enriching uranium. It notes accelerated construction at a site where
this type of

Poll: 71% of Egyptians don't want the Muslim Brotherhood back

71% of Egyptians have told pollsters that they don't want to see Mohammed Morsy or the Muslim Brotherhood back.

The Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research-Baseera survey found that 71 percent of Egyptians
opposed the Brotherhood's protests. A year of Morsi and the
Brotherhood's rigid policies and inflexibility that failed to address Egypt's economic crisis has left many Egyptians

The true apartheid

More here.

Who is Abu Mazen?

Six years ago I wrote a letter to then-President Bush in which I attempted to show why Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen is not a 'moderate.'

Abu Mazen is not a man of peace. He is an anti-Semite and at least an accessory to murder. Abu Mazen is a Holocaust denier.
He wrote his doctoral thesis in 1982 at the Moscow Institute for
Oriental Studies. The heading of his doctoral thesis was: "Zionist

EU's Ashton meets with Morsy

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met with deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsy on Monday at his Egyptian hideaway.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Tuesday
she found that deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was well and had
access to television and newspapers when she visited him.

Ashton
was speaking to journalists after meeting Morsi at an

Jeremy Ben Ami's Jerusalem home is in 'ethnically cleansed' Baka

For those who don't read Hebrew, or are not familiar with the form above, the form is a standard summary from the Israeli Companies Registrar listing the names and addresses of the shareholders of an Israeli company. You can get a form like this for any Israeli company online through the Companies Registrar.

This particular form is for Ben-Or Communications Ltd., a public relations company

Burgas terrorist active on Facebook?

The two Hezbullah bomb-makers and the terrorist who carried out the terror attack in Burgas, Bulgaria last summer may have smuggled the bomb parts into Bulgaria on a train from Poland.

The suspected Hezbollah operatives behind the Burgas attack last July
smuggled a detonator and remote control device from Poland into
Bulgaria.The Bulgarian daily Trud
reported on Monday that the bomber, who

The Hillary Clinton mini-series that's worth seeing

Heh (Hat Tip: All the Right Snark via Jack W).

Brian Klapper: The Q-Loop: Lasting Corporate Change - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Internationally recognized expert in operational and cultural transformation, president and founding partner of The Klapper Institute, and author of the collaboration building and positive results oriented book The Q-Loop: The Art & Science of Lasting Corporate Change, Brian Klapper describes the challenges faced by change leaders and offers a practical and proven alternative change management process. Brian Klapper presents the Q-Loop concept of change, as a holistic method that engages and includes ideas from all areas of the organization. While many change leaders approach the concept of change with their own ideas, Brian Klapper turns the process on its head, and draws on the experience, ideas, and wisdom of front line employees. In a time when 70 percent of change initiatives fail to achieve their goals or to last at all, the Q-Loop presents a comprehensive methodology that engages people in a collaborative process. Brian Klapper shares ideas that go beyond the usual strategy and theory, and demonstrates how to put in change into action effectively, and for the long term.

Brian Klapper is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, July 30, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Internationally recognized expert in operational and cultural transformation, president and founding partner of The Klapper Institute, and author of the collaboration building and positive results oriented book The Q-Loop: The Art & Science of Lasting Corporate Change, Brian Klapper describes the challenges faced by change leaders and offers a practical and proven alternative change management process. You will learn:

* Why 70 percent of change management initiatives fail to achieve lasting change

* How the Q-Loop offers an inclusive and engaging alternative

* How to get front line employees to share their ideas and experience

* How to implement change effectively with the Q-Loop process

Brian Klapper (photo left) is the President and Founding Partner of The Klapper Institute. He is an internationally recognized expert in transformational change, working with a variety of global companies in financial services, consumer products, manufacturing, food service, utilities, retail, and healthcare.

His experience spans all elements of the value chain, as well as all customer touchpoints. A recognized thought leader, Brian is currently working on a new book that provides insights on the complex cultural and operational issues that companies must address to achieve and sustain transformational change.

Brian has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Fortune, Business Week, and The New York Times. He is a sought-after speaker for company events and a periodic contributor to business and trade publications. His article "Going from Chief Learning Officer to Chief Destruction Officer" was selected as the cover story for Chief Learning Officer online magazine. Brian also co-authored a chapter in Redesigning Healthcare Delivery, "Applying Performance Engineering to Medical Care," which has become an industry standard.

Before founding The Klapper Institute, Brian was the President of The Tatham Group, a boutique process redesign firm. Previously, he was a Partner at Mercer Management Consulting (formerly Strategic Planning Associates, now Oliver Wyman) focusing on strategy development and operational transformation.

My book review of The Q-Loop: The Art & Science of Lasting Corporate Change by Brian Klapper.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with internationally recognized expert in operational and cultural transformation, president and founding partner of The Klapper Institute, and author of the collaboration building and positive results oriented book The Q-Loop: The Art & Science of Lasting Corporate Change, Brian Klapper, as he describes the challenges faced by change leaders and offers a practical and proven alternative change management process. Brian Klapper presents the Q-Loop concept of change, as a holistic method that engages and includes ideas from all areas of the organization. While many change leaders approach the concept of change with their own ideas, Brian Klapper turns the process on its head, and draws on the experience, ideas, and wisdom of front line employees. In a time when 70 percent of change initiatives fail to achieve their goals or to last at all, the Q-Loop presents a comprehensive methodology that engages people in a collaborative process. Brian Klapper shares ideas that go beyond the usual strategy and theory, and demonstrates how to put in change into action effectively, and for the long term on Blog Business Success Radio.

Obama threatened retaliation against Israeli action on Iran if Israel didn't release 'Palestinians'?

In an earlier post, I discussed (and cast doubt on) the claim that Israel traded 104 terrorist murderers for an American attack on Iran. But what if what happened was that Obama and Kerry told Netanyahu that if we didn't release the 104 terrorist murderers, and return to the table with the 'Palestinians,' when and if Israel bombed Iran, the US would leave us to face the consequences alone?

Monday, July 29, 2013

Abu Mazen's future apartheid 'state': Not one Jew in 'Palestine'

'Moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen told reporters in Egypt on Monday that his vision for 'Palestine' does not include a single Jew.

Abbas said that no Israeli settlers or border forces could remain in a
future Palestinian state and that Palestinians deem illegal all Jewish
settlement building within the land occupied in the 1967 Six Days War.

...

"In a final

The Q-Loop by Brian Klapper - Book review

The Q-Loop

The Art & Science of Lasting Corporate Change

By: Brian Klapper

Published: May 7, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1937134520
ISBN-13: 978-1937134525
Publisher: Bibliomotion

"The single biggest challenge that prevents leaders from getting things done is their inability to generate buy-in for the change across the organization", writes internationally recognized expert in business process transformation, and President and Founding Partner of The Klapper Institute, Brian Klapper, in his collaboration building and positive results oriented book The Q-Loop: The Art & Science of Lasting Corporate Change. The author describes how and why so many strategic change plans fail, and offers a holistic approach to change that is both effective and sustainable over the long term.

Brian Klapper understands that simply having a bold and innovative change strategy is insufficient if there is no collaborative engagement and commitment from the employees. The author also knows that any organization that is unable to adapt to change and to implement continual improvement in every aspect of its business will fall into irrelevance.

Organizational change is never easy, however, and with a seventy percent failure rate in change initiatives, that needed change has never been more difficult for leaders to achieve. To overcome the internal and external challenges and barriers to real and lasting change, Brian Klapper proposes the concept of the Q-Loop as an effective, collaborative, and long term strategy.

Brian Klapper (photo left) recognizes that a collaborative process for developing and implementing change, through a process that incorporates ideas at the grassroots employee level, has a greater chance of success. The traditional top down, management idea focused strategies have led to failure, or at best, change that fails to last and become part of a new company culture.

The collaborative approach closes the often very deep chasm between idea generation and change process implementation. The level of buy-in is much higher, the ideas more appropriate and effective, and commitment to the change is greater on the part of employees.

Brian Klapper divides the book into three overall sections. The parts of the book reflect the three basic phases of the Q-Loop process in action. Instead of intuitive or theoretical change ideals, the Q-Loop system presents a practical route to change that is effective, innovative, is built for the long term, and utilizes the ideas and experience of the entire organization. The three overarching principles are as follows:

* Entering the Q-Loop: Maximize the organizations collective IQ
* Going around the Q-Loop: Ignite a grassroots mindset shift
* Exiting the Q-Loop: Embed the Q-Loop in the organization

For me, the power of the book is how Brian Klapper combines a comprehensive change management strategy with the practical techniques to implement the entire process effectively. The author provides a holistic strategy based on collaborative input of ideas and on collaborative implementation across the entire organization. While other change management books offer ideas and stories, Brian Klapper offers a real world tested and proven methodology for making change that stay in place after the change process ends.

The author admits openly that change management is a very difficult process to implement effectively. Not all leaders and initiators of change are aware of that reality. As a result, Brian Klapper advises his change leaders of the challenges that await anyone implementing organizational change. The Q-Loop system presented in the book is one that engages people across the organization, asks for and welcomes the grassroots experience and ideas to the process, and puts the employee created recommendations into place.

I highly recommend the very hands on and insightful book The Q-Loop: The Art & Science of Lasting Corporate Change by Brian Klapper, to any change leaders, facilitators and managers who are seeking a complete process that is collaborative and inclusive, and is tested and proven in real world change situations. This book should be read and read again before, during, and after any change management initiative in your organization.

Jeremy Ben Ami boycotts 'settlement goods' and still takes money from Soros

None of you should be surprised to hear that J Street head Jeremy Ben Ami boycotts 'settlement goods.' What's more surprising is that he seemed to try to avoid admitting it.
MT: Peter Beinart will be featured prominently
this year at the J Street Conference. He advocates, among other things,
what he calls “Zionist B.D.S.” It’s basically a boycott, as I understand
it, of settlements. That’s

Palin: 'Elitists running McCain campaign kept me silent on Obama'

I don't think RINO McCain is going to care about this anymore, but Sarah Palin Destroys Obama and his "Phony Scandals" on Fox New -
7/26/2013 - Tonight Greta Van Susteren explores why the president is
calling the D.C. scandals "phony." In this sneak peek clip of the
special, Greta talks to Sarah Palin who exposes that in her 2008 vice
presidential run, she was forbidden from talking about

Tzipi Livni converts to Islam?

Is Tzipi Livni converting to Islam? That's sure what it sounds like. She is sharing the Iftar dinner (the meal at the end of each day's fast in Ramadamadan) with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday.

Secretary of State John Kerry will host "an Iftar dinner for Israeli
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni," according to a copy of his schedule
released by the State Department. The dinner will

Protest signs in Egypt

This sign was seen at an anti-Muslim Brotherhood protest in Egypt (Hat Tip: Jack W).

Heh.

Adoption Monday: Korie, Black Labrador Retriever Mix: Deerfield, NH

Check out this awesome baby at Mary's Dogs Rescue & Adoption!

Korie will be 14 weeks when she arrives here in New England.

This little bundle of love is very playful and well socialized.

Korie is cute and sweet and ready to meet her new family. She can't wait to learn about being the ultimate family dog. Have you been looking for your new best friend?

Want more info on Korie? Call Mary's Dogs: 603.370.7750 or send along an email: marysdogsrescue@gmail.com

Ready to bring Korie home? Tell us about yourself and your interest in Korie in the adoption questionnaire. Check out all the wonderful dogs on Mary's Dogs Facebook Fan Page.

***

Mary’s Dogs rescues and re-homes dogs and puppies from Aiken County Animal Shelter, a high-kill shelter in South Carolina, USA. They also serve as a resource to communities in Southern New Hampshire and pet owners nationwide by providing education and information on responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay/neuter, positive behavior training, and good nutrition.

Yoni Netanyahu comes back from the dead

Prime Minister Netanyahu's brother Yoni - who was killed in the raid on the airport in Entebbe in 1976 - has returned from the dead to see what his brother is doing.

Unfortunately, we're not. And Yoni's and Bibi's father would probably have an even harsher reaction.

Moral relativism at the Washington Post

I don't know how many of you saw the front page of Monday's Washington Post, but here's some of the moral relativism that's typical of news coverage of 'Palestinian' terror.

The list of prisoners who may be released in coming days includes
militants who threw firebombs, in one case at a bus carrying children;
stabbed and shot civilians, including women, elderly Jews and suspected

Over-Sexed Democrats

By Alan Caruba

The stars have aligned to present two of the most loathsome Democrats we have witnessed in a long time, Twitter-sex addict, Anthony Weiner who at this writing is still running for Mayor of New York and Bob Filner, Mayor of San Diego, a serial groper who gives no sign of resigning.

Is it just a coincidence that both current offenders of the public’s sense of decency are both Democrats? Is it just a coincidence that the most beloved Democrat politician is former President Bill Clinton who got into a heap of trouble over sexcapades in the Oral—er—Oval Office?

Democrats seem to fall prey to sex addictions and peccadillos more than Republicans.

In 2001 before leaving office Clinton pardoned Rep. Mel Reynolds, an Illinois Democrat who was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault with a 16-year-old. He took a job with Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. And Rev. Jesse made news for fathering an out-of-wedlock child. Jesse Jr. is currently in jail for misuse of campaign funds.

I am not saying that only Democrat politicians get caught in such situations, but I am saying we tend to hear more about them than their Republican counterparts. Perhaps this is due to the traditional values that conservatives embrace?

A short stroll down memory lane reminds us that the late Sen. Daniel Inouye was accused of sexual harassment in the 1990s by numerous women. The Senate Ethics Committee dropped its investigation. The same committee decided not to pursue disciplinary action in 1990 when Rep. Gus Savage was accused of fondling a Peace Corps volunteer in 1989 while on a fact-finding trip to Africa.

Who can forget that former Rep. Barney Frank had a male prostitute running a service from Frank’s residence in the 1980s? Frank was openly gay and from Massachusetts where the schools these days are becoming platforms for indoctrination about homosexual and transsexual sex. Rep. Gerry Studds, also from Massachusetts, was censured for sexual relationships with an underage male page in 1983. The voters returned him to office for six more terms!

The 1970s were filled with news of Democrat office holders who couldn’t keep their pants zipped. Rep. Fred Richman was arrested in 1978 for soliciting sex from a 16-year-old. And he won reelection even though he eventually resigned in 1982 after pleading guilty to tax evasion and drug possession. The most famous Congressman from that era was Wayne Hayes from Ohio who hired a “secretary” who couldn’t even type, but who reportedly provided him with sex.

In more recent years, New Jersey’s former Governor James McGreevey resigned in 2004 after acknowledging a homosexual affair with one of his staff, but he has done an admirable job of redeeming himself through good works.

Back across the Hudson, when Anthony Weiner isn’t hogging the headlines, former Governor Elliot Spitzer is running to be New York City’s comptroller. Spitzer gained fame for patronizing prostitutes.

After a bogus campaign against Republicans, accusing them of waging “a war on women”, the Democrats sat on a bill for more than a year that would help law enforcement quickly track down violent sex offenders. It had been introduced in March of 2011 by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as the “Finding Fugituve Sex Offenders Act to give the Marshalls Service the tools it needed to track down sex offenders. It was finally passed in November 2012.

One notable Republican let love and lust got the better of him. Former North Carolina Governor Mark Sanford fell for an Argentinian beauty. It cost him the job and his marriage, but the voters forgave him and sent him to Congress. There may be other Republican office holders who have yielded to their desires, but they appear to be far fewer than their Democrat counterparts.

For now, Weiner will provide enough fodder for the late night TV comedians and all others, but the fact is that the more you see and hear him, the more he makes your skin crawl.

After charging Morsy with collaborating with Hamas, Egypt supports Hamas-Fatah reconciliation

Go and figure....

Egypt's new rulers support Fatah-Hamas "reconciliation" efforts. Isn't Morsi charged with collaboration with Hamas? http://t.co/jJUdNy7Yfn
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) July 29, 2013

(Link in the Tweet is to Twitter in Arabic)

#BDSFail (epic): The sun will rise in Binyamina after all

The Animals' Eric Burdon is going to follow in Alicia Keys' footsteps. Contrary to what I reported this morning, it was announced this afternoon that Burdon will come to Israel after all (Hat Tip: Findalis).

Burdon, the former lead singer of ’60s British
band The Animals, last week canceled an August 1 concert in Binyamina
because he had been receiving daily threatening emails, his manager

Who's a racist?

This article by Gonen Ginat is spot-on.

But
that is not the real problem. The Israeli Left demanding the release of
racist murderers is nothing new. One could even almost understand the
government's decision to release killers: Not all the decisions made at
the Prime Minister's Office are of the convenient variety. Sometimes you
need to push the other side to a point where they are the

By the way, what shape is the table going to be?

For those too young to remember, I discussed the shape of the table in the Paris peace talks that were supposed to end the Vietnam war here. When it comes to Israel and the 'Palestinians,' the shape of the table may be the only thing about which there has thus far been no argument.

This time "all of the issues that are at the core of a permanent
accord will be negotiated simultaneously",

What a 'Palestinian negotiator's Facebook page says about the chances for peace

The picture above is the Facebook page of Dr. Mohammed Shtayyeh, one of the two 'negotiators' representing 'Moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen. My Arabic is non-existent but Raheem Kassam explains why the page above should worry those who want peace.

While Dr. Shtayyeh has been paying lip
service to Kerry’s peace talks initiative publicly, his Facebook
background

BWAHAHAHAHA! Weiner to cost Hillary an election?

A bit of American politics that's too good not to share.

The Clinton's are said to be furious at comparisons being made between Hillary standing by Bill when he was philandering and Hillary's top aide - Huma Abedin - standing by Anthony Weiner's indecent exposures (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

“The Clintons are upset with the comparisons that the Weiners seem to be
encouraging — that Huma is ‘

Turkish Airlines being investigated for tax fraud... in Israel

You drop the Mavi Marmara and we'll drop the tax fraud investigation.

Turkish Airlines is being accused of tax fraud to the tune of NIS 1.5 million, and the tax authorities are contemplating criminal action against the local branch manager.

Turkish Airlines' Israeli
office is currently being investigated for alleged tax evasion amounting
to over 1.5 million shekels ($418,000), a statement

Coming to a country near you?

If you're going to hide money overseas, you should at least do so in a country that's stable enough not to pull a stunt like this.

Cyprus and its international lenders have agreed to convert 47.5
percent of deposits exceeding 100,000 euros in Bank of Cyprus to equity
to recapitalize it, banking sources said on Sunday.

Under a programme agreed between Cyprus and lenders in March, large

Obama agreed to bomb Iran in return for terrorist release?

Get a load of this:

Israel's decision to release 104 Palestinian security prisoners motivated by secret "strategic considerations" - @Bogie_Yaalon in speech
— Dan Williams (@DanWilliams) July 29, 2013
The obvious reference is to Iran.

Amir Mizroch makes that explicit.

.@DanWilliams @Bogie_Yaalon I have sneaky suspicion Israel agreed to free Palestinian terrorists+ renew talks in return for

Desperate for cash, Hamas tries to make up with Iran

The days when Mahmoud al-Zahar (pictured), Ayman Taha and others smuggled millions in cash into the Gaza Strip are long gone, and now the organization is desperate for money. Desperate enough that despite having left Iran's ally, Syria, months ago Hamas has now gone to Iran to beg for money.

Representatives of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group ruling the Gaza
Strip, met with Iranian and

Still not an excuse

Graphic via Yisrael Medad.

But as Shy Guy pointed out yesterday in a comment, Pollard was probably the only guy who was happy on Sunday, because he's got too much integrity to want to be traded for 'Palestinian' terrorists.

And perhaps that's the lesson here. I've reached the conclusion that most Israeli politicians, including Netanyahu, couldn't care less about Pollard. They're looking for a

How BDS'ers intimidate entertainers from performing in Israel

As I may have mentioned in the seven and a half years I have been writing this blog, I pray my morning prayers at sunrise, seven days a week, and have done so for the past 17 years. There was one previous period in my life when I prayed at sunrise every day, and that was when I was in yeshiva. Some of my early-rising friends and I decided that the theme song of our prayer service should be

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Real Influence by Mark Goulston & John Ullmen - Book review

Real Influence

Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In

By: Mark Goulston, MD, John Ullmen, Ph.D.

Published: January 2, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
ISBN-10: 081442015X
ISBN-13: 978-0814420157
Publisher: AMACOM

"As executive coaches, we know that it's harder than ever to influence people because the old rules of persuasion no longer work", write organizational consultant, relationship counselor, hostage-negotiation trainer, and Chairman and Co-Founder of Heartfelt Leadership, Mark Goulston, MD; and speaker, executive coach, and faculty member at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, John Ullmen, Ph.D., in their engaging and practical technique filled book Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In. The authors describe how books and business schools teach outdated manipulative persuasion techniques that create unsustainable disconnected influence, and offer the alternative or deep relationship building connected persuasion.

Mark Goulston (photo left) and John Ullmen recognize that the outmoded concept of disconnected influence did and continues to gain short term persuasion. While that tactic failed to develop or maintain any long term relationships, it did provide short term results, at the cost of a person's reputation. The authors present a complete shift in thinking and approach with the concept of connected influence.

Not only does connected influence create and enrich relationships, it also deepens those connections to form advocates for the persuader's cause. The premise of the book is that anyone can learn the skills and develop the personal mindset to positively influence anyone else.

John Ullmen (photo left) and Mark Goulston understand that persuasion is no longer a case of doing something to someone else to achieve your goals. The authors point out that persuasion in its true form goes far beyond what the persuader actually wants. Instead, the focus for effective persuasion must be on building relationships, giving to others first with no immediate requests for any return, and establishing mutually beneficial outcomes.

The authors share an engagement based concept of persuasion where empathy with others, and real and authentic communication form the basis for deep and lasting relationships. The methods outlined in the book can be utilized effectively by anyone to influence anyone else through a mutually beneficial win-win viewpoint. The authors outline their connective persuasion process in seven overall sections in the book. The sections are as follows:

* The problem: Why you are struggling to influence people
* Step one: Go for the great outcome
* Step two: Listen past your blind spot
* Step three: Engage them in their there
* Step 4: When you've done enough...do more
* Taking real influence to the next level
* Putting it all together

Foe me, the power of the book is how Mark Goulston and John Ullmen provide a comprehensive blueprint for establishing connected influence, and offer the practical skills and exercises to put the process into action. The authors go beyond the standard approach to influence where the purpose of persuasion is to get the other person to do something to advance only the agenda of the influencer. That influence model created what the authors call a disconnect between people, resulting in at best a short term relationship, and more likely long term damage to both parties and their reputations.

The authors turn the process upside down, creating the relationship first, from which the influence naturally follows. People do business with those who they know, like, trust, and have built a deep and lasting connection. The connected influence process takes that reality as its basis, while the disconnected system fails to understand or consider the human element involved in the relationship.

I highly recommend the pioneering and authentic approach based book Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing and Gain Without Giving In by Mark Goulston and John Ullmen, to any business leaders, sales managers, non-profit organization executives, educators, public policy makers, speakers, and anyone interested in building relationships with others as the foundation for establishing influence and ideas. This book will transform your thinking and overall approach to influence and persuasion from one of manipulation to one of win-win collaboration.

An 'unparalleled' disgrace, but to leave the government over it?

Jewish Home party MK Nissan Slomiansky slammed Sunday's cabinet decision to release 104 terrorist murderers just to induce the 'Palestinians' to come to the table and talk. But he didn't slam his own party for continuing to sit in the government that made that decision. He slammed the Americans and the West.

“The government’s decision is an unparalleled disgrace,” Knesset
Finance Committee

Hillary Clinton, anti-Semite

You don't think they cut a deal to avoid a floor fight at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, do you? Because it's pretty clear to me and should be clear to all of you where this is leading: President Hussein Obama has agreed to endorse and work for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election campaign. It's just a question of when the announcement(s) will be made (Hat Tip: Sunlight).

Obama and