tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87797483053654227192024-03-05T21:32:08.090-08:00Brian Bandell, writerI'm giving people updates on my thriller and science fiction writing. I will add some humorous commentary as well.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-90200515783334259112022-05-28T19:07:00.000-07:002022-05-28T19:07:43.231-07:00My fourth novel release, “The Rabbi and the Condemned” coming this year<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nBD4p-XdzHkQ3nh7linnZQI3-fHCO63fOBf7Og4rCafSVTxAY9PW6_y5--TM_9OFQN_6XHaGLON9ZUBc-tpmxiOiFO8HPPmxK3PkMM74HK4xvGHlYFbdZ8oTfv7qFHsNGlOEW7lfx8hOwhRqJP7a_Ic4CO8F-0a4qJplsmAsDptPLNxiNoIucHf2/s4500/Rabbi%20and%20the%20Condemned%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4500" data-original-width="2820" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nBD4p-XdzHkQ3nh7linnZQI3-fHCO63fOBf7Og4rCafSVTxAY9PW6_y5--TM_9OFQN_6XHaGLON9ZUBc-tpmxiOiFO8HPPmxK3PkMM74HK4xvGHlYFbdZ8oTfv7qFHsNGlOEW7lfx8hOwhRqJP7a_Ic4CO8F-0a4qJplsmAsDptPLNxiNoIucHf2/s320/Rabbi%20and%20the%20Condemned%20Cover.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br />
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Every year on Yom Kippur, Jews seek atonement from God and ask
people to forgive them for the wrongs they’ve done, but what if someone’s life
depended on righting your biggest wrong?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">My next novel “The Rabbi and the Condemned” takes the theme
of atonement to death row, but this isn’t like any prison on Earth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Here’s the debut of the book jacket blurb from my novel,
which will be released later this year by Silver Leaf Books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">For 31 years Rabbi Samuel Rabinowitz has known Jameer Pace
was innocent of murder and he has the bloody t-shirt to prove it. With his
bully of a brother now dead, he finally hopes to tell the inmate in person
before setting him free. But in 2053, Florida’s death row is Stark Station in
the asteroid belt, where the condemned inmates are forced on deadly missions to
mine radioactive rocks.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">The radiation weakening him by the day, Pace doesn’t have
much time left. Rabinowitz quickly realizes that achieving redemption would
come at a terrible cost. Setting Pace free would have harsh repercussions for
the rabbi, especially from the station’s vindictive warden. Yet, he can live no
longer with the horrible secret. Upping the stakes, Rabinowitz tells a
journalist that Pace is innocent and shines the spotlight on the abusive
practices in Stark Station. </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">The more Rabinowitz sees how Pace has suffered, the harder
it becomes to ask for forgiveness. With a near-suicidal mission on deck for the
inmates, the rabbi’s gates of atonement may close forever.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">This will be my fourth novel with Silver Leaf Books, but it’s
the first one where a character has religion as a primary motivation. Asking
for forgiveness is hard. Not only does it require humility, it often means
making yourself vulnerable. In this story, Rabinowitz doesn’t have anyone to protect
him on Stark Station. The warden has final say over everything, and anyone who opposes
him can take a walk out the airlock. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Why set my death row novel in the asteroid belt? Besides
having cool scenes with inmates in space suites bouncing across space rocks
with sharp drilling equipment, it enhances the urgency of freeing the inmate. Pace
is withering away from radiation exposure, and any mission could kill him. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">And, of course, a <i>Shawshank Redemption </i>moment of
tunneling to freedom is out of the question. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">But there are still tough questions for Pace. Even if he
could return to Earth a free man, what’s the point when his body has been
ravaged beyond repair? How can a man who has been devastated by the system and
spent most of his life wrongly imprisoned find a purpose in the rest of his days?
That’s where faith comes in. The rabbi must liberate Pace from both death row
and his prison of hopelessness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Obtaining atonement and asking for forgiveness doesn’t have
to wait for Yom Kippur, and it’s not too late if you didn’t seek them this
year, or the last 31 years. Whether you’re Jewish or not, there’s never a wrong
time to set things right.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f3864; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Stay tuned for the official release date for “The Rabbi and
the Condemned” and a schedule of speaking appearances.</span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-63017687061812540732021-05-13T20:09:00.000-07:002021-05-13T20:09:31.202-07:00Escape from Covid island<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">I feel like I’ve been stranded on Gilligan’s Island for 14
months and now I’m finally back in society, but I’m dumbfounded how to react.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My brain was reprogrammed for social distancing when the
Covid-19 pandemic started. How the hell do I deprogram it?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All along I said I’d follow the CDC guidelines. Now, the CDC
says fully vaccinated people don’t need masks or social distancing, except in
packed planes and buses. I’m free to leave the island, ready or not. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Oh no, it’s a bare mouth! Wait, don’t be scared. Unless they
have terrible breath and start up a long conversation. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m free to shake hands and hug, I guess. Damn, I’ve been
acting for months like a handshake will kill me and now I can dive into a human
spaghetti bowl with fellow vaccinated folk?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s where the rewiring kicks in. When someone passes by
me on the sidewalk, I need to remember not to sprint ten feet away (extra
social distancing) like they’re a flesh-eating monster. When someone reaches to
shake my hand, I shouldn’t look at them like they’ve just offered me a snotty
tissue to the face. But should I immediately wash my hands afterwards? Wait, I’m
vaccinated. I can rub my dirty hands all over my face. But what if I catch a cold?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I guess this means I won’t be working from home forever. I
really miss spending 2.5 hours a day in Miami traffic. That’ll be fun. You mean
I can’t wear flip flops all day? I need to break my socks out of storage. How
the hell do I put on a tie again? You mean I have to wear a suit in South
Florida’s 95-degree heat?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This means no more excuses.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m so sorry. I’d love to come, but I’m confined to my home
during the pandemic. You understand.” (Not that I’d go anyway.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m back to pure, cold-hearted rejection. Maybe I can tell
everyone my dogs can’t possibly live without me, so I need to stay home with
them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s a sea change in thinking. For months, the people packing
together, unvaccinated without masks were the assholes. They were constantly
ridiculed on media and online. And one day later, get fully vaccinated and you
can go party. Not that we can tell the vaccinated from those who aren’t, but
that’s another conundrum. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now that the CDC says fully vaccinated people rarely spread
the virus, I shouldn’t feel guilty about being around unmasked people, right? If
they aren’t vaccinated, they decided to take the risk and it’s not any riskier
because I’m there. And still, if I know they aren’t vaccinated, do I still shake
their hand? Maybe I’ll fist bump, with one of those plastic fists on a spring. </p>
<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-12034871631602960252020-12-31T07:56:00.000-08:002020-12-31T07:56:14.423-08:00As 2020 draws to a close, a note of thanks<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">There’s little debate that 2020 was an awful year, but I can’t
let it end without a note of thanks. Not to the people, or cosmic forces, that
caused all this misery, but to the people whose heroic actions have given us
hope. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Health care workers are some of the most selfless people I've ever met. They aren’t in it for the money. They genuinely care about people,
and we’ve seen that demonstrated this year by their dedication to treating
patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. Even when their own health and safety
was at risk, they bravely went to work every day. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMz_UgsY-47DqW-SIbKgl4VNPfRlMazsQA58TFhYmuXAj4iUf2VWZFcAD1kLzXhp5pU7FhGQCwg7UMiSVMMypeQBw4LZXN7jzriF3jWiKXYhCr0FLo_9H3fH0SgpcoPTu1Yf7lHWWBgDk/s2048/pexels-gustavo-fring-3985163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMz_UgsY-47DqW-SIbKgl4VNPfRlMazsQA58TFhYmuXAj4iUf2VWZFcAD1kLzXhp5pU7FhGQCwg7UMiSVMMypeQBw4LZXN7jzriF3jWiKXYhCr0FLo_9H3fH0SgpcoPTu1Yf7lHWWBgDk/s320/pexels-gustavo-fring-3985163.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Gustavo Fring of Pexels.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve spoken to nurses who held the hands of dying patients
when their families couldn’t be there. I’ve heard doctors describe how they put
terrified patients on ventilators, and those patients pleaded with them to bring
them back. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many of these providers are frustrated that people continually
ignore clear safety guidelines, yet they don’t stand in judgment. They treat
every patient, no matter their views on the pandemic, because that’s what health care providers do.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They’ve faced a five-alarm emergency every day for over nine
months. Imagine your toughest, busiest, scariest day at work, and have that
every single day, and knowing tomorrow will be the same. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don’t know how they do it. But I know our society would
collapse without them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another note of thanks goes to the scientific researchers.
Think about this a second. It took over 20 years of research to develop an
effective polio vaccine, and the disease had been around for hundreds of years.
Scientists found several effective vaccines for Covid-19 less than a year after
the disease was discovered. That is a truly astonishing breakthrough. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The importance of scientific research shouldn’t be
underestimated. The rapid development of vaccines came about because years were
spent researching the genetic makeup of viruses and novel RNA treatments. The
work was done by scientists from multiple countries, and some of the key
researchers were immigrants. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This shows what happens when government and private funders
devote their resources to curing a disease. Imagine what else they can achieve,
how many lives they can save, with the right resources.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, to every researcher who goes into the lab, thank you.
When humanity is helpless to fight a disease, you’re our only hope.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And finally, I want to thank to essential workers. I’m
talking about the people who had no option but to leave their house and do
their jobs, while people like me had the option of sheltering indoors. Grocery
clerks, delivery workers, first responders, police, teachers, drivers,
construction workers, government workers, and so many more, many of you have
vital jobs that help our society function. Thank you for your hard work.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I wish changing the calendar to 2021 will solve all our
problems, but I don’t think that’s the case. Let’s remember this. We are
stronger when we are unified. A virus doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care who
you are. It doesn’t matter whether you believe it exists or not. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we’re facing a virus-like threat, whether it’s a
natural disaster or a man-made disaster like war or climate change, we must
come together and follow the right path. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here’s to a better 2021.</p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-23804903972990934772020-04-26T19:52:00.001-07:002020-04-26T19:52:48.855-07:00We should keep up these practices after Covid-19The way our lives have changed amid the Covid-19 pandemic has made be realize what gross, unsanitary lifestyles we had before. Some of the practices we’ve adopted to slow the spread of the virus should become permanent. <br />Whether coronavirus or the common cold, who likes getting sick?<br />I’m not saying ban all parties and crowds forever, but how about this? Stop shaking hands. I’ll be sitting in temple blowing my nose for everyone to hear, and people still want to shake my hand. One time I went to an awards events when I was sick and I politely, or so I thought, declined to shake hands with everyone. I got so many nasty looks. Would you rather know what my sore throat feels like?<br />Do we need physical contact to prove who has the stronger grip? So I can feel your sweat? Nothing’s wrong with a proper bow, or a salute. <br />And don’t get me started on the Miami custom of hugs and kisses. Just put your germs directly on my face, please!<br />Taking health into account when entering a store is a great idea. I love that the Publix crew is cleaning all the shopping carts. No more carts with empty wrappers and sticky handlebars. Please do that forever.<br />When hand sanitizer is easier to come by, it should be placed in the entrance of every store to encourage people to rid their hands of germs before touching the merchandise. That goes double for clothing stores. The poor clerks have to refold the clothes after some stranger with dirty hands touched them. <br />Some companies are investing in a touchless experience in the bathroom - automatic faucets and doors that open without a handle. It’s hard to clean objects everytime someone touches them. It’s easier to minimize the numbers of times people need to lay hands on things.<br />When you’re sick, don’t “tough it out.” Stay home. I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone. Unless I literally can’t get out of bed, I want to work. Now that we’ve seen how efficient we can be working from home, it’s not a big deal to work remotely if you’re not 100%.<br />
For jobs that can’t be done remotely, hopefully employers will understand employees should be given paid sick days, because that’s less expensive than getting half the workplace sick. <br />Come to think of it, what’s the point of spending over an hour a day in traffic when you could have an extra hour actually doing work? Is it worth a 70 minute drive for a face-to-face meeting when you could have done a Zoom chat? People do need to meet in person, but not every day.<br />Now let’s talk about food. How come at buffet lines everyone touches the same utensils as they shovel the food onto their plates? Dozens of people handle the same tongs and spoons, putting all kinds of germs on them, and then they use the same hands to stuff bread rolls into their mouths. All the viruses you can eat.<br />Why can’t a food service employee handle the utensils for the customers? Or each customer gets a personal pair of tongs and a spoon as they head down the buffet line?<br />Then there are religious ceremonies. Whether a Christian performing Communion or a Jew doing a Kiddush, it makes no sense for everyone to drink from the same cup of wine. Don’t expect blessings to remove germs from the cup as it becomes a Petri dish of saliva. Why not bless the wine, then pour it into small cups to pass around? Only drink from the small cups, not the big one.<br />My ranting is over, for now. Why should you take it from me? I did write an entire science fiction novel about a woman trying not to spread an infection to other people. Moni Williams flees Florida for the New Mexico desert.<br />Take to heart these words in the the <a href="http://www.silverleafbooks.com/Books_SilenceTheLiving.htm" target="_blank">opening</a> of "Silence the Living": <br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT";">Her standing here alone
was the only way to survive, for herself and every native creature on
Earth.</span></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT";">When I wrote them, I didn't know they would become real for so many of us.</span></span><i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT";"> </span></span></i> Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-70279733259533784532019-09-17T20:13:00.001-07:002019-09-17T20:13:51.383-07:00A Thank You Letter to the Miami DolphinsAs the Miami Dolphins embark on a epic tank job this season, I have two words for them: thank you.<br />For most of my adult life, I devoted three hours of my Sundays (and sometimes Thursday or Monday nights) to watching Dolphins football. I’ve scheduled my day around plopping down in front of the TV and watching the Fins fight. They usually lost, but at least they made it entertaining.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfND1TCJn4jp9F_8wo84T-m1sCBxK9auE1rWgygfCuqmFDr8cZ2E_HQZ5r1YFYOxrVhjxQ1jZcjMcZSVs7Q6ZQzEp7VU5y7pTxhVuhuHW8wf9_guGYDgKiPK_rGc_4tdCnC_SBcVh_j8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-09-17+at+11.06.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="890" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfND1TCJn4jp9F_8wo84T-m1sCBxK9auE1rWgygfCuqmFDr8cZ2E_HQZ5r1YFYOxrVhjxQ1jZcjMcZSVs7Q6ZQzEp7VU5y7pTxhVuhuHW8wf9_guGYDgKiPK_rGc_4tdCnC_SBcVh_j8/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-09-17+at+11.06.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />My family would go to the mall or to a restaurant. I’d be home watching the Dolphins. When I went with them to family parties, I’d often sneak into a room to watch the game, or check the score on my phone every two minutes. <br />When the games were close in the fourth quarter, my palms would get sweaty. I’d sit on the edge of my sofa, tapping my feet frantically on the tile. I'd shout at the TV, and my wife would remind me the players can't hear me.<br />
When the Dolphins fell short in the end (as they usually did), it would put me in a horrible mood the rest of the day. Everything in life could be great, but the Dolphins lose and I can’t fake a smile.<br />Those days are over.<br />The 2019 Miami Dolphins have no business on the NFL field. This team is on a quest for 0-16. Their only goal is to earn the top draft pick. <br />I can watch losing, as long as it’s a fairly competitive game. After two blowout loses, it’s clear this team can’t compete. There’s no fun in watching a one-siding beating.<br />Thank you, Dolphins. I’m free.<br />I no longer to sweat over whether the team can win. I no longer have to block off three hours on Sundays when my family is out having fun. I can relax at parties and leave my phone in my pocket, not concerned with whether the Dolphins lose by 20, 30 or 40.<br />There is one date I absolutely will circle on my calendar: April 23, 2020. That’s when the Dolphins will have the first pick in the draft, and I can start caring again.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-2500294121962723572019-03-19T20:14:00.000-07:002019-03-19T20:14:26.663-07:00Millions of people helped New Zealand mass murderer go viralA common refrain after the horrible mass murder of 50 Muslims in New Zealand was to criticize Facebook and YouTube for failing to block the killer’s video from spreading online. While that’s a valid point, I have a bigger question. Why did millions of people repost this bloody video?<br /><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-zealand-shooting-facebook-removed-videos-terror-attack-mosques-christchurch-2019-03-17/" target="_blank">According to CBS</a>, Facebook said it deleted 1.5 million videos of the shooting in the first 24 hours after the attack, which was posted in real time on Facebook Live by the killer. It prevented 1.2 million videos from being uploaded. <br />YouTube hasn’t said how many times the New Zealand massacre video was posted there, but it’s been struggling to remove the video as fast as people are reposting it. <br />Both Facebook and YouTube removed user comments in support of the murders, as sick as that sounds.<br />That’s the bigger issue here. Millions of people want to see a white nationalist slaughter innocent people. Is it morbid curiosity? A desire to share breaking news? Maybe for some people, but I fear it’s worse than that. <br />
Social media has become a potent platform for spreading hate and violence. The difficulty that some of the world’s biggest and most advanced companies have in pulling these videos demonstrates how determined the supporters of hate are to voice their message.<br />The killer made this video to immortalize his deeds and find meaning in his trivial life by going viral - similar to the fictional characters in my novel “Famous After Death.”<br />Sharing the video is exactly what the killer wanted. Don’t give him that pleasure. Don’t say his name. <br />Don’t let him have the fame he seeks.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-83994281843156184292018-10-21T18:47:00.000-07:002018-10-21T18:47:05.570-07:00The music that inspired the book: Silence the LivingI knew the story I wanted to tell in “Silence the Living” and I had the characters formed in my head, but I couldn’t put the novel into focus until I found musical inspiration.<br />One night I was driving from South Florida to Orlando to meet my family at a theme park. I put on “A Star-Cross Wasteland” by In This Moment. From one song to the next, my novel fell into place. The desolate desert imagery became real. The monsters, mutated coyotes and deformed cross-breeds of desert-dwelling species, took life. The pain of the tragic love between Moni and Aaron felt blistering.<br />I offered my thanks to In This Moment in the opening notes of this book. Even today when I hear their songs, the scenes from my novel swirl through my head.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHkKbh0VLHNqxvWOON7XtpDTJacnbYPXbuNDSFDBUQjNs8NJym_OqIEl13RiLt3f0tTGORetvvxkML5ScaUks0CmYuVki0l8FNTzjAahHhpnEBJ8OolohxTxmGgxfa9hv6s0qKtAU9GE/s1600/Brian+ITM+Silence+the+Living.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHkKbh0VLHNqxvWOON7XtpDTJacnbYPXbuNDSFDBUQjNs8NJym_OqIEl13RiLt3f0tTGORetvvxkML5ScaUks0CmYuVki0l8FNTzjAahHhpnEBJ8OolohxTxmGgxfa9hv6s0qKtAU9GE/s320/Brian+ITM+Silence+the+Living.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In my writer's chair and wearing my In this Moment gear with my new novel.</td></tr>
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<br />Most of “Silence the Living” was written to music. It helped me visualize the scenes. In some cases, there’s a connection between the lyrics and what happens in these chapters.<br />What follows is a guide to the songs I listened to, from many artists, for certain chapters.<br /><br />Prologue - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irdp7oKI78M" target="_blank">“Standing Alone”</a><br /><br />Moni is standing on a mountain and staring at the inhospitable southern New Mexico desert. She should be dying from the heat, but the aliens are keeping her alive. The infection in her bloodstream is so dangerous that she needs to keep away from every living thing. Maria Brink sings: “Now I’m standing here alone. It’s the only way to survive.”<br /><br />Chapters 1, 3, and 7 - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGz075cZqfw" target="_blank">“Just Drive”</a><br /><br />Moni and Aaron are forced on a hasty cross country drive. They’re fleeing the aftermath of the invasion in Florida and the pursuit of law enforcement. Meanwhile, Moni’s dealing with frightening changes the aliens are making to her body. How far must they run? Maria Brink sings: “Tonight is the night, let’s get ready to go. Leave your bags behind and let’s hit the road…We will drive no matter how far. Yes we will drive until the ending of it all.”<br /><br />Chapter 2 - Straight Line Stitch, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTReXG2Muzk" target="_blank">“Taste of Ashes”</a><br /><br />Florida policewoman Nina Skillings is furious at Moni for all those who died in the invasion, especially the police captain who was her mentor. Nina vows to track Moni down and kill her, at any cost. This was the music for most chapters with Nina. Alexis Brown, who screams “Thorn in your side!” is as angry as I’ve ever heard a woman.<br /><br />Second half of Chapter 4 and Chapter 12 - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uakxkjYMDI" target="_blank">“The Promise”</a><br /><br />After close encounters with people who try to hurt them, Moni realizes that it’s dangerous for Aaron to stay with her. Either she will infect him or the people after her will kill him. Even though she loves him, she tries to convince him to leave her. She doesn’t want to hurt him, but she has no choice. In this duet, Maria Brink and Adrian Patrick (from Otherwise) sing, “No matter what you say or what you do, I know how this will end. So I’m turning away now. I’m dangerous for you…My promise is I will hurt you.”<br /><br />Chapter 5 - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7FltCPCbLo" target="_blank">“Comanche”</a><br /><br />This is the song I listened to for every chapter written from the point of view of “the mutant.” It’s a misshapen monster lurking in the waterways of Florida that was left over from the first invasion. This song is intense and angry. Needing to shift into the mindset of a monster that kills for pleasure, this did the trick.<br /><br />Chapter 14 - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pnv63ST5zY" target="_blank">“A Star-Crossed Wasteland”</a><br /><br />Moni walks into the desert by herself for the first time. It’s still and quiet, yet she fears she won’t be safe and she misses Aaron terribly. Maria Brink sings, “The dust is clearing, the desert is calm. The skies are quiet and I can’t make a sound. And I just wait for you.”<br /><br />Chapter 15 - Otherwise, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkmOck6tRwk" target="_blank">“Full Circle”</a><br /><br />Aaron is out on his own in Las Cruces, hoping to find a way to help Moni. He’s regretful over the mistakes he’s made that have led him to this point, but he’s determined to set things right. Adrian Patrick sings, “I will believe, in spite of me, and what I have become. I’ll find the one I used to be, to bring me full circle.”<br /><br />Chapter 16 - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwTv45OW5Yw" target="_blank">“Gun Show”</a><br /><br />The pitch black nightfall is all Moni can see, but she hears them closing in on her. She can feel their minds. The coyotes are after her. Will she accept the aid of the aliens inside her to survive? This song starts out in such an ominous way, with the sounds of the storm, a wind chime, ravens, a horse trotting, all setting the stage for an Old Western gun battle. Then it just explodes into madness. That’s this scene. I listened to the same song for Chapter 48, another fight that starts in the desert night. Oh, and there are plenty of guns.<br /><br />Chapter 18 - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnFqfIIVgl0" target="_blank">“The Last Cowboy”</a><br /><br />Moni meets Blake, a New Mexico state ranger who patrols the desert. She’s impressed by his rugged outdoor ways. <br /><br />Chapter 20 - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8hGUjV_dSU" target="_blank">“The Road”</a><br /><br />Moni tracks an infected animal through the desert, and eventually into a cold, dark cave. Maria Brink sings, “No matter how dark the road. You’ll light my way. No matter how far from home. I’ll find my way.”<br /><br />Chapter 29 - Otherwise, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVEoo92XVSo" target="_blank">“Die for You”</a><br /><br />While Moni must confront her own problems, Aaron is forced to chase after an infected animal as it enters a children’s amusement park. So far, he’s pledged to place his life on the line for her, but now he’s about to really put that promise to the test. Adrian Patrick sings, “I would break, I would burn, I would suffer. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do, do for you…You make me feel so alive. So alive I’d die for you.”<br /><br />Chapter 33 - Avenged Sevenfold <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ30CVJwbiw" target="_blank">“Crimson Day”</a><br /><br />Moni and Aaron sit on a mountainside, watching the sun rise over the desert landscape. They both know they must go separate ways. They’re not sure when, or if, they will see each other again. If Moni can’t get this under control, the world my never be the same. They both wish that time could stand still. M. Shadows sings, “The sun came out and brought you through. A lifetime full of words to say, a hope that time will slow the passing day.”<br /><br />Chapters 36, 38, 40 and 41 - Tool , <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIm6yJGjgEM" target="_blank">“Reflection”</a><br /><br />A team of Navy SEALs and a marine scientist dive into a pitch black underwater caves of Peacock Springs in north Florida to catch “the mutant.” They worry about running out of air with dozens of feet of rock between them and the surface. While they hurt the creature, it hunts them. Tool’s whole “Lateralus” album was the perfect musical backdrop for operating in such a distorted environment. “Reflection” is so creepy. And the song goes 3:44 before the lyrics start. Pure Tool! <br /><br />Chapter 44 - Tori Amos, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9hjw20vifI" target="_blank">“Marianne”</a><br /><br />Yes, Tori Amos music inspired much of the first novel in this series “Mute.” Here, Moni hearkens back to the time when she had to care for an orphaned girl named Mariella and let her down. That's because Moni has now found Ramona, an immigrant girl stranded in the desert. She must find a way to care for the girl without infecting her. Meanwhile, Tori Amos is, “Having thoughts of Marianne. Quickest girl in the frying pan.”<br /><br />Chapters 55 through 60 - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfzo5qCu_3c" target="_blank">“Blazin”</a><br /><br />Soon after Aaron and Moni enter the small border town of Columbus, New Mexico, it comes under siege by a horde of alien mutants. This song is pure <span>adrenaline</span>-fueled violence. Maria Brink sings, “We’re not gonna stop tonight. We’re gonna burn this city down. We’re not gonna stop tonight. We’re gonna blaze till the morning sun.” That’s the invader mentality right there.<br /><br />Chapter 61 - Volbeat, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnbyH1IHjNA" target="_blank">“7 Shots”</a><br /><br />
Meet the most twisted, cold-blooded cowboy in the desert land. Volbeat plays amazing Western-themed metal. Michael Poulsen sings, “Playing around with the good and the evil in his mind. Alone in the desert and cold, so cold.”<br /><br />Chapter 63 - Five Finger Death Punch, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bst0n4otPOk" target="_blank">“M.I.N.E. (Ends this way)”</a><br /><br />Sometimes lovers just aren’t meant to be together, no matter how much they long for each other. FFDP is well known for their thrash metal, but they are underrated for ballads. Ivan Moody sings, “I know I’d hurt you, deserted you. And now I see it clear. I pulled you closer, tighter. ‘Cause I knew you’d disappear. I just can’t compromise, apologize. There’s nothing you can say. We both knew. It would always end this way.”<br /><br />Chapter 65 - In This Moment, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCuGHorq3Qk" target="_blank">“Iron Army”</a><br /><br />Moni prepares for war, and, follows the advice of one Maria Brink. “I build myself a f**king iron army!”<br /><br />Chapters 70 and 71 - Shadows Fall, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xwi-KXbL1g" target="_blank">“Burning the Lives”</a><br /><br />Brian Fair’s opening lyrics, “Soon a darkened pyramid will rise,” gave me the idea for this scene, and the chaos that follows. <br /><br />Chapter 80 - Civil Twilight, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lU0ZCFIB8U" target="_blank">“Human”</a><br /><br />Moni feels more alien than ever. When she sees Aaron, it’s the only thing that makes her feel human. Steven McKellar signs, “It’s only love, it’s only pain. It’s only fear, that runs through my veins. It’s all the things you can’t explain. That make us human.”Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-82188013189504625832018-09-03T12:47:00.000-07:002018-09-03T12:47:20.716-07:00Strikes and strings: Five ways to spice up Marlins games with musical instrumentsThe Miami Marlins are desperate, and not just for wins. The team is last in MLB in attendance after beginning yet another roster rebuild. <br />Ownership’s solution? Bring on the drums!<br />Derek Jeter’s team will turn a section of the outfield stands next year into “Comunidad 305”, where musical instruments and flags will be encouraged.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOawakVlUHBP9bUG7i4YWHFtEW1QJUhQ3jo_2gECbvWTtCn_J6odjDMTV29TRWAm02qpaJvNLIy4p1nMRpCG9wTNKPNd74BNlDHcjSi7Y3D3e7yNo1POAUKJUkjhqca_8accN_QQV1Cw/s1600/Florida_Marlins_Park_May_16th_2015_by_D_Ramey_Logan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOawakVlUHBP9bUG7i4YWHFtEW1QJUhQ3jo_2gECbvWTtCn_J6odjDMTV29TRWAm02qpaJvNLIy4p1nMRpCG9wTNKPNd74BNlDHcjSi7Y3D3e7yNo1POAUKJUkjhqca_8accN_QQV1Cw/s320/Florida_Marlins_Park_May_16th_2015_by_D_Ramey_Logan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marlins Park, <span class="mw-mmv-source-author"><span class="mw-mmv-author mw-mmv-source">photograph by D Ramey Logan via Wikimedia</span></span></td></tr>
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<br />Yes, this is thinly-veiled pandering to Latin fans, who showed their infectious enthusiasm for baseball at the World Baseball Cup games in the very same Miami Park by bringing flags and noisemakers. For some reasons, fans aren’t quite as excited to root for a Marlins team with zero star power that’s headed for 90-plus losses.<br />When next season rolls around, I’m sure there will be much more excitement in the stands. No, not because of the team. The musical instrument section could tremendous fun for the fans.<br />Imagine during a slow-paced, quiet game, fans become their own entertainment by performing music. On most nights, Marlins Park is quiet enough that you could hear a band in the outfield from behind center plate. Forget the action on the field, why not show the baseball world Miami’s musical talents?<br />Here are my Top 5 ideas for using musical instruments at Marlins games next season:<br /><br />
<ul>
<li>Battle of the Bands: Bring your guitars, drums, fiddles, banjos, or whatever you play, and jam out with your band members. Each band gets a half inning to show their stuff. Clearly, the best innings to pick are when the Marlins are pitching, because those will probably last longer.</li>
<li>Opera: Seat a full orchestra (plus conductor) together in the stands along with a few opera singers with booming voices. Wouldn’t you like to hear “La bohème” while a pitcher is on the mound scratching himself?</li>
<li>Elvis vs Celia Cruz night: Pick your favorite icon and join the musical duel. Americana vs Cuban-American. At the top of the inning, Elvis impersonators strum their guitars and croon. At the bottom of the inning, Celia impersonators sing their salsa and rumba with a percussion section. Whichever group wins gets to de-wig the losers.</li>
<li>Slide whistle hell: One slide whistle is cute. A second slide whistle is amusing. A third slide whistle, I want to rip that damn thing from your hands and throw it in the garbage. Imagine a whole outfield section of fans randomly, constantly tooting the slide whistle. Instead of “accidentally” throwing at opposing hitters, Marlins pitches might zing a few fastballs into the crowd.</li>
<li>Gong show: Say the fans actually wanted to help the team. Everyone bring a gong. When the opposing team is batting, ring the gong in unison the instant after the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. When the Marlins are batting, bang those gongs as the opposing pitcher is winding up. Mind games.</li>
</ul>
<br />Have any better ideas? Let me hear them.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-7687244927678618182018-08-08T18:08:00.001-07:002018-10-02T17:53:06.062-07:00South Florida book signings set as Silence the Living makes Kindle debutI’ve been booked at four events in South Florida this fall as my novel “Silence the Living” rolls out.<br />
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For over four years, I’ve been imagining the world of his scary science fiction novel and painstakingly crafting it word-by-word. I’m excited to share those words, and to see the thrills, fright and shock of readers as they experience this story.<br />
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My novel can currently be <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Living-Mute-Book-2-ebook/dp/B07FMQVN5X/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1533774889&sr=8-1-fkmr0" target="_blank">downloaded on Kindle from Amazon</a>. It’s available for e-book purchase or for free for KindleUnlimited members ($9.99 a month after a 30-day free trial). The print version is available for pre-order now and will be released on Sept. 10.<br />
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After you read the book, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads and share it on social media. <br />
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My favorite part of releasing a new novel is reading part of the story to an audience and discussing it with them. There are some questions I can anticipate, like “How long did it take you to write this?” and there are always some people who took something from the story that I didn’t even realize.<br />
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Here are my upcoming signings for "Silence the Living.”<br />
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Oct. 9, 6:30 pm, <a href="https://booksandbooks.com/" target="_blank">Books & Books</a>, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, free, (305) 442-4408. This well-known store will soon have "Silence the Living" available for sale.<br />
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Oct. 11, 7 pm, <a href="http://murderonthebeach.com/" target="_blank">Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore</a>, 273 N.E. 2nd Ave., Delray Beach, free, (561) 279-7790.<br />
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Oct. 24, 11:30 am, <a href="http://www.rotaryfortlauderdale.org/" target="_blank">Rotary Club of Fort Lauderdale</a> at Global Grill at First Baptist Church at 416 NE 1st Street, Ft. Lauderdale, Non-members must pay $25 and first please contact Jaybe Abbate jayea@artserve.org (954) 462-8190.<br />
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Nov. 18, <a href="https://www.miamibookfair.com/" target="_blank">Miami Book Fair</a>, Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, 3:30 p.m., Centre Gallery, Building 1, 3rd Floor. <br />
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I’m opening to adding more book signings. I’ll update this blog if I schedule more.<br />
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Is there a certain passage in “Silence the Living” you’d like to hear me read? Let me know and maybe I’ll read it at a signing, or on a video blog.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-53736340507604094012018-06-04T02:14:00.000-07:002018-06-04T02:14:16.597-07:00My novel to be published in September, featured at Miami Book FairSilver Leaf Books will publish my third novel “Silence the Living” on September 10. I’m excited to finally share this heart-pounding story with everyone.<br /><br />Want a taste of what’s in store? My publisher’s <a href="http://www.silverleafbooks.com/Books_SilenceTheLiving.htm" target="_blank">landing page for my book</a> has the first chapter, where you learn what it’s like for Moni living with an infectious alien life form inside her body. It’s not easy being in a relationship with someone when touching one drop of their bodily fluid might kill you.<br />
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<br /><br />I’m super appreciative for the support from the Miami Book Fair, the country’s best literary event and an amazing platform for authors. This will be the third year I’ve spoken there.<br /><br />The Book Fair hasn’t finalized the schedule yet, but I will likely speak on Sunday, November 18. Now I just have to work on my “act”. Okay, maybe calling it an act is a stretch. I’ll select a thrilling - and not too long - passage of “Silence the Living” to read and then explain my motivation for the book.<br /><br />There are plenty of other great reasons, besides me, to attend the 2018 Miami Book Fair. <a href="https://www.miamibookfair.com/" target="_blank">See their website</a> for information about other authors participating and to sign up for alerts. The street fair has fun activities for kids and plenty of opportunities for readers looking to unearth literary gems at a good price.<br />
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<br /><br />Finally, I have one more update. I’ve written the first draft of my fourth novel. It revolves around a fictional Miami bank that failed during the Great Recession and the mystery of who killed the CEO.<br /><br />The tentative title: “Save the Bankers."Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-21681977958935610212018-01-21T19:59:00.000-08:002018-01-21T19:59:01.562-08:00Cover revealed: Silence the LivingThis book release is feeling more real every day. Here’s the cover for "Silence the Living".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXbiRRl49bQ4O3Y2E0lG-yABXLB_jrsYePL64Faa5JohBc3n_iSjeqfRWtxdQxqF8ECV6-GGHY1SzRz6ApLkVLVjgjtOIaDyO1QIhhAqSBqbazL7HjTgpELCFz-t6AKuUruP41a5TCAs/s1600/Silence+the+Living+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXbiRRl49bQ4O3Y2E0lG-yABXLB_jrsYePL64Faa5JohBc3n_iSjeqfRWtxdQxqF8ECV6-GGHY1SzRz6ApLkVLVjgjtOIaDyO1QIhhAqSBqbazL7HjTgpELCFz-t6AKuUruP41a5TCAs/s320/Silence+the+Living+cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br /><br />My idea was to show our cursed hero Moni Williams in the New Mexico desert at night, staring at an army of glowing purple eyes from beasts that are threatening her.<br /><br />Initially, I tried to find a photographer with great shots of the New Mexico desert at night. I was really impressed by some photographers in the Southwest, but they didn’t have book cover experience. It was clear that it would take a skilled graphic artist to add the purple-eyed beasts to the cover. Landscape photography and book cover design are different things.<br /><br />The covers for my first two novels were fantastic photographs, with some design work added. I felt this idea would work better as an illustration.<br /><br />Taking suggestion of my publisher, I looked over the cover art used by other writers from Silver Leaf Books. I loved the cover for <a href="http://www.silverleafbooks.com/Books_DayOfVengeance.htm" target="_blank">“Day of Vengeance”</a> by Martin Berman-Gorvine. The author recommended that I contact the cover artist, Christian Bentulan.<br /><br />I was blown away by the dozens of amazing covers on his website, <a href="http://coversbychristian.com/">coversbychristian.com</a>. A resident of the Philippines, Christian was persistent in designing the cover just how I wanted it. Yeah, Moni's in a tough spot.<br /><br />Look for “Silence the Living” to be released by Silver Leaf Books this summer. If it doesn’t scare the hell out of you, you don’t have a pulse.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-20003253709183456282017-08-10T06:11:00.000-07:002017-08-10T06:11:31.867-07:00My new novel is in my publisher’s inboxI’ve been over every word at least five times, more than 130,000 of them. I’ve reviewed over 150 writing samples from other authors in exchange for feedback. I’ve walked around my neighborhood imaging a creature mutated by aliens that lurks in Florida’s underground waterways.<br /><br />And still, I needed a deep breath before I hit “send.” <br /><br />A few days ago, I sent my new novel “Silence the Living” to my publisher Silver Leaf Books. This will be my third published book.<br /><br />This is a science fiction thriller, and the sequel to “Mute.” I’ve written it in a way where you don’t have to read the first novel to understand “Silence the Living”, but the plot of the second book will of course be a spoiler to the first book. So if you have not yet experienced “Mute”, <a href="http://www.silverleafbooks.com/Books_Mute.htm" target="_blank">now is a good time</a>.<br /><br />“Mute” started as a murder mystery and became more scifi as the story went on while a relationship between Monique “Moni” Williams and Aaron Hughes developed. In “Silence the Living”, the mystery has been unlocked and the characters must deal with moral dilemmas and grave danger.<br /><br />The last active trace of the alien microorganisms that invaded Earth lives within Moni’s body. A drop of her bodily fluid will contaminate any human or animal, turning it into an alien-controlled beast with the goal of transforming part of our planet into an alien habitat. The aliens in her bloodstream are rapidly altering Moni’s body. She’s lost her voice, but gained telepathic powers to overhear thoughts from nearby minds and to plant her thoughts into the heads of both humans and animals. <br /><br />The changes are also physical. She chugs gasoline like beer. Her saliva is so acid that she can suck a bar of iron like a popsicle. <br /><br />Despite the obvious dangers of Moni staying near people with such a highly infectious condition, Aaron refuses to leave her side. The marine science student wants to help her evade the government’s efforts to capture her and he’s looking for some way to restore her humanity so they can be together. Moni and Aaron’s love grows stronger, but he risks his life every time he touches her.<br /><br />Moni and Aaron flee their native Florida for the southern New Mexico desert because there’s few people and virtually no water. Yet, they can’t run forever.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pivotal scene in "Silence the Living" is set in the Kilbourne Hole volcanic maar in New Mexico. Credit: Dicklyon</td></tr>
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Brevard County Sheriff Officer Nina Skillings was just discharged from the hospital after suffering facial injures she blames on Moni. She teams up with FBI Agent Cam Carter to chase Moni across the country, and she won’t bother for a pair of handcuffs. <br /><br />Meanwhile in Florida, a sadistic mutant lurks in the underground waterways hunting people. Offbeat environmental scientist Harry “Lagoon Watcher” Trainer believes it’s connected to the alien invasion and he’s determined to pursue it through the watery depths beneath the state’s limestone surface. In this dark maze of underwater caves, the air is far away, but terror is always near.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pursuit of the mutant in "Silence the Living" takes place in North Florida's Peacock Springs. Credit: Barbara am Ende.</td></tr>
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“Silence the Living” is a creature thriller wrapped around a tortured romance. <br /><br />Side note: I drew inspiration for this novel from the metal band In This Moment, in particular, the album “A Star-Crossed Wasteland.” <br /><br />Silver Leaf Books should publish “Silence the Living” sometime in 2018. My publisher is currently working to release over a dozen books this year, so that is why I need to wait. <br /><br />In the meantime, I am considering book cover ideas - possibly involving snakes - and a marketing plan that doesn’t suck. <br /><br />Oh, and I’m also working on yet another novel. I just can’t stop writing.<br /><br />Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-4642706291402121372017-06-30T12:44:00.000-07:002017-06-30T12:44:16.353-07:00Eight ways the iPhone has changed society in 10 yearsOn June 29, 2007, the day the iPhone first went on sale, it would have been hard for anyone to imagine the monumental impact the device has had on society, even now-late Apple CEO Steven Jobs.<br /><br />Ushering in the smart phone era has changed the way people interact, and perhaps even re-wired the brain. It has played a part in everything from love to war to politics to crime.<br />
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This won’t be the only blog today list on the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone, so I’ll keep with the theme of my latest novel and focus on the way these pocket-sized computers have transformed social interaction. Why am I listing eight ways instead of 10? Because in the age of mobile news, who has the patience to scroll down a 10-point list?<br /><br />No more privacy in public<br /><br />I hear a lot of prior generation athletes talk about the wild times they had on the road, partying and drinking and saying outrageous things in bars. Rarely did any of the details come to light, and when they did, it was based on memories, not proof.<br /><br />Now, anytime something remotely controversial happens, it’s often captured on a camera phone. If there’s a pro athlete or celebrity involved, that’s almost a certainty. So people can’t simply mouth off without consequences. <br /><br />The language of emojis<br /><br />The emoji was created in 1998, but it didn’t take off as an common part of language until the smart phone. Text messaging, Facebook and Twitter are arts of the written word. Emojis says things that words can’t quite say, or they emphasize the meaning of sentences.<br /><br />Unlike words, emojis can’t be translated into vocal language. There’s also unregulated and unlimited. No 26 characters here. <br /><br />I’m still waiting for the first all emoji novel.<br /><br />Constantly plugged in<br /><br />People used to access the internet mostly at home or in the workplace on a desktop computer, or on a bulky laptop at a rare WiFi hot spot. Now the vast majority of the country has wireless internet access through a cellular network, and websites have been configured for mobile views, which is the fastest growing segment of traffic.<br /><br />The good news is people can work and stay plugged into information remotely. No more sneaking out of the wedding to check the score on the TV at the bar. There’s no reason to drive around looking for a restaurant or a gas station.<br /><br />The bad news is work has become inescapable. No matter where you go, people can email you and text you. People with important responsibilities are expected to respond no matter what. So it’s harder to truly unplug.<br /><br />Instant information<br /><br />I started journalism in college, writing for the Miami Hurricane student newspaper and then as an intern at the St. Augustine Record in 1999. There’s been a huge change in the expectations for news delivery over the years, especially since the smart phone era began.<br /><br />People used to receive a brief overview of the day’s news during the evening telecast, and then a more detailed analysis in the next morning’s paper. Now, not only is the morning paper full of old news, so is the evening telecast. First people expected websites with stories updated regularly, hopefully within an hour of breaking news. That’s no longer good enough. With mobile phones in hand, people scroll Twitter and Facebook for instance news - reports within seconds of events, or even live streaming video. <br /><br />Social media works so fast that some traditional news sites simply embed a social media feed about an event instead of writing a story (which I find highly annoying).<br /><br />The drawback here is accuracy. The faster a reporter works, the easier it is to make mistakes. It can take time to verify information, but the pressure of instant news doesn’t allow for any delays. <br /><br />Forever documenting the moment<br /><br />Having a camera phone at all times allows people to capture every moment of their lives, but is capturing the moment the same as living in the moment?<br />
<br />At concerts and sporting events, especially in Miami, a huge amount of people are on their phones. Are they truly engaged in the action? Or are they trying to create a video to shows off to their jealous friends? A football games, some people are so distracted by their fantasy football league that they aren’t into the game in front of them.<br /><br />Entertainment is personal<br /><br />A decade ago, most home entertainment was spent in front of the TV screen or video game console. A family might be watching the same show on one set so they could share their experiences, or some family members might segment into different rooms to view their favorite programs.<br />
<br />Now, the TV is no longer king. Nielsen says that TV viewing by 18-24-year-olds <a href="http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/are-young-people-watching-less-tv-24817/" target="_blank">has declined 39 percent since 2011</a>. It also fell sharply in the 25-34 age group. That’s because millennials are spending more times on smartphones than watching TV.<br />
<br />So now family members can sit in the same room, and all be occupied by their individual devices - watching shows, playing games, surfing the web. They are together physically, not socially.<br /><br />Shopping assistant <br /><br />The smart phone has made it easier than ever to buy things no matter where you are. That’s great for the sake of convenience, no more trips to the store for one thing - as long as you can wait a day or two.<br />
<br />For compulsive shoppers, that means there’s no escape. <br /><br />Redefining intelligence <br /><br />In my high school and college years, certain classes focused on memorization. If you could memorize historical or scientific facts, etc, then you were smart. Even today, many game shows center around memorizing and repeating facts.<br />
<br />Under that definition of intelligence, anyone with a working smart phone is a genius. They can pull up any historical information, scientific fact, pop culture reference, spell perfectly, master geography, and solve the most common math problems. What’s the point of memorizing all of that when the information is one second away in a pocket-sized device? And why are many classes still structured as if smart phones were never invented?<br />
<br />So what’s it mean now to be smart. Perhaps the new intelligence means the ability to separate real information from fake news.<br /><br />
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<br />Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-64618353755007598522017-04-25T20:34:00.002-07:002017-04-25T20:34:53.726-07:00How many people need to die on Facebook Live until tech giant pulls the plug?Sadly, people are murdered and committee suicide every day. Few of these incidents attract the global spotlight. That’s where Facebook Live and other instantaneous social media platforms come in.<br /><br />Steve Stephens gained his 15 minutes of fame by fatally shooting complete stranger Robert Godwin, 74, in Cleveland live on Facebook. In Thailand, Wuttisan Wongtalay hung his 11-month-old daughter on Facebook Live before killing himself on the same platform.<br /><br />Would these crimes, and many before them, have occurred without a global platform to broadcast these murders? These videos were viewed hundreds of thousands of times before Facebook pulled them. It appears that Stephens wanted to draw attention to himself as he dealt with personal problems. Shooting someone in anonymity would be another murder among hundreds every day. But a murder on Facebook Live, that put Stephens’ face all over the world.<br /><br />That’s why live social media has become more frequently used by young people to broadcast suicide. Drawing more attention to their deaths has a greater impact on the people they blame for their suffering.<br /><br />I anticipated this trend in my novel <a href="http://www.silverleafbooks.com/Books_FamousAfterDeath.htm" target="_blank">Famous After Death</a>, where Miami teenagers commit murders in creative ways and post them online. In my story, most of these murders were recorded and posted soon after without the teens identifying themselves, but several of the crimes occur online in real time - similar to Facebook Live.<br /><br />The question for Facebook, one of the 10 most valuable companies in the world, is what it’s prepared to do about it. After Godwin was murdered, CEO Mark Zuckerberg vowed to improve the monitoring of videos on Facebook Live. Right now the company depends on users reporting questionable content. It’s working on artificial intelligence, but that could be years away.<br />
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<br />Until a better system is in place and Facebook Live can’t be effectively policed, Zuckerberg should consider taking it down. The world will survive without Facebook Live, and so will the company. It’s a nice feature, but it’s not a crucial part of the website.<br /><br />What can’t be replaced is the lives of people like Godwin.<br /><br />Of course, Facebook makes plenty of money off these videos. There are more than 8 billion daily views of Facebook videos. Mobile video advertising is a multi-billion dollar market. So there are financial incentives for Facebook not to back down.<br /><br />This isn’t only a Facebook problem. Platforms like YouTube, Periscope and Snapchat have been used to promote violence. In some cases, terrorist groups have posted propaganda videos on social media that went unchecked for months. This issue has caused YouTube to pull paid advertising from certain categories of videos, since advertisers didn’t want to run the risk that their ads would run alongside offensive videos.<br /><br />Facebook Live has the potential to be a great platform. I wish politicians would broadcast all their meetings live on social media instead of striking backroom deals.<br />
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But until Zuckerberg and Co. can police it, one murder is too many.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-30399728716643322522017-01-08T20:11:00.000-08:002017-01-08T20:11:17.077-08:00A new wave of viral violence begins with brutality on live streamAs social media evolves to become more instantaneous than ever, viral violence has once again hijacked the ride.<br /><br />Why wait five seconds to post a video of your life? Services like Facebook Live and Periscope provide a real-time look at what’s in front of your face. With instant audience metrics and feedback, they make life like a mini TV station. What more can the host do in that moment to grow an audience and go viral?<br /><br />Four teenagers in Chicago found a way to juice their Facebook Live viewership past 15,000. They <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/04/us/chicago-facebook-live-beating/" target="_blank">kidnapped a mental disabled teenager</a> they went to high school with, tied him up, mercilessly beat him, cut his scalp with a knife, and taunted him with racial insults. The victim was white and the attackers were black, so this might be classified as a hate crime.<br /><br />The video went on for 30 minutes on one of the suspect’s Facebook Live page, with viewership building as the seconds tick by. Facebook removed the video after the four suspects were arrested.<br />
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<br /><br />This story has some strange parallels to my novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Famous-After-Death-Brian-Bandell/dp/1609750829/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483934756&sr=1-3&keywords=brian+bandell" target="_blank">Famous After Death</a>. In my story, the teenagers are also abusing victims for the gratification of an online audience. However, they mostly posted the videos after the fact, using public wifi and a device that couldn’t be traced directly to them, and they didn’t put their faces in the video. When there is an attack in my book that is filmed live on the internet, it’s the victim’s camera phone being used for the live broadcast, not the attacker’s phone. They don’t want to be caught! <br />
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<br />With these suspects in Chicago, they acted with zero regard for evading capture. Not only did one suspect post this on a Facebook profile using a personal device, they all appeared in the video. You know, just to make sure there’s no doubt. Yet, like the characters in my novel, there was a pack mentality. Get a bunch of people together with bad intentions and a camera, and the watch their aggression multiply.<br /><br />Were these teenagers so proud that they could beat the poor guy that they wanted to show the world? <br /><br />Here’s the other thing that gets me. Did any one of the Facebook Live viewers bother calling the police?<br /><br />Violence can’t go viral unless an audience supports it.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-21974388151609332112016-10-15T21:10:00.000-07:002016-10-15T21:10:14.106-07:00Hacking isn’t journalism, it’s a crimeI might take heat from other journalists for saying this, but someone needs to speak up.<br /><br />Hacking to obtain information isn’t journalism. It’s a crime, and journalists should stop supporting it.<br />
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<br /><br />The way many news outlets are covering WikiLeak’s irresponsible data dump, including personal passwords stolen from emails, is encouraging the hackers. The chairman of Clinton’s campaign had his phone and social media accounts taken over because the hackers shared his passwords with the world. <br /><br />That’s not blowing the whistle on corruption. That’s harassment. <br /><br />There are many times when journalists will write important stories based on documents that parties didn’t intend to release. In the Panama Papers series, for instance, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists shared documents about international banking that a whistleblower found at their law firm with a team of journalists. That resulted in many stories about public official corruption and questionable transactions. However, the journalists didn’t release every single document, and they certainly didn’t put personal information out there. They created a searchable database that tied individuals to companies.<br /><br />Compare that to WikiLeaks, which has released social security and credit card numbers in its unedited data dumps. What’s the journalistic purpose in that?<br /><br />The Panama Papers came from a whistleblower at the bank who had access to the documents. Many times, people who see something wrong can’t come forward without getting in trouble, so they pass on information they were privy to.<br /><br />You could also argue that Edward Snowden was a whistleblower because the government information he had access to shook his moral compass, although he could have been much more careful not to release confidential information that put lives at risk. Snowden has criticized WikiLeaks for its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/edward-snowden-and-wikileaks-clash-over-dnc-leaks-2016-7" target="_blank">“hostility to even modest curation."</a><br /><br />The hackers who have stolen emails from politicians are not blowing the whistle because they didn’t have the right to access that information in the first place. It’s akin to the Watergate break in where operatives for President Nixon stole files from the Democratic Party. But this time the media is playing along and publicizing the documents that were stolen. Since we know that the hackers have a political motive, how can the media trust that the information supposedly in the email is accurate?<br /><br />Maybe because there hasn’t been a real bombshell. But that’s besides the point.<br /><br />This isn’t a political issue. It’s a crime that can be used against any party, or company. Remember when North Korea hacked Sony Pictures because they were offended by a comedy movie about Kim Jung-Un? <a href="http://brianbandell.blogspot.com/2014/12/north-korea-had-partner-in-success-of.html" target="_blank">I spoke out against that too</a>.<br /><br />Hacking will happen whether the media covers it or not, but promoting hacked material helps the criminals injure their victims. It’s like when people share videos of teens getting bullied or beaten up on social media, and how that amplifies the pain and embarrassment. The more it hurts, the more likely the bully will strike again, and that goes for the hacker as well.<br /><br />In the never-ending battle for ratings and clips, sometimes journalists need to stop and think about the behavior they’re promoting. <br /><br />Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-27094060234896774012016-06-26T16:37:00.001-07:002016-06-26T16:38:10.296-07:00Carspotting in Israel, an international menu of automobilesDuring my two-week vacation in Israel, I did a lot of double takes at the car logos. What's that lion? That's not the "S" for Subaru or Suzuki, so what is it? Who makes a car with a winged arrow?<br />
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The selection of cars in Israel is even more international than in the United States. Yes, they have all the brands that we have plus they've mixed in brands from automakers in Europe and Asia that aren't available in the United States. Even the familiar brands, such as Nissan, Toyota and Kia, sell special models in Israel, and Europe as well.<br />
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Israeli auto preferences are decidedly different from the United States. Small is the rule over there. Cars like a Toyota Corolla or Hyundai Elantra are considered full-sized sedans. It's common to have cars even smaller than that, Euro-style cars where you either have a second row or a trunk in use, not both. That's because the city streets in much of Israel are narrow. People often park on the street, so the smaller you are, the easier it is to maneuver and find a space. For people with a driveway, it's often very tight. Garages are extremely rare, reserved for the most luxurious homes.<br />
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An SUV simply wouldn't fit into many Israeli neighborhoods. <br />
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Another factor, gas is extra expensive in Israel so people usually don't get big cars, SUVs and trucks. Luxury nameplates are fairly rare because they're extra costly to buy in Israel. On the other hand, some of these European brands are less expensive.<br />
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On with the carspotting.<br />
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The lion logo is a Peugoet, a French brand that has made cars since 1882. It's a subsidiary of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the latter name also being a car brand. This particular model is a tiny 107.<br />
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The French-made Citroën has a double arrow logo. It makes a variety of cars, from minis to station wagons like this C4 to vans and work vehicles.<br />
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The Škoda Octavia and its arrow with wings logo. Škoda is headquarted in the Czech Republic, although it's now a subsidiary of Volkswagen.<br />
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The diamond logo is for Renault, a French company around since 1898. Pictured is the little Renault Clio and a mid-sized Renault Fluence taxi (I rode in one of those).<br />
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The design of the Renault Kangoo (not kangaroo) is a typical Euro/Israeli work truck. It's sort of an SUV in the front and a van in the back. Many brands have a nearly identical model, such as the <span class="st">Citroën Jumpy and the </span><span class="st">Peugeot Partner. They usually have work equipment in the back and, for some reason, all the ones in Israel were white. </span><br />
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The Dacia Duster, a great name for a desert-driving SUV. Dacia is a Romanian car manufacturer founded in 1966, although it's now a subsidiary of Renault. It's actually the largest company by revenue in Romanian.<br />
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<span class="st">Several car brands have an "S" but you won't find this style in the United States. SEAT is from Spain. It was founded by a state-owned company in 1950, although its now controlled by Volkswagen. Pictured is the cute little Ibiza.</span><br />
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The "O" stands for Opel. The "Z" is silent. Opel is a long-time German car manufacturer, although it's been a subsidiary of the U.S.'s General Motors since the 1930s. Most of its cars, like this Opel Corsa, are fairly small. Perhaps that's why the GM hasn't introduced this brand into the U.S.<br />
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The Terios from Japanese car-maker Daihatsu. It's actually the oldest auto company in Japan having been founding in 1907. It makes mostly small cars and SUVs. Fun fact, it previously produced a truck called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daihatsu_Naked" target="_blank">Daihatsu Naked</a>.<br />
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This big truck is made by MAN. That's a Germany manufacture of industrial vehicles, one of the most commonly-found brands in Israel. I guess the U.S. isn't MAN enough for this company.<br />
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Ever seen a Nissan Micra? You won't find it in the U.S. This super-mini is sold in Europe, Asia, Latin America and, yes, Israel. You could fit four in the typical American garage.<br />
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I've seen many Toyotas, but not a Space Verso like this. This model is a five- or seven-seater that's sold in Israel, Europe, China and South Africa. It's what they call a compact MPV (multi-purpose vehicle). Think of it like the mini version of the seven-seat SUV.<br />
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With a name like Picanto, you can guess that this Kia is pretty small. Heck, it makes a Kia Rio look huge.<br />
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I thought all Fiats were tiny little things. In Israel, Fiat has plenty of vans and work trucks.<br />
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I did see some Alfa Romeos and some DS cars driving around, but I couldn't get their photos because I didn't want to bother the drivers. Alfa Romeo is an Italian brand that makes small, sport cars and it's now part of Fiat Chrysler. DS is the luxury spin-off of Citroën, which created it in 2009 and made it a separate brand in 2014.<br />
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After seeing all these international models, which one would you most like to see introduced in the United States?<br />
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I can't wait to go off-roading in a Dacia Duster.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-10535372011240022762016-06-22T15:20:00.000-07:002016-06-22T15:20:45.650-07:00My observations about life in IsraelAfter spending two weeks in Israel, I learned a lot about what it’s like to live there. While there are so many things I have yet to grasp about life in the Holy Land, let me share my observations - both big and small - with you.<br />
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<br /><br />The condo boom followed me! There are more construction cranes in Israel than in Miami. Everywhere I looked, they were building something, especially in central Israel. I was told that many Jews from Europe are moving to Israel, or at least buying condos in preparation for a move, for personal safety reasons. Many wealthy Jews want to own a piece of Israel, even if they don’t live there. All of this is great for the construction industry, but these new condos are very expensive for the average working-class Israel. Sound familiar, Miami?<br /><br />Israeli cities are pretty dense. Most of them have busy city centers and multifamily buildings packed together, a very urban feel. However, there are large open spaces and agricultural areas between the cities. That’s partly due to the cities being construction where the government built the water supply. Unlike in Florida, you can’t just dig a well anywhere and find water.<br /><br />How scare is water? We really take it for granted in Florida. The one home I visited that had a full grass yard and a pool had a water bill of $1,000 a month in the summertime. It’s a luxury. So is a garage.<br />
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<br />Despite the dense cities, Israel has many parks. The newer cities are well-designed with frequent pocket parks, often with playground, outdoor fitness equipment, and combo basketball/soccer courts. BTW, I saw the kids using those courts only for soccer, not basketball. Those parks make the neighborhoods great for kids. (Are you listening, South Florida?)<br /><br />Israel also has many small, neighborhood markets. People often walk a few blocks for their groceries. <br /><br />Paseos (alleys between streets) save time while walking to parks, markets or visiting neighbors. Not every square foot has to be used for development. (Pay attention, South Florida.)<br /><br />Instead of traffic lights at every corner, Israel has many roundabouts. Traffic flows through them fairly smoothly, as long as people obey the rules.<br />
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<br /><br />Israel has solar power, sort of. Most homes have solar-powered water heaters on the roof. The good news is this saves on electricity. The bad news is that you shouldn’t take too long in that hot shower.<br /><br />When I visited Eilat on the southern tip of Israel, I was pleased to find it had city-wide free WiFi. That’s a great idea for a tourist spot. It also has a city-sponsored app. This Red Sea resort is so much fun.<br />
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Most malls in Israel had indoor entertainment activities for kids (for a fee, of course.) These ranged from indoor playgrounds to the ice rink and roller coaster in the Ice Mall in Eilat.<br />
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There's serious security at malls, and at many other public places in Israel. They don’t have flashlights. These guards are armed and they are constantly looking for suspicious people, often asking questions and inspecting bags. It’s just a part of life. <br /><br />From Tel Aviv to Eilat, Israel has great beaches. If you are a surfer, Herzliya had the best waves. Eilat has the best diving because the coral reefs are right off the beach. Most of the beaches have great restaurants, including South Beach’s food stand on the sand in Herzliya. <br />
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Not all the food is kosher. Most malls have a kosher McDonalds (home of the Big American) and a non-kosher McDonalds (home of the Big American, with cheese). But if you eat kosher, Israel is culinary paradise.<br /><br />Most restaurants don’t have napkin dispensers and many don’t have ketchup dispensers either. You have to ask. Israelis must be cleanly eaters. Do they have menus in English? Only in tourist spots. But many Israelis know some English.<br /><br />Driving around, I saw huge office towers branded by tech companies like Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google. Israel is clearly a tech hub.<br /><br />Be careful following Waze for directions while driving around. This app, which was created in Israel, recommends the shortest route but not always the most secure route. Some neighborhoods aren’t friendly to certain religious groups or ethnic groups, and some neighborhoods shouldn’t be driven through on religious holidays. I recommend traveling with someone who knows Israel.<br /><br />Speaking of driving, I was amazed by the array of international cars in Israel. It has many brands you won’t find in the United States. That will be the subject of my next blog.<br /><br />There were so many places in Israel I could have seen but I didn’t get a chance to in my two weeks there. Granted, this was my third visit. I’m looking forward to seeing Israel again.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-31593165501863043352016-04-18T18:21:00.001-07:002016-04-18T18:21:35.329-07:00The Panama Papers: Money laundering loopholes are nothing newNo one who’s been paying attention to the real estate or financial markets should be surprised over the off-shore tax havens and money laundering schemes uncovered by the release of the Panama Papers. World governments have been aware of these loopholes for years.<br />
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The only question: Will the publicity storm prompt the United States and other governments to stop the flow of dark money?<br /><br />Hundreds of journalists around the world [sadly, not including me] worked through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to comb through about 11.5 million leaked documents from the Panamanian law firm and corporate register Mossack Fonseca. Among the 214,000 offshore companies it listed, some were used to conceal from the public and from governments that politically connected individuals, known criminals and people who had no apparent sources of wealth controlled significant amounts of money. In some cases, these offshore companies owned real estate, including in Miami.<br />
<br />Of course, not all of these companies were registered offshore. States like Delaware, Nevada and Wyoming also allow LLCs to be registered without listing a managing member.<br /><br />The fact that this is going on isn’t news. The Panama Papers made headlines because it named names.<br />
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Hey, how did that hair dresser from South America buy a $1
million condo on Brickell? You can't ask those questions if you don't
know who's really buying.<br />Law enforcement has known since the 1980s that dirty money found its way into Miami real estate through shell corporations. Watch the documentary “Cocaine Cowboys” to see how drug money built much of this town. In 2013, I wrote the story <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/print-edition/2013/08/30/llcs-offer-secrecy-to-foreign-criminal.html" target="_blank">“Condos, Cash, and Criminals”</a> in the <i>South Florida Business Journal</i> addressing the concerns of many experts that dirty money was contributing to the surge of cash real estate deals.<br /><br />Politicians and law enforcement have known this was a problem for decades. And yet, it has persisted. Who knows who really owns our real estate? Many people would rather not know, as long as they're making money off it.<br /><br />Having covered both banking and real estate in South Florida, I can tell you that I often run into companies with no clear path of ownership. Sometimes they’re registered in Delaware, or offshore in places the Isle of Jersey or the British Virgin Islands. <br /><br />Other times, they’re Florida-registered LLCs but the managing member clearly isn’t the owner. There’s no requirement that Florida LLC’s list the owner, only a person to handle the company’s affairs. Sometimes this is innocent, such as a famous athlete who makes his attorney the manager of the LLC because he doesn’t want to be bothered at his home.<br />
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It could also be used by money laundering drug dealers to set up straw managers to buy real estate through. There’s really no way I can tell that the LLC isn’t funded by terrorists, drug dealers or corrupt officials.<br /><br />Some homes are bought by trusts. It’s extremely difficult for the public to know who controls them. You just have to trust that the lawyers who set them up did their due diligence.<br /><br />As we saw in the Panama Papers, there’s a temptation for incorporation law firms to think money first, due diligence second. Plus, law firms don’t face the strict “know your customer” and “source of funds” rules that banks must comply with. <br /><br />U.S. authorities could ask more of incorporation law firms. Federal and local governments could take measures to require ownership disclosure for LLCs. Authorities have started asking title companies to disclose the LLC owners in $1 million-plus deals in Miami and $3 million-plus deals in Manhattan <br /><br />Until authorities start taking aggressive measures to promote disclosure, it’s clear they aren’t serious about addressing this problem.<br /><br />It’s not so easy, though. Miami, New York and many other international cities are enjoying windfalls of foreign cash that have spurred building booms. That’s created jobs and increased property taxes, although some argue it’s also made real estate less obtainable for working families. I have a feeling that some, or perhaps most, Miami condo projects would fall apart if these loopholes were closed.<br /><br />Should we start turning money away because we don’t trust the source? Or do we turn a blind eye?<br /><br />Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-78806911705931608002016-02-14T19:53:00.000-08:002016-02-14T19:53:59.992-08:00Miami’s wealthy have failed the Frost Museum of ScienceSeemingly everyone in Miami loves the idea of a world class science museum downtown but few are willing to pay for its construction, except for public officials using taxpayer money and the Frosts.<br /><br />The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science would be a showcase for wonder and innovation in the heart of the city. In the middle of building the $305 million project, the non-profit ran out of cash. It burned through $160 million in county funds and it’s not asking for another $45 million up front instead of over time. The suggestion that a community redevelopment agency should direct its property tax funds to the museum instead of building facilities for low-income residents (what else is new?) has drawn controversy.<br />
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<br /><br />In a city inundated with cash and frequented by many of the world’s wealthiest people, hardly anyone has stepped up to make a significant donation to this project. I’ve heard from countless developers building downtown that the Frost Museum would be a great draw and benefit their projects. Condo investors see it as another amenity for the neighborhood, one they don’t have to pay association dues for. Many downtown retail and hospitality business owners expect it to attract more visitors.<br /><br />Then why are so few of them cutting big checks? Do they expect to reap all the benefits without contributing to the cause?<br /><br />The Frosts are by far the biggest donors with $45 million followed by the Knight Foundation with $10 million. If this were New York or Boston or Washington, D.C., there would be a long list of headline making donors after that. The fact that there’s not, really says something.<br /><br />People come to Miami and buy real estate, expensive clothes, meals from celebrity chefs, and six-figure cars. Corporations and investment funds are paying record prices for Miami property, from apartment buildings to retail strips. They rarely make a true investment for the good of the community, which is what this museum is all about. <br /><br />People like to brag about Miami being on the cutting edge of STEM, the next city on the rise. In reality, we’re playing catch up with other regions of the country when it comes to science. The Frost Museum could inspire a generation of local scientists, maybe even creating some jobs that actually pay enough to afford living here. <br /><br />Is anyone going to step up and invest in Miami’s future? <br /><br />Sometimes return on investment isn’t measured on a balance sheet. <br /><br />Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-14558919645708393192015-12-03T19:27:00.000-08:002015-12-03T19:39:33.358-08:00Posting assault on victim's Facebook page backfires for these twoMost Facebook users have probably had the experience of a person something on their page they'd rather not share with the world - a drinking face, bad hair day, the ex you were supposed to be done with. Delete! A video of you curled up in the fetal position getting beaten would be a most unwelcome addition to your Facebook page.<br />
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That's exactly what two (alleged) assailants did to Frankie Santana, a Detroit resident with cerebral palsy, which restricts his movements. The two 20-year-olds stole his phone, recorded his beating on it and then posted it all over Facebook, including on the victim's page.<br />
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See a snippet of what they did from <a href="http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/55124331-story" target="_blank">this report via Fox 2 in Detroit</a>.<br />
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It certainly wasn't hard to catch them and prosecutors should have no problem finding enough evidence.<br />
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As I've highlighted in my novel <i>Famous After Death</i>, it's not enough for bullies and killers to hurt their victims physically, they want to shame them emotionally. Social media has become their weapon of choice.<br />
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Hopefully next time someone tags Mr. Santana on Facebook, the message will be more uplifting.<br />
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<br />Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-55593729198797845192015-11-08T19:09:00.001-08:002015-11-08T19:09:26.822-08:00Six Can’t Miss Events at the Miami Book FairThere are more reasons than I can count to catch the <a href="http://miamibookfair.com/" target="_blank">Miami Book Fair</a> during its Nov. 15 to 22 run. I’ll list six here, and maybe I’ll see you there during my presentation.<br /><br />I’m honored to be one of more than 450 authors participating in the Miami Book Fair this year with the event in its 32nd edition. It’s the largest book fair in the United States and it has something for everybody, including kids, readers of Spanish and Creole, and comic book fans. For avid book shoppers, the street fair at Miami Dade College’s downtown campus on Nov. 20 to 22 is a fantastic opportunity to buy books at a discount.<br />
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<br />There will be author presentations both during the street fair and in the week leading up to it. Here are some recommended picks.<br />
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<b>An insider’s take on the economy</b><br /><br />Robert B. Reich, the secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, will <a href="http://miamibookfair.com/event/an-evening-with-robert-b-reich/" target="_blank">discuss his new novel </a><i>Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few</i>. There’s an argument between centrist Democrats and Democratic Socialists like Bernie Sanders whether capitalism is out of control and working to the advantage of the wealthy. <br />
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<br /><b>The news man ditches the teleprompter </b><br /><br />I used to watch the evening news all the time. I rarely catch it now, but when I do and I see all the ads for medication, well, that reveals the demographic of who’s still tuned in. Tom Brokaw anchored the NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004, during a time when it was the main source of news for many people. Not only will he <a href="http://miamibookfair.com/event/an-evening-with-tom-brokaw/" target="_blank">discuss his broadcast journalism career, he’ll reflect on his battle with blood cancer</a> as told in <i>A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope</i>.<br />
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<br /><b>The architect of Obama’s Hope</b><br /><br />David Axelrod was the chief campaign adviser to President Obama in 2008 and 2012, so you either love him or you hate him. Either way, it’s interesting to hear what he things of the current presidential campaign and whether the Super PACs and their unlimited donations have changed the playbook needed to win. <a href="http://miamibookfair.com/event/an-evening-with-david-axelrod/" target="_blank">His new book</a> is <i>Believer: My Forty Years in Politics</i>.<br />
<br /><b>Women of Science </b><br /><br />Three women who wrote science-themed books will <a href="http://miamibookfair.com/event/scientific-exploration-past-and-future-new-nonfiction/" target="_blank">share the spotlight</a>. I’m particularly interested in Ashlee Vance’s biography of Elon Musk, who started forward-thinking companies like Tesla and SpaceX. Margaret Lazarus Dean wrote <i>Leaving Orbit: Notes from the Last Days of American Spaceflight</i> - a subject that’s depressing for me as an author of science fiction. How did we fall so far behind in space travel and, really, aerospace. Maybe it’s because we need more women involved in hard sciences, as Eileen Pollack tackles that subject in <i>The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science is Still a Boy’s Club</i>.<br />
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<br /><b>A Journey to the Dark and Supernatural</b><br /><br />Tananarive Due writes novels that are both creepy and touching so I’m eager to hear what she’s crafted in her story collection <i>Ghost Summer</i>. I saw her at the Book Fair a few years ago and she was amazing. <a href="http://miamibookfair.com/event/new-novels-dark-and-supernatural/" target="_blank">She’ll be joined</a> by Benjamin Percy, author of The <i>Dead Lands</i>, and Jennifer McMahon, author of <i>The Night Sister</i>.<br />
<br /><b>Authors in the Line of Fire</b><br /><br />A group of brave authors will <a href="http://miamibookfair.com/event/by-the-book-the-new-york-times-pamela-paul-talks-books-with-some-of-mbfs-favorite-authors-2/" target="_blank">take questions before a live audience</a> from New York Times Book Review Editor Pamela Paul. Among my favorite, thriller writer Brad Meltzer. I’ve interviewed him several times and he has a great sense of humor, so this should be fun. <br />
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While you’re at the Book Fair be sure to check out my presentation <a href="http://miamibookfair.com/event/murder-most-viral-new-fiction/" target="_blank">“Murder Most Viral” on Sunday</a>, Nov. 22 at 10 a.m. I’m humbled that they’ve selected me to speak in a solo gig and that’ll be cool because I have a lot to say about how social media is promoting violence. If you haven't heard me read from <i>Famous After Death</i>, you are in for a shock.<br />
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Grab your coffee and hit the fair early to beat the traffic.<br /><br /><br /><br />Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-79825084510754923402015-09-18T06:07:00.001-07:002015-09-18T06:07:03.491-07:00New Wynwood could price out hipsters who made it thriveIn Miami real estate, you either sprint or fall on your face. There's
no such thing as steady growth. So goes the case with Wynwood.<br />
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Creative
planning by artists and local investors transformed the neighborhood
from empty warehouses into a district with stunning street art, popular
restaurants and bars and emerging retail.<br />
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It's expected that property
values would grow to reflect the promise. Instead, many recent deals
have given Wynwood higher valuations than established retail markets in
wealthy areas, such as Coral Gables and Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale.<br />
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My <a data-mce-href="http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/print-edition/2015/09/18/gobs-of-money-and-new-zoning-could-turn-artsy.html" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/print-edition/2015/09/18/gobs-of-money-and-new-zoning-could-turn-artsy.html" rel="nofollow">print edition centerpiece in the South Florida Business Journal</a> explores where the neighborhood is heading.<br />
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The
fear of many is the higher property valuations will lead to expensive
rents that will price out the artists and local businesses that made
Wynwood so successful. I interviewed several property owners that said
they would keep key local groups like Panther Coffee and artists, but
they're investing tens of millions of dollars because they expect a
substantial return from new tenants. Will those big money tenants change
the hipster character of Wynwood? Can they sell enough goods to justify
$80 per square foot in rent?<br />
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Certainly,
the new zoning that Miami could finalize for Wynwood will increase the
ability of developers to build apartments, condos and hotels there.
They're targeted the young, creative professional class. However, it's
important that homes in Wynwood are priced below those in areas such as
downtown, Brickell and Edgewater. Construction costs aren't going to
differ much between those neighborhoods so Wynwood developers will need
to find a way to be less expensive for residents.<br />
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I'll
tell you this about Wynwood, bring it up to any real estate
professional in Miami and they're either all in or they won't touch it.
There's no such thing as middle ground, or a steady pace, in Miami.<br />
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<br data-mce-bogus="1" />Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-23585767292419726642015-08-28T13:51:00.001-07:002015-08-28T13:51:39.877-07:00Murder on the Beach gets Famous After DeathI just delivered copies of my novel Famous After Death to the delightful Murder on the Beach independent bookstore in Delray Beach. It's in the Pineapple Grove neighborhood just north of downtown, an area that's always a blast to visit for its restaurants, bars and shops. <br />
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Come see me at Murder on the Beach on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. for a reading and signing of Famous After Death. Just ask the people who saw me at Books & Books this month, you need to hear the way I voice the characters in this story about murder gone viral.<br />
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<a href="http://www.murderonthebeach.com/" target="_blank">Murder on the Beach</a>, located at 273 Pineapple Grove Way (N.E. 2nd Ave.), is a bookstore that specializes in mystery, thrillers, true crime and horror. It also has games, and creepy decorations.<br />
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And since it's in downtown Delray Beach, once my event's finished you can go out and have a drink.<br />
Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8779748305365422719.post-79029824430124454662015-08-23T12:31:00.002-07:002015-08-23T12:31:24.846-07:00My radio interview: What drives teenagers to murder?Cyrus Webb interviewed me for his ConversationsLIVE show on Blog Talk Radio this week. After reading my novel Famous After Death and writing a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R1APBVX3XD4V7A/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm" target="_blank">glowing review of the book</a>, he asked me in-depth questions where the story came from.<br />
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<br /><br />Here’s a sample of what went down on the air:<br /><br />When did you first have the seed planted that this was a book that you wanted to write?<br /><br /><i>I started working on it in 2010. I had the initial idea that I wanted to write about teenagers who were putting their crimes on the internet to get attention for it. I knew this was beginning to happen and I wanted to understand. These were teenagers who were smart enough to do it anonymously. And real life sort of beat be to the punch. You had a freshman at Rutgers jump to his death after his roommate filmed him making out with another man and his roommate put it on his Facebook page to bully him. There was a column by Leonard Pitts in the Miami Herald who wrote about how people are using the internet to bully people and to trash them here and the internet can bring out the ugliness with us. And that stuck with me. That was the point of my novel to show how people are using social media in the wrong way. </i><br /><br />There was something that I was not expecting that came up in this book and that was the family element. Did you know going in that you wanted to make these young people more than just savage, that you wanted to show us the human side of them by letting us see their family?<br /><br /><i>I felt it was important to understand all of them got into a situation where they were juvenile delinquents, where they wanted to play pranks on people online, not really caring if the people got hurt. This doesn’t happen randomly. There’s a reason. The lead character Jorge, he’s very much a loner. He’s trying to make friends. He wears big black trench coats in Miami and doesn’t fit in. His mother is sort of OCD and so he is trying to get attention from the other boys. He wants to use his intelligence only to act like he’s cool and fit in. <br /><br />Kelso is from a wealthy family where his dad is a motocross star and his younger brother is really the big guy in the family because he’s a great skater. He’s a better skater than Kelso. His brother always finishes first and Kelso is finishes distance. So he’s trying to show that he’s the man, that he can get a lot of hits from his videos. He feels like he’s passed over for his brother.<br /><br />And Chris, who acts in a mean way toward everybody, he’s from a broken home where his father left his mother and started a modeling agency, and he’s with all the models. So he’s feels that angry inside that his family was broken and he’s angry at both parents and wants to take it out on everyone else.</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theconversationshow/2015/08/20/author-brian-bandell-discusses-famousafterdeath-on-conversationslive" target="_blank">Go here to listen to the full interview</a> with Cyrus Webb.Brian Bandellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00932677636089829834noreply@blogger.com0