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"A British jihadi who slipped off to Syria under UK authorities’ noses last fall has penned a pocket manual called “A Brief Guide to the Islamic State [2015]” — assuring would-be jihadis they’ll have all the comforts of home and featuring artwork of an ISIS invasion of Israel on the cover.

Siddhartha Dhar, who’s close to radical cleric Anjem Choudary and marched in his pro-Sharia events, was arrested in Britain in September on suspicion of encouraging terrorism. He jumped bail and fled to the Islamic State with his pregnant wife, who later gave birth to a boy.

He now goes by the name Abu Rumaysah al-Britani, and a couple of months ago penned an essay defending the right of fellow Briton Mohammed “Jihadi John” Emwazi to behead people. “Take the gloves off, leave the political correctness aside and be totally honest with ourselves. Yes, violence can be justified – bombs, bullets, knives, air strikes etc. are needed for the right enemy and we should not be made to feel ashamed about it,” he wrote then, adding the “identity of Jihadi John is largely irrelevant; he is after all just another soldier following orders.”

Rumaysah and Choudary were arrested Sept. 25 along with seven others. He was released, didn’t comply with the order to turn over his passport and left for Syria. His past media appearances to promote radical Islam have included BBC and VICE News, and he told Channel 4 weeks before his UK escape that he’d be happy to renounce his British citizenship to live in the Islamic State.

“I hope that one day Britain gets to live under the Shariah as well,” he also told the network."

Bridget Johnson, is the Washington Editor for PJMedia.com..

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Conversation with Mr. Michael Daugherty

Published: May 25, 2015, 12:07 a.m.
Duration: 26 minutes 51 seconds

"A cybersecurity company faked hacks and extorted clients to buy its services, according to an ex-employee. In a federal court this week, Richard Wallace, a former investigator at cybersecurity company Tiversa, said the company routinely engaged in fraud -- and mafia-style shakedowns.

To scare potential clients, Tiversa would typically make up fake data breaches, Wallace said. Then it pressured firms to pay up. "Hire us or face the music," Wallace said on Tuesday at a federal courtroom in Washington, D.C.. CNNMoney obtained a transcript of the hearing. The results were disastrous for at least one company that stood up to Tiversa and refused to pay.

In 2010, Tiversa scammed LabMD, a cancer testing center in Atlanta, Wallace testified. Wallace said he tapped into LabMD's computers and pulled the medical records. The cybersecurity firm then alerted LabMD it had been hacked. Tiversa offered it emergency "incident response" cybersecurity services. After the lab refused the offer, Tiversa threatened to tip off federal regulators about the "data breach."

When LabMD still refused, Tiversa let the Federal Trade Commission know about the "hack." The FTC went after the lab, giving the company a choice: sign a consent decree (basically a plea deal which means years of audits and a nasty public statement) or fight in court. The CEO of LabMD, Michael Daugherty, chose to fight, because a plea deal would have tarnished his reputation and killed the business anyway, he said.

Daugherty lost that battle in 2014, having run out of steam. The lawsuit killed LabMD, which was forced to fire its 40 employees last year. "We were a small company," he said. "It's not like we had millions of dollars to fight this and tons of employees."

"The fight with the government was psychological warfare," he told CNNMoney. "There was reputation assassination. There was intimidation. We thought we were extorted. My staff and management team was demoralized. My VP left. My lawyer left." Daugherty launched a website and wrote a book about the ordeal. Cause of Action, a government watchdog group, picked up his case."

Michael Daugherty, is a Senior Writer for Cyber Defense Magazine and is a Board Member at Snoopwall the powerhouse cyber-security firm and is author of The Devil Inside the Beltway: The Shocking Expose of the US Government's Surveillance and Overreach Into Cyber-security, Medicine and Small Business.

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Conversation with Ms. Sharon Schwietzer

Published: May 16, 2015, 6:53 p.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 38 seconds

Theassumption thatthereare universalwaysof thinking,feeling, andbehaving aroundtheworldis misguided."

Over the last four decades,Asiahas beenthe primary engine of global economic growth. This year the economy in India is expected to grow more than 6 percent, according to the IMF and OECD.China,now the world's largest economy in purchasing-power-parity terms, issitting on $15trillion in bank deposits ,growing at $2trillion annually. And since opening its borders to global trade in 2012,Myanmar, formerly Burma,is creating an extraordinary entrepreneurial environment owing to its "greenfield" advantage: a rare opportunity to build a fit-for-purpose economy tosuitthe modern world.

What does this mean for global leaders? According to SHARON SCHWEITZER, an expert in intercul tural communication and international etiquette, Asia's economic force signifies a call to action: executives, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders,whether they presently do business in Asia or not,would be well served to become culturally smart about their Asian counterparts. Only then, as opportunities knock,can they build successful,long-lasting businessrelationships.

Ms. Schweitzer recently made this task simpler and easier. In her new book AccesstoAsia: Your Multicultural Guide to Building Trust,Inspiring Respect,and Creating Long-Lasting Business Relationships (Wiley, 2015), she offers a one-stop guidebook to intercultural relationship building and international etiquette in 10 Asian countries: China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea,and Taiwan. Additionally, she explores the U.S.business culture for any leader seeking a deeper understanding of the United States..

Country bycountry, Schweitzer leaves no stone unturned. In Access to Asia she addresses it all-from belief systems to business etiquette, customs to communication styles. She also shares. advice and anecdotes from interviews with more than 100 business professionals and regional gurus.The result:a unique, user-friendly manual to help leaders gain cultural awareness and succeed in the relationship business in Asia.

A guiding theme in Access to Asiais Schweitzer's fundamental eight-question framework. For each one of the 10 Asian countries featured, leaders can go on a functional fact-finding mission:

1.How do people prefer to act-individually or as a group?

2.How are power and authority viewed?

3.How do people compare rules and relationships?

4.How do people regard time?

5.How do people communicate-directly or indirectly?

6.How formal or in formal do people tend to be?

7.How aligned are people's social and business lives?

8.How is the concept of women in business handled?

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Conversation with Ms. Germany Kent

Published: May 7, 2015, 1:54 a.m.
Duration: 25 minutes 9 seconds

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Conversation with Mr. Jake Greene

Published: May 1, 2015, 2:02 a.m.
Duration: 20 minutes 3 seconds

"When L.A.-based writer Jake Greene became a father in 2011, he was faced with the challenge of being a present parent while staying current in popular culture. His realization that previous generations had given no thought to this impossible task became the impetus for his web series Millennial Parents, co-created with writer Natalie Irby. The series, now in its second season, is steadily growing in viewership and exposure.

The two-minute episodes follow the adventures of new parents Kurt and Annie, played by actors Lea Coco and Laura Eichhorn. The stories usually revolve around their flailing attempts to stay ahead of a culture that has no time for sleep-deprived new parents.

Social media sharing, the inability of new parents to keep up with the news, and listening to new music that’s entirely inappropriate for children are among the conflicts that arise and baffle Kurt and Annie. “Most of the material is inspired by, though not always directly based on, something that happened in my life,” Greene says. “The fun part is raising the stakes and then trying to imagine how Kurt and Annie would handle similar situations, because they are a lot more dynamic than I am.”

What makes Kurt and Annie’s generation’s parenting different from that of previous parents? The biggest difference, according to Greene, is technology. Specifically, the sharing (or oversharing) that social media allows. Greene refers to this as “family branding.”

“Social media has given other people greater visibility into your life,” Greene says. “Today, not only do people judge everything you and your spouse and children post on Facebook and Instagram, but they also judge you based on what other people post about you and your family.”

In the end, the series tries to find the balance between the stress of being a new parent and the fun. As Greene puts it, “being a Millennial parent is really overwhelming. It’s really important to admit when you are being ridiculous and laugh in the moment.”

Jake Greene (Co-Director, Writer) has two boys under three years old. When he’s not pounding coffee or trying to keep his kids out of the street, he writes and develops television and web projects. Jake is also a Millennial author and keynote speaker. His first book, “Whoa, My Boss is Naked” was an irreverent career guide for entry-level Millennial employees. Now, as an entry-level Millennial parent, Jake doesn’t have time to write silly books so he makes silly videos instead

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Conversation with Mr. David Hasenbalg

Published: April 29, 2015, 12:23 a.m.
Duration: 34 minutes 29 seconds

1. Project/Program managers are in the business of promises.

A common misconception with project managers is that they are responsible for organizing tasks and resources.
In fact, what project/program managers are really responsible for is making and keeping promises to their customers.
To keep these promises, they must be able to do the following:

Be an effective customer for the performance of their team members
Make clear requests of their team members
Get promises from their team members
Assess the trustworthiness of those promises
Hold their team members accountable to the promises they make

2. Project plans are a tool for trust, not tasks

A plan that deconstructs tasks is a good start for determining if the project manager knows what it will take to deliver on a promise for a customer
Without a commitment from the members of the team to deliver on their component promises, the project manager cannot make trustworthy promises
The task doesn't make the project, it simply indicates if the project manager understands the pieces
The thing that makes the project is the commitment of the people working on the tasks to deliver on the promises they are making

3. Have leadership conversations to coordinate action

The only way to ensure that promises are made and kept is to have a leadership conversation
Leadership conversations are dialogues that occur between 2 or more people (they can be done remotely via teleconference or video)
Among other things, leadership conversations

Generate a shared purpose, mission, and values
Coordinate action among team members
Generate commitment
Understand capacity
Clarify roles and authority
Proactively deal with breakdowns

4. You can't assign a team, it can only be formed by the commitments of the people who comprise it

A group of people assigned to work together is a "work group." They may work in proximity of each other, but they do not behave as a team.
To work as a team, people must commit to a shared purpose, to allocate responsibility and authority, and coordinate action to fulfill a shared promise to satisfy a customer.
Fractionalized resources often fail. They generally fail because they are working on multiple, simultaneous tasks but not making commitments to satisfy anyone

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Conversation with Ms. Liz Peek

Published: April 16, 2015, 1:11 a.m.
Duration: 20 minutes 21 seconds

Obama has doggedly pursued negotiations aimed at restricting Iran’s access to a nuclear weapon even though the mullahs in Tehran have done nothing to prove their peaceful intentions. They have continued and even expanded their proxy wars throughout the Middle East, while also refusing to answer questions about their presumed development of advanced weapons. In the talks, they have conceded almost nothing.

Notwithstanding Iran’s intransigence, the United States, which is orchestrating the talks, has apparently backtracked on demands that Iran shut down most of its centrifuges, ship its stockpile of enriched uranium out of the country, close or permanently disable its once-secret underground facility at Fordo and answer questions raised by the IAEA about its research on possible delivery systems.

Certain of these demands were considered non-negotiable, and critical to refusing Iran a nuclear weapon. Even though Iran’s economy has been crushed by international sanctions, it is clear that Obama is the more desperate party.

The self-imposed deadline of yesterday for a preliminary agreement has come and gone because Tehran has refused to comply with the demands of the P5+1 group. The good news is that the U.S.-led coalition did not settle for a meaningless deal, and the talks will continue. However, the damage already done by these one-sided negotiations is profound.

Relations between Israel and the United States have arguably never been worse. And, more alarming, the Obama White House may have ignited a nuclear arms race in the unstable Middle East – an outcome that decades of diplomacy had sought to prevent.

How on earth did we get here?

Liz Peek spent over 20 years on Wall Street, most of them as a top-ranked research analyst. After managing her firm’s entrance into international research and foray into the market for U.S. equities in Japan, she became Wertheim & Company’s first female partner.

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Conversation with Mr. Michael Paul Ziegfeld

Published: April 10, 2015, 2:23 p.m.
Duration: 21 minutes 41 seconds

ONE OF THE FUNNIEST MEN,

YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF

"You have probably never heard of me. There may be a very slight possibility you recognize my name or maybe my face. But I have no delusions. I've always said, 'I’ve sky-rocketed to the middle.'

Michael Paul Ziegfeld, is the author of "Breaking Out of Show Business: What I've Discovered By Not Being Discovered."

It’s a very small percentage of those who become famous. But I never really wanted that. I’ve worked in over forty countries, comedy-toured with some “names,” done some television, a few movies, voiceovers, TV/film puppeteering, off-off-take-a-left-turn-off Broadway, producing, directing, writing, coaching, and I only did restaurant and temp work in my late teens. I haven’t gotten as far as some, but I've gotten farther than others who have tried to live a show business life. This is a little taste of my attempts to move up the ladder. I hope you like it. These are the highlights of my life...so far." - Michael Paul Ziegfeld

Mr. Ziegfeld was the youngest intern hired at an NBC affiliate after sneaking into the building. He then landed the job at CBS radio because he was the only person to trudge through the biggest blizzard of the decade for the interview. Years went by with day jobs as a stage tech, to night jobs headlining comedy clubs, to puppeteering for Jim Henson on a Tuesday to writing jokes for the Letterman show on a Wednesday. Now, he's on the eve of his retirement after 25 years of a show business career.

michaelpaulonline.com

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Conversation with Ms. Marita Noon

Published: April 8, 2015, 6:18 p.m.
Duration: 30 minutes 19 seconds

THE WAR ON ENERGY CONTINUES

"The Obama administration took aim at the coal industry on Monday by mandating a 30 percent cut in carbon emissions at fossil fuel-burning power plants by 2030 -- despite claims the regulation will cost nearly a quarter-million jobs a year and force plants across the country to close.

The controversial regulation, which some lawmakers already are trying to block, is one of the most sweeping efforts to tackle global warming by this or any other administration.

The 645-page plan, expected to be finalized next year, is a centerpiece of President Obama's climate change agenda, and a step that the administration hopes will get other countries to act when negotiations on a new international treaty resume next year.

"We have a moral obligation to act," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said, in announcing the plan Monday morning.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who represents Kentucky, called it a "dagger in the heart of the American middle class" -- and predicted higher power costs and less reliable energy as a result. McConnell's general election opponent, Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, also spoke out against the plan.

The draft regulation sidesteps Congress, where Obama's Democratic allies have failed to pass a so-called "cap-and-trade" plan to limit such emissions.

Under the plan, carbon emissions would be reduced 30 percent by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. The proposal sets off a complex regulatory process in which the 50 states will each determine how to meet customized targets set by the EPA. States could have until 2017 to submit a plan to cut power plant pollution, and 2018 if they join with other states to tackle the problem, according to the EPA's proposal."

Ms. Noon is the executive director for Energy Makes America Great Inc. and the companion educational organization, the Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE). Together they work to educate the public and influence policy makers regarding energy, its role in freedom, and the American way of life. Combining energy, news, politics, and the environment through public events, speaking engagements, and media, the organizations’ combined efforts have made Marita “America’s voice for energy.” Marita is also a columnist for Townhall.com and a regular contributor to The Energy Tribune, Conservative Action Alerts, and EPAAbuse.com.

http://energymakesamericagreat.org/

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Conversation with Mr. Mark Baird

Published: April 2, 2015, 1:44 a.m.
Duration: 24 minutes 21 seconds

THE CONSTITUTION HAS THE ANSWER,

IT'S NOT SECESSION,

IT'S AN ARTICLE 4, SECTION 3 PROCESS

"Lassen County voters will decide whether the rural county should support the State of Jefferson, a movement aimed at creating a 51st state to bring greater government representation to California’s northern region.

The Lassen County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday on a resolution that recognizes a lack of representation in state government but postpones the county’s position until June 2016.

Supervisor Jim Chapman, who opposes the State of Jefferson, led the dissent with an outspoken critique of the movement’s “misrepresentation of the facts.” And he scoffed at its call to “‘Let our people go’ – like Moses going across the desert.”

“Most of us don’t like the way government works ... but history is not on the side of this issue,” said Chapman, the board’s vice chairman.

Earlier this month, Lake County supervisors voted 3-2 to place support for the State of Jefferson on a countywide ballot scheduled for November 2016. Their resolution did not endorse any part of the standard breakaway state declaration."

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Conversation with Mr. Bill Straub

Published: April 1, 2015, 12:51 a.m.
Duration: 19 minutes 50 seconds

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Conversation with the President of the American Energy Alliance: Mr. Tom Pyle

Published: March 26, 2015, 4:05 p.m.
Duration: 23 minutes 28 seconds

"Corporate donors to a green energy nonprofit operated by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s (D., Nev.) former staffers and a current campaign operative have received billions of dollars in federal loan guarantees and grant money as a result of Reid’s advocacy.

Fulcrum Bioenergy began contributing to the Clean Energy Project (CEP) in 2013. One year later, the Nevada Democrat steered tens of millions of dollars in federal grant money to the California biofuel company.

Fulcrum is one of at least nine corporate donors to the Clean Energy Project (CEP) that have secured federal financing for themselves or a client due in part to Reid’s behind-the-scenes advocacy—activity that watchdogs warn could be construed as unethical.

Rebecca Lambe, Reid’s top political strategist who has been directed by Reid to take the lead in hiring for his 2016 reelection campaign, founded CEP in 2008 and served as its executive director. Reid’s former chief of staff Susan McCue served as CEP’s president at that time. Lambe is now an adviser to CEP, according to her official bio. McCue is a member of its board.

McCue and Lambe also run Senate Majority PAC, a powerhouse Super Pac with close ties to Reid that spent $67 million to elect Senate Democrats last year.

Far from denying a role in steering subsidies to donors to aides’ group, Reid’s office brags about it.

“Senator Reid’s leadership on creating clean energy jobs in Nevada is something we like to talk about at every opportunity and we are glad you have chosen to cover this topic,” Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson said in an emailed statement."

READ: http://freebeacon.com/issues/harry-reid-secured-subsidies-for-aides-donors/

Tom Pyle is the president of the American Energy Alliance (AEA) and the Institute for Energy Research (IER). In this capacity, Pyle brings a unique backdrop of public and private sector experience to help manage AEA’s Washington, DC-based staff and operations. He also helps to develop the organization’s free market policy positions and implement education efforts with respect to key energy stakeholders, including policymakers, federal agency representatives, industry leaders, consumer entities and the media. Previously, Pyle was the founder of his own consulting firm, Pyle Consulting, Inc., an active public affairs consulting firm with a wide range of private and not-for-profit customers.

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Conversation with Ms. Jude Bijou

Published: March 24, 2015, 4:43 p.m.
Duration: 29 minutes 9 seconds

How to get a Grip on Anger before it Does Damage

Everywhere you look in the media, you'll find coverage and outrage about physical assault, analysis about why partners stay in abusive relationships, and why people feel justified to strike out. However, what you don't see are viable solutions to this widespread problem.

Anger is an Emotion

Anger in itself is not a bad thing. It is the natural emotional response when we perceive injustices and violations, just as it's natural to cry when we experience hurts and losses.

Anger is an emotion - Energy + motion -- it is just a pure sensation in our bodies. According to Carol Tavris, author of Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion. Symptoms can "include teeth grinding, fist clenching, flushing, prickly sensations, numbness, sweating, muscle tension, and body temperature rises." Anger is merely energy in our bodies; just as wind is energy, so are emotions.

On the physical level we experience increased heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of adrenaline. In terms of brain chemistry, anger stems from the amygdala, which responds to threats with alarm and an automatic reaction to protect ourselves.

Expressing anger doesn't mean you're a violent person. But when that heated energy remains bottled up, something's going to give: and we'll default to destructive ways of thinking, speaking, and acting.

When we don't handle that energy physically, it gets directed outward onto other people, things, and situations. We don't accept what we see, judge it negatively, and self-righteously feel convinced that if the world and/or other people would just conform to how we think they should, everything would be just fine.

Our unmet expectations, and our "shoulds," also fuel more anger. Putting expectations on others is a habit that keeps us feeling angry. It creates feelings of separation and magnifies differences, thereby diminishing the amount of love we feel. Rather than continuing to stew in anger and then explode verbally, mentally, or physically, there is something simple we can do.

It's Time to Take Personal Responsibility

Identify when you're feeling that energy in your body - hot, aggressive, desire to strike out verbally or physically-- and deal with the emotion constructively. Follow the lead of a toddler and have that temper tantrum rather than blast it onto others and destroy things of value.

Express the Anger Energy Physically

Find a safe place where you can release pent up emotion physically and naturally - that hot, surging, tightening sensation in your body - in a non-damaging way. (You'll only feel embarrassed until the satisfaction and benefits become obvious.)

Take yourself to that place where you can let go and express the energy hard, fast, and with abandon. If you release anger energy physically and constructively, you'll be too tired to fight! An easy way to do this is to lie on your back on a bed and flail your arms, legs, and head, while yelling and grunting.

Make sounds and noises because emotions are beyond the realm of words. No blaming or swearing. If you use words, yell something like, "I feel so angry. I feel so mad. I feel so pissed!" Swearing or saying negative things while expressing anger physically, just stokes the fire and reinforces thinking that the outside world is the problem. You'll still be mad.

Pound clay or bread dough. Throw rocks. Yank out weeds with abandon. Stomp around. Push against a wall or doorjamb. Shout into a pillow. Move the energy out of your body. Do it hard, fast, and with abandon, until you're exhausted. Catch your breath and do it again. Repeat until you can't anymore!

Change your point of view

End your healthy meltdown by reminding yourself, you must accept the reality -- what is, is.

The best way to do this is to remind yourself, over and over, that: "People and things are the way they are, not the way I want them to be," "This is the way it is," or "That's the way they are." When these phrases are repeated with focus and enthusiasm, your anger turns into amused acceptance. After repeating these words for a few minutes, it becomes a fact, instead of a big conflicting deal.

Acceptance does not mean passivity. First accept, and then speak up and act from a loving, centered place. Let go of your fantasy of how it should be, and accept what is, even though in your perfect world you'd do it differently.

Look within to Determine what is Constructive Action

Now you can look within your heart to decide what you need to say and/or do about the specific event in order to honor yourself and all involved. Once you put your mind on hold, pause and ask yourself, "What would be the highest / most loving thing to do?" "What will bring me more joy, love, and peace?" Listen from your heart to what really resonates for you.

Maybe it's to remove yourself from the situation temporarily. Maybe it's best to say nothing, take a stand, organize, or initiate a discussion. Only you know what will make you feel resolved. So you've got to ask yourself, not rely on what others might suggest.

Make a Tangible Plan

When you are clear about what you need to say and do, focus on making a plan and getting very concrete. Then you can reach your goal and truly align with your best self. The devil is in the details (whatever that means). Like painting a house, it's all the prep that takes the time but is essential to having an outcome you are pleased with.

Speak up and Take Action

Now, if you know you need to speak up to feel like you can let it go, be sure you talk about what's true for you. This means your communication is not laced with finger-pointing and global generalizations. You need to stick with addressing one specific situation at a time, saying what you need, want, believe, etc and doing so, in a kind way.

Follow through with what strategy will bring more love and more connection. Little steps. Execute your plan, with a willingness to be flexible, depending on what unfolds.

A Vision for the Future

Just think if we legitimized emotions and designated a safe zone in every school, prison, hospital, office, and home, where we can go when we're on emotional overload. We spare ourselves and others so much damage, hurt, and craziness.

Jude Bijou is a licensed marriage and family therapist (MFT), an educator in Santa Barbara, California and the author of triple finalist, Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life (Riviera Press, 2011).

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