The Reno Berkeley Files

Robert Redford: Keystone XL pipeline is dangerous

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:50:00 +0000

Robert Redford today released a video on the New York Times website asking the president to say "no" to the Keystone XL pipeline. During the video, he spoke of the risks of tar sands oil and how it can negatively impact the environment and the lives of those people who depend on the resources the pipeline could destroy.

This is one of the very few issues that has been able to draw support from people on both sides of the political spectrum, from ordinary folks in East Texas to ranchers in Montana. Redford supplemented the video with a vignette of photos, maps, and graphs to get his point across, and that point is that tar sands oil is much too risky and environmentally devastating to even consider. Tar sands oil is exactly as it sounds: tar mixed in with sand, which creates an extremely abrasive substance. The force with which the pipeline will push this gooey substance through will be higher than normal pipelines, creating more opportunity for disaster. As Redford stated, it's "the dirtiest oil on the planet."

CONTINUE READING HERE

Reuters Attempts to Connect Occupy Wall Street to George Soros

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:31:00 +0000

It was bound to happen. Someone out there was bound to connect George Soros to the Occupy Wall Street movement. It's almost like Godwin's law. When something like this goes on long enough, it's just a matter of time before someone yells, "Soros!" as if he's the answer to every thorn in conservatives' sides. Reuters reporters Mark Egan and Michelle Nicols are really grasping at straws in their latest story about OWS. 'Who's behind the Wall St. protests?' more resembles a Fox News rant than the objective news reporting Reuters is best known for.

Throughout the piece, they attempt to connect George Soros to the protests, when his link tenuous at best. It seems as though someone at the news organization told the two to find a connection no matter what. And of course, aging billionaire comes up because he's a favorite of the mass media hate machine.

It seems as though conservative blowhard Rush Limbaugh is behind this piece of "investigative" reporting. Last week, Soros expressed sympathy for the protestors. He told reporters, "I can understand their sentiment," but refused to elaborate when reporters tried to get more out of him. Limbaugh, of course, took this as a sign that the 81-year-old billionaire is the grand financier of the movement. So, obviously, the Egan and Nicols decided to put two and two together. Unfortunately, what they came up with didn't equal four.

CONTINUE READING HERE.

Anonymous to Mass Media: 'You Are Paper Tigers'

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:39:00 +0000

Anonymous released a new video yesterday in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The three-minute video, which is collage of photos from the movement, is provocative and eloquent in its message.

In the video, the narrator speaks directly to the mass media:

You are paper tigers, and we are a scorching wildfire. The elites have been forced to recognize the movement, they have been forced to stand against us. And so began the campaign to mock us. We are dirty, homeless, unAmerican, stupid, voiceless, disorganized, violent We are a mob, we are young, foolish, liberal, unemployed. We are leeches, parasites, anarchists, brainwashed. We are communists, dangerous, untrustworthy, rabble rousers, terrorists. However, despite the frantic and desparate [sic] moves by the elites to slander this movement, despite their vain efforts to curtail and skew our image, we have shattered through ther [sic] lies.

Flickr: Participant at the NYC Occupy Wall Street Protests, courtesy of Michael Dolan

A poignant message, to be sure, and one that is sure to rile opponents while gaining support. It's true. Some folks just don't understand why the protests are happening. Others believe the young kids who are coming in droves simply have no clue as to what they're protesting. True, there are those who go to the protest simply because it's "cool." Some kids have gone with only one goal in mind: to get arrested in order to gain some sort of street cred. But that's not what the majority of the protestors are there for.

The majority of the protestors are angry. They're mad at death grip Wall Street seems to have around our government's neck. Wall Street, they say, has spread its tentacles through every portion of American lives. Monsanto, Bank of America, and even privately held companies like Koch Industries have great influence over public policy.

CONTINUE READING HERE

Can Kansas Get Any Worse?

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:24:00 +0000

Can you believe this? In Topeka, Kansas, it is now no longer against the law to commit domestic violence. Lawmakers in the city voted to repeal the local domestic violence law because they say they don't have enough money to prosecute violators.

If you think that's stupid, read on. It gets worse. You see, Topeka is located in Shawnee County. And the county's district attorney in September said he was going to stop prosecuting domestic violence cases in Topeka due to a 10 percent budget cut. So, what did Topka's brilliant city leaders do? They repealed their own law in the hopes of forcing the county to take responsibility. In just a few weeks, barely a month, 35 new cases of domestic violence have occurred and 18 people have been released.

CONTINUE READING HERE

Hank Williams, Jr.: Once a Rebel, Now Just a Crusty Old Geezer

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Hank Williams, Jr. is certainly living up to his nickname lately. When he was but a young tot, Hank, Sr. decided he looked like Grand 'Ole Opry ventriloquist Ray Brasfield's dummy. So, he started calling little Hank Bocephus and the name stuck.

Monday morning, Williams appeared on the morning show Fox and Friends and proved that Godwin's Law is alive and well and firmly embedded into the Tea Party mentality. If you're not familiar with Godwin's Law, it is this: the more a discussion continues about a certain topic, the more likely it is that Adolph Hitler or Nazis will be mentioned. How many times have people who don't like Obama mention Nazis or Hitler? Too many to count? Sounds about right.

Anyway, when Williams appeared on Fox and Friends Monday morning, he compared a golf game between John Boehner and President Obama to Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu? Dude, seriously? If you've seen the video of Bocephus blathering, you'll notice that he's looking mighty aged, even through his dark sunglasses. Now, ole' Hank hasn't always been exactly right in the head, but where does this old geezer get off sputtering about Hitler?

Not only that, but Williams also said he is against any form of compromise between Democrats and Republicans. None. Then he went on to say that the country is way too polarized and that it's the Democrats' fault. The man simply did not make any sense at all, and looked more like a nursing home candidate than a once mighty country-rock star who symbolized fierce independence and a sense of American pride.

Granted, Williams did issue a sort of "apology" but it wasn't an apology at all. It was simply a clarification of his disgusting words, sugar-coated to make them seem more palatable. He wrote:

"The thought of the leaders of both parties jukin' [sic] and high fiven' [sic] on a golf course, while so many families are struggling to get by, simply made me boil over and make a dumb statement, and I am very sorry if it offended anyone. I would like to thank all my supporters. This was not written by some publicist."

What Williams fails to understand, or refuses to acknowledge, is that many a deal are made on the golf course, both in politics and in business. A lot of good can come out of sharing common interests, and why shouldn't two rivals duke it out this way? Instead of being closed up in some claustrophobic room in a tense head-to-head type showdown, the two buried the hatchet -- at least temporarily -- in order to try to reach a compromise. Listen up, Bocephus. Compromise is not a bad thing. Politicians and businessmen do it all the time. If you want to be angry with someone, be angry at the real enemies of the American people: banksters, the Koch brothers, terrorists.

Hank Williams, Jr. needs to be put out to pasture so he doesn't embarrass himself anymore than he already has. Of course, his most rabid fans will be nodding in sheep-like agreement that Obama and Biden are the Three Stooges (which is a physical impossibility, anyway), and Tea Partiers across the land will shake their fists at their TV sets because ESPN rightfully pulled his out-dated and infantile song from their Monday night lineup.

So, yeah, Hank, keep on spouting off empty-headed talking points you heard here and there. You're living up to your nickname quite well.

***Update: Ole' Bocephus' son has even said, "Musicians shouldn't talk politics." He went further and said the only musician qualified to talk politics is Jello Biafra, the former front man of the Dead Kennedys and current Green Party leader.

Dallas County Constable Could Have Saved Children from Drowning

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 06:59:00 +0000

Before Naim Muhammad drowned his children, there was one shred of hope in getting them away from him safely. Muhammad had threatened the mother of his two children with a brick while she was walking them to school on Monday morning. He forced her into the car, along with his two young sons.

When the vehicle they were in stopped at a light, Kametra Sampson, the boys' 22-year-old mother, saw a county constable's vehicle approach the light. Sampson, who had fresh blood on her clothes from Muhammad's recent abuse, jumped out of the car to get help from the constable. The constable called police, but she refused to follow the car with Sampson's sons in it.

The district the constable served in had a strict no-follow policy, regardless of the situation. Unfortunately, this policy did nothing to prevent two senseless murders of 3-year-old Naim and 5-year-old Elijah. Police never even found the car, so one has to wonder if the constable actually called them in the first place. Police didn't even find or arrest Muhammad until they got a 911 call from his own mother stating her son had killed his own children.

What is wrong with this picture? A frantic woman, covered in blood pleads with a constable to help her, and still, her children die due to inaction. Granted, constables' main duties are to serve warrants, but they are armed. The least this officer could have done was follow the man until a police cruiser could catch up. Instead, the officer chose to follow the no-pursuit policy, and because of it, two children died.

The worst part about this whole situation is that Muhammad had a long history of violence against Sampson, and the family had actually been monitored since January. The most recent CPS visit was on August 10th, and the family seemed fine at the time. It appears that Child Protective Services was doing everything it could to keep an eye on them.

This tragedy is a good example of what happens when policies are inflexible. People get hurt needlessly. People die. Children's lives are lost. Perhaps the Dallas County Constable's office needs to re-evaluate itself to determine what more it could have done to prevent these murders from happening.

Former Reagan and Bush Official Calls Rick Perry an Idiot

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 02:29:00 +0000

Bruce Bartlett, who was once George H.W. Bush's Treasury Secretary, told CNN's 'American Morning' show yesterday that Rick Perry is an idiot. He was talking with CNN regarding Perry's recent controversial comments regarding Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

He said. "Rick Perry's an idiot, and I don't think anyone would disagree with that." Perry suggested that Ben Bernanke was acting in a treasonous manner by printing money for "political purposes," which created a furor. However, Bartlett said, the problem with the Federal Reserve isn't Bernanke's doing. Current and past presidents, G.W. Bush included, have not focused enough energy and oversight into the Fed, which ultimately created the currency problem.

Bartlett took a swipe at President Obama, stating that he has had several positions open at the Fed during his presidency and hasn't ever tried to fill them. He said, "...I think that this sends a signal that he just doesn't care very much about what the Fed does," regardless of his true feelings and opinions.

Bartlett is right on the money on both counts. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Rick Perry's Connection to Convicted Congressman Tom DeLay

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:55:00 +0000

Rick Perry is as crooked as they come, and his involvement with convicted money launderer and former Congressman Tom DeLay proves it. The K Street project is just another example of how Perry pimped himself out to the highest bidder long ago.

So, what exactly was the K Street Project, and how was Perry involved in it? In a nutshell, it was a project by powerful Washington Republicans like Tom DeLay to pressure lobbying firms to hire Republicans and fire Democrats. In other words, they worked toward making Capitol Hill a Republican powerhouse that could easily be manipulated to achieve their goals. Instead of a relatively equal balance of power, DeLay and Co. wanted their lobbying firms filled with like-minded people. K Street is where most of the lobbying firms are located in D.C.

So, how does this all tie in to the wanna-be president from Texas? Well, in 2005 Perry hired Drew Maloney, a staunch Republican from the exclusively conservative firm The Federalist Group (now Ogilvy Government Relations). Maloney had been the chief of staff to DeLay, and was just one of a number of lobbyists that came from DeLay's office and broadened his reach outside D.C.

Rick Perry: Kickbacks and Back Room Deals?

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:34:00 +0000

Rick Perry is running for President. Should we be worried? Absolutely. He doesn't have our best interests at heart. He panders to businesses and accepts large donations in exchange for business deals and tax cuts.

Read this story to find out why Rick Perry is dangerous for our country.

Rick Perry: Kickbacks and Back Room Deals?

President Obama Makes Emotional Appearance at Joplin Memorial

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Mon, 30 May 2011 03:24:00 +0000

by Reno Berkeley

Member since:
June 17, 2010

President Obama Makes Emotional Appearance at Joplin Memorial

in spotlight

May 29, 2011 05:55 PM EDT

Invite your friends who aren't Gather members to view this post.

President Obama adresses residents of Joplin, MO

In a highly charged setting, President Obama gave Joplin residents reassurances that not only he was with them, but their country was with them. His speech followed those of the Reverend Randy Gariss, Father Justin Monaghan, and Reverend Aaron Brown. Governor Jay Nixon also gave a passionate and emotional speech, invoking the tale of the Good Samaritan as proof that the residents of Joplin are not only loving, but tough and practical.

As the president took the stage, he shook hands and embraced each spiritual leader who had spoken before him. He then did the same with the governor, who had introduced him. In a natural segue from the speeches before him, he discussed what it meant to be a good neighbor and a good Christian. After thanking various officials for their tireless efforts, he said, "...in all of this, you have lived the word of Scripture. You've banded together, you've demonstrated a simple truth: No one is a stranger."

When he spoke of touring the devastation, he appeared to be struggling to hold in his emotions. "There are moments where you just say, 'Where to begin? Where to start?' There are moments after the shock is worn off and you feel alone." He paused for a few seconds, and then said, "Your country will be with you every step of the way. It's a promise I made in Tuscaloosa, I now make in Joplin."

He then related the heart-wrenching story of Christopher Lucas, who was the manager at the local Pizza Hut when the storm bore down on the town. Click here to continue reading.

Path of EF-5 tornado through Joplin, MO

Apple Admits iPhone Tracking, Vows Changes

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:47:00 +0000

So Apple is saying they weren't really tracking you, but that they were tracking you. Um, what?

Apple Admits iPhone Tracking, Vows Changes

Orly Taitz: Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate Should Say 'Negro'

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:30:00 +0000

That's right. Sit down and shut up, woman! He released it. What more do you want?

Orly Taitz: Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate Should Say 'Negro'

Fact Checking

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:03:00 +0000

Don't you hate it when you get the inevitable email forward by that well-meaning relative filled with errors and flat-out lies? You know the ones I'm talking about: they're the emails filled with alarmist pontifications, with the flashing text in huge font (so you just can't miss it), and Christian themes. I have nothing against Christian themes. I'm a Christian. What I don't like, is lies, exaggerations and a refusal to fact-check.

Take the ACLU vs. The Marines email. It's a photo of a group of United States Marines with bowed heads praying. Since late 2003, this idiotic email has been making the rounds of email addresses everywhere:

"If you look closely at the picture above, you will note that all the Marines pictured are bowing their heads. That's because they're praying. The incident took place at a recent ceremony honoring the birthday of the corps, and it has the ACLU up in arms.

'These are federal employees,' says Lucius Traveler, a spokesman for the ACLU, on 'federal property and on federal time. For them to pray is clearly an establishment of religion, and we must nip this in the bud immediately.'

When asked about the ACLU's charges, Colonel Jack Fessender, speaking for the Commandant of the Corps said (cleaned up a bit), 'Screw the ACLU.'"

According to Snopes, an urban legend fact-checker, the ACLU never complained about this photo or the event in question. In fact, neither Lucius Traveler nor Colonel Fessender exist. This story was a complete fabrication made up specifically to anger people who identify themselves as patriotic and Christian.

These types of emails serve no purpose other than to inflame a certain population of people; to rile them up against perceived enemies. In this case, the enemy is the ACLU. Now why would someone target the American Civil Liberties Union? Well, since its earliest years, the ACLU has been accused of having communist roots.

In fact, the founder, Roger Baldwin, was curious about it, observing and writing about communism and socialism. However, he later wrote that after reading the Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939, he was shocked and disgusted and he said, "ended any ambivalence I had about the Soviet Union, and all cooperation with Communists on all fronts."

But truth gets buried amongst lies and rumors. The truth is, Baldwin was repulsed by Communism, but those who hated him only focused on his prior interest in it. In essence, he was treated as a pariah for simply being curious - a common human trait.

Credibility is valuable. When you lack it, no reasonable person will take you seriously. All you'll be left with is gullible and easily-alarmed folks who believe whatever they're told.

And this is why, we as writers, must take our research seriously. Whether you're researching for a news story, a speech, or a novel, it's important to know your facts. Otherwise you're just another hack who perpetuates lies and urban legends.

Let's Fight "Authority" and Win!

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 06:32:00 +0000

I was feeding my 18-month-old daughter before putting her to bed last night and I decided to keep her occupied while I attempted to stuff her face with food. She's started to consider meal times an interruption to her playtime and wants down almost immediately. It's become difficult to get her to stay in her chair long enough to fill up.

I gave her my old cell phone to play with in the chair. She enjoys pretending she's having a conversation. She'll say "Bye bye," and what sounds like, "I love you," but actually comes out as "Di da doo."

While she was having imaginary conversations with some unknown entity, I scrolled through some YouTube videos and saw John Mellencamp pop up in my suggested videos. I thought to myself, "Heck yeah!" So, I clicked play on "Crumblin' Down."

She immediately went nuts for it. She bobbed her head and moved back and forth in her chair in tandem with the beat. She was groovin' with him. Next, I played "Pink Houses." Same thing. She loved it. Clapped her hands to the beat and smiled as she moved back and forth in her chair.

Her favorite song was "Authority Song," though. The whole beat, the guitar sound and the little boy at the end of the video caught her eye. She waved at him as he walked away into the fading distance of the boxing ring. It was cute.

But that's not the big thing that struck me about the video and the song. What resonated with me is the fact that his message and the video itself is so immensely relevant today. It might even be more relevant now than when it first came out in 1984.

The first few seconds of the video show headlines about education budget cuts while defense spending soars. It shows a headline of a miners' strike entering its third week. The video itself is symbolic of the average working person fighting against the rich, powerful and oppressive.

We are fooling ourselves if we believe we're living in a democracy, or even a representative democracy. What we've got here is an oligarchy, plain and simple. The rich few control our government. Large corporations have a stranglehold on our lawmakers.

It is no longer "For the people by the people." It never really was. But now, it's become so blatantly obvious; the disdain the rich have for us peons. The belief that we will just sit back and take whatever they give and walk away without questioning them.

They are wrong. The people are fighting back against those who they elected. In Wisconsin, Republicans are under fire for the way they're treating the public workers, and a judge has ordered an injunction on a bill that was passed under spurious means. Eight of those Republicans are under threat of recall petitions by angry voters.

In Minnesota, the poor are under attack, in Missouri, the unemployed are pawns in power play against government spending. In Texas, teachers face layoffs as a result of Governor Perry's budget cuts, even though the state's economy is more vigorous than its neighbors'.

I say, let's show the corporations that we're not stupid. Let's say to them, we're not going to take table scraps while you feast upon our misery.

We do have a voice. We do have the ability to make ourselves heard and understood. We can fight back, through blogs, through protests, even through our wallets. We have the power. We must learn how to use it.

We can fight "authority": only this time, we just might win.

Thoughts on the Cleveland, TX Rape

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 05:09:00 +0000

This is a cross post from another blog, the Sugar Booty Chronicles.

The rape of the little 11-year-old girl in Cleveland, Texas has been nagging at me lately. It's not just the fact that 18 males (men and juvenile boys) raped her, but the response of the national and international community to this.

People have begun to blame the victim and her family. It blows my mind how this could happen. I have to ask, is childhood no longer sacred? Is it a crime to become a victim of crime? And how, pray tell, can an 11-year-old girl fight off 18 men, some of them very large football players?

Questions are roiling about this case. How is it that she was raped on three separate occasions and still went back? How did she not know what was going to happen? Conclusion? She must have been asking for it. She must have wanted it. Right? Right? I mean, if there's no logical explanation and the victim was raped three times, then, it must not have been rape.

This is how people are rationalizing the behavior of the men who raped this girl. This 11-year-old child.

The men accused of gang-raping an 11-year old girl.

I will tell you a story I haven't told many people in the past. When I was 12, I was new to Texas. I'd just moved from California and was still trying to make friends. It was a difficult year for me. Texas was a completely different culture and it was a hard adjustment to make.

One day I got a phone call. It was one of the starters for the local high school football team. He asked for me specifically. Being new in town and being in 7th grade, I marveled at how this guy had gotten my phone number. Surely, my brothers hadn't given it to him. They'd never allow that.

The phone call was strange all-around. The boy, who was a senior, and I suspect the starting quarterback, was talking to me flirtatiously. He asked me questions about myself, told me his name, and asked me about myself. I was giddy. I recognized his name and remembered seeing his photo in a playbook for the football team. He was a hunk. I still wondered how he'd gotten my number, but at that moment, it didn't matter. A cute older boy was interested in me!

Then the conversation took a weird turn. He invited me to a party. I told him I would like to but I'd have to ask my parents. He didn't have a problem with it. He said he'd heard about me from some friends of his, and thought I'd enjoy what he and his football buddies had in store. He really wanted me to come to his party. He said there would be a bon fire and lots of people and lots of fun.

He then mentioned a gang-bang. I had no idea what a gang-bang was.

I said, "What's that?"

He replied, "It's a party where all the guys take turns with you."

Still clueless, I asked, "Take turns doing what?"

"You know, having sex with you."

Mortified, I blurted out the first thing that came into my head, "But I'm only 12!"

Nonplussed, he said, "Hey, that's ok."

I was shaken up at this point, and my mother walked into the kitchen where I was sitting. I told him no thank you. He seemed disappointed that I'd turned him down. After I thought about it, it seemed as though he had the impression that I should have been a willing participant. As if someone had told him I'd be easy.

I told my mom what happened, and she was disgusted. But no one called the police. I mean, this was 1981, no one really thought about doing that back then. But, what if Mr. Football hadn't been completely honest with me? What if he had just invited me to a cool party and never mentioned the gang bang?

What if this popular guy had lured me there, knowing he and his buddies were going to have a little fun with a 12 year-old girl?

I was innocent, clueless. I had no idea that something as sinister as a gang-bang was even possible. What if I had gone and been raped?

In 1981, would I have been blamed? Should I have known better than to go to a party with older boys? Should I have automatically expected something horrible would have happened to me?

No. I was young, innocent, naïve. I was sheltered, and never once thought that I could have been raped by an entire football team!

And yet, an 11-year-old girl is being blamed, and being scolded by people who don't even know her, for failing to understand that this might happen to her. And she's being blamed for going back.

Perhaps her life was threatened, or the lives of her family members. No one knows yet why she went back. But most importantly, she was never legally able to consent to any kind of sex. Ever.

In Texas, the legal age of consent is 17. The men who were 17 and older knew they could get into serious trouble if word got out, or at least should have known. What the hell were these guys thinking, gang-raping a child?

And she is just that: a child.

No child, no matter her life conditions, her family situation, her ethnicity or economic status, should ever be blamed for being a victim. In fact, no female should ever be blamed for being a victim of sexual assault.

When I was 24, I was raped by an ex-boyfriend. He would certainly beg to differ on the term, but rape is rape. I told him no, he did it to me anyway. After it was over, I showered for a long time. I felt dirty, filthy, violated. I also felt numb. No, he didn't hold a gun to my head or threaten to beat me. But he forced his way with me and I felt powerless against it.

He showered after I did. And when he emerged from the shower, wearing a bathrobe, he was drying his hair with a towel. His whole demeanor was smug, as if he'd taught me a lesson.

"So, you wann fuck again? Since I know how much you like it." He smiled cryptically, and I huddled into the sofa, with my big red dictionary open in my lap.

"No," I muttered humiliated and angry.

He shrugged his shoulders and walked into the bedroom to get dressed. It was his birthday.

I never told anyone but his youngest brother. I knew, that because I was living with him still, that I wouldn't be heard. No one would believe that I'd been raped. In fact, I knew that I'd be accused of trying to ruin his life. His family hated me, except for his youngest brother. He is the only person I told for years.

My point is, that we, as a society, have a habit of blaming the victim, of telling the victim she should have known better, that she should have done more to prevent the rape from happening.

What if this had happened to your daughter? What if your daughter was innocent about gang-banging and gang rape? What if your daughter was just so excited to be noticed by a popular boy that she didn't consider the danger?

I always suspected who gave that football player my phone number. There was only one person I knew in school who had it, and she had decided she no longer liked me. She had become viciously mean to me. Soon after this happened, though, she moved away, and I began making more friends.

Rush Limbaugh, A Study on Mouth Cancer, & Libya

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:27:00 +0000

Union Hater Rush Limbaugh Member of a Union?

The hypocrisy continues! Blowhard radio personality Rush Limbaugh, along with Glenn Beck and other anti-union personalities are members of unions.

It seems that all that anti-union rhetoric coming out of these guys' mouths is nothing but the stinky remains of a prolonged chili-induced belch.

Skyword: Gather & Daily Glow

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 07:03:00 +0000

I've been meaning to write a comprehensive review about my short experience with the Skyword network. So, here I am with a little free time on my hands; a perfect opportunity to really get into the nitty gritty of this writer's site.

Currently, Skyword offers four different outlets writers can choose from: Gather News, Daily Glow, Pampers and ImpreMedia.

I really wanted to write for Pampers, but was turned down. I heard the program has put a freeze on bringing new writers into the program. If that's the case, then I really hope I can get on when they lift the freeze. I have been dying to write for a baby-focused site for ages and haven't found a good one yet (other than Pampers, of course!)

ImpreMedia is a Spanish-language media outlet. Seeing as how I don't speak Spanish, that automatically eliminates me. But I really happy to see that option there. I don't see enough media outlets for the Spanish-speaking population, and I think it's great that Skyword is reaching out to the community with this program.

So, on to the two programs I do write for: Gather News and Daily Glow.

Gather News

When I first signed up with Gather back in June of 2010, I wasn't sure it was worth the effort. After all, I wasn't paid up front. I really didn't know how the process worked and when I saw that the payout was based on page views, I immediately had thoughts of Associated Content. This was not good because AC's payout per page view is ridiculously low. Because of this, I put off writing for Gather. A month later, I started writing at Demand Media and focused most of my attention on that.

It wasn't until this month that I began to reconsider my Gather account. I'd started to hear good things about it. Its payout threshold was more friendly and the staff seemed to be more visible than at other content sites.

And so, I decided to start writing a few news articles there and I got a pretty nice surprise. Despite the fact that Gather doesn't pay upfront for stories, I feel it is worth the time and effort. And by effort, I mean a maximum of 15 minutes.

In the last two weeks, I've earned over $35 by writing news blurb of about 250 words each. It doesn't sound like much, but when you think about it, it's passive income to supplement the fixed income I receive from my other up-front writing endeavors.

Currently, you can earn up to $13 per article a month if you get up to 750 page views. Now, if your article becomes wildly popular and garners 25,000 page views in one month, you'll get a $25 bonus. Potentially, you can earn $750 in one month on one article. I'm not quite sure that most people will earn that much, but if you have a vast network of friends and family, and you are great with SEO and have a catchy writing style, you stand the possibility of earning some pretty good money.

Remember, Twitter and Facebook are your friends. Each time an article goes live, Tweet it, and post it on your Facebook page. Get it on a distribution network, if possible.

I'll give you an example. I have a friend who owns his own website that caters to a certain portion of the population. My friend saw one of my articles and asked me if he could post the article's link and the first couple paragraphs on his site. Of course, I said sure.

So far, I've gotten nearly 1,100 views in a couple of days. Another article of mine had a catchy headline. It's about to garner the needed 750 views to earn me another $13.

Verdict? Gather News is worth it if you are looking for short news stories to write with the potential for earning passive income.

The catch? Well, there really isn't one. You can initially earn $13 for the first month, plus the bonuses. Then each month after that, for each 25,000 views per month, you'll earn a bonus. Views are not totalled for the year, so even if you have 750,000 views at the end of one year, if you didn't garner those 750,000 views in a month, no additional bonus.

But hey, I'll take it anyway.

Daily Glow

This site has some real potential. I've written a couple of articles for the site but have not had them accepted yet. Because the program is so new, review times are painfully slow. I've heard from the program manager, though, and they're trying to speed up the process of accepting and publishing articles.

Daily Glow offers a $10 up-front fee and the potential to earn another $10 per article for the rest of the year based on page view performance. The page view requirements are a little higher than they are for Gather News, but that's understandable as we're getting an up-front payment for them.

I like the fact that I can use a bit of personality in my writing, versus the dry and informative voice I'm so often stuck using for Demand. Nothing against Demand, however. They've been very good to me for the last 7 months. But, it is a nice change to write an article and not worry about the voice being too casual or frisky!

Articles are normally at least 300 words, but you can go up to 400-500 if the subject warrants it. Every article I've read for the site is high-quality, and it's intimidated me a bit, but I decided I just need to jump on in and get my feet wet. The worst that can happen is I get a rejection. Live and learn, you know?

Final Say

From my experience, working with the program managers and editors at Skyword has been a refreshing change and a great experience. They are extremely responsive to writer concerns and questions. In fact, every email I've ever sent has been answered in a friendly and professional manner.

I intend to devote more time and effort to this company. If Skyword keeps treating its writers this well, it's bound to grow by leaps and bounds.

The Fight over Government Funding

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:02:00 +0000

The federal government is in the process of creating what is supposedly a budget. The budet bill is filled with interesting, good, bad and horrific amendments. Some of which are in danger of passing or being ignored.

Take, for example, a congressman from Colorado who wants to eliminate funding for the "war on drugs:" specifically, marijuana. If we were to decriminalize pot, how much more money would the United States save, and quite possibly earn in tax revenues if it were regulated and taxed?

Or, what about the congresswoman from Minnesota, who wants to ban the military from buying ad space on NASCAR vehicles and uniforms? This proposal made some people so angry that someone threatened her via fax.

Or, take the Planned Parenthood battle. The House just today voted to defund the organization that primarily serves low-income women and children. It doesn't just perform abortions.

I'm sure our neighbors around the world are scratching their heads at what Americans deem important, unimportant and morally reprehensible. Believe me, it leaves me scratching my head, too!

Texas Schools Endure Sweeping Budget Cuts

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:37:00 +0000

Thanks to Rick Perry and friends, Texas schools are experiencing the biggest budget cuts since World War II. School administrators are scrambling to get creative with what little funding they do have while grimacing at the cuts they'll have to make. State support for public schools is already the lowest in the nation.

To read more, click here.

What Do Justin Bieber Fans and Iranian Citizens Have in Common?

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:55:00 +0000

They have both staged protests. One is, admittedly, much more intense and large-scale than the other. The Iran protests are also much more deadly, whereas vandalizing a Grammy winner's Wikipedia page is not quite as...shall we say, earth shattering?

Read about Iran here.

Read about the Justin/Esperanza hubub here.

Read about Justin Bieber fans and Esperanza Spalding here.

So Much News, so Little Time

noreply@blogger.com (SugarBooty) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:06:00 +0000

I've been absent too long here, and for that I apologize. I've been busy learning SEO and finding my way around different sites, such as Gather and Daily Glow, both of which are part of Skyword. I also got on with Mahalo, but they have completely revamped their website, so I can't start my training with them, yet.

My main client is still Demand, and there's lots of news to report on that end. Unfortunately, I cant talk about it because of the new IPO quiet period, so when that ends, my tongue will be wagging, for sure!

I've been hearing a lot about a new company called, The Writer's Network. Its premise is basically the same as Demand's, but the writing style seems much more relaxed and friendly. I like that.

But, my latest love is Gather News. I don't get upfront payments with Gather News. Rather, I get paid per page views. The potential is there, especially if I report on a hot topic, like Egypt's Mubarak resigning, or the Icelandic volcano getting ready to erupt. Or maybe you didn't hear about the Portland hospital refusing care to a man who had a heart attack in its parking lot?

See, this service brings news to the masses in ways that other sources might not be able to do. It's news networking, which I think is pretty brilliant.

How to Plan Your Family's Finances

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:32:00 +0000

Families can find fun things to do without breaking the bank.

Budgeting and creating a financial plan for a family requires time, commitment and perseverance. Families who do not plan ahead financially may find themselves in less-than-ideal situations without a backup plan. No matter how small your family's income, you should always keep meticulous records of your spending habits. Computer programs and Internet banking make bookkeeping the work of a few mouse clicks. With careful planning and the cooperation of your family, you can create a realistic financial plan so you can save money and invest in the future.

Call a family meeting to discuss your financial goals. Allow input from all members. The key to raising children with good spending habits is to get them involved in the budgeting early. Write down your goals--maybe you want to save money for college, set aside extra money for a new car or put away money for retirement. Make these meetings a monthly or bimonthly event to remind all family members of progress or issues.

Click here to read more.

Online Etiquette - How Casual is Too Casual?

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:21:00 +0000

We've all had it happen. We have what we believe to be a professional email correspondence with an individual and then it comes: Text-speak.

There is nothing more annoying than receiving a reply that looks like this:

That's fine, I no ur busy, so dont rush. I can w8 a few days. C u l8r!

Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme, but it's something I've noticed quite a bit lately.

Here's a hint: One of the fastest ways to lose credibility among potential clients or employers is to use text shorthand acronyms in professional emails. The younger generations don't seem to understand that if you are a professional, whatever your industry, using text-speak in an email shows you're lazy. Really, how hard is it to type out "your" instead of "ur?"

Text short hand was created for a reason: to make sending text messages on phones less cumbersome. The codes were a great tool before the advent of the smart phone. Now, however, it seems that text-speak is weaseling its way into mainstream correspondence.

Text speak is still acceptable when sending brief text messages over the phone. However, when you are corresponding with a colleague, potential employer or client, keep the text shorthand where it belongs: in text messages.

*For those who can never seem to decipher their kids' text messages, here's a comprehensive list of acronyms for your edification.

Flash Fiction Alert

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 21:09:00 +0000

Have you attempted flash fiction yet? Do you even know what it is? Flash fiction is a micro story, generally only one page long. The genre is hard to perfect because you have to have a beginning, middle and end all in just a few hundred words.

The ending doesn't always have a satisfying conclusion: It leaves more questions than it answers. That's the nature of the beast, though, and one reason why flash fiction is so satisfying.

You're left with your own imagination. The story isn't telling you what to think, it implies it. It leaves you to work your brain around possibilities.

Do you think you can write a story in 1,000 words or less?

Here. Take this old photo I picked up at an antique store.

What's the story? There's a boat in the background. People are traveling: where, why, and for how long? Is it a river boat? A ferry?

The photo is packed with action, which is why I bought it. I love the dynamics. I know there's a story in there waiting to come out.

I challenge you, my dear readers, to write a flash fiction story based on this photo.

Sharing Others' Work

noreply@blogger.com (Reno Berkeley) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 07:46:00 +0000

Every now and then I like to share the work of my fellow writers. I do this because I like to "pay it forward." If I think a piece has merit and is well-researched and written, I have no qualms about showing it off.

Emory Street offers some advice on how to control your blood sugar, which is essential to preventing insulin resistance and ultimately, diabetes. Her advice ranges from the clinical (using a glycemic index) to the naturopathic (supplementing with a common spice).

Judith Wilson, on the other hand, makes going green fashionable in her piece "How to Make a Fashion Statement By Going Green." She states that being green doesn't mean you have to sacrifice being fashionable. On the contrary, being conscientious of the environment can make you look fabulous.

Anna Scanlon puts in her two cents with her opinion piece about the recent ruckus surrounding Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn."

Her article about the censoring of one of the most important pieces of literature in the 19th century brings up some important points, such as, how culturally sensitive is too sensitive? At what point does it reach the level of ridiculousness?