Dissenting Views II, by Joseph E. Green, well-reasoned essays

This is a preliminary review of the book that I am currently reading. Dissenting Views II is a collection of essays covering, as the subtitle tells us, "More Investigations into History,
Culture, Cinema, and Conspiracy". The essays are well-reasoned, and the facts are documented with copious footnotes. They are also well-written and easy to read. 

So far, I have read  "JFK & Other Conspiracies", which is the first of four sections. Green sets out to discover why President John F. Kennedy (JFK) was killed, rather than who did it. This approach frees him from the pitfalls of conspiracy theory, which often involves following false leads down blind alleys. One essay addresses the term "conspiracy theory", which has become profanity tossed at those who disagree with the official story on any topic. 

Another essay addresses the theory that Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) was the mastermind behind a vast conspiracy to murder Kennedy. He shows why this particular theory fails to hold water, without resorting to the name-calling that we hear from official sources such as the mainstream media. With patient logic, he takes apart the LBJ theory, showing how it falls apart under its own weight. 

I'm really enjoying this book. It provides information that is new to me, and the author maintains an even tone. There is no hysteria here, as you might find in other books on the same topic. Green simply explores the facts and backs them up with sources. 

DISCLAIMER:  I was paid a token fee of $5 to read and review this book. Nevertheless, this is my honest opinion. If I did not like the book, I would inform the author and offer a refund. 

For more information about Joseph E. Green and his work, please visit his web site:

http://www.dissentingviews.com


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Radio Free Albemuth movie, get it now!

Please get one of the finest Philip K. Dick movies through the link on my other blog. This apocalyptic tale looks a lot like the world in which we live.

The story will scare you, but it does offer hope at the end.

http://tessadick.com/396/movies/radio-free-albemuth-going-international/

New book for organic gardeners

Going Organic is a pretty good book, and I should know because I edited it.  Of the many books that I edit for a small publisher, this is one of the best.

It tells you how to prepare the soil, choose seeds, fertilize, manage pests, harvest and even cook your garden produce. It also has a chapter on raising chickens.

I refer to it often when I'm tending my garden. You really can grow both food and flowers without resorting to nasty chemicals. It isn't as hard as you might think.

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Organic-Guide-Healthy-Natural-ebook/dp/B00W3TTNGI/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432913554&sr=1-2&keywords=going+organic

Two amazing new fantasy novels by women

Gemini  Press ha released two paranormal urban fantasy novels by amazing authors who happen to be women. The novels have been named finalists in Foreword Reviews’ IndieFab Book of the Year Awards. The two books feature strong female protagonists who struggle as much with demons and apocalyptic mayhem as they do with profound and metaphorically universal coming-of-age issues. 

Writer and educator Maureen O'Leary, author of the novels The Arrow and How to Be Manly, lives in Sacramento, California. She loves African dance and drumming, working out, and reading other people's books. She's proud to call herself a believer in faeries, storytellers, goddesses, rock star gods, magic, destiny, and the healing power of love.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Katherine Wynter grew up with a deep love of books and reading. After putting aside childhood dreams of genetically engineering dragons, she began writing fictional worlds filled with demons, monsters, and unsung heroes. She is married and enjoys hiking and traveling.

In The Arrow, a powerful young healer, Fynn Kildare, discovers that a pharmaceutical company's greed threatens humanity. The corporation, CainPharma, serves an ancient witch and they are about to produce a new drug called Hydravirus. The concoction is addictive and dangerous, and, as Fynn discovers, it’s also part of a greedy corporate grab for power. To stop it, she must embrace her family's heroic past and become “the Arrow.”

We meet Rebekah Lorek in Keeper Chronicles: Awakening. Not only is she the perfect hostess to the guests at her lighthouse bed-and-breakfast, she has extraordinary abilities that are only now awakening. When Rebekah Lorek's father is murdered by a demon in disguise, a dark world is revealed that forces her to accept her destiny or see humanity destroyed.

Reviews for The Arrow have included five-star ratings. One of these came from Foreword Clarion Reviews, which said, “Beautifully combining mythology, romance, and action, this story is fun to read even as it addresses some of the harder aspects of becoming an adult.” Self-Publishing Review echoed this praise  in its review, saying, “...a beautiful story... a breath of fresh air for a fantasy book... a strong opponent to any other urban fantasy out there right now..." Red City Review added, "Mythology, betrayal, corporate espionage, romance; all of this and more has been melded together flawlessly in this novel."

Keeper Chronicles: Awakening has also received several five-star ratings. Readers Favorite said, "If you're looking for a compelling urban fantasy read with a rich plot, romance and mystery, then look no further than Awakening." Self-Publishing Review agreed, saying, "A creepy and epic story to thrill urban fantasy fans from a talented narrator..." Foreword Clarion Reviews cited Wynter’s refreshing take on monsters: “Urban fantasy fans will find unique and enthralling characters in this suspenseful story...In a genre that is too often crowded with defanged vampires and misunderstood monsters, this book focuses on the dark and scary side of demons."

New literary online quarterly, Trafika Europe

A new literary journal recently launched their first quarterly issue.  Trafika Europe showcases authors who might have been ignored, especially in English-language publications.   This ground-breaking publication is well worth a visit to their web site at 

www.trafikaeurope.org

The journal is displayed as a flip-book.  

The first issue, "Northern Idyll", focuses on work from Europe's northern islands, with new poetry, stories and novel excerpts translated from Gaelic and Shetland Scots, Faroese, Icelandic and Norwegian, as well as new works from German, Russian, French, Slovenian and Occitan.

One highlight, from the tiny culture of the Faroe Islands, is a chapter translated from Jóanes Nielson's The Brahmadells – A North Atlantic Chronicle. This is the first work from the Faroe Islands ever to receive a major international publishing contract, so it is the most important news of Faroese literature in our times. This work is receiving its English-language premiere in the pages of Trafika Europe.

This issue also features photos from across Europe by US-based photographer Mark Chester. 

It is well worth a look.  A long look. 

Get Radio Free Albemuth the movie now!

One of the best, if not the best of the many adaptations of Philip K. Dick stories and novels is Radio Free Albemuth.  This independent film did not have a huge budget, but it did have a great story and talented actors, as well as a director with a vision that resonates with the story that Philip K. Dick told.

I highly recommend that you get it now, and that you tell all your friends to get it.  Watch it more than once, and you will see details that you missed on the first viewing.

And guys, it has Alanis Morissette.  Shea Wigham plays a young author (Philip K. Dick) whose friend Nick Brady (played by Jonathan Scarfe) is unwittingly drawn into danger by a strange pink light and a voice that transmits information directly into his head.  The VALIS satellite attempts to free humanity from oppression by a totalitarian government.

This is, in my opinion, a must see, not only for fans of science fiction and Philip K. Dick, but for everyone who values human rights.  

Yekra Player
Yekra is a revolutionary new distribution network for feature films.
Radio Free Albemuth
From Philip K. Dick – author of Blade Runner, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly – his most prophetic science fiction thriller. In an alternate reality 1985, Nick Brady (Jonathan Scarfe), a record store clerk in Berkeley begins to experience strange visions transmitted from an extra-terrestrial source he calls VALIS. He moves to Los Angeles with his wife, Rachel (Katheryn Winnick), where he becomes a successful music executive with a secret mission to overthrow the oppressive, totalitarian American regime helmed by President Fremont (Scott Wilson). But what is VALIS? A higher consciousness from another reality, an alien life-form or perhaps, even God? With the help of his best friend, a science-fiction writer – Philip K. Dick himself (Shea Whigham) – and a beautiful, mysterious woman named Silvia (Alanis Morissette)- Nick finds himself drawn into a conspiracy of cosmic, mind-shattering proportions. Although it might cost them their freedom or even their lives, they join forces to bring a message of hope from the stars and reveal the dangerous truth.

Want to understand trends in media? New book

EUROPE’S LEADING PUBLISHERS PRESENT THE
2014 GLOBAL MEDIA TRENDS BOOK

[PRESSWIRE] London, United Kingdom - 13.10.14 -- LATEST MEDIA MARKETS AND USAGE DATA PUBLISHED TO INFORM WORLDWIDE MEDIA BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND REGULATION.

The European Publishers Council (EPC), representing Europe’s leading media organisations, is delighted to present, for the third year running, the EPC Global Media Trends Book to inform both appropriate regulation as well as media business strategies worldwide.

The report provides a detailed survey of the digital media landscape with over 500 data sets and an in-depth analysis of global digital media revenue and usage trends.

Key findings in this year’s report include:

• Internet advertising spend is poised to exceed TV adspend in many parts of the world before the end of the decade;
• Investment in technology overtakes product development as priority for efficiency;
• Lack of talent in emerging areas (technology, internet) is the most cited barrier to growth in media companies 2013 to 2014
• Native advertising and content marketing are the top priority for marketers;

1. The use of mobile to access the Internet around the world has doubled in one year;
2. E-commerce on mobile and tablets has grown dramatically;

• Global newspaper industry adspend share is expected to drop from 16.9 percent in 2013 to 13.7 percent by 2018; 

• Digital news subscriptions are growing in the double digits since 2013;
•The 19-35 age group (millennials) consume little live TV compared to their older counterparts;
• Worldwide, millennials consider the internet, including social media, the most credible news source

EPC Executive Director Angela Mills Wade said: “The world’s media revenue and usage patterns are changing dramatically in 2014.  The constant shift of advertising spend, device, media and shopping patterns are driving media companies continually to innovate, and through investment in new technologies, overhaul their media strategies.

“With the EU’s political agenda now under new leadership, we will be telling our media “story” to many of the new politicians and regulators for the first time – regulators who will be tasked over the next five years to consider introducing new laws that can impact on journalism, the media and the European information society as a whole.

“Issues including digital advertising, big data, copyright and licensing, e-commerce, data protection, taxation and media pluralism are all under the spotlight so it is vital that the regulators have an understanding of the realities of the worldwide media industry and base their proposals on sound, verifiable information.”

The EPC would like to thank Martha Stone and the World Newsmedia Network for another year’s excellent collaboration.  We would also like to thank the 60 contributing research companies for their ongoing support of this valuable resource for publishers, researchers, academics and media industry stakeholders.

The executive summary of the report with details of all the data and data sources are available at http://bit.ly/Zo1Vlr