From Munich 1938 to Damascus 2013, nothing has changed

Iran isn't the only country watching the West doddle on Syria. So is Israel. Britain's backing out of a Syria strike, and Hussein Obama's obvious hesitation to do the job are going to encourage an Israeli attack on Iran.

But the Iranians are not the only ones watching.  So is Israel. 
Whether or not Israel decides to act against Iran could be determined in
large part by how the world acts

Erdogan willing to fight Syria to the last American

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has become one of his biggest opponents, believes that an American attack on Syria should topple Bashar al-Assad (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

Erdogan said
that the limited strikes which the United States is reportedly planning
against Syria would not be enough and pushed for a broader military
offensive.


"A limited operation cannot be

Meet the Mossad's newest spy?

Yes, Egypt has detained a swan as a suspected spy.

Officials said a man brought the suspected winged infiltrator to a
police station Friday in the Qena governorate, some 450 kilometers
southeast of Cairo. According to the officials, the man suspected the
bird was an undercover agent because it carried an electronic device.

Obama goes golfing, Krauthammer decries amateur hour, Bolton says Obama weakest Pres since James Buchanan

After President Obama had his press conference on Saturday in the Rose Garden, he went golfing. Really.

Right after shipping responsibility for authorizing an attack on
Syria, President Barack Obama returned to his comfort zone: The golf
course.

Obama’s motorcade left the White House at 2:30 p.m., about 30 minutes after completing his statement.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are

It's that time of year again: Please send money

I'm very uncomfortable doing this, but the reality is that I devote an
inordinate amount of time to this blog, and if you don't ask them
to, most people don't think to contribute.Please contribute
whatever you can to keep this blog going. If everyone contributed
ten cents(!) for each page view on this blog, I wouldn't have to look
for more work practicing law than I

Obama passes the buck

President Obama has passed the buck to Congress, announcing that he will seek Congressional approval for an attack on Syria (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

Obama said he had made the decision that military action was
justified by U.S. intelligence showing the use of chemical weapons. 

He
also said he had the authority under his executive powers to launch an
attack, but argued seeking the blessing

C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Chews For Dogs CAN Be A Choking Hazzard

Since we are still working on Cookie getting used to having her teeth brushed, I decided to help maintain them with C.E.T. Enzymatic Oral Hygiene Chews for Dogs.

The enzymatic action, together with an abrasive texture is supposed to be effective in helping keep teeth clean when brushing is not possible.

Personally, I am not a fan of any hide chews but I decided to make an exception.

The guys like them well enough, so that part was not an issue.

One thing I always worried about with any hide type of chews was potential choking or obstruction risk.

I never give any of these things when I'm not monitoring my dogs.

One of the problem with these dental chews is, that even the size meant for large dogs is fairly small. Too small, really, to be able to remove the chew before they get to the end of it. At least for our guys.

Both JD and Cookie got their piece and chewed on it. They finished at about the same time.

Something about Cookie didn't seem right.

She was making mouth motions as if she got a piece stuck to her teeth somewhere. More importantly, she was panting but in a strange way. Two pants at the time, then she'd stop.

I felt around in her mouth but couldn't feel anything being stuck in there. But she continued to pant in this strange way.

I decided to explore further back in her mouth, and there it was.

All the way back, there was this long chunk, stuck across. She was unable to either swallow it or spit it out, and as she was breathing it was blocking her windpipe. It was soft and quite stuck in there.

Once I found it I got it out quite easily but this could have been much bigger disaster.

We got lucky this time but I am not willing to take my chances. I am not giving them these chews again.

Fortunately, we are well on our way with the tooth brushing, which is a much safer way of keeping teeth clean.

Did your dog ever had a chew toy incident?

***

Related articles:
No Skimping on Oral Care

From The End Of A Lead Line To Casa Jasmine: Meet Cookie, Our New Adoptee
And So It Begins Again(?) Our First Health-Related Heart Attack With Cookie 
I Didn't Know I Could Fly: Why Cookie Wears A Harness Instead Of A Collar 

Assad's son dares Obama to attack

In a lengthy Facebook post 'liked' by numerous children and grandchildren of the Syrian elites, Hafaz al-Assad, the 11-year old son of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has dared President Obama to attack his country (Hat Tip: Jack W).

It is impossible to confirm whether the Facebook account does, in fact, belong to the son, Hafez al-Assad,
and aspects of it invite doubt. For example, the

Overwhelming majority of Israelis back US attack on Syria

Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.

A poll of Jewish Hebrew-speaking Israelis finds that 67% support an American attack on Syria.

While in the United States and
Great Britain, some 90 percent of the publics are opposed to such an
attack -- in Israel, more than 66% of the Jewish Hebrew-speaking
population supports an attack (only 17% opposes). With that, the exact
same percentage of the

Cartoon Round Up

Antonia Mantonakis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing, Brock University Goodman School of Business: Perception of Wine Taste Due To Celebrity Athlete Endorsement - Interview

Antonia Mantonakis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing at Brock University Goodman School of Business, was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about a recent study she and her colleagues conducted, about how consumers perceive the quality and taste of a wine. The study of consumer perceptions was based on the impact of having celebrity athletes, from various sports, endorse a wine.

Antonia Mantonakis described the background to the study, its methodology, and shared some of the findings from that study.

Thanks to Antonia Mantonakis for her time, and for her responses to the questions. They are greatly appreciated.

What was the background to creating this study of the perceived relationship between customer behaviour and consumer decision making; and who were the participants?

Antonia Mantonakis: My co-authors (Sarah Clemente, Eric Dolansky, and Katherine White) and I have been studying consumer decision making ever since we were graduate students. I’ve always found the topic fascinating given my background in Psychology.

Participants are usually community members, including students at the University. We kept track of their wine knowledge, and were able to split the respondents into high vs. low knowledge participants.

The study examines the relationship between wines and celebrity athlete endorsements in various sports. How did you determine if there are real and quantifiable relationships between customer behaviour and the endorsements?

Antonia Mantonakis: Well we first did a pre-test, where we gave participants a list of athletes such as David Beckham and Christine Sinclair, and had them rank order the degree of “fit” to the product of wine. It was interesting to see how respondents rated the golfer Vijay Singh as a “good” fit, whereas “The Rock” (wrestler) was a poor fit, and Jeremy Wotherspoon (speed skater) was perceived to be a moderate fit.

When you examined different sports, how did the choice of sport athlete make a difference?

Antonia Mantonakis: In the actual tasting study, we paired each of these athletes with wines, to taste. What was interesting was that, for high knowledge respondents, taste ratings were higher for the “moderate” fit. In addition, these respondents reported a higher willingness to pay for the wine with a moderate fit.



Antonia Mantonakis, Ph.D. (photo left)

You discovered that there was a different fit between consumers and the athletes and sports selected. Why is this concept of fit an important consideration for marketers?

Antonia Mantonakis: This is actually a topic that’s been studied extensive in marketing, especially for co-branding efforts. Ours is the first to examine “fit” in the context of taste.

When consumers were rated on different knowledge levels regarding wine, what did that knowledge level mean for the amount of the endorsement fit?

Antonia Mantonakis: This is interesting, actually, because our results (that consumers preferred the wine with the “moderate” fitting celebrity endorsement) appeared only for the high knowledge consumers, not for the low knowledge consumers.

Were the more knowledgeable consumers more swayed by the taste of the wine or the fit of the endorsement?

Antonia Mantonakis: Here’s the other trick in our study: all wines (for all 3 celebrity athletes) were the same. They only thought that they were different. So, they were more swayed by the fit of the endorsement, yes.

For marketers how is the level of knowledge held by consumer to be considered when finding endorsements for either high, medium, or low knowledge level consumers?

Antonia Mantonakis: This is a good question because we know that consumers of different knowledge levels approach and evaluate products differently. For instance, lower knowledge consumers may look more at price, whereas high knowledge consumers look more at other features of the product, like what’s written on the label in the case of wine.

What conclusions and marketing lessons were uncovered from this study?

Antonia Mantonakis: The take away message in this study is that consumers (even those who know a lot about the product they are evaluating) can be swayed by who is endorsing the product, to the point that it actually tastes different (even though it should taste no different).

What is next for Antonia Mantonakis?

Antonia Mantonakis: Hmmm always more studies to be done on how consumers make decisions! Right now, my colleague Keri Kettle and I are working on consumer perceptions of wine that simply has the wine maker’s signature on it. Such a simple addition to the printed label, but, so far, we are finding that seeing a signature on a label makes a huge difference in perceptions, and willingness to buy the wine! Isn’t that interesting?

Veterinary Highlights: Has Your Dog Just Been Diagnosed With Epilepsy?

New clinical trial offers free medical care for qualifying dogs.

If your dog is suspected of having idiopathic epilepsy, is at least four months old and have not received more than seven days of anti-seizure medication, they might qualify for this study.

The trial includes:

• Free* diagnostic tests and evaluation: All tests required by the study protocol, such as blood work, are free.
• Free** treatment:  Your dog will either be given the test drug or a placebo; however, patients in the study are twice as likely to receive the test drug.
• Up to $150 in gift cards: By participating in the study, dog owners may also receive up to $150 in gift cards.

If you live near a trial site, your veterinarian may already be aware of the location of a trial site in your area. Or, either you or your veterinarian may call our toll-free number, 1-888-598-7125 ext. 207, to learn if there's a trial site near you. Even if there is not a site currently in your area, there may be one soon, so we encourage you or your veterinarian to call us to learn if your dog may qualify.

***

Source article:
Clinical Trial for Newly Diagnosed Canine Epileptics

Further reading:
Is your dog having seizures?
Help for your dog may be available

The Syrian Scenario

By Alan Caruba

Arabs are particularly fond of dates with historical or religious significance. Recall the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the fourth Arab-Israeli war led by a coalition of Egypt and Syria. Like earlier wars, it ended in defeat for the Arabs.

It happens that sundown on Wednesday, September 4, marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It will be followed ten days later by Yom Kippur. The temptation to attack Israel must have many in the Middle East salivating.

Arabs have not shown any reluctance to blow each other up during their own holy month of Ramadan, nor from attacking people in mosques or even those attending funerals, so the coming week would be one of watchfulness even if events in Syria were not spiraling toward an expansion of its civil war that would include an attack on Israel.

Behind all of this is Iran. They are the puppet-masters, controlling Hezbollah in Lebanon and directing the civil war in their client-state, Syria, as the Assad regime seeks to hold onto power. Syria is supported by the Russians as well. The result so far has been 100,000 dead civilians and combatants, the latest of whom were gassed to death.

After Secretary of State John Kerry’s melodramatic speech on Friday, August 30, it is clear that it was intended to prepare Americans for an attack on Syria by U.S. forces, presumably missiles and excluding the use of troops. The navy would take the lead, but what Americans are likely unaware of is the fact that Russian-made surface-to-ship missiles could retaliate and, if U.S. aircraft are also involved, surface-to-air missiles would come into play.

Following Secretary Kerry’s speech, Politico.com reported that “President Barack Obama called Syria's chemical weapons attack ‘a challenge to the world’ and said he is considering a "limited, narrow act" against the county's regime. We're not considering any open-ended commitment," Obama said. "We're not considering any boots on the ground approach."

"I have not made any decisions," Obama said. "We have consulted with allies. We have consulted with Congress."

“Consulting” with Congress is not the same as getting authorization—a vote—as the Constitution requires, to launch an attack against Syria. It is, after all, an act of war. Even the War Powers Act, as squishy as it is, assumes a response to an attack on the homeland.

Meanwhile, the Syrians have had plenty of time to move much of their arsenal and armaments to relative safety.

The Iranians want to know what the U.S. response will be. Perhaps they recall the relative silence of the U.S. when Saddam Hussein was using gas against their troops during the eight-year war he waged against them. Perhaps they recall the muted response when Hussein gassed Kurds in the northwestern region of Iraq.

President Obama has left himself with few options because he cannot go to the United Nations Security Council where any effort to condemn Syria or give its blessings to an attack would be vetoed by Russia. After members of Congress saw the British parliament vote against participation in an attack, they are not likely to want to cast votes authorizing one. There’s no coalition of nations supporting Obama though France has said it would be willing. Even the War Powers Act, as squishy as it is, assumes a response to an attack on the homeland.

This observer thinks Obama will launch an attack on Syria and it might well come on Sunday. I also think that a Syrian attack on Israel in retaliation will get little U.S. support because nothing Obama has said (his word is dirt) or done demonstrates any fondness for Israel.

A President who can turn his back on a longtime ally like Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak is not likely to feel any concern about Bibi Netanyahu’s little nation. Israel, however, is the only ally in the region with the capability of attacking Iran and damaging its nuclear capabilities.

The U.S. missile attack will be symbolic. If it lasts more than a day, maybe two, I would be surprised. Only the killing of Assad would change the game on the ground and he’s likely to be in a secret bunker somewhere.

If a Syrian missile should hit one of our ships, the U.S. will be “all in” whether we want to be or not. Our “allies” in Syria would be a variety of terrorist groups such as al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Conducting a war in such a manner is idiotic, but Obama does not want to go to the up-coming G-20 meeting in Europe looking like a wimp who will not back up his earlier warnings to Assad and will do nothing given the use of poison gas. The “message” he is sending will be for Iran, not Syria.

Iran has been at war with America since 1979 when American diplomats were seized and held hostage. We are the “great Satan” and Israel is the “little Satan.”  As Iran moves closer to acquiring nuclear capabilities, its leaders feel emboldened.

That’s how big wars begin.

© Alan Caruba, 2013

A couple of great comments on Obama's use of military force

As seen in the comments on @Instapundit "We traded a cowboy for a rodeo clown in our presidents." And a thin-skinned rodeo clown at that,
— Brett Rogers (@beatcanvas) August 30, 2013



Also at @Instapundit "Why is that when Syrians kill Syrians it requires our military, but when Libyans killed Americans, it didn't?"
— Brett Rogers (@beatcanvas) August 30, 2013

Shabbat Shalom everyone.

Krauthammer: 'These are guys who couldn't organize a three-car funeral'

On Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier on Thursday night (which I was able to watch, but not to download), Charles Krauthammer blasted the Obama administration's efforts to organize a coalition to attack Syria, saying 'these are guys who couldn't organize a three-car funeral.'

In a Washington Post column, Krauthammer expands on the theme. 

Having leaked to the world, and thus to Syrian

Napalm bomb dropped on Syrian school building

A napalm bomb was dropped on a school building in Urum al Kubra, which is near Aleppo, Syria this week. Since the rebels don't have planes, the Syrian government cannot really blame them this time.

Let's go to the videotape.









There was also a second video filmed after the attack.

In another video filmed in the aftermath of the attack, a doctor
reports seven deaths and 50 injuries -

Al-Jazeera ratings even worse than previously reported

Al-Jazeera's first America Tonight broadcast featuring Stephen Walt drew a nationwide audience of 27,000, according to the Nielsen ratings. That's less than most Red Sox games.
According to figures from Nielsen, the first airing of the Qatari
broadcaster’s America Tonight programme attracted an audience of just
27,000. This doesn’t stack up well against Fox News’ The O’Reilly
Factor, which

Salespreneur

Salespreneur Shark Tank Update

Sales Training Course Season 3 Episode 307



Master Salesman Dave Greco of Salespreneur.com
Tries To Close Deal on Shark Tank

 With a name like Salespreneur you best be one heck of a good salesman when your main target is folks already in the sales business. Dave Greco the owner of Salespreneur, confidently walked into the Shark Tank and said "I can sell anything to anybody at any time". Whoa, now that's quite a statement to say to our very successful Sharks that know a thing or two about selling themselves.

The Sharks instantly went on the defense to prove Greco couldn't sell his system to them. Dave has put a complete program together He calls the Missile System which is a step-by-step system what to say to a potential customer. He is so confident this will help you sell anything to anyone that he has a 100% guarantee or your money back.

Dave Greco's second product is called the RoadMapp App that will teach you how to frame your entire pitch get your customers to the ultimate "yes" and close the deal in record time. The Salespreneur already had sales of $40,000.00 within the past 3 months mainly from 5 organizations already using Dave's products.

When Dave entered the Shark Tank he was looking for a $90k investment in Salespreneur for a 40% equity stake in the business. One of the Fortune 500 using this System is Met Life which helps add a lot of credibility to Greco's System. Dave also mentions He helped one sales company grow from $30 million in sales to over $60 million within a short amount of time.Read More Here-->>>

Thousands of Syrians stranded trying to escape to Jordan, blame US and Europe

Thousands of Syrians from the areas attacked with chemical weapons are trying to make their way south to Jordan. But the Syrian air force has been bombing the area, preventing these refugees from reaching the border area.

Refugees say they have been marooned by an ongoing Syrian bombing
campaign, unable either to cross into Jordan or return to their homes.
They say they have moved into

He had a dream, we got a nightmare

I think this sums up the United States fairly well (Hat Tip: Jack W via Suckers on Parade).

What US strategic interests are at stake in Syria and how can they be advanced by a US attack on Syria?

Caroline Glick's JPost column deals with an issue that has not gotten enough attention in Washington this week: What US strategic interests are at stake in Syria, and how can they be advanced by a US attack on Syria?


With no good horse to bet on, the US and its allies have three core
interests relating to the war. First, they have an interest in
preventing Syria's chemical, biological and

Video details about 'black budget' for spying on Israel and the Pollard connection

Here's a report from WJLA-TV in Washington about the US intelligence agencies 'black budgets' for spying on foreign countries, a story I covered originally here.

Let's go to the videotape.



A report at The Hill makes what seems to me to be an obvious connection between the black budget and convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence in the United States, after the US

Will Obama go it alone in Syria?

In a close vote on Thursday night, Britain's parliament rejected participation in an attack on Syria.

After a marathon eight-hour debate, Cameron lost a vote that was
initially seen as a symbolic motion setting up a final vote in the days
ahead authorizing force against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s
regime for allegedly using chemical weapons.
But the surprise loss of even the weaker

Peter Witham, Director & Retail Lead: UNIT4 Business Software - Interview

Thanks to Peter Witham, Director and Retail Lead, UNIT4 Business Software for taking the time to answer a few questions about the current state of the retail market, technology based solutions to help retailers, and about the use of the cloud.

Thanks to Peter Witham for his time, and for his very comprehensive responses. They are greatly appreciated.

What does the retail market like right now?

Peter Witham: The back-to-school season signals the start of push to the year-end and important holiday buying. The National Retail Federation anticipates U.S. families spending about seven percent less than they did last year on back-to-school purchases; so retailers are deploying a variety of sales strategies to lure shoppers and their dollars into their stores as well as online. Customer-facing technology and apps – both social and mobile – are being used to attract and keep buyers. It is a time of constant change, continued optimism and strategies to stay top of mind with customers.

Social and mobile are indeed good strategies to get shoppers in early and often, but what else could a retailer do from a technology standpoint to be successful?

Peter Witham: Understandably, retailers most often focus on the front end of their technology and their operational systems, because that is where the customers are. Increasingly, astute retailers are learning new ways to get the most mileage out of their back office systems, and using them in innovative ways.

For example, an average finance system helps by running day, month and quarter reports. Good systems can be equipped with some basic analysis tools that can help decipher more data and run more reports. Best-of-class financial systems, such as UNIT4 Coda, can help retailers do drill down analyses based on real-time data resident in both the front-end and back-end, because they integrate seamlessly and are based on a single ledger system. They work the way the retailers work today: flexible, nimble and scalable.

No longer does a retailer have to build its market strategy around its technology’s limitations; rather, the finance system strategically supports whatever the retailer needs to do to grow the business.



Peter Witham (photo left)

We hear a lot about cloud computing these days. What is the state of cloud in the retail industry?

Peter Witham: One of the hottest topics right now in retail is cloud computing as it is transforming the technology landscape. According to IDC, by 2016 cloud services will become “an everyday sourcing option for the CIO and LOB manager alike, forcing change on both the infrastructure vendors, the owners of business IP and the consumers of cloud services and technologies.”

Scalability, speed and data availability are three of the main advantages of cloud computing – all important to a retailer. Scalability allows a retailer to allocate IT resources to priorities quickly and easily, and the retailer’s software remains current and full of the latest features. The cloud can grow as a retailer’s needs grow, allowing the retailer to maximize limited resources and dollars.

By speed I mean the ability to get set up and in use by employees faster than a more traditional deployment option. Who doesn’t want to give their employees the tools they need as quickly as possible? Data availability means your information is available in real-time to your employees, wherever they are.

How can cloud computing be deployed?

Peter Witham: Cloud is being used at the front-end as well as the back-end but in different ways. For example, some of the larger retailers keep the majority of their IT on premise. For others, the cloud is a way for them to bring their technology current quickly and get back to business. Still others are in between – a hybrid approach consisting of part-on-premise and part-cloud. We recommend that retailers look for cloud options that put them in the driver’s seat, allowing them to decide and change their ratio of on-premise/ cloud deployments as often as internal and external conditions indicate.

Additionally, we recommend they kick the tires of their proposed cloud solutions, to ensure they are getting full-featured versions of the software, not merely lighter versions that do only the basic tasks. Finally, we urge them to choose vendors that go beyond integration with basic apps such as HR and billing and instead offer open APIs that allow retailers to integrate with whatever apps they have today as well as those they may have tomorrow.

Can cloud financial systems accommodate both retail accounting and cost accounting methods?

Peter Witham: Systems such as CODA Financials can. That’s a particularly important option when a retailer acquires a new brand in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world that may use different accounting methods, for example. Retailers need to speedily report data in multiple formats very easily – according to the way the parent company, the U.S. government, or individual countries require it.

Additionally, retailers will want to analyze details, such as profitability, no matter which accounting method is used, so that they can better understand the true cost of running a particular line or going through a particular channel in a certain state, region or country. This is important data for decision-making around such marketing strategies as dynamic pricing, supply and demand and profitability. All these things gathered in real-time can give the retailer key insight to determine how to counter or pre-empt a competitor’s actions.

What’s next for UNIT4 Business Software in retail?

Peter Witham: With a 30-year history of working with some of the world’s leading retail brands, UNIT4 Business Software “gets” retail. We have found that best-in-class retailers want best-in-class technology solutions that enable them to make changes quickly, provide a single view of the truth and work the way they work.

Cloud enables that vision quickly and equips them to adapt to whatever lies ahead, not only in the upcoming shopping season but also well beyond into the future. We will be there to help them navigate change, wherever it takes them. You can learn more about UNIT4 Business Software in the retail industry as well as download a free brochure about the company’s approach to cloud computing here: http://bit.ly/11z1uSc.

What’s next for Peter Witham in retail?

Peter Witham: We have a great group of retail customers and many more coming our way, so I am more than happy to team with them to help them realize their bottom-line goals as quickly as possible.

************

Peter Witham is Director and Retail Lead for UNIT4 Business Software, the North American subsidiary of UNIT4, a $624 million global business software and services company that creates, provides and supports software for Businesses Living IN Change – delivered via the cloud and on-premise. UNIT4 Coda Financials cloud deployment for retailers is offered on UNIT4’s own robust and proven infrastructure from several locations throughout the world, as well as through the company’s new membership in the Amazon Web Services' (AWS) Partner Network (APN). For more information, please contact: author@unit4software.com.

Why is the IDF ordering viagra?

The IDF has asked for bids for 1,200 Viagra pills. No, it's probably not for what you think.

Like other ministries, the Defense Ministry periodically publishes
tenders in the daily press through the Government Advertising Bureau.
One such tender recently published seeks 1,200 tablets of 100 mg.
sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra, to be used by
Israel Defense Forces

An Israeli nightmare

Former Republican congressman Allen West has it right. Barack Hussein Obama is an Israeli nightmare.


POTUS grand Mideast strategy seems 2 b how many countries can he destabilize & let Islamic terrorists take over. He's an Israeli nightmare.
— Allen West (@AllenWest) August 29, 2013
Best description I've seen in 140 characters or less.

More here  (Hat Tip: Bad Blue).

I Didn't Know I Could Fly: Why Cookie Wears A Harness Instead Of A Collar

When we got Cookie, she was wearing a nylon collar. We generally like those. Washable, durable, easy to maintain.

Cookie also had some bald areas on her neck, clearly wear and tear from life on a lead line.

I don't know how often she was doing that but when she saw us she was trying to get to us and was pretty much in the air, hanging by her neck.

That is not good for the neck.

During the walk that followed the first greetings—to get the guys to bond and also to get them tired for the long trip to Jasmine's ranch—Cookie demonstrated her high prey drive and tendency to take off for extended periods of time.

That didn't really surprise us—with so little freedom, she'd want to make the best of it. Makes sense.

However, we didn't want the first thing she'd do with us to be getting lost. 

So while working on bonding and recalls, Cookie had to be tied up. I didn't want to tie her up to something again, so I tied her up to me.

Fortunately I took a long lead we had from way back when, so she'd still have some freedom.

All was going well until both her and JD spotted something.

We didn't see anything but they certainly did and tore off after it, Cookie still tied up to me. Needless to say I was going along with her. Not just going, I flew.

Literally, I flew before I hit the ground.

They both responded to recall but all I could think of was that all that load—turning mom into a kite—was carried by Cookie's neck.

Fortunately, I had Jasmine's old harness with us because I take it with me everywhere. Right then and there we switched Cookie's collar to Jasmine's harness, so her neck wouldn't take any more beating.

The harness will stay on until we probably get one of the easy-walk types.

Cookie likes her new life and she is very excited about everything. In the city, there are so many things go chasing after - joggers, bicycles, cars ... and the odd critter. And Cookie finds them all worthy of chasing.

Working with her to curb her instincts aside, she will never see a collar again.

To protect her neck, her trachea, and possibly her thyroid as well. We would have had JD on a harness as well, but he chews through them too quickly. So now we use the Thunder Leash, which turns a regular collar into a harness but doesn't need to stay on long enough to be eaten.

Hubby really enjoyed the picture of me flying through the air. But I just want to see the neck being safe.

***

Related articles:
From The End Of A Lead Line To Casa Jasmine: Meet Cookie, Our New Adoptee
And So It Begins Again(?) Our First Health-Related Heart Attack With Cookie

Assad's human shields

In an earlier post, I reported on the abandonment of Syrian army installations that the Assad regime feared would be the targets of an American air strike.

Now, those installations have been repopulated. No, not by the army.


Syrian regime have moved prisoners from their jail cells to installations the #assad government believes could be targets #syria
— Free Syria Media Hub (@Fsa_Media_Hub)

What a surprise: The United States spies on Israel

The Washington Post reports on the $52.6 billion 'black budget' that the United States has for spying on other countries in fiscal 2013. The Post obtained the budget from Edward Snowden, the former NSA analyst who has currently found temporary asylum in Russia. The Post isn't telling all, but it's telling enough for us to know that Israel is a target.

•U.S. intelligence officials take an

Jordan's King Abdullah leaves his country: Is an Arab spring uprising on the way?

A report on Israel National News indicates that Jordan's King Abdullah has left the country (Hat Tip: Sunlight).

This week on Arutz Sheva's Reality Bytes Radio with Josh Hasten,
controversial Jordanian writer and activist Mudar Zahran returns to the
show for an exclusive interview. He stated, that King Abdullah II and
Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan have left the

The Long, Long Labor Day Weekend

By Alan Caruba

It’s going to be a long weekend and I am not referring to Labor Day. Depending on how events unfold, the President may order an attack on Syria in the wake of the use of poison gas. Not one military expert interviewed on Fox News Channel has said that the use of Tomahawk missiles will achieve anything likely to deter the Syrians from using poison gas again and—worse—possibly using it against Israel as an act of defiance.

Or he may not. There has been considerable pushback from Congress, specifically a letter to the President signed by both Republican and Democratic members warning that he must consult with Congress, as the Constitution requires (as well as the War Powers Act) before taking any action. Internationally, Germany’s Angela Markel and Russia’s Vladimir Putin joined together to advise against a U.S. attack. As this is being written, the British are having a debate in Parliament. They and the French may likely conclude an attack is a bad idea.

If Obama decides not to proceed he will confirm what everyone in diplomatic and military circles worldwide already knows. He is a moron. Because only a moron would do nothing for two years while 100,000 Syrians are killed and then have a snit when a few hundred more die by another means.

The secrecy surrounding U.S. policy regarding the Syrian civil war produced the Benghazi scandal in which our ambassador to Libya and three others were killed. Not just killed, but dying for lack of any effort whatever to dispatch any assets to defend or extract them. This week the President awarded a Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Ty Carter who displayed the kind of courage no one expects from Obama, the Commander-in-Chief.

The President has participated in a very cautious PBS interview that leaves everyone wondering what he will do. Welcome to the last Labor Day weekend before World War Three breaks out. That could happen because history is filled with such monumental miscalculations. The First World War broke out over the assassination of an Austrian Archduke, Franz Ferdinand.

Other than the moral outrage regarding Assad’s use of poison gas, there is no compelling reason for the U.S. or any other nation to get involved in actual combat in or against Syria. That civil war could drag on for years and, assuming that Assad eventually gets assassinated or retreats to an Alawite stronghold, those who replace him might be just as bad.

What worries me as the Labor Day weekend beckons is that Barack Obama has demonstrated (excuse the mixed metaphor) a genius for bad judgment and bad policies.

Obamacare looms for most Americans, requiring them to purchase health insurance whether they want or need it; fining them if they do not. The Supreme Court deemed it a tax. It is much more than that. It marks an era in which Americans can be compelled to buy anything the government tells them to. It marks an era in which the world’s best health system will be destroyed.

As children return to school, it is worth keeping in mind that the liberal establishment that Obama leads has ruined the nation’s educational system and recently imposed a “common core” program that essentially is one-size-fits-all when any teacher will tell you that children learn at different rates and teaching-to-the-test is an educational straight jacket.

Labor Day will also be a good time to contemplate that Americans are still in the midst of the slowest recovery from a recession in our history, one that is replete with millions out of work, who have given up looking for work, or are barely earning enough to meet their family’s needs. One in five families is signed up for food stamps. Recent college grads are moving back in with the parents and many are burdened with thousands in federal loans to repay. Obama just proposed higher education reforms tied to federal rules for receiving funding. It is a version of Obamacare for the nation’s diverse 4,495 degree-granting institutions.

Rasmussen reports that “Voters think America’s a better place since Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech 50 years ago this week, but nearly nine-out-of-10 say race relations have gotten worse or remained about the same since the election of the nation’s first black president.” And those suffering the most over the past five years have been African-Americans. They voted twice (96%) for Obama.

After five years in the White House, the national debt is over $17 trillion! The Treasury Department has run out of accounting tricks to keep the national deficit at its current level. When Congress returns, it will plead to raise the borrowing limits so the nation can pay what it owes, plus interest, and borrow more. Under Obama, the nation had its credit rating lowered for the first time in its history.

And this is the President who was given a Nobel Peace Prize before he had demonstrated anything to earn it. Since then he has yielded to Iraq’s demand that our military be removed, plunging that nation into a chaos of daily bombings. In 2011 Obama announced he was putting additional military into Afghanistan and in the next breath he announced we would be leaving in 2014.

So, this Labor Day weekend, we wait to hear what he will do in Syria. You can be pretty sure that whatever he does will make the situation worse.

© Alan Caruba, 2013

The dark side of the morons

Heh.

Iran testing 1,000 new more modern centrifuges

Adam Kredo reports that Iran is testing 1,000 brand new centrifuges.

The IAEA confirmed reports that Iran has begun installing more than 1,000 IR-2m centrifuges, which are more modern and quicker than older models used at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant.

Iran is on pace to achieve what experts have called a “critical capability” by mid-2014 or even sooner, according to the Institute for

Obama: US has to enforce international norms because UN can't

So is this going to apply to Iran too? Can he at least make it preventative rather than reactive?

“I have no interest in any kind of open-ended conflict in Syria,”
Obama said in an interview with the PBS NewsHour, stressing that he has
not decided to order a military attack.

“But we do have to make
sure that when countries break international norms on chemical weapons
they are held

Feiglin: Obama to pay for Syria complications with Israeli concessions

Knesset member Moshe Feiglin (Likud) worries that any complications from an Obama-initiated attack on Syria will be paid for with Israeli concessions.

In my evaluation, America's anticipated strike in Syria is part of a long-term US plan. If it wanted, America could have continued to blur the Syrian use of chemical weapons. Massacres happen all the time throughout the world; some are

Sometimes it really is more important to be right than to be wise

Hagai Segal on the final meltdown of relations between Israel and Turkey.

Contrary to its prior commitments, Ankara has yet to return its ambassador to Israel,
but it benefits from the thousands of Israeli tourists who returned to
Antalya. At this juncture, Turkey can be considered Israel’s most
bitter enemy in the region after Iran.



What
does this prove? That in contrast to the

The Profit on CNBC

The Profit on CNBC

First Season of The Profit

Marcus Lemonis is the Shark on CNBC The Profit

 The #1 Business Channel CNBC has come out with two different Business Reality TV Shows this season in response to the success of the Shark Tank Show. The first show Crowd Rules lasted a whopping 2 episodes before it was pulled from CNBC with rating's less than 50,000 viewers.
 The second show called The Profit, came out with much stronger ratings over 250,000 viewers but was unable to sustain those numbers after the season premiere. It has however never fallen to the dismal ratings of Crowd Rules.

Crowd Rules was a cross between a game show and the Shark Tank Show featuring 3 businesses competing for a $50,000.00 prize. After a series of voting rounds between Crowd Rules Hosts Kendra Scott and Pat Kiernan, along with 100 members of the audience, the $50k prize was awarded to only one of the three featured businesses. One company seen on the season premiere Heart Breaking Dawns, a BBQ Sauce Business, would go on to win the very first episode. While another company Mr. Green Tea would end up on both Crowd Rules and The Profit.

First Season of The Profit

Read More Here-->>>

Prominent rabbis: No need for gas masks

Two prominent Haredi rabbis told their followers on Thursday that there is no need for gas masks. Rav Chaim Kanievsky urged followers to fear only the day of judgment on Rosh HaShanna (which is next week), and Rav Aaron Yehuda Leib Steinman urged followers to strengthen themselves in Torah study (link in Hebrew). I have translated part of the article below.

In the last 24 hours, Rav Steinman

Provocation at the Wall

In this month's Commentary Magazine, Evelyn Gordon has a lengthy piece on the 'Women of the Wall.'

In an interview with Haaretz shortly before finishing his term
as Israel’s ambassador in Washington, Michael Oren said he had been
devoting considerable effort to convincing Israeli leaders that the
battle over the attempt by a women’s group to hold prayer services at
Jerusalem’s Western Wall

A seasonal photo...

The image is from Tashlich (the prayer where we symbolically throw our sins into a body of water - except in Jerusalem where we mostly use drain pipes) in 1926 in Tel Aviv (Hat Tip: Yisrael Medad).

US and Russian navies to clash in Mediterranean?

Reuters reports that a US attack on Syria is likely to make extensive use of naval assets.

If U.S. President Barack Obama decides to take military action against
Syria for using chemical weapons in its two-year-old civil war, the
initial blows likely would be delivered by four U.S. guided missile
destroyers currently in the Mediterranean.

...

Following are some of the U.S. military

Need a gas mask? Go on EBay

Are you in Israel without a gas mask? Don't worry - you can find one quite easily. It seems that there are some Israelis who are so convinced that they won't need them that they are selling their government-issued gas masks on EBay (link in Hebrew).

The gas masks, which are being sold anonymously, start at $29.99 and are being sold as high as $175. One enterprising Israeli is selling the

US Ambassador to Israel: US strike on Syria 'certain'

US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro has told Israel Radio that a US strike on Syria is 'certain' and will be 'strong and serious.'


#BREAKINGNEWS: US ambassador to Israel @AmbShapiro tells Israel Radio a US strike on Syria is certain and will be strong and serious.
— Amir Mizroch (@Amirmizroch) August 29, 2013

Hmmm.

IDF soldiers abandon patrol, go dancing with 'Palestinians' in Hebron nightclub

IDF soldiers from the elite Givati brigade abandoned a patrol on Monday night, and went dancing in a 'Palestinian' night club in Hebron, one of the most dangerous places in Judea and Samaria.

Let's go to the videotape (yes, videotape).



The IDF is not pleased.

According to the report, the soldiers entered the club while on patrol
on Monday, after hearing the song Gangnam Style by Psy coming

US and UK getting cold feet on Syria?

Overnight, both the United States and the United Kingdom indicated that they are putting off their attack on Syria for a few days (in line with a request made on Wednesday by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon).

President Barack Obama said he had not yet made his decision regarding a U.S. strike on Syria during an interview with PBS NewsHour senior correspondents Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill. The

Sharon Birkman Fink: The Birkman Method: Your Personality At Work - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Leadership trainer, President and CEO Of Birkman International, Inc., and co-author of the very hands on, and career and organizational transforming book The Birkman Method: Your Personality at Work, Sharon Birkman Fink describes the Birkman Method of personality assessment and how to discover the underlying drives and inspirations to achieve your own success. Sharon Birkman Fink presents a personality assessment tool that goes far beyond the usual tools that help you discover basic truths about yourself, and how to leverage those strengths and behaviors in your career. Sharon offers the Method as one that is inclusive, rather than one that screens out diversity. Sharon also dispenses with the myth that certain jobs and industries should seek only one type of personality. Sharon demonstrates how the Birkman Method helps build teams, and how to match people to specific roles within that team. Learn how to utilize personality traits and strengths to build leadership, boost careers, and improve overall organizational performance.

Sharon Birkman Fink is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio

The show airs live on Thursday, August 29, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Leadership trainer, President and CEO Of Birkman International, and co-author of the very hands on, and career and organizational transforming book The Birkman Method: Your Personality at Work, Sharon Birkman Fink describes the Birkman Method of personality assessment and how to discover the underlying drives and inspirations to achieve your own success. You will learn:

* How the Birkman Method uncovers hidden truths about your personality

* How to apply the Birkman Method to the hiring process to find great people

* Why many personality tests simply screen out people and don't utilize their strengths

* How to use the Birkman to build strong teams with the right people in each role

Sharon Birkman Fink (photo left) has served as Birkman International, Inc. President and CEO since 2002. Originally trained as a singer/musician, Sharon was a National Merit Scholar and Woodrow Wilson Fellow who completed a Master's degree in Music at the University of Texas. She asserts that "any child raised in a family business is always a part of the business" and this makes her Birkman tenure very long indeed.

Throughout the 1990's, Sharon assisted with Birkman training and feedbacks, working in the firm part-time until 2001. In 2005 - 2007, she attended the Owner/President Management program at Harvard Business School. Under her leadership, Birkman has had successive years of growth, profitability and new product development.

She is married to international opera performer and 2012 Grammy award winner, Richard Paul Fink, a dramatic baritone who sings regularly at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and has three daughters. Sharon is involved with several charitable and civic organizations in the Houston area and is member of the Board of Directors of the Escape Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of Houston.

My book review of The Birkman Method: Your Personality at Work by Sharon Birkman Fink and Stephanie Capparell.

Listen live on Thursday 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 leadership trainer, President and CEO Of Birkman International, and co-author of the very hands on, and career and organizational transforming book The Birkman Method: Your Personality at Work, Sharon Birkman Fink, as she describes the Birkman Method of personality assessment and how to discover the underlying drives and inspirations to achieve your own success. Sharon Birkman Fink presents a personality assessment tool that goes far beyond the usual tools that help you discover basic truths about yourself, and how to leverage those strengths and behaviors in your career. Sharon offers the Method as one that is inclusive, rather than one that screens out diversity. Sharon also dispenses with the myth that certain jobs and industries should seek only one type of personality. Sharon demonstrates how the Birkman Method helps build teams, and how to match people to specific roles within that team. Learn how to utilize personality traits and strengths to build leadership, boost careers, and improve overall organizational performance on Blog Business Success Radio.

Video: Jonathan Schanzer on Western intervention in Syria

Here's Jonathan Schanzer on Bloomberg television talking about the prospect of Western intervention in Syria. The intervention will apparently be postponed for a few days, but for now at least, it appears likely to happen.

Let's go to the videotape.



By the way, why does it seem like no one in the US is talking about the US interest in attacking Syria?

A proxy war?

Elliott Abrams has an interesting take on the possibility that the United States will attack Syria.

But there are 100,000 or more dead, and that is ignored if our
strikes focus narrowly on the chemical-weapons infrastructure. Most were
killed by bullets or artillery; are we content to watch another 100,000
killed the same way? One need not be a supporter of the “responsibility
to protect”

Wordless Wednesday: Why Is Cookie Sporting A Harness Instead Of A Collar?

Zomm Update

Zomm on Shark Tank

Wireless Leash for iPhone - Season 4 Update

The Zomm Wireless Phone Leash
Featured on Shark Tank

  The Zomm wireless leash for your iPhone hooks to your key chain and sounds off an alarm if you ever walk off and forget it. But that's only part of what this clever Blue tooth devise is capable of doing. The Zomm can also be used as a hands free speaker phone while you're driving or can also be set up to dial any number in case of an emergency.

The inventors of the Zomm, Henry and Laurie Penix from Tulsa, Oklahoma, came up with the name using the first letter of their kid's name. Starting with Zack, Olivia and Madison, with the additional M standing for Mom, completes the Zomm Brand name.

Henry Penix walked into the Shark Tank looking for a $2 million dollar investment in exchange for 10% equity stake in the Zomm Business. Starting negotiations with the Sharks putting a $20 million valuation on the company you best have some sales too back it up, and they did. In 2011 sales were $5 million, with 2012 sales on track to sell $7.2 million with $2 million in net profit. Read More Here-->>>

Israelis sneaking into Jordan to help Syrian refugees

Sometimes we Israelis are addicted to good deeds. This time, Israelis are sneaking into Jordan to help Syrian refugees.

Quote from the article at link below:

"... the Arab countries
offer condolences... but the best role is provided by the Israelis
because they are crossing the border to provide assistance to the
refugees who fled deprived of everything, risking their lives without a

Ban Ki-Moon seeks a delay in US attack on Syria

Ban Ki-Moon has asked for a four-day delay in the US attack on Syria in order to give UN chemical weapons inspectors enough time to finish their inspection.

"They are working very hard, under very, very dangerous circumstances,"
Ban told a news conference in The Hague where he was attending centenary
celebrations for the Peace Palace.

"Let them conclude their work for four days, and then

Jacoby: 'Never again' turns into 'yet again'

Jeff Jacoby explains how 'never again' is once again turning into 'yet again.'

“Can this really be happening? In the 21st century?” exclaimed the Israeli columnist Ari Shavit as news broke last week of the latest chemical-weapons attack in Syria. “No decent person can ignore what’s happening.”

That’s what we always tell ourselves when “never again” turns into
“yet again.” But man’s

US tells Assad he can relax

The Obama administration sent a message to Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday. They told him that the American action against Syria, which could happen as soon as Thursday, won't last long and won't do a whole lot of damage (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

An American military attack on Syria could begin as early as Thursday
and will involve three days of missile strikes, according to "senior
U.S. officials

How the US found out Assad was using chemical weapons

For those of you who keep suggesting that maybe it was the rebels in Syria who used the chemical weapons... it wasn't (and that's not to say that they wouldn't if they had them) (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

Last Wednesday, in the hours after a horrific chemical attack
east of Damascus, an official at the Syrian Ministry of Defense exchanged
panicked phone calls with a leader of a chemical weapons

Israel's security cabinet approves limited reservist call-up

The Israeli government keeps telling us that we should go about our daily business, and that they don't expect Bashar al-Assad to attack us, but they're preparing all the same. The security cabinet has approved a limited call-up of reservists, which is usually a sign that they expect something to happen.

Security sources would not specify how many reservists were to be called
up, or to which

An Unconstitutional Military Strike

By Alan Caruba

I don’t know why the White House doesn’t just send Syria’s Bashar al-Assad a map of where it intends to attack with Tomahawk and other missiles. The bottom line, however, is that this much heralded military adventure is unconstitutional. The President has no authority to initiate the use of the military against Syria.

This has not stopped presidents from engaging the nation in wars, but the last declaration of war, as specified in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11, occurred on December 11, 1941 against Germany as a response to its formal declaration of war against the United States. Three days earlier Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor initiating a state of war.

As the Tenth Amendment Center points out, “Unless fending off a physical invasion or attack, the president is required to get a Congressional declaration of war before engaging in military hostilities in another country.”

Let us be clear about this. Syria has not declared war on the United States and, while the use of gas goes against an international convention against it, the Assad regime has already killed 100,000 Syrians in a civil war. Nor is Syria the only nation in the Middle East known to have used gas. Saddam Hussein gassed several thousand Kurds in Halabja, Iraq in 1988 and used it in his eight-year war against Iran. The West’s response was to do nothing except to condemn it.

As Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, points out, “Warfare is a very serious business whose first imperative is to deploy forces to win—rather than to punish, make a statement, establish a symbolic point, or preen about one’s morality.”

President Obama’s first mode of governance is to make a speech and then to assume the problem is solved. From his very first speech in Cairo in 2009, those in charge in the Middle East interpreted his policies as weakness.

When President Clinton lobbed a few missiles by way of retaliation for al Qaeda attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa, Osama bin Laden concluded the U.S. was weak and set about planning the two attacks on the Twin Towers.

Dr. Pipes warns that “Bashar al-Assad’s notorious incompetence means his response cannot be anticipated. Western strikes could, among other possibilities, inadvertently lead to increased regime attacks on civilians, violence against Israel, an activation of sleeper cells in Western countries, or heightened dependence on Tehran. Surviving the strikes also permits Assad to boast that he defeated the United States.”

The Wall Street Journal opined that “there is no good outcome in Syria until Assad and his regime are gone. Military strikes that advance that goal—either by targeting Assad directly or crippling his army’s ability to fight—deserve the support of the American people and our international partners. That’s not what the Administration has in mind.”

What Obama has in mind is a symbolic attack in much the same way killing bin Laden was both necessary and symbolic. In making the announcement Obama declared “Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort.  There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us.  We must –- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad,” adding that ”As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam.”

Islam, however, is at war with the United States and the West. That is the declared aim of both al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The war in Syria is a civil war. There is no good outcome no matter whether the Assad regime wins or is overthrown. There is no strategic or tactical victory to be achieved by the United States in either case. Simply punishing the regime for using gas achieves nothing except to expend several million dollars’ worth of missiles.

The Tenth Amendment Center points out that “As they did in the war against Libya, those violating these strict constitutional limitations will like refer to an attack on Syria as something other than ‘war.’ But, changing the words they use to describe their actions doesn’t change the constitutional ramifications. Under the Constitution, a war is a war whether you call it a war or something else.”

The time is long past when America must address whether our military interventions in the Middle East have demonstrated any success. To date, they have not. The majority of Americans are opposed to an attack on Syria and both the Constitution and the collected wisdom of the public argue strongly against it.

We are, however, too far down the road thanks to the administration’s declared intention to do so. War it has been said is to be an extension of politics. We will witness a political gesture and one that is intended to demonstrate Obama is a leader internationally and domestically. He is neither.

It will be an attack on the constitutional powers of Congress as much as an attack on Syria.

© Alan Caruba, 2013

Report: Assad in Tehran

An unconfirmed report claims that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in Tehran.


Embattled Syrian
President Bashar Assad
arrived in Tehran, Iran
in a surprise visit on Tuesday evening, al-Nahar news reported. The report has not been confirmed by any reliable source.

 

According to the Iranian state television, a source in the Iranian
Foreign Ministry said that Assad's plane landed

Brewer's Cow Ice Cream

Brewer's Ice Cream on Shark Tank

Beer Infused Ice Cream - Season 3 Update

Beer Infused Ice Cream

 Everyone loves Ice Cream, right? What about beer infused ice cream made with your favorite beer? I love ice cream and I love a good beer, but mixing them together is something I would have to try first before I made up my mind. My first thought was this sounds a little gimmicky too make a good product for the long run, but then I see the Sharks reaction and most of them seemed to love this beer infused ice cream.

The three Entrepreneurs behind these creative new icecream flavors are Steve Albert, Larry Blackwell and Jason Conroy from Old Lyme, CT. They came into the Shark Tank seeking $125k investment for a 15% equity stake in the Brewers Cow Ice Cream Business. The number of flavors they can make are only limited by hundreds of good brews on the market.

At the time of the Shark Tank airing, Brewers Cow had $5k in sales which after a little trying to figure out their numbers, they have made around $400 so far. The business partners have orders to be placed in Whole Foods Stores, but on a limited scale thus far. I'm not sure why they decided on such a high valuation to start negotiations considering these numbers, but as most experienced fans of the Shark Tank know, this usually is a sure way Not to get a deal from the wealthy Sharks.

It amazes me when I hear some of these valuations folks put on their businesses
Read More Here-->>>

Kill Assad?

In the Wall Street Journal, Bret Stephens argues that if President Obama attacks Syria, he should kill Bashar al-Assad.

Should President Obama decide to order a military strike against
Syria, his main order of business must be to kill Bashar Assad. Also,
Bashar's brother and principal henchman, Maher. Also, everyone else in
the Assad family with a claim on political power. Also, all of the

Obama's Middle East

Share this if you're sick and tired of the hypocrisy (Hat Tip: Daughter #2, Child #4).

Lifter Hamper Update

Lift Hamper on Shark Tank

Spring Loaded Clothes Hamper -  Season 4 Update

The Lifter Hamper
Finished Product

 I'm not sure how I missed this one, but the Lifter Hamper has to be the coolest clothes hamper on the market that thousands of people with back problems are going to love. The inventor of The Lifter Hamper is Marvin Phillip, a NFL Star who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steeler's back in 2006. In 2008 Phillip had a back injury that sidelined Him for the rest of the Season when it was difficult just to bend over.

Marvin may not of been able to play Professional Football but that didn't stop Him from helping out around the House including doing the laundry. Having to bend over to complete this task, Phillip reasoned there had to be a better way. What if the hamper was spring loaded going down when you put clothes in the hamper, then rises back up when you take them out? A light bulb went off and Marvin's entrepreneurial spirit took over designing the Lifter Hamper that would make bending over a thing of the past.

Marvin Phillip entered the Shark Tank seeking $85,000,00 in exchange for a 12% equity stake in the Lifter Hamper Business. He was already in the hamper business for 6 months with contracts from two rep firms, but no real sales yet to speak of. With such a cool invention for anyone with back problems, it would seem like a great product for Lori Greiner's QVC Show. But a product that has not proven itself in the market yet, and an extremely high valuation at this point in the game, left Lori very little choice but to go out. In fact all the Sharks go out as it appears Phillip had made the most common mistake for contestants not getting a deal on the shark Tank by over valuing their business.

Lifter Hamper Shark Tank Update

Read More Here-->>>

Report: Assad bombs Damascus with chem weapons again

Daring the world to stop him, reports indicate that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have once again used chemical weapons against his opponents.

Meanwhile, reports emerged from Al Jazeera that Syrian President
Bashar Assad's regime forces bombed the Jobar neighborhood in eastern
Damascus with toxic chemicals in a mortar attack on Wednesday.

The
Syrian Support Group tweeted

Norwegian foreign minister says world won't bankroll 'Palestinian state building' forever

Does the 'international community' seriously believe that the morning after - God forbid - there is a 'Palestinian state,' that 'state' will be economically viable? It sure sounds like it from this interview with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who currently chairs the 'Palestinian donor conference.'

Both the Palestinians and Israel should know that the world will not bankroll