By Rush Limbaugh:

“I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don’t criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can’t let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country.

If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you’re going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.?

If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there’s a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.

Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it’s not enough. Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers. (Actually, soldiers are put in harms way by politicians and commanding officers.)

We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well. You see where this is going, don’t you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It’s just really sad. 

Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense? However, our own US Congress voted themselves a raise.

Many of you don’t know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn’t have to pay into the system. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed them in harm’s way receives a pension of $15,000 per month.

I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting. When do we finally do something about this?”

Ok, now it’s your turn, I dare you to respond and on this topic, I hope you do from here to your Congressmen and Senators!  Thanks, rg sends!

Yellow Tang

Sometimes I feel people are hypocrites, especially those that ask you to help promote their workshops and then they stab you in the back, though that’s another story and they know who they are and they won’t get that help again.  Now, that said, what is it with people that have those religious symbols on the back of their cars and are clearly breaking the law when they pass you at high-speeds?

Perhaps it’s road-rage in another form, like religious road-rage racing down the roadways.  Perhaps they go to church to be like the Jones’ but in reality are using it as a front.  Perhaps it’s the same person that stands tall at church and spends monthly fees downloading porn.  Perhaps it’s those that bang their spouses around but donate to the battered women’s crisis center.  Perhaps it’s those that will pick a seedless grape from the vine at the grocery store and not pay for it.  Perhaps its those that buy lotto tickets too as they feel it’s not luck, just supporting the local economy. 

I think this weekend I’ll accidentally turn into a strip bar parking lot and count how many fish on the back of cars I see, should be an interesting experiment.  What’s your thoughts, I dare you, thanks, rg sends!

Apparently the software giant Microsoft has spent too much money on compensating Bill Gates over the years and they are too being hit by these tough economic times as they’re asking their employees to refund Microsoft back money from their severance packages.

According to Eweek.com, “TechCrunch has an item stating that Microsoft has contacted some of its former employees and is asking them to repay the software giant for overpayment on severance due to the company’s own miscalculations. Indeed, the report said that not only has Microsoft apparently overpaid some of its former employees’ severance, but the company also underpaid some of its recently laid off workers.”

Reportedly Microsoft sent out a letter to previously laid-off workers that stated, “This letter is to inform you that an inadvertent administrative error occurred that resulted in an overpayment in severance pay by Microsoft. We ask that you repay the overpayment and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to you.”

Now, this is the same company that is notorious for releasing security software patches to their Windows platform software almost immediately after it’s newest version is released.  Perhaps their accounting department was affected by a virus from these security holes?

Adding to the wound, Microsoft recently announced another round of layoffs that could affect 5,000 employees. Now to their credit, TechCrunch also states Microsoft “reversed its decision and told its former employees they did not have to repay the overpayments–which ranged from hundreds of dollars to $5,000 per employee.”

What are your thoughts on Microsoft, I dare you, double dare you…Rolando

Often with my busy schedule, I’m a few days learning the news and when I do get a chance to read the newspaper, I just scan the headlines.  One headline that caught my eye yesterday was the story of the mother, Nadya Suleman, 33, who recently had eight babies and the scrutiny of the fertility doctor who helped her achieve these new brothers and sisters to her already existing six children.

 While I have nothing against large families, especially since I come from a family of five and I have five children myself, I am disturbed about all the details in this woman’s story as I know the difficulties involved in raising almost a third of her clan.  Not to mention, the Octuplet Mom’s doctor didn’t follow the recommendations from The American Society for Reproductive Medicine that states “a woman under the age of 35 should have no more than two embryos implanted by way of in vitro fertilization (IVF).”  Now I’m no doctor, but most doctors must know the medical history of their patients and I’m sure that her infertility doctor knew her situation and about previous six births.  This fertility doctor implanted not two, but eight fertile embryos in Suleman.

 I’m wondering how the doctor was paid as a typical IVF costs $10,000 and up and Suleman was unemployed at the time with six kids living at home.  According to all the media reports, she’s not looking for marriage and even if she was, I’m sure a single parent of 14 kids will have a high-level of difficulty to find a suitable suitor.  The first six are under the age of eight so by the time they all reach college age, according to the “cost of raising a child calculator” at the babycenter.com, will average $7,568 dollars without college per year to raise.  That’s over $60,000 for the last eight kids alone, per year!  I’m sure it’s safe to say, for the first six children it will cost at least $40,000 per year for a total of $100,000 and we haven’t even included a college fund savings.

 The Octuplet mother lives with her Mom and Dad in a “modest Southern California house.”  It’s rumored her Dad, a native from Iraq, is headed to Iraq to avoid the diapers and the Octuplet’s Mother told the New York Daily News she’d be gone before the new grandkids arrive.  Obviously a dysfunctional family as Suleman herself confirmed in a television interview where she said “that she wanted lots of children because she had grown up an only child in a dysfunctional family.”

It appears that Suleman is to profit from her choice to be a mother of 14 kids practically overnight.  She’s hired a public relations agent and a publicist to help her with a book and movie deal along with television offers. One of them, Joann Killeen, president of the Killeen Furtney Group stated on a “Larry King Live” interview on Feb. 3,  that Suleman is a “wonderful woman.” “She’s smart, she’s bright, she’s articulate, she’s well educated. She is just a delight. And I can’t wait for the media to get to meet her,” Killeen said. “She’s a very balanced woman. She’s got perspective. She really wants to tell her story.” 

According to Advertising Age, Suleman is hoping for a “$2 million deal for the first photo opportunity” and Advertising Age also reports that Suleman is “hoping for appearances on Oprah.”  Oprah is known for helping out these large, instant fertility families but hopefully Oprah will not bring her on the show as this could encourage others to have large families so they can become overnight millionaires sending the wrong message.

Of all the reports I’ve read on this 14-brood family my favorite comes from the Advertising Age article where they state, “As one Gawker commenter noted, “People can be convicted of animal cruelty for having 14 pets in their home and inadequate resources with which to take care of them.”

I have to agree.  First I blame the doctor.  How can a doctor allow a single, young, unemployed girl, living with her parents, already with six kids under the age of eight years, have eight more kids? Not just eight kids, but premature babies with high risks for serious medical problems.  It’s absurd and I dare you, double dare you to chime in with your thoughts.  Thanks, rg sends!

When I voted at 8:23 Central Time  on CNN the results were 2,810 people in favor of taking the “U.S.” out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with only a mere 187 voting otherwise. It was a 94% landslide that the Chamber has gone too far especially when they are supported by so many American business owners and citizens. Where is their patriotism?  We’re in tough times and now the Chamber of Commerce is betraying us?

The irony of it all is that the Chamber’s website states, “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing 3 million (American) businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations. More than 96% of U.S. Chamber members are small businesses with 100 employees or fewer.  As the voice of business, the Chamber’s core purpose is to fight for free enterprise before Congress, the White House, regulatory agencies, the courts, the court of public opinion, and governments around the world.”

Perhaps when CNN’s poll is over tonight, 96% of the American Citizens voting will tell the Chamber their honest opinion on how they need to drop the “U.S.” from their name. I highly recommend you call them during business hours, as you can’t contact them via their web page without registering, at their main number 202-659-600 and ask for Thomas J. Donohue, their President and CEO, and let them know how wrong they are in not supporting the very American soil they take money from to pay their salaries.

Perhaps Chamber senior staff should be paid in baht or pesos and their “About Us” page on their website should be updated. I sincerely hope American businessmen will voice their concern or at least that the Chamber will provide a thorough explanation.

I fully understand America can’t make every product we consume and we have to buy foreign products when we have no choice. I have foreign sponsors in my photography business and I have foreign friends. I also understand that their are superior foreign products. I use foreign products, but I always buy American when I can and I would never discourage that and neither should the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  I served eight patriotic years in the U.S. Army, active duty and I earned my right to choose whether I want to buy American or not.  The Chamber doesn’t have to convince me about the need for foreign trade, it’s just the principle that they would oppose “Buy American”  when they feed off American business owners and American citizens.  

If someone has a direct email address to their senior level members or board members, please post it here as I refuse to join their website in order to voice my opinion as I would not want my email address in their books. I dare you, double dare you to take a stand and voice your opinion. Thanks, rg sends!

It’s funny how perceptions change during trying times.   If someone were to say they’re headed to a pawnshop to sell an old television because they wanted to replace it with a new one, some might think people are really hocking their television for some quick cash.  Still others might believe the only people that pawn personal property are drug abusers or thieves. 

It’s those perceptions that lead to creative ways to stay politically correct during these trying times we all face today.   What I discovered on my recent trip to Florida while speaking at FotoFusion in Delray Beach are what’s called second-hand resale shops, or the once rich man’s pawn shops.

These resale shops are selling top, name brand clothing, shoes, handbags and all those designer “look good, feel good, keep up with the Jone’s” apparel and accessories.  There was even the original dress worn by a past Miss America on sale for fractions of pennies on the dollar!  The more I talked to people in the area, I learned not only is the economy a factor, but many people in the area became broke overnight thanks to the alleged Ponzi Scheme of Bernard Madoff where it’s said many investors are out hundreds of millions of dollars because of this estimated $50 billion fraud and the biggest chunk is from the Palm Beach area.

The 70-year-old Madoff had been the chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange and a member “in good standing” of the Palm Beach Country Club which requires that you “contribute a fortune to charity every year.”  It’s reported the initiation fee into the club alone is $300,000.  A club so wealthy and exclusive that their website requires a username and password to view anything past their sparse home page. 

FotoFusion is held in Delray Beach, about twenty-five minutes down the road and Madoff’s name was often overheard around the area amongst the volunteers running this annual photographic event.  It’s rumored that Madoff handled the assets of many of the 300 members of the club.

The oceanfront club was founded because many Jewish people were excluded (discriminated against) from other posh clubs in one of the most wealthiest cities of America.  One accountant was quoted as stating that for consideration to even apply as a club member, the applicant must have a proven track record of annual charitable contributions with an equivalent to the initiation fee, as a minimum, per year, in hopes “to make the world a better place to live in.”

It might be a bleak year for these charities helping to create a better world because many were helped by the exclusive Palm Beach Club and it’s also alleged that some of these charitable organizations, already impacted by the economy, had financial assets invested with Madof too. Though one good thing out of these tough economic times, not just in Florida but perhaps your community too, if you’re looking for a Louis Vuitton purse or fashions by Jewish designers Calvin Klien, Marc Jacobs or Donna Karan, you can find them in practically mint condition for less than pennies on the dollar at second-hand resale shops. I can only imagine how many closets were emptied out in the Palm Beach area the past few months as these rich man’s pawn shops are overflowing with inventory and the law of supply and demand was evident on the bargain basement prices.

What is it with labels today?  Whether I’m filling out a form or application for something, or just get introduced to someone by a friend, the question always arises, are you Hispanic? 

If there is one person not to ask is if I’m Hispanic.  First of all, I was born in Texas.  I’m a Texan and an American of Latin descent.  Ask me if I’m a Latino before you ever ask me if I’m Hispanic.  Why should someone born in the good ole U S of A who served proudly and patriotically in the U.S. Army, active-duty, for over 8-years and served over 8-years in the Federal civil workforce for the U.S. Air Force be labeled Hispanic or anything else?

Sometimes when someone asks me, are you Hispanic, my answer is, “No, I’m a Texan and American of Latin blood with a Mexican and Spanish descent, but are you white?” (Insert any color you’d like here, green for Martians if you’d like.)  I’m not racist nor am I trying to sound like one, so when you read the statement above, please understand, I say it sarcastically when someone asks me if I’m Hispanic to make my point. 

First, there is no country on the map called Hispain, there never was, but you never know.  There is a Hispaniola, the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, located between the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico and according to Wikipedia, there was an ancient Hispania.  Speaking of Wiki, they define Hispanic as:

 “Hispanic (Spanish: hispano, hispánico) is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania (geographically coinciding with the Iberian peninsula: modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Gibraltar) or to its pre-Roman peoples.

The term is now used to convey the culture and peoples of countries formerly ruled by Spain and still have a large Spanish or Spanish descendant presence and usually but not always, speak the Spanish language. These include: Mexico, Central and South America, the Greater Antilles, the Southwestern United States, Florida, the African nations of Equatorial Guinea,[1] and Western Sahara, and the northern coastal region of Morocco.[citation needed] Traces of Hispanic culture may exist also in Asia-Pacific nations and territories of the Philippines, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Despite their many similarities, Hispanics do not compose a homogeneous people or culture.

Now think about Wikipedia for a second, it’s an open book updated by anyone, ugh let’s say a world-wide-web population that is not homogeneous.  But for them to describe Hispanics as people from all those countries that were once ruled by Spain, then they better ask themselves why Texas has had six flags in their history and no, it’s not because we have the Six Flags over Texas theme park. And for those that don’t know their history, Texas was a republic (country) before it became a state.  And if Wikipedia’s definition of Hispanics were true, then everyone in Texas is a Hispanic. 

Hispanic is just a label and don’t even get me started on are you Mexican-American?  I’m a friggin American and I served my country patriotically for 17 years in Federal service and the oath we took was “to protect the United States Constitution against enemies both foreign and domestic.”  I’m an American, Texan and a Latino.  Yes, Latino sounds better than Hispanic. 

I dare you, I double dare you to say something, all the best, rg sends!

What’s even funnier, according to Advertising Age, “In referencing the obnoxiously large portions that are responsible for growing butts in the U.S., the article depicts McDonald’s fries and drinks as examples.” They further state, “…the adman blames gigantic portions for the country’s obesity epidemic, offering as the cure smaller plates. ”

Obviously Bogusky is a subject matter expert worthy of such a book from Powerhouse Books as he “whittled 3 inches from his waist since switching to 9-inch plates five years ago,” People writes. But with Big Mac’s being slammed isn’t like the pot calling the kettle black or simply Bogusky slamming one of Burger King and Domino’s major competitor’s McDonalds on purpose? I’m just curious if the ad and marketing executives at Burger King and Domino’s received free, autographed copies from Mr. Bogusky.

I’m sure Bogusky has a nice sized office space at MDC Partners’ Crispin Porter & Bogusky as according to Businessweek, “Maxxcom, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of MDC Partners, Inc. (NasdaqNM: MDCA) acquired additional 28% equity interest in Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Inc. from Charles Porter, Alex Bogusky, Jeff Hicks, Jeff Steinhour for $28.16 million.” For the record, Bogusky’s share was approximately $0.22 million, you do the math.

Bogusky’s agency obviously isn’t having any Mac attacks lately as in this past August they won a creative contract from Hulu.com handling their creative and media account with an estimated expenditure of a whopping $50 million. And of course if anyone at the agency gets thirsty, they can always drink Sprite, but if they are on a diet, then Coke Zero would be the way to go as they are also clients of Crispin Porter & Bogusky group.

The irony of the whole People issue and Bogusky’s diet book is that Sonic and Subway purchased print-space advertising in that issue and recently Dominos has been plugging away with television commercials touting their own subway sandwiches “beating out Subway in national taste tests.” The paradox of it all is that Burger King and Sonic both serve Coca-Cola products. Zero calories, how can you go wrong, right? Well if you order a Coke Zero plus a Burger King Whopper with mayonnaise it’s only 680 calories and if you hold the Coke Zero, it’s still 680 calories. I think I’ll ask them to hold the mayo next time as I’m not a fan of a Big Mac, besides, a Big Mac is 600 calories with Coke Zero and it comes with a secret sauce, not mayo.

Ok, now comes the dare, I dare you, I dare you to have a Mac attack or you can just have it your way, say something, c’mon, we’re waiting, I dare you…rg sends!

Now hopefully you’ve gone through our style-guide post to get an idea where I’m going with this post.  The question is simple, is it a gun or weapon?  Is your rifle a gun or a weapon?  Is your pistol a gun, weapon or better yet, a handgun? 

According to my old-faithful Associate Press Stylebook under the word-entry guns, it states, “See weapons.”  So as I flip the pages over and land on weapon, I find,  “Gun is an acceptable term for any firearm.”  But the next sentence disturbs me, it states, “Note the following definitions and forms in dealing with weapons and ammunition….” 

When I served for over 8-years, active-duty, in the U.S. Army we did annual weapons qualifications.  It’s a mandate, you must qualify annually with your assigned, personal weapon to stay in the Army.  Notice I used the word weapon(s) twice, I never mentioned gun(s) even though I qualified with the M2HB Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun.  In the Army, every firearm is a weapon and your personal weapon is never referred to as a gun. The only time we were allowed to use the word gun was when we were describing “crew-served” weapons.

From the minute I qualified as an expert with my first personal weapon, the M16 A1 rifle and even when we switched to the M16A2 rifle, the rules still didn’t change.  Later I’d qualify as an expert with the M1911 .45 Caliber Browning, Automatic Pistol followed by the M9, 9mm Semiautomatic Beretta Pistol.  The older M1911 was mis-labeled as automatic.    And when I was with the 3^rd Battalion, 8^th Infantry Division in Mainz, Germany (West Germany at the time), I even qualified and had a weapon’s card for the M3A1 .45 caliber (.45 ACP) submachine gun , known in the military as the grease gun.  

During my muddy boot days I also qualified and was responsible for the M60 7.62mm Machine Gun, but that was the only time we were allowed to use the word gun, when we described machine guns.  Our firearms were either called weapons, rifles or pistols and the only time we used the word gun was when the word machine  or submachine went in front of it.  If you violated this rule it cost at least 10 or 20 push-ups as your punishment for using the word gun in improper context.  It didn’t even change one weekend down in Koblenz, Germany when I earned a German Schutzenschnur shooting medal in bronze with the German Army.  Even with the German military we referred to our weapons appropriately as a machine gun, pistol and rifle as you must qualify with all three for the award. 

Now my dilemma, I live in Texas and we’re notorious for being perceived by people not native to Texas as gun-toting cowboys. Even though when I was younger I roped, branded, fixed barb-wired fences and even pear-burned cactus at our family’s ranch, I don’t carry guns.  Though I own boots, Wrangler jeans, a horse-hair belt, black-felt cowboy hat and store my weapons dry and oiled down.  I love my weapons, whether it’s the rifle my Grandfather handed down to me before he went to Heaven or my semi-automatic Browning, 12-guage pump shotgun.  For the record, I didn’t say I love my guns because I don’t own a machine gun, just a shotgun and if you noticed, machine guns are not spelled machinegun, shotguns are not spelled shot gun.

Yes, I posses and bear my firearms under the very Constitution of the United States I swore to defend and protect during my military service. Oh, and by the way, if you’re wondering, the Associated Press Stylebook states under the word firearm, “See weapons.”  Now I dare you…it’s your turn, what weapons do you own?  I dare you to call them guns even though the stylebook states you can…Thanks, Rolando

Style guides, manuals and books come in many forms, those for college research papers and those for media publication. In college one professor may require you to use the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers while another professor my prefer The Chicago Manual of Style. A media publication will require you write using the Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law.

Now don’t get confused, style guides are used for accurate formatting and “style” of a document or manuscript and differs from actual “writing style” of an author. Think of it in this manner, all photography books will preach some type of basics, fundamentals and rules of photography, but each photographer has her or her own “shooting style.”

However, whether a photographer or dentist, at one point we’re all called to write some type of document, paper, article, memo or correspondence and we should all follow basic English grammar rules. Speaking of grammar, there are even grammar style guides too.

This is why everyone should own some type of style guide as a handy reference. I’ll give you an example, military titles are often written in many formats. The military itself has their internal abbreviations for military ranks. In the U.S. Army, internally a sergeant is abbreviated as simply SGT for a “buck sergeant” while SSG is used for staff sergeant and SFC is used for sergeant first-class. Yet when written for external information by the military public affairs office and civilian media, sergeant is abbreviated as Sgt., staff sergeant as Staff Sgt. and sergeant first-class as Sgt. 1st Class.

While military titles are not always the norm of the common civilian writer, misuses of common words are, for example, is it affect or effect? According to all the style guides, affect, when used as a verb means to “influence” while effect, when used as a verb means to (cause) cause something. Confusing, well not really, as an example sentence, “Jolynn will affect my thoughts during the exam because she’s got a hot body and always wears tight, low-waist pants exposing her panties and goes braless in a low-cut blouse which I’m sure will effect my test results.” (Now how many men just got lost reading this?)

Affect should always be avoided as a noun, though it is “occasionally used in psychology to describe an emotion, but there is no need for it in everyday language,” states the AP Stylebook. On the other hand, effect is probably used more as a noun than verb because it’s often used to emphasize the result of an affect. For example, “The affect of alcohol in my blood system will have an effect on me believing every girl is beautiful and hopefully when I wake up in the morning the effect of my actions will not affect my mood.”

Let’s take a look at that last sentence substituting influence for affect and cause for effect. “The influence of alcohol in my blood system will cause me to believe every girl is beautiful and hopefully when I wake up in the morning the cause of my actions will not influence my mood.”

Rule of thumb, affect is to influence and effect is the cause. Perhaps it’s easier to think of it as action creates a reaction or influence causes something. Ever heard of cause and affect? Or is it effect? I dare you to figure that one out. The funny thing is when you Google “cause and affect” you get 52 million results and when you Google “cause and effect” you get 24 million results. The funny thing, under “cause and affect” Google asks, “Do you really mean cause and effect?” Which is it, because the affect of the question can have a mind-boggling effect?

Now sometimes it’s best to just drop affect and effect in a sentence and use their replacements for a more conversational style of English. As an example:

(bad)
Now perhaps the affect of my words was good for you and it will effect you to return in a positive manner because I want to affect your brain as much as possible so you’ll bring your friends to this blog which will effect my mind to churn more words out.

(better)
Now perhaps the influence of my words was good for you and it will cause you to return in a positive manner because I want to influence your brain as much as possible so you’ll bring your friends to this blog which will cause my mind to churn more words out.

Well I have to run now and hopefully providing you a writing tip will affect your decision for owning a style guide manual for a positive effect on your future writings, correspondence, conversation and all that other communication crap. Now the dare, I dare you to come up with your own examples, but try the words below with a “style guide mentality” in mind:

• there, their
• it, it’s
• adopt, approve, enact, pass
• accept, except
• adverse, averse
• admit, admitted
• aid, aide
• agnostic, atheist
• airline, airlines (got to give you an easy one)
• all right, alright (tough one)
• all-time, all time
• among, between
• anticipate, expect
• anybody, any body, anyone, any one
• arbitrate, mediate
• assassin, killer, murder
• attorney, lawyer (be careful, don’t think common usage)
• awhile, a while
• back up, backup
• back yard, backyard
• Baptist, baptist (there is a difference, your spell-check may tell you not, but the style guide will tell you different)
• because, since
• biannual, biennial
• blast off, blastoff
• bloc, block
• box office, box-office
• boycott, embargo
• break in, break-in
• break-up, break up
• British, Briton(s)
• brunet, brunette (think gender here)
• bug, tap
• build up, build-up
• burglary, larceny, robbery, theft

I dare you to figure some of these out, at least for your own personal knowledge and education. I dare you to find a mistake in this article, I’m sure there is one, hey, I’ve barely slept! I dare you…Thanks, Rolando