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The Marijuana Project: A Story Of Medicine And Morality – A Security Expert’s Journey Through The Ethical Weeds

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

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Discover How Kids Can Make A Better World In Guion The Lion

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

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Bestseller Ellis the Elephant Delights Kids and Adults in Callista Gingrich’s From Sea To Shining Sea

Callista Gingrich announces the release of From Sea to Shining Sea (Regnery Kids), the fourth volume in her New York Times bestselling Ellis the Elephant series.

A patriotic American history introduction for young children, From Sea to Shining Sea follows an adorable elephant named Ellis in exploring the early years of the United States and the epic journey west into uncharted territory with Lewis and Clark. Charming rhymes and beautiful illustrations make the 50th reading as fun as the first, for children as well as adults!

In earlier books, Sweet Land of Liberty, Land of the Pilgrims’ Pride, and Yankee Doodle Dandy, Ellis, the time-traveling pachyderm, learns about pivotal moments that shaped America. Authored by Callista Gingrich and illustrated by Susan Arciero, From Sea to Shining Sea will delight those who want to know how brave Americans forged a growing nation and spread freedom from coast to coast.

Callista Gingrich is the president of Gingrich Productions. She and her husband, Newt─ a former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives─host and produce historical and public policy documentaries. Recent films include A City Upon A Hill, America at Risk, and Nine Days that Changed the World.

Mrs. Gingrich is also the co-author of Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny. Her photography is featured in the New York Times bestseller Rediscovering God in America. An avid musician, she sings in the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. and plays French horn with the City of Fairfax Band in Fairfax, Virginia. She resides in McLean, Virginia with her husband, Newt Gingrich.

For more, please visit the website: www.EllisTheElephant.com

From Sea to Shining Sea
Regnery Kids
Available October 13, 2014 at independent and major book stores across the country including Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and Amazon.com
$14.99
ISBN-13: 978-1621572534

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Michael Taube, Washington Times: “Callista Gingrich has created one of the most impressive children’s book series in recent years. Her love for her country can be seen in every footstep Ellis takes in these three memorable volumes. As this small elephant discovers U.S. history, young children will never forget his great adventures.”

Kevin K: “Callista has found a great avenue to teach children about America. These books tell the unique history of our country and bring to life personalities and events in a way that is extremely appealing. This series is a gift to our children.”

John Longshore: “Delightful.…clear and easy to read and teaches history in a way a young child can understand and enjoy…educational at both the child and adult level. It is always good to be reminded of the facts of our nation’s history…”

Katie K.: “I love that Callista Gingrich has taken the time to write American history for children. I read these books to my nieces and nephews when we are together and they love to hear the story….it gives us a way to open up the conversation about the greatness of our America, and why we are here….a great gift to the younger generation…and you will ENJOY the time reading this book to them.”

BOOK TOUR:

Wednesday, October 22, 2014
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE TUCSON/EASTSIDE
5130 E. BROADWAY
TUCSON, AZ 85711
520-512-1166

Wednesday, October 22, 2014
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE PIMA & SHEA
SCOTTSDALE FIESTA SHOPPING CENTER
10500 N. 90th STREET
SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85258
480-391-0048

Friday, October 24, 2014
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
DOYLESTOWN BOOKSHOP
16 S. MAIN STREET
DOYLESTOWN, PA 18901
215-230-7610

Saturday, October 25, 2014
12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE
1971 UNIVERSITY BLVD.
LYNCHBURG, VA 24502
434-582-2316

Monday, October 27, 2014
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE CREEKWALK VILLAGE
801 WEST 15th STREET
SUITE E
PLANO, TX 75075
972-422-3372

Tuesday, October 28, 2014
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
BLUE WILLOW BOOKSHOP
14532 MEMORIAL DRIVE
HOUSTON, TX 77079

Wednesday, October 29, 2014
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE OAK PARK MALL
11323 W. 95TH STREET
OVERLAND PARK, KS 66214
913-492-8187

Wednesday, October 29, 2014
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE
3055 SOUTH GLENSTONE
SPRINGFIELD, MO 65804
417-885-0026

Monday, November 3, 2014
12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
THE VENETIAN
WATERFALL ATRIUM & GARDENS OF THE PALAZZO
3355 LAS VEGAS BLVD SOUTH
LAS VEGAS, NV 89109
702-414-1000

Wednesday, November 5, 2014
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE BETHESDA
4801 BETHESDA AVENUE
BETHESDA, MD 20814
301-986-1761

Friday, November 7, 2014
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE PALM BEACH GARDENS
11380 LEGACY AVENUE
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL 33410
561-625-3932

Saturday, November 8, 2014
4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE FT. LAUDERDALE
2051 N. FEDERAL HWY.
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33305
954-561-3732

Monday, November 10, 2014
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
GREETINGS & READINGS
118-AA SHAWAN ROAD
HUNT VALLEY, MD 21030
410-771-3022

Tuesday, November 11, 2014
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE FAIR LAKES PROMENADE
12193 FAIR LAKES PROMENADE DRIVE
FAIRFAX, VA 22033
703-278-0300

Friday, November 14, 2014
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
ANDERSON’S BOOKSHOP
123 W. JEFFERSON AVENUE
NAPERVILLE, IL 60540
630-355-2665

Saturday, November 15, 2014
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE VALLEY VIEW MALL
3800 STATE ROAD
LACROSSE, WI 54601
608-785-1330

Saturday, November 22, 2014
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
BOOKENDS
211 EAST RIDGEWOOD AVENUE
RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
201-445-0726

Saturday, November 29, 2014
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
BARNES AND NOBLE WATERSIDE SHOPS
5377 TAMIAMI TRAIL N.
NAPLES, FL 34108
239-598-5200

Saturday, December 6, 2014
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY BOOKSTORE
345 DUKE OF GLOUSTER STREET
WILLIAMSBURG, VA 23185
757-221-1651

Saturday, December 13, 2014
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
SUGAR HOUSE DAY SPA AND SALON
111 N. ALFRED STREET
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314
703-549-9940

Saturday, December 13, 2014
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
THE SHOPS AT MT. VERNON
3200 MOUNT VERNON MEMORIAL HWY.
MT. VERNON, VA 22309

CONTACT:

Publicist – Monica Foster
Ascot Media Group
Post Office Box 133032
The Woodlands, TX 77393
Direct: (281) 324.2180
Office: (281) 333.3507
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

 

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Lowcountry Punch: Just The Ticket For Armchair Travelers Hankering For The Sultry South

If you’re sick of winter weather, take a trip to Charleston, SC, rated #1 city in the US for three years running by the Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards. You won’t even need to leave home. Boo Walker’s Lowcountry Punch (Sandy Run Press) evokes Charleston’s gritty side and its charm so vividly the city itself is essential to the cast of characters.

In Lowcountry Punch, DEA Agent T.A. Reddick leaves Miami for Charleston, SC after one of the worst nights of his life. He’s hoping a return to his roots will heal a wounded heart and the guilt of killing a friend. The sleepy and sultry city of Charleston is filled with echoes of the Old South: genteel playboys, society debutantes, and quiet cobblestone streets. 

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A Creation That Could Be Our Salvation

St. Charles, MO,  – Over the last two decades a new artificial intelligence paradigm has enabled vast brain-like neural assemblies to build themselves. In turn, these synthetic minds have generated both ideas and strategies that have exceeded both their direct experience and the talents of those who have enlisted their help. Detailed analysis of how these synthetic brains originate such brilliant concepts and strategies reveals what may be the grandest notion of all: how ideas themselves are formed within the biological neural networks of the brain. Widespread use of this ultimate idea could have an astounding effect upon the world.

While hordes of futurists are predicting such a form of contemplative artificial intelligence, one man already has it. It is The Creativity Machine® Paradigm by Stephen L. Thaler, Ph.D., and it brings new hope through the most advanced form of artificial intelligence in the world. 

The benefits are staggering. Economically alone, there are myriad new industries this technology can either originate or accelerate, creating endless new projects for “techies,” while indirectly spawning non-technical careers in support of each commercial effort. At the macro-economic level, machine intelligence based upon this paradigm could generate a model of national or even global financial contentedness and subsequently optimize the planet’s overall fiscal and sociological health. 

This momentous accomplishment has such an immense impact on all aspects of our lives that it deserves headline status; making it difficult to understand why there are forces at work in government, academia and industry, attempting to hijack this technology – slowing its deployment in a world starving for its capabilities. There are always those willing to take credit for what someone else has already succeeded in doing, namely the creation of free-thinking, contemplative, creative, and even conscious artificial intelligence.

In terms of answering the really big questions that have perplexed humanity for millennia, the Creativity Machine Paradigm excels. Simulate its death and it spells out our inevitable fate in no uncertain terms. Drive it to protect itself and it develops all the attributes we commonly attach to human consciousness. Carefully study how this neural architecture attains such self-awareness and we suddenly understand how a cosmic consciousness can arise from inanimate matter, space, and energy. Most importantly, in the wake of these amazing revelations we see an enormous opportunity for the preservation of human consciousness beyond death through our union with this highly advanced form of sentient machine intelligence.

Dr. Thaler is President and CEO of Imagination Engines, Inc., a company founded upon key scientific and engineering breakthroughs in the area of artificial neural networks, and In Its Image, a non-profit corporation that is dedicated to extending lives and philosophical exploration of The Creativity Machine® Paradigm. Dr. Thaler graduated Westminster College and obtained a Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Thaler is in the process of writing a book on The Creativity Machine® Paradigm, at the heart of which will be his invited talk at the World Future Society meeting in Boston, along with his article “Thalamocortical Algorithms in Space! The Building of Conscious Machines and the Lessons Thereof.” He is also inviting technically-oriented business thinkers to join him in the bootstrapping of new prosperity-generating industries based upon this bleeding-edge AI paradigm. To this end he is currently completing work on an informative and thought provoking web site at http://imagination-engines.com and its philosophically-driven sister site http://initsimage.org. He will also be holding a series of open houses at his St. Charles Missouri Headquarters. Watch the imagination-engines.com web site for details.

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TIP SHEET:

Dennis Bushnell, Chief Scientist & Visionary, NASA Langley: “AI’s best bet” at creating human to trans-human level machine intelligence.”

Mark Reiners: “Very simply, having now been familiar with Steve’s CM/STANNO AI technology for about seven years, I would judge it to be arguably the most important and powerful AI technology extant. We at MetaTrieval Software already have plans for leveraging some of its amazingly wide range of capabilities for important future enhancements of our own core product.”

Karl Simpson: “Imagination-Engines Inc., based in St. Louis, USA, is the future of artificial intelligence and neural networks. Stephen Thaler’s genius and insight may define the future of computation and networking. Sentient computers could be a result of this initiative.”

General media resources are available at http://imagination-engines.com/media/iei_media.htm

For answers to the really big questions, see:  http://imagination-engines.com/InItsImage/TCAIS%20Flash/Thalamocortical%20Algorithms%20in%20Space!.html

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For every woman who has attended a best friend’s wedding – you’ll recognize your own friends inside the pages of this fun and heartfelt read…

Los Angeles, CA, – In Eat, Drink and Be Married (Self/iuniverse), Rebecca Bloom blended just the right amount of hilarious dialogue that women savor when in the company of their best friends, with the right amount of tender moments shared during life’s special events, to create a page-turning story that is chick lit at its finest!

When college girlfriends Kate, Nina and Zoë take a break from their busy schedules on opposite coasts to join their former roommate Hannah for her wedding in Lake Tahoe, they not only bring suitcases packed with ‘what-not-to-wear’ bridesmaid dresses, but baggage of a more emotional kind. Supported by a variety of eclectic characters determined to wreak havoc on their carefully organized lives, each woman is forced to come to terms with her past before she walks down the aisle.

Zoë must learn how to reveal a vulnerability that lies beneath her bravado before she can finally open her heart; Kate needs to reclaim her identity before she can regain her strut, and Nina must heal her own inner child so she can provide for another. And we can’t forget Hannah, the bride, who needs to release a ghost in order to recover her spirit.

It takes a bottle of booze, a host of laughs, a hankie or two worth of tears, and seventy-two hours in the presence of those who know and love them the most to make the perfect recipe for four women to Eat, Drink, and Be Married.

Rebecca Bloom has served as the executive editor then editor at large for Los Angeles Confidential Magazine. Her previous novels, Girl Anatomy and Tangled up in Daydreams were featured in numerous national and regional publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, In Style and others, in addition to various electronic outlets including EXTRA, Good Day Live and Dallas Morning News. 

For more information on this talented writer, please visit: www.rebeccabloom.com.

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TIP SHEET:

Barnes & Noble.com reader review:  “A fun read for anyone who has been to a wedding! Rebecca Bloom captures the spirit of a destination wedding in this book. It is full of funny dialog and conversations you have definitely had with your girlfriends. Keeping with her style of writing, Bloom gives readers another romp with a heart.”

 

 

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What If A Centuries’ Old Legend Is The Basis For A Miracle Cure – Will This Twelve-Year Old Pass The Test Of Faith?

Houston, TX, – Do you believe in miracles? What if a miracle was the only thing that could save your younger brother’s life? Such was the dilemma for Noah, a 12 year-old boy whose faith is put to the test. And because he believed he was the cause of his brother’s illness, he embarks on a mission determined to find the cure. Peter Sacco’s latest book, The Lost Fountain (Inkwater Press) is a beautiful tale of adventure, mystery and hope that is a must read for young adults.

Noah’s brother is inflicted with Progeria; an extremely rare, fatal genetic condition whose symptoms cause early aging and premature death. There was no way that Noah caused it, but he is bound and determined to be the one to find the cure. Together with his two friends the three set out to find the fabled Fountain of Youth – believing that if they find it, they will be able to turn back time and save Noah’s brother.

A beautiful story that is both inspirational and uplifting, The Lost Fountain is divided into four parts; beginning with why Noah believes he caused his brother’s disease and the not-so-clear direction he takes to identify his sense of guilt and remorse for believing he is the cause. Readers then get to share in the thrills and adventures that Noah and his friends encounter on their physical and emotional journey to find the Fountain of Youth and, finally, the perfect resolution he makes with his family, friends – and himself.

When the boys set out on their adventure, they have the ghost of Ponce de Leon on their side; the Spanish explorer who was originally associated with the legend of the Fountain of Youth. What they don’t know is that they are in a race to find the fountain with a greedy and unscrupulous archeologist who is hot on their trail.

The Lost Fountain is a beautifully uplifting story of hope and faith with inspiring messages of goodness for today’s children and youth.

Peter Sacco’s qualifications blend real-life lessons with fantasy in this children’s story. As well as a talented author, he is a psychology professor who lectures at universities in both the U.S. and Canada. He knows first-hand the affect this debilitating disease can have on a family. While the book does a superb job of teaching children empathy for childhood diseases, it also brings much-needed awareness to the disease itself. In fact, the author is generously donating one-half of the royalties from his book to the Progeria Research Foundation of America. Of note is that Sacco’s story is based on an actual young boy who suffers with Progeria and who happens to be the nephew of Audrey Gordon, Esq., the president and executive director of this outstanding foundation.
 
Peter Sacco is a regular resident expert on several television programs and was the host of Mental Health Matters for two years. He is the author of many international, popular-selling books. He was the former Editor-in-Chief of Vices: The Magazine for Addictions, Habits and Well-Being, and author of over 500 magazine articles. Peter is a recipient of the Award of Excellence in Teaching and is an in-demand lecturer who specializes in relationships, criminal psychology, addictions and mental health.

Peter is currently working with a co-author on a series of books involving Noah and his friends and their discoveries of historical, ancient and lost sites that educators have praised as “Indiana Jones for Kids meets a Spiritual Harry Potter!” Please visit this talented writer at his website: www.petersacco.com.

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TIP SHEET:

Joe Mayer, the late Supervising Editor of the box office smash hit Pretty Woman: “…this book is excellent! That is how I would describe this book. Definitely movie potential and needs to be reviewed in Hollywood.”

Aunt of a child with Progeria: “What a wonderful book! Rich with fantasy situations as well as real-life lessons, Noah’s adventures are entertaining and heartening. Progeria is a subject very near and dear to my heart, and this story portrays it in a very inspirational way.”

 

 

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