Episode 15: Bernie Slander? Cruz Control? Jon is Perfect?

The Presidential primary is taking center stage again but the boys go local. The debate continues. Listen in terror as Rob accidentally gets Conservativated after reading a book on Isis. Hear Jon recoil in horror as the perfect might just become the enemy of the good and listen to Dave weep.

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12-29-15: Rob's Book of the Week!

Rise of Isis by Jay Sekulow

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Jay Sekulow, one of America's most influential attorneys, closely examines the rise of the terrorist groups ISIS and Hamas, explains their objectives and capabilities and how, if left undefeated, their existence could unleash a genocide of historic proportions.

Recently, the world has been shaken by gruesome photos and videos that have introduced us to the now infamous terrorist group known as ISIS. The world's wealthiest and most powerful jihadists, ISIS originated within Al Qaeda with the goal of creating an Islamic state across Iraq and Syria and unrelenting jihad on Christians. Separate from ISIS, the terrorist group Hamas has waged an equally brutal war against Israel. Both groups, if left undefeated, have the potential to unleash a catastrophic genocide.

"Rise of ISIS" gives a better understanding of the modern face of terror,  and provides an overview of the laws of war and war crimes. These laws differentiate between the guilty and innocent, and explain why the US military and the Israeli Defense Forces are often limited in their defensive measures.
The authors' firsthand experience, including multiple appearances before the Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court at The Hague, along with direct contact battling jihadists during operation Iraqi Freedom lends insight into this important geopolitical issue.

A must-have for anyone who wants to better understand the conflict that exists in the middle east, this well-researched and fully annotated volume is invaluable in revealing how this new brand of terrorism poses a very real threat to Americans and the world at large. It also serves as a guide to what we as individuals--and as a nation--can do to stop this escalating violence, prevent jihad, and protect Israel and America from this imminent threat.

Includes a link to an exclusive track from the Jay Sekulow and, "Where I Stand," a moving tribute to the persecuted Christians in Iraq.

Episode 14: The Break Up and Make Up Episode!

Jon, Rob and David, mired in the excesses of the season, argue over principles in regard to voting, the greater good and whether or not the nation deserves a swift kick in the pants.

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12-23-15: Rob's Book of the Week!

Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now by Douglas Rushkoff

BUY IT @ BLUE FROG BOOKS!

If the end of the twentieth century can be characterized by futurism, the twenty-first can be defined by presentism.
This is the moment we've been waiting for, explains award-winning media theorist Douglas Rushkoff, but we don t seem to have any time in which to live it. Instead we remain poised and frozen, overwhelmed by an always-on, live-streamed reality that our human bodies and minds can never truly inhabit. And our failure to do so has had wide-ranging effects on every aspect of our lives.
People spent the twentieth century obsessed with the future. We created technologies that would help connect us faster, gather news, map the planet, compile knowledge, and connect with anyone, at anytime. We strove for an instantaneous network where time and space could be compressed.
Well, the future's arrived. We live in a continuous now enabled by Twitter, email, and a so-called real-time technological shift. Yet this now is an elusive goal that we can never quite reach. And the dissonance between our digital selves and our analog bodies has thrown us into a new state of anxiety: present shock.
Rushkoff weaves together seemingly disparate events and trends into a rich, nuanced portrait of how life in the eternal present has affected our biology, behavior, politics, and culture. He explains how the rise of zombie apocalypse fiction signals our intense desire for an ending; how the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street form two sides of the same post-narrative coin; how corporate investing in the future has been replaced by futile efforts to game the stock market in real time; why social networks make people anxious and email can feel like an assault. He examines how the tragedy of 9/11 disconnected an entire generation from a sense of history, and delves into why conspiracy theories actually comfort us.
As both individuals and communities, we have a choice. We can struggle through the onslaught of information and play an eternal game of catch-up. Or we can choose to live in the present: favor eye contact over texting; quality over speed; and human quirks over digital perfection. Rushkoff offers hope for anyone seeking to transcend the false now.
Absorbing and thought-provoking, "Present Shock "is a wide-ranging, deeply thought meditation on what it means to be human in real time.

Episode 13: Special Guest Rabbi Jeff Falick! Trump! Cruz!

Jeff, Rob and Dave are joined by Rabbi Jeffrey Falick of the Birmingham Temple hot off of his White House visit! We talk the Presidential race and are joined by Justin Van Buren, a local youth, for some oil trade insight!

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12-15-15: Rob's Book of the Week!

Stuff Every American Should Know by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese

BUY IT @ BLUE FROG BOOKS!

This pocket-sized companion is filled with stuff every American should know.

Who played the first game of baseball? What's a bicameral congress? Where did Mount Rushmore come from? Who is Geronimo and why do we yell his name when we jump?

Stuff Every American Should Know answers these questions plus great information on the Declaration of Independence, fireworks, the first Thanksgiving, "The Star-Spangled Banner," assassination attempts on U.S. presidents, buffalo nickels, the Statue of Liberty, how to bake the perfect apple pie, and much, much more.

Episode 12: Trump, Trump, Trump... the Furor Continues

Jordan Genso joins Jon, Rob and Dave again to talk national politics. The media, the Republican circus and the Donald dominate today, but we also get into the little slices of humanity that make up a constituency. Fun stuff this week!

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12-8-15: Rob's Book of the Week!

The Complete Life's Little Instruction Book by The Staff of The New York Times

BUY IT @ BLUE FROG BOOKS!

"The Complete Life's Little Instruction Book" contains the 1,560 entries found in all three volumes of the "New York Times" Bestselling "Life's Little Instruction Book "series. Bound in a deluxe, maroon, leather edition, this collectible hardcover makes a perfectly elegant gift for any occasion.

Though originally written as a gift from a father to a son, its simple message has been enjoyed by men and women of all ages.

"Most of us already know how to live a successful and purposeful life," says the author. "We know we should be understanding and thoughtful, responsible, courageous, and appreciative. It's just that we sometimes need reminding." "Life's Little Instruction Book" is that reminder.

Episode 11: Charter Schools, Special Guests and Cruz Control

Jon, Rob and Dave (with special guest, local Democratic candidate Jordan Jenso) dive into the Charter and public school debate. Dave gets tongue-tied with anger in regard to Ted Cruz and the culture of violence. Jon challenges himself to a quiet five minutes and Rob... Citizen's United.

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12-01-15: Rob's Book of the Week!

The Fox Effect: How Roger Ailes Turned a Network Into a Propaganda Machine by David Brock, Ari Rabin-Havt and Media Matters

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Based on the meticulous research of the news watchdog organization Media Matters for America, David Brock and Ari Rabin-Havt show how Fox News, under its president Roger Ailes, changed from a right-leaning news network into a partisan advocate for the Republican Party.

The Fox Effect follows the career of Ailes from his early work as a television producer and media consultant for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. Consequently, when he was hired in 1996 as the president of Rupert Murdoch’s flagship conservative cable news network, Ailes had little journalism experience, but brought to the job the mindset of a political operative. As Brock and Rabin-Havt demonstrate through numerous examples, Ailes used his extraordinary power and influence to spread a partisan political agenda that is at odds with long-established, widely held standards of fairness and objectivity in news reporting.

Featuring transcripts of leaked audio and memos from Fox News reporters and executives, The Fox Effect is a damning indictment of how the network’s news coverage and commentators have biased reporting, drummed up marginal stories, and even consciously manipulated established facts in their efforts to attack the Obama administration.