Cym's Recipe for Republicans #FiscalCliff

I rarely make political comments (as I view myself as a Commie Left Democrat), but I did send my thoughts to Chairman Boehner (and a few others).

Dear Mr. Chairman: 

Thank you for your leadership. Good luck in your "cliff" discussions with the President. Have you considered the following response: 

(i) the President has made it abundantly clear that his positions are non-negotiable on both spending and taxes; 

(ii) we believe these positions will lead to the economic malaise of Japan and the EU; 

(iii) the American people and their economy desperately need the "cliff" matter to be resolved to clear the way forward; 

(iv) there should be plain accountability for what is done to address our economic problems; 

(v) the President was re-elected; and, therefore, 

(vi) we will stand aside and allow the President's proposals to be enacted. If they are successful, we will all be delighted. If they have the malaise consequences that we fear, then we will stand ready in 2 and 4 years to address the situation as it may then be framed.

The poker-playing here is quite interesting, except for the danger that the antagonistic positions create for us all.

Love, Cym 

PS. What are your solutions? How is this affecting your family or you personally? Leave me a comment!

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Blood Line by James Rollins #Book #Review

Blood Line 

by James Rollins 

(2012 Wm Morrow)

It is always a treat to read and think through the work of skilled thriller writers. The complexities of history, characterization, evolution of the history to the world of today, pacing, and page turning frenzy as the elements are joined is quite amazing. Especially to a student like me who is hoping to learn the craft.

Blood Line contains all of these elements. We start with a connection to Christianity and the Crusades. We are taunted with thinking through what it would be like to be immortal, to live forever. Is the U.S. president to be assassinated? How can all of these elements be related? I thought turning the initial pages

Aside for all of this intrigue, we are treated to a cast of quite amazing characters, including a heroic dog (my personal favorite). Sigma Force is a clandestine operative of the United States. Its leaders pull together a cast of ingeniously developed characters, including two female operatives who seem to lead quite normal lives until they are in the field. The leader is even in love with one of them, though she is placed in deep peril. In the end, there are generations of electronic demons who almost derail success of the mission.

There are also other familial ties, including a President and his brother the Secretary of State, caught up in different elements of their ancestral family heritage. The arch enemy is the Guild. One of its own has joined the other side, only to find that she has a relationship with the apparent bad guy, and a mother who may still be alive, neither ever known to her.

As if this were not enough raw material for a thriller, Rollins rolls in a clever explanation of the potential genetics of immortality.

The action takes place in the Middle East and South Carolina, and at various places in between.

Blood Line is thrilling. My only disappointment occurred when I turned the last page. How will these people evolve? I wanted to continue.

Like some other fine series, such as The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, Rollins has created characters that can sustain many excellent stories. I look forward to picking up the path of these folks in their next adventure.

Warms, Cym  

www.jamesrollins.com

Amazon

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Are you Watching Homeland on Showtime?

Homeland 

Showtime series

I love to read, especially thrillers or other stories that captivate my imagination. I have always declared that I am not a TV watcher. When I am induced to watch, I usually doze off. Needless to say, this earns me no points with whomever suggested that I join in watching a show that they enjoy.

This was all until my sweetheart suggested that I would like Homeland, a Showtime series that originated in Israel. I was hooked from the first moment. I even watched the first year series in rapid succession.

I kept asking myself “what is it about this show that captivates me?” It took awhile, but I finally figured out that it is the same thing that I enjoy about novels. The characters are engaging. They are placed in a context that is dangerous to us all (terrorism). 

The lead character (Brody) is a hero of a distant war, held prisoner for 8 years, and who was apparently turned to the dark side. Or was he?

During his captivity, his wife (Jessica) took up with Brody’s best friend (Michael). Their children attached to the new man in the home. Then Brody comes home. He is befriended by a Vice President for his own ambition. Brody becomes a Congressman. He dons a suicide vest in a situation where he could wipe out the U.S. administration leaders.

A beautiful CIA operative (Carrie) needs to get into Brody. They form their own relationship. Are they either one in love? She is bipolar, often neglecting her medication. She has a colleague who is thoughtful and engaging (Saul), who seems to tolerate her often scattered behavior because of her periodic brilliance. They both have a superior, who seems to have his own ambitions.

 I strive to imagine how it will all come together. In each chapter, there is unexpected development, which sends the story off in a new direction. Who is good? Who is bad? How will they get out of this mess?

Each week, I look forward to Sunday night when the new show comes on. I certainly do not fall asleep. I find myself thinking about the characters and their dilemmas, as I do with well written novels. The writers of these screenplays are excellent. I hope to learn from their work.

My horizons have been expanded. If you have not seen this one, tune-in and get hooked.

Warms, Cym

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In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson #Bookreview

In the Garden of Beasts 

by Erik Larson 

2011 Random House, 

Crown Publishing, 

Broadway Paperbacks

Reviewing books is fascinating. The range of emotion that is generated from what I read It is constantly amazing and often surprising. 

In the Garden of Beasts is a non-fiction best-seller, chosen as a monthly selection for my Philosopher Club group. The cover reflects a story about Nazi Germany. When I began reading, my interest level was low. Why? Because, I thought, it an old story that was well known to me from prior work.

As is often the case, my initial impression was dead wrong. In the Garden of Beasts is a story about the American Ambassador to Germany in the middle-1930s as the Nazi power was being consolidated. William E. Dodd was an unlikely candidate for FDR to appoint, after many more apparently able diplomats had turned down the Presidential tender.

Dodd and his family took up residence in Berlin as the beasts took control. Erik Larson wrote a wonderfully readable story about the frustrations encountered by Dodd and his family, including the lascivious social life of his daughter let loose in the social scene of Berlin. Dodd tried to blow the whistle for the world to wake up and see the horrors that were building in the Nazi empire. Unfortunately, America and the rest of Europe were in isolationist mode following World War I. The world stood aside as the beasts took control.

The implications of Dodd’s experience have many thoughtful lessons for our current diplomatic times. It seems that the world is beset with political, social, military, and cultural divisions. It often feels like the world is adrift. As I turned the final chapters of Larson’s brilliant story, I wondered if there is a voice in the world today trying, in vain like Dodd, to illuminate a positive way forward. I surely hope so, though I do not know where it is. 

I encourage you to read In the Garden of Beasts and then think through whether the same mistakes are being made in the world of today.

Warms, Cym

Amazon

Erik Larson

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What I am doing in Singapore... Transfer Pricing

Several of you have asked....

(that would be me on the far left)

Warms-

CYM

Resources:

Transfer Pricing Weekly

International Tax Review

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