The Great Rupture Explores Impact of Information Age on Humanity
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Imagine that by the 2040s, Harvard College is shuttered, its hallowed halls impenetrably overgrown with miles of vines — closed for lack of demand in Ivy-League education. It’s just one jarring possibility suggested in Viktor Shvets’ thought-provoking deep-dive into the challenges facing today’s world: The Great Rupture – Three Empires, Four Turning points and the Future of Humanity – Do we need to be free?
“The lessons of the last five centuries were unequivocal — without freedom, there could be no prosperity or happiness. However, does this still hold true in the Information Age?” Shvets asks.
He expertly and compellingly distills the lessons learned over the last five centuries, and projects these into the future. Could the Information Age be rewriting the recipe for individual and national success?
According to Shvets, modern technologies are disrupting the structure of our societies, altering every facet of our lives, from the nature of work and what we intrinsically value to how we are informed, entertained and educated — it promises to be a far deeper disruption than Industrial Revolutions. Humanity is at a major turning point, and how we respond to the merger of technology and financialization will decide our future. Will it be capitalism or communism, feudalism or despotism?
The Great Rupture explores the weakening nexus between freedom and prosperity and what that means for the future of humanity. From the birth of our modern world, pivotal events have led to the collapse of non-Western civilizations — Mongol warriors sweeping across Eurasian steppes; the Black Death and a re-awakening of human spirit; Zheng He’s voyages and the collapse of Novgorod republic; and finally, the ban on printing in Arabic. What can we learn from these historical events to better prepare ourselves for the future?
As we hurtle toward that uncertain future, Shvets writes we must decide whether our cherished individual freedoms are still necessary for success and prosperity, or if in adapting to new technologies, non-Western civilizations are now better positioned for this new world, creating highly illiberal and possibly brutal orders that might no longer suffer from stagnation of ideas or wealth. For the first time in at least five centuries, we have an opportunity and tools to build a different society and economy. The book explores specific policy choices that might help us navigate this treacherous transition. Will we embrace the challenge?
Author Viktor Shvets is a global strategist at Macquarie Bank. In his almost four-decades-long investment banking career, he worked in Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, London, New York and Moscow at a number of global investment banks, such as Baring Securities, Deutsche Bank, DLJ, Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse. Over the years, he has been a highly rated analyst across various disciplines, head of research and is now recognized as one of the more innovative global market strategists, working on the intersection between finance, technology, politics and history. He is a prolific writer on key global trends and is a frequent commentator on CNBC, Bloomberg and other media outlets.
Viktor was born in Kiev, which at the time was the capital of the Soviet Ukraine. He attended Kiev University of Trade before immigrating to Australia, where he completed a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney and a Master of Commerce degree from the University of New South Wales. He is married with two sons and currently resides in Hong Kong.
The Great Rupture – Three Empires, Four Turning points and the Future of Humanity – Do we need to be free? Publisher: Boyle & Dalton ISBN-10: 163337386X ISBN-13: 978-1633373860 Available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Kobo.com and iTunes
Trish Stevens Margot Cunningham Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Academic Mediocrity of American Students Examined in Thought-Provoking Comparison of Educational Approaches
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East Asian students have always gained higher scores on the international comparative tests than American students. How can this be explained?
In A Mirror for Americans: What the East Asian Experience Tells Us about Teaching Students Who Excel, Dr. Cornelius Grove provides the explanation. Distilling 50 years of anthropological research into East Asian primary classrooms, Grove offers insights into East Asian teaching methods and, more significantly, into the societal values that shape East Asian teaching.
But A Mirror for Americans, about teaching, provides only half of the explanation. The other half is about East Asian families and parenting, revealed by Grove in his 2017 book, The Drive to Learn: What the East Asian Experience Tells Us about Raising Students Who Excel.
“The purpose of my books,” explains Grove, “is to convey to the general reader the research findings from East Asia, where societal values unlike ours shape child-rearing and primary school teaching. There’s an ‘Aha!’ moment: If only we could think differently about children and their classroom learning, we could raise the level of our own youngsters’ performance.”
A Mirror for Americans concerns itself with preschool through grade 5, comparing the culture of teaching in East Asia and the U.S. Among the research-generated facts revealed are these:
• In preschool and grade 1, East Asian children are taught, and they practice, individual and group behaviors that promote their own learning and their teacher’s efficient lesson deliv-ery.
• Teachers design lessons based on the internal logic of the content they are teaching, not on factors such as a need to motivate, have fun learning or draw out pupil creativity. But they do strive to present content so that all their pupils – slower and more advanced – will benefit.
• Whether a lesson is student-centered or teacher-centered doesn’t concern East Asians. Grove’s conclusion is that East Asian lessons are knowledge-centered, a key explanation for why East Asian students outperform their American peers on those international tests.
Explains Grove, “Attitudes toward learning brought from home, plus methods of teaching encountered at school, mold East Asian youngsters into superior students. These research-generated facts can serve as a mirror for Americans, enabling us to examine our approaches to children’s learning – and to the values that drive our approaches – from a fresh perspective.”
Author Cornelius N. Grove holds a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Johns Hopkins and a Doctor of Education from Columbia. An independent scholar, his “day job” since 1990 has been as the managing partner of the global business consultancy, GROVEWELL LLC.
Grove has had a decades-long fascination with the cultural factors that affect children’s ability to learn in school. At a 2005 conference in Singapore, he delivered a paper on the two instructional styles found around the world. In 2013 he wrote The Aptitude Myth: How an Ancient Belief Came to Undermine Children’s Learning Today, a historical study of why most Americans believe that inborn ability determines school performance. For two recently published encyclopedias (2015 and 2017), he contributed entries on “pedagogy across cultures.” And now with A Mirror for Americans and The Drive to Learn, he is revealing the complementary roles that home and school potentially play in building young people’s mastery of school learning.
For more information, please visit www.amirrorforamericans.info.
A Mirror for Americans: What the East Asian Experience Tells Us about Teaching Students Who Excel Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield (Lanham, Maryland) Release Date: September 2020 Hardback: ISBN 978-1-4758-4460-3 Paperback: ISBN 978-1-4758-4461-0 eBook: ISBN 978-1-4758-4462-7 Available from Rowman.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Maria Jenson Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
True Story of Survival Opens Minds and Dialogues about Mental Health
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Mark Henick stood precariously on the wrong side of the railing on a crumbling, concrete overpass. The bridge spanned two realities and, for Henick, had become a symbol of escape — in one form or another. A voice behind him tried to help. A crowd gathered. Siren lights flashed in his peripheral vision. Surrounded but still alone, Henick let go.
So-Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience from Mark Henick is a vital and triumphant story of perseverance and recovery by one of North America’s foremost advocates for mental health
Henick’s near-death experience on the overpass that night would alter his emotional orbit just enough that his exit from a psychiatric ward following that suicide attempt in 2003 would be his last. His transformation didn’t happen overnight — it was a gradual process punctuated with new challenges and setbacks — but slowly, his patterns reversed and he began a profound, “upward” spiral toward recovery.
So-Called Normal chronicles Henick’s youth and the events that led to that fateful night on the bridge and the experiences and transformation that followed. It is a vivid and personal account of a boy who had to deal with the breakdown of his parents’ marriage, an abusive stepfather, bullying and trauma — all while trying to navigate his progressively worsening mental health. In the backdrop is a community that didn’t talk about mental illness, one where silence and maintaining the comforts of “normal” was paramount. So-Called Normal is not a “misery memoir” about suicide — it’s a gripping, inspirational story of survival.
Author Mark Henick’s TEDx talk about being saved from death by a stranger is one of the most watched in the world and has been viewed millions of times. His search for “the man in the brown jacket” whose bravery and strong arms kept him from falling to his death went viral around the world (and was successful!). Henick has been on television and radio and has written many articles on mental health. He has hosted more than 60 intimate conversations about mental health with notable public figures and celebrities on his podcast, So-Called Normal, and has executive produced and hosted the Living Well podcast for Morneau Shepell. Henick has served on the board of directors for the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and was the president of a provincial division of the Canadian Mental Health Association — the youngest person in either role. He has worked as a frontline clinician, a program manager and the national director of strategic initiatives for CMHA. Currently the CEO and principal strategist for Strategic Mental Health Consulting, Mark Henick is in high demand as an international keynote speaker on mental health recovery.
So-Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience Publisher: HarperCollins Release Date: January 12, 2021 ISBN-10: 1443455032 ISBN-13: 978-1443455039 Available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Audible and others
Trish Stevens Teresa Hinojosa Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 832.569.5773 Direct 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
Urban Blight and Struggle for Power Fuel Tale of Political Tug-of-War
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Democratic President Bob Jordan and Republican House Speaker Mitchell Lawrence have known each other for years and share the philosophy that collaboration between the parties is the best way to govern. Their view, however, isn’t as popular as they’d hoped.
After 50 years of failed governmental attempts to improve failed inner-cities, Jordan and Lawrence choose a private development as the mechanism to institute change.
The project, dubbed A Hand Up, has an ambitious vision: transform the inner-cities that are beset with urban blight into safe, vital municipalities with great schools, thriving businesses and other options for recreation. In other words, give people a reason to want to be there.
Recreating a “new” city from the ashes of urban squalor, however, requires the cooperation of and support from government and the loss of power and control is more than current leaders are willing to abide.
Money and power are vested in the status quo. Politicians from both parties, big companies, unions, and the media thrive in this environment. Changes in approach threaten their power and they must do all they can to stop them. Out of this need for the status quo a plot to assassinate begins to grow.
While first and foremost a novel written to entertain, A Hand Up from Martin Laurent resonates with real-world problems that plague big-city projects and the political divide that prevents progress. Laurent’s narrative compellingly underscores the critical need for government entities to collaborate on even the most fundamental challenges. Perhaps a novel that supports neither (or both) sides of the political divide offers the best chance for building bridges.
Author Martin Laurent worked for General Motors for 32 years. With an educational background in mechanical engineering and business. Practical experience in facilities engineering, industrial relations and corporate strategic planning, and manufacturing management, Laurent’s expertise in change management lends authenticity to A Hand Up, in which he skillfully describes a common sense process for inner-city improvement.
Since his retirement, he consulted for a time before deciding to simply concentrate on life in Santa Fe, where he lives with his wife of over 50 years, Keren. The couple has travelled extensively.
Laurent has also served on the board of the Santa Fe Recovery Center since 2008. When he began, the center was a 23-bed residential treatment facility that provided a 30-day recovery program. Today, the center has expanded its capacity by five times and offers a wider array of services. The center has been recognized by the State of New Mexico for its excellence. Additional expansions are planned.
Laurent is also the author of The Third Bounce and Pray for Rain, a series that centers on these same two politicians and their wives.
For more information, please visit www.martylaurent.com.
A Hand Up Publisher: Lithe Excel Release Date: August 3, 2020 ISBN-13: 978-1-944293-51-2 Available from Amazon.com and www.martylaurent.com
Trish Stevens Maria Jenson Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
Former Topgun Instructor Takes Readers On The Ride Of A Lifetime
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Dave Baranek knows exactly what it means to “ride into the danger zone.” In his new release, Tomcat RIO, he plants readers firmly in the cockpit of the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter, blazing along at twice the speed of sound seven miles above the ocean and the carrier that hurled it off its deck.
Tomcat RIO is a superbly crafted book that pulls readers into the exciting world of the F-14 and Navy carrier operations. Readers can ride along as Baranek expertly shares all the stomach-dropping thrills of dogfighting and the pulse-pounding tension of patrolling the skies over Iraq with the ability to launch a 100-mile Phoenix missile at the touch of a button.
An expert in fighter tactics and aircraft carrier operations, Baranek (whose call sign is “Bio”) ascended to the command of an F-14 fighter squadron of more than 300 people, and he shares the challenges and unexpected trials that come with leading a squadron in the dynamic environment of Naval Aviation.
Full of adventures, lessons and inspiration, Tomcat RIO also includes dozens of Bio’s best and most acclaimed photos, including one that’s been hailed by photographer George Hall as “one of the best Tomcat photos ever taken.”
Bio immerses readers in rich detail, where they can practically smell the jet exhaust and feel the gut-wrenching g-forces. Tomcat RIO pitches readers into the thick of it as only Bio can tell it. Strap in, and get ready for a wild ride!
Dave “Bio” Baranek is also the author of Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days. He enjoyed a successful and satisfying 20-year career in the United States Navy, starting with assignments to F-14 Tomcat squadrons and the elite Topgun training program as an instructor, and on to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the US 7th Fleet. Baranek retired from the Navy in 1999 and is now a defense contractor. He is married and lives in Satellite Beach, Florida.
Tomcat RIO Publisher: Skyhorse Release Date: September 2020 (est.) ISBN-10: 1510748229 ISBN-13: 978-1510748224 Available online from Amazon, Simon & Schuster, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and others
Trish Stevens Brian Johnson Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
Doctor Uses His Profound Spiritual Journey to Inspire Others
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Now, more than ever, we need words that inspire us; words that connect us; and words that give us hope. We need Dr. Pieter Noomen’s Words For All (www.wordsforall.org).
Dr. Pieter Noomen was a man of great introspection and awareness. A minister and licensed psychotherapist, he experienced a profound transcendent journey that led him to connect on a deeply spiritual level with a higher presence. He grew to believe that, either directly or indirectly, all life stems from one common source. When we’re able to connect with that source, we reach the highest level of existence — something he posits can be achieved by every human being who is willing to open his or her mind to the information from the universe.
Dr. Noomen freely shares the abundance of transformative messages that were communicated to him on his website, www.wordsforall.org. Sadly, Dr. Noomen passed away last year, but his Words for All will continue to inspire people throughout the world.
“Disasters happen. The media report them. Even if we’re not directly affected, the pain involved can shake us badly; at least for a while. It always reminds us of our own vulnerability. So next to sending out mental messages of compassion and love to the victims, we can check inside ourselves our own resources for dealing with bad situations. Being consciously connected with (eternal) Life itself, is being as prepared as we possibly can get here on earth.”
Trish Stevens Claire Downing Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
Theology and Politics Collide in Reality-Inspired Cold War Thriller
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When Pope John Paul I died of an apparent heart attack in September 1978—just 33 days after his election—the United States and the Soviet Union went on high alert.
The United States could loosen communism’s stranglehold on Eastern Europe if a non-Italian successor is chosen to lead the Catholic Church. Conversely, the Soviets are determined to keep an Italian in the papacy. A dangerous competition ensues as the two countries aim to further their own interests while limiting those of the other party. CIA and KGB agents infiltrate the Vatican as Cold War tensions mount amid the backdrop of a hastily arranged conclave to elect a successor.
Meanwhile, back in the states, army officer Carter Caldwell is sent to persuade American cardinals to wield their influence in the conclave. He meets beautiful CIA analyst Katherine O’Connor. Carter can’t get her out of his mind, although plenty of problems demand his attention.
Before the conclave is over, the Sistine Chapel will be bugged, a spy in the Vatican’s kitchen will be murdered, and CIA and KGB operatives will exchange gunfire. As the most important figure in the Catholic world is finally chosen, one question remains: Will he survive long enough to become pope?
Conclave from Tom Davis weaves an in-depth thriller where Catholic theology and Cold War politics collide. The result is a gripping, fictionalized retelling of what might have happened as these real-world events unfolded.
Was the election of non-Italian Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II in October 1978 somehow orchestrated through the US’s covert influence on the papal conclave? Today, his election is viewed as a turning point in the Cold War—just 13 years later, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the Warsaw Pact disintegrated.
Author Tom Davis is a retired army officer and corporate executive. After graduating from West Point, he had numerous assignments and experiences in the army, including commanding an artillery battalion in Operation Desert Storm, being a key advisor to a Secretary of the Army and several Army Chiefs of Staff, and serving as an Assistant Professor of Social Sciences at West Point, where he taught International Relations, Political Science, Economics and Middle Eastern Affairs. He served a brief tour in the Department of State as part of the Palestinian Autonomy negotiating team, where he heard a story that inspired Conclave.
After retiring from the army, Davis had a successful career with General Dynamics Corpora-tion. He has written numerous articles and editorials for major newspapers on a wide range of topics, and has published major studies on federal budgeting and the management of the nation’s national security programs. His previous book, 40 Kilometers Into Lebanon, analyzes the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. He holds degrees from the US Military Academy at West Point and Harvard University. He retired from General Dynamics in 2013, and is currently the Forrestal-Richardson Industry Chair at Defense Acquisition University and an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School.
Conclave has captured the attention of an independent film company based in Germany and has been converted into a screenplay for future development into a six-episode mini-series.
Conclave Publisher: CreateSpace ISBN-10: 1534706615 ISBN-13: 978-1534706613 Available from Amazon.com and www.tomdavisauthor.com
Trish Stevens Anna Jones Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
