Local Voices
In The Beautiful Journey, Andrea takes you on an emotional rollercoaster as she chronicles her journey through cancer. You'll laugh (yes, laugh), cry, and cheer her on as she battles to become victorious over this disease. Andrea shares her raw, honest experiences as she is forced to make heavy, life-saving decisions.
However, The Beautiful Journey is more than a story about cancer. Andrea includes many valuable lessons she learns as a result of facing this adversity, including:
- How to overcome fear
- How blessings can be found in adversity
- The difference between living a successful life vs. one of significance
- The importance of living...on purpose
- Finding the beauty in all things
- The importance of listening to your body
As you follow Andrea's story of how she claims victory over cancer, you'll be able to go on your own "beautiful journey" of self-discovery and awareness.
Many are asking, what is wrong with teaching, learning, schooling, and education, and what can be done? You will get the answers (panacea) from the letters of a mad public school teacher: intrepid, irascible, cantankerous, provocative, passionate, thought-provoking, iconoclastic, and enhanced with vitriolic demagoguery.
As a grad student / colleague said, Thanks for an enjoyable class on education issues in society. I also enjoyed your letters to the editor. I've been told that I say what other people think. Well, you write and publish what we're all thinking.
DESTINY’S DARK LIGHT by Sara Dobie Bauer is contemporary adult paranormal romance focusing on Cyan Burroughs, a white witch whose birth has been prophesied to save the world in a battle with the dreaded Dorcha, a dark and powerful sorcerer. It is a story of magic, power, witches and love.
Our country is divided in so many ways, with a growing chasm between men and women. The news cycle is discouraging. Emotional and physical toxicity is affecting our health and well-being. There are words for what is happening. We are suffering from an empathy deficit disorder.
The good news is there is a way out. Healing starts with reexamining our modern myths about how we work, what "quality time" at home really means, and why the age-old battle of the sexes persists. Is there a way to come together in this era of bitterness, distrust, #MeToo, and #HimToo? Empathy Deficit Disorder sets the table for that new way.
Praise for Empathy Deficit Disorder:
"Jackie and Eva's message offers real cause for hope. For those who are sick of the cynical zeitgeist, I can't recommend this book strongly enough. The revolution of the future will hinge on the empathy-inducing "co-creation" explained so masterfully and entertainingly in these pages. This book is a convincing read whether one is a Democrat, Republican or like me a left leaning Libertarian." -Detective Chris Gibbons, Cleveland Police Department
"Acho and Basilion understand that caring for and listening to children--their own children, in the deepest sense--promotes empathy in the children and enhances the parents' own capacities for empathy. They have taken this simple but profound understanding and skillfully applied it, not only to their spouses, but to the work force, corporations, and the inner-connectivity of the internet-all with the vision of creating a more functional world. Empathy Deficit Disorder is an uplifting, inspiring book. It makes you think. It makes you smile. And it makes you feel more hopeful than you did before you picked it up!"-Barbara Streeter, Director of the Hanna Perkins School and Faculty Chair of the Cleveland Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Training Program
"Titled rather simply, this book is a kaleidoscope of human experience. The authors dig deep into their own life experiences, giving us glimpses into their very core. They fortify their experiences with wicked intellect, and then they add soul-the kind that reveals our collective humanity. Then they apply it to life. From the C-suite, to the network, to parenthood, Acho and Basilion examine the conflicts embedded in these areas and then offer us a better way: choosing empathy. The book will cause you to self-examine. It will provoke you to think, and think again. It will drive you to be your sister's keeper, and your brother's, and your neighbor's too." -Harold V. Jones, Executive Vice President of Eaton Business System & Sustainability, Eaton Corporation
Something had to change.
Two parents challenge one another to find balance between work and family life. Their stories are both uproarious and poignant as they raise children and strive to leave their mark on the wider world. Filled with tender moments and plenty of laughs, Here Be Dragons recounts the adventures of a family trying to stay afloat, and offers a life raft to the rest of us in choppy waters.
It is entertaining to be anti-Masonic and perpetuate conspiracy theories and stories based on satanic worship rather than join Freemasonry or any other private organization primarily structured with improving the individual in society. The Masonic term "making good men better" is the desire of the craft concerning all people living in a multicultural society to better themselves. This is masonry in a nutshell. To achieve this betterment takes a great deal of work and self-introspection, which the critics of the craft refuse to endure and fail to examine the important historical esoteric symbols associated with the craft. This book is dedicated toward neutralizing such superficial negative ideology pursued by critics who have a personal interest in negating the significant works of the greatest fraternal organization in the world. Contained herein are chapters on women in Freemasonry, the Catholic Church, and Freemasonry (which contains an addendum relating to over one hundred cardinals and bishops who, under pseudonyms, were Freemasons), a chapter on the 133rd Psalm (providing a line-by-line interpretation of a work which provides the important ideological, humanistic basis for both society and Freemasonry) with an important chapter analyzing the final end-period of a man's life as it related to Ecclesiastes Chapter 12. Men join Freemasonry because in their hearts, they seek to improve themselves. In a reality, any can start living as principled individuals, exercising the same values without being a Freemason. All that is required is desire and work effort, with a foundation from the Holy Bible to betterment of himself. However, the Masonic Craft assists an individual in this journey by providing defined structure, support, and a roadmap that helps focus the advancement and, as such, increases the probability of a successful outcome. Freemasonry centers on learning how to charge one's self with thought and physical conduct. However, in order to improve, one must read, study, and understand the true nature of reality in life, buttressed by the role of oneself and those with which one socializes. This philosophy underlines why the most important virtues of Freemasonry are symbolic and teach us to be better humans. Freemasonry gains its structure and foundation through an inherent love of an adherence to the Holy Bible and would not exist without that devotion. The foundation of Masonry is predicated on the fact that the craft and the Bible are intricately interconnected, just as other holy books around the world are central to their Freemason organizations. Much of Masonry's symbolism is taken from biblical sources, especially Genesis and the stories surrounding the building of King Solomon's temples. Great emphasis is placed on the development of moral and ethical virtues and the building of character, with truth being the guiding principle of our lives. Thus, brotherhood and charity are natural outcomes and further define one of Masonry's major tenets. Masonry uses proven methods to enhance the lives and spirits of members in a tangible way. In every Masonic lodge, upon its altar, there is a Holy Bible supporting the square and compasses. This old familiar book, so beloved by so many generations, is our Volume of the Sacred Law and represents the Great Light in Freemasonry. The Bible is open when the lodge opens; the Bible is closed when the lodge closes. No lodge can transact its own business, much less initiate candidates into the mysteries of the craft, unless the Book of Holy Law lies open upon its altar. It is the true responsibility of each individual Mason to seek out and understand the true nature of reality through the teachings of Freemasonry discovered in the symbols of the craft. The individual must learn to recognize and interpret the footprints of the deity and the sublime methods that he uses to reveal his message. So mote it be. May the mystery begin
'I Used to Be Racist is about my life growing up in NYC pre and post-9/11. I never discriminated or judged anyone based on their religion and/or race until that tragic day and the weeks that followed. At 10-years old, I loaded up on the information being shared by the local news stations about what the terrorists looked like, and how they could be potentially lurking in various parts of the city. After moving to Ohio, I experienced racism for the first time, which opened my eyes on my own ignorance. Eventually, I became brave enough to encounter the "enemy."
The government of Theos prohibits contact with Earth, having deemed it a hostile and unevolved planet of inhabitants. Two of their leading scientists have worked for years to prove Theosians can successfully survive on Earth, but not before a deadly and fatal explosion takes their lives. Their son, a young, scientific phenom, vows to defend his parents' theories as he disobeys law and escapes his planet, plummeting his craft toward Earth's surface with his ex-girlfriend secretly stowed away.
On Earth, their personality differences erupt causing them to live separate lives. However, an unknown atmospheric anomaly, results in a break-down in body strength, requiring them to meet yearly to perform a regenerative ritual for survival. Despite each being 17 years of age, one chooses to regress to high school for fun, games and no responsibilities, while the other takes on the identity of a college freshman, for a life of logic and pure reason.
Despite their differences, they each struggle to acclimate and find themselves up against deadly illness and evil forces, aimed at exposing their secret existence. But nothing poses a greater threat than a battle against the heart.
Singing specters, secret passageways, unsolved clues, abandoned mansions, old photo albums and hidden motives are all found in the four stories making up this unique collection, Mysterious Tales of the Unexplained. A young sleuth solves a mystery surrounding a creepy, community theatre in Break A Leg & Knock 'Em Dead. She then goes on to investigate the apparent suicide of a wealthy factory owner in House up on the Hill. In Picture on the Wall, a mother/daughter restoration team experience ghostly encounters in an old, abandoned mansion. And six young friends go on a mystery weekend at a spooky inn, deciphering clues and exploring the mysterious property, only to find much more going on than they thought.
Charles Ellenbogen has been teaching for a long time. He moved into his first classroom when Bill Clinton moved into the White House and has been teaching long enough to see Hillary Clinton lose an election and to hear a student point to a picture of the Clintons and say, "That's Hillary Clinton and. . . and her husband."
That doesn't mean he's especially good at it; it just means that he's been doing it a long time. It doesn't mean he has 38 Recipes for Great Teaching; it does mean he has a lot of stories. And these are some of them. You will laugh at some and get frustrated or even angry at others. But they all are real, and some of them don't end well because, after all, this isn't the movies.
Lonely and broke, Cleveland divorce-survivor Allie Harper believes all her problems would be solved if she could find a nice, smart, hot guy and enough money to get her car fixed.
The hot guy arrives first: he's in a crosswalk clutching a bag of groceries while a blonde in a Hummer is learning hard on her horn, sending the man's groceries and white cane flying. How has this woman missed that fact that the man is blind? From the curb, an outraged Allie jumps to his rescue, rebagging the groceries as well.
The money is in the bag. Literally - Thomas Bennington III, for that's who the handsome guy proves to be, has bought a MondoMegaJackpot ticket along with canned tomatoes. Allie takes him home and turns his groceries into dinner for two. Later that night, Tom hears the numbers announced. He's won. And he's less than thrilled. PhD Tom had gambled on the odds of losing (175 million to one) to prove a point to Rune, a kid from the projects he's befriended, that only losers buy lottery tickets. Instead, Rune, who'd helped pick the Mondo numbers, will share Tom's jackpot.
Allie and Tom grasp two things: one, they're hot for each other, and two, the ticket is a hot target, and now so are they. Every scheming weasel in Cleveland will be after Tom's millions. $550 of them. Yes, once the Mondo ball drops, it's game on with killers and kidnappers as players.
Allie and Tom need to get smarter about the threats all around them. On the run from one fancy hotel refuge to another and from one danger moment to the next, with only Allie s feisty landlady, Margo, and a couple of Cleveland cops for back-up, Allie and Tom evolve a strategy. First, turn in the ticket and claim the jackpot. Second, set up accounts to manage the millions. Third, stay alive to the end of the week...if they can.
Too Lucky to Live debuts a talented writer in Annie Hogsett and a couple in Allie and Tom, a modern Nick and Nora Charles, who can power a compelling, amusing series with an excellent future.
Bombarded by voices of fear and failure, how do you move past them to become all God designed for you? Our thoughts, and those of our parents, cloud our thinking. They feed us positive and negative images based on past hurts, telling us we're not good enough.
Unfortunately, our children can inherit those voices and adopt them.
Do you feel controlled by fear and circumstance? You are not alone. As an award-winning journalist, Romona Robinson heard thousands of women share feelings of entrapment. Waiting to hear from God about their career, finances, their children, relationships or health, they grow weary, searching for answers. Why hasn't God come to their rescue?
Controlled by pain, Romona almost missed God's purpose. In Your Voice is Your Power, she shares agonizing and triumphant stories of women and painful personal lessons about living in fear and listening to negative influences. Those voices threatened to take her down and out, until she learned to take back her life. "Now that God is in charge, I am finally living the abundant life He promised--and so can you."