Exxon Really Feeling The Pinch, Eh?

So, in these hard economic times, with unemployment rising, the housing market in a freefall and the average American watching both their future prospects and their 401K balances decline, isn't it nice to see that the big oil companies are hurting too? I mean, Exxon Mobil Corp. reported their second quarter profits today and they missed Wall Street expectations and saw their stock drop three percent. Guess they made some sacrifices on behalf of their customers. Oh, wait... what is that on the AP wire?

HOUSTON — Exxon Mobil Corp. reported second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion Thursday, the biggest profit from operations ever by any U.S. corporation, but the results were well short of Wall Street expectations and its shares slumped 3 percent.

Okay, I don't know what is worse. That Exxon is posting the biggest quarterly profit for any corporation ever by amorally ransacking the pockets of their customers despite the trying times... or that The Street thought they were going to do so on a grander scale.

When we are actively engaged in prosecuting a war in the middle of the largest oil producing region in the world, with a President whose family made their money in that business, at a time when the world stands at a crossroads of environmental change and when the average U.S. citizen is feeling a shortage of the pocket book due to prices at the pump and the increased costs of good due to the increased cost of the gasoline required to transport those goods... this is not profit-taking that needs to be addressed?

Calling this war profiteering would not be a dramatic exageration. In the midst of the Second World War, or even Korea or Vietnam, would this have resulted in outrage and government action? Almost certainly.

The predicted response from the Bush Administration and John McCain? Outrage indeed. Outrage that their stock dropped three percent.

A Useful Website Indeed

A few days ago I posted a long debunking of a false email a friend had received. Turns out I could have saved myself some time if I had known about a non-partisan website called Fact Check.org.

They attack misinformation and outright lies from all sources. It's not just things being said about my choice for President, but by him as well. I'll admit that I am relieved to see that in the last month there is only one disputed thing from the Obama campaign. Meanwhile, four of the most recent five articles are attacking John McCain's campaign for distorting the truth. Not that this is a surprise coming from the side of the coin that so effectively used these tactics in the last two national elections.

Included on that page is this about the email I researched:
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/would_obama_tax_my_profits_if_i.html

If nothing else, it is nice to have my own conclusions and positions supported by a third party who has absolutely no reason to support me. Makes me feel good about my own research, ya know...

Political MisInformation: Blatant Lies In Email

An email was drawn to my attention today by a friend whose political leanings are different than mine but is smart enough to not take things at face value. He and I had been discussing taxes over the weekend and he forwarded me an email that made several claims about McCain and Obama's tax plans.

It would be wrong to say that I was shocked. I have long since become desensitized to the ability of people to lie, cheat and steal through the anonymity of the internet. But I am also quite aware of how many people take it for granted that their friends and neighbors know what they are talking about. I'm guilty of it myself at times.

The email:

You can verify a lot of this here:

http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html

Of course, you may have noted that Obama’s position appears to be ‘changing’, so you will have to pay attention to see what his latest approach is at buying votes.

INTERESTING DATA JUST RECEIVED ON TAXES

Please spread the word.

This is something you should be aware of so you don't get blind sided. This is
really going to catch a lot of families off guard. It should make you worry.

Proposed changes in taxes after 2008 General election:

CAPITAL GAINS TAX


MCCAIN
0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.

OBAMA
28% on profit from ALL home sales

How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.


DIVIDEND TAX

MCCAIN 15% (no change)

OBAMA 39.6%

How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.'


INCOME TAX

MCCAIN (no changes)

Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)

Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750

Under Obama, your taxes will more than double!

How does this affect you? No explanation needed. This is pretty straight
forward.




INHERITANCE TAX

MCCAIN 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

OBAMA Restore the inheritance tax

How does this affect you? Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.

NEW TAXES BEING PROPOSED BY OBAMA

New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet.

New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already)

New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity)

New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....

New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!

MY first response? Who is so stupid as to send an email that includes a web address that basically refutes most of what they say in their email? The answer, of course, is called "hiding in plain view." By including the web-link, they assume that you will take their words at face value without following the link first. I encourage all of you to follow the link. It most certainly does NOT verify their findings.

My response to my friend?

****, your answer is right in the link. However, just to pull a few things out...

1) Home Sales: There is absolutely no documentation anywhere I can find to support that Obama has a plan in place to tax home sales in any way other than their current taxation. Not on that link or on the official websites for ether candidate or on Money.com, The Wall Street Journal, CNN.Money or even on some of the clearly republican-slanted blogs.

The only possible thing I see is on capital gains. But Obama's main adviser on that matter is Warren Buffet, who is by far the most credible source working with either campaign when it comes to finances. Buffet has said that his advice is to place Capital Gains between 24% and 26%, because he feels that is enough to increase government revenues without discouraging people from realizing their gains due to the tax ramifications. However, the exemptions surrounding capital gains taxes will remain unchanged. In other words, the threshold for becoming subject to CG on a real estate sale would remain at 250K. In other words, if you clear a 260K profit, you pay CG on 10K unless you reinvest in a new home within three years. If you clear less than 250K, it is not taxable. That is per individual, not couple. That is where the claim about 500K comes.

John Moores, on the other hand, just sold his Del Mar property. He paid 3.45 million in 2002 and sold for 35 million. Yep, he would be paying.

1) Dividend Tax: True with one problem. The Obama plan cited is only for what the SEC defines as "High Income Investors". So, if have less than 601,000.00 in stocks and bonds, you would not be affected. Also, this is part of CG again, meaning that you would have to SELL more than 601,000 in order to trigger it.

The Income tax breakdown in that email has ABSOLUTELY no relation to ANYTHING I can find online. Here is a table from Fortune Magazine based on their analysis of the two candidates tax plans, as quoted on the CNN.Money website and with the source given as "The Tax Policy Center", an independent research group.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS
Here's how the average tax bill could change in 2009 if either John McCain's or Barack Obama's tax proposals were fully in place.


                            MCCAIN         OBAMA

Income              Avg. tax bill      Avg. tax bill

Over $2.9M        -$269,364       +$701,885

$603K and up       -$45,361       +$115,974

$227K-$603K        -$7,871                +$12

$161K-$227K        -$4,380            -$2,789

$112K-$161K        -$2,614            -$2,204

$66K-$112K          -$1,009            -$1,290

$38K-$66K               -$319            -$1,042

$19K-$38K               -$113               -$892

Under $19K                 -$19              -$567



Please bear in mind that Fortune magazines target market is the aforementioned "High Income Investors". In other words, this table was put together to show that Obama's plan would be a NEGATIVE for their target audience.

You and I would see a reduction under either plan (1,009 under McCain, 1,290 under Obama).

I would like to note that while I formerly worked in finance, I am not a tax professional and make no claim to any expertise on tax matters. I am not in the business of giving advice on your taxes.

Finally, something I did not include in my response to my friend, but needs saying... those last few "talking points."

NEW TAXES BEING PROPOSED BY OBAMA

New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet.

New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already)

New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity)

New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....

New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!

I can find absolutely ZERO reputable sources to support ANY of these claims... unless you want to call Obama's plan to tax the oil companies on their higher profits "new gasoline taxes" or "new taxes on natural resource consumption."

The last one is the most ridiculous of them all. Number one, no new taxes have been proposed to support health care reform. Number two, since when are the UK, Canada and most of Scandinavia considered "third world" countries?

PLEASE! IF you get an email like this, treat it the way it should be treated. The same as the one about deadly African spiders lurking in your toilet or how Microsoft will pay you ten cents for each time you forward this.

ArtiFactual Is A Dream Realm Finalist!

We got word today that Artifactual:Tales of the Erotique Mystique is a finalist for the 2007 Dream Realm Awards!

It's always wonderful to have your hard work recognized and since this book is very dear to my heart, that made it even more special. It also makes me want to curse the people at Romantic Times who thought it was a good idea to assign the review of a book featuring a crusading hypocritical far right wing faux Christian as a villain to a woman who typically reviews "inspirational romance" but I've let go of that frustration. Oh, wait. Okay, maybe I haven't. *wink*

Caitlyn Willows is one of our fellow finalists. We met Caitlyn at Epicon, and I like her. But I hope she will forgive me for saying that I would really like to win. I know, it's not cool to say that. Let me get my cliche cap on...

It's a thrill just to be nominated. In a field of such strong performances, I am happy just to be mentioned in the company of my fellow nominees. The satisfaction of my work is in my own personal growth.

Nah. Sorry, can't pull it off. I hope we win. I do feel it is an honor to have been named a finalist and I am very proud and pleased. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't rather be a gracious winner than a gracious loser.

The Importance of Environment

No, not a blog about global warming... rather that I was thinking about my creative environment. The people I surround myself with affect both my desire and my ability to be creative.

My lady is visiting me for the Fourth and in her presence I find myself thinking more about plots and solutions, characters and arcs; everything that is a writer in me is more awake and alive with her in my environment. What's more, the peole we chose to associate with when together feed my creativity; people like fellow author Heather Fowler and the new friends with whom we watched fireworks. Knowing that they have a passion for their music or shaping their home the way I have a passion for shaping phrases.

Tonight, we have dinner with author Samantha Sommersby and her family and I expect the same energizing result.

I know that just having Alessia near stimulates me. But it is more than that. It is the circles I wish to travel in while in her company. They feed me.

John McCain Uses Swift Boaters He Once Condemned

By now, many of you may have heard the remarks of General Wesley Clark about his belief that John McCain's war record does not equate itself to experience in the job of Commander In Chief. If not, I'll put the FULL comment, in context, at the bottom of this entry.

But it is less General Clark's comments that have me shaking my head and more John McCain's response to them.

In 2004, John McCain strongly condemned the 527 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, in very unequivocal terms. Quoting from The San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, August 6, 2004.

"It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me," McCain said, referring to attacks on his military record during the 2000 Republican primary race by supporters of Bush. At the time, Kerry and other senators who served in Vietnam came to McCain's defense. Kerry and McCain also worked together in the 1990s on resolving the question of American soldiers missing in action in Vietnam, which led to normalized relations between the countries.

"I deplore this kind of politics," McCain told the Associated Press. "I think the ad is dishonest and dishonorable.

And yet, who did Senator McCain bring to his aid to defend him against this opinion of Gerneral Clark's? Senator Kerry perhaps, in recognition of the fact that the two men had both been attacked as regards whether their military records qualified them to make logistical and political decisions concerning warfare? That would be consistent and logical, seeing that Kerry defended McCain in 2000 and McCain defended Kerry in 2004.

No. John McCain produced fellow POW Colonel Bud Day. This would not in itself be a problem were it not for the fact that Day is one of the men McCain so roundly criticized. Colonel Day was one of the members of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and appeared in a national television ad for them. He also once said of John Kerry, the man who came to John McCain's defense in 2000,

"My view is he basically will go down in history sometime as the Benedict Arnold of 1971."

Day quickly proceeded to get up to old tricks, criticizing General Clark's own time in Vietnam.

Mr. McCain, I am appalled at your choice of spokesmen. If this is indicative of the type of "honorable" and "loyal" behavior we can expect from you now that you are the Republican candidate instead of the maverick outsider, then I consider you no better on the subjects of honesty and honor than the man you seek to replace in office.

Your judgement, sir, is very seriously flawed.

Oh, and by the way... I also find it appalling that I have paid all my property taxes to the County of San Diego in a timely manner while you let yours fall into default the last few years. This does not speak well of your ability to follow up on delegated responsibilities. That a presidential candidate should neglect to make certain his own taxes or those of his family had been paid speaks of the kind of neglectful oversight used as an excuse by President Reagan during Iran-Contra. Sir, did you actually learn nothing from your negative experience as one of the "Keating Five"?

If you can't be bothered to do it yourself, at least hire someone competent to do it for you.

Here are General Clark's comments from CBS' Face The Nation:

Bob Schieffer: Well you, you went so far as to say that you thought John McCain was, quote, and these are your words, "untested and untried," And I must say I, I had to read that twice, because you're talking about somebody who was a prisoner of war. He was a squadron commander of the largest squadron in the Navy. He's been on the Senate Armed Services Committee for lo these many years. How can you say that John McCain is un- untested and untried? General?


GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Because in the matters of national security policy making, it's a matter of understanding risk. It's a matter of gauging your opponents, and it's a matter of being held accountable. John McCain's never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in Armed Forces as a prisoner of war. He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in Air- in the Navy that he commanded, it wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't seen what it's like when diplomats come in and say, 'I don't know whether we're going to be able to get this point through or not. Do you want to take the risk? What about your reputation? How do we handle it-'

Bob Schieffer: Well-

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: ' -it publicly.' He hasn't made those calls, Bob.

Great Article At Publisher's Weekly

Slowly but surely, the waves of erotica and erotic romance are pounding the cliffs placed in front of us to sand. As in any other business, it's the money that is first getting the attention of the so-called "legitimate" publishers and the talent that is then keeping their eyes open.

Publisher's Weekly recently posted this very informative and interesting article,The New E in Erotica . Sure, it's not so new to many of us...but it is nice to see the "big boys" recognizing that their ankles are being bitten. New artistic forms of expression have always fought this battle.

A key quote, in my eyes:
"The consumers were far ahead of me,” says Kate Duffy, editorial director at Kensington, which launched its erotica imprint, Aphrodisia, in 2006. “For years I thought of e-publishing as something people did because they couldn't publish with us. But then we started seeing all of these stellar talents that had first been e-published. It wasn't that the books were in any way inferior—that was my prejudice. It was a different way of accessing consumers, and it would behoove me to investigate.”

Sharing The Blogosphere

Today I'm guest blogging over at fantasy author Sandy Lender's blog Today The Dragon Wins. Sandy has invited authors throughout the month of June to come in and talk about their pen name and she offered me a slot that I gladly accepted.

Please stop by and check out not only what I had to say but some of the great stories from other authors that have appeared there this month.

We Teach This To Children, But Hillary Doesn't Get It

It is called good sportsmanship.

We teach it in Little League and on the playground and in Pop Warner. We expect our athletes to exhibit it. We expect it from the losers at the Oscars. We have every right to expect it from a candidate for President.

Hilary doesn't seem to get the concept. She is still trying to be a cheerleader for Team Clinton. Hillary, the Homecoming Game is over. Your team is behind by a touchdown and a field goal and the gun has sounded. All the "go, fight, win" is over. Oh, and Michelle won Homecoming Queen. But you are on the court. Okay?

"No decision will be made here tonight?" Hillary, who decides to lose? Does any competitive person ever decide to lose? It just happens. The game is over. The final buzzer sounded, the bottom of the ninth is finished and we are not tied. You lost.

Now you are supposed to meet the winner at center court and shake hands over the net.

Last year, the football team I dearly love lost the AFC Championship game. This happened largely because of factors beyond their control. Their best player was injured on the second play of the game. Their quarterback was playing on a knee that required surgery immediately after the season. They were playing a team that had cheated and videotaped their defensive signals and received a slap on the wrist for it. The coach, Norv Turner, knew all this. The team played hard but the other team scored more points and won the game. That is the nature of competition. What did Norv do?

Did Norv refuse to shake Bill Belichick's hand because he had been caught cheating? Did he track down the referee and scream about the Chargers being victimized? Did he petition the league to put the points on the scoreboard that LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers would have scored if they were healthy? No. He went to midfield and shook the other coach's hand. Then he praised the effort and commitment of both teams in his press conference.

Erica Jong came out today and talked about her horrible disappointment in the result of the race. In a piece at The Huffington Post she basically defends Hillary's lack of sportsmanship and says a man would be treated differently. Yeah, a man would be eviscerated this morning instead of being seen as still playing the game. Sorry Erica, it doesn't excuse Ms. Clinton's behavior.

Let's compare that to Barack Obama's words last night about Hillary:
That is particularly true for the candidate who has traveled further on this journey than anyone else. Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she’s a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she’s a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.

Who is showing good sportsmanship and admirable behavior between these two?

My son played a little league playoff game last Saturday. They lost, 3-2 in extra innings. My son was very upset. They had only got to extra innings because he had thrown out a guy attempting to steal and then got a base hit with two out, stole second and, on an infield pop fly, ran like hellhounds were on his tail for home plate. The ball dropped, he scored the tying run and he celebrated like a boy does. Pure joy.

In extra innings, his teams pitcher walked the first guy and they moved him from catcher to pitcher. He got a strikeout and then the new catcher let a ball go by and the runner at first went to second. Facing the other team's best player, my son got two strikes on him and tried to finish the job. The kid hit a clean shot to the outfield. Game over.

My son shook the hand of every member of the winning team.

He had every reason to blame others. He didn't. He told me, "Dad, I served it up to him. It was right down the middle." Mind you, in Little League we just want them to throw strikes, not nibble the corners. But my son didn't cry or whine, or say he had decided the game wasn't over. He took responsibility for his own actions, refused to blame others and was gracious in defeat. I was and am incredibly proud of him.

Hillary Clinton, you could learn a lot from my ten year old boy.

AP Says Obama Has Clinched

According to research by the Associated Press, Barack Obama has achieved the 2,118 pledged delegates necessary to gain the Democratic Party nomination for President.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080603/ap_on_el_pr/primary_rdp

Further reports are that Hillary Clinton will concede this at a speech in New York this evening, with unidentified sources saying that she will let her campaign end, with workers paid through June 15th. It is said that in her speech she will only concede the factual delegate numbers, not the nomination. However, the ending of the financial and business processes would indicate that she is conceding the nomination.

If true, this will effectively allow the Democrats to begin the healing and regrouping process well in advance of the convention.

Barack Obama beat the oddsmakers predictions just getting through Super Tuesday. Now we are set for a Presidential race that may dramatically alter the public face of politics in this country. If Obama runs the type of campaign in the fall that he ran in the spring, and if the American public rejects McCain's politics of destruction, distraction and fear as they did Clinton's attempts to use those tactics, we will have a campaign that will not only be far more ethical, but far more inspiring and educational.

Imagine, a campaign that could actually have fourth graders once again telling their teachers they want to grow up to be president. I like the sound of that.

Will Belegon at The Erotic Woman

In another example of my staggering ability to accomplish something and then completely forget about it, my story The Doubledare Hotel is now online and available to read for FREE at The Erotic Woman. I sold this story to them back in January and just completely forgot to keep an eye on when it would post.

So if you have time for a little interlude and want to read the story of a woman surprising her significant other in a way he'll never forget, follow the link and check it out!

(It is, of course, erotica and is intended for audiences over the age of 18.)

Reaching New Lows In Media: Rachel Ray Is a Terrorist?

Oh come on now....

Dunkin Donuts has pulled an ad featuring Rachel Ray after pressure because the Food Network TV star was wearing a scarf that looked "too Arab".

What? What is this, an episode of The Simpsons? D'oh!

According to the Boston Globe:

"Some observers, including ultra-conservative Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin, were so incensed by the ad that there was even talk of a Dunkin’ Donuts boycott.

‘‘The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad,’’ Malkin yowls in her syndicated column."

So, black and white paisley equals terrorist garb now? The only thing scarier then that is the idea that the Bushinator might use it as an excuse to throw somebody in Guantanamo.

Really Michelle? You want to talk clueless? How about talking plain old dumb? How dumb do you have to be to think that the American public is so freakin' stupid that they can't tell the difference between Arafat and Rachel Ray? Here's a hint; one of them is dead and the other makes her living talking about America's food indulgences while distinctly NOT wearing a burkha. Rachel Ray is even a sex symbol of sorts, in that grand American tradition of mixing two of life's greatest pleasures.

Get a grip. Contribute to the intelligent side of things for once, otherwise you're going to be out of a job when you succeed in dumbing down the atmosphere of the country enough that people don't learn to read.

Of course, even you aren't as bad as the Roswell Beacon. They actually published a cover showing Barack Obama with crosshairs and talking about the security needs to keep him from being assassinated. Something Hillary has been hinting at and something disgracefully referenced by veteran newswoman Liz Trotta at Fox. (YouTube link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjYpkvcmog0) That last one is disgusting. Oh, and she apologized the next day at the tail end of other comments. Yeah, we believe that you are really sorry. Do you really expect us to believe that was an innocent mistake? Even if it were, the fact that you foolowed your "slip" by saying, "well, both if we could."

So there is our level of intelligent discourse this week, friends. Rachel Ray is a terrorist according to Michelle Malkin and the shooting of Barack Obama would be a good idea according to Liz Trotta. Thanks, ladies. In the name of equality, thanks for proving that you don't have to be male to sound as idiotic as Rush Limbaugh (News for you though, Ann Coulter got there first.)

CA Supreme Court Does The Right Thing

I would like to take a moment to stand on my soapbox and give the California Supreme Court a loud and long standing ovation.

The California Supreme Court has overturned the ban on gay marriage!

Today, in a historic decision, the State of California has become only the second to uphold the basic rights of it's gay and lesbian citizens. We are the first to not require that you are a resident.

In a 4-3 decision, the Republican dominated Court declared that a law banning same-sex marriages violated the constitutional right to equal protection under the law for all citizens. Even the dissenting opinion was in agreement that the laws were discriminatory, with those three who voted against framing their argument not as a disagreement in purpose but in jurisdiction, saying that it should be decided by voters.

Opponents immediately declared that they would attempt to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Of course. That's expected.

It doesn't change the reason we have to celebrate today.

And just to remind the haters... I am a white heterosexual middle-aged male with a college-degree and two children. I attended an Episcopalian grade school and a Catholic high school and graduated from a Presbyterian university. This is not a religious issue. It's a human rights issue.

Help Other's While Helping Yourself

With the recent cyclone and the horrible devastation and loss of life in Myanmar, the power of mother nature is once again being slammed home to us. In addition to the efforts of Ann Aquirre at her blog, Coming Together and Phaze are offering another way to help people affected by storms world wide with a re-emphasis on Coming Together:Special Hurricane Relief Edition.

The Special Hurricane Relief Edition was originally published in response to Hurricane Katrina, but the American Red Cross is also working to help the affected in Burma. Thus Phaze thought it appropriate to remind everyone of the availability of this volume and to give you a major incentive to buy it and add to the help being sent despite the regrettable ineptitude of the Myanmar government.

Phaze is generously offering a coupon for 50% off a future Phaze purchase when you buy the e-book or 75% off a future purchase when you order the paperback. In order to receive the coupon, you must order directly from the Phaze website. Here is a link to the page (scroll down below For The Cure)for the Special Hurricane Relief Edition to make it easier.

In addition, if you order this from the Phaze website and let me know at willbelegon@yahoo.com, I will happily mail you a pair of bookmarks and an autographed label to place in your copy of Coming Together. (Obviously, I will need a mailing address..)

Thank you for Coming Together to help those less fortunate...

Happy Mother's Day From Phaze!

Phaze would like to wish all you mom's out there a very Happy Mother's Day in recognition of all the things you do for us every day of the year!

So for today only, Sunday May 11, 2008, all Phaze books are 20% off at Phaze.com. Simply enter the code HOTMAMA at checkout and you will receive your 20% discount.

After all, every mom deserves a break today and a chance to spend some time lost in a good book...

Come Together With Ann Aquirre to Help Cyclone Victims

You will have heard of Cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) on May 2nd. What you may not have heard about is how staggering the loss of life has been in a very densely populated and not very developed part of the world.

Some estimates now rate the eventual death toll at 100,000. As many as 40% of those are said to be children. Presently reported numbers are 22,890 fatalities with at least 42,119 missing. What's worse, ruptured sewage lines are reported to have ruined much of the rice crop in the most heavily affected areas. This will have even more disastrous consequences in the coming months. Aid workers that have been allowed in by the junta government of Myanmar are reporting that homeless peoples could number as high as 3 million. Yes, million.

In response to a question about what was needed, Red Cross spokesman Matt Cochrane said, "Everything." UK charity Save The Children has also been active and is one of the few organizations being allowed in by the Burmese government.

Author Ann Aquirre has started a contest on her blog to give away a $150.00 gift certificate to the book store of your choice if you will simply make a donation and show her that you have made it. Author and Editor of the Coming Together charity anthologies Alessia Brio then added $50.00 to bring it to $200.00.

Please, use this as incentive to help if you possibly can. At the very least, take a few moments to offer your support by spreading the word or sending a kind word in the direction of Ann and also Alessia.

As hard as things are for many in our present economic situation, it is far worse in Burma. Please help.

An Even Split on May 6th? No, Look Again.

So here we are, approaching midnight on the West Coast and the votes are pretty much counted in North Carolina and Indiana. Obama won in N.C. and Hillary in Indiana. So it's a split decision, right? They both won one, so they are even.

Wrong.

Barack Obama won 56% to 42% over Hillary in North Carolina. But the picture on the top of Yahoo's political news page? Right, the former first lady, with a story about her winning Indiana. And that is all some people will see it as... that she won. But lets look at the numbers.

According to the Associated Press, with 99% of the vote counted in Indiana, Hillary won 51% to 49%. A margin of slightly more than 22,000 votes out of 1.2 million. So, if you think your vote doesn't count, the clear message here is to move to Indiana. However, what's not clear is why this eked out win should propel Mrs. Clinton to say, "Thanks to you, it's full speed to the White House!"

Really? Because North Carolina is the tenth largest state in the nation. There were 115 delegates at stake. And Obama, not to be too mean about it, kicked your ass. He wiped the floor with you. Meanwhile, you barely achieve a victory in a state that was always being counted on by your own campaign, and you do it by trumpeting a "gas tax holiday" that some observers have analyzed as meaning approximately $28 to the average American family. Hey, at least when W tries to buy me off he has the cojones to offer me $600 bucks. I mean, that will at least buy me a Playstation 3. Your deal won't even buy me a game to play on it.

Also, the gas tax holiday was already tried. In Illinois, and one of its supporters was Barack Obama. The 5% reduction in taxes there resulted in a 3% drop in the price. In other words, the reduction of income to the state and to public good created a 2% increase in the profits of the oil companies. And at the end of the tax holiday, gas prices went up 4%.

Gee... no wonder the guys from Shell praised the plan.

So at the end of the day, the latest projections are that Obama has gained at least 94 delegates and Clinton at least 75. With 18 more to still be decided. Do the math. Even if Hillary gets all 18 she ends up with 93. (And she won't... if the current ratios hold, Obama will get at least 10 or 11.)

That's not an even split... that's Barack Obama pulling away as we enter the homestretch.

The Myth of White Voters and Obama

Let's get something straight, right now.

I am a straight, white middle-aged democrat and I am voting for Barack Obama.

All the campaign rhetoric that keeps coming from Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and company about how white voters won't support Barack Obama? Please. Consider the sources of your information. Outside the actual Clinton campaign, who is out there saying that whites won't vote for Obama?

The Republicans, and their shills. And they are saying it for the purpose of keeping Hillary in the race. Does this not speak to anyone out there who wants a democratic victory in November? Look, if you are a sports fan and your team is already in the Championship game... and you are watching to see who you will match up with... who are you rooting for? The team that you think will beat you? Or the team you think you will beat?

Right. The Republicans and their puppets want the person they think they can beat. Unless there is something out there really horrible that none of us know about, Obama just got hit in the chops with THE knockout blow. Rev. Wright is to Barack Obama as the Monkey Business is to Gary Hart, as Willie Horton is to Michael Dukakis.

And guess what? Obama rolls on. It has hurt him, but it hasn't destroyed him. This scares the Republicans to death. It screams to them of the term "Teflon" as it was applied to their sainted Ronald Reagan.

So now, they and the Clinton's are playing the race card. White voters won't vote for a black man.

They use Ohio and Pennsylvania to try and prove it. Two places Clinton should have won. And she did. But the real interesting thing is not that she won... she was expected to win those states. What's interesting is her margin of victory. Hillary Clinton was up by 25 points in Pennslyvania only a few months before. Obama made up almost two thirds of the lead, almost double what he eventually lost by. And now, there are people and polls that are hinting he actually has a shot to win Indiana tomorrow, which should have been as much of a shoe-in as Pennsylvania was...

The real facts, according to the New York Times, is that Obama is treading water with white democrats. Meanwhile, Hillary is going down for the third time in the African American community. Follow the link, look at the graph. Then find a white democrat and ask the question.

I'm a white democrat and I'm supporting Barack Obama.

Back From RT, Minus One Bag

Romantic Times went very well in many ways this year. I got filmed for a documentary that was interested in me as a male writer in a female-dominated field, I was interviewed and quoted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and my buttons were a hit. Alessia and I had a book given away in the freebie room and were pleased when all 100 copies got scarfed up and some people even sought us out to sign them.

I met several people I'd been looking forward to meeting, such as Barry Eisler and Elaine from Coffee Time Romance and The Dark Castle Lords. I got to know some people better that I only briefly met last year, like Samantha Kane. I got to meet great new people like Larry from Torquere and Erika. I got brief introductions to people I hope to get to know better, like Caprice Crane and Alexandra Sokoloff. And of course I partied and enjoyed the time with Lillian Feisty, Eden Bradley, Christina Cross, Tawny Taylor and my dear partner Alessia Brio.

The only thing bad about it was the return. Not just leaving my friends, but troubles and inconsistency with the airlines. First, the airline website said my flight was delayed. This created anxiety about making my connection in Minneapolis. Then, we took off on time with the original schedule and even made up time in the air, arriving early. Obviously, that isn't a bad thing. I don't mind having an hour and a half to make my connection instead of 45 minutes. But it does add to the inconsistency portion.

That time ended up being a positive, since the tram was broken down in Minneapolis. But I made it to my connection in plenty of time. I called my mom and told her we were on schedule, or just behind it, and it looked like we would arrive in San Diego just after 11 p.m. as planned, then got on board. And sat while a thunderstorm passed. We backed away from the gate late. We taxied and sat on the tarmac. Eventually we made it into the air.

And I arrived in San Diego safe and sound, if a bit late. My mom had to wait a while, but she was understanding, despite the witching hour being upon us. I told her by phone I would be out as soon as I got my bags. It took a long time for the baggage carousal to start, perhaps due to the lateness of our arrival. I suspect we were the last flight of the evening and that they had a skeleton crew. I got my garment bag right away, one of the first bags off the belt.

And waited for a second case that never came. One that they still can't locate. They know it left Pittsburgh and that is all. This is not good. All of my jeans. About $400 worth of boots and shoes. Lots of brand new promo gear, some autographed books, things I had purchased for the costumes, autographed books, gifts for my kids.

Sure, the airline website says they cover losses up to $3000.00. But it takes a minimum of thirty days. Yeah, I'll have to buy a new electric shaver and pants before then, gang. Plus, if I know the way insurance works, you'll want receipts for things I never expected to need receipts for.

The thing that bugs me the worst is that they had an extra 45 minutes to do it in and they still screwed it up.

But I'm not using the name of the airline deliberately, because I'm hoping they will still get the bag to me, and soon. If they have lost it completely? Then I'll drag their name into the mud.

But other than that one issue (which I really didn't think was gonna be such a long rant) the trip was great.

Promo & Partying In Pittsburgh

I thought it was busy and frantic last year, but it turns out that as a first-timer who wasn't presenting, I was wrong. Last year was nothing, crazy though it was.

Craziness is normal at RT. If not in your mind, at least on your schedule.

Romantic Times is the big convention for the romance genre, and while it may not quite reach the nuttiness of ComicCon, it gets wild. As always, I don't feel like I've slowed down since I got here.

It started yesterday with the normal registration lines and elevator overflow. We had to get our promo gear out on promo lane and then I did a panel on e-books and law for EPIC. That was the first time I had been on a panel and it was a very interesting experience. Then we had the Expo. I sold and signed a few books and spent about 15 minutes on camera talking to some folks making a documentary about the Romance industry. If I get ten seconds in the finished film I will be thrilled.

Ellora's Cave hosted a "Golden Age of Hollywood" party that started almost immediately after the expo was cleaned up. Went upstairs and got into tuxedo and danced for hours, with lots of drinking and flirting.

This morning, I helped Alessia set up for Club RT, then was interviewed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This afternoon I will be signing at All Romance eBooks table for an hour, then doing dinner and coming upstairs to get all pirated out for the Faery Ball.

And of course there will be much drinking, dancing and flirting. *Grin*