Justin Stevens Ascot Media Group Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Phone 832-569-5539 Fax [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Marijuana Project: A Story Of Medicine And Morality – A Security Expert’s Journey Through The Ethical Weeds
New York, NY – The inspiration for Brian Laslow’s fiction-based-on-fact story, The Marijuana Project (SDS Publishing), came from his own turbulent experiences while working with a brand new medical marijuana production facility in the northeast, and a successful 25-year career as an expert in the field of security.
Sam Burnett, a savvy security expert, is hiding in the catwalk of a medical marijuana production facility he has been hired to protect, caught in a surveillance plan he never thought he’d face. In fact, Sam doesn’t even approve of marijuana and wonders why he’s still working there.
He is not alone with this conflict. The FDA still lists marijuana in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the DEA’s most restrictive level. They cite marijuana’s high potential for abuse, that it’s not accepted medical use for treatment, and lacks proper safety measures under medical supervision.
This position is at odds with many groups advocating for its legalization, both for medical purposes and recreational use.
Since 2900 B.C., when the Chinese referred to cannabis as a medicine possessing both yin and yang, the pros and cons of medical marijuana have stymied private citizens as well as state and federal agencies. With 23 states legalizing at least limited use of medical marijuana, the controversy continues over its status as a gateway drug, posing ethical dilemmas for doctors, government officials and security professionals who must protect it from a variety of internal and external threats.
This is how Brian Laslow entered the picture in 2001 as the owner of a security consulting firm specializing in risk assessment, system design, and project management services for electronic security and operational security management. Inspired by his findings inside the medical marijuana industry, Brian wrote The Marijuana Project, a fiction-based-on-fact account of his tempestuous experience while working with the new production facility in the northeast.
The story follows Sam Burnett, a conservative and highly principled family man who constantly travels the country as a greatly sought after security expert. While looking to spend more time at home with his children, he is approached by a consortium looking to open a medical marijuana production facility nearby. Sam accepts their offer, and over the next two years, while designing, implementing and operating their entire security program, he finds himself facing one moral conflict after another.
Does Sam favor using medical marijuana to relieve a variety of physical symptoms, easing anxiety and providing pleasure? Or does he see it as an invitation to more serious drug use, mental instability and irresponsible, even dangerous, behavior?
You could call it a security expert’s journey through the ethical weeds.
At first, Sam realizes that whether he approves of it or not, medical marijuana needs to be protected from ending up in the wrong hands and that taking the job means he can be home much more than before. But even what Sam learns about medical marijuana–that it can help people suffering from a variety of ailments–is at odds with his religious upbringing and his own conservative views about drug use, legal or otherwise.
When his son’s best friend is killed in a car accident caused by a driver under the influence of medical marijuana, Sam reaches his breaking point. He ends up taking matters into his own hands, which leads to a potentially dangerous confrontation with his employers and a group of unknown provocateurs.
In the end, he must decide if he can personally continue to participate in the protection and perpetuation of this industry.
Sam Burnett’s dilemma is indicative of the decision that millions of people in America are currently struggling to make. His story will resonate with all those struggling to make sense of this changing landscape in our society.
About the Author
Brian Laslow (a pen name for obvious reasons) has over 25 years of experience in the security field. He started his career as the owner of a security installation company serving residential and commercial clients. Since 2001, he has been an independent security consultant providing risk assessment, system design, project management, and ongoing security management services for a wide range of commercial, industrial, and government clients. This expert speaker in the field of security has extensive experience with building security programs from the ground up.
Brian wrote a successful book on security consulting and speaks frequently on topics relating to physical security, risk assessment, system design, and publishing for consultants. He holds multiple certifications from the security and consulting fields.
The Marijuana Project is fiction-based-on-fact from Laslow’s findings in the medical marijuana industry and as a highly respected security expert, both of which lend realism to an already gripping plot. For more information, please visit the website at: www.themarijuanaproject.org. The Marijuana Project By Brian Laslow Published by SDS Publishing Publication Date: November 25, 2015 Price: $19.99; 240 pages, paperback ISBN-13: 978-1518805479 ISBN-10: 1518805477
Monica Foster Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 133032 The Woodlands, TX 77393 281.324.2180 – Office 713.446.8815 – Cell 281.333.3507 – Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In the Line of Fire: Here’s How To Stop Violence At Every Turn
Louisville, KY – Living in a peaceful world, free from hatred, bigotry, bullying and violence may seem like an impossible journey. Violence surrounds us and overwhelmingly dominates our lives through crime-based TV shows, video games, and social media – not to mention our daily news feeds which include hate crimes, bullying, school shootings and domestic violence. According to Jan Arnow, author of In the Line of Fire: Raising Kids in a Violent World, none of these examples of violence stands alone – they are all connected along a continuum of violence. In this accessible book, Arnow makes the connections that have been widely ignored. She says, we can stop the violence, and she shows us how to collectively achieve this with more than 400 actionable tips.
The statistics reveal a shocking truth. Every day in the United States:
Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to be an abuser as an adult Seven children or teenagers are killed by firearms 187 children are arrested for violent crimes 1,837 children are identified as abused or neglected, and 2,857 high school students drop out.
“As a result of receiving poor social mentorship and not knowing how to resolve conflicts, there are more than 61,000 youth residing in juvenile detention centers or correctional facilities throughout the US,” says Arnow. “Abusive behaviors often initiate at home, and children who are abused become the abusers.”
No stranger to violence herself, Arnow knows personally the horrors of growing up in an abusive household. For the first time, she reveals the driving force that landed her on her lifelong path to create peace for future generations. This heavily researched book provides a balance of case studies, true stories and actionable tips, and is a perfect resource for parents, teachers, counselors, law enforcement and clergymen.
About the Author Jan Arnow is the founder and executive director of Innovations in Peacemaking International, and is an internationally recognized lecturer and authority on multicultural education, violence abatement, prejudice reduction, creativity, and leadership. She is a highly respected and award-winning author of nine books and scores of articles for a variety of national magazines. She is currently working on a teacher’s and community guide to In the Line of Fire: Raising Kids in a Violent World, and a new peace curriculum for schools, houses of worship, and neighborhood centers. She also travels to carry her violence abatement strategies to communities throughout the world.
For more information, please visit http://www.butlerbooks.com/inthelineoffire.html.
In the Line of Fire: Raising Kids in a Violent World By Jan Arnow Publisher: Butler Books ISBN 978-1-935497-96-7 Available online: http://www.butlerbooks.com/inthelineoffire.html
John Fordham Ascot Media Group Post Office Box 133032 The Woodlands, TX 77393 Office: (281) 333-3507 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Discover How Kids Can Make A Better World In Guion The Lion
Englewood, CO – Bright colors, engaging characters and an inspirational theme combine for an instant classic in Guion the Lion: A Colorful World (Inspire On Purpose), by Rebecca Wilson Macsovits.
Guion (rhymes with “lion”) is a rainbow-colored lion who stands out in a world of black and white. He wants to find a way to bring back the color, but how? While on his quest, Guion encounters a variety of animals, each struggling with a unique problem. Always kind and friendly, he does his best to help.
To his delight, Guion eventually discovers that every time he helps someone, a little much-needed color comes back into the world.
Rebecca Wilson Macsovits approaches life with a sense of adventure and continually seeks out new people, information, and challenges to keep her invigorated. Although the majority of her career has been spent in marketing, her true creative spirit launched after the birth of her first child and continues to be cultivated by all three of her children, ages eight and under. To help balance her career and creativity, Rebecca runs marathons and also boxes.
Rebecca’s oldest son, Guion, who has Down syndrome, inspired her first children’s book. He brings a tremendous amount of joy to his family, and Rebecca regularly witnesses his siblings asking him for help because they know he is able to give it. She doesn’t want others to discount his abilities just because he’s different. Rebecca hopes her first book, Guion the Lion, will encourage young people to give and receive help from others who don’t look exactly like them – this is what makes our big world such a welcoming and colorful place.
For more, please visit the website: www.Guionthelion.com
Guion the Lion: A Colorful World Inspire On Purpose ISBN-13: 978-1-941782-02-6
Ken Morrison Ascot Media Group Post Office Box 133032 The Woodlands, TX 77393 Office: (281) 333-3507 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rethink, Remember, Renew – Nothing Captures The Beauty Of Life Like Images Of Nature
Memphis, TN – When Rebecca Webb Wilson’s parents gave their young daughter a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye years ago, they could not have known where it would lead her. While taking photographs of hawks along the expressway in her hometown of Memphis opened the gates to her passion for wildlife photography, her first job as a PanAm flight attendant fueled her wanderlust.
This avid traveler and accomplished nature photographer’s passions gracefully combine in Well Seasoned: Savoring Life’s Lessons (Inspire on Purpose), her new book that chronicles the seasons of life, illuminated by her unconventional and uplifting philosophy, in a collage of breathtaking photographs and inspirational essays. By pairing carefully crafted words with more than one hundred vibrant, full-color images, Wilson savors the clarity that time and experience make possible for all who journey.
Sprinkled with thoughtful quotations and fragments of poetry, her unique book shares the author’s abundant gratitude for the sudden surprises and unexpected joys revealed in nature’s seasons, and her own passing seasons – offering renewed hope to anyone hesitant about the aging process.
During her many travels, the author climbed and photographed Mount Kilimanjaro, the Swiss Alps part of the Haute Route, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, as well as capturing on film so many other wondrous places. This exquisite collection pays tribute to Rebecca’s deep sense of adventure and desire to capture the moment for all time. For readers, it offers a temporary respite from everyday life – to be immersed in beauty and tranquility and to reflect on their own tender memories. Rebecca says it so well: Rethink. Remember. Renew.
About the author: After her time with PanAm, followed by a brief stint as a realtor, Rebecca attended law school at the University of Memphis and served several years as an Assistant United States Attorney. She later became involved with the Memphis Zoological Society in its efforts to remodel and revitalize its facility. She founded a youth leadership program in Memphis called Bridge Builders, which to date has had 21,000 participants from surrounding public, private, and parochial schools. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, she serves as a member of its Board of Trust, and also serves on the board of directors of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation.
Named one of Memphis Woman Magazine’s ‘50 Women Who Make a Difference,’ she also received the Legends Award from the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis in 2010. She lives in Memphis with her husband and they share their time between two sons, two daughters, and nine grandchildren.
For more information on this accomplished photographer, author and dedicated humanitarian, please visit: www.hawkeyenature.com.
Well Seasoned: Savoring Life’s Lessons Publisher: Inspire on Purpose ISBN # 978-0-9898008-6-0
Monica Foster Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 133032 The Woodlands, TX 77393 281.324.2180 – Office 713.446.8815 – Cell 281.333.3507 – Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Remembering Olympus: The Idea Of Other Lives And Other Worlds Challenges Our Belief Of Our Place In The Universe
Dallas, TX – ‘There are worlds within worlds and time is not what humans understand it to be.’ This prophetic first line in the first chapter of Remembering Olympus (Koehler Books) by Royce Murcherson is music to the ears of anyone who believes we must be on this earth for a reason greater than just an ordinary life! Remembering Olympus brings readers a new understanding of our place in the universe and our true potential.
Royce Murcherson hopes her memorable and inspiring book will challenge the reader’s perception of reality. Part mystery, part magical, this engaging story coaxes readers to question what our powerful purpose might be. A riveting story of life after life, twisted destinies, and the power of love and jealousy, the plot centers around Aaron Payne, a typical urban professional running away from a disadvantaged past.
As fate takes a hand in a chance meeting with a beautiful heiress, he doesn’t care about their many differences because he’s convinced she is the key to changing his life – until startling events begin to turn his life upside down. When his path crosses with an enigmatic publisher, the two become entangled in a gripping mystery as Aaron begins to remember pieces of another existence that will pull him into a maze of shifting time and past lives. In pursuit of ‘who he is,’ Aaron soon becomes the pursued…
Prophetic in tone, Remembering Olympus offers a broader understanding of what is behind the curtains we humans do not remember (but wonder about when memories cannot be explained away), and opens our minds to the possibility that maybe we can create our own reality through the power of our mind, introducing endless possibilities for anyone who has ever wondered if this is all there is to life.
Royce Murcherson holds a Ph.D. in English and is currently a professor of English in Dallas, Texas. She has taught American and African-American literature, creative writing, composition, business writing, and visual rhetoric for seventeen years. Her interests include the literary genre of magical realism, Eastern philosophy, and Jungian psychology. Royce has also spent several years in the business world and recently published an instructional book, The Guide to Persuasive Business Writing: A New Model that Gets Results, and is a guest writer on business writing and workplace etiquette for BOSS, a business and office systems support resource at Richland College.
For more information, please visit: www.roycemurcherson.com.
Remembering Olympus Koehler Books Available at all major online outlets ISBN-13: 978-1940192994 $17.95
Monica Foster Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 133032 The Woodlands, TX 77393 281.324.2180 – Office 713.446.8815 – Cell 281.333.3507 – Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Some Dive, Some Survive, And Others Thrive. Rich Habits Rich Life Offers A Fresh Perspective For Success
Los Angeles, CA –Over 5,000 people, from every walk of life and from all fifty states and around the world, participated in Dr. Randall Bell’s survey for his soon-to-be-released book, Rich Habits Rich Life: The Power of ‘Me We Do Be’ Habits, Rituals and Routines (Leadership lnstitute Press). This landmark research detailed the daily habits of professionals, students, stay-at-home moms, retirees, the unemployed and millionaires – and scientifically identified the link between everyday habits and various measures of success – making it one of the most significant sociological studies ever conducted!
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to success. Some might define it as wealth or fame, finding the right partner, having a happy family life, completing a degree or even mastering a musical instrument – while others may see it as beating a life-threatening illness. What is so compelling about Rich Habits is that it lets us define what success means to us individually, while looking at the foundational elements that apply to us all. So what makes a winning strategy or leads up to disaster or collapse? Why do some waste their success, while others continue to elevate?
Rich Habits is fun, intelligent and practical, and delivers fascinating insight into the behaviors that lead to disaster, recovery or prosperity. Just as one bad habit can ripple out with destructive consequences, so a good habit – even something as simple as making our bed, waving at a neighbor, or having dinner as a family – can ripple out and become something wonderful!
In his book, the result of over 25 years of research, Dr. Bell masterfully links classic behavioral research with his work on high profile cases – including Chernobyl, the World Trade Center and OJ Simpson – to reveal why some dive, some survive, and others thrive. He explains that all behaviors can be organized within the four cornerstones of ‘Me We Do Be,’ and his book helps connect the dots to create a whole new outlook for success.
Randall Bell, PhD has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, PEOPLE magazine, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, CNN, and every national television network. He is a renowned, in-demand speaker at events around the globe. He earned his PhD in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University and his MBA from UCLA. Dr. Bell is a socio-economist and the CEO of Landmark Research Group, LLC. He is married and has four children.
For more information, please visit: www.richhabits.com
Rich Habits Rich Life By Dr. Randall Bell Publisher: Leadership Institute Press ISBN-13: 978-1933969237 Will be available at online outlets, www.pgw.com, or author’s website
Paige Morrison Ascot Media Group Post Office Box 133032 The Woodlands, TX 77393 281.333.3507 office [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Invent Your Future: Strategic Leadership Advice From Twenty Prominent Business Executives
Long Beach, CA – Executive coach to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, Paul David Walker has played a significant role in creating visionaries through his leadership coaching and provides valuable insights to achieving success in Invent Your Future – Starting With Your Calling.
Walker’s coaching style is like no other, discovering first the unique talents of leaders, then creating a strategic plan to help them meet their goals in ways that feel natural. In Invent Your Future – Start With Your Calling, twenty successful business leaders provide various anecdotes which illustrate Walker’s practices that when we recognize our natural abilities, our actions come from our calling.
Among the lessons learned in his book, Walker details strategies to: • Discover your calling and the answers that are key to your future. • Paint compelling pictures for you and others to follow. • Build commitment among those who will support you. • Respond rather than simply react to reality, creating greater success. • Master inner stillness to power your life!
A renowned leadership coach and trusted business advisor, Paul David Walker is one of the early innovators of leadership consulting at the executive level. For more than twenty-five years he has successfully guided the CEOs and senior executive teams of such Fortune 500 and midsized companies as New York Life, Mutual of Omaha, Chase GIS, Finance One, Pacific Mutual, Rockwell International, Conexant Systems, Harrods, Anne Klein, Union Pacific, Star-Kist Foods, The City of Long Beach, Culver Studios and many other thriving organizations. Additionally, he is the author of Unleashing Genius: Leading Yourself, Teams and Corporations.
For more information, please visit: http://www.geniusstone.com/books.html
Available at Amazon.com and major online outlets Invent Your Future – Starting With Your Calling By Paul David Walker High Point Executive Publications ISBN-13: 978-0986158513
