This week's issue of The Economist

Press Release J-Ro SPACE to launch this weekend, rumors abound Talk of incompetence,outdated know-how surface Sept. 9, 2016 Columbia, MO: J-Ro SPACE has been planning a rocket launch at an undisclosed location for this weekend somewhere in Columbia, MO. A launch that has been surrounded by rumor, drama, and questions of incompetence directed toward the company’s Chief Executive Officer, J-Ro. J-Ro is best described as an eccentric mathematician, that many have doubts about his ability to accomplish a successful launch. The start-up organization has reportedly never had a successful launch, and J-Ro’s experience goes back decades, however, it been a decade since he has put his hands on a rocket. While J-Ro’s experience does go back to the age of 10 years, his last successful launch was in 1991. Rumors also have surface about lacking logistical revenue, shortages, and whether the launch system will arrive in time for the tentative launch date. J-Ro is also reported to have a plethora of health problems leaving many wondering about his endurance level needed to conduct the event properly. He apparently has trouble driving vehicles with more than two-wheels. He was quoted once in a leaked health report, “I just feel a lot more comfortable riding a motorcycle than driving a car.” Whether this event will end in a disaster or a success is a question that has opinions on both sides. “Ah... I'll cheer for the eccentric engineer,” said Roxy Rose, who lives near the J-Ro SPACE facility and often peers over the fence in curiosity. She claims to have actually spoken with the recluse. Security is tight around the compound. “I got the feeling [J-Ro] wants to set rocket off soon.” said another neighbor, Ruthie Rutherford, “but I hope I can watch… I've never seen anything like that.” There is also rumors that the CEO is obsessed with retro rockets from the 80s. Undocumented reports and exclusive video from other news sources appear to show J-Ro constructing the estes rocket named “Yankee,” a rocket that has been around from the time that estes rockets first started their business, selling them to Cub Scouts. A coffee-stained invoice recovered near the J-Ro site indicates that J-Ro SPACE is requisitioning another 1980s estes rocket relic, the “Photon Probe.” Most experts say, that the launch is unlikely and will never happen. The CEO's best friend, Cookie Wookie is quoted by one source as saying, "He don't know what he is doing," in an unofficial comment. Wookie was reported to have made this comment after a long duration of lack of treat distribution as the company’s supply lines had been stretched in the early design efforts. But inside sources point out that she may have had a personal issue with the CEO at the time. When we contacted her, she denied everything saying “such things about my best friend…unheard of!” She said that she finds this press attack as unethical, but asked if we had any extra slim jims in the press van. A payoff? Not sure. “Well, even best friends don't get along all the time,” said Rose. “She was hungry!” Some sources claim that J-Ro SPACE sees this as a test launch to ensure systems are in check for more launches of greater height in the future. It seems that the organization is only planning to use esstes rocket engines of size A8-3 which are of limited thrust and are usually used for maiden launches.

Here is just another example of the Rubert Murdoch subtle propagandizing and misleading by use of weirdo headlines. I began reading the article not knowing who had written it. I scan the article and got the idea, then I looked back at the headline. I was like…what? So I re-read the article and the disconnect arose once again, but then I got it, then I was intrigued by the author. It was my favorite basketball player of all time. To tell you the truth, that is a shitty headline. Then I was curious so I looked up the online version of the story. Even shittier headline. If you read the story, you will be able to tell that the proper headline is something in between. The online headline use the word “just” to belittle political correctness, when in actuality Abdul-Jabar was championing political correctness but was against Anti-PC-Rhetoric as the final bolded subhead implies. Wow! Rubert, your and ass… The correct headline should read Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: [Anti-]Political Incorrectness Is Just a Strategy. The bottom line is, read Time magazine stories, don’t rely on the headlines….they are misleading.

In retrospect, I feel I need to elaborate more on the subject. If anyone remembers, we installed an interum government in Iraq, then we publicized the fact that there were free elections to establish a democratically elected government, under the idea of "spreading democracy." So, in the spirit of retrospect, someone is now claiming that we should have not left. If we had not left, we would have had to taken away the power and respect we had for the very democratic mechanisms that we had already championed, as we would have had to disregard the Iraqi government's ideas for a SOFA. And now, we think we know it all, and we think it was so simple to just stay there, when in fact staying there would have been equivalent to another invasion of the very government we championed as an example of our efforts to “spread democracy.” Should we have taken back our publicity, our message, and just said “well, we loved your elections, they were very pretty, but we don’t think you making the right decisions here. So were going to establish martial law again, and take you government over again.” You can’t have it both ways, my friends. I would certainly love someone to explain this disconnect to me. I am not trying to be an A-hole here, I am only proposing a situation where we are not considering international relations and issues when we make blanket statements that over on a + or - issue. Thanks for your comments.

PROMPT: Nelson Mandela once wrote, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Chances are that, at one time or another, you will be faced with communicating effectively with someone who has a completely different worldview. In those situations, how can we break down barriers and create a successful exchange of ideas? In this discussion, reflect on the importance of leaders finding common ground through effective communication. Use best practices and systems theory principles to support your ideas. In your responses to your classmates, evaluate their analyses and state whether you agree or disagree with the analyses and why. RESPONSE I have spent a lot of time overseas, and often times trying to participate in efforts to defend a particular culture that does not understand that that is what you are trying to do. And, not to get political, but let us just be informed of the larger fact that President Obama left Iraq in 2015, was that there were disagreements about the Status of Forces Agreement with that particular country’s government. Whatever you think, a SOFA as such agreements are named, help protect our soldiers from foreign courts that may be biased against our presence in that particular country. I a bit conflicted with what exactly I should share. Should I discuss the Yangju highway incident, “also known as the Yangju training accident or Highway 56 Accidental situation,” according to a Wikipedia article on the topic (Yangju highway incident, 2016). This was a situation where an unfortunate accident involving a M60A1 Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge (also known as an AVLB) struck and killed two fourteen-year-old Korean girls approximately 12 miles north of Seoul, a public information situation that I was involved with in 2002, that in many ways discredited, and spurned disgust, towards an already dwindling reputation of the US military on the Korean Peninsula. While this event was in all respects an accident, it was perceived by most Koreans as a situation where those responsible were to be jailed for a significant amount of time. I suppose their perception was somewhere along the lines of an “involuntary manslaughter charge,” (Involuntary Manslaughter Penalties and Sentencing, 2016). That would mean a term in prison for at least a year. Various debates and conflicting arguments on either side, skirmished over the governmental jurisdiction of the accident. The two operators of the vehicle were eventually tried in a military court where they were found innocent of a charge similar to what we define as involuntary manslaughter charge. I have more instances that I could fill up this discussion board with, but I will leave it at that. I do so, because it pinpoints an area where people don’t seem to understand a particular perspective. For example, “Obama was the founder of ISIS.” This was a statement from a particular candidate that was apparently making a metaphoric reference to Obama’s withdrawal from Iraq. Would you have stayed in Iraq without a proper SOFA. Would you have sacrificed US military personnel for the sake of a nation that didn’t want us there to begin with. Of course the government crumbled, but considering this simple example that I have illustrated where we were able to save the lives of two young men from irresponsible prosecution; a SOFA is very important – so important, that I am willing to guess that a lot of those involved in this discussion have no idea what I am talking about. Involuntary Manslaughter Penalties and Sentencing (2016). criminal.findlaw.com . retrieved August 24, 2016 from http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/involuntary-manslaughter-penalties-and-sentencing.html Yangju highway incident (2016) . Wikipedia .retrieved August 24, 2006 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangju_highway_incident

This Head line and sub head are misleading, if you read the actual story, it is actually about harassment and hate comments and messaging. The headline implies that internet bloggers and Twitterers are not relevant and only encourage hate. In additions, the term "troll," is a relevant metaphor for the article content but not what is implied in the headline and Time cover. In that case, isn't calling us bloggers "trolls" also inspiring hate?

A year, three months and four days ago, I was outraged with the Waco Police Department. I've recently began a study on the department's communication mechanisms from a systems approach as part of my graduate studies in communications with Southern New Hampshire University. I wrote a couple articles and various posts about the Waco PD spokesperson, Sgt. Patrick Swanton, concerning how he handled the media situation. But as I have conducted my analysis, which will be a part of a video presentation that I should be publishing in the next week, “Milstone 2: Leadership Communication Critique,” I have to admit that the man does have skills. Below is an excerpt from the script... The "Elk Video Facebook link is provided above... Rozean: One thing about the Waco PD public information operations is that they are blessed with a great spokesperson, Sgt. Patrick Swanton. When he speaks his presences appears to establish ethos(credibility), pathos(emotion), and logos(logical argument). [Key Swanton pic on Strengths slide] He has a great ability to speak clearly and in a language that is easy to understand. Check out this clip from the Waco PD Facebook page. [Que Elk video] SWAnTon: Ok…Good morning Y’all, to give you a little bit of an update. They have darted he elk, and the elk is down. As luck would have it, the elk has fallen in the most wooded part of the creek. We have volunteers, game wardens, and officers are, at this point, trying to rescue the elk out of the creek. And is obviously taking a team effort. As you can see they have got it now, and hopefully at this point we can get it medically evaluated and make sure it’s safe. [Key more Swanton pics on Strengths slide] ROzean: Great job! From “Milstone 2: Leadership Communication Critique,” These things being said, there are still a lot of issues with the criminal justice system in Waco, but as I read the Dallas Morning News article, "Judge: Prosecutor has 'substantial' stake in Waco biker case"; it is beginning to become clear that the true culprit of violating the civil rights of those bikers belongs largely to District Attorney Abel Reyna. However, Chief Brent Stroman and Sgt. Swanton shouldn't have bought into Reyna's philosophy that anyone wearing colors should have been arrested regardless of their circumstances. And Swanton, as a PI professional, shouldn't have editorialized in his statements that the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents meeting was some sort of meeting designed to orchestrate gang violence. Many of those in attendance were not criminals, and I still postulate a large percentage of those still being prosecuted had nothing to do with the crime that should have been investigated properly. Swanton bought into Reyna's proposition at the scene to arrest anyone with any motorcycle connection in the vicinity. Anyway, so the efforts of this site begins...