Showing results by narrator "Ken Maxon" in All Categories

Otto von Bismarck was more than a politician and a leader: He was the single driving force that turned the disparate states of Germany into one cohesive empire. He then went on to lead Germany and the rest of Europe into an age of political peace that lasted from 1871 until the outbreak of World War I. Under his influence, Germany thrived. Bismarck’s use of statesmanship to fight for the interests of his country was legendary. As one of the most influential and powerful individuals in his country’s history, Bismarck became a symbol of leadership and pride for German nationalists.

After being denied admission to a Masonic lodge in Batavia, William Morgan secured a sizable advance from a local newspaper publisher for this work. That publisher, David Cade Miller, released this book after Morgan's death, presumably at the hands of the Masons. Because of the notoriety of the previous events, The Mysteries of Free Masonry Containing All the Degrees of the Order Conferred in a Master's Lodge became an instant best seller and an American classic.

This book - the first comprehensive transatlantic history of the rise of neoliberal politics - presents a surprising answer. Based on archival research and interviews with leading participants in the movement, Masters of the Universe traces the ascendancy of neoliberalism from the academy of interwar Europe to supremacy under Reagan and Thatcher and in the decades since. Daniel Stedman Jones argues that there was nothing inevitable about the victory of free-market politics.

The Early Church Fathers of the Western Christian Tradition are widely known, but the Early Desert Fathers of the Orthodox Church (The Writers of the Philokalia) are not as widely known or understood. What makes them unique is their unusual asceticism. Most of them became hermits and lived in the caves of Egypt to uncover the deepest secrets of the inner soul of man. It was in this profound aloneness and heightened dispassion, that these Early Desert Fathers found God.

Charlemagne, while subjugating the people he conquered, modernized education, currency, art, music, and leadership to bring stability back to Europe, setting it on the path to thrive for years to come. Europe had been in upheaval, with threats from every direction, when Charlemagne came to power in the eighth century. The barbarian king worked to unite Germanic people into one kingdom and to spread Catholicism.

The Catholic and Christian faith is so deep and rich that it's hard to wrap your mind around it. For those interested in getting an overview of the Catholic faith, you'll learn about the early Church fathers, Apostolic Canons, the Holy Mass, liturgy, sacraments, prayers and devotions, cardinal and theological virtues, mortal and venial sin, the Doctrine of Purgatory and the many theologies of the Church (moral, mystical, ascetical, dogmatic).

How about other friends and associates? Have you been introduced to their family? Perhaps you can't understand why someone who is so lovely and charming, and who you consider to be a wonderful human being, has such few friends. Maybe this is because the ones that came before you have already experienced their other side.

America’s economic future is uncertain. Mired in a long crippling economic slump and hamstrung by bitter partisan debate over the growing debt and the role of government, the nation faces substantial challenges, exacerbated by a dearth of vision and common sense among its leaders. Prominent Stanford economist John B. Taylor brings his steady voice of reason to the discussion with a natural solution: start with the country’s founding principles of economic and political freedom and reconstruct its economic foundation from these proven principles.

Most people will be shocked to learn that in 1933 a cabal of wealthy industrialists - in league with groups like the K.K.K. and the American Liberty League - planned to overthrow the U.S. government in a fascist coup. Their plan was to turn discontented veterans into American "brown shirts," depose F.D.R., and stop the New Deal. They clandestinely asked Medal of Honor recipient and Marine Major General Smedley Darlington Butler to become the first American Caesar. He, though, was a true patriot and revealed the plot to journalists and to Congress.

Many Christians feel that they are being opposed at every turn by what seems to be a well-orchestrated political and cultural campaign to de-Christianize every aspect of Western culture. They are right, and it goes even further back than the Obama Administration. In Worshipping the State: How Liberalism Became Our State Religion, Benjamin Wiker argues that it is liberals who seek to establish an official state religion: one of unbelief.

Presenting invaluable advice from the world's most famous computer security expert, this intensely listenable collection features some of the most insightful and informative coverage of the strengths and weaknesses of computer security and the price people pay - figuratively and literally - when security fails. Discussing the issues surrounding things such as airplanes, passports, voting machines, ID cards, cameras, passwords, internet banking, sporting events, computers, and castles, this book is a must-listen for anyone who values security at any level.

How did we get here, to this time and place in history? Are we repeating history's mistakes because we did not learn about the pivotal events that shaped the modern world? This three-book history course helps you quickly understand the nuances and the impact of three crucial periods portrayed in countless films: the Crusades and of the rise and fall of two great empires, the Roman and British.

In Performance Dashboards (Second Edition), author Wayne Eckerson explains what dashboards are, where they can be used, and why they are important for measuring and managing performance. As Director of Research for The Data Warehousing Institute, a worldwide association of business intelligence professionals, Eckerson interviewed dozens of organizations that have built various types of performance dashboards in different industries and lines of business.

It is a story of adventure, of travel, and of intrigue. It is also a tale of wedding and betrayal, of jealousy and political maneuvering. For not only are the lives of the four main players in this drama of interest, so are the lives of the many people surrounding them. There are even pirates and great engineering feats. Small wonder that this story has spawned so many fictionalized stories, branching off the main thread of a dying republic becoming an empire.

Cougar is a slang term that refers to a woman who seeks sexual relations with considerably younger men. This book deals with the dynamics and motivations of older women who seduce younger men, as portrayed in six classical films: The Graduate (1968), Tea and Sympathy (1956), Summer of '42 (1971), The Reader (2008), The Last Picture Show (1971), and Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001).

Jokes about masturbation are countless, and, when men get together, they are quick with many crude quips about the subject. But considering that masturbation is one of the most common acts in which human beings engage, it is surprising that there is not more serious information available to the general public. How much understanding does the average person have about the subject? Why is such a common human experience still considered to be a taboo subject by so many?

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world." These words of the Buddha point to the timeless value of Buddhism. Thoughts both shape our lives and define our future. What is the quality of the thoughts that we are bringing forth? Ultimately, every person is looking for the same thing, happiness and a sense of inner peace. Regardless of how we try to achieve that sense of happiness and peace, most likely we will end up disappointed.

Back in December 2001, Gary Vurnum had to quit his successful banking career of 15 years for because of his seriously ill son. The trouble was - he didn't have any savings, couldn't work full-time, and didn't have any experience outside of the banking industry. Gary decided that the Internet was the only way that he could earn a living. He began by sharing how he coped under very difficult circumstances, and, thanks to living off of his credit cards, managed to create his own motivational products and build a list of 20,000 subscribers to his ezine.

Joe Fleming, a youth of twenty, earning his livelihood as a sailmaker and supporting his mother and sisters by his trade, augments his income by prize-fighting before so-called sporting clubs. On the eve of his marriage to Genevieve, an employe' in the Silversteins' candy shop, Joe is to fight his last bout before a club, having promised Genevieve to give up "the game," which, while it seems wrong to her, is to him a clean and manly as well as lucrative occupation.

Calvin A. Colarusso, MD, noted child psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and expert on human development describes the characteristics of bullies and victims, underlying causes of bullying, offers case examples, and recommends practical steps parents should take when their child is bullied.