Current Events in Books

50 Must Read Books of the 20th Century - How Many Have You Read?

2009-11-05T12:05:00.002-05:00

I just heard about this post and thought the list would be of interest to people who read this blog. I've read many of these books and some of my favorite books are included. How many have you read?

50 Must Read Novels of the 20th Century

Literature, as with all forms of creative expression, is a highly subjective art. The preferences of one individual may not necessarily overlap with those of another. However, many books nevertheless hold significant influence over both contemporaries and society as a whole. If not necessarily read for enjoyment, they ought to at least be acknowledged for their insight and impact. This list intends to blend highly recognized and celebrated works with those that may have gone overlooked by those outside the literary community and deserve more mainstream attention. Regardless of their status, each novel provides readers with something valuable, whether it be historical context, an intelligent exploration of some aspect of society, or some combination thereof.

1. The Jungle (1906)

Author: Upton Sinclair

A muckraking exploration of worker exploitation and inadequate food safety laws in America, this novel directly led President Teddy Roosevelt to pass the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

2. The Metamorphosis (1915)

Author: Franz Kafka

One of the quintessential existentialist novels, Kafka’s story of a man who awakes one morning to discover himself transformed into a giant pest (often interpreted as some sort of insect) offers a disheartening glimpse into several societal ills.

3. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916)

Author: James Joyce

A journey of sexuality, exile, colonialism, and aesthetics, this semi-autobiographical novel mirrors many of Joyce’s own personal struggles with himself and his native land.

4. Siddhartha (1922)

Author: Hermann Hesse

Although not a story of Siddhartha Gautama, recognized as the supreme Buddha, the protagonist who shares his name follows a similar path to enlightenment. Every one of his experiences and interactions contribute something valuable towards his journey.

5. The Great Gatsby (1925)

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

A celebrated allegory of the jazz age, this novel explores the degradation of the supposed “American Dream” and the depressingly desperate lengths one man resorts to in order to achieve it.

6. As I Lay Dying (1930)

Author: William Faulkner

Slipping through hallucinogenic stream-of-consciousness, the lives of several family members become further intertwined as they gather to bury their matriarch in this thick allegory of Southern decay.

7. The Good Earth (1931)

Author: Pearl S. Buck

Buck’s empathic portrayal of a struggling farmer and his wife influenced Americans to accept the Chinese as their allies in the looming World War. Though tied inextricably with its setting, the narrative of a farmer and his family struggling to maintain control of their lives and their land transcends time and place.

8. The Waves (1931)

Author:Virginia Woolf

A risky, edgy exploration of homosexuality and female desire in an era of alarmism and censorship, Woolf challenged her readers to consider concepts beyond the perceptions of decent society. As friends convene over a mutual tragedy, many of the ideas and philosophies foreshadowing the eventual feminist movement begin to crystallize.

9. Of Mice and Men (1937)

Author: John Steinbeck

The dusty, tragic tale of two migrant workers battling oppression and poverty during the Great Depression, one of Steinbeck’s most renowned works explores his heroes’ relationship to one another as well as the desperation that surrounds them.

10. Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)

Author: Zora Neale Hurston

Anthropologist Hurston drew from her research in both the Caribbean and the American South to shed light on the personal experiences of Americans from African or Caribbean descent.

To discover the remaining 40 books - visit http://www.onlineaccrediteddegrees.org/50-must-read-novels-from-the-20th-century/

A No Holds Barred Look at the First Year of the Obama Presidency by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

2009-11-01T17:15:00.001-05:00

How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge
(Middle Passage Press, Los Angeles, January 2010)
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson takes a no-political holds barred look at Obama’s first year in office in his forthcoming How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge. He answers one compelling question: Did he fulfill the massive and sweeping promise he made to restore hope and effect change in America?

He examines the attacks and counterattacks from the GOP and the Democrats on Obama. He delineates the differences and similarities between Obama and Bush in waging the war on terrorism. He assesses the towering battles over health care, the economy, racial attacks, the GOP counterinsurgency, Afghanistan, and the Henry Louis Gates flap. He provides readers with a guide as to how Obama will continue to govern.

How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge offers a virtual political clinic on the crisis and challenges that the nation and its first African-American president faced his first year in the White House.

To book Earl Ofari Hutchinson for an interview and/or commentary on the promise and pitfalls of Obama’s first year in office. Call 1-323-383-6145 to schedule. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a nationally acclaimed author and political analyst. Hutchinson is the author of ten books on race and politics in America.

His three most recent books are:

* How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge

* How Obama Won

* The Ethnic Presidency: How Race decides the Race to the White House

His featured interviews and comments on race and politics have appeared in: Time Newsweek New York Times ABC’s World News Tonight.

He has been a guest analyst on:

* Fox News John Gibson Show

* O’Reilly Show

* Hannity & Colmes

* Glenn Beck Show

* PBS Lehrer Report

* NPR’s Talk of the Nation

* CNN News Shows

He is the National Political Writer for New America Media and a regular contributor to: the Huffington Post.

Barbara Bonfigli and Cafe Tempest are on Page Six of the New York Post

2009-06-08T10:38:00.000-04:00

In July and August - Barbara Bonfigli, author of Cafe Tempest will tour cyber space with Promo 101 Virtual Tours and Promotional Services. But she has started to promote her book in a variety of places and a recent interview touched on a current event topic that has effected many people. This morning there was a mention of Barbara on Page Six of the New York Post.

Madoff Victims Cynthia Crane & Barbara Bonfigli Meet

June 8, 2009 --

TWO victims of swindler Bernie Madoff met for the first time last week. During Barry Z's show on CBS Digital radio, cabaret singer Cynthia Crane said that after Madoff ripped her off, she had to put her 19th-century Greenwich Village townhouse on the market. Her comment shocked fellow guest, author Barbara Bonfigli, who said, "One day I found out that my first book was being published and two days later that I'd lost all my money" to the Ponzi scammer. The host responded, "Two betrayed Madoff investors [on the same show]. What are the chances of this?"

Listen to the interview here - http://blip.tv/file/2191249

For more information about Barbara Bonfigli and Cafe Tempest - visit her tour home page. We are planning her virtual tour and are looking for appropriate blogs to host her for a day - if you feel your blog would be right - contact nikki @ nikkileigh.com

Tour home page for Cafe Tempest - http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-summer.html

The Lack of Discipline in Public Schools in America

2009-05-17T17:46:00.000-04:00

Long before the economic downturn, American teachers had begun to see a decrease in the resources that were allotted to them. Limits were placed on copies and ink toner cartridges; once given out as needed, they now were distributed once a year. Broken classroom fixtures were occasionally patched up but no longer replaced.

As a teacher, I find all of those situations tiresome, but none of those do I consider as detrimental to my effectiveness as a teacher than the lack of discipline. Rules and consequences are needed everywhere. What is quite ironic about the need for discipline in schools is that the students are aware of the need as well. In fact, they are the first ones to admit when there is a lack of discipline. Last year, I asked my students to come up with a theme for our classroom conflict meetings. The idea which won unanimously was “A school without rules is a zoo; a zoo with rules is a school.” The students’ choosing of this motto acknowledged their differences, yet at the same time, showed they understood the need for rules and consequences in order to avoid chaos.

The chaos in my middle school has nothing to do with the school’s diverse population. It has everything to do with the fact that when the students misbehave, the appropriate consequences are not given. As a result, the students are not afraid to misbehave. Last week, I told one of my students that if he did not stop throwing paper across the room, I would send him to the principal’s office. His response: “Go ahead cause I don’t want to be in here. Mrs. Thompson (our assistant principal) is cool anyway.” I sent him to Mrs. Thompson’s office. The student returned to class ten minutes later with a cookie in his hand.

Later that afternoon, I spoke to Mrs. Thompson about the student’s consequences. Mrs. Thompson first suggested that it was my fault because I wasn’t keeping my students engaged. Then she reminded me my student was doing much better than he had last year. He had only been in her office five times this year as compared to ten visits, during the same elapsed time, the previous year. I tried to interject how the student was not only throwing paper across the room, but also that he was throwing it at other students who were actively engaged in learning. My voice went unheard.

After that, I sat silently in Mrs. Thompson’s office because all I’ve ever wanted to be was a teacher, but still – it was all BS. None of this was my fault. It was her fault. It was also her fault the three-student fight had occurred in the cafeteria last week after she had decided it wasn’t necessary to suspend the student who kept threatening the other students. It was the fault of all the administrators that the students had pulled the fire alarm “just for laughs” four times in one week. One day’s suspension was like an extra sleep day for most of the students. After a day of forced rest, the students would come back and tell their friends how much fun they had on their off day.

That lack of discipline is not only my problem; it also hinders the efforts of many public school teachers in the United States. A lack of discipline encourages poor behavior. This behavior manifests a total disregard for authority because the students do not fear the consequences. Without fear, there is no white line that the students are not afraid to cross.

Not only does this lack of discipline make it hard for a teacher to manage his/her classroom, but it also poses safety issues. During a recent fire drill, I noticed a novice teacher attempting to get her class quiet so they could hear her instructions. In the event of a real fire, this could have been a very serious situation.

Additionally, let it be noted that one of the most stated reasons for teacher resignation is the lack of discipline. People may say it was all about the money, but it is never about the money. People leave teaching because they’re tired of the lack of discipline and the shortage of respect.

At the end of the day, when all excuses have been made, the decision boils down to the idea of not leaving children behind and making sure that the school’s discipline record is as clean as possible. Obviously, it’s okay for children to cause other children to fall behind in their learning, and if there is a zero written on the line next to disciplinary referrals, then that school must be the safest school in America. The first part of that statement is clearly wrong, and the second part is equally wrong. Just because you can’t see it or read about it, doesn’t mean it does not exist. Some of the greatest United States disasters were not seen until the very last minute.

Unless the United States educational policy is overhauled to include more teacher input, a tiered balance of responsibility where students and parents share the greatest level, and a stronger, more effective system of discipline, then there will be no hope for public education in the United States, and in the long run, no hope for the United States.

About No Teacher Left Behind

Explored through a series of poems, emails, and brief conversations, No Teachers Left Behind is a fictional yet realistic look at the frustrations of middle school staff.

About the Author

HBF Teacher has been a public school Middle grades teacher for three years. Before that, HBF substitute taught for two years. HBF has also worked as a live-in nanny and an accounts payable representative.

Today when not nurturing young minds, HBF enjoys travel, photography, culinary arts, and the cinema. The Cohen Brothers and Tyler Perry are among her favorite artistic contributors.

Susan Boyle, Whale Hunter by Barbara Weaver Smith

2009-04-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

Saturday, April 18, 2009 by Barbara Weaver Smith

This was the week Susan Boyle captivated the world in her first appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. She’s a great illustration of a whale hunter—going after the biggest deal she can imagine, despite being nervous and unsure of how she would be received. She’s a perfectly lovely woman, natural as can be, dressed in her Sunday best and ready to perform. But since she doesn't’t fit the mold of what we’ve come to think of as star quality, no one took her seriously until she sang.

I say Susan Boyle is a perfect whale hunter because when her opportunity finally came, she was ready! She has as beautiful a natural voice as I’ve ever heard. But when she took the stage, it was clear that she has practiced and honed her talent, as she said “since I was twelve.” Her delivery, elocution, timing, crescendo—all facets of her performance were impeccable. During all the years of her “ordinary” life—caring for her mother, doing charity, living with her cat—she was educating her voice and preparing for a day when she could land a whale with it.

We say that whale hunting is 90% process and 10% magic. There is no question that Susan Boyle had some magic—the magic of her voice, the magic of her simplicity, the magic of confounding people's expectations. But what really put her there was process, and what gave her the bravery to sing before an audience of 3000 people in Glasgow was the knowledge that she was prepared. Just before her appearance, she told the host “I’m going to make that audience rock!”

Susan Boyle is not a business woman or a professional speaker or an entrepreneur. She most likely did not think of her performance as a sale or the audience as a Buyers' Table.

She does prove that small fish can hunt whales with perseverance, preparation, and guts. More than 26 million views on YouTube last I checked. Every one waiting for her first recording!

Barbara Weaver Smith is touring cyber space in May and June to promote her book - Whale Hunting Women. Read Barbara's tips to be a successful whale hunter in business and in life.
http://www.thewhalehunters.com/

An Avoidable Disaster

2009-04-09T12:50:00.000-04:00

The financial meltdown was caused by millions of bad decisions made by millions of people who thought they were riding a wave of endless wealth creation. The temptation of easy, risk-free profits led to contagious, reckless greed.

It started with the government, which tried to promote home ownership by lowering lending standards and pressuring lenders to write mortgages to people who wouldn’t normally qualify for them. The push for lower standards was greased by contributions and favorable mortgage terms from lenders Fannie Mae and Countrywide Financial to key politicians. This was stunningly successful: our elected officials got money and great deals while the lending executives personally pocketed millions from the easy money they made handling subprime loans.

Given their marching orders, the financial industry leaped in and sold mortgages to people who were bad risks. And they loaned them up to 105% of the property value with no money down. The loans were often made affordable by charging low rates up front that would reset to higher rates in the future. The bet was that the value of the property would increase enough to enable refinancing before the reset.

The borrowers were thrilled. Many bought houses without spending a dime of their own money. And they expected the property values to rise and give them windfall profits with no risk on their part.

Most banks and mortgage companies didn’t keep the mortgages on their books: they were sold to security packagers. The lenders were happy: they made easy money writing the loans and avoided risk by passing it on to others.

The investment bankers, who created the securities and sold them to large investors, were happy because they earned large fees for doing the paperwork. They passed the risk on to investors.

The investors were happy, too: the investments were attractive because of the high rates charged to borrowers and, even better, they were “safe” because they were collateralized by real estate.

What a ride! Everybody was happy, from the borrowers to the investors. Until the autumn of 2008, when the gravy train derailed. That’s when AIG, the largest insurance company in the U.S., went broke. You see, AIG insured the big security investors against default. When mortgage rates reset to unaffordable levels, borrowers stopped making payments. Housing prices dropped and properties turned “upside down:” more was owed than the property was worth. Massive defaults occurred, AIG was on the hook for money it didn’t have, and it became insolvent.

Prudent observers warned about the dangers years before the fall, but everybody was having too good a time to break up the party. When it ended American taxpayers, most of whom weren’t even at the party, were left with the hangover.

Man’s tendency is to be selfish, greedy, and sometimes self-delusional. The Bible tells us this. It’s the root reason the government, banks, mortgage companies, investors, insurance companies and borrowers got caught up in the hubris and diligently worked together to ruin a perfectly good economy.

Those who acted with biblical wisdom dodged the catastrophe that visited others. While 401k’s may now be “201k’s” those who didn’t succumb to the temptation of easy money have avoided the stress, foreclosure, bankruptcy and humiliation that’s affecting others.

This isn’t a cheap “I told you so.” But it’s clear that man’s weaknesses can be countered by biblical teaching. The lessons aren’t impractical, ethereal or unrealistic and they make as much sense today as when they were first written. Man is advised to handle money prudently,guard against greed, use sound judgment and discernment, and avoid fraud.

We’ve got a modern world the ancients wouldn’t recognize, but our psyche and their sensibility are the same today as they ever were. But people shrug off timeless truths and fiascos like this are the result.

Finding Faith in a Skeptical World

Chet Galaska was an atheist who became a Christian in his early fifties. It took several years of learning about the faith for him to shed his skepticism and become a believer.

Finding Faith in a Skeptical World covers subjects that once stood between him and faith. As he searched, he found that his skepticism was based on shallow perceptions he’d accepted at face value. One by one, troublesome issues were explained and they became reasons for belief instead of doubt.

It was as though he had a scale, with reasons for skepticism on one side and reasons for belief on the other. When he started, there was far more weight on the “skeptical” side, but it gradually shifted and became counterweight on the “belief” side. Eventually, the evidence for faith far outweighed the arguments for disbelief, and the case for faith became overwhelming.

Some chapters deal with matters of faith such as prayer, redemption, salvation and sin. Others address issues like Christian hypocrisy, why bad things happen, miracles, Satan and the Christian view of war. Some are about the seemingly contradictory relationship between science and religion that are discussed in chapters on scientific perception, creation and evolution. Other subjects like the sometimes violent and cruel history of Christianity, “Born Agains” and the Christian view of the Jewish people don’t fit neatly into any category. The common denominator is that each addresses an issue that can be misunderstood and create a distorted, negative view of the faith.

The book was written with the intent of providing brief shortcuts for curious unbelievers, those seeking faith, those new to it, and for Christians who may not be familiar with some of the ideas covered. The author realized that a book like this would have been valuable in helping him come to faith. Since none was available, he wrote Finding Faith in a Skeptical World to share the things he learned in a reader-friendly, direct and concise way

Order your copy today on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Faith-Skeptical-World-Galaska/dp/0981676707

Wall Street is a gamble we can no longer afford to make By: Stephen Edds

2009-04-06T00:54:00.000-04:00

For millions of Americans, Wall Street is viewed as an odd curiosity, bordering on a cartoon. When we think of Wall Street, our minds conjure up images of “fat cats” with cigars, and movie characters, like Gordon Gekko from Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street,” uttering the classic line “Greed is good”. Unless you are involved in the financial services industry, your involvement in Wall Street is likely limited to browsing your 401 k statement or checking out the business headlines.

But it’s this perception of Wall Street which is costing us our financial future.

While we weren’t paying attention, Wall Street acted like a teenager with a case of beer and the car keys. Approximately 95 million Americans are trusting over $15 TRILLION to a system that continually betrays that trust, with the help of a complicit Congress, regulatory agencies and select media outlets.

Collapsing banks, bailouts to Wall Street firms; and scandals like those involving former NASDAQ Chairman Bernie Madoff, R. Allen Sanford are just the tip of the news iceberg. This recklessness is having a devastating effect on your 401 k and the economy, as companies downsize, millions are out of work, and our tax money is being spent to bail out firms with bad business practices and no accountability.

It is time we rethink our views of Wall Street.

The problem is that the perception we are being sold about Wall Street is vastly different than the reality. A system that was initially created to support growing businesses and manage risk has evolved into a complex, convoluted gambling scheme that takes as much money as possible from average Americans without producing anything tangible in return. Wall Street promotes the dream of turning a small amount of money into a large amount of money with little effort. But what you are doing is trying to predict an unpredictable, which is the very definition of gambling.

All of the books, seminars, or infomercials promoting ways to “beat the system” are a sham. The authors earn more money from the books and seminars than from following any market prediction system.

The truth is Wall Street is simply the worlds’ largest casino. The belief that you can take a little money and turn it into a lot of money quickly, without effort, is the same concept behind the lottery. But if your neighbor won the lottery, would you be more apt to spend all of your retirement money on lottery tickets?

One of the many striking similarities between casinos and Wall Street is that both need the money of the financial losers to support the winners. There is no money there to back the $15 trillion in stocks, so Wall Street needs new investors to pay those who are cashing out. Without an influx of new investors to pay off the old ones, the market would wither and die. That puts Wall Street’s business model suspiciously close to the definition of a ponzi scheme.

The reality of the market is that for one person to make money, one or more people have to lose money. This may be at the expense of a grandmother, a widow, or retiree trying to recoup their losses.

In most cases, you are simply buying a piece of paper from another person, and gambling on the hope that one day you can sell that paper for more than you paid for it. The paper itself has no actual value, and until you sell it, the value assigned to it is meaningless. At least in a casino, the chips retain their value.

If you are involved in the market, please understand one thing: Wall Street doesn’t care if you make money in the market, or if you lose money in the market, only that you keep your money in motion in the market. That motion creates fees and commissions for the brokers and exchanges. And your broker is not a trained economist, but a trained salesman. Their job is to get you to buy stocks, period.

And the regulatory agencies are largely incompetent. Bernard Madoff committed the greatest fraud in American history, not financial history, but American history.

Madoff was investigated eight times in 16 years by the Securities and Exchange

Commission, with no action taken. And, as Madoff himself said in a 2007 interview, “By and large, in today's regulatory environment, it's virtually impossible to violate rules. And this is something that the public really doesn't understand.” Madoff isn’t the only scam artist, just the largest one.

And yet, Congress has pledged over $700 billion of your tax money to bailout banks and financial firms. So what happened to the trillion dollars that was lost before the bailout? What happened to the $365 billion already spent by Congress? The answer to both questions, according to Congressional hearings, is “no one knows.”

In order to regain control of our financial future, we must re-evaluate our perceptions of Wall Street. Despite their brilliant marketing, Americans must recognize that Wall Street’s business model is a complex gambling operation at the very least, and a legalized ponzi scheme at the worst. We must demand accountability and transparency from those in charge of our money. We must pressure President Obama and Congress into enacting real reforms, instead of empty rhetoric surrounded by sweetheart bailout deals. We must reject the notion that we can create something out of nothing by telling ourselves we’re “investing” instead of gambling, and invest in ourselves and reinvest in our communities. And finally, we must ask ourselves if Wall Street is really worth bailing out? What if those billions per day funneled into Wall Street, which produces nothing in return, was instead spread more effectively in our own communities? I believe it would build a stronger economy in the long run.

Only then can we emerge a stronger country on the other side of this financial crisis.

Stephen Edds, along with T.E. Scott are the authors of “The Losing Game: Why You Can’t Beat Wall Street”

T.E. Scott founded and spent twenty-five years as CEO of Scott Pet Products,(scottpet.com) building the enterprise into a multimillion-dollar company in Rockville, Indiana. Before starting that business, Scott spent thirty-two years working as a baggage handler for Eastern Airlines. When he lost most of his pension when the company went bankrupt in the 1980s, Scott started on the road to exposing the true nature of Wall Street. Scott is retired and resides in Veedersburg, Indiana.

Stephen Edds is a native of Owensboro, Kentucky and is a graduate of Hanover (Indiana) College. Edds spent fifteen years in corporate marketing communications before striking out on his own as a freelance writer and joining Scott as consumer watchdogs with a focus on exposing Wall Street. Edds moved to Indianapolis in 1996, where he still resides with his wife, Erin, and son Levi.

Order your copy today http://www.amazon.com/Losing-Game-Cant-Beat-Street/dp/0981937039

The Left’s Romance with Castro’s Cuba By Jamie Glazov

2009-03-11T16:44:00.000-04:00

The Left has had a love affair with Castro’s Cuba ever since he seized power on January 1, 1959. Castro established a Stalinist regime that has persecuted its people in horrific ways for decades. And the Left has shown its gratitude for and intoxication with the brutal display of totalitarian power all throughout.

The horrifying experience of Armando Valladares, a Cuban poet who endured twenty-two years of torture and imprisonment for merely raising the issue of freedom, is a testament to the regime’s barbarity. Valladares’s memoir, Against All Hope, serves as Cuba’s version of Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago. Valladares recounts how prisoners were beaten with bayonets, electric cables, and truncheons. He tells how he and other prisoners were forced to take “baths” in human feces and urine.

With this barbaric nature of Castro’s regime in mind, it is completely understandable why the Left initiated a romance with Castro and his slave camp, just as it did with Lenin’s and Stalin’s Gulag. Jerry Rubin set the tone perfectly during his trip to Cuba in 1964, during which he paid special homage to Castro’s chief executioner, Che Guevara. Rubin proudly recalls:

"We were 84 Amerikan students visiting Cuba illegally in 1964. We had to travel 14,000 miles, via Czechoslovakia, to reach Cuba. . . . As Che rapped on for four hours, we fantasized taking up rifles. Growing beards. Going into the hills as guerrillas. Joining Che to create revolutions throughout Latin America. None of us looked forward to returning home to the political bullshit in the United States."

Five years later, in 1969, American leftists formed the Venceremos Brigade, a coalition whose members traveled to work in Cuba to show their solidarity with the Communist revolution. These fellow travelers participated mostly in sugar harvests in the first pilgrimages, while later brigade members engaged in various types of agricultural and construction work. High-profile Western leftists, meanwhile, including Susan Sontag, Jean-Paul Sartre, Norman Mailer, and Abbie Hoffman, also made pilgrimages to Cuba.

Berkeley activist Todd Gitlin traveled to Cuba with an SDS delegation to a Cultural Congress in 1967. In the belly of the totalitarian beast, where he was well aware that dissidents were rotting in jail and being tortured beyond imagination, Gitlin too experienced the intoxication of venerating tyranny. Leaving Cuba proved quite painful for him. He recalls:

"What was palpable was the pain of re-entry to my homeland. . . . At the Mexico City airport, having a drink with Dave Dellinger and Robert Scheer, I looked out the window and saw a billboard advertising Cutty Sark. I had to change seats: after twenty-three days where public space was turned to revolutionary use, capitalist propaganda disgusted me."

What disgusted him, of course, were the withdrawal symptoms he was experiencing—analogous to a drug addict coming off his fix. For twenty-three days he had experienced his euphoria of shedding his inner self and submerging himself within the totalitarian whole. In Cuba he had found a home where even the slightest dissent would be crushed instantly and the concept of the individual was non-existent. The advertisement he saw, therefore, was a horror to him, since it symbolized a free society where individuals could use their free will to pursue their own tastes and desires. This reality is anathema to the believer.

As Gitlin so well revealed, Western leftist intellectuals were greatly inspired by the persecution of intellectuals in Cuba, just as the earlier generation had been by the persecution of intellectuals in Stalin’s Soviet Union. Charmed by the notion of a society in which their own talent—as well as their entire being—would be extinguished, they continued the practice of labelling the totalitarian monstrosity the opposite of what it was.

Western leftists have continued to shower adulation on Castro to this day. Humberto Fontova has written a succinct account of the Left’s continuing dalliance with Castro in Fidel: Hollywood’s Favorite Tyrant. Here is just a portion of his compilation of leftist praise for the death-cult leader:

“Cuba’s own Elvis!”—that’s how Dan Rather once described his friend Fidel Castro. Oliver Stone, another friend, describes Fidel as “very selfless and moral” and “one of the world’s wisest men.” “A genius!” agreed Jack Nicholson. Naomi Campbell said meeting Castro was “a dream come true!” According to Norman Mailer, Castro is “the first and greatest hero to appear in the world since the Second World War.” Jean-Paul Sartre said, “Castro is at the same time the island, the men, the cattle, and the earth. He is the whole island.” . . . Actress Gina Lollobrigida cooed, “Castro is an extraordinary man. He is warm and understanding and seems extremely humane.” Francis Coppola simply noted, “Fidel, I love you. We both have the same initials. We both have beards. We both have power and want to use it for good purposes.” Harry Belafonte added: “If you believe in freedom, if you believe in justice, if you believe in democracy, you have no choice but to support Fidel Castro!”

Steven Spielberg visited the father-god in Havana in the fall of 2002. He called the meeting with Castro “the most important eight hours of my life.”

Castro’s Cuba has been an exhilarating gift to the American Left, presenting it with a totalitarian death-cult to worship with a wonderful geographical bonus: it is close to home, just ninety miles from the Florida coast.

About Jamie Glazov

Jamie Glazov holds a Ph.D. in history with specialties in U.S., Russian, and Canadian foreign policy. He is the managing editor of Frontpagemag.com.

http://www.amazon.com/United-Hate-Romance-Tyranny-Terror/dp/1935071602

Right to Recover by Yvonne Perry - Learn Details About Stem Cell Research

2009-03-09T16:18:00.001-04:00

www.right2recover.com

Author, Anne Carter's Novel Cape Seduction Ties to The Oscar Season

2009-03-01T14:17:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen "Slumdog Millionaire." Until the Golden Globes, I hadn't even heard of it. EIGHT Oscars! It seems like that happens a lot; a great movie wins, but takes several other categories along the way. I guess it makes sense. And don’t feel bad if you hadn’t heard of it either; after a showing at the Telluride Film Festival in August, 2008, Slumdog

Millionaire debuted with a limited North American release on 12 November 2008, followed by a nationwide release in the United States on 23 January 2009. That limited 2008 release made it eligible for the '08 award.

Have you ever wondered if the recipients know in advance that they've won or lost? Officially, the Academy holds to its rule that winners names are, indeed, sealed in those precious envelopes. In early years, winning names were given to newspapers in advance so that they could get the information into their editions before press time. However, it is said that the Los Angeles Times once leaked the results prior to the broadcast, effectively ruining the evening and the mystery.

In 1948, both Rosalind Russell (shown here) and Loretta Young were up for best actress. The story goes that Russell had everything going for her, including the best PR representation in town. Variety had already typeset her victory for the next day's edition. So certain was she of her win, she began to rise from her seat before Frederic March could utter the words "Loretta Young for the Farmer's Daughter". Not to be shamed by her erroneous assumption, Russell continued to her feet and led an astonished crowd in a standing ovation. That's class.

Why am I so well-versed in this detailed minutia? Because the opening scene of my upcoming romantic mystery, CAPE SEDUCTION, reprises this very night at the Shrine Auditorium in Hollywood. I'm a sucker for old Hollywood, for its glamour, its mystery, its unapologetic excess. Oscar night is one of those almost historic rituals that epitomizes and keeps alive, to some extent, that golden era.

~Anne

Anne Carter is the author of paranormal romantic mystery, POINT SURRENDER, from Echelon Press, Amazon and Fictionwise. Visit Anne at BeaconStreetBooks.com and the Word From Beacon Street

You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence by You Can't make Him Think by Ray Comfort

2009-02-19T15:48:00.000-05:00

All animals, all fish and reptiles have the ability to reproduce of their own kind because they have females within the species. No male can reproduce and keep its kind alive without a female of the same species. Dogs, cats, horses, cows, elephants, humans, giraffes, lions, tigers, birds, fish, and reptiles all came into being having both male and female. If any species came into existence without a mature female present (with complimentary female components), that one male would have remained alone and in time died. The species could not have survived without a female. Why did hundreds of thousands of animals, fish, reptiles and birds (over millions of years) evolve a female partner (that coincidentally matured at just the right time) with each species?

In contrast, the Bible maintains that God instantaneously created man (in His own image) and woman, giving them the ability to reproduce after their kind. So the Bible and the theory of Darwinian evolution are not only opposed to one another, they are incompatible. The only commonality is that they are both miraculous, and they both require faith to believe them.

Those who believe in the theory of evolution are passionate, and for a good reason. If Darwin was right, man is simply an animal with no moral accountability, and his desires therefore to procreate are merely natural survival instincts.

However, if the Bible is true, it throws a huge, cold, and heavy wet blanket over man's desire to follow his sexual instincts. It not only says that he is accountable, but that there will be severe retribution for his adultery, fornication, and even for lust (see Matthew 5:27-28).

The link to his website is www.livingwaters.com and people can buy the book at Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Lead-Atheist-Evidence-Cant-Think/dp/1935071068/

Join Dr Ava on Thursday Feb 12 to Prepare for Valentine's Day - FREE Call

2009-02-11T15:11:00.000-05:00

Scott Martineau invited author, sexpert and certified loveologist Dr. Ava Cadell to join him to share her wisdom on how to make this your best Valentine’s Day ever.

Dr. Ava is the Loveologist to the stars in Hollywood, author of 7 books, and founder of Loveology University. She IS THE EXPERT in the subjects of love, intimacy, sex and relationship.

You’ve seen her regularly on Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS news and TV shows as an expert in the field of love, romance and sexual intimacy. There’s no question she hasn’t heard before and there’s no answer she’s afraid to share.

So get ready for a wild, informative fun call that will leave you with tons of ideas to spice up your Valentine’s Day!!

Space is extremely limited on the call bridge line- so only 200 can be on the Telebridge. But I have lots of space on the webcast- so you can listen on your computer.

To reserve your spot enter your Name and Email below and the system will send your reservation... please do it now so you don’t get shut out- these calls have been very popular!

To Sign Up - http://www.consciousonelive.com

World's Best Lover Contest Deadline Extended and a Special Offer For YOU

2009-02-02T20:09:00.000-05:00

Exciting Contest for Valentine’s Day

Deadline Has Been Extended to February 9^th

& A Special Offer For You

Inspired by Dr. Ava Cadell, Founder of Loveology University® says, “Our Valentine’s Day contest was propelled by the ever-growing demand from people who need to be coached in all matters of love, relationships and intimacy. Through Love U, an online College of Sexual Knowledge, anyone can learn how to enrich their relationships and become a great lover. Most people know ‘how’ to have sex, but being romantic and making love is a truly an art-form that can—and often needs to be--learned.”

Dr. Ava and Loveology University® are asking “Romantics” to submit a short entry essay on why their lover is the “World’s Best Lover.” These entries can be completed FREE at http://www.loveologyuniversity.com/instruction.aspx. Your entry does not need to be graphic in nature – share what is special about your lover, what makes them special to you and what you feel for them. These are the judging criteria – 50% Uniqueness, 25% Emotional inspiration and 25% Seduction factor.

Upon nominating your lover’s name, you will receive a FREE “Loveology Certificate” stating that he/she has been nominated for the World’s Best Lover – a perfect Valentine’s gift at no cost. PLUS you will receive a FREE e-Book entitled “52 Sizzling Sex Secrets.”

Contest sponsored by Dr Ava Cadell and www.loveologyuniversity.com

The winner will be announced before Valentine’s Day, 2009 and get a $2,000 scholarship or $1,000 cash prize. Entry deadline has been extended to February 9^th, 2009 – the winner will be announced February 13^th.

NOTE: A SPECIAL OFFER FOR YOU

In addition to the free entry and free gifts for everyone who enters the World’s Best Lover contest, I just got word of another special offer for February and for Valentine’s Day. Dr Ava offers an unbelievable number of wonderful courses through Loveology University. Whether you are married, single, in love, looking for love or looking to make your love life better, she has something that would be great for you. If you’re in an industry where you would like to learn more about human relationships, love, sex and much more, this is an offer for you. During the month of February, go to www.loveologyuniversity.com and take a look at the courses that are offered - http://www.loveologyuniversity.com/CourseCatalogue.aspx. If you enter this discount code – NL0109 and you will receive 20% off. I’d order a course or two now, that will give you time to see how much information she offers and you have time to order something else before the end of the month. If you have questions, feel free to contact nikki@nikkileigh.com

Political Analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson in New Book How Obama Won Says The Economy Holds Deep Peril for Obama

2009-02-02T18:45:00.000-05:00

Middle Passage Press

5517 Secrest Dr.

Los Angeles, Ca. 90043

323-296-6331

February 3, 2009
for Immediate Release
Contact:

Earl Ofari Hutchinson

323-383-6145

Political Analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson in New Book How Obama Won Says These Tough Economic Times Hold Deep Peril for Obama

Political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson in his new book, How Obama Won, predicted that the economy would hold deep peril for the new Obama administration. Hutchinson reviews in his book how polls repeatedly showed during the campaign that the economy; or rather the train wreck of the economy was really the only thing on voter’s minds.

Hutchinson also told why and how economic woes would continue to be the only thing on American’s minds after the election and that they would judge Obama’s performance on how quickly and effectively he dealt with the economic crisis.

Hutchinson assesses whether Obama’s vow to cut taxes for the middle-class, clean up Wall Street's mess, and create lots of jobs for everybody would do much too stem America’s economic worries. Hutchinson shows how the economy continues to bear out the old political truism that it's the economy stupid that wins or loses presidential elections as well as makes or breaks presidential administrations.

In How Obama Won, Hutchinson, reminds that from day one of campaign 2008 the enshrined article of political faith was that voters were so furious at Bush for causing massive plant closings, farm failures, corporate bungling, fraud and corruption, the housing collapse, soaring gas prices, and the wholesale flight of jobs to the far corners of the planet. America’s fear and fury over the economic misery will grow worse during the early days of the Obama administration. The test, says Hutchinson, is whether Obama can reduce those fears. How Obama Won is a blueprint for understanding how he’ll try.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst and a Huffington Post columnist. He is the author of The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House (Middle Passage Press, February, 2008).

Contact:
Los Angeles, Cal 90043 U.S.
323-296-6331
hutchinsonreport@aol.com
http://www.learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com
Contact Name: Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Contact E-mail: hutchinsonreport@aol.com

Traps women fall into – Thinking a man is a financial plan

2009-01-27T05:04:00.000-05:00

Traps women fall into – Thinking a man is a financial plan
By Doris Roper

Many women, particularly those of baby boomer age and older, rely on a man to be their financial plan. This is mainly due to conditioning that started in childhood.

The typical couple used to consist of the husband who was the breadwinner and the wife who was the homemaker and mother. Women were not encouraged to involve themselves with finances and investments. Those were considered the man’s job. As a result, women did not develop the skills to competently manage money or understand investments.

The unfortunate result of this early programming is that many women feel “dumb” about money and believe that they are not smart enough to learn. They therefore avoid the subject and continue to depend on men to take care of the finances.

When women are caught up in the subconscious belief that men are the ones who take care of the money, they face a great deal of fear and anxiety when they are suddenly confronted with divorce or widowhood. Not only do they have to deal with the emotions that come with such a life-changing event, but they also have to learn to manage a very important part of life at the same time. This is extremely difficult and these women usually feel totally lost.

Escaping the trap

Women should educate themselves as much as they can about finances. It is actually not as complicated or difficult as many believe. Take some classes, hire a financial coach or join a membership site that offers financial education and support.

Research has shown that more than 80% of women will be the sole financial decision maker at some stage in their lives. This is due to the high rate of divorce and the fact that women tend to outlive men, which leaves a great number of widows having to manage the money.

Now more than ever with the current financial crisis, it is vital that women become smart about money. When someone else manages our finances, we tend to be out of touch with the reality of our financial situation and this can cause us to spend more than we should and gets us deeper into debt. Taking control of our own financial management and increasing our skill increases our confidence and ability to face life’s challenges.

Ladies, start to become smart about money today and remember a man is NOT a financial plan!

Doris Roper is president and founder of the W.I.T. Institute - a one-stop resource for women in transition. Doris helps women to figure out how and where to start when facing a transition and plan accordingly. She is a financial life planner, certified divorce planner, mediator and author of WAKE UP your life! A woman's guide to real personal power.

See her website at http://www.witinstitute.com and the Institute's membership site at http://www.smartwomanssuccess.com

Special Offer During January 2009 -

Each time a blog visitor comments on any or all of the blog stops, they will be entered in a random drawing for a 6 month Gold membership to The Smart Woman’s Success Connection http://www.smartwomanssuccess.com/index.php/public/56-gold. This membership has everything you need to know for money management including information about having a financial plan and starting a business and includes a copy of her book in audio and PDF. It also offers a resource for women who want to stop their divorce..

Share your thoughts and comments with author Doris Roper. She will check in throughout the day to answer questions. You’ll learn more and have a chance to win a Gold membership to The Smart Woman’s Success Connection. If you haven't already read her book pick up a copy during the tour at http://www.witinstitute.com/wake_up.html

For more information about Doris Roper and her virtual tour, check the schedule at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/12/wake-up-your-life-by-doris-roper.html

Money and success – Three steps to becoming smart about money and thriving

2009-01-26T23:01:00.000-05:00

Money and success – Three steps to becoming smart about money and thriving
By Doris Roper

Becoming smart with money and thriving requires more than a basic financial plan. Knowing how much you need to put away for retirement or college is all very well but to achieve your goals and dreams you need a lot more than mere time-value-of-money calculations. There are many more aspects to being successful and I will discuss three of them here.

1. Awareness

The first step is to become aware of your money blueprint. Most of us are blissfully unaware of all the underlying issues and beliefs that govern the decisions and actions we take.

Have you noticed how some people earn large salaries but are still barely able to make it? Or have you heard about lottery winners who squander all their winnings within the first few years? Why do you think this happens?

They have unconscious beliefs about money that keep them poor or struggling no matter how much money they make or receive. These beliefs usually start in early childhood. The words and actions of our parents concerning money can have a profound influence on our own beliefs about money and wealth.

Did your parents say things like “money doesn’t grow on trees”, “we can’t afford it”, “he’s stinking rich”. These are all statements of scarcity and have a negative effect on our beliefs about money.

How did your parents manage their finances – poorly or frugally? Did dad handle the finances and give mom an allowance? Did they create a lot of debt?

Delve deeper and try to discover your own unconscious programming where money is concerned.

2. Your values, purpose and vision

The next step is to discover what is important about money to you. Money means different things to different people and the amount of money you desire should line up with your values, your purpose and ultimate vision for your life.

Some people think that if they had a million dollars in the bank they would be happy, but we all know that money doesn’t buy happiness as evidenced by all the unhappy rich people in the world.

Do some soul-searching. Figure out what it is you really want, what would give you fulfillment. Ask yourself, “If money were no object, if I could do anything I want, if I had only one year to live, what would I do?” Write down whatever pops into your head no matter how silly you think it is. Don’t limit yourself by worrying about ‘how’ you can achieve it. Just let your imagination go.

3. The nitty gritty

If you realized that you have some negative beliefs about money, you should start reprogramming your mind with positive thoughts.

Hopefully, you figured out what you would really like to do and have in your life. Now you can plan accordingly. Now you can work out the numbers.

Get organized, figure out your net worth, create a spending plan, get rid of debt, establish an emergency fund that will cover 6-8 months of expenses and make sure you save for your goals.

Many people think that carrying out step three is enough. However, unless you uncover and reprogram any negative beliefs you may have about money you are likely to sabotage your own chance of success.

Step two is very important because if you do not know where you are going and what you ultimately want to achieve, you may be swayed this way and that and never reach that place of fulfillment and satisfaction.

Begin taking the necessary actions today that will help you achieve your dreams and thrive!

Doris Roper is president and founder of the W.I.T. Institute and senior partner of CRB Wealth Management in San Diego, CA. She is a financial life planner, certified divorce planner, mediator and author of WAKE UP your life! A woman's guide to real personal power.

See her website at http://www.witinstitute.com and the Institute's membership site at http://www.smartwomanssuccess.com

During January 2009 -- post a comment for Doris and be entered in a drawing for great prizes.

The Oscars are Coming

2009-01-24T15:49:00.000-05:00

The Oscars are Coming

by Brett L. Abrams

1/24/09

This week, Hollywood announced its 2009 Oscar nominations. The awards ceremony will be telecast live in primetime by ABC on Sunday, February 22.

Historian Brett Abrams explores Hollywood’s roots in his book,

Hollywood Bohemians.

My curiosity about people and places has always been especially focused on the US entertainment and leisure worlds. The film culture forges a highly dramatic environment filled with stars who bask in the limelight and adulation of fans. Yet there is always a place for role players who can rise to prominence with one amazing performance. In Hollywood Bohemians, we learn how the early publicity machine around the stars forged Hollywood’s identity.

Research is detective work. There is a range of likely sources of information that one keeps in mind---local newspapers, industry publications, the papers of notable persons and organizations. I read all these sources for insight into the issues and I also look for new names and details to follow-up additional sources and ideas. I take notes everywhere I go. I whip out pen and paper anywhere that I may be and write in short bursts, from coffee houses to standing at the bus stop. I notice that I get a lot of my ideas after random contacts.

So many unusual stories about Hollywood exist that I had to fight the impulse to share them with the people around me. I laughed when I read that during Rudolph Valentino’s divorce trial, his wife testified that he liked using her perfume. It surprised me to learn that Spencer Tracy had a public romance with Loretta Young years before his relationship with Katherine Hepburn. Unbelievably, a Life magazine caption for a photograph of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard called them a couple, while mentioning that Gable was still married to another woman.

Making these stories available to the public is part of what I relish about writing history, being an archivist, and teaching. Archivists play a key role in saving original information sources that preserve the nation’s history. We make information available to others who then write new incredible stories about our world. Teaching the history of sexuality and romance, and particularly the roles that the media have in shaping our understanding of these concepts, offers me the opportunity to share stories--those I have written and those of others.

Brett Abrams is Historian in Residence at American University and Archivist at the National Archives. He is the author of Hollywood Bohemians: Transgressive Sexuality and the Selling of the Movieland Dream.

www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-3929-4

Visit the author at
www.bla2222.wordpress.com.

How Obama Won - Get a FREE Ebook with Excerpts from the Book

2009-01-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

Get your FREE E-book which gives you a look inside How Obama Won – see the table of contents and read selected excerpts before making the decision to buy your own copy of How Obama Won --- http://tr.im/9lrt How Obama Won by Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a provocative, hard hitting critical assessment of the issues, events, forces, politics, pressures and controversy that shaped and ensnared Barack Obama in his historic 2008 presidential campaign. Cut through the endless numbers and statistics to learn get straight to the key issues that made the difference.

Political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson examines the impact of race and gender, campaign strategy, the key political players, the nature of presidential politics, the changes in the Democratic and Republicans parties, the importance of the black, Hispanic, youth, women and blue collar white worker votes, the role of corporation and special interests in American politics. Hutchinson goes to the heart of the matter to tell us what the first African-American to win the White House means to America and the world.

Pre Inaugural - The Hutchinson Report Bash

2009-01-17T12:39:00.000-05:00

The Hutchinson Report

With Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Pre Obama Inaugural Bash on

KPFK Radio 90.7 FM Streamed Nationally on kpfk.org

Saturday 9am – 11am
January 17, 2009

Pre Inaugural - The Hutchinson Report Bash

Invited guests include: Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congresswoman Diane Watson, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, and other invited local, state and national political leaders Obama transition team Staffer, Rev. Al Sharpton, commentary, features, music and news.

Listener Call Ins 818-985-5735

To listen online - http://www.kpfk.org/listen-live.html

How Obama Won
by Earl Ofari Hutchinson
A Comprehensive Dissect of Obama's White House Win
Order Now!
How Obama Won by Earl Ofari Hutchinson
http://www.learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com to Order Your Copy

How You Can Prosper In Any Economy by Mark Tewart

2009-01-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

How You Can Prosper In Any Economy

by Mark Tewart

In the current economy many people and businesses are thinking in terms of survival rather than prospering. Your current dominant thought patterns accurately predict your future. The root of the word scarcity is scared and success and money never follow fear. The good news is that you can not only survive but thrive in this or any other economy.

The first thing you must do to succeed is to change the questions you ask yourself. Instead of asking how you can survive, ask yourself how you can thrive. Look for problems and the opportunity gaps created by the common problems that many are encountering. Every problem brings great opportunity. The glass is not half empty and the glass is not half full. The glass is always full. It's is full of a mixture of liquid and air. It's only the limitations of your philosophy and the training of your brain that keep you from seeing that reality. However, most people feel they are being positive if they see the glass as half full. The reality is you must understand and embrace the concept that the glass is always full for you to be able to see and recognize that fact.

When you completely eliminate the possibility for anything but moving forward, succeeding and thriving, you will begin to experience the results you desire. You will completely understand and embrace any and all setbacks in your path as positive and recognize the lessons learned from them and then adjust. The key part of this equation is the philosophy of responsibility. When you make a declaration to stop blaming any and all things for your results but yourself, you will see more opportunity.

Your results and success are not based upon good or bad economies, good or bad workplaces, good or bad teachers, good or bad bosses. Your success is simply determined by you and you alone. You have the free will to determine your thoughts philosophies and actions. Massive success and massive failure have equal access and the seeds of both are sewn as easy as flipping on a switch.

If you are suffering in this economy, ask yourself what allowed your limitations to affect you or your business to be so negatively affected. One is a horrible number for business and success. Were you depending on one revenue stream, one type of customer or one product? Did you have a built in continuity program for your business and income that tend to lessen the affects of economic downturns? Have you looked to see if there is a business within your business that can be explored, created or maximized? Have you looked to speed up, slow down or create a different delivery channel or experience in that channel?

The answers are always there but you have to ask the questions and allow your imagination to attract or create the answer. Sometimes, just working harder is more of a hindrance than an effective answer to your problems. The hamster runs faster on the wheel but never reaches a destination and just gets tired and quits. There are only 1,440 minutes in every day. The answer comes in carving out a part of your day to simply be still. Be still to allow your mind to ask questions, and seek meditation for the answers. All thoughts create energy. That energy will allow matching energy. However, you have to be willing to see, feel and understand when those answers come your way. If you are not ready, you may see the glass as half empty or half full but you will never the see the glass as full. The full glass is always there, you have to be looking for it to see it.

Mark Tewart

Mark Tewart is a professional speaker, consultant, entrepreneur and author of "How To Be A Sales Superstar"

www.marktewart.com

info@tewart.com

BREAKING NEWS - How Obama Won is Now Ready to Ship

2009-01-06T17:25:00.001-05:00

The first shipment of the print copies of How Obama Won just arrived this afternoon and they are still cold from being in the UPS truck - its cold in Virginia today.

We have an ebook available to people around the world (emailed one to Germany this morning) and we have books ready to ship throughout the US and to Canada. For more information and to place your order now - visit

Obama - Print Book Shipped within the continental US
http://nikkileigh.plimus.com/jsp/buynow.jsp?contractId=2174946

Obama - Print Book Shipped to Canada
http://nikkileigh.plimus.com/jsp/buynow.jsp?contractId=2241948

Obama - Ebook to be emailed around the world
http://nikkileigh.plimus.com/jsp/buynow.jsp?contractId=2174906

Please contact us with any questions -- here or at howobamawon@gmail.com

For more details about the book and to read several excerpts, visit http://learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com/2008/12/excerpts-from-how-obama-won.html

Searching for the World's Best Lover

2009-01-03T23:22:00.000-05:00

Contest sponsored by www.loveologyuniversity.com

The winner will be announced before Valentine’s Day, 2009 and get a $2,000 scholarship or $1,000 cash prize.

Dr. Ava and Loveology University® are asking “Romantics” to submit a short entry essay on why they believe their lover is the “World’s Best Lover.” These entries can be completed for FREE at www.loveologyuniversity.com

Upon nominating your lover’s name, you will receive a FREE “Loveology Certificate” stating that he/she has been nominated for the World’s Best Lover – a perfect Valentine’s gift at no cost. PLUS you will receive a FREE e-Book entitled “52 Sizzling Sex Secrets.”

HOW TO ENTER: Nominate your partner by submitting a short entry essay on why you believe he/she qualifies as “The World’s Best Lover.” Your essay should be no more than 500 words.

DEADLINE: All entries must be submitted before Midnight, Pacific US Time on Friday, February 6^th, 2009.

ELIGIBILITY: Contest eligibility is open to worldwide participants who are 18 years or older and may access the worldwide web.

CONTEST JUDGING: Beginning on February 10th, 2009 through February 12^th, 2009, a panel of judges from Loveologyuniversity.com Faculty will select the winning Submission based on the judging criteria as follows: (a) 50% Uniqueness, (b) 25% Emotional inspiration and (c) 25% Seduction factor.

PRIZE: The winner will have the choice of a full scholarship for the Certified Loveologist® Love Coaching course at www.loveologyuniversity.com worth $2,000 or $1,000 cash, which will be awarded in the form of a check made payable to the winner. Prize cannot be assigned, transferred, or substituted.

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: The winner will be contacted by phone and e-mail. The winner’s name and the nominator’s essay will be on posted at www.loveologyuniversity.com on Friday, February 13^th, 2009.

PUBLICITY: The winner and his/her partner may have the opportunity to join Dr. Ava in media publicity including but not limited to Internet, Radio and Television appearances.

VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT SUGGESTIONS: For single people who will be spending Valentine’s Day alone, Dr. Ava encourages them to give themselves the gift of knowledge and choose from the many different Certified Courses that Love U offers such as Communication, Love, Flirting, Dating and Kissing so that they can learn all the healthy ingredients; friendship, respect, trust, communication and passion—that will be required for their next great relationship.

For couples spending Valentine’s Day together, Dr. Ava recommends that each member submit their partner as the “World’s Best Lover,” contest and then purchase a “Loveology” Gift Certificate from the dozens of Certified Courses that Love U offers such as the Master Sexpert, Couples Enrichment, Intimacy, Foreplay and Tantric Sex so that they can enrich their relationship and expand their sexual horizon.

“Live to love, and feel more pleasure by incorporating Loveology into your daily life. That’s the advice I’d like to pass along to everyone,” says Dr. Ava.

FOR COMPLETE RULES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR “THE WORLD’S BEST LOVER” CONTEST GO TO WWW.LOVEOLOGYUNIVERSITY.COM AND CLICK ON THE CONTEST BANNER. For updates on the contest, visit www.worldsbestlover.blogspot.com

How Do You Think Obama Won?

2008-12-28T17:58:00.001-05:00

There are many theories from the media, the pundits, blogger and regular people about How Obama Won. Would you like to share your thoughts? Feel free to post your comments here and tell us what you think made the difference. What helped Obama win?

Nikki Leigh

PS - Are you on the waiting list to be notified when How Obama Won arrives? Are you interested in signing up for our affiliate program? Complete information is posted in the right hand column of the blog at www.learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com.

Possible Help in a Struggling Economy

2008-12-16T12:48:00.001-05:00

Every aspect of our daily lives are affected by sales, even though we may not think in those terms. When you buy any product or service, various sales people are involved in the background. Even your utilities are affected by the sales process. Sales people have gotten a bad “rep” for years, but that isn’t necessary. We all know people in the sales industry that are superstars. The question is – how do you become a sales superstar? Mark Tewart is a definite expert who has the answer to this question and he is sharing his thoughts and tips in his new book “How to be a Sales Superstar”.

Read my review here - http://www.evancarmichael.com/Book-Reviews/2820/How-to-be-a-Sales-Superstar-Break-All-the-Rules-and-Succeed-While-Doing-It-by-Mark-Tewart.html

On Monday December 22nd, I'll interview Mark Tewart on my internet radio show. I'm going to try to do something different this week. When we look at the current economic situation in the US and the world - we know that many businesses are in precarious positions. So, I'm asking people to send me their questions. I can ask my own questions, but I'm willing to ask your questions during the show. Mark Tewart has a wealth of great information to share and I'm glad to have the opportunity to share it with my listeners.

For people who aren't in business - think about the unemployment numbers. They are higher than they have been in many years. If you had tips to help you do better in your current job - even if you aren't in sales - wouldn't that make you worth more to your current employer?

Feel free to send me your questions and for people who cannot listen to the show live, you can visit the site www.blogtalkradio.com/nikkileigh and download the show. We will be on air Monday December 22, 2008 at 3 pm EST. If you have questions, please forward them to nikki@nikkileigh.com

Nikki Leigh - Award Winning Fiction and Non Fiction Author
Promotional Services - http://www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm
FREE Insiders Guide to Virtual Tours - www.nikkileigh.com/insiders_guide.htm
Follow Me on Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/litekepr

Chasing Diana by Jack Firestone & Robin Firestone

2008-12-14T21:36:00.000-05:00

Chasing Diana, a New Book by Jack Firestone & Robin Firestone, the Only Americans to Witness to the Fatal Car Crash of Princess Diana

The Couple Recently Testified at the Final Inquest in London on

December 3, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Sept 25, 2008 – Jack Firestone and Robin Firestone, the only Americans to have witnessed the fatal car crash of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed in Paris’ Alma tunnel, have authored a new book, Chasing Diana. The book, just released, is available at www.amazon.com as will soon be available in all major book stores nationwide.

Earlier this year, Jack & Robin Firestone were called upon to give testimony in London at the Royal Courts of Justice for the Coroner's Inquests into the Deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Mr. Dodi Al Fayed. It was the culmination of a decade long journey for the Firestones in their quest to formally go on record as to what they witnessed in the Alma Tunnel in Paris during the early morning hours of August 31, 1997. The day following the closing of the final Inquest, the Firestones had a heartfelt private meeting in London with Dodi's father, Mohammed Al Fayed, who has pointed the finger of guilt, and continues to do so, directly at HRH Prince Philip, husband to Queen Elizabeth II.

In Chasing Diana, the Firestones convey their 11 year personal journey, utilizing a guise of historical fiction, to express the overwhelming effects resulting from being placed at a crossroads in history. An average American family, the Firestones were vacationing in Paris back in 1997 when fate intervened, turning their lives upside down. Upon their return home from Europe, they were inundated by the press, and their lives were forever changed.

Praise for Chasing Diana:

“The book is reminiscent of Oliver Stone's ‘JFK,’ which took the Kennedy assassination and added intrigue and conspiracy theory into a narrative, telling of a lawyer trying to solve the president's death. Chasing Diana spins murderous paparazzi and crooked cops into its tale.”

- Justin Paprocki, The Island Packet

About the book:

Chasing Diana by Jack Firestone and Robin Firestone

ISBN: 978-1419696572

Publisher: Firestone Media Ent. Inc.

Printed by: BookSurge Publishing (an Amazon company)

Date of publication: June 27, 2008

Pages: 162, S.R.P.: $19.95

For more information, please visit www.ChasingDiana.com and www.ChasingDiana.blogspot.com

Five Quick Tips on How to Manage Fear

2008-12-05T03:19:00.000-05:00

Five Quick Tips on How to Manage Fear

By: Stanley Popovich

Some people have a difficult time in managing their fears and anxieties. Here are five quick tips on how to manage fear so it doesn’t get the best of you.

Be smart in how you deal with your fears and anxieties. Do not try to tackle everything all at once. When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, break the task into a series of smaller steps. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

A person should visualize a red stop sign in their mind when they encounter a fear provoking thought. When the negative thought comes, a person should think of a red stop sign that serves as a reminder to stop focusing on that thought and to think of something else. A person can then try to think of something positive to replace the negative thought.

No one can predict the future with one hundred percent accuracy. Even if the thing that you feared does happen there are circumstances and factors that you can’t predict that can be used to your advantage. You never know when the help and answers you are looking for will come to you.

Learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of worrying about how you will get through the rest of the week, try to focus on today. Each day can provide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includes learning how to deal with your problems.

A lot of times, our worrying can make the problem even worse. All the worrying in the world will not change anything. All you can do is strive for your best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it in stride. If you still have trouble managing your anxiety of the future, then talking to a counselor or clergyman can be of great help. There are ways to help manage your fear and all it takes is some effort to find those answers.

BIOGRAPHY:

Stan Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods" - an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

Don’t Accept the Big Bad Economy by Mark Tewart

2008-11-18T14:18:00.000-05:00

Don’t Accept the Big Bad Economy

By Mark Tewart

I couldn’t help but notice all the doom and gloom in several blog posts, especially in regards to Starbucks closing 600 stores. Yes, the economy is tough, but the most important economy is between your ears. If you keep reading about the bad economy and you keep telling everyone how bad it is, you’re allowing yourself to have a bad economy and to perpetuate that it is okay to struggle. The media will do enough of that — don’t help them. Bad economies come faster and stay longer because of media reports that are spread virally by people.

No matter the conditions, you are always in charge and there are always opportunities. I would invite everyone, when someone tells you about how bad it is, to simply reply that you heard about the bad economy but you refused to participate. All the governments, presidents and economic policies in the world cannot make you a prisoner or a victim if you refuse to allow it.

I invite everyone to look at the economy as an opportunity. This is a perfect opportunity to look for additional revenue streams and niches. Replace your daily regimen of TV news, radio news and newspapers with self-improvement material. Learn new skills, read motivational and educational material. Become more valuable to others and money will come to you no matter the economy. The world is an abundant universe. Money is abundant. Money simply shifts and moves towards value. Money is nothing more than a physical form of exchange. Value given, value received. It’s the duty for all of us to perpetually increase our value. The money

you make tomorrow will be because of what you did today.

You can read the story of Starbucks and see that 600 stores are closing and see doom

and gloom, or you can look at the total Starbucks story and see one of the largest and fastest expansions of any company in history. If Starbucks is smart, they will use this as an opportunity to grow for the future — or, like most big dumb companies, they will think scarcity. The root of the word “scarcity” is “scared.” I would invite Starbucks - and any person - to stop accepting the worst-case scenario. Your mortgage company, grocer or oil company does not care if there is a bad economy. If you are looking for sympathy, it will only come from others who have decided to become prisoners to the bad economy. My wish for you is to not allow that. My wish for you is prosperity and abundance. The choice is ours. We can choose to win or choose to lose, but the choice is ours.

Mark Tewart is a professional speaker, consultant, entrepreneur and author of “How To Be A Sales Superstar – Break All the Rules and Succeed While Doing It available in book stores and Amazon. You can contact Mark Tewart at info@tewart.com or www.marktewart.com

Mark Tewart’s websites include: www.marktewartlive.com, www.marktewart.com and www.howtobeasalessuperstar.info

To read the first chapter of How to be a Sales Superstar and to receive several FREE bonuses from Mark Tewart, visit www.marktewartlive.com.

Full tour details are posted at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-be-sales-superstar-by-mark.html

10 Tips to Winning in a Bad Economy

2008-11-02T13:38:00.000-05:00

During the months of November and December, Mark Tewart is touring the blog-o-sphere with Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours and we will feature a couple of his articles which address the current economy and sound advice about what we can do to survive and excel in these tough economic times. Many businesses are flourishing - how can you flourish? Read on for details and the link to Mark Tewart's full tour schedule and a link to free gifts are posted at the bottom of this message.

10 Tips to Winning in a Bad Economy

Unless you have been hiding in a cave somewhere, you have heard that the U.S. economy is doing poorly. Housing starts are down, the value of the dollar is down, car sales are down, real estate is down, retail is down, gas prices are up, food prices are up, bankruptcies are up and the sky is falling. What is a person to do?

1. Don't Drink the Cool Aid
The news is sensationalized and fear sells. Things are rarely as good as they seem and things are rarely as bad as they seem. If you allow yourself to give in to the news, you will determine your destiny. When people tell me about the bad economy, I tell them I have chosen not to participate.

2. You Can't Cut Your Way to a Profit
Expense management is done at all times, not just in bad markets. Cutting expenses in bad times is a misnomer. It's like taking Tylenol for a heroin addiction. You set your good and bad habits in good markets, not bad. Be selectively extravagant and prudently frugal. I have never seen a business survive and thrive a down market by trying to cut expenses as their long-term strategy.

3. Don't Cut Your Life Line
Some of the easiest variable expenses to cut out are advertising and marketing. That also takes a bad situation and makes it worse. When your business drops and you take action to stop the flow even more, you are doomed. Be smarter with your marketing and adopt direct response methods that can be tracked and measured, but don't cut marketing because it's the easiest cut.

4. Dance With Who Bought You
The past and present customers are the lifeblood of any business. These customers are also the most overlooked and underutilized asset in ALL businesses. Everyone gives lip service to their glorious love of their customers, but what are you really doing to create and nurture the relationship? Do you have a relationship building program that creates over 50 positive customer contacts per year? You can have all the BDCs and CRMs you want, and that does not mean you are creating personalized-based marketing that creates relationships. The people who have done business with you already like and trust you and will most likely do business again - and bring others - if they are appreciated, rewarded and, yes, asked. NOBODY does a good enough job with their customers. There's gold in them thar hills.

5. Make the Bad News Good
Use all the bad news and the fear and negative emotions associated with it to your advantage. Use the headlines in your marketing and advertising and become the solution provider, i.e., 10 Tips for Winning in a Bad Economy.

6. Stop Boring Me to Death
If I get another "one size fits all, looks the same" mailer for an event sale, I think I will puke. Be creative and use trash can mailers, wallet mailers and other dimensional mail. Stop trying to get the lowest cost per piece and concentrate on the highest ROI for your mailings and other marketing. Boring does not sell in any media format.

7. Go Back to the Basics
Everything is basics. Instead of cutting your education, double your education efforts. If the market is really that bad, then you should have tons of time to educate yourself and your team. If your opportunities are fewer, then you must maximize each customer contact. TLC - Think like a customer. Examine your process from a customer's point of view and ask yourself what creates heartburn for those customers.

8. Super-Size It
You can impact your bottom line immediately by increasing either transaction size or the gross margin. In my entire career, I have never found a business that cannot increase their transaction size and margins. Stop accepting fate as a commodity and differentiate yourself, your product and business and ask for more money. You can do this through add-ons, bundling, value added presentations and better process for asking for and negotiating money. "Do you want fries with that?" and "Do you want the large popcorn for 25 cents more?" are not accidental questions.

9. Create Multiple Experiences
If your customers buy one product or service from you, then they will buy more. The average automobile dealership only retains 19 percent of their customers from sales to service. That number is business suicide. Sending a one-time mailing for a discount oil change does not constitute a continuity program. With a continuity program, any business can move from that 19 percent figure to 50 percent and more. When you create a continuity program, you will insulate your business from bad economies in the future because you will be less dependent on conquest customers.

10. Speed of the Boss, Speed of the Crew
As the leader thinks and acts, the team shall too. If the leaders of your business talk "bad economies" and "bad markets," the team will believe it. What are your leaders doing right now? Don't major in the minor. Spend every minute of the day in the pursuit of things that will create customers and incomes now and in the future. Just last week I had a dealer tell me that he was waiting for this bad market to turn around before he did anything with his business. My reply was, "How is that working for you?" If the leader does not believe, don't expect the troops to believe.

Mark Tewart’s websites include: www.marktewartlive.com, www.marktewart.com and www.howtobeasalessuperstar.info

To read the first chapter of How to be a Sales Superstar and to receive several FREE bonuses from Mark Tewart, visit www.marktewartlive.com.

Full tour details are posted at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-be-sales-superstar-by-mark.html

Sex Selection in the United States in the 21st Century

2008-10-19T20:25:00.000-04:00

During the month of November, author Shobhan Bantwal is doing a virtual book tour with Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours to promote her latest release - The Forbidden Daughter. While I was coordinating this tour, I spoke to many people who could not believe there are gender based abortions anywhere in the world in the 21st century. How could parents make the decision to kill a healthy child - just because the baby is a girl? Its hard enough to believe that people are doing this in other parts of the world, but I found an article today about this practice happening in the United States. To learn more about Shobhan Bantwal and The Forbidden Daughter, visit her tour page - http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/09/forbidden-daughter-by-shobhan-bantwal.html.

Nikki Leigh

Sex Selection Alive and Well
in South Asian Immigrant Communities in the U.S.

(India Currents, News Feature, Sunita Puri, Posted: Mar 17, 2006)

The woman lying on the examination table is clearly nervous. She has a look of troubled anticipation, brows deeply furrowed, lips pursed and pale, and forehead glistening with tiny beads of sweat. She takes a deep breath, and grasps her dupatta with moist hands, while mouthing prayers into the off-white wall.

“It’s a girl.”

I watch the woman’s blank expression, and catch the look of frustration on her husband’s face in the corner of my eye. Seconds later, she begins to cry.

As a medical student I first became interested in the issue of sex selection upon talking with South Asian women who told me they were abused or neglected by their husbands and extended family because they had given birth to girls. I was surprised to learn that such pressure to have boys exist even within immigrant South Asian communities in the United States. A number of factors have converged to actually enable this practice: easy access to routine ultrasounds (forbidden in India), the availability of abortion services, and the American fertility industry, which offers everything from preconception sex selection to at-home gender determination kits. Ads for sex-selection clinics have appeared in South Asian community papers and even The New York Times.

I thus decided to do a research project on sex selection and the reasons for its prevalence among both South Asian immigrants and non-South Asians in the United States. This research is formally intended for the master’s thesis required for my medical degree, but I also wanted to do this project to promote dialogue about a preference for sons and its impact on the lives of women and children. Any quotes and locations have been changed to protect the identities of my research subjects.

When I first began my project, I was extremely wary. I had seen that newspaper articles about the skewed gender ratio in India often make the front page, yet offer little insight into the reasons for sex selection, or the pressures and emotions involved in such decisions. I did not want to further stereotypes about the preference for sons among South Asians. I wanted to understand what drives women to seek three or more abortions in their quest for a male child. I wanted to know how the desire for a son, and not wanting any more daughters, affected a couple’s existing children. I wanted to understand how medical providers felt about offering sex selection services or simply early sex determination via ultrasound. And, I wanted to understand why this practice was occurring in the United States among South Asian immigrants.

“In this country?” is the incredulous response I most often hear when I discuss some of the trends I’ve observed. Yet my own surprise has lessened as I’ve researched the reasons behind son preference. Religious and cultural festivals are not the only practices that survive the processes of immigration: the ultrasound machine has retained its iconic status among some South Asian immigrants in this country. When I ask women why they want a son, they often expect that I should know and understand that this is “an expectation of women,” as one woman put it.

Yet, what draws couples to travel across the state and sometimes to other states to get an ultrasound scan? What motivates them to spend thousands of dollars to select fetal sex before conception? Surprisingly, it is often women themselves who firmly believe that they need to have a son. The couples visiting these clinics usually already have at least one daughter—I have never seen a couple try and select the sex of their first child. When I ask why, they often tell me, simply, that every mother has a right to a son. Sometimes, their stories are heartbreaking: their female in-laws taunt them, call them infertile, drive them to it. It is sometimes their own mothers or mothers-in-law who pressure them to have a boy. In other instances, the tension between the couple in clinic is palpable, and I wonder about the pressures women face from their husbands at home.

It is undoubtedly difficult for couples to speak with me about their most personal and intimate matters. Yet they patiently answered my questions, allowed me to sit in on their clinic visits, and afforded me glimpses into their emotional experiences. Many are deeply conflicted, and openly acknowledge the tension in being a woman and not wanting a daughter. Some do not want to have a girl because they want to prevent another woman from suffering as they have. Some hope that the newer technologies of sperm sorting will actually decrease their emotional suffering by avoiding an abortion.

A crucial question arising from this work is, what does this practice do to our daughters? Children are usually overlooked in the debate about sex selection, yet they are among the most immediately affected. Children who witness parents’ ongoing attempts to have a son are impacted emotionally and materially. A South Asian American student told me in an interview, “Do these parents think we don’t know what they’re up to? Of course we do. It’s no mistake that all the families I know have, like, four girls and the youngest is a boy. It’s obvious to us even if we don’t say anything. Because what can we really say?”

One could argue, as many physicians have, that patient autonomy and the concept of choice makes sex selection permissible if patients believe it is the best option for their family. However, it is not entirely clear whose choice it is. If a woman faces intense pressure, psychological or otherwise, to have a son, is she really exercising her choice? If she is harassed, threatened, or emotionally abused, is she free to seek or not seek sex determination or sex-selection services?

The real issue is not necessarily sex selection per se, but what sex selection signifies—the unequal status of women. While many couples say they need to have a son since they already have daughters, many do not know how to answer me when I ask if they would seek a daughter if they had only sons. Technology or physicians alone are not at the root of the problem. The use of technology and marketing of sex selection exist because of the preference for a male child. Technological advancement undoubtedly increases the pressure to use technology in order to have a boy. One woman told me, “Now that all these methods exist, if I don’t use them, my in-laws will harass me.” While I understand the role that technology plays in making this issue worse, ultimately it is the deep-seated preference for boys that we must question and challenge. For instance, why is it that some couples believe they have “too many daughters,” but we rarely hear complaints about “too many sons”?

We must acknowledge the societal pressures to have a son rather than condemn couples who succumb to them. Judgment and blame will only thicken the shroud of secrecy surrounding these practices, making it even harder to talk about it. Family planning decisions are naturally complex and emotional, but in this instance they can be influenced by expectations from family and community that result in unusual pressure and harm to both women and children.

How can the family and community provide a more positive influence? We can take steps towards change in small ways. For example, we can congratulate couples equally when sons and daughters are born. We can organize small meetings about creating more opportunities for women’s advancement, and more days to celebrate women’s many accomplishments. We can hold debates about the role and status of women, making space for women to talk about the ways they have experienced gender inequality. We can remind our daughters every day that they are equal to their brothers in every way.

When I look around me, I see strong, brilliant, beautiful South Asian daughters committed to improving the world around them. Our women are teachers, world-class athletes, artists, musicians, writers, activists, doctors, lawyers, models, actresses, mothers, daughters, and sisters. Let us celebrate our daughters, and all the women of our community, and take active steps towards achieving equality of women and men, daughters and sons.

Sunita Puri is a second-year medical student at the UC San Francisco-UC Berkeley joint medical program. She is currently conducting an ethnographic study of son preference and sex selection among South Asian immigrants in the United States.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=77ccb8095412ea46e40184e503787025

Obama as Anti-Christ: Religious Extremism Not Dead as Political Influence

2008-10-16T22:38:00.000-04:00

Now that a GOP campaign ad casts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in the role of anti-Christ, maybe it’s time to acknowledge that the impact of religious extremists isn’t quite as dead as mainstream media keep reporting.

The John McCain ad, ‘The One,’ playing on YouTube not so subtly paints Obama as the anti-Christ for adherents to an extreme interpretation of Revelations. This YouTube spot stokes these believers’ worst fears of global conflagration in an ultimate war between God and the devil.
McCain’s spin doctors want to scare these people into voting against Obama by casting a ballot for the Arizona senator, even if they don’t like McCain all that much.

Although mainstream media articles keep declaring the death of religious conservatism, religious conservatives obviously could impact this year’s election outcome. Otherwise the McCain camp would not bother to try to scare up their votes.

It’s so eery–and alarming. My fantasy saga chronicles what happens when politics and piety collide, just as they have in U.S. elections since 200, all of which have been marred by extreme divisiveness and bitterly contested vote counts.

The fictional theocrats try to wrest power from the secular government of an island nation called Azgard, just as Christian Dominionists seriously seek to impose religious totalitarianism on the United States, and Islamic extremists want to impose a Caliphate on the Middle East. The fictional power struggle leads to civil war, eventually resulting in the destruction of the country and most of the world.

What might happen in real life if extreme religious viewpoints continue to influence the elections as well as public discourse and policies? Consider McCain’s statements about U.S. troops in Iraq for 100 years and supposedly joking comments about bombing Iran.

There is little humor and much to be alarmed about in any type of militant religiosity–Muslim, Christian, Hindu or whatever.

By StoneScribe

StoneScribe is C.L. Talmadge, author of the Green Stone of Healing® epic fantasy series. For a free ebook on the link between healing and spirituality, visit http://www.greenstoneofhealing.com and sign up for the newsletter.

The Subject of Race is Being Discussed in The Final Weeks of this Election Season

2008-10-08T20:41:00.000-04:00

The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House – Will Race and Ethnicity Decide the Presidency?

Any way you look at it, this is a historic political season. Whether the next president is a Democrat or a Republican, there will be a “first” in the new administration. The first black president or the first woman vice president will be elected. The media and the internet are buzzing with the possibilities.

Race and politics is an interesting and sometimes explosive combination. This topic is the focus of Earl Ofari Hutchinson’s book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House. Throughout this election year, we have all seen the news reports, the specials, the debates and much more that addresses the questions and curiosity about race and politics. More specifically, what it would mean to have an African American president in the white house.

Race isn’t a new issue in politics and The Ethnic Presidency delves into a vast array of details from the past three decades to demonstrate the difference race and ethnicity makes in any election. Race is a much bigger factor in the 2008 election than it has been in past elections.

For an inside view at the history of race in politics, take a deeper look into The Ethnic Presidency. This book is a must have for political junkies who follow each election, but it is also a great primer for the millions of first time voters who would like to understand more about the people and the elements of this election year and elections in the past. Get a real look at the way each political party used race and ethnicity to further their agenda through the years.

It examines:
Obamamania
The soaring Latino vote
The silent but potent Asian-American vote
The GOP’s love-hate relationship with black and Latino America
Will America accept a black president? Can Obama be that president?
Will the GOP use the same Southern Strategy that repeatedly won the White House?
Did blacks and Latinos elect Bush?
Have the Democrats taken the black and Latino vote for granted?

For much more information and to order your own copy, visit The Ethnic Presidency on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1881032256/.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author, syndicated columnist, political analyst and commentator. He is a frequent guest on Hannity and Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor, The Big Story, EXTRA, and numerous CNN News and Talk Shows. He is associate editor of New America Media. His op-ed columns appear in the Baltimore Sun, Huffington Post, L.A. Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, the Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Christian Science Monitor, and other major newspapers. He is the author of ten books.

Energizing People of Integrity

2008-10-03T12:15:00.000-04:00

ENERGIZING PEOPLE OF INTEGRITY
By Dean Kilmer
(Author of “Igniting the Moral Courage of America” Moral Courage Publications)

Our integrity has been kidnapped, and we didn’t even notice what happened! The false concept that people of faith must not speak up in the public arena, the insidious concept that truth is relative, and an over indulgence in the idea of tolerating everything and anything have kidnapped our integrity! If we cannot understand real truth and we are never allowed to speak up for what we believe, how can we have integrity?
In order to restore integrity, we must understand all three aspects of integrity.
1. Integrity is discerning what is right and what is wrong.
2. Integrity is acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost.
3. Real integrity includes publicly stating that you are acting on your principles.

How do we bring back honesty and integrity to our people?

First, we restore God’s absolute truth as the basis of our personal lives. You can always trust people who are living up to God’s standards in the Bible.

Secondly, we restore courtesy, respect and a positive attitude in our homes. Yes sir, no sir, yes ma’am and no ma’am are powerful attitude developing words for our children. Since attitude is more important than reality, a positive attitude about life allows them to see the good in other people. When they look for the good in people, they will also look for truth and honesty.

Thirdly, each of us should write a mission statement for ourselves and our families. A strong sense of divine purpose keeps individuals and families in line with God’s eternal purposes. Take time to honestly consider why God put your family on this earth. What are your special talents and abilities? How can you and your children impact eternity? As you and your family work toward your mission, you will be developing integrity in their hearts.

The fourth step is to build community support for good character. While the news always highlights the negative, we need to build a positive encouraging community spirit. The Moral Courage Foundation (explained on my website www.moralcourage.net) can bring your whole community to an appreciation of those young people who are living with integrity. The attitude of a community is determined by where the spotlight shines! Makes sure it shines on the right people!

Some people believe that the tidal wave of destructive values including abortion, homosexuality, broken homes and child abuse is too powerful to ever be stopped. However, you need to remember that our God took a coward, Gideon and 300 hundred men and defeated an army of 132,000 men. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called and He has called you!

“People who lack integrity are changed by the circumstances of their lives, while people of integrity change their circumstances by acting on their principles.”

Race in Politics - The Ethnic Presidency

2008-09-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House – Will Race and Ethnicity Decide the Presidency?

Any way you look at it, this is a historic political season. Whether the next president is a Democrat or a Republican, there will be a “first” in the new administration. The first black president or the first woman vice president will be elected. The media and the internet are buzzing with the possibilities.

Race and politics is an interesting and sometimes explosive combination. This topic is the focus of Earl Ofari Hutchinson’s book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House. Throughout this election year, we have all seen the news reports, the specials, the debates and much more that addresses the questions and curiosity about race and politics. More specifically, what it would mean to have an African American president in the white house.

Race isn’t a new issue in politics and The Ethnic Presidency delves into a vast array of details from the past three decades to demonstrate the difference race and ethnicity makes in any election. Race is a much bigger factor in the 2008 election than it has been in past elections.

For an inside view at the history of race in politics, take a deeper look into The Ethnic Presidency. This book is a must have for political junkies who follow each election, but it is also a great primer for the millions of first time voters who would like to understand more about the people and the elements of this election year and elections in the past. Get a real look at the way each political party used race and ethnicity to further their agenda through the years.

It examines:

· Obamamania

· The soaring Latino vote

· The silent but potent Asian-American vote

· The GOP’s love-hate relationship with black and Latino America

· Will America accept a black president? Can Obama be that president?

· Will the GOP use the same Southern Strategy that repeatedly won the White House?

· Did blacks and Latinos elect Bush?

· Have the Democrats taken the black and Latino vote for granted?

For much more information and to order your own copy, visit The Ethnic Presidency on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1881032256/.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author, syndicated columnist, political analyst and commentator. He is a frequent guest on Hannity and Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor, The Big Story, EXTRA, and numerous CNN News and Talk Shows. He is associate editor of New America Media. His op-ed columns appear in the Baltimore Sun, Huffington Post, L.A. Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, the Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Christian Science Monitor, and other major newspapers. He is the author of ten books.

No More Mr Nice Guy by James Alston

2008-09-01T21:42:00.000-04:00

New Book Jumpstarts a Frank Discussion of the Plight of Black Americans in the Workplace

No More Mr. Nice Guy by James E. Alston is an autobiographical analysis of corporate racism and the need for justice

STONY POINT, N.Y. – In No More Mr. Nice Guy, James E. Alston tells his personal story of life as an African-American in the corporate world, and he uncovers the face of discriminatory practices on the job.

Racism is alive and well in corporate America, suggests author James E. Alston in his blistering book, No More Mr. Nice Guy. Alston analyzes his own 30-year career as an African-American corporate executive, detailing the instances and the impact of evasive, covert and discriminatory practices of managers and co-workers at all levels of employment. The author asserts that although many people believe discrimination affects only impoverished or inner city African-Americans, he shows in this gripping book that middle to upper middle class people are equally affected.

Written in concise, clear prose, No More Mr. Nice Guy chronicles both the rewards and the punishments leveled upon the author at every step of his climb up the corporate ladder. An essential read for business professionals, No More Mr. Nice Guy is an incisive reminder to all readers that discrimination still exists.

For more information or to request a free review copy, members of the press can contact the author at jayalston@hotmail.com. No More Mr. Nice Guy is available for sale online at Amazon.com, BookSurge.com, and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the Author

James E. Alston attended SUNY at Farmingdale, New York and has had a rewarding career in the business industry. He lives in Rockland County, N.Y. He also owns a home in Raleigh, N.C. and spends time in Atlanta.

How to Survive Getting Into College

2008-08-20T15:38:00.000-04:00

How to Survive Getting Into College (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95) offers real-world tips and advice from hundreds of former high school seniors who have been through the college admissions process and succeeded. The book follows in the footsteps of Hundreds of Heads’ bestselling college life guide, How to Survive Your Freshman Year – and contains the best tips, stories, and advice on the college application process based on interviews with students from over 100 colleges—both public and private—across the country.

The book was edited by former Ivy League college admissions officer, Rachel Korn., who offers great tips for acing the admissions process— and getting into the college of your dreams. Korn says admissions officers focus on three important factors in students’ applications:

1. A genuine feel for the applicant's personality.

2. A contribution to the school.

3. Whether the applicant is maximizing their environment and their talents.

Korn, points out in How to Survive Getting Into College that an applicant can never know too much about their target schools. She says:

1. Research, research, research. Through the school’s website and/or a college tour, learn as much as possible about the school’s academic and cultural atmosphere. Knowledge about the university will prepare the applicant to sit down and successfully complete the application.

2. Tailor the application to the school - know the characteristics it values. Convey through essays how the school “matches” the student. Listen to admissions officers' presentations and glean from reading school materials if there are initiatives (especially new ones) that should be mentioned.

3. Let college counselor and teachers know about you top choice and why. They can reflect that in their letters to bolster the student’s sincerity to the admissions committee. DO NOT attempt this with a school that is not a favorite. Admissions officers will figure it out.

Korn also shares some of the top mistakes students make in applying to schools, including:

1. Failure to research. Apply ONLY to schools where there is a match with interests (size, academics, culture).

2. Seeking a "big name" for a recommendation and thinking that this is the ticket into a school. Recommenders who know the student best are those to choose. A fancy title is not impressive if the recommender does not know the person.

3. Using public websites to try to predict chances of admissions or to learn about a school. NO ONE can predict chances of admission, certainly not peers who see nothing more than lists of grades and activities.

Finally, Korn offers these top 5 tips for acing the college admissions process— and getting into the college of your dreams (for more – buy the book!):

1. APPLY to about 5 or 6 schools with a few true safety schools (including at least 1 public school) and a few reach schools.

2. WRITE an essay that shows what makes you tick - do not write an essay that you think an admissions committee wants to read.

3. ASK questions of your interviewer - the interview is a two-way street and you should approach the interview as a conversation.

4. FIND positive, true passions to fill your time - there is no "right" activity, so choose a passion not an obvious resume builder.

5. DRESS to casually impress when you visit schools - you never know, you could meet your admissions officer.

Excerpted from How to Survive Getting Into College (Hundreds of Heads Books, http://www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95, ISBN 1-933512-05-9), available at your favorite bookstore or online bookseller. Hundreds of Heads Books’ offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information. And for some free, weekly advice for entering freshmen – sign up for the Hundreds of Heads “Advicemail” series, at http://old.hundredsofheads.com/newsletter/subscribe.asp?book.

Tough Economic Times Calls For Strong Leadership

2008-08-07T16:57:00.000-04:00

Strong Leadership Needed in

Challenging Economic Times

by Hugh Ballou

“When times get tough, the tough get going.” - Anon.

"Nothing else in the world... not all the armies... is so powerful as an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo

- Economic News Headlines -

“GMAC posts $2.5 billion loss in 2nd quarter”

“Auto parts supplier Dana to cut 2,500 more jobs”

“Sara Lee swings to loss based on wheat costs”

Each day in the news we hear of the problems and/or failures in companies, such as mentioned in the headlines above. These companies are having a hard time in this difficult economy. How can you protect your company from these same kinds of problems? I don't claim to know what the problems were at these companies, but here are some examples and suggestions to help you protect your company during these difficult economic times.

In the challenging state of the economy, good leaders shine and poor leaders are exposed as ineffective. In many situations, the fate of organizations could rest on the skill of the leader. The way decisions are made and the attitude of the organization is key to success in tough economic times.

Symptoms of Poor Leadership

In the stress caused by a down economy, weak leaders and those they lead can be paralyzed by seeing only problems and challenges. This brings out negative actions by leaders. Here’s a list of behaviors that negatively influence employees and team members:

· Control: Asking for too many reports (sales calls, activity logs, etc.) that take time and send a message of mistrust.

· Micromanagement: Setting activities and schedules to tell employees not only what to do, but also how to do it. This sends a message of lack of confidence.

· Blaming: The leader blames others for situations beyond their control, or worse yet, blames others for situations they have created through poor leadership. This sends a message in incompetence.

· Silos: Departments or divisions draw into their ‘”own space” and do not effectively communicate or relate to the others. This sends a message of a hidden agenda.

· Attitude: A negative attitude not only makes hard work more difficult, but it instigates other negative attitudes. This sends a message that failure in ahead.

· Obstacles: False evidence appears to be real. A poor leader sees only obstacles and is bound by the restrictions implied by these obstacles. This sends a message of fear.

Solutions Provided by Strong Leadership

As some organizations cut back and build trenches for hibernation fearing loss, visionary leaders choose to put resources into building systems, strategies, skills and relationships to address the existing market. Here are some actions that strong leaders take:

· Training: Put resources into building skills of leaders and team members. This results in improved skills for addressing the future.

· Planning: Build action plans to address obstacles. This results in a culture that reframes barriers into opportunities.

· Coaching: The effective leader always has a coach and learns to coach team members. This results in improved relationships.

· Empowering: Allow team members to utilize their skills and talents and mentor them with information and strategies as well as budget. This results in new paradigms. This results in greater synergy in the team.

· Envisioning: Brainstorming and planning the future with team members creates trust and new ideas for action plans. This results in increased trust.

· Affirming: Along with allowing team members to utilize their skills, affirm good work. This results in the refocus of apathy into enthusiasm.

· Reframing: Be the model of what you expect from your team. Look at possibilities, not limitations. Be honest about the facts while looking at the options. This results in improved attitude.

· Reorganizing: Consider realignment of tasks and duties. Some team members many have become stale in their area of responsibility and the reassignment of duties might spark some interest. This results in greater ownership of the whole vision as well as individual areas of responsibility.

· Collaborating: Build cross-disciplinary project teams. People from different departments or divisions can team with others creating new visions for success. This results in greater effectiveness since tasks can be swapped and combined.

In challenging times the effective leader and a leader in training can demonstrate their worth to the organization. It’s a time to concentrate to building resources, strengthening relationships, fine-tuning systems and structures and working to improve personal skills. The great leader always articulates and shares goals and stays focused on the vision for the future.

As a final note, be sure to celebrate. Each success can be a celebration that brings momentum to the next accomplishment.

Hugh Ballou

Hugh Ballou is president of SynerVision International, Inc., an international consulting, coaching, and training practice in Blacksburg, Virginia. His unique insights for leadership training and teamwork come from his 40-years of experience as choral and orchestral conductor bringing harmony and synergy to group process. Hugh’s specialty is working with business owners as process coach and business strategist with clients in many countries.

His skill in teaching the collaborative leadership model is practical and proven in the trenches with his work in mega churches, non-profit organizations and businesses of all types.

He has published five books on Transformational Leadership: Moving Spirits, Building Lives: Church Musician as Transformational Leader, Moving Spirits, Building Lives A Workbook for Transformational Leaders, Building High Performance Teams: Systems and Structures for Leading Teams and Empowering Transformation, Leaders Transform: A Transformational Leadership Resource (Fall 2008), and his newest book: Transforming Power: Stories from Transformational Leaders to Inspire and Encourage and numerous articles on Transformational Leadership.

For more information

Transforming Power: http://www.transforming-power.com

Hugh Ballou: http://www.hughballou.com

Book information is available at http://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Power-Transformational-Encouragement-Inspiration/dp/0881775312

For full tour details, visit -http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/06/transforming-power-virtual-tour-with.html

A SPECIAL BONUS TO EACH PERSON WHO PURCHASES TRANSFORMING POWER TODAY – Hugh Ballou has compiled a list of great FREE bonus gifts for anyone who purchases Transforming Power today. To see a sample of the items that are being given away, visit http://www.transforming-power.com. Just buy a copy of Transforming Power, return to this page and click to submit your invoice number to receive the web page link to download all of these gifts for FREE.

How to Submit

2008-08-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

It can be very beneficial to tie your book subject with current events. This is especially effective with press releases, blogs and online articles. These examples will show how this promotion works. Do you have an example of an article or press release which ties your book to a current event? If you have a topic related to your book that is in the news, contact me at nikki_leigh22939 at yahoo.com.

Review the posts on the site to see various examples of how other people used current events to promote their books.

Teaching to Write or Writing to Teach?

2008-07-23T16:14:00.000-04:00

Ever since I graduated from San Diego State University with my Masters Degree in Creative Writing, I have been teaching to write. In other words, the teaching paid the bills so I could write. Following ten years of writing and teaching, I accumulated some fiction about which I was proud to say, “These stories were written to teach the reader something.”

What better way to label a volume of short fiction that had a lot to say to humanity about compassion, understanding and open mindedness, than to put the picture of “Compassionate Conservative” himself, George Walker Bush, right on the cover? Of course, the title story about “The President’s Parasite” is a satire, one of the time-honored traditions of my relatives from the British Isles, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope and George Orwell. Satire teaches by using ironic humor, and this story is dripping with it.

How’s this? I’ll make you, the reader, a promise. If you have an open mind and are not offended by things like the biggest penis on record, homeless folks fighting for fame and fortune, the President of the United States being outwitted by a genius tapeworm residing in his bowel, or an abortionist who sings Beatles’ songs, then perhaps you will see the humor in my work. Remember how it was in school? Sometimes, the teacher made you think about what you were reading. That’s the way it is in my new book of short fiction, The President’s Parasite and Other Stories.

I am the kind of guy who chuckles out loud when showing my college students The Trial, a film based on the novel by Franz Kafka. There’s a scene in it where Joseph K. watches a lawyer make love to a washer woman on the floor of the courtroom where he is supposed to be getting his “justice,” but all the court officials stand around “gawking” at them. Milan Kundera, the Czech author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being was quoted as saying, “Franz Kafka should be read as fact and not as fiction.” Aha! So, Joseph K. is magically transformed into William Jefferson Clinton, one of the Bush boys, or dozens of other “absurd politicians” that we elect as our leaders. Now do you understand why I laugh?

My college professor, Dr. Maurice Friedman, once told us in his “Modern Existentialism” class, that he knew Max Brod (the best friend of Kafka who refused to burn his manuscripts when K. died), and that Brod told Friedman that Kafka used to read from his work to a collection of “Czech Literati” at some bistro in Prague. Friedman said Brod and the audience “laughed their asses off at Kafka’s stories,” as I hope you will laugh when you read many of the stories in this collection. It’s the laugh of the literati “insider,” so this makes you an intelligent human being. If you don’t laugh, and you take them seriously, then that’s fine too. Many never found the humor in Kafka. Remember this: I am a teacher who teaches to write and writes to teach. So, write to me at jimmusgrave@cox.net, if you have questions!

Political Analyst Predicted Racial Divide on Obama Candidacy in the Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House

2008-07-15T22:16:00.000-04:00

A New York Times Poll released July 15 found that the prospect of an Obama presidency has deeply divided black, white and Hispanic voters. A majority of Hispanics and blacks say an Obama White House will improve race relations. A majority of whites say it won’t. In his book, The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House, noted political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson predicted that race would be a decisive factor in the presidential race.

Hutchinson said that the New York Times poll validated many of the key points and predictions in his book, The Ethnic Presidency. The poll found that a majority of whites are skeptical about Obama’s competency, experience and political beliefs. While a majority of blacks and Hispanics believe that Obama is best able to bring racial harmony and hope to the poor and dispossessed.

“The racial divide that the New York Times poll found on everything from black and white views of racial progress, political expertise, immigration, and the future of the country under the first African-American president,” says Hutchinson, “echo the points detailed in The Ethnic Presidency.”

Hutchinson goes much further and tells how racial messages, images, stereotypes and code words impact and influence presidential elections past and present. The New York Times poll found African-American, Hispanic and Asian voters will play a major role in the presidential election. Hutchinson tells why their role and importance in presidential elections has grown immensely in the past decade and will continue to grow in future presidential elections.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House was published by Middle Passage Press, February, 2008.

Imago Relationship Therapy with Edythe Denkin

2008-06-08T20:48:00.000-04:00

Imago Relationship Therapy teaches couples that ‘They each are responsible for their own happiness’ and when this lesson is internalized in a person’s psyche, they can then begin to find happiness in their marriage. Imago tools help the couples achieve this goal. Here are some simple but wise steps, based on Imago Relationship Therapy, from my book “Relationship Magic”, that helps people start on the path towards self –discovery.

When there is a hurtful situation you first must do whatever it takes to help you clarify what is bothering you: Go somewhere ALONE, then yell, scream, even name-call your feelings. Since you are alone you can do this again and again until you feel better and identify what it is that is bothering you. Then try this again a few hours later. Wait another few hours, write your feelings down, and when you are ready, meditate on your feelings.

Next, do whatever you can do to clear up any disagreements by dialoguing with your partner. Remember to listen to your partner and to express yourself only by repeating (mirroring) what you have heard them say. After each “mirror”, ask them: “Is there anything else you would like to share about this topic?” When you partner has said all they have to say on the subject. THEN it is your turn. Hopefully by this point, you have heard their side of the disagreement and can feel some empathy for what they are experiencing.
Then decide what you have to do to correct the situation and DO IT. Once you do what you have to do, your partner will probably want to correct his/her side of the equation so the two of you will not feel out of balance. But don't do it for your partner, do it for yourself. Make a commitment to yourself, and keep it.
Acknowledge and meditation on this experience of feeling respected. Listening to yourself and your partner and by having your partner do the same is the key. Self-respect is the most important step in loving yourself and your life. When you are respectful to yourself first, you will automatically respectful of your partner. When you give yourself the understanding, the care, and the acceptance you need in order to feel good again you will be able to do the same for your partner. Practice this philosophy.

In short, steps 1 through 4 can be summed up by SAY/WRITE IT, SHARE IT, DO IT, BELIEVE IT!

About the author -

Edythe Denkin, PhD, is a Certified Marriage Counselor. Her most recent book, Relationship Magic, is a set of tools in parable form for those wanting to keep or rekindle the love and communication in their relationships. Dr. Denkin understands that “Happily Ever After” does not just come naturally. It takes communication, honesty, and empathy. This book is based on her work with Imago Relationship Theory.

The host of “Catch Your Kids Doing Things Right,” a four-part television series in which she taught many of her techniques to a wide audience, she has been trained and certified as an Imago Relationship Therapist by Dr. Harville Hendrix, best-selling author of Getting The Love You Want, et al.

Edythe is also the author of Why Can’t You Catch Me Being Good?, a best-selling book from Adams Media that shows how to raise self-confident and well-behaved children.

Edythe has embraced a spiritual quest and a personal calling to help people find their childhood triggers and help them reclaim their emotional freedom and happiness.

A graduate of Temple University, Denkin began her career as an Elementary School teacher. She went on to receive her Masters Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Bridgeport, and her PhD from Walden University. She has over thirty years experience as a therapist and relationship expert, specializing in marriage and child therapy, and is also a teacher, coach and motivational speaker. She is a member of the Institute For Relationship Therapy and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Denkin was recently honored by the University of Bridgeport with a Most Distinguished Alumni Award.

It Could Have Been Me: Indiana Jones and Riddle of the Real World

2008-05-16T19:06:00.000-04:00

Back in the late 1970's, I was in college as a cultural Anthropology major in a major Northeastern University and had no idea that my chosen profession was about to become popular and even sexy to some. The year after I graduated I went to the movies and was stunned to have accidentally encountered a role model, the unconventional archaeologist, , Indiana Jones, and he was at least superficially just like me, or more appropriately, just like I wanted to be. While I was studying archaeology back then, Indie was actually doing the exciting fieldwork and retrieving the relics, idols and artifacts. While I had been attending the lectures about exotic cultures and civilizations, Indiana was feeling the warm desert breeze on the back of his neck and coming face to face with adventure and intrigue. Yes, there was quite a contrast there, and perhaps more than a little imaginative fantasizing about role reversal, so that I could be the one wearing the Fedora and having the adventures.

Actually, I knew several archaeologists and anthropologists. None of them had a Fedora. One did smoke a pipe, though, but that wasn't anywhere near as dashing. After the first Indiana Jones movies came out, there was actually something of a conflicted backlash by professionals within the industry. You see, the dirty little secret was that Indie was breaking all of the rules during his exploits. While he was being dashing and exciting, he was also frequently ignoring the fragile and precious nature of the objects of his quests, and certainly disregarding the rights of the governments or indigenous people whose artifacts he was plundering, for his University back home. Yes, back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, there were a few archaeologists who sometimes behaved that way, but by today's standards, they are hardly looked upon as role models. They were not Indiana Jones. For Indie, the adventure always ended with the retrieval of the fantastic and the revelation of what it meant.

Well, decades have passed and yet another Indiana Jones movie will soon be released in a few days. My own archaeology/anthropology career had managed to take a sharp left turn as well, taking me into directions I would never have anticipated. Yet, I still remember Indie fondly and actually owe a lot to him. In a way, he was responsible for me wishing to equal his exploits in archaeology. Much to my surprise, I have.

Instead of recovering lost artifacts, I created a hero who would do that for me. Rather than visiting exotic lands on this world, I created a land so exotic that even Indiana Jones would be amazed by it. You see, in my spare time, I became a writer of fiction . My adventures, so firmly rooted in archaeological realities, took flight into amazing fantasy and mystical realms, that would have made Indie's hair stand on end if he could have seen them.

Where the Indiana Jones movies traditionally end, with the retrieval of the amazing mystical artifact, my novel began. I was much more interested in the mystical after effects of the initial adventure than the retrieval process. Thus, the world of Asharra was born and my longing to trade places with Indiana Jones ended. I had created a world where even Indie would be amazed. It was on Asharra that I could endlessly adventure, even without a Fedora.

In my 600 page novel, the Winds of Asharra, professor and archaeologist, Evan Durant discovers a strange pulsating cube but the real adventure begins when his teenage son and his female friend ignore the professor's request and touch the artifact, which promptly transports them to a strange sensual and enigmatic land. This young adventurer, then follows the footsteps of Indiana Jones and his ilk, but into clearly uncharted territory. You see, Asharra is an adventurer's dream, a land filled with evolved felines, intelligent telepathic trees, musical dragons and even a mysterious dream inducing crystalline being. The fact that Asharra is a highly sensual place and filled with a rich and complex New Age philosophy further takes my decades long wishes and extends them into an entirely new arena.

When I was pursuing a cultural anthropology degree (dual major with comparative religions) back in the 1970's, I never imagined that I would be influenced by the Indiana Jones movies. Looking back on it, what geek wouldn't be? Still, the strange part is that, years later, I was able to channel my professional training and expertise and meld it together with my love for adventure, something I credit to those hours in the theatre, rather than the lecture hall. My adventure is one I can hold in my hands, a copy of the Winds of Asharra. I'm as grateful to Indiana Jones as I am to my degree in his field. Who would have thought that both of them would have lead me to the world of the purple sky, the land of Asharra? The best part is, I can visit and adventure there anytime I want. I don't even need the Fedora any more.

The Winds of Asharra is available from Amazon.com and other fine online book retailers.

www.windsofasharra.com

Winds of Asharra Virtual book tour with Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours coming July 2008. Full details will be posted at http://www.virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/

Heart of the Wolf

2008-05-11T17:07:00.000-04:00

In my Heart of the Wolf and the rest of my series, I base the werewolves on real wolves and include information about wolves living nearby. As soon as Heart of the Wolf was released on April 1st, I started receiving fan mail about the delisting of gray wolves so that now hunters can shoot them.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0402/p08s01-comv.html

"But the Rocky Mountain delisting gravely worries many environmentalists. They fear "hostile" laws in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming – where ranchers are not happy with the wolf resurgence. Those laws allow killing that could whittle down the canid population to its federally set minimum of 300 for the region."

Because of this, I'll need to incorporate this into future books.

Frankie: The Walk 'n Roll Day by Barbara Techel

2008-05-11T16:13:00.000-04:00

When Frankie ruptured a disk in her spine 2 years ago, I thought she would have to be put to sleep. I had no idea she could go on and live a quality life.

A story on MSNBC website, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23792467/ has me reflecting on life with Frankie since she has had her own set of custom wheels made by Eddie’s wheels, http://eddieswheels.com. Some of the comments back were upsetting to me. Some people believe animals with a disability should be put to sleep and not given a chance.

I was ignorant about IVDD disease, which is common in dachshunds and smaller dogs. The little I knew, I assumed if Frankie ever developed the disease, I would have to put her to sleep. When I got the call, while on vacation, that Frankie needed surgery immediately I was apprehensive about going through with the surgery. I wondered how she would be if the surgery did not work and she didn’t walk again. I was assured she could live a quality life in a dog cart if surgery didn’t help her walk. That was the first time I ever heard of a cart for dogs.

After three months of physical therapy Frankie did not gain use of her hind legs so we bought her a cart. It changed our lives…. for the better and for the positive. Frankie is the same sweet girl she was before she had a cart. Her spunk is the same, if not better! She squeals through the yard on warm summer days, letting the wind fly through her ears, chasing butterflies and smelling all the aromas that summer has to offer. She learned to navigate corners and to also back up in her cart. My husband relates her backing up in her cart to a large truck and says, “beep, beep, beep” when she first learned to go in reverse.

One of the most inspiring things about Frankie and her wheels is the compassion we receive from adults and children when I have her out in my little town of about 1,200. People smile from ear to ear when they see the little dog with tires. They are so amazed at how well she rolls along. Often I am asked what happened to her. I don’t mind sharing her story. I believe by doing so it will help others realize that dogs too deserve a chance if they are born with a disability or one occurs sometime in their life.

Dog carts are a blessing for animals whose lives are still full of zest and vigor. They don’t have the emotions we humans have. All they know is this is their situation, they live in the moment, they don’t complain, and they go on loving as they always did.

I am so glad for the blessing of Frankie in my life… as well as thankful for all the companies out there who are dedicated to physically challenged animals.

Resources for disc disease and those who help the handicapped dogs:

http://vmthpub.vetmed.wisc.edu/sa_services/surg/neurology/ivdd.htm

http://www.dodgerslist.com/

http://handicappedpets.com/

Barbara wrote “Frankie, The Walk ‘N Roll Dog” to give hope and inspiration to all who face challenges. Her lifetime love of animals lead her to realize that Frankie’s paralysis was an opportunity to spread a positive message. For more information on Barbara and her book visit her website at www.joyfulpaws.com

Youth Soccer Takes a Nasty Turn by Garasamo Maccagnone

2008-05-11T15:26:00.000-04:00

ST JOHN OF THE MIDFIELD

An almost mystical story of Bobo Stoikov, one of the world’s greatest soccer players, who escapes death in communist Bulgaria to find the American Dream. Due to severe injury during Bobo’s escape, he is unable to play once he arrives in America. Though he finds peace and happiness in simply coaching soccer to youth travel teams, his eccentric ways of teaching and his success lead to a hate-filled rivalry, and eventually, his death.

This is a current event that ties into St John of the Midfield.

YOUTH SOCCER TAKES A NASTY TURN

I recall a few winters back, while driving down I-94 west near the Romulus airport, that I had the misfortune of driving through a white-out. Having lost my sense of direction and distance in the blinding whiteness, my only means of survival was to follow the dim redness of a snow-caked rear light of a flat-bed trailer. Had the driver of the truck pulling the trailer fallen off the side of a cliff, I certainly would have followed. As it was, fate served me well that day and the two of us made it through. Unfortunately, sixty four cars behind us didn’t, as one after another smashed into each other in one of the nastiest massive pile-ups the Michigan free-ways have ever seen.

Obviously, those drivers in the accident took a different turn. Casting aside an easy metaphor, that’s what I see happening with the new decision by the National soccer team in regard to their new agenda on how to identify and create great soccer players. It seems they have decided that great players can be created or manufactured only by the National team coaches, so they have bucked the state organizations in favor of a top down methodology on developing youth soccer talent.

Hmmmm. Let’s think about his. Where has a restriction of trade and competition benefited a culture, economy, organization, or group of people? Outside of the communist Kremlin, I can’t think of anything. In my limited knowledge of history, I do recall Nixon fixing gas prices back in the 70’s, which of course restricted competition and caused all those wonderful lines at the pump, and of course, there was this guy named Hoover, who decided to place tariffs on products which of course resulted in a minor calamity called the DEPRESSION. Again, wasn’t that just another instance of restricting trade of reducing competition, which a free-economy is built around?

Perhaps you believe I’ve stretched a bit far here, but consider that an elite group of soccer clubs around the nation were chosen by the National staff members and Nike, the sponsor, to fly to the Nike headquarters to sit at a conference table and be awarded prestigious franchises to house and train the nation’s soccer elite. At that table, where I picture club owners frothing at the mouth like the godfathers did in Godfather III as they received their casino checks from Michael Corleone, it was decided the country would be carved up by regions and only certain clubs would be able to teach the best players in the country. For instance, a player in Michigan, who was trained from the time he was five in the reputable WAZA soccer club, would now have to transfer at a certain age to either the Michigan Wolves/Hawks or the Vardar Soccer Club. It doesn’t matter that the boy developed as a great soccer player in the WAZA club. The National team staff has determined that only the Michigan Wolves or the Vardar Club can take that boy to the next level.

As you can imagine, the crazed soccer moms and dads who have talented children have quickly packed up their loyalties to the clubs who have served them well and taken residence inside the new established elite clubs. That occurred within a New York minute. Therefore, the clubs who lost all their shining stars are now forced to become second rate clubs, or, as many of us predicted, will end up closing shop all together.

Without even discussing the huge surge in costs for the parents in these new established elite clubs, as a means of practicality, let’s for a second consider how the other top sports in America work. Did Michael Jordan learn the game of basketball in the playground or was he handpicked at an early age by a scout who knew instantly he would become the greatest player of his time? What about Tiger Woods? I thought I read it was Woods’ father who introduced the game and the two of them played together for fun in the early years of Tiger’s development. In my reading, I don’t remember a talent scout scooping Tiger up at five and manufacturing him into the greatest golfer of all time.

The Brazilians, who are arguably the greatest players in the world, learn soccer on the street, in their villages, playing often with rolled up socks or newspapers as a ball. They play for the fun of the game, then have their skills refined as they get older in competitive clubs, clubs which have a vested interest in finding and developing talent.

I believe this latest power play by Bob Bradley and his national staff tyrants will end up causing a disaster in the youth soccer programs inside America. Like the cars that piled up in the whiteout I averted, those that follow Bradley will end up with a mess to clean up. Without allowing the game to flourish on the streets, in the school yards, in the clubs of the player’s choice, look for the interest in the game to wane, falling dramatically more behind the traditional major sports in America. The state organizations, which were blind sided by the move, need to fight back for the sake of survival. If they don’t, the game and their organizations won’t be able to revive themselves.

I can hear the sirens now.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

In the early 80's,Garasamo Maccagnone studied creative writing and literature under noted American writers Sam Astrachan and Stuart Dybek at Wayne State University and Western Michigan University. A college baseball player as well, Maccagnone met his wife Vicki as a junior at WMU. The following year, after injuring his throwing arm, Maccagnone left school and his baseball ambitions to marry Vicki. After a two year stint at both W.B. Doner and BBDO advertising agencies, Maccagnone left the industry to apply his knowledge of marketing in a new venture in an up and coming industry. Maccagnone created a company called, "Crate and Fly," and turned it from a store front in 1984 to a world-wide multi-million dollar shipping corporation by 1994.

Though Maccagnone was asked and toyed with running for the United States Senate that year, the burden of such a race would have been too much of a strain on his young family. Instead of getting involved in politics, Maccagnone chose to start his writing and youth soccer coaching career. During that time, he wrote the children's book, "The Suburban Dragon," and his collection of short stories and poetry entitled, "The Affliction of Dreams." He also took his new found love for soccer so seriously he created a youth club and built an indoor soccer training facility.

It was during the year of 1996 that Maccagnone met the former Bulgarian national player Jordan Mitkov. It was in the time Maccagnone spent under Mitkov's tutelage that the idea for St. John of the Midfield was incubated. Ten years later, Maccagnone resurrected a writing career when the story finally burned out of him.

The Grim State of Israel

2008-03-28T15:23:00.000-04:00

Has the Israeli-Palestinian peace process received new wind in its sails at the Annapolis Conference in November? How much success can we expect from the recent visit of Vice President Dick Cheney to Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas?

There exists a grim view, not only regarding the establishment of peace and harmony in the Middle East, but also in regard of the longevity of the State of Israel as a Jewish homeland. There is little secret why the Bush Administration has waited seven years before making its first attempt to act as peacemaker: The futility of any such attempt was obvious as all previous efforts have ended in failure and there were and still are no new strategies known to heal that conflict.

During the past six decades – the lifetime of Israel – we have witnessed seven wars, beginning with the Palestine War of 1948/9 and ending in the 2006 war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. In addition, there was a continuous chain of armed exchanges, filling in the interwar periods and often running one on top of the other. We know them all, the cross-border gunfights, raids, suicide bombings, retaliatory missile attacks, drawn-out intifadas and so much more. The bitter belligerence spread across their borders, if you remember the OPEC oil embargo, hijackings, the Lebanese Civil War of 1975/6, or the Hezbollah bombings of American, French, and Italian troops in Beirut in 1983. To the extent that my survey was accurate, only a single year, 1961, was free of any armed exchange and was truly peaceful. That would be one year out of sixty.

During the same six decades, there have occurred over fifty international attempts of peacemaking such as United Nations Security resolutions, armistices, peace treaties and blue-helmeted UN soldiers occupying buffer zones. In spite of this plethora of such goodwill interventions by the major powers and other countries, the appalling level of mutual rancor has not diminished one iota. There is no conflict in the world that has received as much international attention as this one – over fifty in sixty years – nor has any country been subjected to uninterrupted hostility for such a time period.

It sounds cynical to say this but it is merely a logical conclusion: The way things stand and with the methods used so far, the conflict will neither be resolved in another twenty years, nor in fifty.

In addition, we are confronted with the all-too obvious demographic problem. The higher birthrate of the Israeli Arabs over that of the Jewish Israelis, even if we disregard the Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza, forecasts a time in the not too distant future when the Jews will be a minority in their own country. Expressed politely, that ominous evolution puts the permanence of the Jewish homeland in the land of Zion in undeniable doubt.

You may wonder why, despite our loyalty to the Israelis, I paint the devil on the wall in such a seemingly cynical manner. One reason is that it never pays off to fool oneself. Ignoring the facts will never eliminate the problem. But I have a much more important reason. I have come upon a possible solution, one – if good fortune stands by our side – which would resuscitate our failing endeavors with unimaginable vigor. It is an intervention that is most extraordinary and that to a degree where many people would look at it as totally unrealistic, yet instead it does becomes very realistic, once we have accepted the grim view of Israel’s future as described above. In effect, it says that the only way to cure the State of Israel’s maladies and to save it for a permanent and happy future, after all previous treatments have failed, is for it to undergo a surgical operation. The name of that operation is the transplantation of the State of Israel to the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Yes, I did say it is extraordinary. It is unheard of. It almost sounds politically incorrect. Many will call it preposterous and absurd. But it is thinking outside the box and that’s what we do when confronting an unacceptable alternative. I have described it, and the reasoning behind it, in a short book entitled Quo Vadis, Israel? It is best to read it adopting the attitude of a patient who is informed by his physician that his disease is incurable and that in the end it will be fatal. Once faced by such a prognosis, it is common for us to eagerly consider even radical cures. The way it looks at present, such a major undertaking would be highly successful with few risks and offering the promise of a permanent cure. Its execution could be launched without delay if it weren’t its extraordinariness. As described in the book, nothing can commence until the incredulity of the Israelis and the Russians has been overcome and the concept has undergone thorough discussion.

I won’t give the secret away, for you would not enjoy the book unless you are truly concerned about Israel’s future and have been searching for a possible solution yourself. But if you actually were to read it and do so with earnest interest, you might recognize a promising light at the end of a frightening tunnel.

H. Peter Nennhaus, a retired surgeon and Illinois resident, was raised in Berlin and became a U.S. citizen in 1961. He is the author of Boyhood, the 1930s and World War II, Memories, Comments and Views from the Other Side. Among his various interests, the study of the history of the 20th century, the Holocaust, and anti-Semitism has been a persistent focus. You can visit him on the web at http://outskirtpress.com/quovadisisrael

The Feminine Majority - Gender, Values, and the Democrats

2008-03-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

Self-promotion

As the only group targeted by a political party using a value-based strategy, evangelicals are seen as the only people who match their actions and politics to their values. Values, however, are a universal human phenomenon. In their simplest form, values are socially constructed views about how the world should be. In 1651, Thomas Hobbes wrote about the subjectivity of values and how we shape our values to fit our ideas of what makes a perfect society. But whatsoever is the object of any man’s appetite or desire, that it is which he for his part calleth “good”; and the object of his contempt “vile” and “inconsiderable.” For these words of good, evil, and contemptible, are ever used with relation to the person that useth them. There being nothing simply and absolutely so; nor any common rule of Good or Evil, to be taken from the nature of the objects themselves.

Looking past Hobbes’s notorious pessimism about the human condition, this idea highlights that everyone acts on values and that values are socially constructed. Therefore, values vary from person to person, and a person has the ability to change his or her values. Although Hobbes refers to an individual’s values, his message translates to larger community values. Americans, for example, hold American values. Every political candidate, on the right or the left, knows that most Americans respond favorably to the idea that a person should be rewarded for hard work. This is a capitalist, American value. Members of other societies might feel that a person should be rewarded for his or her skin color or family bloodline. Every person is socialized into the values of his or her community or nation, and these values then intersect with other values the person has, such as those based his or her religion, race, and socioeconomic class. Perhaps the most important set of socialized values, however, is based on a person’s gender. We term these values feminized values and masculinized values. In this book, we will outline how men’s and women’s different value systems create divergent views about what America should be.

We argue that Americans carry gendered attitudes into the voting booth and, like the evangelicals, vote based on how these values translate to specific political issues. Just as some groups’ values fall to the more conservative end of the political spectrum, other groups’ values fall to the left. Evangelicals usually support right-wing candidates, because their moral values are highly conservative. We will introduce a group of voters whose values reflect progressive ideals: feminized values voters. If evangelicals represent the key to Republican electoral victory, then feminized values voters represent the chance for Democrats to usher in a new progressive era. Feminized values are the values into which women are socialized; a majority of women hold these values, as do a smaller percentage of men, for reasons we will describe shortly.

The potential for a more progressive era arises because the women and men who hold feminized values make up today a majority of the country and of voters. We term feminized values voters the feminized majority. These women and men will not only change election outcomes, but also will transform American values and the American Dream. The feminized majority supports a strong welfare state, views social issues through a lens of egalitarianism, and feels that government should do more in general to help its most vulnerable citizens. Feminized majority voters support stem cell research, comprehensive sex education, and environmental protection. They reject violent imperialism. They worry about their long-term economic security and fear that neither party will provide them with adequate health care. In a much deeper and richer way than American masculinized voters, the feminized majority yearns for a progressive, populist America. We call these voters the feminized majority because the values they carry truly are becoming majoritarian. We will describe the political and economic changes that have led to this point. It is important to remember that President Bush changed the 2004 election by mobilizing evangelicals, who represent only 23 percent of voters. Now, Democrats have the opportunity to change America in dramatic ways with the support of a much larger part of the electorate. While the general perception is that the United States is a conservative country, we shall show that feminized values are held by an increasingly robust majority of voters in the country who are prepared to support a progressive politics of social justice.

The Democrats can lead the feminized majority if they are willing to abandon their triangulation strategy and create a values-based platform. This approach seems unorthodox, because we usually conflate values and morals with religion and conservatism. However, values are nothing more than socially constructed ideals that provide a moral compass for each person, regardless of where he or she falls on the political spectrum. Once Democrats recognize the power of values in elections, they can begin appealing to values voters. A noted social critic, Charles Derber is a Professor of Sociology at Boston College. Katherine Adam is the Outreach Director for the Philadelphia GROW Project of the Drexel University School of Public Health. She has been active in Democratic Party politics at the federal, state, and local levels, including interning for Senator John Kerry. Derber and Adam collaborated on the newly released nonfiction title, “The New Feminized Majority: How Democrats Can Change America with Women’s Values” which can be purchased at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and from the publisher’s website.

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/New-Feminized-Majority-Katherine-Adam/dp/1594515689/

Barnes and Noble http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-New-Feminized-Majority/Katherine-Adam/e/9781594515682/?itm=1

Helping a Friend After the Trauma of an Abusive Church

2008-02-18T15:41:00.000-05:00

Foreword

In Summer 2005 Precious Times Magazine published an article that I started writing in the summer of 1993, Helping a Friend After the Trauma of an Abusive Church. The article is a complement to The Amen Sisters. I wrote it hoping that it would help people who have friends and family involved in abusive church situations.

I am blessed to report that The Amen Sisters is accomplishing its purpose. I have spoken with so many women who say they have experienced the same pain Francine Amen experienced. Women have written that The Amen Sisters is "their" story, in that it closely mirrors events in their lives.

Recently, I have started to ask myself the question: Why do we allow our faith to be shaken when our ministerial leaders fall? I'm still pondering that one so you'll have to wait for you. For now, I share a slightly updated version of "Helping a Friend After the Trauma of an Abusive Church" with you, hoping that you will share it with the people in your life that you think might be helped by reading it.

If you have a story or word of encouragement to share, please share it here. If you prefer, you may e-mail me privately at the address on the Contact page of my website at www.angelabenson.com. You are not alone.

God bless you.

Helping a Friend After the Trauma of an Abusive Church

How do you share with a friend the pain you feel after finding out your pastor is sleeping with several of the female members of the congregation? How do you confide to your friends that your savings account has a zero balance because you funded the pastor’s new wardrobe? How do explain to them that you get more sleep on your job than in your home because of all night Bible Studies? These were things that I wanted, and needed, to talk about after I left, what I now know, was an abusive church. Because I didn’t feel anyone would truly understand my involvement in such a scripturally unsound environment, I kept my thoughts–and my pain–to myself. As a result, the journey to recovery was long and lonely for me. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you have a friend or loved one who has left an abusive church, there are five things you can do to support your friend through this traumatic time.

1. Forgive her.

She already feels a lot of guilt for the hurt she caused and realizes that although she had good intentions, she was wrong about a lot of things. The abusive church that I left had very strict rules of conduct and man-made restrictions on what it means to be a Christian.

I accepted those rules as truth and tried to warn my friends and loved ones away from their own “worldly” church. I even called some of them “sinner” in my attempt to get them to see the “truth” that I had found. Later, I felt guilty and ashamed. Asking for forgiveness was hard and I never felt the words “I’m sorry” were enough, but they were all I had to give. When your friend asks for forgiveness, give it.

Don’t shrug her request off as nothing, because it’s something to her, and don’t withhold your forgiveness as a way of punishing her for hurting you. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

2. Don’t bad mouth her old church.

Though your friend has physically left the church, she may still have an emotional bond to it. It may be difficult for you to understand, but there were some good things that drew your friend to the abusive church. Your friend has to resolve the conflict that she feels over the good and godly that she at one time saw, with the evil and ungodly that she now sees. Any effort on your part to bad mouth the church will make her feel she has to defend it. If she makes negative comments, you can agree with her, but don’t go overboard. “Don’t talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!” Proverbs 10:19-21

3. Resist the urge to say, “I told you so.”

You probably told your friend that “something wasn’t right in that church.” Though she now realizes you were right, she does not need to hear you say it. My mother waited about three years to say the dreaded “I told you so” to me and she’ll never know how much her self-control was appreciated. She said those words at the right time, a time when we could both look back on my experience with the wisdom of hindsight and the clarity that only comes with time. As Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 (NIV) tells us, “there is a time for everything” including “a time to be silent and a time to speak.”

4. Don’t rush your friend back to church.

While you may be worried that your friend has lost her faith and will never return to another church, you have to remember that, despite the situation, God is in control. God opened your friend’s eyes to see the evil in her old church and He gave her the strength to leave. Allow Him to use you and your relationship with Him to make this a time of faith-building for your friend. Invite her to join your circle of Christian friends on outings and informal gatherings so that she can see sincere Christians enjoying life and each other. She’s seen “false” Christians; seeing you and your friends loving God with all your hearts will reaffirm for her that sincere Christians do exist. “set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and purity” 1 Timothy 4:12b (NIV).

5. Pray.

Not only does your friend need your prayers as she recovers from her abusive church experience, so do the people she left behind at the church: the other victims, the victimizers, the enablers, and the innocents. The other victims and the victimizers are easily identifiable but the enablers and the innocents may not be as easy to label. Enablers know about the abuse and, either by silence or encouragement, allow it to continue. Innocents, on the other hand, have no knowledge of the abuse; they are the most likely targets for future abuse. Pray that the Lord helps the other victims to recognize their victimization and take advantage of the opportunity for escape that He always provides. Pray that the eyes of the innocent are opened so that they can escape before being harmed. We’ll only see abusive activity in the church end if we treat it like the spiritual warfare it is. “we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood,
but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those might powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms” Ephesians 6:12 (NLT).

The bad news is that church abuse is much more prevalent that we want to believe. The good news is that God is bigger than any problem. Our hope is in Him.

Fiction Imitates Life – Van Gogh Missing from Heist - and in Miniature

2008-02-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

Police were still searching Monday for three masked men responsible for the daring heist of four Impressionist paintings Sunday from a private art museum in Zurich. The paintings, valued at $163 million, included works by Cezanne, Degas, Monet and Van Gogh.

The burglary follows on the heels of an earlier theft, also in Zurich, of two Picassos on loan from Germany. In a case of fiction imitating real life, the search for another missing Van Gogh is the focus of “SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT,” A Miniature Art Mystery by Christine Verstraete, coming in May from Quake/Echelon Press, LLC.

The missing painting is a miniature replica of Van Gogh’s famous work, “The Starry Night.” In SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT, Sam and her best friend, Lita, with the help of a mischievous Dachshund named Petey, try to find the missing painting so Sam's mother can get it to the museum, where it belongs.

Spooky family secrets unfold, Petey digs up an ancient curse, and Sam fears her friendship with her best friend is doomed. Can she find the miniature masterpiece before it's too late? Will she and her best friend, Lita, go home forever friends – or enemies?

Art Recovered! And.... was it a protest? See

http://stolenvermeer.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

The article was posted on February 18th.

SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT will be published in May ’08 from Quake/Echelon Press, LLC, www.quakeme.com ISBN: 978-1-59080-579-4

Contact: Christine Verstraete

Thousands Participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

2007-10-31T15:43:00.000-04:00

Oakland, Calif. --- www.NaNoWriMo.org --- October, 2007 --- There are some who say writing a novel takes awesome talent, strong language skills, academic training, and years of dedication.

Not true. All it really takes is a deadline – a very, very tight deadline – and a whole lot of coffee.

Welcome to National Novel Writing Month: a nonprofit literary crusade that encourages aspiring novelists all over the world to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. At midnight on Nov. 1, more than 100,000 writers from over 70 countries – poised over laptops and pads of paper, fingers itching and minds racing with plots and characters – will begin a furious adventure in fiction. By 11:59 PM on Nov. 30, thousands of them will be novelists.

NaNoWriMo is the largest writing contest in the world. In 2006, over 79,000 people took part in the free challenge. And while the event stresses fun and creative exploration over publication, sixteen NaNoWriMo novelists have had their NaNo-novels published, including Sarah Gruen, author of New York Times #1 Best Seller, Water for Elephants.

Around 18% of NaNoWriMo participants "win" every year by writing 50,000 words and validating their novels on the organization's website before midnight on Nov 30. Winners receive no prizes, and no one at NaNoWriMo ever sees the manuscripts submitted.

So if not for fame or fortune, why do people do it?

"The 50,000-word challenge has a wonderful way of opening up your imagination and unleashing creative potential like nothing else," says NaNoWriMo Director (and eight-time NaNoWriMo winner) Chris Baty. "When you write for quantity instead of quality, you end up getting both. Also, it's a great excuse for not doing any dishes for a month."

For the past eight years, Baty has sent out weekly pep talks to participants in November. This year, he's passing the pep talking torch to established authors, including mystery writer Sue Grafton, master storyteller Tom Robbins, and renowned fantasy writer Neil Gaiman.

Last year, Christee Gabour Atwood attracted national attention as she completed 50,000-word challenge in the window of a Waldenbooks while wearing a chicken suit.

Why? “Because I knew that someday someone would beat the record of writing a book in a store window, but I doubted that anyone else would be silly enough to do it in a chicken suit. It’s my moment in history … as pitiful as that sounds.”

Atwood is keeping her 2007 “NaNo Identity” secret at this time and plans to reveal it in the window of Waldenbooks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on November 1.

The daily word-count goal is 1,667 words. Municipal Liaisons around the world organize local meetings to provide writers with advice, inspiration, and support. This year Atwood serves as the ML for much of the state of Louisiana.

If you would like more information about National Novel Writing Month, or would like to talk to participants from NaNoWriMo chapters in your area, please visit our website at www.NaNoWriMo.org, or contact Christee Gabour Atwood at Christee@Christee.biz to find out about NaNoWriMo events in Louisiana.

Scientists Need to Explore All Cells to Find Treatment

2007-10-29T15:46:00.000-04:00

Stem Cell Research: Scientists Will Need to Explore All Types of Cells to Find Treatment for More Illnesses and Conditions

Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America Compares Embryonic Stem Cells with Adult Stem Cells and Gives Reasons Why Both Should be Federally Funded

A new book written by Nashville author, Yvonne Perry, challenges preconceived religious and political ideas in hopes of changing the way Americans view blastocystic (embryonic) stem cell research. Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America (ISBN: 978-1-933449-41-8) was released on October 1 by Nightengale Press to coincide with the start up of the 2008 presidential election campaigns.

The book contains biological facts and scientific data about all types of stem cell research in a way that most people can understand. One question Perry poses in her book is this: “If cord blood, amniotic fluid, and bone marrow contain stem cells, and there is no controversial issue with these cells, then why do we need research on blastocyst (embryonic) stem cells?”

The simple truth is there are no substitutes for pluripotent stem cells. While cord blood, amniotic fluid, adult stem cells, reprogramming of cells and other alternate research certainly deserve study, no credible expert supports using them as a replacement for blastocysts stem cells leftover from in-vitro fertilization. Each type of cell has its own unique characteristics and abilities.

There are no moral issues attached to the use of cord blood and amniotic fluid, but like adult stem cells, these have already differentiated and have different characteristics than in-vitro blastocyst (IV-B) stem cells. Days-old blastocyst stem cells allow a range of research on the very earliest stages of human development and are more versatile than adult stem cells or fetal cells extracted months later from amniotic fluid or from cord blood at birth.

Scientists are still trying to discover which set of stem cell characteristics will ultimately be needed to cure or treat certain diseases. Here are a few key features we know about IV-B stem cells and adult stem cells (ASC):

IV-B stem cells are indefinite, robust, and self-renewable. IV-B stem cells can transform into virtually any type of cell of the body. Pluripotency disappears as differentiation occurs and development continues.

ASCs are limited in the number of cells they are able to transform into; in other words, they can only create more of the same type of cells as they already are. For that reason, adult cells are not able to do the same things as IV-B stem cells, which have the characteristics researchers believe are needed to cure some diseases.

Stem cells exist in relatively large numbers in IV-Bs. IV-Bs will not always be needed once a stem cell line of every race and condition is created by nuclear transfer cloning.

ASC or multipotent progenitor stem cells have not yet been found in all tissues of the body. In fact, they are scarce in the brain. If neural stem cells are needed, they must be generated from blastocyst stem cells. Bone marrow stem cells must be revved up with medication to stimulate their growth before they can be used for transplantation in the treatment of cancer.

Any knowledge gained from blastocyst stem cells will complement studies of adult and all other types of stem cells, and vice versa. Most scientists agree that therapy advances will be found by responsibly investigating all aspects of stem cell biology.

“Regardless of whether the therapies come from adult stem cells, cord blood, amniotic fluid, or IV-B research, all of humanity stands to profit from stem cell treatment and technology,” says Perry. “Whether it comes from the U.S. or another country, the cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart disease, spinal cord injury, diabetes, or other illness or injuries is within reach.”

With a foreword by Dr. Evan Snyder of Burnham Institute and endorsements from Cure Paralysis Now, Don C. Reed of California’s Prop 71, Christopher Reeve Foundation, and many others, Perry’s book, while controversial, is a concise and accurate picture of the biology and legislation regarding stem cell research in the U.S and globally. For more information about the book see www.right2recover.com

Reverend Dan Bloodworth of The Brian Bloodworth Stroke and Head Injury Research Foundation gave Ms. Perry Biblical references to support blastocystic stem cell research. An entire chapter is dedicated to helping Christians understand this incredible gift God has given humanity. Rev. Bloodworth says, “It is such a pleasure to work with a writer like Yvonne Perry. She has truly researched the research and spent hundreds of hours to find the facts to share with the readers of RIGHT TO RECOVER. Over the years I have read literally thousands of articles and documents from around the world about this subject and RIGHT TO RECOVER is the most complete work I have ever read. It provides an honest evaluation and asks readers to consider the facts and then form their own opinion instead of listening to people who have never researched the subject.”

To purchase the book online go to www.nightengalepress.com or amazon.com. The book may be ordered in bookstores as well.

Obama Flap over Black Gospel Singer Shows Race is Issue in Presidential Race

2007-10-23T15:53:00.000-04:00

The Hutchinson Political Report

Media Release

October 23, 2007
for Immediate Release
Contact: Earl Ofari Hutchinson
323-296-6331

Author Says That Obama Flap over Black Gospel Singer Points to Race as a Continuing Issue in Presidential race

Forthcoming Book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House

Political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson publicly challenged Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama to repudiate the anti-gay bashing views of black Grammy winning gospel singer Donnie McClurkin. Obama scheduled a late October gospel tour in South Carolina with McClurkin. Obama issued a statement in response insisting that he supports gay rights and disagrees with McClurkin’s views.

However, Hutchinson notes that the black vote in South Carolina and other states is crucial to Obama’s success, as well as the success of his chief rival Hillary Clinton. In his forthcoming book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race decides the Race to the White House (February 2008 Middle Passage Press), Hutchinson details the huge role race and ethnic politics will play in the fight for the White in 2008.

The McClurkin flap is part of that fight since the singer is loved and admired by a large segment of evangelical leaning African-American voters. Obama wants and needs those votes. “Obama, Clinton, Edwards and the top Republican presidential contenders will embrace and ignore racial issues during their campaigns,” says Hutchinson,” But no matter what course they take those issues won’t be far from the political table.”

Hutchinson’s book, The Ethnic Presidency, details how the approach and avoidance on race and ethnic politics by the candidates will define their campaigns and influence voter decisions. The Ethinic Presidency available in January 2008.

Political Analyst Disputes Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Hispanic Values

2007-10-03T15:55:00.000-04:00

Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson disputes the contention of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that Hispanic values are American values. Gonzales inadvertently feeds the myth that there are two sets of values for Hispanics and Americans

Middle Passage Press 5517 Secrest Dr. Los Angeles, Cal. 90043 323-296-6331 http://www.middlepassagepress.com

October 3, 2007 For Immediate Release Contact: Barbara Bramwell 323-296-6331 Political Analyst Disputes Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Hispanic Values in His New Book The Latino Challenge to Black America

Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson disputes the contention of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that Hispanic values are American values. Gonzales inadvertently feeds the myth that there are two sets of values for Hispanics and Americans. That fear has fueled much of the debate, rancor, and hostility over illegal immigration. Gonzales for instance praises his father for his hard work and sacrifice but that hard work and sacrifice that he holds in high esteem is no different than the hard work and sacrifices that all Americans have made in their lives to move up the social and economic scale. That’s not a Hispanic value, that’s an American value. “Gonzales also feeds the fears of many Americans,” says Hutchinson, “That Hispanics have a separate and distinct culture from those of other Americans.” Hutchinson in his new book, The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation between African-Americans and Hispanics tells why so many Latinos have embraced American culture and values. He details how their support of military service, their rush to learn English, and their fight for better educational and job opportunities has enriched the American experience. “This is the American way,” says Hutchinson. His book tells why that is, Gonzales’s view to the contrary.

Interview Earl Ofari Hutchinson 323-296-6331

About Hutchinson Political Report
Hutchinson Political report is a cutting edge news and public issues reporting and commentary blog site. Its focus is on political, minority, and African-American issues and commentary by Earl Ofari Hutchinson.

This is the Place by Carolyn Howard Johnson

2007-10-01T15:58:00.000-04:00

This particular blog --current events-- interested me most, though. For one thing, in The Frugal Book Promoter I tell authors that they should watch current events and try to tie their novels to them. It's easy for nonfiction writers to do this but it seems a hard concept for many novelists to get.

Now to current events for my novel. This Is the Place has seen a revival recently because it ties to three current events. But first, you should know that This Is the Place is a novel set in Utah in the 50s, a time and place when repression was severe. It explores several aspects of intolerance.

So, currently:

Big Love, the HBO series about a polygamist cult just completed its 2nd season. Yes, there are polygamists (the original settlers in Utah) in This Is the Place.

Jeff Green is finally going to trial as an accessory for marrying a young girl to one of his relatives. He is the prophet of the unrecognized sect of Mormonism in Utah and Arizona.

Mitt Romney is running for the Republican nomination for president. Because he is a Mormon, he calls Utah his Zion. And, there is actually a minor character in This Is the Place running for public office.

As an aside, This Is the Place, won eight awards including a Reviewers' Choice Award.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for authors. Introducing The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, now available for pre-orders at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/

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Brides For Sale?

2007-09-19T15:59:00.000-04:00

Brides for Sale?

By Shobhan Bantwal

Author of THE DOWRY BRIDE – On sale now

Recently I read an article in Newsweek titled “The Bride Buyers.” At first I was shocked and dismayed to read about some website called MarryourDaughter.com that offered young girls for sale as brides. Teenagers of 15 and 16 years of age were being offered by their parents for thousands of dollars. What was more, the site got millions of hits within a week after it appeared on the Web. It just goes to show how many pedophiles are lurking in cyberspace – a frightening prospect!

However, later on the article explained that the whole thing was a hoax, and I exhaled a breath of relief. The website’s creator, John Ordover, a viral-marketing consultant based in Brooklyn, N.Y. set it up as an experiment to see where it would go. It looks like he was rather surprised himself at how many hopeful grooms were willing to pay hefty sums of money to acquire pretty and accomplished pubescent girls, and how many crazy parents were actually insane enough to place an ad to sell their daughters.

This article brought to mind my own debut novel, THE DOWRY BRIDE, a story set in India about a young bride, Megha, who is coerced into marrying a man who is willing to accept the lowest dowry. Even that small dowry is too high for her debt-ridden parents and her in-laws are about to kill her for not producing the promised money. Megha discovers the murder plot in the nick of time and escapes. She embarks on an extraordinary journey to freedom with the help of a young man who puts his own life on the line to protect her from a gruesome death by fire. More information is on my website: www.shobhanbantwal.com

Upon reading the Newsweek article, I sadly realized that the dowry system in India, although the opposite of bride-price (buying a bride instead of buying a groom) is no less perverse than the idea behind MarryourDaughter.com. Many desperate parents, in the hope of finding their daughters a good husband and a secure home, are willing to go into debt for life to raise enough money to pay an acceptable dowry.

If there was such bizarre websites in India and other parts of the world where dowry is blatantly practiced despite laws banning the custom, the title could easily have read: MarryourSon.com or SonforSale.com. The only difference would be the price – the lower the asking dowry the more flurry of interest from potential brides and their families.

Unfortunately this type of site would probably receive millions of hits each and every day. The sadder part is that neither the law enforcement agencies nor social codes of ethics seem to deter the folks determined to grab a dowry.

Read the Newsweek article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20781129/site/newsweek/?GT1=10357

Boycott by Illegal Immigrants Could Fuel Tensions with African-Americans

2007-09-14T16:10:00.000-04:00

September 14, 2007
for Immediate Release
Contact: Barbara Bramwell
323-296-6331

Planned National Boycott by Illegal Immigrants Could Fuel Greater Tensions with African-Americans

Political Analyst Warns in His Forthcoming Book

The Latino Challenge to Black America

A spokesperson for Mexicanos Sin Fronteras (Mexicans Without Borders) says that his group will call for a national boycott of employers and businesses on October 9. The group wants to send the message that illegal immigrants don’t take jobs from Americans and indeed are productive and law abiding workers. Many American workers, and in particular African-American workers, reject that message.

Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson details the anger and hostility that many African-American community activists and rank and file workers express toward illegal immigrants in the workplace in his forthcoming book The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation Between African-Americans and Hispanics. They vehemently contend that illegal immigrants do take jobs from blacks, especially poor, unskilled young blacks.

Hutchinson assesses the impact of illegal immigration on jobs and the economy in black communities. "Illegal immigration has touched a raw nerve among many blacks, "says Hutchinson, "they are absolutely convinced that they contribute to crime, violence and chronic unemployment in black communities. Hutchinson also closely examines the views of immigrant rights groups. They are just as vehement in disputing the notion that undocumented workers have created the economic ills in black communities, and indeed in American society. Hutchinson says the polar opposite views of many blacks and immigrant rights groups on illegal immigration could result in even greater tension and conflict between the two groups. He tells why and how the planned October 9^{th boycott could add to that tension between blacks and Latinos.}

Interview Earl Ofari Hutchinson 323-296-6331

"The job loss to blacks that they attribute to illegal immigration is as much perception as slight reality. However, when the perception becomes a widely-held public belief and is continually repeated as fact, it soon takes hold in public opinion. The sensitivity of blacks over jobs and illegal immigration has made even top black civil rights leaders tiptoe lightly around on the issue. "

Excerpt from Chapter 9, "Illegal Immigrants versus Black Workers," in the Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation between African-Americans and Hispanics

(Middle Passage Press, Los Angeles , October 2007).

Religion Has No Place in the Federal Funding Decision for Stem Cell Research

2007-09-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

Contact: Yvonne Perry

write_on_yvonne@comcast.net

Valerie Connelly, Publisher

publisher@nightengalepress.biz

Religion Has No Place in Government or in the Decision Regarding Federal Funding for Stem Cell Research

Metaphysical Author Challenges Separation of Church and State in Her Controversial Book on Stem Cell Research

NASHVILLE, TN--A new book written by Nashville author, Yvonne Perry, challenges preconceived ideas in hopes of changing the way Americans view blastocystic (embryonic) stem cell research. Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America (ISBN: 978-1-933449-41-8) will be released this fall by Nightengale Press to coincide with the start up of the 2008 presidential election campaigns.

You may not realize it, but America was not founded upon Christianity. That may be what you were taught in school, but proof of such is not reflected in the writings of our founding fathers. Billy Graham agreed that the United States of America is not a Christian Nation. In a televised interview on May 30, 1997, David Frost asked Mr. Graham, “Say, is this still a Christian Country?” To which Billy Graham replied, “No! We’re not a Christian Country. We’ve never been a Christian country. We’re a secular country, by our constitution. In which Christians live and which many Christians have a voice. But we’re not a Christian Country.¹⁷

There can be no religious freedom whenever religion controls the masses through the government. Yet, this is exactly what has occurred in the U.S. Each time a law is passed giving government jurisdiction over what happens in a person’s home, marriage, healthcare or religion, we lose another personal right that was assured to us in the founding documents of our country.

Time and time again, religious groups have violated our Constitutional right to keep church and state separate. The neoconservative and fundamentalists’ unfounded opinion about blastocystic stem cell research is hindering the physical health of our nation.

“Only a lack of knowledge and stubbornness could cause someone to oppose this science and fight to withhold funding for research that offers such potential to help humanity,” says Perry. “In my book, I will address the lack of knowledge with factual information provided from the experts I have interviewed. Many people who oppose the research do not know why they believe what they believe because they have been programmed by religious leaders to think a certain way. I will take modern-day Christianity back to its original roots in order to challenge the limited mindset that stems from organized religion and show how it does not belong in government.”

Right to Recover is set to be released by Nightengale Press in October 2007. To preorder your copy now, go to www.nightengalepress.com . For more information about the book see www.right2recover.com or contact Valerie Connelly at Nightengale Press at www.nightengalepress.biz to review a galley copy.

Embryonic Stem Cell Research—a Leveraging Tool for the Democratic Party

2007-09-14T16:02:00.000-04:00

Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research—a Leveraging Tool for the Democratic Party in Presidential Campaigns

Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America—a new book by Nashville Author, Yvonne Perry, is a Must-Read for all Candidates.

Nashville, TN – The pub date for Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America—a book thoroughly covering all types of stem cell research—has been strategically selected to coincide with the start up of the 2008 presidential election campaigns this fall. As the debate heats up over who will take the seat in the White House, issues such as federal funding for blastocystic (embryonic) stem cell research will be a topic of importance for voters deciding which candidate to vote for.

Recent polls and studies show that 70 percent of Americans and 63 percent of Democrats agree that research should be allowed on IVF-derived blastocysts leftover from couples seeking assistance with fertility regardless of the date they are created. Most Republican leaders have adamantly opposed the research due to their belief that a human life is destroyed in the process. This comparison has been used by the Bush Administration to garner additional support for adult stem cell research which already receives federal funding. Ultra-conservative right wing groups report that multipotent (adult) cells have the same characteristics and abilities as pluripotent (blastocyst) cells, yet this theory has not been proven. In fact, adult stem cells have proven safety and efficacy on only nine conditions.

In order to help members of Congress better understand blastocystic stem cell research, Ms. Perry is sending a free advanced reading copy (ARC) of her book Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America (ISBN: 978-1-933449-41-8) to Senators who respond to her offer. Since the topic will be a leveraging tool in the Presidential election campaigns, it also would be beneficial for all Presidential candidates to take notes from Perry’s book.

Yvonne Perry is a published author and the owner of Write On! Creative Writing Services. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Metaphysics from the American Institute of Holistic Theology. With over 400 hours of research and interviews with scientific and religious experts, Perry presents an educational tool to readers in Right to Recover while expressing true hope for healing through all types of stem cell biology.

Interviews included in the book are with: Dr. Madan Jagasia, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Susan Fajt, a patient who was scammed by the creators of the fabricated Prentice List and Mary Schneider, whose son was infused with his own cord blood stem cells. Facts were checked by Don C. Reed of California’s Prop 71 and Shane G. Smith, Ph.D. Science Director, CNS Foundation, Former Science Director, ‘Yes on Proposition 71.’

Dr. Smith says, “Yvonne Perry counters long-standing myths of the American stem cell debate with bright, accessible prose. Policymakers and everyday citizens who want to make informed choices about stem cell research need to read Right to Recover.”

To preorder your copy now, go to www.nightengalepress.com . For more information about the book see www.right2recover.com or contact Valerie Connelly at Nightengale Press at www.nightengalepress.biz to review a galley copy.

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