Niels C. Nielsen believes it is time to revisit one of the most controversial issues of the recent presidential campaign – Obama’s religious beliefs and background – and how they influence his day-to-day decisions. God in the Obama Era (Morgan James Publishing) begins and ends with chapters on Obama for relevance and interest, but the integral part of the book is actually a history of successive presidencies. Nielsen’s book is non-sectarian, positive and critical, and leaves the subject of Obama’s possible accomplishments and success open since it is too early yet for definitive judgments.
Understanding that nations which ignore their past live in a narrow time period, discounting the fact that what has gone before tells us much about what is going on now and what will happen in the future. Historically, religion – as both a positive and negative force – has influenced economics, international statecraft, as well as individual and social ethics. This brings up the question of where Barack Obama is taking this country – politically, religiously, economically and ethically. Comparing our current president with past presidents, from Washington through Bush, Nielsen wonders what they would say to each other as contemporaries. Since the election of 2008 turned out to be a watershed contest, looking to crucial decisions of policy change on the war in Iraq, the international economy, global warming, social security and immigration, it is the main intention of the author to help bring objectivity and perspective to the much-debated issues.
This brilliantly enlightening book offers guidance to evaluate what an ambitious new leader has done, and may do, in the longer setting of the history of his office. At the beginning of each chapter the author uses a narrative and chronological approach to show both the similarities and the differences between our current president and one of his predecessors, then asks a number of hypothetical “what if” questions of many past great leaders in an attempt to see how history could have been dramatically changed by their answers. Visit his informative website at: www.presidentsreligionandethics.com.
Niels C. Nielsen, Jr. is the J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Philosophy and Religious Thought emeritus at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He is well-recognized for his earlier book, The Religion of Jimmy Carter, also translated into German. The author’s daughter is the only non-native faculty member of her department at the University of Vienna, where she is intensely involved in explaining the Obama phenomenon to her students who have a varied interest in the transition from Bush II to a very different sort of presidency. Nielsen’s Religions of the World is a widely used college and university textbook.
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TIP SHEET:
Ron Highfield, Professor of Religion, Pepperdine University: “…this erudite, lucid, enlightening book brilliantly illuminates the central icon of American culture … In the aftermath of the election, in which religion played a greater role than in any election since 1960, we are fortunate to receive this book…rich in insight, lively in style and wide-ranging in scope…penetrating analyses of 20 presidents … a “must read” for anyone interested in the presidency, the place of religion in American history and culture, or religion in the Obama campaign and presidency.”
Rev. George M. Atkinson, Director emeritus, Perkins School of Theology, TX: “Nielsen has written an unusually fine examination of the role of religion in the life and work of our presidents… comprehensive, balanced, puts into shadow any comparable books on the subject…students of American history will especially appreciate his careful treatment of this understudied topic, since it reveals ethical issues and nuances not examined in conventional studies … students of religion will appreciate the connections between the personal piety and the social justice efforts of each president studied…heartily recommend this book!”
Bishop Andy Doyle, Houston Diocese, Episcopal Church: “…very much enjoyed the book…captured the virtue of American presidents and their particular and faithful understanding of our country’s civil religion. While no one president…Nielsen wrote about reflects each citizen’s faith or lack thereof…it represents them well as faithful men who have believed in a providential God. As for President Obama, I was intrigued and challenged by …(the) comment that “the responsibility of his presidency reaches out beyond the external history to the internal history of the soul, spirit, intention and vision” …words will stay with me for some time as I think about the topic of virtuous leadership both secular and religious.
When archaeologist, Dr Shepherd finds a crystal skull in the hands of a dead colleague, the fragile world she has rebuilt with her husband begins to fall apart. When she seeks answers to the suicide note left by her colleague that says ‘I have seen the future…..’ she begins a quest with momentous implications. It leads her to an ancient tomb, deep in the rainforests of Central America, surrounded by armed guards.
Morton & Thomas’s new novel is an archaeological detective story. A pacy read, the story contains fascinating information about the ancient Mayan civilisation and their predictions for the year 2012.
The novel, dubbed the ‘new Celestine prophecy’ is set to challenge both the way we look at reality and our future….
About the authors:
Since a life-changing encounter with Mayan shamans in the jungles of Guatemala, Chris Morton and Ceri Louise Thomas have dedicated themselves to promoting the ‘message of the Maya about 2012’. The screenwriters and authors whose original factual bestseller ‘The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls’, has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into 15 languages, and recently inspired the Indiana Jones movies on the subject. Their new novel began life as the screenplay that helped to inspire Roland Emmerich’s new blockbuster ‘2012’. As well as being experts on the Mayan calendar, the couple are active environmentalists, helping to raise awareness of the plight of the natural world. They have appeared on Discovery’s Travel Channel, NBC’s Sci-Fi Channel and The History Channel. Their work has been published in the Daily Mail and Sunday Express in Great Britain, and they have contributed to numerous radio programmes both in the UK and around the world.
Written and directed by David Sebastian Bach, who has over half a century of experience in show business, Pageants Can Be Murder provides a unique forum for audiences and cast to mingle. Taking place (Tuesday through Saturday) at the Alexis Park Resort, 375 E. Harmon in Las Vegas, NV, Pageants Can Be Murder stuns us with a bevy of gorgeous women, a world-class international cast and a four-course gourmet meal, all to overwhelm the senses of theatergoers in a lethally hilarious and family-friendly production.
Pageants Can Be Murder takes the audience on the ride of their life with non-stop, side-splitting laughter, delicious food, beautiful women, and an unsolved mystery that tantalizes the imagination the minute the theater lights are dimmed.
The antics of this unbelievably talented and sexy cast of outrageously funny characters thrill audiences and leave them in stitches. According to Bach, there are a number of elements that set this production apart from anything else that has ever been staged in Vegas. Jeffrey has appeared on numerous radio shows across the nation including Lorri Allen on Family Net Atlanta, Joey Reynolds on WOR New York, Bulldog and the Dude in Ocean City, Rhett Palmer on WZTA Vero Beach, Ray Read on KCMO Kansas City, Phyllis Hall on KXLO Lewistown, Larry Steele on WPUL Daytona Beach, John Cohn on WSBC Chicago, Frankie Boyer on WXBR Boston, Reverend Hudson on WJSS Baltimore, Harry Douglas on the Horne Radio Network and Jason Spiess on KFGO Fargo.
Jeffrey Taylor is the founder of Jeffrey Taylor Group, a holding company for Jeffrey’s various operating businesses. For more information please visit: http://jeffreytaylorpressroom.com
Houston, TX, What better time of the year than Halloween to read a brilliantly written book that is not only a bone-chilling thriller but one that will surround the reader with haunting fear when all things familiar suddenly become sinister! Perhaps having been born in London with all its mystique and history contributed to Tariq Goddard, the author of The Picture of Contented New Wealth (O-Books), becoming a ‘master of fright.’ Gaining accolades and recognition when two of his earlier books were nominated for national and international awards, his latest book will be giving the likes of Stephen King a run for their money.
Created from one of Goddard’s own nightmares and the substance of good Halloween story-telling, The Picture of Contented New Wealth is a gothic tragedy set in the nineteen eighties. It is an exquisite blend of desire, excitement and humor – bringing much more to the traditional thriller than is the norm.
It is the story of the Conti family who purchase a house in Hampshire. The mother, bed-bound and complaining of a rare bone disease, hears a voice behind her ears that is not her own – causing her husband to fear that their home is a portal through which an older, more malign energy has passed and now possesses his wife and son. As their life deteriorates, his secular and agnostic world view undergoes a transformation, drawing him to a strange man from the hills – a preacher. Will this man be their unlikely savior or are he and his family merely victims of their own self-serving yuppie way of life? As the end of the eighties approaches, this family recognizes that it is not wealth they are obsessed with, but something far more evil…
Check out this amazing thriller and the author’s other talented works at www.amazon.com.
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TIP SHEET:
Adam Neville, author of Banquet for the Damned: “Creepy and evocative. Through the turn of phrase, the insight into the dark heart of humanity, and the incremental evocation of satanic evil, are echoes of William Peter Blatty, Henry James, Shirley Jackson and even John Updike. But more than any of these we hear Goddard’s own powerful voice.”
BBC Scotland the Book Café: “So freaky I couldn’t read this after dark at home by myself.”
Phoenix, AZ, – As a means to justify their drinking, some alcoholics will attest that Jeffrey Taylor was an alcoholic and yet he still became a success. True, but it didn’t come without his paying a huge price. He wasn’t always a success, he wasn’t always a millionaire and, as he will be quick to admit, he sure as heck wasn’t always a good husband or father. He was stopped in his tracks one cold, snowy night in New York City when police found him stripped of his clothes and lying in a gutter. He woke up in a hospital, on life support, suffering from alcohol poisoning – not able to even remember his own name. Today, however, Jeffrey Taylor’s name is synonymous with a very positive thing – he stands as living proof that people CAN change. He recovered from the devastating and humiliating effects of alcohol addiction and went on to achieve phenomenal financial success.
In Taylor’s first year of recovery, he wrote A Gentleman Drunk (Executive Caliber), an incredibly witty and honest biography about his road to survival and recovery. Not content with this, he went on to write his latest book, Going From W2 to 1099 (Executive Caliber). Not one to be deterred by a harsh economy, and believing that millionaires are made during a depression or recession, he wrote a much-needed, step-by-step guide for anyone looking for a fresh start and financial freedom – a realistic ‘show and tell’ for becoming an entrepreneur. Filled with non-traditional ideas, Taylor’s book offers priceless information and encouragement for going it alone in the face of adversity. Please visit his interactive website at: http://jeffreytaylorgroup.com/, and check out his books at www.agentlemandrunk.com and www.goingfromw2to1099.com.
Jeffrey Taylor is now the founder of Jeffrey Taylor Group, a holding company for various operating businesses that range from film and TV production advisor to operating a luxury cruise agency. He has known what it feels like to be both on the top and on the bottom. Check out his powerful story on Pat McMahon’s Show on AZTV Phoenix at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvYwvI1WaA.
LaPorte, IN – The mere sound of the word “menopause” strikes fear in most women and also many men – albeit for entirely different reasons! Even the most self-assured woman anticipates it with sheer dread, conjuring up visions of decline and demise, and men fear not knowing how to handle the changes in their partner – or deal with the ‘stranger’ that seems to have taken over their partner’s body!
With six thousand American women reaching menopause every single day, two amazing doctors felt a need to ensure these women get some serious help. They have exposed all the hype, marketing, and ill-informed opinions on this sensitive subject that, including peri-menopause and post-menopause, encompasses more than half of a woman’s lifetime. Womenopause: Stop Pausing and Start Living (O-Books), by Dr. Lovera Wolf Miller and Dr. David C. Miller, is like a menopause makeover that covers everything from hormones and hot flashes, brain and bone preservation, breast health, skin, fitness, food, sleep, sex and more. It presents a clear, fresh voice in the controversy of hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms, and offers solutions that are imbued with a confident enthusiasm that emanates from years of success.
Over the past thirty years, Dr. Lovera Miller has witnessed public fascination swing from one trend to another as new treatment strategies have come into vogue, adding even more confusion as women try to decipher what might work best for them. Womenopause is like a trusting and loyal friend, sharing experiences by allowing readers into the intimate conversation that takes place between a woman and her female gynecologist.
The superior credentials of both doctors authenticate how they have devoted their lives to helping menopausal women, and Womenopause is indicative of their goal to promote a ‘guide’ to feeling fit, feminine and fabulous in four weeks! More information can be found at www.womenopausebook.com and www.loverawolfmillermd.com
About the doctors:
Dr. Lovera is board certified and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a certified menopause practitioner, and has served as department chairman in hospitals in California, Iowa and Indiana. A passionate women’s health advocate, she is president of Health 4 Her, and lectures regionally on peri-menopause, hormone therapy, women’s wellness, and sexually transmitted infections.
Dr. David Miller taught neuroanatomy at UCLA and was an instructor of courses in physiology and neurophysiology. He is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology, American Board of Pain Medicine and the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians, and is also a certified menopause practitioner. He has published several scientific papers, and regularly presents at national medical meetings as well as lecturing regionally on topics related to chronic pain.
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TIP SHEET:
Irwin Goldstein, M.D., Clinical Professor of Surgery, USC at San Diego; Editor in Chief, The Journal of Sexual Medicine: ”…wonderfully knowledgeable while tastefully entertaining. Womenopause is an insightful guide for women, explaining in a light-hearted manner pre-menopause, the transition and post-menopause. Women of all ages would benefit from the knowledge provided in this book written to take away the fear of menopause and provide empowerment in its stead. Life after menopause should be enjoyed, not merely tolerated.”
Sharon J. Parish, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein School of Medicine; Board of Directors, Int’l Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health: “…it’s a fabulous book Womenpause is a very well-rounded, comprehensive compendium on the female transition commonly termed menopause. Lovera Wolf Miller and David C. Miller offer a refreshing look at a natural process that affects every aspect of the midlife woman’s health and well-being. They challenge standard social concepts of menopause as well as provide a new paradigm that focuses on vitality and wellness. The book offers a clear and understandable, yet thorough and scientifically sound explanation of the physiology of menopause and the anticipated physical, psychological and mental changes. The authors offer a well-balanced view of available remedies for symptoms including hormonal, non-hormonal pharmaceutical, and alternative treatments. Also, they nicely discuss behavioral and lifestyle approaches. This book is tremendous resource for any woman seeking to employ an intelligent and multifaceted approach to the Womenpause transition.”
Traverse City, Mich., – It started as a routine traffic stop by two Detroit police officers, but seconds later, bullets from an Uzi-style submachine gun came screaming into their vehicle, piercing the hood and doors and shattering the windshield. Then something really weird happened.
The cop behind the wheel has no other explanation but to call it a divine mystery.
The remarkable story is part of Ingrid P. Dean’s new book, Spirit of the Badge: 60 True Police Stories of Divine Guidance, Miracles & Intuition, from Topaz Heart Publishing LLC. While Dean’s stories delve into the paranormal, her credibility is enhanced by her day job: she’s a detective sergeant for the Michigan State Police.
Dean’s adult life has been devoted to collecting hard facts and evidence. She also is a state-licensed polygraph examiner and teaches the art of detecting truth and deception.
The cop behind the wheel that Detroit night in 1992 told Sgt. Dean that when he was pinned down by the submachine gun fire, he faced a terrible choice: stay in the squad car and get shot, or exit the car and get shot. An Uzi fires 600 rounds per minute.
The cop opened the door and claims “a golden glow” filled the car. “I heard a calm, male voice say, ‘Don’t worry. You’re going to come out of this fine. You won’t be hurt.’ It felt as if a shield had been raised up in front of me.” The cop stood amid a hail of bullets and emptied his gun into the suspects’ vehicle. The suspects sped away, but the cop was unharmed. He later said, “I am alive today because of divine intervention.”
Dean wonders if the 60 stories in her book ever would have come to light if she weren’t the one asking the questions. Cops don’t like to talk about paranormal experiences, but if there’s anyone they trust, it’s another cop. Detective Sergeant Ingrid Dean has worked with the Michigan State Police for 20 years in a variety of capacities, including road patrol, polygraph, forensic arts, investigation and major crimes.
Spirit of the Badge contains real-life accounts of heretofore hidden elements of police work: the metaphysical, spiritual and inspirational. Dean interviewed active and retired police officers from across the country and gathered stories that highlight the human, humorous, intuitive and miraculous side of law enforcement.
Her book reveals that law enforcement officers go beyond Sgt. Friday’s old refrain from Dragnet, “Just the facts.” Instead, they sometimes rely on intuition. Her real-life accounts examine such subjects as angels and apparitions, dreams, signs, symbols, synchronicity, lessons of the heart, unexplainable phenomena, and healing with humor.
Dean holds a B.A. and M.A. in art and transpersonal studies. She is currently assigned to the Michigan State Police post in Traverse City, Michigan. The author is also a professional artist, musician and teacher.
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TIP SHEET:
Henry Reed, Ph.D., Professor of Transpersonal Studies, Atlantic University and editor of Psi Research, Venture Inward Magazine: “To read of these police officers’ experiences that suggest a dimension of meaning beyond time and space is truly inspiring … The stories read like ‘true crime’ drama.”
Alan L. White, author of Alaska Behind Blue Eyes and Promise Not to Tell: “Spirit of the Badge is compelling in its exploration of the human psyche and as difficult to put down as a great thriller … a deeply penetrating work.”
Phillip D. Schertzing, Ph.D., Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice: “A humanizing portrayal of police officers who relate in their own words their experiences of mysterious or unexplained phenomena, amazing coincidences, or cases where their sixth sense of intuition saved them (and others) from harm.”
Connie Anderson, Topaz Heart Publishing: “Sixty inspiring and most interesting stories submitted by police officers nationwide, Dean’s collection introduces us to the human side of law enforcement. You’ll chuckle at some of the stories and feel tears well up with others.”
Email to author: 10/5/09
I was moved by the author’s app on TV this morning. My Dad has served his country in WWII as a navy Airman and Boston policeman for 34 years. Retired in 1982. He is losing his fight w/ cancer. All treatments have been suspended. Hospice is now called in. He does not have much time. I’m his son and love him dearly. I would like to read from this book at his bedside.
